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SIMONE J. SMITH/TORONTO CARIBBEAN “It seems, then, that when the experiments are sufficiently important, the use of African volunteers is justified.”

J.F. Corson, Medical Officer, Tinde Laboratory, Tanganyika 1938 Last week, members of the AfricanCaribbean came to me concerned about posters in their buildings, notifying them that community organizations would be coming around to encourage them to set appointments to get one of the COVID-19 vaccines.

I could not believe when I saw the line around Driftwood Community Centre, people all waiting to get their vaccination. On social media, the current trend is a celebration of vaccination. Our community leaders all proudly are rolling up their sleeves to show the world that they had been vaccinated.

There is good reason that all of this is happening. Africans in the diaspora are 3.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than Caucasians,

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according to a May 2020 analysis on MedRxiv. Every day, our media here in North America reminds us about the rise in cases, and deaths caused

by COVID-19. The fear that has been caused by this is the reason for the rush. Our government officials and mainstream media remind us that the only way to curb the spread of COVID-19 is to get vaccinated, continue to wear our masks, and stay home.

Continued On Page 8

PAGE 2

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

EKELLE What it means to be eclectic, eccentric, and empowering

“I make music for women; it’s all about embracing yourself and being you. Sometimes, I’m hype on the track, and sometimes, I want to be sad on the track. It’s about expressing our different ranges of emotions, especially as black women, where we get put into boxes and people want to see us in a certain way. We’re such multifaceted people, I just want that message to shown.” – Ekelle

Are you feeling that the music scene in the city has been a little mundane lately? Well, this week’s brilliant Women Empowered refuses to let you write her off as just another Toronto hiphop artist! Introducing Ekelle, an upcoming talent with a unique flare that you need on your playlist pronto!

Raised in a Guyanese-Caribbean household and residing in the West End of Toronto, she was bound to have a well-rounded and great appreciation for music at young age. Growing up in the 90s, she fell in love with several hip-hop, pop and R&B sensations in that time period. From Destiny’s Child to Spice Girls. From Britney Spears to Missy Elliot. Much to her mother’s dismay, her eyes stayed glued to the TV to watch music video countdown shows, such as YTV’s “Hit List” every Saturday.

Inspired by the timeless sounds of that era, it wouldn’t be long before she chose to venture into the music industry herself. In the beginning stages, she fell into a bit of a rut in choosing the right lane for her career. How could she pick just one genre when she was enamored with so many?

She began to construct her own distinctive style that matched her wide-ranging love for music with her even wider-ranging personality.

Thus, the genre “Hood Pop” was born! There she had it, a sound she describes as popular music with a street edge and a direct reflection of her personal interests and experiences. It also shares the same name of her latest EP released earlier this year.

“Hood Pop is a combination of hip-hop,

pop and R&B. Sometimes I might sing or sometimes I might rap. I do whatever I feel will tell the story of the song the best,” she says. “My musical style doesn’t necessarily fit one genre, so I had to create my own. I realized that in making music, based on all the genres I liked, I couldn’t stick to one thing. If I made a song of what I think would be considered as a standard rap song, it’s not because there are some pop elements in there. So, I realized that I’m a bit different. And as soon as I began to embrace that, more opportunities came.

I decided to lean into it and call it Hood Pop, because I’m telling the real stories of my life, but I also want it to be fun.”

Her innovative melodies elevated her to high places, having performed at various venues including Afrofest and Durham Caribbean Festival, and even receiving a video nomination for a CUT Hip-Hop Award. In 2019, her highly polished debut album Dark Skin & Tattoos garnered her features in EARMILK, I Am Hip-Hop Magazine, UK-based entertainment outlet FlavourMag and several other international online publications.

A woman who’s completely comfortable in her skin, her relatable animated lyrics revolve around themes of happiness, heartbreak, and sexual orientation. In 2020, in honour of the Toronto Pride Parade and the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, she released the single “Gimmie,” a sexually liberating dance hit to let listeners know that she’s here and she’s queer!

“I do identify as pansexual,” says Ekelle.

For clarity, this means that Ekelle’s bountiful love knows zero boundaries and her attraction to others is not limited to biological sex or gender identity. “I think for a long time, as being someone who’s more of a femme appearance, people assume I’m not queer. There have been a few times where I’ve been involved in LGBTQ+ blogs or podcasts, and they referred to me as an ally. I got tired of it! So, I started bringing this into my music so that people understood. I’m in it!”

The soaring heights of her career today

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can be attributed to overcoming the deeply low points in her life. In 2015, after returning home from a vacation, Ekelle was falsely charged and arrested at Pearson International Airport.

“It was very scary. It was devastating.

And to some degree, it was embarrassing. I’m not going to say I’m a perfect human being, but I’ve never been involved in legal drama before. The police have never brought me home. Growing up in a single parent home, I always had the mentality that I have to be doing well and uplifting the family. So, when this happened, that shook things up and it was hard to deal with.”

The legal battle took a detrimental toll on her self-esteem, confidence and also caused her to be in a constant state of anxiety and depression. Ekelle dealt with the majority of the pressure on her own, from losing friends to being in severe debt due to legal fees.

“I had to pay out-of-pocket because I didn’t qualify for legal aid. I had to bust my butt and work all these crazy jobs. It’s like working kept me busy and allowed me to not think about it too much. But there were some days where I’d feel really depressed about it and ask myself, what is the point? They’ve made their decision already. The system doesn’t treat our people well so am I even going to have my truth be told?”

Throughout this unforeseen circumstance, there was one thing that kept her motivated. Music.

“It probably sounds cliché to say it, but it was all about having something to do. Going to the studio and recording songs or going to other artists’ events. Remembering that it’s not the greatest situation to be in, but you’ve already worked so hard to get this buzz and make connections. Why stop now and put all that work to waste?”

Eventually, all charges against her were dropped, prompting Ekelle to push harder in personally developing her craft and striving for nothing less than excellence.

Most recently, the ultimate party girl released a boisterous banger guaranteed to make your body move. “I Need That” tells the energetic story of a girl so ready to break out and turn up that even a lockdown couldn’t hold her back.

“My latest song is definitely pent-up COVID frustrations for sure! Before this [pandemic], I’m someone who would rarely be home. I’d usually be commuting for work, or a show, or an event afterwards. I was always on the move. So being inside was an adjustment. But the few moments that we get to come out of it, it’s like yes! Put on your best dress, put on your makeup and strut to go to the grocery store. I wanted the audience to remember that even though we’re locked in, you can still be sexy. You don’t have to wear those sweatpants every day. And even if you’re going to, at least have some fun and dance!”

For now, Ekelle is taking her time to enjoy the balance between work and fun. When she isn’t making quirky Tik Toks, she’s in the process of working and recording her upcoming album. Fans can expect a project coming later this summer.

Until then, she continues to network, work on collaborations with fellow female artists and hopes for more growth and expansion in her one-of-akind artform.

Want to keep up with Ekelle? Follow her on Instagram @officialekelle and listen to her crazily addicting latest hit, “I Need That” on all streaming platforms.

Written by Janiece Campbell Toronto Caribbean News

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NEWS

PAGE 3

We are doomed to repeat history if we do not learn from it; Our government officials need to wake up!

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“When lives are at stake, it is better to err on the side of overreaction than under reaction,” CDC Director David Sencer (1976) They say that hindsight is 20/20. Sometimes that works out well, but the majority of the time, our hindsight can be a painful reminder that there was something that could have been done differently that was not.

This pandemic has forced me to research and learn more about how the government handles global crises, and if they have learned from the mistakes of their past.

What I have found is that history continues to repeat itself, and at the detriment of the global population.

We are all familiar with the dreaded Swine Flu of 1918 that infected an approximate 500 million people worldwide. In 1976, it was reported that the Swine Flu was once again going to make a re-appearance, and the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare F. David Mathews projected one million Americans would die in the 1976 flu season unless action was taken. With fears that this would once again be another pandemic, CDC Director David Sencer recommended an unprecedented plan: a mass vaccination of U.S. citizens.

This was the thing; there were no other swine flu cases that had been detected outside Fort Dix, but the CDC advocated a better-safe-than-sorry approach. “The administration can tolerate unnecessary health expenditures better than unnecessary deaths and illness,” the CDC Director wrote in a memo.

President Ford announced his support of the mass immunization plan at a press conference, backed up by polio vaccine developers Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin.

“No one knows how serious this threat could be. Nevertheless, we cannot afford to take a chance with the health of our nation,” President Ford stated.

Under the National Swine Flu Immunization Program, the federal government planned the largest immunization campaign in American history, even more ambitious than the prior polio vaccination drive, but problems plagued the program from the start. One of the drug companies produced two million vaccine doses with the wrong viral strain, and insurance companies refused coverage for vaccine makers in the case of inevitable adverse reactions.

Just like what we are seeing with the COVID-19 vaccine, public service advertisements urged citizens to take the vaccine, and millions of Americans rolled up their sleeves. The United States government noted that the shot “May mean a few sore arms,” but the press reported the possibility of much worse consequences after three senior citizens died of heart attacks shortly after receiving vaccinations at a Pittsburgh clinic.

Investigations were carried out, and it was determined that there was no connection between the deaths and the vaccine. Regardless, a number of states temporarily suspended the program.

Just like our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and many other world leaders have done, President Ford took pictures getting vaccinated in hopes of rallying support.

Once again, public confidence was shaken when dozens of vaccine recipients were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder causing muscle weakness, tingling in the extremities and paralysis.

After all of the media attention, advertising and propaganda, the immunization program turned out to be unnecessary when a repeat of 1918 or even 1957 or 1968 never materialized. “When lives are at stake, it is better to err on the side of overreaction than under reaction,” wrote Millar and Sencer, who lost his job months later.

“There has never been a case like this before. The victims of this vaccine have an incurable and lifelong condition and will require extensive medication.”

(Peter Todd, Lawyer for Victims of Vaccine)

Let’s fast forward to 2009. In an article written by Peter Doshi called “The elusive definition of pandemic influenza,” he reports that in 2009, governments throughout the world mounted large and costly responses to the H1N1 influenza outbreak.

The efforts were largely justified on the premise that H1N1 influenza and seasonal influenza required different management – similar to COVID-19 - a premise reinforced by the decision on the part of the World Health Organization (WHO) to label the H1N1 influenza outbreak a “pandemic.”

However, the outbreak had far less serious consequences than experts had predicted. This fact led many to wonder if the public health responses to H1N1 had not been unnecessary, and if indeed they had overreacted. In addition, concern over ties between WHO advisers and industryfuelled suspicion about the independence and appropriateness of the decisions made at the national and international levels.

What the alarming question has been is whether H1N1 influenza should have been labelled a “pandemic” at all. The Council of Europe voiced serious concerns that the declaration of a pandemic became possible only after WHO changed its definition of pandemic influenza. I will be honest, I didn’t even know that the definition had been changed, and this made me want to dig a little more.

WHO also withheld publication of the names of its H1N1 advisory Emergency Committee, and denied changing any definitions. They defended the scientific validity of their decisions, citing “numerous safeguards” for handling potential conflicts of interest.

Here is where it gets interesting, and I want readers to know that this document by Peter Doshi can actually be found on the WHO website. In 2003, the top of the WHO Pandemic Preparedness homepage has contained the following statement: “An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in several simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness.”

However, on May 4th, 2009, one month before the H1N1 pandemic was declared, the web page was altered. The phrase “Enormous numbers of deaths and illness” had been removed and the revised web page simply read as follows: “An influenza pandemic may occur when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity.” Months later, the Council of Europe would cite this alteration as evidence that WHO changed its definition of pandemic influenza to enable it to declare a pandemic without having to demonstrate the intensity of the disease caused by the H1N1 virus. The question is why would they do that?

Following the swine flu outbreak of 2009, about 60 million people, most of them children, received the vaccine Pandemrix. It was revealed that the vaccine could cause narcolepsy and cataplexy in about one in 16,000 people. Across Europe, more than 800 children had been reported ill due to the vaccine.

Despite a 2011 warning from the European Medicines Agency against using the vaccine on those under twenty, and a study indicating a thirteen-fold heightened risk of narcolepsy in vaccinated children, GlaxoSmithKline has refused to acknowledge a link. “Further research is needed to confirm what role the vaccine may have played in the development of narcolepsy in those affected,” the company said in a statement.

Since then, the company has been making headlines after having to settle lawsuit, after lawsuit bringing the latest total to over $9.1 billion since 2003.

What does this all mean? What this means is that we are doomed to repeat history if we do not learn from it. Our government officials need to wake up. This is not the time to use trial and error on the people of Canada. We have the money for science, so why not use it to further us as a country, instead of relying on strategies from the past?

People of Canada, demand more from your government!

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Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 5

Education Workers’ Unions expressed concerns about cutbacks in Ontario Budget PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The announcement by the Ontario government that there will be a reduction of $1.6 billion from the education budget has caused predictable reactions from the education workers’ unions. In the budget that was presented on Wednesday, March 23rd there was almost no increase in spending on education out of a total of $186 billion.

There was approximately $1.6 billion that was spent on education during the school year 2020-2021 and the majority of it came from the federal government according to the March 25th, 2021 edition of the Kitchener Today.

Five education workers’ unions which include the Ontario Secondary Teachers’ Federation(OSSTF/FESSO), Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE), Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario(ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association(OECTA), and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens(AEFO) released a joint statement which notes that education spending did not increase at the same rate as inflation.

Kitchener Today published the statement which reads, “Obviously, education is not a priority for this government. To date, the province has refused to make critical investments in publicly funded education, putting students, education workers and families at risk.” The joint statements indicate that they are concerned that without investment in the safety as a priority in Ontario’s schools, the health and safety of stu-

dents and their families will be impacted.

The joint statement states, “With this budget, the Ford government has an opportunity to provide students with the support they will need in the months and years ahead. Instead, they continue to exaggerate their investments while actually shortchanging Ontario’s students and families.”

The unions collectively called on the provincial government to invest in four specific areas: • • • •

lower class sizes enhanced safety measures mental health supports more supports for students with special needs

On Thursday, April 15th, OSSTF/FESSO launched a multimedia advocacy campaign to bring attention to the effects of a reduction in education spending on Ontario’s recovery. In the words of president of OSSTF/FESSO, “The Ford government’s recent moves will cost the education system $800 million at a time when we are not out of this pandemic. Education is Ontario’s competitive advantage. Eroding our education system will only put our economy and future at risk.

We need to ensure that the funding is in place with the continuing threat from this pandemic and ensure our students are provided with the education that will ensure their future success.” The media release indicates that by not investing fully in the safe reopening of schools and uncertainties about vaccinations there will be a cumulative effect on staff and students.

This is the basis of the Don’t Shortchange Campaign.OSSTF is particularly concerned about Bill 254. This bill limits the rights to bring awareness of “public policy issues under threat of administrative penalties for violating these unfair rules.” There is much that these unions hope to accomplish.

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

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Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

Another year, another ResilienTOgether; Young artists commemorate Toronto Youth Week JANIECE CAMPBELL janiece@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

May 1st-7th is annually recognized as National Youth Week across Canada, but we have a different way of celebrating our immensely talented youth in the 6ix.

Through a partnership between VIBE Arts, Toronto Youth Equity Strategy, and several other youth-centered art organizations in the city is a major opportunity for youth across the GTA to showcase their incredibly artistic abilities: ResilienTOgether. The week kicked off with six performances by an unbelievable lineup of six local upcoming artists, including breakthrough headlining rappers DijahSB and Clairmont The Second.

Officially, National Youth Week would finish on the 7th, however, this party isn’t ready to shut down just yet! Running until May 15th, ResilienTOgether’s viewers can expect to get another week filled with visual art through a virtual gallery as well as artwork chosen from submissions to their online campaign, #ResiliencyLooksLike, an outlet for youth between the ages of 13-29 to express how they personally continue to break barriers and overcome the tough challenges they face.

“For me personally, resiliency looks like looking within,” says Onika Powell, the artistic director of VIBE Arts. “Sometimes, culturally, and depending on your environment, so many things and ideologies are pushed on you. And you got to change with the times. You almost have to be like a phoenix and rise. But part of that is just looking within and finding what’s best for you in your situation, then transforming from that. It’s about always moving with the spirit and with purpose. Not so much passion, but purpose.”

Due to COVID-19, the festive event that would have taken place at City Hall alike previous years was moved online.

However, Powell embraces the change, as it widens the event capacity and has the ability to reach youth much farther than Toronto.

Thriving in its third installment, the overall theme of ResilienTOgether this time around is Transformation & Transcendence.

“We have moved into a space, which is calling us to transcend and transform. This is the result of an internal pressure from the soul, one that is felt throughout the collective as we go through this unusual period of pausing, retreating and (hopefully) re-examining ourselves together,” writes Tony, (@tonyxtones on Instagram), a Scarborough artist and curator of the visual art exhibit.

He continues. “Transcendence and transformation are two of my favourite things. The idea of it freaks a lot of people out because it is deep inner change, it can be hard work, and it reminds people of death – because you have to let go of what was there before and surrender to the rebirthing of self. The transcendence of our fears, previous limitations and restrictive perceptions is a wonderful step for us personally, but it also ripples out into the wider world. It’s time to transcend your deepest fear and transform your beliefs that have been based upon this untruth/ fear and distorted perception of what was possible.”

