Community Focused 011316

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE NEWSPAPER TO ADVERTISE: 647-722-6298 • ONLINE: T TORONTOCARIBBEAN.COM ORON ORO OR ON NT TOCARIBBEA TO EAN EA N...C COM • VOLUME 4 • ISS COM CO ISSUE SUE UE 2 24 4 • WEDNES WEDNESDAY, ESDA ES DAY, Y, JJANUARY AN AN ANUARY 13TH 2016

COMMUNITY FOCUSED

An Insight Into Our Vision For a Better Tomorrow ALYSSA YSSA MAHADEO/TORONTO CARIBBEAN If we take a look at all of the news that we have received over the years it is clear to see that the media has corrupted the way we think and has distorted the views and opinions of the masses. The overwhelming amount of negativity has increased, causing a social stigma where the message of the world has changed from love into hate without us realizing it. Activists who fought for our freedom for us to rise above that negativity included well known and respected individuals like Bob Marley, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Mother Teresa had a clear vision of the world, one

that included all of the different races, heritages and cultures uniting them as one.

This year in hopes of bringing us all closer together, and help refocus our vision of the future the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will use their platform to provide a voice through which the community can share and communicate their ideas to promote positive change. Although we are branded as a Caribbean Newspaper, it is important for us to remember that Toronto is a melting pot of different races, religions and cultures. No one race is above the other and we must take pride in the multicultural-

ism of our city, as it allows for us to experience the diversity of the world.

The world has come a long way, over the centuries granting rights, privileges and equality, ensuring us that everyone can be treated with the respect of humanity.

However, many events over the last few years have affected our stance of standing together as one. These days we often hear reports of racism, hate crimes and protesting of rights that we thought our ancestors had fought for long before.

Continued On Page 5

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feature

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Mayor Jeffery; Influencing Positive and Cultural Change in Bramptonʼs Community As a well-known resident of the city, Mayor Linda Jeffery has lived here in Brampton since 1983. Born in Ireland, Linda Jeffery immigrated to Canada when she was just three years old. Her father had received a job offer from the Royal Canadian Forces and so the family came over and settled in Ottawa.

They lived in Ottawa for nine years.

In that time her mother was a homemaker, while her father later became a teacher. Linda attended high school in Toronto and then went on to study at George Brown College. Her education was never really focused, but comprised of a patchwork of different subjects.

After getting married, she moved to Winnipeg with her husband. While she was there she opted to take on a course in Physiotherapy due to affordability, however, she never completed the course after her husband lost his job and they moved back to Toronto.

When she moved back to Toronto, they settled in Brampton. Over the course of a few years she had her three sons, who were all born at Peel Memorial Hospital. She did a lot of volunteer work during that time working as an active member on the Citizen Advisory Committee. During her time volunteering on the committee the position of Alderman became vacant. She considered applying for the position, as she was upset about the ideas being presented at meetings, knowing that there was much more that needed to be done. She won the position, winning back the right to the position four times thereafter and she spent a total of twelve years as the city Alderman. As it was a part-time position that involved shift work, she was able to spend time at home with the kids while working in the evenings and attending meetings.

Linda was asked to run for Liberal MPP and she rejected the idea two different times. She is strongly rooted in Brampton and is passionate about the city’s development. She realized there was still a lot of things she couldn’t fix in Brampton from her current position, like renovating the hospital to accommodate more patients and the 410 highway. The next time she was asked, she ran for MPP and won in 2003 holding the position until 2014. On Dec 1st, 2014 she became the Mayor of Brampton.

During her first year in office Mayor Jeffery has encountered a lot of challenges that she has faced with problem solving, resilience and hard work. There were a lot of problems that had to be dealt with when she came into office especially in regards to the city’s budget and getting the city back on track, completing the financial budget properly and making sure things are done right.

There was plenty of old baggage carried over from the previous Mayor, from million dollar lawsuits and ensuring the city they could have confidence in their new leadership.

One of the first things she did as Mayor was cut her earnings by $50,000 and organize public meetings to account for all of the members of council. It was imperative that they now report their agendas so that the citizens of Brampton know exactly what their tax money is going towards. As the new Mayor she believes everything should be put to a vote and it shouldn’t only be one person making the moves, but a collective decision by the entire community.

Mayor Jeffery is not a patient person, she likes things to be done, decisions to be made and implemented right away. She hopes to be transparent in all of the inner workings

of the city, so needs can be met and Brampton can become a city that reflects the diversity and culture to make everyone feel welcome.

This year she plans on hosting many gatherings where the public will be encouraged to come out and voice their options on the matters currently affecting the city. She hopes that the city transit system, as well as an application for a University in Brampton will help with many of the issues currently affecting citizens, especially because the potential for the city’s development is great if it is done right.

Mayor Jeffery encourages women of the community to continue to get out of their comfort zones and become more involved.

She prides herself in being a woman who is genuine and can admit her flaws when she doesn’t know or understand something. “Go out and be a mentor, help be a leader by example, if you aren’t sure about something, ask someone, there are careers out there that you might not know existed.”

Written by Alyssa Mahadeo Toronto Caribbean Reporter

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

community

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TDSB Trustee Candidate receives community support at Holiday Gala Emily Singh

emily@carib101.com

TC Reporter The sweet sound of the steel pan filled the room as Kwesi Johnson, dressed in a simple black suit and a bowtie greeted guests as they entered the Estate Banquet and Event Centre on Saturday. Johnson is one of the many candidates running for the position of Toronto District School Board trustee in Ward 21, Scarborough-Rouge River. However, Johnson is unlike any other candidate in this ward, he is already a winner in the eyes of community. On Saturday evening Johnson held a Holiday Soiree where he aimed to raise funds to make his dreams for a better community a reality.

Guests enjoyed a feel for the Caribbean as Johnson’s younger sister, Arienne Johnson played beautiful Soca music on the steel pan. The dinner was nothing short of amazing and included everything from salmon and chicken to delicious penne pasta. Johnson is without a doubt a leader, mentor and role model within the Scarborough community. However, a leader is not only one who can inspire those around him but also one who can seek inspiration from others. One person who took to the stage to speak about Johnson was his mentor, Priya Ramanujam. She is not only a long time friend of Johnson, but has also witnessed his active involvement in the community whether it was delivering food containers during the holidays to the needy or working alongside the youth. Ramanujam knows first hand the dedi-

cation and passion Johnson has for creating change and stepping up to the plate.

Another friend who has thrown her support behind Johnson from the get go has been Nadia Bello who is an Education and Communications Advisor at the Centre for Human Rights at York University. It was evident through her positive words about Johnson that he is more than capable of holding the position of TDSB trustee.

The evening was nothing short of entertaining especially when the very talented King of Heartz took center stage to perform.

His song “Power” sends an empowering and uplifting message to women about realizing their true potential and rising above abuse. A young singer known as Sanae Paris, gave another beautiful performance and blew the audience away with her sweet voice..

Anticipation was at an all time high as the special guest of the evening, Michael “Pinball” Clemons approached the microphone.

Clemons is not only the American-Canadian Vice-Chair for the Toronto Argonauts but an avid supporter of Johnson and his mission to become the TDSB trustee in ward 21.

As the evening began to wind down it was finally time for the man of the night to take the stage, Johnson himself. He began his speech the same way he does with most, by acknowledging the 600 plus Aboriginal communities in the Americas. He also mentioned our ancestors who have departed that leave not only a legacy of resilience but also hope for the future.

“Take the necessary time needed to nourish the relationships around you because in your time of need these are the relationships that will sustain you, says Johnson in his moving speech.

For Johnson this isn’t just about securing a win and obtaining a title it is about building a foundation for young people in the community and being a connector.

This holiday Soiree was thrown with the hopes of encouraging the community to help Johnson and his campaign team towards reaching their goals of obtaining lawn signs and flyers in order to be more competitive in this journey. However, it isn’t just through donations that you can express your support, get out and knock on doors in the ward 21 area with Johnson and help spread the word.

On January 25, 2016 those living within the postal code boundaries of M1B, M1X, M1V and M1S can all vote for Kwesi Johnson as the next TDSB trustee. Advance polling will also be taking place on January 16, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on January 17, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

W i t h over 18 years of community service experience, Kwesi Johnson is more than qualified to become the next TDSB trustee for Ward 21, Scarborough RougeRiver. We wish Johnson nothing but the best as he continues to make a difference not only in our Caribbean community but the community as a whole.

Facts matter: Understanding the revised Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum

There’s been a lot of information and misinformation circulating about the revised HPE curriculum. At the Peel District School Board, we want our families to make an informed choice based on facts. That’s why we created a neutral, fact-based parent guide that outlines: • that the curriculum is not new and has been taught since 1998

• there will be only two to five lessons per year

• our professional staff teach in a sensitive, age-appropriate manner

• the material that will be covered in each grade

• parents will get advance notice of lessons

• parents play a vital role in supporting the curriculum

• teaching of human development and sexual health delayed to spring 2016 To read the full parent guide and learn more, visit www.peelschools.org/HPE The guide is available in the top ten languages spoken by Peel families:

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

Community focused; A vision for a better tomorrow Alyssa Mahadeo

alyssa@carib101.com

TC Reporter Continued From Page 1 -- With this new vision we are hoping to offer insight into the real issues that affect our community here in Toronto. There are so many people from within our community and the other communities that are working hard in their efforts to give back and contribute to a positive society. Everyday the citizens of Toronto organize events, award ceremonies and meetings to bring to light and discuss the accomplishments of those that offer their time and efforts building and empowering one another.

Our newspaper is driven by the achievements of the people and businesses within the community. Everyone is encouraged to come together to support and enforce the message of unity. By standing together we become stronger and our actions create more of an impact in spreading the message of ‘One Love’ throughout the world. Everyday people like your friends, family and members of the community aim towards a better tomorrow.

In sharing our vision with the community, Jerrold Johnson, Chief Representative Officer of JNBS Canada shared, “I found the vision to be inspiring and compelling, it really grabs you. It was truly something that is inclusive, drawing all spheres of the community together.” As a growing media outlet in the city of Toronto, we want to create a movement and a greater impact by reporting on those news stories you might not always hear about, those feel good stories about people uplifting one another and restoring our faith in humanity. “The Toronto Caribbean’s Vision of “Community Focused” demonstrates a stance of Leadership. I believe this exemplifies what they are...Leaders.”

Linden King – 2015 Mississauga Citizen of the Year congratulated the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper for their community focus outreach and their on-going efforts to support, engage and build community relationships with various communities. “I am

extremely proud of the contributions and the great achievements that the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has made over the years plus evolving with the changing times!!

Keep up the great work!”

As a community we are always looking for ways to evolve and expand. We want to make our newspaper readily available and are in the process of expanding our reach, distributing to areas on the outskirts of the GTA. Our approach is to include everyone, be informative, providing non-biased news that will start in the community and spread throughout the world. If enough people with the same vision get together we can reclaim the love and overpower the negative stigmas that distort our view and confuse our opinions. Jeff Bowman City Councilor for wards 3 & 4 in Brampton shares, “I was introduced to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper about a year ago and attended their official launch. Grant Browning has a great approach to all things going on in the community with a strong focus on bringing people together as one. Current events, lifestyle, culture and entertainment are all covered and this helps to make the paper upbeat and an enjoyable read.”

Here at the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper it’s about using our different advantages and unique ideas to build the community and support one another. We must work together to educate and empower the next generation so they can carry on the legacy.

