Four Caribbean Canadians will sit in new Toronto City Council

Four Caribbean Canadians will sit in new Toronto City Council

Congratulations are in order to everyone in our Caribbean community who were candidates or voted in last Monday’s municipal elections. We are pleased to note that a growing number of Caribbean Canadians are running and ran for office – some as mayors, some as councillors and yet others as school board trustees. Joining incumbent Michael […]

Judge sets aside negative decision for a Trinidadian applicant

Judge sets aside negative decision for a Trinidadian applicant

By Sukhram Ramkissoon According to a recent Federal Court decision, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago was recently successful in having his negative decision by an immigration officer set aside. I will refer to the applicant as Kenrick(not his real name). Here are some of the relevant facts of Kenrick’s case according to the judge’s […]

Great gifts of light and knowledge

Great gifts of light and knowledge

By Yolanda T. Marshall       Saira Batasar-Johnie is a brilliant first-generation Indo-Caribbean Canadian author residing in T’karonto/Toronto with her family. The daughter of Guyanese and Trinidadian parents, her recently released novel, Dear Divya, authentically shares the challenges and growth of 14-year-old Anjali Singh. It is a story of a young girl embracing her […]

Diwali leading us from darkness to light

Diwali leading us from darkness to light

Editorial Diwali leading us from darkness to light We’re in the middle of October. The days are short and grudgingly grant us a bit of sunlight. The gloom and dampness that surround us announce the cold of winter that will soon be upon us. Still, we must not complain because October has never lied to […]

The IMF, World Bank and G-7 are driving the Caribbean into debt and poverty

The IMF, World Bank and G-7 are driving the Caribbean into debt and poverty

By Carlton Joseph Last week the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Caribbean countries that, because of their high debt and low growth, they face an uphill battle fighting the debt crisis that has them in a stranglehold.  The report indicated that the average debt was 79 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that is, the […]

Dwight Drummond new host of CBC News Network’s Canada Tonight  

Dwight Drummond new host of CBC News Network’s Canada Tonight   

  By Stephen Weir A Toronto dinner time TV tradition is about to end at least, for the next year. On Monday night, after 10-years on the job, Jamaican Canadian journalist and announcer Dwight Drummond will not be reading the news on CBC Toronto News at Six. Oh no Drummond hasn’t left the building; for […]

Jamaica bans music and TV glorifying crime

Jamaica bans music and TV glorifying crime

Jamaica’s broadcasting authority has banned content that “glorifies illegal activity” – such as drug and gun use. The new rules cover TV and radio – including music – and list specific topics that are off-limits. Scamming, drug abuse and the illegal use of firearms cannot be “promoted” – and swearing or “near-sounding” replacements are also […]

Dominican Republic building border wall to stop Haitians fleeing chaos

Dominican Republic building border wall to stop Haitians fleeing chaos

As Haiti rapidly spirals into chaos, its island neighbour, the Dominican Republic, has responded with crackdowns on migrants and a military build-up the government claims will “guarantee border security”. But some fear those moves will only deepen long-existing xenophobia against Haitian migrants and harm both nations’ economies. On Sunday, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced the […]

Monarchy, Caribbean considered

Monarchy, Caribbean considered

By David Jessop The late Queen Elizabeth II was widely revered for her sense of duty, her wisdom, her advice and the continuity she provided. As head of the Commonwealth and Britain’s monarch, she represented selflessness and dedication rather than self-interest. She believed in the higher authority to whom she is now accountable. This and […]

Universal pharmacare is long overdue

Universal pharmacare is long overdue

Every developed country with a universal health-care system provides universal coverage of prescription drugs except for Canada. Most Canadians do not have access to public drug coverage, and the lack of common purchasing of pharmacare means that we face some of the highest drug prices in the developed world. Canadians pay about 35 per cent […]