VIBE Arts, one of the community partners involved in ResilienTOgether, is a non-profit organization and charity that has been around for twenty-five years. Mainly delivering high quality arts programs directed at youth in under-resourced communities, they also provide mentorship for emerging artists.

“We’re here to create space for a lot of artists and cut down a lot of barriers that they face that often makes it hard for them to focus on growing, learning and really creating their artwork. We try to make sure that the funds that we’re providing to them, whether it’s assisting in programs or attending a professional development workshop, there’s always some kind of incentive or opportunity for them,” says Powell. “We really take the time to talk to our artists that are from the community and say, what is the community asking for?

It’s carefully curated and that’s my goal. It’s just really making sure that the inside and outside of the organization are reflective of the communities we serve.”

VIBE Arts ensures that you won’t be seeing the last of them or their artists.

Artwork featured at TTC Stations, murals and mentorship programs are just a few of the many things they have to offer in the upcoming months.

Fearing that you may have missed out on an awesome event? Don’t sweat it!

All of the performances are available on Instagram via @torontotyes, and you can check out the outstanding art exhibit at resilientogether.ca.

NEWS

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NEWS

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Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Robert Kennedy Jr. documentary draws back the curtain of medical racism SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Continued From Page 1 It is important that we honour the feelings of everyone during this time. I completely understand why many are feeling strongly about getting this vaccine. Most of us just want to get back to the way things were in 2019, when we could go out with friends, visit family, and enjoy a night out. What we cannot do is discredit the stories and experiences of those who have experienced atrocities so horrible, that even though they are in the past, they have not been forgotten.

Racism within medicine is real, and it begins far outside of what we typically think of as the healthcare system. Africans in the Americas suffer from higher levels of stress and hypertension then their Caucasian counterparts, and this is largely driven by the racism they experience. These health disparities are also part of the reason why people of colour generally have higher mortality rates from COVID-19, as they are more likely to have underlying conditions that make COVID-19 even more dangerous.

What I want to do in this article is draw back the curtain of racism that is found in the healthcare system, and the reasons why there is such mistrust in the African-Caribbean community. I had the opportunity to watch Medical Racism; the New Apartheid, a new documentary co-produced by Children’s Health Defence (CHD), Centner Productions, Kevin Jenkins of the Urban Globe Health Alliance, Rev Tony Muhammed, and Author/ Historian Curtis Cost.

The film (directed by Academy Award nominee David Massey) chronicles the long history of targeting minorities for unethical experiments, and the silence of physicians who allow these atrocities to continue. Many of us are

familiar with the historic medical atrocities by CDC at Tuskegee, by the father of American gynecology, Dr J. Marion Sims on South Carolina slave girls, and the medical robbery of Henrietta Lacks.

What we are not aware of is the routine medical barbarism that persists to this day. Some of these stories are hiding in plain sight, and the documentary takes viewers on a journey that will encourage them to question their medical professionals, and make decisions that will benefit themselves, and their families.

McGill; Office for Science and Society, Separating Sense from Nonsense, wrote a review on medical racism, “The Anti-Vaccine Propaganda of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” Throughout the article, they found ways to pick apart his documentary stating that he mixed real examples of racism in healthcare and vaccine misinformation to push an anti-vaccine agenda on marginalized communities of colour.

I find that interesting, because at the very beginning, and at the end of the documentary, Robert Kennedy Jr., explains that he is not telling people not to get a vaccine, or to get the vaccine.

What he wants people to be is educated on what they are putting in their bodies.

Naturally, there are people who may not want this information out there because it would discredit the powers that want this vaccine out in the general public.

What the documentary also does is empower individuals in marginalized communities to ask questions and take back control over their bodies.

The article from McGill spent a lot of time tearing down Robert Kennedy Jr.’s work, but what they did not do is highlight the experiences of parents who have experienced suffering through their children. Parents who have seen their children change drastically after receiving routine vaccines. The fact that autism runs rampant in the Somalian communities in America, the United Kingdom and right here in Toronto. What I learned is that in Somalia, they don’t even have a word that means autism. Many families only started experiencing autism in their communities when they emigrated from Somalia to Europe and the Americas.

What McGill also failed to mention is that medical researchers at the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University injected thousands of babies in the Third World with the experimental vaccine that reportedly caused chronic immune suppression and the deaths of an unknown number of babies.

How about the more than 1,500 six month old black and Hispanic babies in inner city Los Angeles, who were enrolled in an experiment starting in June 1990? The McGill article makes no mention of the fact that the study was halted in October 1991 after there were repeated reports from vaccine trial sites in Africa that girl babies were dying in higher than expected numbers six months to three years after vaccination.

We cannot ignore the fact that CDC director David Satcher admitted in a June 17th Los Angeles Times article that informed consent regulations had been violated, because the parents were not told their babies would be injected with an experimental vaccine that had never been licensed by the FDA for use in America.

Both Kaiser and the CDC have feverishly denied that any of the Los Angeles babies were harmed by the high potency EZ vaccine, but they did admit that one child, who received a standard potency EZ vaccine, died from a bacterial infection they maintain is unrelated to the vaccination.

In the same LA Times article, the CDC’s Chief Satcher referred to the failure to tell the parents in LA that the EZ vaccine was experimental as a “little mistake” and not a deliberate attempt to deceive them. It was maintained that the failure to inform the parents was an administrative “oversight.”

The New York Times article “Why Africa Fears Western Medicine,” (2007) openly discusses how Africa has harboured a number of high-profile Western medical interventionists, who have intentionally administered deadly agents under the guise of providing health care or conducting research.

In March 2000, Werner Bezwoda, a cancer researcher at South Africa’s

Witwatersrand University, was fired after conducting medical experiments involving very high doses of chemotherapy on black breast-cancer patients, and apparently this was done without their knowledge or consent.

Richard McGown, a Scottish anesthesiologist, was accused of five murders and convicted in the deaths of two infant patients whom he injected with lethal doses of morphine in Zimbabwe (1995), and we can’t forget Dr. Michael Swango, who plead guilty to killing three American patients with lethal injections of potassium. He is also suspected of causing the deaths of sixty other people, many of them in Zimbabwe and Zambia during the 1980s and ’90s. Unfortunately, Dr. Swango was never tried on the African charges.

Probably the most notorious is Wouter Basson. He was charged with killing hundreds of Africans in South Africa and Namibia, from 1979 to 1987, many via injected poisons. Questionably, he was never convicted in South African courts, even though his lieutenants testified in detail about the medical crimes they conducted against Africans.

Is it no surprise that Africans, and Africans living in the Diaspora do not trust doctors or hospitals? Despite trends in the reduction of racial prejudice over recent decades, the continued marginalization of black Americans takes place at every level of the contemporary medical system.

Our world governments, and the medical community must address the real sense of suspicion, distrust, and cynicism that is deeply embedded in the African collective memory. Earning the trust of the community is a very difficult feat given our history, but medical education systems, hospitals, and physicians themselves must take steps to address this issue.

One way this can be done in Canada is by not forcing a vaccine on those who have doubts and mistrust. Instead, listen to their stories; don’t make them feel ostracized for feeling how they feel, and finally, let them know that they do have a choice. After all, Canada is the true North strong and free.

NEWS

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 9

After months of silence, Ontario offers three paid sick days TVISHA MISTRY

tvisha@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

After a long wait; It’s finally happening!

Ontario residents will no longer have to choose between staying safe and putting food on the table.

With COVID-19 cases once again on the rise, it has become clear that measures to ensure both health and financial safety need to be put in place. To stop the spread of COVID-19 and break the chain, we must be able to stay at home when we feel sick without having to worry about renouncing an entire day’s worth of pay.

After months of waiting, Ontario has finally answered urgent calls for the need for paid sick leave by medical professionals, labor advocates, political leaders. The Ontario government announced their plans to provide three paid sick days through a temporary pro-

gram running from April to September.

On April 29th, Minister of Labour, Training, and Skills Development, Monte McNaughton, introduced the legislation Bill 284, COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act, 2021.

This Bill allows workers in Ontario three paid sick days for COVID-19 related reasons. Employees are entitled to these paid days if they are under medical investigation, supervision, or treatment.

This includes receiving a vaccine for COVID-19 and recovery from the associated side effects.

Further, employees can access these paid sicks days if they are following a public health order or quarantining, isolating, or otherwise subjected to a COVID-19 control measure. Additionally, the bill accounts for employees who have been directed by their employer not to work as well as employees that are providing care or support to an enumerated family member.

During their days of absence, employees are entitled to receive the wages they would have earned per their regular day. The bill entitles the worker’s regular wages (not including overtime or premium pay) had they not taken the

time off, for up to a maximum of $200 per day.

The entitlement to paid sick days started on April 19th, 2021, and the end date is currently set for September 25th, 2021. Although this may change as the pandemic unfolds over the coming months.

“Ontario is very proud of those working throughout this unprecedented time to keep essential parts of our economy and local communities open through the pandemic,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board.

“The government of Canada and Ontario have done a historic job delivering the Safe Restart Agreement last year.

New provincial funding would allow eligible individuals to receive a total of $1,000 per week through the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit program if missing work because of COVID-19,” Bethlenfalvy continued.

“Ontario looks forward to continuing discussions to secure Ottawa’s commitment to administer the program with the top-up to all Ontario applicants.

We believe that this is the simplest and fastest way to increase program uptake

and make this program more effective for those people who need this program most.”

During employee leaves, employers may apply for reimbursement for amounts paid to employees through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

The guidelines for the application for reimbursement require submission within 120 days of the payment to the employee.

Employers are not entitled to be reimbursed for paid days taken by employees under an employer’s existing paid sick leave or paid time off program or policy, even if those days are taken for reasons covered above.

“Our government has long advocated for the federal government to enhance the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit program to better protect the people of Ontario, especially our tireless essential workers,” said Minister McNaughton. “It is a tremendously positive step that the federal government has signaled their willingness to continue discussions on the CRSB. Now we can fix the outstanding gap in the federal program so workers can get immediate support and can stay home when needed.”

Royal Bank of Canada continues to lead the way in offering opportunities to BIPOC communities PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

On August 12th, 2020 Royal Bank of Canada released, “RBC’s Expanded Commitment to Fight Systemic Racism and Support Black Communities.” Their purpose involved “Actively fighting systemic anti-black racism and discrimination is an imperative step toward fulfilling our purpose, and creating a more equitable society.” (www.rbccm.com)

RBC has increased its financial commitment from CAD $1.5 million to CAD $150 million as it “Invests in the fu-

ture of black youth, generate wealth for black communities and redefine inclusive leadership at RBC.” In order to facilitate this process RBC has taken steps to conduct mandatory anti-racism and anti-bias training for all employees and increase its BIPOC executives by 10%.

RBC has gone further by increasing its investment in Ignite. This is a program that provides education and talent development to marginalized, BIPOC young adults. RBC Capital Markets in its pursuit of workplace diversity is committed, through the vehicle of RBC Pathways Scholarships to award BIPOC’s undergraduate students. This is great for these post-secondary students who are interested in a career in investment banking or global markets. These $10,000 scholarships have an internship component and students who are selected will be able to be part of the RBC Capital Mar-

kets Summer Analyst Program in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary or Vancouver.

The benefits of this program includes: •

• •

•

An offer of paid employment for a 2022 summer analyst internship with RBC Capital Markets in Toronto, in either Investment Banking or Global Markets CAD $10 000 scholarship at the start of your internship Executive sponsorship, insight, support, and guidance from a trusted senior leader, as well as summer mentors to help you navigate the organization and guide your career Ongoing training, networking, and social opportunities to expose you to the many areas within RBC Capital Markets to provide a comprehensive understanding of our organization

•

as well as the finance industry An invaluable peer network of driven, ambitious like-minded young professionals

Students are eligible if they are: a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, legally eligible to work, identify as BIPOC, have an excellent academic record, enrolled full-time in a Canadian post-secondary institution and are able to work from May to August, 2022.

Interested students should submit a one-page resume, which shows their cumulative GPA, and a one-page cover letter outlining their reasons for participating in an official or unofficial transcript for their first two years, including winter 2021 grades.

The deadline is May 17th, 2021 and interviews will be held virtually or in-person.

PAGE 10

NEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

“This is one big critical trial.” A sit down with MPP Nina Tangri SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“If it’s not for you, it’s your choice.”

It was refreshing to hear these words coming from a Member of Parliament. Last week I had the opportunity to sit down and dialogue with MPP Nina Tangri.

She has served as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors at the Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga and was a Cabinet Member of ErinOak Kids, Ontario’s largest treatment centre for children living with disabilities.

She has received numerous accolades for her tireless volunteer work and support of organizations and clubs across the GTA, including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award. Till this day, MPP Tangri stays connected to the community, involving herself with numerous food banks in the Peel Region.

Until her election to Ontario’s 42nd Parliament, she was the CEO of Tangri Insurance & Financial Group, and President of Tangri-BMT Insurance Brokers.

In June 2019, Nina was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade. Previously, Nina also served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy, mandated with studying and reviewing policy related to healthcare, education, and social services.

During our discussion, MPP Tangri was very candid about her stance on the vaccine. “I think that it is important that everyone gets the vaccine,” MPP Tangri stated, “If it’s not for you, it’s your choice. This is one big critical trial. The vaccines have been tested, and approved, but I do understand that there is some hesitancy in some communities when it comes to the vaccine.

Even my community Simone, there are those who are completely against the idea of the vaccine. There is a lot of misinformation floating around the Internet, so it is important that we get accurate information about the vaccine, so that people know that it is safe. We want people to ensure they make informed decisions.”

MPP Tangri shared with me information that she was privy to.

“There have been some discussions about airlines wanting you to have the vaccine to fly, but we are not in a position yet to discuss vaccine passports. I have spoken to some business owners who are navigating the way things could turn out. People may not be comfortable being in the same space

as someone who has not been vaccinated.

Does this mean that vaccinated individuals would have privileges that unvaccinated people do not?

I am frightened about this. I don’t want to see this two-tiered system. This is a time for people to ban together.”

I listened quietly as MPP Tangri continued to share her thoughts about the benefits of the vaccine. I waited for her to finish, and then I asked her about some of Canada’s history.

We don’t say vaccines are good or bad, many think that the evidence is not conclusive? What do we say to people who have knowledge of how the government has not done their due diligence in ensuring that something being propagated, was best for the people of Canada

I brought up DDT as a case example. It was revered as a miracle solution for the increasingly prevalent spruce budworm infestation in Ontario’s balsam forests.

After mental and human health concerns arose in 1972 due to the continuing accumulation of the water-insoluble DDT in the environment, international action was taken to control its spread. The registered use of DDT was suspended in Canada in 1985 and the use of existing stocks was only permitted until the end of 1990, after which time it was banned under the Pest Control Products Act.

Today, it is prohibited under the

Canada–Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem and was banned worldwide for agricultural uses at the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

We can’t forget asbestos. Canada first began 3 and so began the economic boom that came along with it.

Unfortunately, the Canadian government ignored the threat of these horribly fatal diseases in its citizens and workers, and even refused to add chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention’s hazardous substances list. This has only recently been changed, and Canada’s government has finally admitted the real dangers for those exposed to asbestos, which experts have been parading in front of them for decades.

MPP Tangri sat there and she listened to me. She did not respond to my historical breakdown of other times that the government has been terribly wrong about something that they had propagated as being good for the country. What she did do is listen to me, and honour the fact that someone was not just trying to be resistant.

Although her push was for the community to get the vaccine, she also took the time to listen to why many Canadians are resistant.

I plan to speak with her again, and I am curious as to what more she will have to share with me.

“Just because it’s free doesn’t mean that it is good.”

Dr Joel Wallach shares thoughts on the Canadian Healthcare System MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Many folks swear by the doctor and visit at every chance they get, even for the least of ailments right down to the common cold.

Doctors do have their place in our world, after all, they are the mechanics of the human body, but if one were to liken the human body unto a car, then most times it is the owner that’s the first one to realize that there is a problem.

At times, getting to the cause of the problem is what can be frustrating, especially when one finds out that what was thought to be the problem just was not the case at all.

Pathologist and animal physician Dr. Joel Wallach points this out in his You-

Tube video, where he uses the Skimos as the perfect example. Wallach said, “Everybody knows the cholesterol myth; the Skimos – who live above the arctic circle - have a legendary diet that is 98% red meat and blubber, they don’t consume broccoli or carrot juice and their blood cholesterol ranges from 250 to 350, yet they are legendary for not getting heart disease.”

If and when these Skimos come down to the lower 48 and start eating like westerners, that is when all hell breaks loose health-wise with them. Wallach who does autopsies concluded that, “Every animal and every human being that dies of natural causes dies of a nutritional deficiency disease.

It is somewhat of an irony that the meat eaters in the animal kingdom don’t die of clogged arteries, but the ones who eat vegetables and grains do,” Wallach pointed out.

Alzheimer’s only became recognized as a new disease in 1979, but has since then wreaked havoc on North America, making it the number four killer of adults over 65.