Grant Browning, President and CEO of Carib101 Media Corp. and owner of the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper explains that the vision for the newspaper not only includes a passion and love for helping people, but also making a mark in our world to remember us by. “We all enter and leave the world with nothing. It’s what we do in between that matters. Only a few stand out from the crowd and stand up for something they believe and are passionate about. I have a dream of leaving a dent in humanity, doing something great, contributing to society in a positive way, building a strong community and leaving behind an incredible legacy. I really feel that our team is on the right path towards it.”

Be proud of the work we have done together. Community focused... We are the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper.

community

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Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

community

Alvin Day – Helping you Soar to Success Alyssa Mahadeo

alyssa@carib101.com

TC Reporter “When you are born to fly, nothing less will satisfy.”

From humble beginnings to internationally renowned author, speaker and executive business coach Alvin Day is a simple man, a little boy from Jamaica, with dreams to touch the sky.

Before he was born in Kingston, Jamaica, Alvin was already at a high risk of not surviving this life. His mother, sixteen and unwed was advised against the pregnancy, told to abort, as her circumstances were less than ideal to have a child. Born fatherless, the man who he could have considered a parent made a brief appearance into his life at the age of six. He put fifty cents in his hand and then disappeared from his life forever. At eight years old, his mother packed him up with his two sisters and took them to an airport where she abandoned them and they were split up and sent to live with other relatives. He went to live with his aunt and uncle, however his uncle was a cruel man and beat him mercilessly, to the point that he almost neared his death. When he was around ten years of age his grandmother took him in where she was living in the countryside of Jamaica in Frankfield, Clarendon. Alvin recalls, “She was very wise despite not having an education, she always told me that if I studied hard, respected my teachers and trusted in God, I would be a wonderful man someday and I believed her.”

He took her advice and listened carefully to the wise words of his grandmother. She was his greatest inspiration and she put him through school on her last penny. Where they were living in the Jamaican countryside there was no running water or electricity, Alvin used to do everything by candlelight, but not once did he believe that they were poor. He kept the words of his grandmother close to his heart in everything he did and she told him he was like a caterpillar, soon his wings would come out and he would be able to fly!

Suddenly just as he was finishing his high school exams his grandmother passed away. His teachers didn’t bother with him, to motivate or encourage him to go further as they didn’t think he would amount to much.

Alvin couldn’t imagine life without his grandmother and so after he left high school he realized he was once again homeless. He couldn’t live there without his grandmother. Unsure of where to turn next, he did the only thing that seemed logical at the time. He heard that his mother was living in Wisconsin and so he traveled there to reconnect with her after all of those years. While living in Wisconsin he attended college there and obtained two

degrees in Business and Spanish. Soon after he began his first job at Procter & Gamble where he worked for ten years in sales management. After working there for so many years, Alvin became hungry for independence. He decided to branch off and do his own thing, establishing his own business. God was good to Alvin, business was good and it only continued to grow and since then he has never looked back, moving forward and helping to transform the lives of others so that they too can share in the success that the world has to offer.

Today, Alvin Day coaches senior executives and middle managers to go from millions to billions. He has over thirty years experience helping people and businesses grow in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. He is known internationally as a Transformational Leadership Coach & Management Consultant as well as Keynote Speaker & Author of the bestselling book, If Caterpillars Can Fly - So Can I, plus Persuasion Power and more. The inspiration for his book came from the wise words of his grandmother that he still carries with him to this day.

Alvin attributes much of his success to his grandmother, as she helped to shape the man he became today. Her wisdom ignited within him dreams and expectations for the future while also keeping him grounded and humble, a little boy from Jamaica excited to breath free oxygen and have the opportunity to travel to places all over the world.

Through his years of work and experience Alvin has helped his clients with coaching and training comprised of strategies for self-management and personal development, leadership competencies that drive excellence through people, productivity, performance, tools and processes that build collaboration between suppliers, distributors and customers.

His hope is that the words he shares will touch the lives of people that are willing to listen. Alvin delivers powerful messages of leadership, personal empowerment and sales strategies at corporations and educational institutions around the world.

Through his speeches, seminars, workshops and executive coaching sessions, Alvin shares the challenges and transformational experiences of his own life and connects directly with people’s heads and hearts, touching them on a level that few speakers ever reach.

His own desire to learn and even stronger desire to succeed is what drives him. He is passionate first and foremost about helping others reach that same level of success. With every coaching session, Alvin says that he hopes to “ignite a fire within his clients, to shake them up and disturb them, disrupting their normal patterns of thinking to get them to a place where they will grow and promote dramatic change in their lives.”

Alvin explains, “By challenging their intellect and making them uncomfortable about what they don’t know it gives them an awakening that will help to unlock their higher potential.” He compares his

methods to that of a wise farmer, breaking up the ground, cultivating the land before he can sow the seed and they can reap the eachings he has to offer. By benefits of the teachings hem from what they already disconnecting them esent an open platform for know, it will present them to accept the knowledge he has to share. “These people are still in an emot at their full potential” he bryotic state, not b is to revive the creative shares, “My job ocence of childhood, magic and innocence h people so they to connect with can reflect and discover what xplains how changed. He explains people becomee detached from their dreams eams and what they really lly what want to achieve because the get caught up p in the other responsibilities bilities of life. “To achieve chieve more and earn more, you must become ome more.”

T h i s year Alvin Day ay will be the feaatured keynote ote speaker at the Toronto Caribbean ean Business Expo in April. For years rs his compelling g story of rising from an abandoned childhood to a prominent, successful busiinessman, has inspired nspired countless people around und the world, as it models their eir path to success. At the expo po his keynote address will touch ch on the power of collaboration, tion, community and working and coming together to aid in the development elopment of the community. In sharing ing his knowledge he says that it is important mportant for everyone to know that regardless egardless of his or her background usee your strengths to find something in which you will thrive.

“If you find someone meone who is good at everything then n you’ve found someone good at nothing.” othing.” He commends humanity on their eir strength and also on their fear of being eing different. Alvin encourages peoplee to embrace their differences and use itt to their advantage especially those who o immigrate to or are born here in Canada.. Alvin is a down to earth, regular, goofy and relatable guy. He does not seek to intimidate, midate, he only wishes to give people the tools to spread their wings and fly. “I master my expectations. You u can’t disappoint me.”

Be suree to catch Alvin’s keynote address ss on April 24th, 2016 at the Toronto oronto Caribbean Business Expo, come out and discover how we can work together sharing in the tools ools and resources to help our businesses nesses flourish!

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jamaica news

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Money-laundering parties Cop says scammers using events to rinse illicit funds in St Mary JAMAICA -- Thr St Mary police are raising concerns about the frequency of parties in the parish hosted by lottery scammers to launder illegally gained funds.

Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, who raised the issue last Thursday at a press conference at the Police Area Two headquarters in Tower Isle, said the parties are used as a channel to trick financial institutions that the funds are legal.

“Parties are being used to make illegally made money appear clean,” Superintendent Lindsay declared.

“We are not going to allow the

scamming money to come to St Mary,” she added.

She noted that the implications of the parish becoming a haven for scammers would be dire as uneven distribution of the spoils among the scammers creates a problem for the police.

As such, the senior policewoman said that the granting of licences for certain events will come under increased scrutiny and that the police would be meeting with promoters in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Superintendent Lindsay said how people in the parish resolve disputes continues to be a

challenge for the police. She said of the 29 murders committed in the parish in 2015, 17 of them were domestic-related matters. The 29 murders represented an increase of three over the previous year.

“People are not finding a good way to resolve disputes,” she said, noting that the disputes have also resulted in injuries and that illegal guns were being used to settle differences.

To address domestic violence in the parish, Superintendent Lindsay said the police will be paying close attention to threats made against citizens even when those who have been threatened do not wish to pursue these matters legally.

She said many times residents refuse to pursue matters and when the matter again comes before the police, it is usually as a result of death or injury.

As a result, all cases will be monitored and intervention done in order to reduce domestic violence, she said as she welcomed the opening of a mediation centre in Port Maria — the parish capital.

She also pointed out that people who issue threats over social media will also be pursued as charges can be laid under the Cyber Crime Act. - Jamaica Observer

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jamaica news

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Rare Caribbean lizards on the verge of extinction, says US body JAMAICA -- The United States Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced that seven species of Caribbean skinks or lizards may qualify for Endangered Species Act protection.

The rare lizards from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are on the knife’s edge of extinction due to introduced predators and habitat destruction.

“The Endangered Species Act can save these skinks,” said Collette Adkins, a Center biologist and lawyer who works to protect reptiles and amphibians. “We can best deal with the habitat loss and invasive predators that threaten to wipe out these skinks by getting them protected under the Act. This announcement means they’re one step closer to getting the protections they need.”

The lizards, along with several others were first identified by scientists in a 2012 study.

The scientists initiated their study after finding unusually large genetic differences among populations of skinks on different islands in the Caribbean.

The report says all of the newly identified endemic Caribbean links are near extinction (or already extinct) due to introduced predators like mongooses and cats, as well as large-scale habitat destruction for development and agriculture.

The Center appealed for these seven skinks and two others in a 2014 petition and was joined in its plea for the nine lizards

by Dr Renata Platenberg, an ecologist specialising in Caribbean reptiles.

“The Caribbean is home to extremely rare animals found nowhere else in the world, but too many are threatened with extinction,” said Dr Blair Hedges of Temple University, the lead author of the 2012 study that first recognised the lizards. “I’m glad that the Fish and Wildlife Service is moving

these lizards toward Endangered Species Act protection. We need to protect them before it’s too late.”

Although reptiles have been around for hundreds of millions of years and survived every major extinction period, now, due largely to human impacts, they’re dying off at up to 10,000 times the historic extinction rate.

About 20 per cent of reptiles in the world are endangered or susceptible to extinction. Within the Caribbean, scientists estimate that reptiles have levels of endangerment that are at or near the highest levels worldwide.

Today’s “90-day findings” are the first in a series of required decisions on the petition and simply required the Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the petition presented sufficient information to warrant further consideration, a process that requires few agency resources. The next step

is a full status review of the species by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Caribbean skinks or lizards, which can grow to be about eight inches long, are unique among reptiles in having reproductive systems most like humans, including a placenta and live birth.

They have cylindrical bodies, and most have ill-defined necks that, together with their sinuous movements and smooth, bronze-coloured skin, make them look like stubby snakes.

Three of the species included in today’s finding are found within the territory of Puerto Rico, the remaining four are found in the Virgin Islands.

Included in the petition but not the finding issued on Monday, were the Monito skink and Lesser Virgin Islands skink found in St. Thomas and two adjacent islets and several of the British Virgin Islands.

- Jamaica Observer

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

jamaica news

Car cloning on the rise Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi most commonly targeted JAMAICA -- Car stealing in Jamaica has expanded beyond scrapping for parts to a multimillion-dollar car-cloning operation that involves government workers and auto parts dealers, the Jamaica Observer has been informed.

And, according to a well-placed police source, there has been a surge in the racket over the past year, with an increasing number of cars being found to share the same chassis number, licence plate, title, registration number, fitness and licence disc numbers.

“People who have an old vehicle, or an old vehicle giving problem, steal a new vehicle and convert it to their old vehicle via the chassis number and engine number,” the source told the Observer.

“At times they purchase a crashed vehicle that has been written off by an insurance company, then steal a new vehicle and convert it to the vehicle that is crashed to legitimise the vehicle.”

He further explained: “There are times when vehicles are stolen and that vehicle

that is stolen takes on the exact appearance, colour, chassis number, engine number, and same registration plate number of a vehicle that is up and running in another parish. These vehicles are normally used as taxis.”

