Jamaicans in Halton Region Make Their Mark in a Big Way

Jamaicans

in Halton Region Make Their Mark in a Big Way

Halton Region is located in the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario. It comprises the city of Burlington, and the towns of Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills.

Halton combines vibrant agricultural communities and the charm of small-town life with the amenities, shopping and culinary delights of major urban centres. With Toronto to the east, Hamilton to the west and Lake Ontario to the south, the region is close to major cities, world-class educational institutions and markets in Canada and the United States.

By: Janet Wong

Arlene Duncan

Donovan Bailey

Accessible via three Canadian airports, railways, provincial highways, local roads and public transit, Halton offers countless opportunities to experience nature, arts, culture, heritage, leisure, sporting activities and more.

Halton Region is home to more than 610,000 residents in four communities. There are only a handful of Jamaicans that reside there representing only 0.08% of its population, but some of them are well-known throughout Canada.

Arlene Duncan is a Canadian actress and singer from Oakville. She is best known for her television role as Fatima, a diner owner of the CBC situation comedy, Little Mosque on the Prairie. Her mother founded the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton in 1977. Canadian Olympic sprinter Donovan Bailey is Duncan’s half-brother.

Donovan Bailey, Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter, specialized in the 100-metre dash, winning a gold medal in the event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He moved to Oakville, Ontario and was on the track team in high school. In July 1995 Bailey set a Canadian record of 9.91.

Michael Lee Chin is a Jamaican Canadian billionaire businessman and philanthropist and the chairman and CEO of Portland Holdings. He lives in Burlington and made several large pledges and/or donations to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, McMaster University and the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.

Winnie’s Jerk food truck

has played a big part in enriching the region with events throughout the year that introduces Caribbean arts and culture to the public.

It sponsored Jamaican-born Dionne Samuels, also known as “The Bird of Paradise”, at the Oakville Public Library. She is a Canadian spoken word artist and poet who explores ancestry and heritage through spiritually infused prose.

The Association also introduced the Halton Carousel of Nationals Festival, which is a family event that contributes to the social cohesion of the Halton Region community. Since 1999 the festival remains to be a successful collaboration among the local ethno-cultural groups, professional and amateur multicultural artists, Halton Regional Police Service, local businesses, government and corporate sponsors.

The CCAH put together a documentary called Legacy Voices where elderly members of the Halton Community share their experiences as some of the first Black people to live in the Halton Region. Halton has a rich history of Blacks in the community that should not be forgotten. This is the importance of leaving a legacy.

The Art Gallery of Burlington Spring 2022 Exhibitions and Programs “Here Comes the Sun” is a gesture towards the Caribbean’s complicated relationship with the tourism industry. The exhibition title is borrowed from Jamaican-born writer Nicole Dennis-Penn’s titular fictional novel. In “Here Comes the Sun”, Dennis-Benn narrates the lives of three Jamaican women against a backdrop of power dynamics, economics and gender inequities.

Halton Region is one of the quickest growing communities in Canada. It is also home to the hottest Jamaican restaurants serving some favourite dishes such as patties, spicy jerk chicken, and oxtail soup. Winnie’s Jerk in Milton, Irie Cuisine in Oakville, and Jusjerk Caribbean Restaurant in Burlington are examples of this, and the food is popular with Canadians of all races.

The 0.08% of Jamaicans living in Halton have made an impact not only in their communities, but also impacted the Canadian way of life in a big way.