According to Dr. Wallach, 75% of the brain-

wave is a fatty insulation material called myelin, and this part is almost 100% cholesterol.

Now, humans only make around 10%, and the rest must come from their food, so according to the doctor, “If you are very good at giving up red-meat, butter, eggs, and chicken skin you going to be one of those people who are highly likely to get Alzheimer’s. The experts are predicting between now and 2025, 14 million Americans will die of this disease.”

According to Dr. Wallach there are those in the medical profession who are not interested in patients getting better. They have become very interested in the hundreds of thousands of dollars they can get from you in medical fees and medication over the course of a number of years.

This means that people have to be savvy when seeking treatment especially for things that there are alternative treatments for. He pointed out that diabetes is one such ailment that can be cured easily, but again that route does not bring the physicians and pharmacist any meaningful money if they do.

“Americans spend more money on

health care than all the other nations combined yet they are not the healthiest,” Wallach said.

Wallach said that some doctors belong in jail considering the things they do, but there is no oversight and they actually police themselves.

This Doctor mentions Canada in his speech as well saying, “I go to Canada a lot.

They get free medical care, yet they invite me. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean that it is good.”

He also spoke of the late Country singer Rita MacNeil’s death. According to him, it was due to negligence. “All this,” he said, “could have been avoided if the singer had done some research. She would have found out that the hospital in Cape Breton where she had the procedure done – it had a 37% death rate.

The message here is that doctors make mistakes, some are negligent and patients die, but in the end, one must try and look after his or her self as best they can. Remember everyone is the CEO of his or her life.

It is that simple.

NEWS

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 11

Survey reveals significant differences in the way discrimination is experienced in the workplace MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

•

•

TC REPORTER

Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) recently put out its findings from their research on diversity and inclusion in Canada’s marketing sector. This survey revealed significant differences between minorities and non-minorities, and between women and men, when it comes to observing and experiencing discrimination in their places of employment.

Here is part of what this survey found.

• Only 49% of non-minorities indicate that they have noticed others being less engaged due to forms of discrimination compared to 77% of minorities.

• 11% of non-minority men have seen staff from diverse backgrounds being talked down to in meetings com-

•

•

•

pared to 50% of minority men.

Only 33% of non-minorities (and just 17% of non-minority men) report feeling less engaged due to discrimination compared to 53% of minorities.

91% of total respondents feel welcome at work, but this figure drops to 80% when asked of minority women, and rises to 96% when asked of non-minority men.

While only 23% of respondents describe their companies’ leadership as fully diversified, 85% believe that their companies are making at least some effort to diversify their leadership.

Most marketers believe that organizations face obstacles to diversifying leadership. The most cited obstacles are the perception that there is a lack of skilled diverse talent and being unsure where to start.

The majority of marketers (59%) agree that people don’t push for change because they don’t want to be seen as disruptive. This is especially true of minorities (66%) compared to non-minorities (53%).

Wherever possible, the CMA is encouraging organizations to implement new ways to try and diversify their leadership ranks to inspire employee confidence, safety and well-being, and embrace the benefits of diversity for business performance.

Toronto Caribbean Newspaper spoke with CMA’s Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Diversity Officer Sartaj Sarkaria about the findings of the survey and more.

Sarkaria was asked about how these findings made her feel, she replied, “I think for us at the CMA, it made us feel like we have more work to do, and we are really excited to do that work. We know that this is a continuing issue and this research has helped us to bring awareness to these issues that have been happening at workplaces.”

It is mind-blowing some may think, to realize that 20% of minority women in Canada’s workforce still do not feel welcome in this day and age.

Sarkaria said, “We know that women have their place at the table, but they are not feeling as included as their colleagues, and some of the work we are hoping to do is to increase their feel of

inclusion at the table.”

Sarkaria said that CMA is optimistic so much so that five years down the road, if her organization has to do a follow-up survey, she would like to see that, “Things increasingly improve in the workforce between senior staff and those in the entry level and that inclusion is there as well. Being in an organization does not necessarily mean you feel included.”

Sarkaria has some advice for those in the minority bracket, whom the survey found are afraid to rock the boat to success, “I think a great place to start is having a conversation with your leaders, managers and working with them to help create a more inclusive environment.”

Sarkaria said, “About the survey; I think it is really important to understand why we did it. We did it for research purposes and also, we felt what the world felt after George Floyd’s murder. It made us more aware of anything pertaining to the black community and minorities. Like other organizations, we have pledged to learn more, raise awareness and help create the change that is needed.”

Randell Adjei named as Ontario’s first Poet Laureate PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Scarborough-born Randell Adjei is a success story.

He has defied the odds and overcame many barriers as described in first anthology

“ I Am Not My Struggles” released in 2018. He is well known in the Greater Toronto Area and, he wears many hats as: a spoken-word artist, writer, poet and motivational speaker.

In 2012, he founded the arts organization, R.I.S.E (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere) Edutainment. As Ex-

ecutive Director, he has been able to provide a caring, supportive and positive space for young people to showcase their talents through music, dance and poetry in order to tap their unlimited potential and gifts.

I was privileged to attend many of the events he has hosted and was always mesmerized by the authenticity, vulnerability and positivity that came from all the performers.

Randell is a member of the League of Canadian Poets and his talents and gifts have been widely recognized.

He was the Best Spoken Word Artist at the 2015 Black Canadian Awards and he received the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Arts for Youth Award in 2018. In addition, he was named as Local Hero by NOW magazine in May 2017.

The parliamentary Poet Laureate was established in 2001 as a result of the Parliament of Canada Act, The Speakers of the Senate and the House of Com-

mons through an open nomination process. Global News reported that Ontario Poet Laureate was created in honour of Gord Downie, who was frontman for the Tragically Hip and died in 2017. Members of the Legislature chose Randell from a list of candidates unanimously.

According to www.liwi68.com during his two-year tenure, the poet laureate will: • • •

•

Write poetry, especially for use in Parliament on important occasions Sponsor poetry readings Advise the Parliamentary librarian regarding the Library’s collection and acquisitions to enrich its cultural materials Perform other related duties at the request of the Speaker of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Commons, or the Parliamentary librarian

“I’m someone who speaks from a place of authenticity,” Randell told Global News Something I believe in is that vulnerability is something that is seen as a weakness in our society. I think it’s the complete opposite. To bare your soul, to be authentic with other folks and share your truth with other people, it takes courage, it takes a lot of bravery to do so and I think I’m really just looking to inspire to really show others that you can do this, you can really make this happen.”

In an interview with CBC’s Dwight Drummond, he describes how his life was transformed by a teacher who believed in him and gave him a pen to express himself after getting in trouble with the police. He stated, “What you go through in life does not define you, but it can design you and prepare you for what is to come.” He believes, ”Our purpose in life is not about perfection. Rather it is about progression.”

PAGE 12

NEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

We share the road and the responsibility ADRIAN ADORE

adrian@carib101.com

PRP REPORTER

The beautiful weather is alluring to all motorcycle enthusiasts, with good reason, of course. The roadways are clear of

mud, snow, ice, and salt. The sky is bright with the sun, and the air is warm and welcoming. There is a definite feeling of freedom that comes with hopping on to the seat of a motorcycle and taking a ride on a beautiful day.

Unfortunately, with that freedom comes a heightened level of vulnerability for a motorcyclist. So, how can we ensure the safety of them as well as other drivers?

All drivers need to remain aware of their surroundings. As motorcycles

take up much less space on the roadway, it’s vital to keep an eye out for them before committing to any lane changes, turns at intersections, or other maneuvers affecting traffic.

All drivers, including motorcyclists, need to respect posted speed limits and follow the rules of the road. Higher rates of speed and other risky driving behaviors could have catastrophic results.

Make sure that your car or motorcycle is lawful and in the proper functioning condition for use on the roadways.

Operate your motor vehicles, of any kind, while sober, alert, and undistracted.

Check out the Ontario Highway Traffic Act for information about rules of the road, equipment, and licensing.

There is also valuable information about races, contests, and stunts in the Ontario Regulations.

“The priority of Peel Regional Police is the safety and well-being of the community we serve”

Approachable, enjoyable, charitable and fun; welcome to the Gargoyle Wine Club Experience SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“It is our intention to be as meaningful as possible.” Scott Zebarth & Will Predhomme (Gargoyle Wine Club)

What do you get when you put a reporter, two sommeliers, wine, whisky, and a great charitable organization together? Well, of course; a fantastic story!

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and like many of you, I was living the Covid life. I was lazily drifting through my emails, and getting prepared for my interview with Will Predhomme, and Scott Zebarth, two sommeliers that are responsible for what is soon to be the only way to enjoy wine, The Gargoyle Wine Club.

Before I go any further, let me explain what a sommelier is. A sommelier, or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, that normally works in fine restaurants, and who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing.

So, what is The Gargoyle Wine Club? Gargoyle is a subscription-based service in which curated wines and whiskies are sourced to create a wine experience that is approachable, enjoyable, and fun. That’s right, every month, you could have a team of experts at your dis-

posal to find you the right wine for the right occasion.

Being in a wine club has some great advantages. You have a team who searches through the best wine selections around the globe, looking for the perfect combination of quality and value. If they don’t love it, then you are not getting it. All you have to do is choose a subscription that you like by visiting https://gargoylewineclub.com/. You can cancel or place on hold your subscription at any time before the first of the month. Yes ladies, just like some of your shoe subscriptions.

What you get depends on you.

They offer two bottle, four bottle, and six bottle subscriptions. Each wine subscription features different wine selections each month, with one bottle of each included in your shipment.

Sounds pretty good right; let’s take it a step further. If you ask Scott and Will what type of business they are in, and they will say the water business.

They took it a step further with their business idea by making it a socially responsible one. Their responsibility of choice is to provide access to sanitary water for those around the globe who do not have it as readily as many have it here in Canada.

Scott, Wiill and their team at Gargoyle started the Drink Better Initiative. For every bottle of wine or scotch its members receive, Gargoyle gives one person in need a full year of clean, safe water. So far, Gargoyle has given over 120,000 people in need access to fresh, safe water.

As much as I LOVE wine, what really caught me about this story was the giving back aspect. So here I was, wine glass in hand about to jump on this interview with Scott and Will.

“We are a water business,” Will began, “We come from the hospitality industry, we wanted to take what we know, and share it.”

“Everything is based on integrity. Integrity focused choice,” Scott jumped in. “Our super power is wine, and if you are going to drink anything, it might as well be good.”

We talked for a bit about the different selections, how they select, and how business has been for them during the pandemic.

“There were massive stock outages during COVID-19,” Will explained.

“At times it was difficult to get certain wines, so we had to rebuild our shipping model. I truly believe that all business owners had challenges, and we have all had to navigate this pandemic the best way we know how.”

“Tell me more about your initiative, “I queried. “How did that get started?”

“We felt that it was our responsibility to do more,” Scott tells me, “We know how important water is to wine and whisky, and we started to learn more about how people did not have access to clean water. One of the most devastating facts I have learned is that every two minutes a child dies from a water shortage, and unfortunately, it usually affects women and children.”

“We wanted to solve problems,”

Will chimes in. “We have the ability to make a person’s life better. We don’t want to just do things for profit. We decided to join forces with Water.org because we saw the work that they were doing, and it resonated with us.”

Water.org is among the Top 10 Charities in the world (https://water.org/). Matt Damon and Gary White founded it in 2009. Together they wanted to bring awareness of the water crisis to the world. They saw how this crisis was negatively impacting the health and livelihood of more than one-third of the global population, and they wanted to change that.

They have successfully unlocked education, opened up economic opportunities and improved on the lives of millions of women and children just by assisting them in accessing safe water.

“To think,” Will shares. “every time our customers pay for subscriptions, they are donating to charity. It is not just accessing clean water, it is also building infrastructure to water that our donations support. The goal is to get more people involved.”

“We have a great team,” Scott tells me, “The weather is getting nicer. People are looking to relax more. Why not enjoy a nice glass of wine, knowing that while you are doing it, you are helping someone else.”

I thanked them for their time and sat back and sipped my wine. What else can we do within our communities that will allow us to enjoy ourselves, and change the lives of others? Hmmm!

NEWS

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 13

Moving from fear to freedom; the inaugural World Psychedelics Day stigma attached to it. Lawmakers have come down on marijuana producers and users with the same might and force as they have with other narcotics like cocaine and heroin.

The knowledge of our ancestors can never be taken away from us, even though many have tried to eradicate it or even borrow it, selling back to us flawed and incomplete. We are now in a relearning, and rediscovering era. It will take some time to rediscover the power and beauty of plant medicine, but there is a movement that is set to assist with this relearning process.

World Psychedelics Day launches Sunday, June 20th, 2021, celebrating a new era of rational and informed perspectives on modern day psychedelics and traditional psychoactive plant medicines. This annual event honours the breakthroughs in scientific and therapeutic psychedelic research and traditional Indigenous practices that have culminated in the current “Psychedelic Renaissance.”

This year’s virtual event, produced by the Psychedelics Awareness Foundation*, a Canadian non-profit organization of artists, journalists, university students, parents and business people, seeks to redress this by teaming up with thought leaders in the space to educate, enlighten, and inspire people worldwide about the untapped potential of psychedelics.

The virtual event will include: digital and traditional media, online discussions with renowned experts, public art projects, documentaries, and music.

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“Plants do not have an ego, they are there to heal.”

It was the “War on Drugs,” that created decades of prohibition and stigma surrounding medicinal plants, and holistic treatments that have been used by cultures worldwide. We have finally entered a new age of psychedelic research, one that has incredible potential for the treatment of mental and physical health and enhancing the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

The stigma on certain psychedelics and plants was introduced to many Caribbean islands via colonialism. What many of us may not realize is that the Caribbean region is more than just a sun and sand holiday destination. The region is also considered to be one of thirty-four biodiversity hotspots in the world and is certainly a ‘hotspot’ for medicinal plants.

The medicinal use of many Caribbean herbs is wrapped up in our folklore and oral tradition. Large quantities of plants were brought to the region through slavery. One of the most stigmatized plants is the cannabis plant, and for decades, marijuana has had a negative

Now being referred to as 6·20, the day will spark open, engaging conversations, featuring a line-up of fascinating topics covering: • • • • • • • •

Breakthroughs in scientific research and clinical trials, particularly in mental health Global legalization and decriminalization milestones Harm reduction and the ethics of psychedelic-assisted therapy The applications of psychedelic-assisted therapy Anticipated adoption of psychedelics in the pharmaceutical industry Environmental protection of psychoactive plants used in Indigenous people’s practices Potential of psychedelic molecules to cure diseases Psychedelics role in treating mental illness in the emerging post-pandemic world

I had an opportunity to sit down and dialogue with Kim Haxton, the Director of the Psychedelics Awareness Foundation.

She is Potowatomi from the Wasauksing First Nation with twenty years of experience with Indigenous healers from around the world. “As psychedelics go mainstream,” Kim notes, “It is crucial that issues of sustainability and reciprocity be front and centre, in order to protect environmentally threatened psychoactive plants such as Peyote, and the Indigenous cultures that use them as part of their traditional practices.”

I had caught Kim at the very end of her day, and I could tell she was tired. I appreciated that she took the time to sit down and share stories with me about her experiences with psychedelics, and her travels around the world.

“There is a colonized belief about plant medicine,” Kim shares. “There is also a lot of fear around plant medicine. There was a time when people had a relationship with the natural world, and medicine was used to commune with God.

Throughout my travels to the Caribbean and South America, I learned so much about the spiritual relationship that cultures have with plants, and how it can be used to elevate the consciousness of the science community. It is time that we move from fear to freedom when it comes to understanding the natural world, and World Psychedelic Day is a perfect opportunity for people around the world to learn about the miracle of plants.”

World Psychedelics Day 6·20, 2021 plants the seeds for an annual, global day of discussion and celebration dedicated to building awareness of, and respect for, the therapeutic and life-enhancing potential of synthetic psychedelics and traditional psychoactive plant medicines.

The vision is a time when synthetic and naturally occurring psychedelic medicines are better understood, made safely and legally available, and are appreciated for all their beneficial, wondrous, and sacred uses.

“No sick notes needed!” Ontario introduces the COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit Program being made by worker and patient advocates from many provinces, because the federal COVID-19 sick leave benefit does not extend to many workers who are: migrants, in precarious employment, and in jobs that are low-paying.

Katy Ingraham, (Organizer with the Canadian Restaurant Workers Coalition) during an interview states, “The simple solution is for provinces to mandate paid sick days. If this was available, then they would not worry about when they’re going to see that money, or how they’re going to pay for: groceries, rent, heat, water, the necessities of life.”

In a report released by the city of Toronto titled, “Response to COVID-19 - January 2021 Update” states, “It has become increasingly evident that paid sick leave provisions are essential to protect the health of individual workers, their workplaces and the broader community.”

The report indicates that only 42% of employed Canadians have access to paid sick leave, and for low-wage workers, only 10% can get it. It explains further that Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit,

PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

There has been much persistent and regular call upon the provincial government to mandate paid sick leave.

It has been reported that many Canadian employers have decided to provide paid sick leave when their workers get sick, because currently there is not one offered by the provincial government.