Another police source added that the practice has become more frequent in St Catherine, Mandeville, St Ann, and St James.

The source alleged that tax office workers, auto parts dealers, licence plate makers, and mechanics are among those facilitating the practice.

“There is a person selling auto parts now who has never had a shipment come through the wharf,” the source said.

Last October the police established the Stolen Motor Vehicle Apprehension Recovery Team (SMART) to put a lid on the situation. The team has so far recovered 14 stolen motor vehicles and arrested and charged 16 people.

A total of 586 motor vehicles — including cars, trucks, buses, and bikes — were reported stolen in 2015, compared to 507 in

2014. Toyota Axion, Nissan Tiida, Toyota Hiace, Toyota Townace, Mitsubishi and Honda motor cars in grey, white and silver are the makes that have been featuring the most in the cloning.

Asked how vehicle owners can protect themselves, one of the sources said car security systems do little to deter criminals, and added that prospective car owners and police officers who are not aware of the racket are easily fooled.

“To how good they are at it, kill switch and alarms do not prevent them as long as they can find the switch,” the source said.

“The average police will stop your vehicle and just inspect documents and you go.

It is hard to detect, in the night, that the chassis numbers that are not aligned. Everything would be intact and updated so they will let you go. Each company’s chassis number position is different; an ordinary man would not know how to detect it,” the said.

- Jamaica Observer

Accompong Maroons celebrate 278th anniversary of peace treaty with Britain JAMAICA -- Maroons and their guests came from across Jamaica and all over the world for last week’s January 6 celebrations marking the 278th anniversary of the signing of a peace treaty with British colonisers.

Several hours were spent in the shade of the Kindah Tree at Accompong, dancing and chanting to the beat of Maroon drums. Many people just sat and relaxed under the ancient mango tree which is said to have provided shade as Maroons plotted strategies and resolved differences as far back as 300 years ago.

Some Maroons took the trek to ancestral grounds — which on every January 6 are closed to visitors — for secret rituals.

The return to the Kindah (one family) from signalled sharfro om the aancestral ncestral c ggrounds rounds sig gnalled the shar

ing of unsalted pork and ground provisions.

Maroons jostled each other for even a taste of the ritually cooked food which folklore holds brings good luck for the new year.

Maroons are the descendants of black slaves owned by Spanish colonisers who fled Jamaica on the arrival of the British in 1655.

Armed by their former owners, the ex slaves fled to rugged, densely forested terrain extending from the Blue Mountains in the east to the Cockpit Country in the west.

Reinforced by runaway slaves from British sugar plantations, the Maroons fought the British using guerrilla-style tactics for more than 80 years until peace was agreed and a treaty signed in the late 1730s. That treaty is celebrated everyy ye yyear ar on Januaryy 6. The Leeward

(western) Maroons — from whom today’s Accompong Maroons are descended — were the first to agree to peace with the British followed by the Windward (eastern) Maroons.

The afternoon stretched into evening in Accompong and the formal section of the latest January 6 celebrations closed with a lengthy civic ceremony. There were plenty of speeches as well as drumming, dancing and chanting. Drawn by the drums, visitors joined the dancing including Opposition Leader Andrew Holness.

Here, Jamaica Observer photographer Gregory Bennett captures some of the highlights.

- Jamaica Observer

JLP urges Paulwell to name stations fingered in bad gas saga JAMAICA -- Opposition Spokesman on Energy, Senator Robert Montague wants Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell to use his parliamentary privilege to name the gas stations fingered in the bad gas fiasco when he addresses the House of Representatives on the issue.

“The minister must bare his soul tomorrow (today) when he stands up in Parliament; name the stations. Jamaicans are very nervous as they go to gas stations today. If you name the stations, nobody can sue; you would have the full force of parliamentary privilege.

The minister needs to assure the public that for every gas station, every pump, everywhere in Jamaica, the gas is safe for purchase. We are asking for full disclosure, no more cover-up.

The Government needs to protect the consumer and not any commercial entity,” Montague told a press conference at the Jamaica Labour Party’s Belmont Road headquarters in Kingston Monday.

He further called on Paulwell to “tell the full story”, as to “what he knows and from when he knew what”.

But while Montague appeared to be of the impression that Paulwell would make a statement today, the energy minister late Monday told the Jamaica Observer that he would not be addressing the House until after he receives the report of the petroleum trade reform committee which was set up to probe, among other things, the incidence of substandard petrol in the Jamaican market and issue its initial findings by January 31.

“He needs to tell us if, since August (last year), any shipment of gasolene or any petroleum products have been imported into the country (and) from where,” Montague said, questioning whether the gas had come from within the Caribbean Community (Caricom), and whether other countries in the region were affected.

The Opposition spokesman further called on the minister to “display” all documents such as permits, bills of laden, and certificates of origin from importers of petroleum or by-products that had come into the country since August.

Montague suggested that as far back as last September some service stations had experienced issues with their supply, citing a service station in central Jamaica where a pump “refused to dispense”.

He said the matter was thought to have been a one-off situation, but that other gas stations had the same issue. “In October the reports of more gas station pumps that could not dispense fuel that was delivered increased, and November it got worse…this has led to a lot of expense to a lot of motorists. At last count I had 135,” he stated.

Head of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association Leonard Green last week alluded to problems at the pumps which, he said, the marketing companies were aware of before the situation got out of hand.

Monday, Montague maintained that the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), which

closed pumps at 17 gas stations at the height of the crisis, had no basis in law to support its actions as there is no upper limit for unwashed gum in the regulations to the Petroleum (Quality Control) Act — the substance which the BSJ said was the main contaminant. Unwashed gum is a derivative of substances which the marketing companies put into the base gas to enhance their product.

Montague, meanwhile, shrugged off the agreement that the BSJ has now reached with the industry stakeholders to use an interim standard, stating that until the regulations are amended, this was only a “gentleman’s agreement”.

In fact, he said Petrojam had been supplying gas with unwashed gum levels well above what the BSJ considered over the limit based on the samples taken from the affected gas stations.

At the same time, Montague was adamant that the Government must shoulder the full responsibility to compensate motorists who received the sub-standard gas. “The Government must shoulder the full responsibility.

Motorists went to the pump with the expectation that the gas they were going to purchase would have been safe, (that) they would have met the standards laid out in the Petroleum (Quality Control) Act. They have now found out to their horror that it is not so,” he argued.

- Jamaica Observer

PAGE 11

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

guyana news

BILLIONS LOST Vandalism, illegal international bypass continue to bleed GTT GUYANA -- Vandalism and illegal international bypass remain the two most critical issues affecting the Guyana Telephone Telegraph Company (GTT). The company spends more than USD $150,000 on materials and labour every year as a result of vandalism. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justin Nedd told the Guyana Chronicle that the authorities need to enforce strict penalties on vandals as they have been bleeding the company of revenues which could have been more meaningfully invested.

According to reports, persons who benefit from the scrap metal trade have repeatedly damaged the company’s cables in a bid to retrieve metal for sale.

The latest act of vandalism was on Friday in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Vandalism of the company’s cables results in the disruption of service to many customers.

In some instances hundreds of customers.

Nedd is hopeful that with strict penalties, the company can used the money spent to repair vandalised cables, in other areas that will benefit the public.

“The problem with that is that the customers are frustrated because somebody cut the lines, the company stands the cost of repairing those vandalised cables,” he told Guyana Chronicle.

“Let’s say it is US$200,000, think about that in the context of how many cell phones we have to sell, or how many months of data plan we have to sell to just cater to vandalism. What we would actually like is some more enforcement of the scrap metal trade and swift prosecution of perpetrators of these acts.”

While noting that the police have been “very responsive and supportive” to the company, he does not feel that “there is much of a deterrent because it [scrap metal trade] is still lucrative.”

Though the cost for copper has been “depressed over the last year”, there still remains a high incidence of vandalism.

“If we consider US$200,000 and a data plan is $10, we need 20,000 monthly data plans to just cover the cost of that vandalism. I could tell you 20,000 monthly data plans is a lot to get. That is months and months of data plan subscriptions at the current rate that we go.”

He explained that vandalism hurts not only the company but the public due to the inconvenience.

“It also hurts the public coffers because that US $200,000 is an expense which

really deducts from our net income.”

The GTT’s CEO said he would like to see much more activity from all stakeholders to mitigate the risk of vandalism.

“When you have an expense that really reduces… revenue, less expenses then you pay taxes on the remainder; the higher the expense is the less taxes you pay; the less tax you pay, the less could be invested in the country,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

Nedd explained that telecommunications is not a business that is “super dynamic” and in fact, it is “very slow and steady action” based on building blocks.

Illegal Bypass The company also loses millions of dollars every year as a result of international illegal bypass.

The decline in revenue on international calls is another of the company’s major problems as the bypass industry benefits from millions of dollars in revenue which ought to be revenue gained by the company.

Nedd explained that the bypass system is as a result of outbound calls that are facilitated by Internet cafes that allow inward calls.

“This really hurts us. There are operators of various sizes that don’t have a licence to terminate international traffic,” he told this publication. According to the GTT boss, the issue of illegal international bypass has been raised by the company on many occasions and in many different arenas, but to no avail.

“You might think when you do an outgoing call that is how the company is paid but with an outgoing call we actually have to pay ATT or Sprint. We are paid on the incoming leg. So what people have done or players have done is totally brought traffic into the country over the Internet. When they bring it over the Internet, we don’t see any of that in our revenue; the Government doesn’t see any of that.”

The CEO noted that GTT only receives revenue from the local call. “You would see a GTT or the other network’s number but the revenue from that on average is about 5 cents US. If it had gone on the proper route that revenue would have been about 18-20 cents US. So for every minute that goes on bypass the government loses, 18 less, 5 that is revenue foregone,” he explained.

State Losing

The money lost through international bypass does not go into the public coffers. “You have no idea how lucrative this business is,” told the Guyana Chronicle.

“We estimate that the Government loses about at least US$5 to US$6M a year on bypass. So if the Government loses that much, GTT loses that much. To us we see it as a big problem but I am not sure all the stakeholders understand how large a problem it is,” Nedd contends.

A passionate Nedd said the money lost due to international bypass can be used to develop Guyana.

“That’s a lot of money, US$5M, that’s GY$1B … four years of that and you could build yourself another bridge (Berbice River) …and that’s what’s going into somebody’s pocket… not us and not the Government.”

He explained that together, the issues of vandalism and international bypass continue affect the company’s ability to do more.

The GTT CEO strongly believes that the enforcement of penalties against wrong doers must become a priority.

“These issues are not peculiar to Guyana but where I think we fall down is the enforcement part. For instance, in other countries when people vandalise cables, they are actually caught, jailed and punished and they are exposed. In the case of bypass, that is seen as a serious, serious crime… it is fraud against the people. People are jailed for several years for that but in Guyana not at all.”

Small operators can earn as much as US$150,000 a month while large operators benefit significantly more. “It is very lucrative. There is great incentive to do it, and there is no risk to do it… no penalties.”

Nedd said in other jurisdictions, such activities would not be tolerated.

“How long will we accept this… if this was all on the up and up, the people of Guyana would have $25M more to spend on whatever they want to spend it on…you know much roads, infrastructure, schools you could build with that… you could give everybody a computer but nobody is doing anything about it.”

The CEO added: “My heart bleeds because there is so much the country could do and there is so much that could be done for the country, but all that money is just leaked into the pockets of a small number of people and everybody else suffers.”

- Guyana Chronicle

Australian diplomat: Guyana good for investment GUYANA -- Australian High Commissioner to Guyana and Caricom, Ross Tysoe, has said that Guyana is a good place for investment.He made this observation as he paid a courtesy call on President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency Monday. During that visit, the diplomat held discussions with the President on potential areas of investment and on both countries’ consensus on the need to lessen the adverse effects of climate change.

In an invited comment, the diplomat said it was his first meeting with President Granger, and that Australia believes Guyana has great investment potential and a shared interest in minimising the effects of

climate change.

“Australia has been experiencing very devastating bush fires in levels that have never been experienced before, and so we discussed areas of collaboration and the building of institution-to-institution links on climate change, among other issues,” High Commissioner Tysoe said.

He also noted that, with the election of Baroness Patricia Scotland, who has Caribbean roots, as the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, it is expected that the bilateral relations between Guyana and his country will be improved in the coming days.

“In terms of investment, we believe

that there are good opportunities in Guyana for Australian investors, particularly in minerals and [possibly] in agriculture, in years to come. So we will keep the relationship bubbling along,” he said.

Last September, the High Commissioner paid courtesy calls on then Minister of Governance, now Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; and also participated in discussions on a number of issues, including border security, territorial sovereignty, and gun amnesty with Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.

- Guyana Chronicle

PAGE 13

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

trinidad news

PAGE 15

Dillon denies murder spike TRINIDAD -- National Security Minister Edmund Dillon says there is no spike in the murder rate in this country. He said so in response to a question on the Order Paper from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar during Monday’s sitting of Parliament There have been 17 murders in the country for the year to date, according to reports.

Dillon said investigations into the murders in the past seven days showed they were “drug and gang-related offences.”

He said measures adopted to deal with the incidence of such murders “include intelligence-led operations targetting known drug dealers and gang leaders through cordon and search operations.”

Dillon said one of those opera-

tions “resulted in the death of Steven St Louis.” He said the security forces have “also intensified the patrol on coastal areas and are also looking at co-opting the National Operations Centre Special Services Agency to look at intelligence gathering to deal with the drug and gang-related offences.”

Persad-Bissessar then asked Dillon if any of those measures were differ-

ent from what obtained prior to the recent spike or the same. He replied, “There is not a spike in the murder rate. Measures being adopted are new initiatives in a different and focussed manner (with) concentration of force at the right time and place to ensure the operations are done effectively and efficiently.”

- Trinidad Guardian

Fire reignites at WASA TRINIDAD -- Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young says files of interest were removed from WASA’s St Joseph office at the weekend but they were retrieved by the authorities.

He said so in a news briefing at the Parliament Monday afternoon following the early morning re-ignition of the fire at the utilities St Joseph head office Monday morning.

Stressing the files were “of interest” as the audit being conducted at WASA was very “broad-reaching.”

He said a very strict process and procedure was implemented with respect to the removal of any item at WASA in the wake of the probe.

He said he went to the WASA office in St Joseph Monday “to get a hands-on appreciation of what is taking place.” He said he met with the WASA chairman and the acting CEO “to express support and to understand first hand the progress of on-going investigations and audit. An audit was commissioned by the new board of WASA

He said the Government was working assiduously to ensure the protection of WASA property, that proper investigations are conducted and that the forensic audit is able to take place.

Young said more stringent security measures have been reviewed and it may not be possible for a similar incident to happen again.

He said no one was arrested or charged after the files of interest were recovered. Young said the chairman and the board will have to determine the consequences to be faced by those who removed the files of interest.

The re-ignition of the fire fuelled fears that a second fire had been deliberately set after last Tuesday’s.

But Public Utilities Minister Ancil Antoine confirmed the reignition but stressed: “There was not another fire. The debris from the previous fire reignited.”

Despite Antoine’s claim it was not a new fire, sources at WASA said the Fire Services was contacted around 5 am after a fire began in the Records Department.

The five-storey building has been cordoned off to both staff and members of the public since last week’s fire.

The original blaze was said to have started around 4.45 pm on January 5 at Block B, Building Nine.

This building housed the Corporate Communications Department, the Health and Safety Department and the Records Department.

Checks with the Tunapuna Fire Station Monday confirmed that a call was received around 5 am prompting tenders from that station, as well as the San Juan Fire Station to rush to the scene.

Fire officials said they were able to put out the blaze quickly but they too attributed it to last week’s fire.

During a phone interview, Antoine said such a reignition was possible despite the four-day lapse since fire officials had last visited the scene on January 6.

Asked if he had received an update on the investigation and if the cause of Tuesday’s fire had yet been determined, Antoine said no.

Warning that WASA has since increased its security internally, Antoine said the authorities were not taking any chances and had sought the assistance of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to protect all the utility’s sub-offices.

During his visit to the St Joseph head office, Young donned a hard hat and was seen accompanying senior company officials on a walk-through of the damaged building. Even as that was taking place, employees gathered in the courtyard, while others were seen removing boxes containing files and equipment from the compound.

A mobile police unit also remained parked in the main car park.

Members of the public attempting to pay their bills were turned away at the front gate and advised to visit other locations to transact business.

It is not known when the head office will be reopened to the public.

Several workers interviewed indicated that they were instructed to visit job-sites and to carry out operations as normal.

- Trinidad Guardian

Cabinet approves new rules for picking top cops TRINIDAD -- Under the new process for the appointment of a commissioner of police and deputy commissioner the Police Service Commission will have to contract a local firm under the Central Tenders Board Act to conduct the recruitment process, which includes inviting applications for the posts.

This is according to the Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Selection Process) Order 2015, which was tabled in the House of Representatives Monday by National Security Minister Edmund

Dillon.

It was one of two orders recently approved by Cabinet for the selection of the top police officers.

This has come about after the existing system, which requires an international firm to do the same work, has been described as ineffective for the appointment of the officers.

Stephen Williams has been acting as Commissioner of Police since 2012, when the last confirmed police commissioner

Dwayne Gibbs was removed.

The order says the firm shall submit a shortlist of suitable candidates for consideration.

Under the law the Parliament will seek to approve or reject the nominees.

The Appointment of a Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Qualification and Selection Criteria) Order 2015 was also laid by Dillon. That order says the nominees must be nationals of T&T and have a degree from a recognised university

in the field of law, criminal justice, criminology, police service management or other relevant degree.

It says the candidate for CoP must have at least 15 years service of increasing responsibility in law enforcement and the candidates for deputy commissioner must have ten years service in the same area.

The Parliament will subsequently have to approve the nominees and the appointments made by the President.

- Trinidad Guardian

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

feature

PAGE 17

Cultures collide with Jamaican vibes at Reggae Fusion!

When an opportunity willingly presents itself, first instinct should be to capitalize and get a plan in action, commit first and figure it out later. In May of 2015 Daniel Gunter and his family were presented with the prospect of opening their very own restaurant, something that they had in the plans for quite sometime. While living in Jamaica they had a small restaurant that they had hoped to continue when they immigrated here to Canada.

Familiar with the inner workings of the hospitality industry, Daniel and his family were lucky to find the accommodations to make their dream a reality. While making preparations, organizing a business plan and putting together the basics of their menu, planning was short lived as the space for the restaurant became available and everything came together sooner than expected. Daniel emigrated from Kingston, Jamaica two years ago where he attended culinary school at Jamaica Boys Town HEART Trust/NTA Academy. Reggae Fusion is a family run business with Daniel as executive chef. Management and accounting is handled by his sister and sister-in-law.

Like most business ventures there are always challenges to face. Ensuring the quality of food is good and accounts are kept up to date is important to maintain. Consistency is key, keeping it interesting and promoting relationships with the customers to find out what they like. The more people that know will build your reputation spreading the word and keeping them coming back for more.

Bringing the well-known recipes and flavors of back home, Daniel decided to try a new twist on the conventional recipes

that they were used to. Living in Canada and opening the restaurant in a city as diverse and multicultural as Mississauga, it was important that they be able to incorporate a little something for everyone. In their first few months of business they were surprised to discover that other restaurants in the area weren’t receiving the best reviews. Other locations in the area needed some re-vamping and so they were gaining a reputation for themselves as the place to visit in Mississauga.

Reggae Fusion is the idea of diverse culture infused with reggae style cooking to create something spectacular. It is their belief that if all different cultures can come together it can become something beautiful.

Our food is not just food, it is art made with absolute love and patience and; our guests are not just guests but a beautiful family of diverse culture.

Located at 1107 Britannia Road East, Mississauga, their aim is to satisfy their customers every desire with excellent food, great drinks and awesome service. Think of us as a home away from home. Our motto is “Together We Can”. When they decided to take on the new challenging opportunity of running the restaurant they knew it was somewhere they could thrive, offering their customers friendly staff and great customer service with every visit.

Pleasantly surprised by the diversity and culture in the great city of Mississauga, the idea for a fusion style of cooking came about. They decided to try and implement a mix of all the different cultures and incorporate it with well-known favorites in Jamaican Cuisine. People from all different

walks of life come to enjoy the infusion of flavors at Reggae Fusion with their refreshing take and unique twists to modern day cuisine. They are lovers of food and some of the chef’s specials include Rasta Pasta, Reggae Chicken, Jerk Chicken Wrap, Jerk Chicken Pasta and a Vegetable Run Down.

These restaurant favorites draw from international flavors inspired by European and Caribbean style cooking. Their flavorful Jerk pasta is infused with authentic Jamaican flavor and the Reggae Chicken breast is stuffed with cordon bleu.

Down at Reggae Fusion they do breakfast, lunch and dinner! They have tasty and flavorful breakfast and lunch specials from $4.99, porridge of the day and chef specials to satisfy your cravings. Rated as the #1 Jamaican restaurant by insauga.com, their twist fusion goes above and beyond with great customer service and a homey atmosphere. Their prices are very reasonable, all of their food is made with the customers in mind, made with love for you to enjoy.

This year, now that they have gotten themselves up and running, they hope to keep their momentum going strong always looking for new ways to implement creative infusions into their Jamaican style cuisines.

They are looking into hosting more events and live entertainment inside the restaurant.

This summer, every Friday evening they will have Reggae Jamming Fridays with music dominoes and a variety of finger foods, like wings, shrimp, festivals, fish and french fries to choose from.

Reggae Fusion offers flavorful fresh, hot and made to order dishes that include Jamaican comfort food favorites such

as classic Jerk Chicken, Oxtail, Curry Goat, Brown Stew Chicken, Curried Chicken, Fried Chicken, BBQ Chicken, Cow Foot, Stewed Peas, Stewed Beef, Brown Stew Fish and Curry Chicken Roti. If you are looking for some more yummy goodness to fill you up you can choose from a variety of side orders that includes macaroni pie, potatoes salad, coleslaw (plain or mayo), fried plantains, friend dumplings and festivals. There’s a chance you might want to try everything on the menu when you come out for the first time.

On those casual evenings or weekends when you are headed out for a lime, remember they are fully liquor licensed and they have an assortment of cocktails to choose from with names as unique as the restaurant itself! Choose from delicious lip smacking drinks like Banana Daiquiri, Chocolate Martini, Mud Slides, Pina Colada, Purple Rain, Blue Hawaii, Margaritas and much, much more!

100% authentic Jamaican cuisine and mouthwatering food that is sure to have your taste buds jumping! Down at Reggae Fusion you are bound to have a great time, with their friendly and accommodating staff and spacious dining area, there’s good vibes there for everyone to enjoy! Bring your friends and family out to Reggae Fusion today and introduce yourself to the future of Caribbean style cuisine!