The report states that paid sick leave benefits, which allow workers to call in sick without fear of losing a day’s pay, is becoming a political issue across the country, especially in Ontario.

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which provides $500 per week and has been in place since September 2020, “Falls short of providing workers with mandated and immediately accessible paid sick days. It pays less than a full-time minimum wage job in most provinces.”

It is unfortunate that the PC-led provincial government took away two paid sick days and replaced it with three unpaid days for personal illness. Even more troubling, in 2020 it was extended to an unspecified time period for a worker to self-isolate without pay. This has provoked much outcry and opposition.

Premier Ford who was in selfisolation acknowledges that the federal program (pays $450 per week for at most four weeks) is not enough. He states, “We’re working on our own situation to fill those gaps. I assure you. It is not lost on me that unlike many people, I’m able to isolate and continue working. For too many people right now, that’s not the case.”

Ontario’s own science advisory table, local public health units, municipal politicians, opposition parties, medi-

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cal associations and labour groups have made the call for paid sick leave. On Monday, April 26th, a motion was defeated in the Ontario legislature that sought to give ten paid days for Ontario workers, by a 55-20 vote. The motion was put forward by Liberal MPP Michael Coteau who the Toronto Star reported stated it was, “The 21st time, either through motions or other previous bills, that the Conservative party and the premier have voted against paid sick days.”

However. Premier Ford has relented, and introduced legislation at the end of April to provide up to three paid sick days that will be part of a temporary program. Employers will be remunerated up to $200 per day for any workers that take time off due to COVID-19. It will be run by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and will be called the Ontario CPVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit Program. No sick notes are needed and payments will be retroactive to April 19th.

NEWS

PAGE 14

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

What is a Self-Spreading Vaccine, and what does it have to do with the COVID-19 vaccine? populations like communicable diseases, but rather than causing disease, they confer protection. The vision is that a small number of individuals in a target population could be vaccinated, and the vaccine strain would then circulate in the population much like a pathogenic virus, resulting in rapid, widespread immunity.”

“Isn’t this unethical,” you ask? The paper admits self-spreading vaccines being implemented would come with challenges, such as “informed consent” and potentially life-threatening contraindications.

“The ethical and regulatory challenges surrounding informed consent and prevention and monitoring of adverse events would be critical challenges to implementing this approach even in an extreme event,” the document states.

Hmmmm! Let’s move on. There was another document that went viral last week. It was Pfizer’s report that introduced the idea of occupational exposure. You may have heard this referred to as vaccine shedding, but after I read it, it sounded a lot like a vaccine that was spreadable, very similar to what was presented in the John Hopkins document

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

People have been excited to get the new vaccine and for good reason. We have been told on the news how great it is.

There seems to be a lot of trust in doctors and scientists who are still researching how this is going to affect people in the future.

Well, I have new updates for you, not so new for some people.

In 2018, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Centre for Health Security discussed in their report the idea of using a type of vaccine that intentionally spread to others for protection against disease.

Under the section, “Self-Spreading Vaccines,” (page 45) the Johns Hopkins document states,

“Self spreading vaccines are genetically engineered to move through

Section: 8.3.5.3. Occupational Exposure “An occupational exposure occurs when a person receives unplanned direct contact with a vaccine test subject, which may or may not lead to the occurrence of an adverse event,” the Pfizer document warns.

“These people may include health care providers, family members, and other people who are around the trial participant.

The investigator must report occupational exposure to Pfizer Safety within twenty-four hours of the investigator’s awareness, regardless of whether there is an associated SAE.

The information must be reported using the Vaccines SAE Report Form.

Since the information does not pertain to a participant enrolled in the study, the information is not recorded on a CRF; however, a copy of the completed Vaccines SAE Report Form is maintained in the investigator site file.”

The Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 Clinical Team has refuted these documents. “There is no way for a COVID-19 vaccinated person to shed the vaccine,” they reportedly emailed to Reuters after being questioned about the document.

Dr Christopher Zahn, Vice Presi-

dent for Practice Activities at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, had this “This is a conspiracy that has been created to weaken trust in a series of vaccines that have been demonstrated in clinical trials to be safe and effective.”

I leave this for you to go through if you are interested. I swear community; I am not making any of this up.

Below are the documents that are being found online. I find it interesting that they would release this information with such transparency. Take a look, and see how the information sits with you. Stay researching.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Centre for Health Security Technologies to Address Global Catastrophic Biological Risks https://tinyurl.com/jwyhk9c8 Pfizer Document A PHASE 1/2/3, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, RANDOMIZED, OBSERVER-BLIND, DOSEFINDING STUDY TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY, TOLERABILITY, IMMUNOGENICITY, AND EFFICACY OF SARS-COV-2 RNA VACCINE CANDIDATES AGAINST COVID-19 IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS https://tinyurl.com/emr9mhct

The time is now for Barbados to do the right thing and implement a sexual registry!

Child Advocate Shelly Ross stated in an article published by Barbados TODAY that the officials in Barbados were failing the nation’s children by not placing adequate attention to the grievous sexual offences being carried out by children.

“Barbados is not paying attention to it. The authorities are not paying attention to it. The Child Care Board is failing the children of Barbados. It is my opinion they do not care. Everybody is getting a salary at the end of the month, and they are not doing the job they are supposed to be doing.

We have parents not paying attention to it because they too are covering it up because they do not want the secret out. It is happening too often in Barbados.

Lot of us who are aware know that it is rampant, and we know that it is rampant because the offenders are not really paying for what they are doing to the victims.

They are getting away with what they are doing.

We have people, from medical doctors down, that are raping or sexually assaulting young people and they are not being held accountable for it. If we are not holding these people accountable it is going to continue.”

How can we curve this worrisome trend of grown adults raping children, and in the case of the eleven-year-old young lady being impregnated by her uncle? Unlike what was said by Ross, the Child Care

LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH lashawna@carib101.com

BARBADOS TC REPORTER

BARBADOS -- Barbados desperately needs to implement a sexual offenders registry. This week two adult men were before the law courts for allegedly raping minors aged eleven and fourteen.

The first case has caused national outrage with many persons taking to social media to condemn the action.

The shocking details of the case were detailed in the NATION NEWSPAPER in which an eleven-year-old girl was raped and impregnated by her uncle.

“The 27-year-old St. Michael man was not required to plead to the charge that knowing the girl was by blood his niece, he had unlawful sexual intercourse with her between September 1st and 30th 2020,” the article stated.

Further adding that, “The girl eleven-years-old at the time, was impregnated as a result of the alleged rape and is set to give birth next week.”

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Board in this particular circumstance reported the matter to the Royal Barbados Police Force.

The question that has been on my mind as I write this is where is the young ladies’ parents? How did they not realize she was pregnant? Why is it that after the complaint was made to the police force in February, that he was still able to live in the house? Why is an eleven-year-old now becoming a mother in seven days?

My heart bleeds for this young lady who will now have to experience motherhood at an early age. Even if she conquers the hurdle of being a teen mom, she will still have to face the harsh reality that her child is a child from an unwanted sexual encounter.

On the flip side is the second case of a sixty-eight-year-old St Michael man who is alleged to have raped a fourteenyear-old girl with special needs. In the May 3rd report by Barbados TODAY it stated that the accused is the adoptive father of the girl’s sister.

Why did he breach the trust of the family by conducting such a grievous sexual act?

Barbados desperately needs to follow countries like the United States of America, which has implemented Megan’s Law as well as a Sexual Offenses Registry so that persons can be alerted of a potential predator in their areas. In the USA, sexual offenders are categorized in three

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tiers-1-3, which is dependent on the state they live in as well as the nature of the sexual offence they have committed.

Having a sexual offenses registry is beneficial as it curbs the rate of recidivism, allows residents to know if an offender lives in the area, they reside and have data they can use to inform them about a sexual offense.

This is not the first time that a case of this magnitude has come to light. Fourteen years ago, Stephen Ian Rock committed an alleged rape of a young male, filmed the act and collected pornographic images of the child among hundreds of explicit pictures of young males.

In April 2021, he was charged on the indictable offense and shall spend seven-years and 141 days in Her Majesty’s Prison, Dodds, St. Phillip’s.

With these crimes happening in our society, and the society desperately trying to keep it under wraps, the time has come for a sexual registry to be launched.

Because we cannot allow these grown individuals, who some of the parents trusted, to breach that trust and cause these young men and women physical and physiological trauma.

The time is now for Barbados to do the right thing and implement a sexual registry!

NEWS

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 15

Let’s connect; bridging generations online is proving to be healthy ing from lockdowns. They are not getting the exercise and outdoor time they need.

Schooling has been repeatedly disrupted.

The entire cohort of first-year university students in 2020-21 has missed a formative experience. Many in this highly social generation have shifted to virtual friendship circles and online entertainment. Others exist in boredom and loneliness, absent engagement with anyone.

Dr. David Nabarro, a Special Envoy on COVID-19 for the World Health Organization, made headlines last October when he articulated the WHO’s position that “The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganise, regroup, rebalance your resources, [and] protect your health workers who are exhausted.”

Yet, despite repeated regrouping, the virus is easily out manoeuvering the experts. And the lockdowns and movement restrictions continue.

W. GIFFORDJONES MD DIANA GIFFORD-JONES TC HEALTH REPORTER

Everywhere, people are fed up with enforced isolation. While adhering to stay-athome orders at the urging of public health officials, and in empathy with frontline health care workers, the restrictions are taking a toll on the physical and mental well being of all. While senior citizens can be especially impacted, it is less commonly acknowledged that younger people, particularly teens, struggle with isolation too.

For older adults, enduring long periods cut off from family and friends is known to cause depression, generalized anxiety disorders, decreased sleep, and functional impairment. Research published in Lancet Public Health warns that social isolation can also accelerate cardiovascular and brain aging, exacerbating dementia.

Likewise, students of all ages are suffer-

So what can be done?

A prescription for patience is the order. But there is ample opportunity to harness this awful pandemic to connect isolated people – young and old – in innovative, healthinducing ways using online platforms.

Research shows that matching up

young people with older people on digital platforms has a remarkably positive impact on both generations.

This is not a new idea. The aging of the “baby boomers” has had many researchers advocating for policymakers to leverage this generation as a massive learning resource. There is ample evidence of benefits to the boomers. One study showed that older adults providing internet-based tutoring to fifth-grade students became comfortable using computers, had improvements in mood, and had an enhanced quality of life from the interactions.

In a Canadian program, older adults provided second-language coaching to young people through video conferencing. An evaluation determined that participants of all ages valued the program with youth reporting benefits from the language immersion. Older adults demonstrated high levels of motivation to participate.

The pandemic has many more programs underway. Dr. Li Feng Tan, a researcher at Alexandra Hospital in Singapore, runs intergenerational programs that bring older and younger people together for exercise, dance, charades, bingo, Pic-

tionary, music classes, performances, and virtual tours. A comparison of in-person programs with virtual programs found that online platforms have engaged more participants within the hospital, enabled engagement by patients in different wards, and eliminated the risk of cross-infection, a major concern during the current pandemic.

In addition to the health benefits, the basic skills with phones and computers that teenagers, and even young children can teach to seniors enables older people to connect themselves with other online platforms they enjoy, including resources for health promotion.

The programs are low-cost, easy to scale up, and do not require expensive health care professionals, therapists, or technicians.

Generations United, a clearinghouse for information on different types of intergenerational programs, has a publication in its resource library called Staying Connected While Staying Apart. The report lists dozens of engaging programs around the world, and step-by-step guidance on how to get involved or set up new virtual intergenerational programs.

See www.gu.org

Our children demand for us to make correct decisions for them; discussing the idea of vaccinations for children cine or not is a matter of choice, and no one has the right to make that decision for you, or criticize the choice you have made for your body. There is a population that does demand for us to make correct decisions for them, and they are our children.

This article is directed towards anyone who is a parent, or works with children. I want the community to be educated on all aspects of this vaccine. I want you to have the right questions to ask, questions that will help you make a decision for yourself, and your family that you can live with. I encourage that you use this as a starting point, and do your own research.

Google Scholar is a great place to start, but it all starts with asking the right question, and hearing all sides of the question posed.

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“We do not yet know the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine.”

(Opel, Diekema, Ross,2021) It must not be denied. Vaccines have become a critical public health intervention because for years, it has been reported that they prevent disease at a population level. Research has shown that they can protect, vaccinated individuals and curb community transmission. This is all very important, but what is even more important is that this is only possible if the approved vaccine works well.

There have been officials from both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), who during the early part of the vaccine rollout, signalled that they would consider approving vaccines that only diminished severity of illness, rather than protect against it.

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Should we mandate a COVID-19 vaccine for children?

Douglas J. Opel, MD, MPH1; Douglas S. Diekema, MD, MPH1; Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD2,3

This research study spoke briefly on the discussions that are in progress about making a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory. There are those who think that this makes sense; there are already mandated vaccines that children need to have in school, so why not make the COVID-19 vaccine one of them? Our government officials might even suggest that this could be the only strategy that will work in order to keep our schools open on a regular basis.

Well, a good place to start here

is to find out how COVID-19 affects the younger population. Children have immature immune systems, and this can make them prone to microbial infections, and have more severe symptoms. This is especially true for new-borns, and young children. Like everything else, there are differences with this virus that need to be considered. A team of researchers (Kloc, Ghobrial,and, Kubiak, 2020), suggested that there is data that indicates children are rarely infected and have less severe symptoms.

There are some important differences between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. These are the differences that can be studied in order to determine whom to administer the vaccine to or not. I am curious, have these difference been studied. If it has been, has this information been released to the public?

Kloc, Ghobrial,and, Kubiak (2020) suggest that there is one important difference, and it is the role of children in transmission of disease. Research has reported that children can play a role in the spread of influenza, sometimes with life threatening consequences for seniors and others. What also needs to be considered is that there are also other reports that have determined that children transmit SARSCov-2 less easily than the influenza virus.

What about our teenagers? Are there any considerations for them? Research has shown that older children are less vulnerable to COVID-19, and there is an explanation for that. One is that their immune systems have developed a long-

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lasting immunological memory against respiratory viruses. A little research will show you that the frequency and severity of infection in 0-19 year old children are much lower than in adults.

Just in the half dozen studies I looked at, the reported benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine seem to be largely for adults rather than children. When making a decision, you should also think about the fact that it is unlikely that one single vaccine will be equally effective in all populations. Our government officials could think about putting some money into researching different types of vaccines that induce different kinds of immunity. How can they do that? By developing a-needs driven approach, where the scientific community works toward researching different vaccine profiles that suit different communities, and demographics.

There is so much to be understood regarding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and I can only imagine how overwhelming all of this is for caregivers, parents, teachers, and especially our children. What I will say is that research goes a long way. So far, there is research that shows the difficulty in justifying a COVID-19 vaccine in children for a disease that appears to be mild in most children, as well as the fact that they play a minimal role in spreading the infection to others.

NEWS

PAGE 16

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Coronavirus has been around for 25,000 years; it is not breaking news MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Humans have been fighting viruses for a very long time and surviving them too.

An ancient coronavirus may have infected the ancestors of people living in modern-day East Asia starting 25,000 years ago and for millennia afterward, according to a new study.

“There have always been viruses infecting human populations,” said senior study author David Enard, an assistant professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Arizona. “Viruses are really one of the main drivers of natural selection in hu-

man genomes.”

This happens because genes that increase people’s chances of surviving pathogens are more likely to be passed on to new generations.

By using present-day tools, researchers can detect the fingerprints of these ancient pathogens by pinpointing how they drove natural selection in the DNA of people living today. This type of information could provide important insight to help predict future pandemics, Enard told Live Science. “It is almost always true that things that occurred often in the past are more likely to occur again in the future.”

Utilizing information available in a public database, Enard and his team analyzed the genomes from 2,504 people across twenty-six different human populations around the world. The results, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, were posted January 13th, 2021 to the preprint database bioRxiv, and the study is in the process of being reviewed for publication

in a scientific journal.

When coronaviruses gets inside human cells, they overtake the cells’ machinery in order to replicate. That means that a virus’ success depends on its interactions with hundreds of different human proteins.

The researchers also found that in people of East Asian background, certain genes known to interact with coronaviruses had been selected for. In other words, over time, certain variants appeared more regularly than would be expected by chance. This set of mutations likely helped the ancestors of this population become more able to fight off the ancient virus by altering how much of these proteins were made by cells.

This research discovered that gene variants that coded for 42 of the 420 proteins they analyzed started to increase in frequency around 25,000 years ago. The spread of advantageous variants continued until about 5,000 years ago, suggest-

ing that the ancient virus continued to threaten these populations for a long time.

It is interesting that some doctors who have been ignored by mainstream media, and ostracized by popular social platforms have been saying this same thing for more than a year now. This virus is “nothing new” but just another annual one.

This survey leaves one to wonder if the governments - who keep perpetrating the one-track narrative - will rise up and try to silence the people whose research uncovered this.

Doctor after doctor from: Dr Rashid Buttar, Dr Stella Emmanuel, and a host of doctors named “WDA World Doctors Alliance” are now trying to make sure that whoever is behind this coronavirus pandemic, stands trial for crimes against humanity.