Written by Alyssa Mahadeo Toronto Caribbean Reporter

entertainment

PAGE 20

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Ricardo Drue makes big impression as T&T Carnival gets underway Aba Luke

aba@carib101.com

Entertainment At the end of this past weekend, Ricardo Drue- the Jumpy Soca Monarch titleholder of Antigua, felt invigorated. He had touched several events, chief among them the very well attended, Tribe Ice at the Jean Pierre Complex in Port-of-Spain and of course, Soca In Moka in North, Trinidad. Drue’s hard work has been paying off. Behind the scenes, when the crowds disperse, he reflects and with that reflec-

tion of his humble beginnings, he has a great sense of pride and appreciation for where he stands today.

Moving with his Roy Cape musical family, Drue showed off his ability to truly command an audience at Soka in Moka in Trinidad on Sunday night. His 2016 hits, ‘Professional’ and ‘BET’ were thoroughly enjoyed by patrons. Dressed in a comfortable white shirt and jeans and accessorized with a Buffalo hat, similar to the one made famous by hip hop artiste and producer, Pharell Williams, Drue delivered flawlessly to an audience that lapped up his every move and vocal outburst. “I’m learning every day. I sit back a lot and watch, listen to the comments of party people and I try to implement the things they want to see and feel when they go feting,” said the young entertainer.

Drue was recently caught off

guard when international pop singer, Meghan Trainor tweeted her personal endorsement of his single, “BET”. A few days after that initial endorsement, the “All About That Bass” vocalist Shazammed the endorsement again, saying, “Can’t stop playing this song. Love this!”

Two weeks ago, Ricardo upped the anti when he teamed up with Scorch Hybrid Music and well-known T&T DJ, Shot Master DJ. He had handed over “BET” for a re-fix, something he knew would satisfy fetters and excite them in quite a different way. What resulted was a merger of Scorch Hybrid’s music editorial talent and Roy Cape’s brass brilliance for a re-fix that features live brass elements that add much more value to a song that was already a valuable piece of soca art.

Drue and his team, thankful for the support of the Scorch Hybrid Mu-

sic team, a brand known for its dynamic marketing and entertainment efforts, now yearn to see the likely effect the re-fix of “BET” will have on not only T&T fetters in Carnival 2016, but other islanders and visitors to the Caribbean, in the year ahead. It’s one of Ricardo Drue’s wellstrategized moves that will see major payout throughout 2016.

Slowly but surely, the young entertainer is making a very powerful mark in the soca music industry. His humility works well for him too. “I stay humble no matter what. That’s just innate,” he said, explaining that even with several titles to his name from his birthplace, Antigua, he is driven to be much more than he is now.

For the very latest on Ricardo Drue, follow him on all social media platforms at itsdrue.

- EtceteraBuzz

Mr. Famous says Power Soca Music is the hearBeat of the Masquerade Aba Luke

aba@carib101.com

Entertainment Groovy soca music may continue to cluster local airwaves ahead of Carnival 2016 but one artiste isn’t turning his back on the Power element that is synonymous with Carnival. The entertainer who catapulted to fame in 2014 when he told DJs to ‘Play More Local’ is now saying, “play more power,” this as he takes up the fight to recreate a carnival that once was.

Mr. Famous- the Toco native who is the cousin to famed soca singer, Patrice Roberts, says two of his contributions for the season will trigger a sense of rebirth for masqueraders who yearn for the

right music to parade through the streets of Port-of-Spain. “Power Soca will never die. It’s the music the masqueraders want and need for the road. I’m really pushing Power because it seems like everybody’s forgetting this important part of our carnival. Everybody’s singing groovy,” he said.

Arguing that power soca music is the heartbeat of the mas, Mr. Famous, whose real name is Junior Noel, says his songs, “Calling Me” and “More Time on De Stage” are just what’s needed for revelers to enjoy the jump up on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Noting government’s recent announcement of a need to diversify the economy and the integral part culture, the arts and festivals like Carnival can play, Mr. Famous says he believes, now more than ever, Trinidad and Tobago and the artistes and other stakeholders who make up the culture industry, must see the importance of holding on to the authentic aspects of T&T’s culture.

“We have to sell what’s innate to us, to the

rest of the world,” said Famous. His passion is strong for Calypso and soca music.

He explained that his two singles epitomize the charisma of artistes like Super Blue, Kitchener, Ronnie MacIntosh and others of that era, something he notes is important to hold on to. Famous however has no qualms about the development of soca and recent efforts to fuse the music for variation. “I just feel that we should, even while this is being practiced and experimented with, we should stay true to who we are as a people. We’re a proud people with a loud, beautiful, colourful culture that cannot be emulated,” he reiterated.

His journey still fairly new, Mr. Famous is hopeful that the months and years ahead will see him enter the carnival landscape with greater force. “I have a song in mind for a collaboration with Kees. I haven’t spoken with him yet about it, but I know it will make for a great single,” he said. On the career of his cousin Patrice Roberts, Famous said he is very,

very proud of Patrice, noting that she has worked hard and is seeing the fruits of her labour.

With a short season this Carnival, Famous says he has been hearing the utterances of many and says he hopes the carnival loving people will eventually receive music they can truly absorb and enjoy at fetes and on the road this season.

He says airplay for him and others who are less popular, continues to be a challenge but all in all, he maintains his focus and is working on other promotional avenues in a bid to get his songs heard across the board. “Airplay will always be a challenge but we can’t dwell on it. We have to push forward and trust that the music will speak to the people, when it’s supposed to. I would like to see Power Soca music brought to life again and with that mission in mind, I’m trotting forward, making my individual moves to give the people their ‘jump up’ music.”

- EtceteraBuzz

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

sports

PAGE 21

Cottrell all-round heroics help Scorpions sting Pride TRINIDAD -- Tail-ender Sheldon Cottrell smashed a brace of sixes at the death as Jamaica Scorpions escaped with a nervy two-wicket win over hapless Barbados Pride, to post their second victory of the Regional Super50 here Monday.

With the game still very much an open contest with Scorpions tottering on 118 for eight at the start of the 33rd over in pursuit of 139 for victory, Cottrell twice cleared the ropes with debutant left-arm spinner Dane Currency, to ease the tension at Queen’s Park Oval.

Man-of-the-Match Cottrell, who ended on 16 not out, and Nikita Miller, seven not out, then calmly gathered the remaining nine runs in singles to clinch victory at the end of the 38th over.

Cottrell had earlier claimed three for 18 with his left-arm pace and leg-spinner Damien Jacobs, three for 38, as Pride were bundled out for 138 off 45.5 overs after opting to bat first.

Captain Kevin Stoute hit 39 from 74 balls, but wicketkeeper Mario Rampersaud was the only other batsman to reach the 20s with exactly 20.

In-form Andre McCarthy then laid the foundation for the successful run chase with a top score of 49 from 76 balls, while Antiguan Devon Thomas chipped in with 33 from 65 deliveries.

With the pair involved in a comfortable 84-run, third-wicket stand and

Pride seemingly out of ideas, Scorpions appeared to be romping to an easy win.

But experienced left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn turned the game on its head in a second spell which accounted for both batsmen and yielded four for 28 from 10 overs overall.

His spell triggered a slide which saw six wickets fall for just 13 runs in the space of 42 balls, to give Pride a scent of an unlikely victory.

McCarthy had struck five fours and a six – a commanding pull over midwicket off Currency – when he swept at Benn and top-edged a catch to Dwayne Smith running around from slip to leg slip, at 105 for three in the 25th over.

In his next over, Benn had Tamar Lambert caught at slip by Smith for nought, driving, and in his following over, he removed Thomas caught at the wicket.

Wickets continued to tumble until Cottrell arrived to strike two key blows and rescue the innings.

Pride had earlier shown little enterprise, losing Kyle Corbin without scoring and Smith for one, to slump to nine for two in the fourth over.

When Shamarh Brooks was drawn from his crease by left-arm spinner Miller and smartly stumped for 19, Pride were 36 for three in the 15th over.

Stoute and left-hander Jonathan

Carter, who made 18, put on 44 for the fourth wicket to steady the innings but it was slow going and Pride were crawling at 80 for three nearing the half-way mark.

Attempting to up the tempo, Carter holed out to long on off off-spinner John Campbell and four balls later in the same over, Stoute missed a sweep and was adjudged lbw.

He hit two fours and a six and his dismissal signalled the death knell for the innings as Pride’s last five wickets fell for 52 runs, with Cottrell doing most of the damage.

Scoreboard PRIDE D Smith c D Thomas b Gordon 1 K Corbin lbw b Cottrell 0 *K Stoute lbw b Campbell 39 S Brooks st A Thomas b Miller 19 J Carter c King b Campbell 18 R Chase b Jacobs 2 J Greaves b Jacobs 3 +M Rampersaud b Cottrell 20 A Nurse lbw b Jacobs 9 S Benn not out 18 D Currency b Cottrell 0 Extras (lb4, w5) 9 TOTAL (all out, 45.5 overs) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-9, 3-36, 4-80,

5-82, 6-86, 7-89, 8-99, 9-138, 10-138.

Bowling: Cottrell 4.5-1-18-3, Gordon 4-1-12-1, Miller 8-1-20-1, Jacobs 101-38-3 (w2), Campbell 10-0-32-2 (w3), Lambert 6-0-14-0.

SCORPIONS T Griffith c Brooks b Nurse 4 *J Campbell c Benn b Nurse 8 D Thomas c wkp Rampersaud b Benn 33 A McCarthy c Smith b Benn 49 T Lambert c Smith b Benn 0 B King lbw b Currency 8 +A Thomas lbw b Benn 0 N Miller not out 7 D Jacobs run out 0 S Cottrell not out 16 Extras (w12, nb2) 14 TOTAL (8 wkts, 38 overs) 139 Did not bat: N Gordon Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-21, 3-105, 4-107, 5-116, 6-116, 7-117, 8-118.

Bowling: Nurse 6-0-35-2 (w8, nb2), Greaves 2-0-13-0 (w1), Currency 4-124-1 (w1), Benn 10-1-28-4 (w1), Chase 2-0-10-0 (w1), Smith 6-0-14-0, Carter 8-1-15-0.

Result: Scorpions won by 2 wickets.

Points: Scorpions 5, Pride 0.

Man-of-the-Match: Sheldon Cottrell.

Umpires: N Duguid, P Nero.

- Jamaica National

PAGE 22

sports

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

WICB blanks Holder for PSL JAMAICA -- The West Indies Cricket Board says the reason it rejected Test captain Jason Holder’s application for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the inaugural Pakistan Super League was because the player’s first priority needed to be the domestic competition.

The 24-year-old Holder, a rising star in the game, was last month drafted by franchise team Quetta Gladiators but confirmed recently he was forced to turn down the offer after not securing an NOC from the WICB. However, newly appointed WICB marketing and communications manager, Carole Beckford, said West Indies “retained” players had an “obligation” to turn out in the regional tournaments.

“The WICB has created the window for its retained players to participate in the Indian Premier League, and the Caribbean Premier League,” she said. “The captain is among the retained players and has an obligation to participate in the domestic competitions.”

Holder, also the Windies oneday captain, was one of 15 players

announced last Friday who had been handed year-long contracts by the WICB. Last month, the WICB had also warned the region’s top players to make themselves available for the domestic competitions so as to remain eligible for selection to international tournaments.

“The Board has looked at its tournament schedule and has placed each tournament at a time that allows our international players to participate in other competitions overseas,” CEO Michael Muirhead said.

“We however value our competitions and we think the fans would want to see our best players compete against each other.”

The Pakistan Super League runs from February 4-23 and will clash with the second round of the West Indies first class championship which begins February 11. Holder, a Barbadian, represents Barbados Pride in the domestic competition.

- Trinidad Guardian

T&T Under 17s impress in New Zealand NEW ZEALAND -- The Trinidad and Tobago Invitational Under 17’s cricket team continued its tour of New Zealand with an impressive 30-run win over the Wellington Under 1’s Academy Monday.

It was the second win from three matches on the tour. Batting first in a 50 overs per side fixture, at Linden Park, Wellington the T&T were dismissed for 205 in 49.1 overs with Chystian Thur-

ton top scoring with 61. He shared in an opening partnership with Josh DaSilva who made 28 Good contributions also came from Nathaniel Mc David and Keon Mason who made 26 and 22 respectively.

Off spinner Nick Greenwood had 4/43 for the home team.

In reply the Wellington Academy found the bowling and fielding of

the visitors too much and were restricted to 175 in 49.3 overs with opener Luke Georgeson making 58. Ronaldo AliMohammed in his first match on the tour took 4/46 and fellow opening bowler Joshua Dookie had 2/30.

T&T will play a Wellington Under 19 Monday.

Scores T&T 205–49.1 overs. C.Thurton 61, N.Mc David 26, K.Mason 22 N.Greenwood 4/43..Wellington Academy U 17’s 175 All Out ..49.3 overs..

L.Georgeson 58...R.Ali-Mohammed 4/46, J.Dookie 2/30.

- Trinidad Guardian

PAGE 26

food

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Tasty shrimp pholourie Chris De La Rosa chris@carib101.com

Caribbean Cooking I’ve had a weakness for these delightful fried dough balls served with spicy chutney, ever since my school days. I’d guess that at least 50% of my weekly allowance went directly to the vendors outside our school compound, selling pholourie and other popular street foods in San Fernando (Trinidad). There was one spot where they sold them straight from the fryer dripping in

hot grease, butt th lines longest thee line ness were always longes estt there. Would explain why as soon as the recess or lunch bell would go off, it was like an Olympic 100 meter dash to get out the gates and at the front of the line. I dare Usain Bolt to get in our way or try to outrun us.

This recipe is somewhat of a hybrid of the traditional way of making pholourie as we’ll use store bought mix and then add something totally unique to it – SHRIMP! You’ll Need: 1 package pholourie mix 3/4 lb shrimp pinch salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon Caribbean green seasoning. veg oil for frying (about 2 cups) Note: I found the pholourie mix at an Asian grocery store here in Canada.. try West Indian stores as they will usually be the place

you’ll nd you’ yo u ll l fi fin nd it. it. If you click on Recipe Index at the top you’ll find a recipe for this (without the shrimp) done the traditional way.

Clean and devein the shrimp. Try to leave a little of the tail still intact as you can use it to hold the shrimp to dip into the batter. Then using a sharp pairing knife make some cuts (across) the inner curve of the shrimp so they become somewhat straight/flat and cook faster.

Place the prepped shrimp in a bowl and season with the Caribbean green seasoning, salt and black pepper and allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

As the vegetable oil heats in a deep pot, mix the batter according to the package instructions. In my case I added about 2-3 tablespoons more water as you need the batter a bit thin to coat the shrimp. Should be a bit like pancake batter (a little thicker).

Oil on medium flame, dip the shrimp into the batter holding them by the

tail and place gently into the hot oil. Don’t allow them to make contact with each other (or they will stick) and don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry (flip) for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Do them in batches and place the ones fully cooked onto paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil. Serve warm with mango, cucumber or Tamarind chutney.

Not the traditional way of making pholourie as it’s done in Trinidad and Tobago, but this version with the shrimp is becoming a huge hit as bar food and to be quite honest. I didn’t even know about it until I was included in a conversation on Twitter.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

travel

PAGE 27

Have you planned your kidcation? planning your perfect Kidcation.

Micca Vanvield

micca@carib101.com

Travel Specialist For some the only time that we can get away is when the children are not in school.

March Break, summer holidays and Christmas break are the best times to vacation with children as we are trying not to interrupt their studies. As an agent, I’ve realized that these seasons are peak seasons and there are definitely a number of factors to consider when planning that family getaway. The following are a number of tips to consider when

Do your research early: The first thing you should do is figure out where you would like to take your family and decide on the type of vacation you would like to have. Many resorts and tour operators offer special packages and perks if you are travelling with children, so knowing some of the differences is definitely a plus. Consider activity options for infants, toddlers, pre-teens and teenagers.

Also, don’t forget the babysitting just in case you plan on having some alone time.

Plan early: One of the worst things you could do is procrastinate when planning your family getaway. If one of your concerns is keeping the kids in school and travelling when they are on break, you definitely want to plan early and avoid paying premiums or going over budget because you have missed out on early booking deals.

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Book early: Once you are done planning don’t hesitate to book your package. Some tour operators will offer you an opportunity to secure your reservation with a deposit.

This is absolutely recommended as pricing starts to increase the closer you get to travelling in peak season.

Packing: Once your trip is booked the packing process should start right away. You now know where you will be travelling to and if you live in a country where the seasons are always changing you may not have the ability to purchase summer items like insect repellent and some summer clothing. Start planning your list of items early so you’ll know exactly what you need to pack and when you can buy them.

Your final stage is actually travelling: As parents you will practically be living the va-

cation before you actually travel. You will need to think about how your little ones will be entertained especially at the airport and on the plane. What will you need just in case they get sick and what are some possible illnesses that they could develop. How will my child handle the pressure in their ears and how will they handle jet lag. Lastly, if I am travelling without the other parent, what legal documents will I need?

Let’s face it, travelling as a family can be an enjoyable experience. The memories that you will make as a family will be priceless.

However, there are a lot of things to consider as you will have varying requests and dependencies to consider. Always consider the opinions of the whole family when planning a kidcation because a happy child will lead to a happy mom and dad while you are away.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

body & soul

PAGE 29

Malas - More than jewelry Melissa Goodman

melissa@carib101.com

Yoga Specialist It’s not uncommon to see the reception area of yoga studios filled with different assortments, colors, sizes and lengths of malas.

They are eye catching and filled with a magical beauty that calls to the person looking at them to buy one. Caught in this trance you buy one, but what is it? What do you do with it? Does it matter as long as it looks good on?

Malas are more than jewelry, they are an instrument, a tool that can be used for

Japa yoga. Japa yoga uses mantras, repetitive chanting to help awaken awareness. The yogic path is propelled forward by practice and repetition. Mantras, whether one syllable or several when repeated begin to shift our awareness and purify our body, mind and spirit.

Mala which literally means ‘garland’ has been employed for thousands of years and incorporated into many spiritual traditions. Malas can be composed of a variety of materials including but not limited to seeds, semi-precious stones, wood and bone.

As malas are sacred instruments they should be treated with care either worn around the neck or wrist or concealed in a special bag or place.

A mala consists of 108 beads, there are wrist malas as well which generally consist of 27 beads, counted four times is 108.

Mixed in with the counting beads there might be spacer beads and a ‘guru’ bead, these are not counted within the traditional 108 beads. Spacers can be used at any place in the mala but are usually found every 27 beads or one placed after the 54th bead. This allows the practitioner to know where they are in their practice. A ‘guru’ bead is a larger bead or decorative piece. This is used to begin and end the practice. The guru bead is never passed over. Rather, once the practitioner reaches the guru bead they would turn the mala around and continue a new round, using the same bead that ended the preceding round. The guru bead is not passed over as it would symbolize stepping over ones teacher. As you begin your practice start with the bead next to the guru bead, one bead is counted for each repetition of the mantra. As you move through your practice you are in-

fusing your mala with the vibration of your words.

There are different schools of thought on how to hold a mala, whether it be left or right hand and what fingers the beads are draped over. I was taught the mala is held in the left hand and the beads are held between the thumb and middle or ring finger.

In some traditions the index finger is associated with the ego and therefore is not used as the spiritual practice guides us away from the ego. I believe there is no right or wrong way of holding your mala and it is important not to get caught up in doing it ‘right’, as long as it feels comfortable and acts as an aid in your practice instead of a distraction.

The work of spiritual transformation takes time and energy. Each time you wear your mala let it be a reminder of your path to awareness.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

health news

PAGE 31

8,000 scientific papers link refined white sugar to chronic disease One of the worst things you can do to your body is feed it sugar -- not necessarily natural sugar like the kind found in fruit, but refined sugar. A team of scientists from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) recently pored through more than 8,000 scientific papers on how sugar affects the body and came to the conclusion that it not only makes people fat but also makes them sick.

The project, which has been dubbed SugarScience, exposes sugar as a primary culprit in the formation of metabolic disease, which can lead to conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Lead author Laura Schmidt, a UCSF School of Medicine professor, says her team’s findings are comprehensible -sugar is highly toxic to the body and vital organs, including the liver.

According to their investigation, nearly three-quarters of all packaged and processed foods contain added sugar. This sugar is typically listed under 61 different names, including things like high-fructose

corn syrup (HFCS), dextrose, evaporated cane juice and sucrose. It is often difficult to identify added sugar because of this, and current regulatory requirements don’t mandate that suggested daily values of both natural and added sugar be identified.

A full listing of the 61 common names for sugar is available at the following link on the right-hand side of the page: SugarScience.org.

The result is millions of people regularly consuming far more sugar than they should be, leading to metabolic syndrome, a classification of risk factors associated with a host of chronic illnesses. If left to run its course, metabolic syndrome can lead to early death in the form of liver failure, heart attack, blood clots and various other life-threatening conditions.

“Too much sugar causes chronic metabolic disease in both fat and thin people,” said pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, a member of the SugarScience team and author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food,

Obesity, and Disease, pointing out that obesity is an entirely separate issue from the extensive bodily damage caused by sugar consumption.

“And instead of focusing on obesity as the problem, we should be focusing on our processed-food supply.”

SugarScience project exposes “all calories are equal” myth as scientific fraud Part of the problem is that many people still don’t realize just how much sugar they’re actually consuming. According to Medical Xpress, the average American consumes nearly 20 teaspoons, or about 78 grams, of sugar daily, which is far more than the maximum level recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA).

A single 12-ounce can of soda pop contains as much as 9 teaspoons, or 36 grams, of added sugar, which is the AHA’s maximum recommended daily level for adult men. Adult women, says the group, should consume no more than 6 teaspoons, or 24 grams, of sugar daily,

while children should limit themselves to between 3 and 6 teaspoons, or 12-24 grams, daily.

The best way to consume sugar is naturally, of course, whether it be in fruit, vegetables or unprocessed dairy products.

Fruits and vegetables contain dietary fiber and other nutrients that help buffer how quickly sugar is processed, protecting organs like the pancreas from having to work overtime to produce insulin, which can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.

SugarScience’s research also reiterated that not all calories are the same, as is commonly believed in the mainstream.

“SugarScience shows that a calorie is not a calorie but rather that the source of a calorie determines how it’s metabolized,” explains Lustig.

To learn more about the dangers of sugar and how to avoid it, be sure to visit SugarScience - SugarScience.org.

- Natural News

Aspartame is linked to leukemia and lymphoma in new landmark study on humans As few as one diet soda daily may increase the risk for leukemia in men and women, and for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men, according to new results from the longest-ever running study on aspartame as a carcinogen in humans. Importantly, this is the most comprehensive, long-term study ever completed on this topic, so it holds more weight than other past studies which appeared to show no risk. And disturbingly, it may also open the door for further similar findings on other cancers in future studies.