It is important to note that “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”

Toronto District School Board launches Teacher Leadership Collective PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is known throughout Canada for providing leadership in the development of programs to address issues of discrimination, inequities and the underachievement of racialized students.

It has engaged in several initiatives to address issues of systemic racism,

especially anti-black racism as articulated in its Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP). This plan states at TDSB, “We will effectively integrate the voices, choices, abilities and experiences of our students, into our school programming, and be more responsive to the strengths, interests, gifts and lived realities of our students as we create and design our schools and classrooms.”

One of the initiatives launched is the Teacher Leadership Collective (TLC).

The website states, “Its aims is to transform the educational experiences of all students, particularly those from historically and currently oppressed group, by deepening instructional and leadership capacity among a vast network of 200+ K-12 classroom teachers anchored in Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit) education, equity,

anti-racism and anti-oppression.”

Teachers who are selected for this initiative will, “Take part in on-going learning and apply their knowledge to: document classroom practice, highlight student voice, and develop co-learning experiences with peers that leverage their passions and differentiate teacher support in: numeracy, literacy, equity and indigenous education.”

The purpose of TLC is, “To strengthen instructional and leadership capacity of classroom teachers to accelerate the widespread learning and adoption of researchbased instructional strategies. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) calls to action to enhance student’s learning experiences, particularly for Indigenous, black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ students.”

These selected teachers, “Are ex-

emplary classroom educators who demonstrate commitment to students as whole beings, enthusiasm for professional growth, humility in their approach to learning, and a passion to support the learning of their peers to make a difference to students.” These TLC Lead Teachers will extend their work beyond the classroom to participate in professional activities related to: • • •

Cultural safety and trauma informed instructional approaches through Indigenous paradigms Culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy in the context of literacy, numeracy and global competencies Facilitating professional learning anchored in equity, anti-racism amid anti-oppression

Explore the Caribbean. Adventure awaits you!

TVISHA MISTRY

tvisha@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

It is time to explore the beauty and the adventures that await you in the Caribbean.

Currently, the Caribbean is heating up to welcome guests for an unparalleled spring vacation.

The British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands’ Minister for Health & Social Development, Honourable Carvin Malone announced opening plans for visitors on April 23rd.

Starting May 15th the British Virgin Islands will welcome fully vaccinated passengers to explore and tour the adventures awaiting them.

Fully vaccinated persons upon arriving will be required to provide proof of full vaccination as well as take a PCR test within five days of travel to the destination. Once a negative test result is received, visitors will be free to enjoy their vacation across the Territory.

This means that visitors will not be required to a mandatory four-day quar-

antine, which is still required for arriving passengers that have not been fully vaccinated.

“This is great news and timely, as more guests are arriving fully vaccinated and many in our industry have stepped forward to take the vaccine in support of economic rejuvenation,” said Director of Tourism Clive McCoy. “The Territory already has an enviable record for health and safety during the pandemic and has continued with its strategy of gradual reopening based on international conditions and the local situation. Any progress in that direction augers well for tourism and for the economy, and this is a very significant step.”

Grenada Grenada Tourism Authority’s Board of Directors has officially confirmed the appointment of Petra Roach as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Petra Roach is a highly knowledgeable and experienced professional who brings ample experience to her position. She has joined Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) after previously serving in the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) for twenty-seven years.

During her tenure at BTMI, Roach held various positions, including Vice-President of Marketing and Sales, Director of Sales and Marketing, Global Head of Markets, and interim CEO.

“Petra is a recognized leader in

the tourism sector, and we are thrilled she has agreed to take on the challenge the GTA has presented her,” said GTA Chairman Barry Collymore. “This is a huge win for Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique as we saw the urgent need to have someone with not only the understanding of the Caribbean marketplace but with the skillset to help lead our unique destination through recovery and start a new chapter for our tourism product.”

Bahamas Crystal Cruises and Royal Caribbean have announced their return to the Bahamas this summer. Guests can enjoy Crystal Cruises through their operations in the Bahamian bubble of Nassau, Bimini, Harbour Island, Great Exuma, San Salvador, and Long Island.

Travelers can have their “Adventure of the Seas” with the Royal Caribbean from the company’s homeport based in Nassau. The cruise will begin operations in June and will visit several islands including Grand Bahama Island and Perfect Day at CocoCay, (Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamas destination).

Further, the Bahamas have received a Bronze Adrian Award this year. The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will honor the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation with a Bronze Adrian Award in the Integrated Marketing Campaign category.

Additionally, the Bahamas have

received nine nominations by the World Travel Awards. Ranging in diverse categories the Bahamas have been shortlisted for the 28th annual World Travel Awards. Voting is open now through August 2nd, 2021.

Jamaica

Jamaica’s travel ban on the United Kingdom (UK) officially ended on April 30th and the island has opened its borders to guests as of May 1st, 2021.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett said, “On Saturday, Jamaica will reopen its borders to international visitors from the United Kingdom. This will enable the critical gateways of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, to have transit for passengers coming through and who are fully compliant with health and safety protocols required for international travel.”

“The opening of the borders is important in the context of not just Jamaica’s tourism but Caribbean tourism, as so many of these countries benefit from transiting through Jamaica for British and European nationals”, Minister Bartlett continued. “It is important also against the background of the recent call by the Caribbean Tourism Organization urging a review of the categorization of Caribbean countries by the UK; given the fact that we have the lowest death rates and highest recovery rates and exemplary COVID-19 management,” he added.

PAGE 18

FEATURE

3 tips for driving a motorhome Are you planning to take a trip in your motorhome? If so, here are a few tips to help you stay safe while on the open road.

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

4 medical conditions that can affect your driving

1. CHECK YOUR BRAKES If your motorhome weighs 3,000 kilograms or more, you must pull over at brake check areas or you could be fined. You should also have your brakes inspected at least once a year to make sure they’re working properly.

2. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AND LIMIT YOUR SPEED Motorhomes are heavy, which means the faster you drive, the longer it takes for the vehicle to stop. It’s important to limit your speed and maintain a safe distance between you and the car in front of you. In ideal driving conditions, you should keep at least a four-second follo­ wing distance.

However, in poor weat­ her conditions, you should increase that distance to seven or eight seconds.

3. KNOW THE HEIGHT OF YOUR MOTORHOME You may not be able to pass under low-clearance bridges or enter some parking lots or drive-throughs with your motorhome. To avoid running into any trouble, stick a note on your dashboard with your motorhome’s dimensions as a friendly reminder.

DID YOU KNOW? The Explorer RV Club offers a number of resources to help you learn more about the RV lifestyle and connect with a larger community.

If you’re interested in becoming a member, visit explorerrvclub.com.

A variety of medical conditions can af­fect your ability to drive. Depending on the severity of your ailment, your licence may be suspended or conditions may be added to it. Here are four medical con­ ditions you should report to the driving authority in your province or territory since they may lead to unsafe driving.

1. SLEEP APNEA This disorder can cause drowsiness, make it difficult to concentrate and slow down your reaction time. You should avoid driving alone until your condition can effectively be managed.

2. ARTHRITIS Stiffness, swelling and joint pain can make it difficult to do certain things like check your blind spots and use the brakes. To ensure you can drive safely, you should undergo a medical

What are your options at the end of a car lease?

If your lease is coming to an end and you’re not sure if you should buy the vehicle or return it to the dealership, here are a few things to consider.

BUY THE VEHICLE Do you love the car? Is it reliable and in relatively good condition? If you’re already comfortable driving it and know what repairs will eventually be needed, you may want to buy it. Purchasing the vehicle could be a particularly good option if the residual value — the amount you’ll pay to buy the vehicle at the end of the lease — is less than its market value.

If the residual value is higher than the market value, however, buying the ve­ hicle for more than it’s worth is probably not in your best interest. That being said, if the return fees are extremely high because you’ve gone over the mileage limit or there’s excessive damage, buying the vehicle may save you money in the end.

RETURN THE VEHICLE If you aren’t attached to the car and it no longer suits your needs, returning it to the dealership may be your best option. Nevertheless, it’s important to do the math. For example, if the residual value is lower than the market value, you could buy out your lease and then sell the vehicle for a decent profit.

Similarly, it may be better to keep the vehicle if the lease inspection reveals damage or excessive wear and tear.

That way, you won’t have to pay any extra return fees. However, having major repair work done before your lease is up could significantly reduce these fees. In addition, if you plan on leasing from the same dealership again, you could ask to have the return fees reduced or waived as part of your negotiation for a new vehicle.

As with any financial decision, it’s important to take your time and weigh your options carefully.

exam or consult with an occupational therapist.

3. MACULAR DEGENERATION This eye disease can prevent you from seeing things like road signs and painted markings on the highway.

At its on­set, you may be able to continue driving. However, as the disease pro­gres­ses, you’ll be required to regularly meet with an optometrist.

4. DIABETES This condition must be taken seriously as it can cause confusion and blurred vision. If you’re diabetic, make sure to regularly check your blood glucose level and never drive if you’re hypoglyce­mic or hyperglycemic.

If you don’t feel fit to drive, ask some­ one to accompany you, call a cab, take public transit or use a volunteer transportation service.

PAGE 20

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Michelle Louise Clarke of Total Life Changes Giving more than what is expected of her!

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

When you think about a business, your mind may automatically go to a corporation, organization, or even a small mom and pop restaurant. What is less considered is when a person actually becomes a business.

This week, I want to introduce a determined Sister who is focused on thinking big, stepping into the unknown, and wanting to change the world. She envisions breakthroughs and disruptive technologies, with tough problems to overcome, which will allow her to create lasting change. She thinks many months out, and anticipates the next opportunity, and the next recognition for innovation.

Upon meeting her, I saw her hunger for more, and love for her community.

She enjoys having fun, even when there is work to get done. She refuses to do what is easy and focuses on doing what is right.

She has a grateful mind-set, passion is her fuel, and her standard has become to give more than what is expected of her. I would like to introduce to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper, our Business Feature for this edition, Ms Michelle Louise Clarke of Total Life Changes.

Michelle Louise Clark was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but moved to Barbados shortly after her parent’s divorce. She was very young when her parents decided to part ways, and with her mom working full time at Sunnybrook Hospital, it became difficult for her to care for Michelle, so she made the tough decision to send her back home to live with family.

In doing so, she provided Michelle with multiple perspectives on life. Michelle was travelling from a younger age, so she began to see the world differently. She admits that having a Caribbean and Canadian upbringing allowed her to see the world a little different than most.

“I am a hustler at heart,” Michelle tells me. “I became independent as a little girl.” Michelle laughed a little and continued. “I remember going to the Red Cross to get my certification so that I could babysit the children in the community. I was babysitting at twelve, and as soon as I could get my social insurance number (around fifteen years old) I started working telemarketing jobs.”

Life happened really early for Michelle. In grade eleven, she discovered that she was pregnant. She didn’t take this as a setback; she just kept working. “I didn’t stop working. It was at that time that I was introduced to this beautiful, strong Queen named Jay Pitter. She exposed me to community facilitation and community programming. This is how I got involved with volunteer work.

I had my son in July and went back to school in September. Teachers asked me why I was back in school. They would give me a hard time when I would have to bring my son to school to pick up work. Thank God for an amazing guidance counsellor. It was because of him that I got early acceptance to Seneca College, (2002 – 2005) where I graduated with a Diploma as a Court and Tribunal Agent.

During this time, Michelle was still working hard. While her friends were partying, she was home studying, and then after the party, she was the person who was cleaning up the clubs.

“I always wanted to work for myself, Michelle tells me. “Even when I went back to live in Barbados for a while, I was still hustling. I would send barrels down and sell things out of a stall.”

All the while, there was this thirst for knowledge that for some reason, hustling could not quench. Michelle returned to Canada and went back to school. In 2009, she obtained a Professional Certificate in Emergency Management, and in 2015, she completed her Specialized Honours Degree in Environmental Management and Sustainability. For Michelle, knowledge had become her new hustle.

Everything was going pretty smooth for Michelle, and then the pandemic hit.

“I have a compromised immune system, so when the pandemic hit, I had to

find better ways to take care of myself. One of my friends introduced me to a product that ended up changing my life forever. This was my introduction to Total Life Changes.

I was really sick, and once I started taking these supplements, it was a complete game changer. I wanted to know how she started selling it. How could I use this product to help others?

I started hearing more about tapping into streams of income, and I wanted to be part of this. For me, it was another way to help my community, as well as helping my family.”

The product that Michelle was introduced to was Iaso Tea® Original. It provided a gentle detox for her body that allowed her to absorb all the healthy nutrients that she was beginning to take in.

“It turned out to be greater than I ever imagined. Total Life Changes, completely changed my life. It sounds really cliché, but it is the truth. From the time I started to feel better, I started to think better.

The Canadian hustle is way different than the American hustle. In the U.S. they don’t have what we have. They have to work a lot harder. You become an independent business owner. You can turn it into your brand. In a short space of time, I started to see how working with Total Life Changes not only changed how people felt, but it literally changed how people thought about life.

I have been able to heal myself in eight months, and this is from years of pain mentally, physically, and spiritually. To think, this all happened because I said to myself, let me try a ting. It wasn’t intentional, but the universe brought me to this point.

There are a lot of connections to health and mental health that are not understood. The way we eat truly affects how we think. This business is bigger than me now, and I am going to do what I need to do to help my community.”

Michelle is looking to change the world with love. She keeps smiling, continues to grow, and keeps proving to the world that the more you give is the more that you get.

You can learn more about Total Life Changes by visiting totallifechanges.com Keep going Michelle; Toronto is rooting for you!

416 824-7036

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PAGE 22

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

ELIJAH SOMMERZ The man of multiple income streams Photo Credit: Kevin Douglas WWETV - JSMG THE Label

With a net worth of between 1.4 – 2 million dollars, this week’s Classic Man is a definite read for anyone who is committed to establishing a long-lasting legacy.

This edition, our Classic Man demonstrates that making money does not have to be hard. If you dedicate yourself to working smart rather than hard, you can set yourself and your family up for a much better future. I am proud to introduce to you, the man of multiple income streams, Elijah Sommerz.

He is one of the first entrepreneurs and hip-hop artists to be published on MTV, as well as being featured in Source Magazine. He proudly represented Canada as the first Afrocentric Canadians to be elected independently to conduct convocation with the United Nations Group Experts.

“I don’t really sleep; there is a lot to do.”

I always find it interesting that the people who have had the most difficult beginnings seem to have the most powerful stories. During his early childhood, he was void of one of the most important relationships a child needs; the one you have with a mother. Unfortunately, his mother had succumbed to her own trauma. Her lifestyle had landed her in prison from the time he was born, until his adolescent years.

Robert Vernon (aka, Elijah Sommerz) was born on December 22nd, 1991. Without his mother in his life, he was fortunate enough to have a patriarch role model in his father.

“Being an entrepreneur came first. It is a lifestyle. It is my spirit. My father is an entrepreneur. He owned a restaurant, and my grandfather was a super workaholic, with a strong professional background.

When I started my first busi-

ness, I was trying a ting. My first venture was a t-shirt print business called Young and Fresh Design. At the time I was studying graphic design, so my friend and I thought, hey, why not! Let’s start something up and see what happens.”

This was the genesis of the business mogul we now know as Elijah Sommerz.

“I co-founded JSMG in 2014.

Our goal is to help underprivileged youth across North America, especially youth in the GTA. We do so by providing scholarships funded by angel investors and private equity investors.

Our support is offered for the youths and rising talents of today; the ones that have a history of trauma, are at an economic disadvantage. At least now they will have an opportunity to go to postgraduate school.”

His next venture was as the co-founder of Le Rues Chaitner & Co. It is a Toronto based independent Real Estate Location Investors Proposal Group. Here he works with a team to provide global real estate location investments.

“The team has grown from three to 30+ clients globally. We currently manage millions of investors’ assets across various hedge fund and mutual fund mandates internationally.” Elijah shares with me. “There are so many stages when it comes to developing your streams of income, and you have to continue to innovate.”

It was during his rise that he hit a wall. Elijah was incarcerated for six months, and during his time dealing with the Canadian justice system; he was witness to situations, which he explains as being un-human, and unconstitutional. Sometimes our darkest moments are what can spawn our enlightenment.

“I took time to learn the law, and after what I had seen, I wanted to do something. I put together different petitions. I wanted to advocate for the inmates. I reached out to media outlets, and the African Legal Clinic. They reached out to the United Nations.”

In 2016, Elijah Sommerz became the first Afrocentric Canadian elected to independently conduct convocation with the United Nations Group Experts. “Our community is like a recycling bin. There is a lot of systemic racism, and having experienced it, I knew that I had to advocate for some of my young brothers. It needed to be done.”

You would think that his brief incarceration would have slowed him down, but in the same year, Elijah raised the bar again when he became the C.E.O of J Stone Management Group & Co.

“I always knew I wanted to do something with music. I had that background.ten years later; I still had this passion for music. My given skill set is managing, and I remember when I first started learning things behind the scenes, putting things together, I realized that I really liked what I was doing.”

His team has grown from zero - 59+ clients globally in just four years.