The most thorough study yet on aspartame - Over two million person-years For this study, researchers prospectively analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study for a 22-year period. A total of 77,218 women and 47,810 men were included in the analysis, for a total of 2,278,396 person-years of data. Apart from sheer size, what makes this study superior to other past studies is the thor-

oughness with which aspartame intake was assessed. Every two years, participants were given a detailed dietary questionnaire, and their diets were reassessed every four years. Previous studies which found no link to cancer only ever assessed participants’ aspartame intake at one point in time, which could be a major weakness affecting their accuracy.

One diet soda a day increases leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphomas The combined results of this new study showed that just one 12-fl oz. can (355 ml) of diet soda daily leads to: • • •

42 percent higher leukemia risk in men and women (pooled analysis) 102 percent higher multiple myeloma risk (in men only) 31 percent higher non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk (in men only)

These results were based on multi-variable relative risk models, all in compari-

son to participants who drank no diet soda. It is unknown why only men drinking higher amounts of diet soda showed increased risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Note that diet soda is the largest dietary source of aspartame (by far) in the U.S. Every year, Americans consume about 5,250 tons of aspartame in total, of which about 86 percent (4,500 tons) is found in diet sodas.

Confirmation of previous high quality research on animals This new study shows the importance of the quality of research. Most of the past studies showing no link between aspartame and cancer have been criticized for being too short in duration and too inaccurate in assessing long-term aspartame intake. This new study solves both of those issues. The fact that it also shows a positive link to cancer should come as no surprise, because a previous best-in-class research study done on animals (900 rats over their entire natural lifetimes) showed strikingly similar results back in 2006:

aspartame significantly increased the risk for lymphomas and leukemia in both males and females. More worrying is the follow on mega-study, which started aspartame exposure of the rats at the fetal stage. Increased lymphoma and leukemia risks were confirmed, and this time the female rats also showed significantly increased breast (mammary) cancer rates.

This raises a critical question: will future, high-quality studies uncover links to the other cancers in which aspartame has been implicated (brain, breast, prostate, etc.)?

There is now more reason than ever to completely avoid aspartame in our daily diet. For those who are tempted to go back to sugary sodas as a “healthy” alternative, this study had a surprise finding: men consuming one or more sugarsweetened sodas daily saw a 66 percent increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (even worse than for diet soda). Perhaps the healthiest soda is no soda at all.

- Natural News

PAGE 32

health news

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Conquering cigarette addiction and eight other ways raw honey can improve your health and your life Did you know that raw honey can be used to help stave off persistent cigarette cravings? When we change our microbiology in positive ways by using natural substances like raw organic honey, we change the way our immune system functions and the way we think. The diversity of our microbiome plays an important role in influencing our genes and protecting our blood from pathogens. The strength and intelligence of our individual microbiome either limits or permits environmental elements to affect our blood, organs and brain function. Raw honey is an important part of an all-natural herbal protocol to help you build a strong and intelligent microbiome to break addictions such as cigarette cravings.

Honey’s unique prebiotic properties feed the good bacteria colonies in the intestines. This helps stop the growth of food-borne pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella, strengthening the body’s microbiome to fight off certain kinds of dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Honey is such a powerful food-medicine because it is a diverse collection of flower and herb pollens. Honey bees are our best pharmacists, working to gather exactly what our bodies and our microbiome need to face the negative pathogenic forces we may come across.

Organic, unpasteurized, raw, unfiltered honey is arguable the most powerful, most versatile health tonic in nature, and it’s one of the few natural substances that never expires! Honey contains a wonderful blend of calcium, potassium and magnesium. Most commercial honey products are

pasteurized and therefore stripped of nutritive bee pollen, depriving the final product of important amino acids and antioxidants.

Hence, it’s best to choose a raw, unpasteurized honey that is as organic as possible.

Feeds growth of good bacteria, helping body adapt to and overcome dangerous pathogens Pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush has been clinically proven to eradicate more than 250 strains of bacteria, including some very vicious forms: MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus), MSSA (methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus), and VRE (vancomycinresistant enterococci).

Helps body regulate insulin Raw honey can increase insulin and decrease hyperglycemia. When honey is combined with a herb like fenugreek seed, typeII diabetes doesn’t stand a chance.

Makes a fever more useful Raw honey is great for sweetening and boosting the medicinal properties of bitter herbal teas. Persistent, unproductive fevers can be made more useful, effective and short-lived when one consumes a simmering 30 minute tea of feverfew herb, catnip herb, holy basil, black pepper and honey.

Breaking the cycle of seasonal allergies Regular, therapeutic use of raw honey is great for easing and then stopping the cycle of seasonal allergies. Nettle leaf powder (1tsp daily) and mucilaginous herbal teas containing mullein and marshmallow root

help speed up the body’s adaptation to seasonal allergies.

Annihilating viruses and speeding up recovery from illness When facing the symptoms of a cold virus, honey should be used early and often.

Honey with elderberry syrup will stop the tickling sensation in the throat and help you cough less frequently. This is important before bed, so the body isn’t woken up through the night. Restful sleep is important. At other times, a cough is an important reaction to stimulate the removal of mucus.

Alleviate sinus congestion If the sinuses are congested, a mixture of honey, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, burdock root, ginger root and cayenne pepper can be used alongside a full sinus drainage massage and essential oils of eucalyptus and peppermint to alleviate pressure, normalize the breath and expel any mucus.

Digestion aid Honey can also be used to aid in digestion.

When combined with ginger root and apple cider vinegar, honey can be a powerful force to alleviate indigestion.

Due to its antibacterial properties, honey effectively treats urinary tract infections Full of prebiotics, honey promotes the growth of good bacteria in the intestines for long-term immune system support. This property alone makes honey a versatile food-medicine to help or prevent almost any health problem that we might face.

- Natural News

How To Decalcify & Activate the Pineal Gland?

8 Natural Way To Do This!

Pineal gland, a small, pine-cone shaped endocrine gland in the brain that produces and secretes the hormone melatonin. Also referred to as the Third Eye, this small gland is believed to be involved in reaching higher levels of consciousness, acting as a gateway to dimensions beyond our brain-created reality.

Having a clean and open Pineal Gland enables us to understand and assimilate this intergalactic communication without fear. The Pineal Gland is also a channel for guidance from higher planes.

Here Are 8 Natural Way To Decalcify Pineal Gland Garlic Garlic is amazing for decalcification because it is able to naturally dissolve calcium and acts as an antibiotic. Added benefits are it gives your immune system a kick start. Consume around half a bulb to two bulbs daily (or more if you like).

Iodine Rich sources of Iodine are found in Seaweed. Studies have shown that iodine supplement may help the body remove

fluoride. An iodine supplement you may want to look into is NutrioDine. It is made of atomic iodine, a form of iodine that the body can easily utilize without the harmful effects of toxic buildups.

Raw Cacao Raw, organic chocolate in its purest form can help detoxify the pineal gland because of cacao’s high antioxidant content. Cacao will also help stimulate the third eye.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar Very good for detoxification of your pineal gland, as it contains malic acid. It’s great to put on your food and tastes great. Generally speaking, vinegars should be sold in glass bottles, so if it’s not in one, don’t buy it as you’ll be consuming plastic too!

Essentials oils Can be used to help stimulate the Pineal Gland and facilitate states of spiritual awareness, meditation, astral projection, etc. Good essential oils for Pineal Gland purposes include: Lavender, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Parsley, Davana, Pine, Pink Lotus, and more. Essential oils can be inhaled directly, burned in a diffuser or neb-

ulizer, and added to bath water. Make sure they are natural and organic.

Herbs Herbs like mugwort, wood betony, alfalfa, parsley, and gotu kola have wonderful healing properties. You can make a tea or grind it and sprinkle on a salad, or it can be smoked as part of a ritual.

Distilled Water Distilled water is the purest form of water there is, and when detoxifying the Pineal Gland it is useful for washing away any toxins and unwanted calcium deposits without adding any further toxins and minerals while to the detox process is in full swing. Please note if you are using this method you will need to add minerals.

Citric acid Putting lemon in water and drinking it every day, not only helps decalcify our pineal glands but it’s incredibly healthy in all aspects. It clears your skin and helps balance your PH levels and can take years off your face!

- Natural News

PAGE 34

health & you

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Pineapple found to be five times more effective than cough syrup Rather than waiting a case of the sniffles out or reaching for over-the-counter cough syrup, consider fighting a cold with something that’s likely already in the kitchen: pineapple.

According to studies, the tropical fruit, along with other ingredients, has been shown to be effective in proving relief to those with tuberculosis as well as those who have coughing issues such as hacking.

In one case, it was shown that a mixture of raw pineapple juice, raw honey, cayenne pepper and salt helped dissolve the mucus in the lungs of tuberculosis patients.

In another instance, researchers found that the raw extracts from pineapple had the ability to decrease mucus five times faster than over-the-counter cough syrup and help

patients recover 4.8 times faster. Overall, the fruit was found to offer relief across the board when it came to coughing symptoms, hacking in particular.

Why pineapple is an effective natural cough syrup Pineapple is effective in helping to keep coughs at bay primarily for two reasons.

The fruit contains bromelain, which is an enzyme responsible for fighting inflammation and aiding in digestion. Coupled with the fact that it also has a great deal of the mineral manganese, which aids in the formation of connective tissue and improving nerve function, and it’s easy to see how it helps fight coughs and diminish mucus build-up in lungs.

According to the George Mateljan Foundation website, The World’s Healthiest Foods, pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C which fights free radicals and, in turn, allows airways to function more effectively. “In addition, vitamin C is vital for the proper function of the immune system, making it a nutrient to turn to for the prevention of recurrent ear infections, colds, and flu,” the site states.

Pineapple has many other health benefits in addition to acting as a natural cough syrup. It has been shown to provide arthritis relief, help combat cancers of the breast, throat and mouth, and manage blood pressure.

- Natural News

Protect your brain from dreaded dementias Dr. Lydia Thurton

drlydia@carib101.com

Health Tips The thought of losing one’s mind is incredibly frightening. For many of us, our identity is in our thoughts. We know ourselves in the context of our friends, family, career, neighbourhood, culture. Dementia and Alzheimer’s’ disease strip all of that away.

Patients who have had a family member afflicted with dementia naturally have a fear that it might happen to them. Forgetting occasional words or where you left your keys is normal. Not all memory loss is worrisome. Some degree of memory loss is considered part of the aging process. Secreting a lot of the stress hormone cortisol can impair new memory formation. Even some medications, like sleeping pills and cholesterol lowering drugs, can impair memory.

These causes are all reversible with appro-

priate treatment.

Dementia is a broad term that refers to chronic memory loss and cognitive impairment that affects daily life. Alzheimer’s accounts for 60-80% of dementia patients.

Signs of Alzheimer’s include forgetting recent events, forgetting family member names and having family members concerned about your forgetfulness. Vascular dementia is another type. Vascular dementia starts with difficulty planning and organizing tasks and is the result of small micro strokes.

One under recognized sign of impending dementia is depression. Major depressive disorder increases risks of cognitive impairment and can be a warning sign for seniors that they should undergo memory testing. If you think you might be depressed or you feel hopeless and helpless a lot of the time, please seek help. This is a major risk factor for poor brain health as you age.

Inflammation causes dementia.

Vascular dementia is essentially the same as cardiovascular disease. Blood vessels get inflamed, bleed and damage the brain.

Inflammation is at the core of Alzheimer’s.

The body releases damaging chemicals in response to dangerous proteins building up in the brain. This worsens the condition, the

mind fails and the body goes with it. Very importantly inflammation is something that we can control through our lifestyle.