They work with some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world including Apple TV, and Roku TV. They specialize in: talent development, talent management, tour support, music distribution, print media - (press release and press publishing), and paid media (paid marketing campaigns).

It is why his next move made sense. He is now the Acting-Vice Chairman & Chief Financial Officer at World Wide Entertainment. It is a global media platform that works with major,

mainstream and underground artists in North America. WWE promotes and markets artists and helps them to build their personal brands.

“Getting back into the industry has allowed me to get a feel of what markets I want to tap into. What is the best genre for me to break into? Where can I make the most impact? I decided that if I am going to tap into music personally, hip-hop speaks more to my lifestyle, my pains, and my struggles.

I learned from being a manager to be frugal, I have seen a lot of people give up because they haven’t set a good foundation. If you don’t have a platform, you don’t have a voice. A lot of people are afraid to put their money where their mouths are, and I will tell you this; people will not invest in you, if you don’t invest in yourself. Do everything you need to do to get better.”

His advice to young artists and entrepreneurs, “You have to treat your passion like it is a job. If not, you will give up. It is important that you have other ventures; at all times you have to be able to invest back into yourself.

Stay dedicated always. Stay committed. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t listen to anyone who says you cannot accomplish what you have put your mind to.”

You can follow Elijah on Instagram: @jsmgthelabel, and @elijahsommerzpromo

Written by Simone J. Smith Toronto Caribbean News

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Danforth Food Market 144 Kennedy Road South 289-298-0399

Glidden Rd.

Store Hours

Monday-Friday 9 am to 9 pm Saturday 8 am to 9 pm Sunday 9 am to 7 pm

PAGE 26

FOOD

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Quick and easy recipes to achieve and

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT NOEL CUNNINGHAM noel@carib101.com

CULINARY EXPERT

The month of January is celebrated as Healthy Weight Awareness Month. While we are still on the healthy train for 2019, it is very important to know your ideal healthy weight. This will better help you to know if you are overweight, underweight or obese, and what diet will suit your lifestyle.

How do I find my healthy weight?

This is usually done by calculating a person’s age, gender and height using an online ideal weight calculator. This result will give you, your recommended ideal weight.

In addition, there are also online charts that will show your height and what your ideal weight should be. There is no one size fits all when it comes to weight. There are several factors that make each individual different, such as height, muscle-fat ratio, gender, and body shape.

Know your body mass index When you measure your body mass index you are basically measuring your body fat.

To know your body fat, you can use a free online body mass calculator. Enter your weight and height and this will give you your result.

Normal BMI ranges from 18.5 – 25. BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. If your BMI is between 25.0 and 29.9, you are overweight. 30.0 and above, then you are obese. To maintain a healthy weight, eating properly as explained in the last column and exercising should be a lifestyle and not just a short-term goal.

This week, I’m serving some wholesome goodness of salmon and quinoa to help you in your quest to find a better you. Salmon is known to help control weight. The spices that I used in this recipe are all natural medicine. Cayenne contains capsaicin which burns fat, the ginger improves gastric mobility, hinders cholesterol absorption and finally, black pepper boosts metabolism and aids nutrient digestion.

Salmon with pineapple salsa is one of my favorite go-to mid-week meals.

Not just because it’s healthy, but it’s also easy to prepare. You can always make and store your salsa up to 7 days and it can be used on just about anything. Pineapple

helps to aid digestion and breaks down the protein found in food. This combination is a must have to maintain or gain your healthy weight.

Blackened Salmon and Coconut Lemon Quinoa with Pineapple Salsa Ingredients • 3 6-oz. salmon fillets • salt & pepper to taste • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper • ½ tsp ginger powder Salsa • 1/2 diced pineapple • 1/4 diced red onion • ½ diced green peppers • ½ diced red peppers • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley • salt and pepper to taste • 1 tsp. lime juice Quinoa • 1 cup quinoa • 1 cup water • 1 cup coconut milk • 1tbsp lemon juice • 2 tsp lemon zest

Directions 1. Place all ingredients for the quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. (about 15 mins) 2. While the quinoa is cooking combine all the ingredients for the salsa, season to taste with lime juice, salt and put aside.

3. Marinate salmon with spices and set aside. In a heated skillet cook salmon on both sides for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cook through and enjoy.

Your turn is coming soon.

Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine plan is helping to stop the spread and save lives. Thousands of people across the province are getting vaccinated every day.

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FOR PRINT-until June 14th_Self Compassion-caribbean news 3rd.pdf 1 2021-05-06 12:21:45 PM

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Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

HEALTH

PAGE 29

Is your lack of energy due to Anemia?

W. GIFFORDJONES MD DIANA GIFFORD-JONES COMMON SENSE HEALTH

William I of Germany remarked on his deathbed, “I have no time to be tired.” But often people suffer from being tired and having low energy years before they leave this planet. For some with fatigue, a prescription for eight-hours daily use of a pillow is the best treatment. But over three million Americans and one million Canadians have undiagnosed anemia, a condition due to low levels of red blood cells that carry oxygenated blood to the body’s tissues. Is it possible that anemia may lead to misdiagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease?

What should you do if you are feeling fatigued and weak for no obvious reason? A methodical approach is warranted.

First, if the problem is anemia, then it is usually easy to correct, particularly if due to diet. Therefore, there is no need to panic.

But you should see your doctor to rule out more serious problems.

For instance, anemia can be due to a cancer of the bowel when the malignant growth is bleeding. Other causes might be intestinal diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or peptic ulcer. Inherited conditions such as sickle cell or bone marrow disease can lead to anemia.

The major cause of fatigue and anemia is iron deficiency, more commonly seen in women. This is not surprising since women lose blood menstruating. Pregnant women are at an increased risk and should be taking a multivitamin with folic acid. Older women may be losing blood from a non-malignant fibroid in the uterus.

There’s good reason for a discussion about vitamin B12. A lack of this vita-

min, or poor absorption, may cause pernicious anemia having serious consequences if not diagnosed and corrected.

Dr. Alice H. Lichtenstein, a professor at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, says, “As we age many of us produce less stomach acid which is required for the absorption of vitamin B12.” Moreover, many elderly patients are taking acid suppressing medication decreasing the absorption of vitamin B12.

What is tragic is when a severe lack of B12 causes symptoms of dementia such as confusion, irritability, numbness, and tingling in the hands and feet. This is a rare situation, but in some instances, these patients have been wrongly diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease. B12 would solve their confusion.

So, how can you prevent iron deficiency anemia? First, get rid of one misconception. Many people believe that red meat is the best source of iron. In fact, there are many other choices, including seafood, poultry, beans, lentils, tofu, dark green leafy

vegetables, cashews, and fortified cereals.

Vitamin C increases iron absorption, so include foods rich in C such as strawberries, raspberries, and tomatoes. Enjoy a glass of orange juice.

Vegetarians should know that vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products, so they may be at particular risk of developing this deficiency. Be careful to include non-animal foods such as nutritional yeast and fortified cereals and plantbased milk substitutes in the diet. To ensure enough B12, consult a doctor to learn whether B12 supplements might be advisable.

Some people are tired all the time and have plenty of iron in the blood. These individuals may be suffering from another variety of fatigue – the kind due to a boss that cannot be stood, a family problem that would take a team of psychiatrists to settle, financial difficulties, or stress-related problems in these trying times. The key to resolving fatigue could be as simple as getting a better pillow for more restful sleep.

BUDGET 2021

KAMAL KHERA

Member of Parliament Brampton West

SUPPORTING CANADIANS AND FIGHTING COVID - 19 SENIORS

Increasing Old Age Security for Canadians 75 + Strengthening Long-Term Care with National Standards Providing a one-time payment of $500 in August to OAS pensioners Reinvesting in our health care system

Fighting Systemic Racism and Empowering Communities

Strengthening the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and Helping Communities Respond to an Increase in Racism Supporting Black Canadian Communities $200 million to Employment and Social Development Canada to establish a new Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund Funding for Black Entrepreneurship Program Expand the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

Enhance the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program

YOUTH

Doubling of the Canada Student Grants for two additional years Waiving interest on federal student loans until March 31, 2023 Enhancing repayment assistance Extending disability supports for recipients of student financial assistance Helping youth and students build skills and start jobs Supporting the mental health of those most affected

by COVID-19 Supporting Indigenous postsecondary education Internship, apprenticeship, and work opportunities

CLIMATE CHANGE Lower home energy bills Historic investments in Canada’s natural legacy Accelerating Canada’s Net-zero Transformation through innovation Keeping Canadians safer from floods

kamal.khera@parl.gc.ca

(905)454-4758

@KamalKheraLib

KamalKheraLib

/KamalKheraLiberal WOMEN AND CHILDCARE Establishing a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System Goal of $10/Day Childcare within 5 years Support for Women Entrepreneurs through a strengthened Women Entrepreneurship Strategy National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence Responding to the Tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

JOB CREATION

We are on path to create ONE MILLION jobs by the end of the year—ahead of expectations Increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour Enhancing the Canada Small Business Financing Program Creating New Opportunities for Skilled Tradespeople

SMALL BUSINESSES & GROWTH Launching the Canada Digital Adoption Program Improve the Canada Small Business Financing Program Lower the average overall cost of interchange fees for merchants; ensure that small businesses benefit from pricing that is similar to large businesses; and protect existing rewards points for Canadian consumers Extension of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support Beyond June 2021 Provide $500 million over two years to the regional development agencies for community infrastructure

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

COMMUNITY

PAGE 31

Prepare for opportunities and difficulties in life like we do seasons DAVID ANDERSON d_anderson@carib101.com

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

As a young entrepreneur, there comes a time when your environment and experiences are looked at as an asset or a liability.

An asset is a resource with economic value that an individual, corporation or country controls or owns. Assets provide future benefits over time if you have the patience.

Liabilities can be described as a person or company that owes, usually a sum of money. Providing economic benefits over time

with the transfer of money, goods or services is how you settle liabilities.

What do you think would happen if we were taught assets and liabilities as a child? I bet we would learn to leverage our resources and friendships, which would provide an enormous amount of value in the future.

What I have come to realize is, the person who thinks they can and the person who thinks they can’t are both right. Those that grew up in marginalized communities have an advantage in society. Growing up in a marginalized community will allow you to dream of a better life, especially after seeing your parent(s), guardian(s) or community elders drained after a hard day’s work. You will also be able to deal with pressure, prioritize needs and empathize with others in times of need.

Leaders are born through adver-

sity and risk taking. Leaders thrive while many hide. 98% of society hides because they are scared to step out of their comfort zone and take risks that will essentially benefit them. Only 2% of society are willing to follow their dreams/goals, open to new experiences, embrace criticism, lose unsupportive friends and do not fear rejection.

I am sure we all have done everything listed above, but how often? Are these behaviours a part of your routine? Do you have a healthy or wealthy habit? These questions force you to look in the mirror and will help you navigate your path to success. Those who fail to reflect on their actions, experiences and behaviour, fail to grow.

There needs to be more accountability, education and economic resources in our communities, so that the next gen-

eration has a support system for success.

We need to be proactive and not reactive.

We need to provide more education for our youth and communities in financial literacy, mental health and cultural acceptance.

This will support their personal and professional development.

Just remember we are responsible for family, community and ourselves. As an entrepreneur you have to work hard, be consistent, provide value, take risks and trust the process. You must learn how to handle difficult times because they come right after opportunities. Prepare for opportunities and difficulties in life like we do seasons. What we do this season will either positively or negatively impact next season.

Thank you, for reading entrepreneurial minds with David Anderson.

LIFE

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 33

How to stop selling yourself short in life DANIEL COLE

daniel@carib101.com

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

You are your own salesman. Has someone once given you a compliment about a job well done, only to respond with, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing?” If that sounds like you, you need to stop it! Selling yourself short is underplaying your worth, competence, gifts, values, and hard work. In the movie, ‘Coach Carter.’ you probably remember the scene when Carter walks into the gym to find his players studying, with the hope that they can pull their grades back up. It’s from here one of the players, Timo Cruz, delivers the “Our Deepest Fear” poem.

“Our deepest fear is not that we

are inadequate; Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

You playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Yes, there is nothing enlightened about you shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. You are meant to shine, and you don’t have to be apologetic about that.

It’s OK to own your victories. It’s OK to collect your wins. It’s OK to acknowledge the battles you’ve won and the darkest night you’ve survived. You’ve paid the price to get to where you are, you’ve made some sacrifices, you’ve put in the hours, and you’ve had your fair share of life’s pain and struggles, don’t underplay any of that.

Selling yourself short always stems from low or poor self-esteem, coupled with a sense of unworthiness. Oftentimes, these are fragments of an abusive childhood, the lack of validation from people we look up to as a child, be it parents or guardians.

Nonetheless, the moment we take full responsibility and ownership of our lives and stop blaming the past, we’re liberated from such influences. It is important to note that if you keep arguing for your limitations, sure enough, they become yours.

In the words of Jennifer Nettles, “Don’t ever sell yourself short. Stand tall.

Never be ashamed of who you are. You are beautiful, you are loved. You are needed. You are worth it. Promise me you won’t forget that. Promise me you won’t let your scars define who you are. Let your trials shape you.

Let your victories humble you.”

Most of the people we admire as celebrities and influencers do not necessarily have extraordinary curriculums, skills or gifts. However, if there is one thing they’ve done really well, they’ve consistently kept a posture of excellence in the field or industry

they represent. You can do the same. In life, you need to learn how to collect your wins because in your darkest moment you will need them as a reminder that your life is not defined by what you are currently going through. Whatever life throws at you, always stand tall.

The idea is not to go about bragging about what you’ve done, what you’ve accomplished, the adjectives that go with your name, or the numbers of plaques hanging on your wall, but rather, when needs call for it to showcase your work, to speak about the values you can contribute, don’t downplay it.

It is important not to compare yourself with anyone. Embrace your uniqueness and creativity. Avoid toxic environments that don’t encourage your growth or contribution. Life is too short to live it with cynical, shallow-minded people. Go where you can flourish. You are worthy of every good thing life can give. You deserve the best of life.

Don’t sell yourself short; keep standing tall.

PAGE 34

LIFE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Stuck in the middle of a riot - Part 2; reliving my past trauma SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

HUMAN SPECIALIST

It was complete chaos. I stood there breathing deeply. Everything was happening so quickly. I looked outside, and women were running around all over the place. I saw some correctional officers on their walkietalkies, yelling directions in Spanish, so of course I had no idea what they were saying.

In the house, I saw girls gathering their things together. I searched the chaos for Angela or Andrea, but I could not see them anywhere. I quickly made my way over to Angela’s bunk, and looked to see if she was there. It was empty, so I went out to the main corridor. The girls had already started looting, and fighting with each other. The beds had been pulled out, and I saw the officers trying to fight off some of the women at the gate door. It was crazy. Just pandemonium.

It just so happened that while I was locked up in Panama, there was civil unrest happening outside of the prison.

Apparently, there was political drama happening surrounding the Panama Canal.

There had been frayed relations between the U.S. and Panama, and it began

almost immediately after the signing of the 1903 Hay-Banau-Varilla treaty that allowed the U.S. to build and maintain the Panama Canal on the Isthmus of Panama.

Assisted by the U.S., Panama was established as a country shortly before the treaty was signed. Over the years, Panamanians have sought to obtain equitable provisions from the original treaty signed with the U.S. The two countries addressed these issues through adjustments to the original agreement during the treaty negotiations of 1936, 1942, and 1955.

Many Panamanians felt that the United States did not deal with them fairly, and were frustrated with Panama’s failure to obtain adjustments to the treaty that would favour Panama’s interests. They objected to the exercise of sovereign powers by the United State in the Canal Zone, and considered the situation as a way of the U.S. infringing on their national dignity.

The U.S. wanted to improve their relations with Panama, and declassified records began to focus on whether or not the U.S. needed to make concessions, and what type of concessions were needed. It had to be determined to what extent Panama needed to be involved in the Canal’s operations, and Panama’s economic link to the Canal Zone. The back and forth between the two countries created tensions; tensions that spelled over into what I was experiencing that day.

What I learned was at that time, there was legislation signed into law that would let

export-import businesses buy land that they were leasing in the duty-free zone, an area that city residents consider their patrimony.

Critics of the law said that the lease charges should be increased and the money invested in the impoverished Caribbean coast province of Colon. The duty-free zone houses, about 2,000 companies lease land next to Colon, a city of about 50,000 people. The province is home to several Atlantic ports that service ships using the Panama Canal and supply the country’s only oil refinery. It is economically the second most important province of Panama, where the capital is.

In October 2012, riots were breaking out all over Panama, especially in Colon.

Prisoners in the prison must have caught wind of this, and this is why the riots had started in the prison. The protesters feared the legislation would have cost jobs and cut incomes in the lucrative free trade port area at the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal.

I always wonder why I have been put in certain situations in my life. Why would there have to be a riot that breaks out when I was there? I know now that it was to toughen me up; give me the strength to deal with what was going to come in my future. Of course, at that time, I was just trying to survive.

Your values speak before you do GARCIA AKUA

garcia@carib101.com

COSMIC CORNER

Peace, love and light family. I hope Taurus season has been treating you well. Venus governs Taurus season, it’s a time of selflove, pleasure and luxury. It is also a season of values and self worth; Taurus also influences our finances and material possessions.

We celebrated Mother’s Day, last weekend as well, which is fitting with the fertile energy this season brings. Mothers are the epitome of Divine Feminine energy.

They take a seed (sperm) and turn it into life. The fruit they bear in us continues to bear fruit for others. Mother or not, we are all being called to plant seeds in this season to bear fruit not just for ourselves but the collective as a whole.

What we plant will be based on our values. Last year around this time, I had advised many of my clients to focus on home/

family dynamics, stacking up on resources and budgeting accordingly. We were new to the pandemic restrictions with many itching to go back to a form of normalcy.

Fast-forward a year later, many businesses have been forced to shut down, many have lost jobs and many relationships have broken down. In these uncertain times, your only certainty is you. When I was saying secure the bag, you are the bag.

Our values impact our lives a lot more than many think. If you value keeping up with the Joneses you might get left behind. This further hits your self-esteem and affects your self-worth. When you value yourself and your own goals, you only have to keep up with you. You set goals that are beneficial to your self-growth and worth.

Kale may be trending but does that mean we plant a field of only kale?

What does your body need? What does your spirit need? What does your family need? Focus on that. As we get closer to Gemini season, the voices will get louder.

Gemini is all about communication. It’s time to get clear on what your needs are, what your values are, and then communicate those needs with people that can support your growth.

There is a great divide happening in society right now. As the current system undergoes major changes, which are high-

lighted now with Pluto retrograde, many are still fighting to hold on to the old way of doing things and will do anything to keep up with what’s trending, but to what cost?

We have a New Moon in Taurus on May 11th; this gives us an opportunity to plant new seeds and goals that reflect our values. What are you planting for emotional, spiritual and financial security?

What are you hoping to grow for you and your household? What will your values say about you six months from now, a year from now?

You are the bag, you are the most luxurious bag you have, secure yourself.

Retrograde season will also intensify at the end of this month. It will be a period of going within and reflecting our boundaries, cycles that need to end and how we reclaim our power. Our values will heavily impact how we move through these transits.

We have an amazing opportunity for deep healing which results in a healthy harvest. We can listen to everyone else’s noise, needs and plant confusion. Or we can get still, get grounded, go within and plant what we need to maintain and sustain our own ideas of luxury. It will all come down to your values. What are your values saying about you?

LIFE

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 35

There have been barriers to dismantling Anti-Black Racism at the Toronto Catholic District School Board PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

YOUTH EDUCATION

There is no doubt that the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) still has a long way to go as it attempts to work through the challenges and oppositions to creating a viable, equitable and inclusive anti-black racism plan. There was much hope and expectation that with the appointment of Dr. Brendon Browne on September 1st, 2020 that the board would be able to make positive bold steps.

In a letter he wrote on November 6th, 2020 titled TCDSB’s Commitment to Addressing Anti-Black Racism he notes, “I recognize my role and leadership as being paramount to addressing systemic racism, ensuring equity and leading from an anti-

racist and anti-oppression perspective.”

Attempts to create the board’s Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy (DABR) through the equity department has not resulted in concrete and actionable steps. In fact, the TCDSB’s Equity Action Plan states, “Its commitment to equity and inclusion as ever-present goals, critical responsibilities and moral imperatives.”

Nevertheless, these are not clear.

The TCDSB has a three-year Action Plan from 2018-2021 titled, Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario (2014) with the goals of Achieving Excellence, Ensuring Equity, Promoting Well-Being and Enhancing Public Confidence but there are no specific goals with respect to tackling racism.

There is no doubt that the African Canadian Advisory Community (ACAC) has made a significant contribution by bringing issues to the Board that are relevant to the black community. It presented its term of reference with specific steps in December of 2020. The departure of Kirk Mark and Ken Jeffers from the ACAC will certainly be felt. The experience, expertise and extraordinary contributions of these

committed stalwarts are invaluable.

Neil Armstrong reported in Pride Magazine that Mark was treated disrespectfully during his November 2020 presentations to the board, but there were other underlying factors that led to his resignation. He and Ken were responsible for the development of the Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy as a vital tool to combat racism. Their request for the ACAC to be granted special status category by the TCDSB has been granted.

Jeffers told Pride Magazine regarding the ACAC, “We cannot point to an outcome that says, based on time there, this is how our children have benefitted. We cannot do it.” The community component of the ACAC is not complete.

They only have four participants with two abstentions. It still has not recruited new members.

Donna Harrow, chair of the ACAC, credited Mark and Ken for forcing the TCDSB’s board to make positive steps.

There are concerns expressed by Mark regarding Superintendent Derek Chen’s lack of experience with respects to issues, challenges and concerns.

There have been several initia-

tives that the Equity Department has undertaken. The updating of its Equity Action Plan does not seem to go far enough to address and dismantle anti-black racism. There is hope that the formation of the Race and Relations Committee, once its members are finalized, will be able to play an active role that will make a major impact on hurdles and obstacles that are still present.

The TCDSB has been criticized heavily for its handling of black teachers who have faced racism. Paul Rosso, a former TCDSB principal has raised concerns to CBC News with respect to how the board deals with students who have been expelled from marginalized communities.

The Equity Department will be involved in an Student Identity-Based Data Collection survey. There is no indication that this will involve race-based data on suspensions/ expulsion of BIPOC students.

Carl James, professor of education at York University told CBC News, “Why hasn’t the TCDSB been keeping data? How can you continue with students,working with them and addressing these issues, without data?”

The 5 ft. 7 in man is known as the “Repeater of Births.” Seti the 1st - Part 3 DAVE RANKIN dave@carib101.com

AFRICAN HISTORY

At the end of part two of our series, Seti the 1st was approaching the later years of his reign. On the onset of his fourth military campaign, Seti the 1st had his eyes set on the ancient city of Qadesh, which was controlled by the Hittites. As mentioned in our previous article, war correspondents took the liberty to etch scenes along the Hypostyle Walls of the Temple of Amun located at Karnak.

There is one particular scene where the Egyptian armed forces are situated at the doors of a citadel, and the occupants are shown in despair. While Seti the 1st was successful in capturing Qadesh, his victory did not last as the Hit-

tites quickly recaptured the city. The two forces did engage in subsequent battles for the city until a peace treaty was later signed.

Seti the 1st’s fifth military campaign happened closer to home, specifically in Nubia. The gold mines were of great importance to the Egyptians and they made sure to protect their interests.

The campaign into Irem, located in Upper Nubia, was set to quell the ensuing rebellion. Details of the battle are sparse, but we do have a stele that was set up by Seti the 1st’s viceroy Amen-em-ope who provides us with some insight. “So his Majesty drew up battle plans against them and decreed slaughter for them, that he might strike down their chiefs wherever they were. Then his Majesty dispatched the infantry and also much chariotry…

The strong arm of the Pharaoh was before them like a fire…” After his victory, Seti the 1st went on to construct wells at Waddi Mia and Waddi Abbad. These events would have taken place around the ninth year of his reign.

There were a few discrepancies

during Seti the 1st’s reign that Egyptologists have come across. The first was the idea of co-regency with his son, Ramses the 2nd . As the story goes, in his 9th year on the throne Seti the 1st appointed his son as crown prince and successor. There are reports of reliefs in Karnak and Abydos that are decorated with the announcement of co-regency. However, there are numerous Egyptologists who have come out to dispute this. One in particular, Peter J Brand claims that the reliefs were carved after the death of Seti the 1st, and do not serve as proof. Another, who goes by the name of Willam Murname, flat out rejects the idea. He even goes as far to say that Ramses the 2nd began to count his regional years while Seti the 1st was alive.

The other discrepancy lies with the length of Seti’s reign. Most Egyptologists attribute a period of at least eleven years. There is a sandstone stele located in Gebel Barkal, which proves this. There are scholars who place Seti’s reign of fifteen years. Again, this is only a theory.

The great historian Manetho attributes Seti’s reign to fifty-five years. A far cry

from what other scholars have alluded to, however this definitely is a call for a new breed of scholars to get into the field and conduct their own research.

The one thing that is certain is that when Giovanni Battista Belzoni found Seti’s tomb in 1817, it was said to be one of the largest of the nesew belonging to the New Kingdom. Originally measured at 446 feet long, the tomb (KV17) featured lavish decorations on every passageway and corridor. Adorned with the Book of Heavenly Cow, sacred scripture based on the Goddess Hathor or Het-Heru, the tomb was a magnificent splendor. Seti’s mummy was found years later by Émil Brugsch in 1881 and has been kept in the Egyptian Museum ever since.

The 5 ft. 7 in man known as the “Repeater of Births” may not have been as successful in restoring the empire to its glory days of Tuthmosis the 3rd. But the example he set forth would be felt for lifetimes to come.

PAGE 36

LIFE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Photo Credit: Sauce The Official

Nice it up with Tia; Brilliant young artist breaks into the dancehall reggae scene LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH lashawna@carib101.com

SPOTLIGHT FEATURE

From a young age, Tia knew that she wanted to be creative. She released her first song at an early age, but her lack of confidence in her ability did not allow her to release that song despite the support she had from her mother.

“I am in love with creating. At that time, I would say I was not taking it seriously.” she said. Tia was speaking in our Zoom interview. She smiled as she recounted how she recorded her first single with Cruzrock ‘This is Love,’ which got a relatively good response. Following this response, she realized that she should continue to pursue her musical dream.

“I reached out to him and I did a song ‘This is Love. That was the first song that I put out and I realized that was cool. I liked it. I think the good feedback helped me realize that I could do this. After that, it was song after song, however; it was just something that I did at the time. I would say that after my third release a song called ‘No Love Sooner’ was the moment, I realized that I could perform and reach out to persons from all over the world. This intrigued me to let persons outside of my community hear my talent and what I had.”

The reggae-recording artist said her singing career became successful after she was able to work with Troyton Music.

This was when her life changed.

“Troyton Music is responsible for many artists that you know and love such as Movado and Dexta Dapps. I decided I had to get [Troyton Music] attention. I recorded the track and even created an artwork [similar to] his. I just went all out to make sure I get his attention. After I wrote it, I sent it to him, and I could not believe he responded and said it was kind of good. I think that was a major pivotal point of my career. After that, I was able to get a song

with Loctane. We did a whole EP called ‘Black Lagoon.’ I was able to go to Jamaica for the first time and network with a lot of people. That pushed my career.

When you go to Jamaica, you realize that a lot of the people we idolize are regular people. I think it opened my eyes to realize that they are human, and I can do this. I just loved it. It was my first time going to Jamaica and I just took it all in.”

The recording artist who has a song with Bounty Killer dubbed Nice Up said that the initial meeting with Bounty Killer happened during her first trip to Jamaica. It is what allowed the collaboration to happen years later.

“When we did my Black Cocoon EP, we sampled his voice on Nice Up. He was impressed by the fact that he could hear his voice on the actual track; so being able to collaborate with him is a stamp of approval as he has helped so many artists come into the industry. It was surreal that I was able to meet him and have his stamp of approval. I think it boosted my confidence and was the confirmation I needed to go forward,” she said.

Her track has been doing well on YouTube and has reached over 123,000 views in the one month since it has been released. As it relates to her song being successful in such a short time, she said that the remix has done well thus far because a lot of deejays have been willing to play her song all over the world.

“It was my song at first, and then Bounty Killer jumped on it. The experience has been amazing with so many people reaching out to say how much they loved the song. So, it is doing amazing on YouTube thus far. The song [was featured] on BET Jams and everyone here in the US Virgin Islands was happy that one of their own was on national TV. The response has been overwhelming and the song has been requested by deejays all over the world.”

Tia’s word of advice for any person seeking to pursue a career in the art and entertainment sector is, “Get a good team because you are going to need persons to help you when you cannot help yourself.

Have a clear vision of what you want and believe in that vision.”

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

Becoming resilient TARA MYSHRALL tara@carib101.com

COMPELLED TO CHANGE “To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering.”

Friedrich Nietzsche We fight so hard to stay in control and have certainty in our lives. Many of us hold on to what we know and our expectations of how things should be. Our resiliency is challenged when unexpected events occur and when traumas ravage our sense of self.

What is resiliency? It is derived from the Latin verb resilire: “to leap back.”

We are all on common ground with this pandemic, so why are some people thriving?

I believe what makes people resilient is their ability to be fluid in the face of adversity. To accept that the polarity of life will bring us both perceived positive and negative experiences. These experiences will either take us down and keep us there or we will have the strength to rise again.

The great news is that resiliency is also like a muscle, it can be built over time.

Being in a state of resilience is a process and can change from situation to situation. This is a far more empowering way to view resilience, as we reclaim our power to adapt and modify our thinking and responses. We recognize that resilience can be developed and that we are empowered to choose our mindset.

Oddly enough we can build resiliency by starting with positive events. If we can take the time to express gratitude for what we have and savour our blessings, then that energy can help us in offsetting negative events and traumas. We can leverage the controllable factors like our beliefs, attention, motivation and coping styles to the uncontrollable events such as our environment and the lack of support to bring more balance in difficult situations.

Positive life events include simple, kind words from a stranger, the blessing of your child’s smile, the sloppy kiss from your pet or the fresh ray of sunshine on your face. Our society tends to seek extraordinary events, however, the small daily blessings are what will create more balance in our life. First, we acknowledge them with gratitude and then we savour them to create the muscle memory we need to carry us through the dark days.

Similar to the positive aspects of life being small events, we need to pay attention to the small stressors as well. These small things account for 20% of the variance in our mood changes: that traffic jam, the fact that you cannot meet and mingle with your social circle, the lines at the grocery stores. These events add up like thousands of papercuts and can impact our patience and mental health.

The state of resilience allows you to maintain your center despite these setbacks. When you’ve preprogrammed your mind to focus on the small things that actually matter, shower them with gratitude and savour their impact in your life, you are more equipped to show up and deal with the negative 20%. You can “bounce back” much quicker and have the state of resilience to help you keep going. Remember: resilience can be developed, you can become resilient.

7 books to reflect on Are you looking to expand your reading list? Here’s a selection of literary works that’ll encourage you to contemplate a variety of social issues and what it means to be human.

1. 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL This seminal dystopian social science fiction novel depicts a future characterized by totalitarian rule, mass sur­veillance and the persecution of independent thinking.

vella recounts the year-long friendship of a struggling writer and a young woman who rejects social conventions.

5. THE LITTLE PRINCE BY ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY With the help of simple yet elegant illustrations, this beloved classic explores friendship, love and the things that are lost when children grow up.

2. FAHRENHEIT 451 BY RAY BRADBURY In a dystopian society where books are outlawed, a fireman tasked with burning any volume he finds begins to question his role in censoring literature and destroying knowledge.

6. FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS BY MARY SHELLEY The author explores themes of vanity and technological advancement in a story about the creation of a monster that’s rejected by society due to its grotesque appearance.

3. KING KONG THEORY

BY VIRGINIE DESPENTES Originally published in French, this book is a series of essays that combine the stylings of a memoir and a feminist manifesto to denounce the subjugation of women.

7. THE METAMORPHOSIS

BY FRANZ KAFKA This absurdist tale, in which a man struggles to adjust after he inexplicably transforms into a giant insect, alludes to the alienation experienced by those who are different.

4. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S

BY TRUMAN CAPOTE Set in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, this no-

Look for these and other intriguing titles at your local bookstore.

LIFE

PAGE 37

PAGE 38

HOME

4 ways to make the most of a small yard If you have a small yard, landscaping can be a challenge. Here are four tips to help you maximize your space and create an outdoor oasis.

1. FURNISH WISELY Multifunctional pieces are ideal for small areas. For example, a sturdy deck box can be used as both storage and seating. Modular furniture is another option, as it can easily be rearranged and adapted to suit awkward spaces.

2. DESIGN VERTICALLY Growing vines up a wall, fence or trellis is a great way to add greenery to your yard without using up a lot of floor space. You can also hang planters, string fairy lights, install a tree swing and store garden tools on hooks along the fence.

3. USE CORNERS Nooks and crannies have a lot of potential, so use them wisely. Increase your seating with a wooden corner bench or take advantage of an unusual angle to high­light a decorative piece such as a sculpture, shrub or fountain.

4. CREATE DEPTH If you have a narrow yard, opt for long, thin pavers rather than square ones to draw your eye toward the back of the yard. Alternatively, create a winding path to make the space appear wider. Place plants with small, dark foliage at the rear of your garden, and choose red, orange and yellow flowers with big, bold leaves for the front.

Find everything you need to make the most of a small yard at your local garden centre and hardware store.

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

How to spruce up your front entrance Your front entrance can have a significant impact on the curb appeal of your home.

Here are some tips to enhance this part of your property and make it look more inviting.

AN EMPHASIS ON GREENERY Frame your front door by placing potted plants or flower arrangements on either side of the entrance. This will create symmetry and add a pop of colour. Just be sure the plants don’t block the doors or stairs and that their size ma­kes sense for the space.

To create a cohesive look, make sure the plants around your front entrance complement the rest of the landscaping. Choose species that also grow in your front garden or line the walkway. Alternatively, opt for flowers that match your yard’s co­ lour scheme.

In addition, consider the pots. You may want to select ones that resemble the shade or texture of your paving stones.

A WELCOMING WALKWAY If you have a walkway, it’s a good idea to embellish it with a bit of vegetation. For a curved walkway, or one with a sharp turn, it’s a good idea to create a focal point where it’s most angled. This might con­sist of a welltended rosebush, a small wee­ping tree or a vibrant flowering perennial. Check to see how your choice of plant looks at various angles, including from the street, the driveway and the front door, before you dig into the ground.

For more advice about how to enhance your front entrance, consult a landscaper or an expert at your local garden centre.

FUN

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 39

WEEK OF MAY 9 TO MAY 15, 2021

ARIES

The luckiest signs this week: CANCER, LEO AND VIRGO

You’ll find the financial means to take on an important project.

Whether it involves a property or your own business, you’ll be trium­ phant. Many people will pay attention to the speeches you give.

TAURUS

Don’t forget to make reserva­tions before the summer starts if you want to take a vacation. You’ll be in the mood for an ad­venture that takes you far from home. Be sure to prepare.

PUZZLE NO. 735 ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 735

HOW TO PLAY :

GEMINI

GEMINIYou’ll feel a lot more fatigued. Listen to your body, which will give you signs when it’s time to slow down. Also, remember to get enough sleep so you can re­gain your energy.

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

CANCER

If you’re single, the perfect per­son will come out of nowhere and sweep you off your feet. You’ll have more time for a so­cial life, but you’ll soon realize you also need some space.

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.

LEO

You’ll have more responsibili­t ies placed on your shoulders at work. Despite the challenge, this will lead to a better future, and a promotion will soon come your way..

VIRGO

PUZZLE NO. 25 42. Hassle 43. Australian “bear” 45. Expand 49. Adventure story 52. Sister 53. PBS science show 54. Platoon 55. Circle part 56. Unlock 57. Border 58. Heaven 59. Well-mannered one

ACROSS 1. Volcano output 5. Remark further 8. Bend 12. Got down 13. Dark bread 14. Go through water 15. Beer grain

16. Gun, as a motor 17. Psychology topics 18. Bewildered 19. Ascended 21. Clinging vine 23. Walk cautiously 27. Office writer 30. Understand

31. To each his ____ 32. No 33. Woodwinds 35. Marry 36. Act like 37. Period of rotation 38. Leans 40. Individual

DOWN 1. Tibetan priest 2. Woe! 3. Nasty 4. Reach 5. Lineup 6. Clothing colorer 7. Enthusiast 8. Whisk 9. Move like a dog’s tail 10. Excitement 11. Word a suitor seeks 20. Midday snooze 22. Sorcery 24. Paint the ____

red 25. Had obligations to 26. Finales 27. Cracking sound 28. Masking or duct 29. Watcher 30. ____ sauce 34. Yellow fruits 39. Christmas drink 41. Glide on ice 42. Detective Drew

44. Prowl 46. Line 47. Baking box 48. Need 49. Bring to court 50. Plus 51. Band booking 48. Irritable 49. Expert, for short 50. Pitcher spout 52. Was located

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 25

You’ll start organizing a vacation in earnest with friends and fa­mily members. There are plenty of adventures to be had, and you won’t want to miss out on any of them.

LIBRA

You might spontaneously de­cide to end your relationship or quit your job. You’ll be driven by feelings of confusion and a de­sire to be impulsive.

SCORPIO

It’s not easy to get people or groups with opposing interests to work together. You’ll figure out the right arguments to en­sure everyone gets along.

SAGITTARIUS

You’ll need to clean up your cir­cle of friends, as some of them are just sucking the life out of you. Try to book a therapeutic treat­ ment or schedule at least one day to relax.

CAPRICORN

Confidence is the key to suc­cess. All you have to do is be­lieve that you’re capable, and you’ll accomplish great things. As a result, you’ll be quite proud of yourself.

AQUARIUS

You’ll devote a lot of time and energy to your family and life at home. You’ll be inspired to adopt a new outlook on life that al­ lows you to better appreciate the present moment.

PISCES

You won’t bite your tongue, but you’ll need to watch out for in­ discretions. Don’t reveal any se crets. You may interact with so me one who doesn’t speak your language.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

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PAGE 42

REAL ESTATE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

How to put your home equity to good use JAY BRIJPAUL brijpaul@carib101.com

REAL ESTATE PRO

Homeowners became wealthier during the pandemic. Home prices surged and are still climbing. Homeowners are in a unique place where they can use some of their equity as seeds for financial growth. Benjamin Franklin said that an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. These transforming ideas can quantum leap your net worth.

Use some of the equity to buy an investment property. Real estate is real, as the name suggests. With inflation, building materials are becoming expensive, and in turn, home prices are escalating. Currently, for every home available for sale, there are about six buyers. A two-family home can be rented annually for $40,000. This is called passive income because the person does not have to actively work for it. Gradually over time, it’s best to replace active income with passive. Toronto will continue to be a hotspot for immigrants. On the long term, prices will trend upwards, the remaining balance on the mortgage will decrease and if

we add up the rent collected over the years, it becomes astronomical. To put icing on the cake, the interest on the money borrowed for investment is tax deductible.

Debt consolidation is another idea.

Sai, for example, has a total of $29,000 in credit card debts, paying $1,160.00 monthly. He chooses to increase his mortgage by $29,000 and pay off his debts. His monthly payment drops to $115.00. Fitzroy, on the other hand, took a second mortgage on his home for $100,000 at 12% interest in 2018, paying $1,053.00 monthly. Initially, the first mortgagor had refused to lend him the additional $100,000 because, at that time, the property loan to value ratio (a ratio lenders use to calculate risk) was high. With the recent price growth, the loan to ratio dropped significantly. Fitzroy managed to increase the first mortgage and paid off the second.

By doing so, he now saves $653.00 monthly.

Many families with adult children can use this idea. It’s the perfect time to give adult children a head start in life. Arthur’s parents took $100,000 from their family home and assisted Arthur. He used the money as a down payment on a newly construction condo that would be ready in five years. Arthur estimates that he can double his initial investment in five years. He can then use the proceeds to catapult him into a home. Arthur now has a goal to work towards. His aim is to repay his parents in five years. Another family took money from their

family home and opened a thriving take-out restaurant, creating employment for themselves. Since they borrowed money from their family home to invest in their business, the interest on that portion became tax deductible.

Instead of moving, try to renovate or extend your current home. With COVID-19, many families are working from home and require more space. It is easy to add a second level on a bungalow because the building foundation is already there. Find a good contractor who can point you in the right direction. Once that is done, get an estimate.

Always over-budget by 10% to 15% for the unexpected. With an architectural drawing, building permit and a good contractor, you are on your way. If you are modernizing, the quality of materials can make a big difference. The cost of installation usually remains the same. Its best to buy your own materials and ask the contractor to quote you on labor. Remember to ensure that contractors have the appropriate insurance coverage.

Building a secondary suite is a good idea. The cost varies depending on the size and complexity of the project. Start by applying for a building permit from the city.

Then, interview contractors. With a building permit and a good contractor, you can build a safe place for a family who wants to rent.

You will also reduce your liability. Buyers love basement suites that are registered because the rental income can be used to help

them qualify for a bigger mortgage. As such, homes with legal basements sell for more.

If a homeowner borrows $100,000 from the principal residence and uses it to build a secondary suite, the annual mortgage payment will be about $5,000, half being principal reduction and the interest portion becomes tax deductible. The basement will generate an annual income for about $20,000. This investment is worth exploring because it is a profitable venture. Seek the assistance of an accountant.

Become a money lender. Amrita borrowed $200,000 from her home at 1.75%.

She invested it in second mortgages at 12%, making a yearly profit of $15,400. She called this her vacation money. Always lend in small batches. For example, lend to four different people instead of one. By doing so, you are spreading your risk. Ensure that the loan to value ratio does not exceed 85%.

Avoid lending on rental properties. Many mortgage brokers can assist in securing second mortgages. Usually, the borrower pays the mortgage broker and solicitor fees. In many cases, they will also pay the investor a finder’s fee of about 3% to 5% of the loan amount. Always choose your own lawyer when investing in second mortgage.

Study the above ideas carefully and then, prioritize them. Next, get started.

In the wise words of Lao-tzu, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

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PAGE 44

FINANCE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Budget 2021 promises a bold plan for a healthy, equitable, and prosperous future CLEVE DeSOUZA cleve@carib101.com

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Canada’s 2021 budget is out and creating a buzz. Budget 2021 promises a bold plan for a healthy, equitable, and prosperous future. Best of all, the plan creates opportunities for you to build your personal wealth.

In broad strokes, the government’s plan calls for investments in the bio-manufacturing and life sciences sector to produce vaccines and create national standards for long-term care and mental health services. It also offers business and income support measures designed to create jobs. It promises to deliver new training and work opportunities. The plan calls for investments in a nation-wide early learning and childcare system, which also will drive economic growth. The plan includes provisions for fighting climate change while still creating middle-class jobs in the green economy.

What does Budget 2021 mean for you? It’s different for everyone, but it’s all

good things.

If you’re a low-wage worker, you were among the most affected by the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the economy. Estimates suggest that about 268,000 jobs were lost in a little over a year. In response, Budget 2021, among other things, establishes a $15 federal minimum wage and enhances the Canada Workers Benefit.

It extends the Canada Emergency Wage Substitute to September.

Better yet, if you are ready to take a bold step and get out of these low-paying jobs, Budget 2021 can help. It calls for creating one million new jobs, and offering unique training opportunities for hundreds of thousands of workers.

As you know, I’m an advocate for education. One of the best ways to build wealth is to land a higher-paying job. One sure-fire way to qualify for a better job is through learning new skills.

Budget 2021 includes $960 million over three years to connect as many as 90,000 Canadians with the training they need to access good jobs. Statistics show that 45% of us lack the skills needed to succeed in the current economy. This budget is a game changer. Keep your eyes open for these opportunities to begin.

If you’ve dreamed of opening your own business, then the plan includes $300 million for initiatives to help: women, black Canadians, and other underrepresented

populations start their own businesses.

If you already own a small business, Budget 2021 calls for investments to help Canadian businesses hire and train workers. The goal is to give those Canadians money to spend, spurring the economic recovery. Under the plan, owners of small businesses also can access government aid to invest in digital technology and intellectual property. The goal is to grow the nation’s entrepreneurs.

Homes are about to get more affordable. I’m a strong advocate for owning rather than renting a home. For many of us, home ownership is the first step toward a secure and stable financial future. Budget 2021 calls for government aid to build, repair, and support 35,000 affordable housing units. It also creates a tax to discourage non-Canadians from buying homes here to shelter their assets. The goal is to make homes more affordable for Canadians who want to buy homes to live and work here.

The single best step you can take right now is to do something. We all had to deal with the effects of the pandemic. Now, it’s time to take advantage of the opportunities created in the pandemic’s wake. My advice to you is to meet with a professional advisor today and map out the right path for you.

You can read the full budget at www.budget.gc.ca

Unlike baseball this hit and run isn’t cool ANDREW STEWART andrew@carib101.com

FAMILY ADVISOR

Imagine you’re driving, following all the rules of the road, and then suddenly a truck takes a corner too wide. You don’t have enough time to stop and swerving out of the way is not an option. The truck tries to avoid you but swipes the side of your car, tearing off the mirror, scratching the front and back doors, and tearing off the back bumper. You stop the car, your heart is pounding, and express almost every swear word known to a human being. You nervously look around and get out of the car expecting the truck to have stopped but to only notice it speeding away.

While car accidents are common, many Ontarians do not know the rules and regulations that dictate how a driver should proceed after being involved in a crash.

One of the most scariest and frustrating types of accidents is a hit-and-run.

What is a hit-and-run accident? Simply put - a hit and run accident is when one vehicle, strikes another vehicle or a person, and

then he/she does not remain at the scene of the accident.

There are many reasons why a driver who has been involved in an accident may not stop at the scene of the crash. The driver may have been impaired at the time of the accident and might want to avoid the police until he has had time to minimize the chance of testing positive on any chemical test. The driver may have been texting and driving or was engaged in some other activity that led to the crash.

In addition, the driver may not have had a license or the right insurance. For a commercial truck driver, his or her livelihood rests on having a clean driving record, and the motivation to flee the accident site may be even greater.

What should you do after being involved in a hit and run accident?

Here’s what you should do if you’re involved in a one-sided accident and the other driver doesn’t stick around. The very first thing you should do is try your hardest to record any information about the vehicle that you can see. Try to write down the make, model, and company of the vehicle, the colour, and any description you can get of the driver. The most important piece of information you can get is the license plate number (even just half of it helps), if possible.

Do not leave the scene to try confronting the driver, either. Pull over so that

you’re not obstructing traffic. Do your very best to talk to anyone and everyone who may have witnessed the accident. The more people who saw the accident will mean the more information and more details you will be able to provide to the police, insurance company, and personal injury lawyer. Be sure to collect all of the witnesses’ contact information, like phone number and address because later their testimony will become very useful.

Since only one driver is named in the claim, reporting car damages will have to be taken care of under your insurance policy. Your insurance company will require that you submit the police report before they start handling your claim as a hit-andrun car accident. Insurance companies are very cautious when it comes to hit and run cases due to the number of fraudulent reports they receive in a year. Hit-and-run incidents are the only type of car accident in which you’re not at fault but must pay your collision deductible. This is because there’s no other insurance provider to pay the damages under their driver’s liability.

If you don’t have collision coverage in Ontario, you won’t have insurance benefits to help with the damages to the vehicle itself. By thinking quickly and following the steps above, you can cover all of your bases without worry. Gathering information and making a report to the police are the best things you can do to protect yourself.

PAGE 46

SPORTS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

This week in sports Motorsport: Romain Grosjean’s miraculous survival story MARCEL MARIAK marcel@carib101.com

TC JUNIOR REPORTER

When F1 Haas Romain Grosjean suffered a potentially career-altering crash during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, many doubted whether he would ever return to the grid.

During the first lap of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, in what was supposed to be one of his career’s final races, the Frenchman underwent a tremendous crash that tore his F1 car in half and engulfed the cockpit in flames. After making contact with Daniil Kvyat’s Alpha Tauri, Grosjean’s race car lost control and collided with a steel barrier at nearly 120mph. The impact caused the barrier to split in two and tear open the F1 car which immediately caught fire, trapping the driver inside.

Trapped upside-down in the burn-

ing wreckage, it took Grosjean twenty-seven seconds before he managed to escape the cockpit. Although he suffered seconddegree burns to his hands, an FIA (F1’s governing body) investigation found that the crash could have been much worse. The investigation determined that the impact would have proven instantly fatal for Grosjean had the Halo system - a modification which he strongly opposed in 2017 - not prevented the steel barrier from striking his head.

Despite his incredible survival story, many people in the F1 community doubted whether or not Grosjean would ever return to the track. On one hand, the Bahrain Grand Prix was supposed to be one of his final races in F1. On the other hand, Grosjean would likely want to complete his final race and leave the track on his own terms.

Now, seven months after his horrific crash, it has been confirmed that Romain Grosjean will have one final race on the F1 grid – this time, in a Mercedes car.

The Frenchman will drive Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 Championship winning car at the upcoming French Grand Prix. He will then

leave F1 to continue his motorsport career in the American Indycar Series.

“F1 didn’t get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 will be so special,” said a happy Grosjean, “I can’t wait for the day to arrive!”

Basketball: Raptors’ playoffs spot hangs in the balance after loss to Clippers After the Toronto Raptors’ first NBA championship in 2019, basketball fans in Toronto were hopeful that the team would be able to continue their impressive performance.

But after Kawhi Leonard’s move to the Clippers and a rough start to the season, the Raptors’ playoffs hopes are in limbo.

The Raptors were on the road on Tuesday facing the Clippers. Hopes were high that the team would be able to beat their former MVP player and stay in a good position to secure a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the Raptors offence went cold in the fourth quarter and the team came up five points short for a close loss. Because of this, the Raptors’ chances at a playoff spot now hang in the balance. The looming game against the Wizards is the Raptors’ last

chance for a potential playoffs spot. Even if they do win, the team’s fate rests on the other games in the conference this week.

While Raptors fans haven’t given up hope yet, the chances of seeing their team perform in the playoffs are slim. The American sports poll and predictions website, FiveThirtyEight, predicts that the raptors only have a 5% chance at clinching a playoff spot.

This season’s lacklustre performance shows how dependant the Raptors were on Kawhi Leonard in 2019. With the trade of a single player, the Raptors went from being NBA champions to barely being able to get into the playoffs. This series of events poses a worrying question for the Raptors and their fans: Do the Raptors have to buy their championships? It’s not uncommon for an NBA team to rely on a few key players, but the amount of damage that Kawhi’s trade did to the team’s performance is concerning.

On the bright side, if the Raptors don’t make the playoffs this year, there’s always next year – a phrase that many say has been uttered a little too often in recent times.

Hi I’m Annamie Paul.

Leader · Green Party of Canada Your federal candidate for Toronto Centre

“ I’m running because this community

deserves real representation, a fearless champion in Ottawa who can say what must be said, and do what must be done for residents without hesitation.”

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