The brain is mainly made up primarily of fat. Eating lots of olive, fish, flax, coconut and avocado oil ensures that our brain cells are made up of anti-inflammatory fats. You literally are what you eat.

Nixing your sweet tooth is a great way to protect your brain. Alzheimer’s disease resembles diabetes. Your brain makes small amounts of the hormone insulin to help transport sugar into brain cells. When you eat a lot of sugar, your body produces a lot of insulin and eventually the cells stop listening and you get a back up of sugar in your blood.

This process happens in the brain too and it encourages the protein changes found in Alzheimer’s disease.

Exercise wards off depression, a risk factor for dementia. And it also improves circulation. Circulation is key for proper brain function. If you don’t exercise for even a few minutes a day you are missing out on a simple way to decrease the risk of basically every chronic disease, including dementias of various types. Keep your brain game strong. Live well!

New years workouts Monique Bartlett

monique@carib101.com

Fitness The New Year is here and you have had your fill of cookies, candies, cakes and turkey.

Now it’s time to get back to your regular routine and start thinking about getting back in shape. It’s time to start thinking about working out again if you’ve fallen off the wagon or it’s time to up the ante and work out more often if you’ve only been working out sporadically.

Whether you are into working out at a gym, working out at home or just going for a walk, leave your phone alone and

concentrate on what you are doing. Unless you are a brain surgeon, no one is going to miss you if you don’t answer your phone for thirty minutes to an hour. Instead of just exercising your fingers you can exercise your entire body and you will feel energized and refreshed once you’re done.

Life today has become so easy that we have everything at our fingertips. All we have to do is push a button here and push a button there. The only things that get any exercise are our fingers. Instead of reaching for your phone to answer it every five minutes or respond to emails or texts, why don’t you leave the phone alone during the time that you have allotted yourself for exercise. You’ll get more done and work out at a greater intensity.

Whether you’re at home or at work, why not leave your cell phone lying about so that you can hear it ring, but can’t reach into your pocket or purse and answer it. Make it so you actually have to stand up and walk a

few steps before you can pick it up. Don’t make it so easy for yourself to be lazy. At least burn a few calories in the meantime by having to take a few steps to get to your phone.

Every little bit of effort makes a difference. While traveling in an elevator instead of just standing there and staring at the numbers going up or down, raise yourself onto your toes and then back on your heels again until your reach your floor. Think about the results that you’re going to get.

Every little bit helps especially these days since we are all short of time.

Whatever it takes, set the intention to get yourself into a regular routine and make yourself a priority. Don’t worry about how you will look to others or what you will miss if your phone isn’t beside you at all times. Think about how you will look and feel once you put in the time and effort and reach your goal. There’s no better time than now to start!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

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Do you have an ER Action Plan for your child?

Michelle Smith

michelle@carib101.com

Health Care With winter under way it’s that time again.

Our kids are getting sick with ear, tonsil and adenoid infections, asthma and allergies. If you are not sure here is some information on the symptoms of enlarged adenoids, asthma and allergies.

Adenoids trap germs that enter the body. Adenoid tissue can temporarily swell as it tries to fight off an infection.

These symptoms are often associated with enlarged adenoids: Difficulty breathing, breathing through the nose, breathing through the mouth, talking as if the nostrils are pinched, noisy breathing, snoring, stopped breathing for a few seconds during sleep (sleep apnea) and frequent “sinus” symptoms.

Most of the frustrations that parents feel is with ongoing ear and middle ear infections or middle ear fluid in school-aged children. If your child has symptoms, go to your family doctor and ask to be referred to an ENT Specialist also known as ear noise and throat specialist.

What Is an ENT Specialist? An ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) is a physician

trained in the medical and surgical treatment of the ears, nose, throat and related structures of the head and neck. They have special expertise in managing diseases of the ears, nose and nasal passage sinuses, larynx (voice box), oral cavity and upper pharynx (mouth and throat), as well as structures of the neck and face.

Tonsillectomies: Doctors might recommend surgical removal of the tonsils. This is called a tonsillectomy and is recommended for a child who has one or more of the following: persistent or recurrent tonsillitis or strep infections, swollen tonsils that make it hard to breathe, particularly while sleeping, difficulty eating meat or chewy foods, difficulty sleeping which might be affecting the child’s daily activities, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (when someone stops breathing for a few seconds at a time during sleep because enlarged tonsils are partially blocking the airway) I had mine taken out when I was eight years old. It is a very common procedure for kids today, so don’t guess. Ask your pediatrician to refer you to an ENT specialist.

With allergy season in session you can also be seen by an ENT specialist. This service is covered by OHIP, so just ask your doctor.

Allergy relief tips for parents Allergies can be frustrating for both kids and parents. Here are some allergy relief tips to help your family keep symptoms in check.

Start with your child’s teachers. Discuss your child’s condition with the school nurse,

teachers, coaches and anyone else with whom your child has regular contact.

Declutter. Toys, knick-knacks and other types of clutter can be traps for dust and other allergens.

We could not finish this article without mentioning our other pesky friend Mr. Asthma.

Since asthma symptoms can worsen if you have issues, remember that a Respirologist is the doctor that you need to see.

Asthma & Allergies: Many people with asthma also have allergies and your doctor may refer you to an allergist if you are experiencing asthma symptoms. However, not everyone who has allergies develops asthma, not everyone who has asthma has allergies.

Researchers are still trying to determine the exact relationship between the two.

No one is born with an allergy, but you can have a genetic tendency to develop one. If both your parents have allergies, you will have a 75% chance of also developing them.

Doctors define asthma as a “chronic inflammatory disease of the airway” that causes the following symptoms: Chronic (regular) cough, shortness of breath and wheezing and a tight feeling in the chest Symptoms of asthma come and go; you may experience some of them and yet not know for certain whether you’ve got asthma or not. For example, you might experience trouble breathing with exercise or get more ‘chest’ infections than other people do. Persistent cough is a common sign of lung disease. Coughing is a major feature of

asthma, especially in children. If your infant or child coughs to the point of vomiting, discuss the possibility of asthma with your doctor. There are reasons other than asthma for a long-term cough, like whooping cough and postnasal drip. Only a doctor can diagnose asthma.

Know the Early Signs of a Flare-Up: Everyone’s asthma is different. Some kids cough only at night, while others have flareups whenever they get a cold or exercise outside.

As you manage your child’s asthma, pay attention to what happens before a flare-up so that you know the early warning signs. These signs might not mean that a flare-up definitely will happen, but they can help you to plan ahead.

Making ER Trips Less Stressful: Planning can make trips to the ER less stressful for you and your child.

Here are some tips to try: Know the location of your closest ER. If there’s a children’s hospital ER nearby, go there and have the address and phone number handy (written on the asthma action plan, for instance).

If you have other kids, try to make arrangements with a relative or other caregiver who can take them in an emergency. But don’t let the lack of a babysitter delay your trip to the ER. Someone can always come to the hospital later to pick up your other kids. Take a copy of your child’s asthma action plan or a note with the names and dosages of any medicines your child takes to share with the medical staff at the ER.

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Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Staying true to your 2016 financial goals Fazaad Bacchus

fazaad@carib101.com

Finance Specialist A very Happy and prosperous New Year to my readers. Let me wish you a great 2016!

It’s just about three weeks into the New Year and as usual some of us have made resolutions, some have set goals and yet, some just allow things to happen. It’s best to set goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time sensitive.

Today’s article is to help you keep track of your financial goals and I’m hoping

you did make some.

“remember a penny saved is a penny earned”.

Impulse spending: These can be some of the worst decisions when it comes to spending money. It happens without careful thinking and is usually based on emotion, either sad or happy. For this New Year try to avoid this type of spending, it’s a “good feeling buy” but doesn’t really add value to your net worth. According to Warren Buffett “if you buy things you do not need soon you will sell things that you need”.

Save first, spend after: By far this is one of the most difficult to achieve. We have been taught over the years to first, list our expenses, fixed then discretionary and whatever is left over can be saved. For 2016 let’s try a different approach, that’s a save first and spend after.

You can start with a small amount let’s say 5% of your gross income (the ideal is around 10%).

Put it this way, if your employer reduced your salary by 5% what expenses would you drop?

So imagine that were the case, set up a preauthorized debit from your checking account every month and let the money go towards a saving account.

Overuse of your credit card: Remember that using a credit card is the same as borrowing, someone is lending you money! It’s an easy trap to use that card with the expectation that you will repay it with future income. Consider using your debit card if you can set aside a specific amount of money in your debit card each month and know that you cannot withdraw more than the remaining balance, this will keep your spending down. Less money will be spent and this will be better for you in the long run,

Track your spending: I remember many years ago my father had an old clothes hanger at the back of the bedroom door which he turned it into a hook of some sort. Its main purpose was to keep the bills stored every time he got a bill or receipt on to the hanger it would go. Today,

tracking is so much more sophisticated, there are many budgeting programs that you can find online, however a simple Excel spreadsheet can do the trick. This way every month you can see how much you are spending and on what, basically where my money is going. This simple strategy will help you make adjustments where you can review and reduce either your expenses or your debts.

Work alongside a financial advisor: Research has shown that more people who work with a financial advisor have more money over time than those who don’t. Sit with an advisor, discuss your financial goals, your budget your fears and concerns. A competent financial advisor will work out a proper financial plan for you that you can follow to help reduce your spending and increase your savings. This is an important decision to make in 2016. Find a good financial advisor and work your way towards creating wealth.

Avoiding home buyerʼs remorse Ron Barlay

ron@carib101.com

Real Estate No one wants to buy a home only to feel disappointment and sadness afterward.

Purchasing a home is an exciting process.

It can be a dream come true. I work with all my clients to try to ensure there’s very little stress or anxiety during the process of buying a real estate property. In my estimation, negative feelings result when potential buyers feel they don’t fully understand some aspect of the purchase, or when they feel their ideas haven’t fully been taken into consideration.

That is why it is very important for real estate agents to work closely with their buyers and take the time to completely understand their wants and needs. A home purchase is the most expensive item most of us will ever

buy so we need to be sure we have bought the right one.

It is a good idea, from the moment you begin considering whether to purchase a home, to make two lists; one with everything you NEED in a home and one for everything you WANT in a home. For example, the size of your family may dictate that you NEED a three-bedroom property. On the other hand, you may WANT three bathrooms with granite countertops.

It is hopeful that your budget will allow you to purchase a home that incorporates all your wants and needs, but the needs should take priority over the wants.

You can then consult these two lists when you are seriously contemplating the purchase of a certain home. After viewing so many homes, your original vision and list of “needs” can get lost. Sometimes it is a matter of educating yourself about what’s on the market.

So ask yourself: 1. Does this home meet my needs?

2. Will it meet my needs in ten years, if I plan on staying long term?

3. How is this home better than others?

4. Do you feel you have a good understanding of the market and what homes are available in your price range?

Going through this checklist before making a purchase decision can help buyers choose the right home. Furthermore, consider these factors when purchasing a home: Affordability: The first consideration to be made when looking for a home is price. There is no point in looking at homes outside of your price range, but you should be aware that houses that are slightly out of your price range could be made affordable during the negotiation process. Remember to take down payment, closing costs and monthly mortgage payments into consideration when deciding whether a house is affordable for your budget.

Condition of the Home: A home that is in your price range is not necessarily affordable if it needs a lot of work. Fixes for design flaws can be put off until funds can be saved up, but step back and decide whether you would be okay with waiting it out with a pink tile bathroom or neon shag carpet. Damage that must be fixed immediately should be factored into the price of the home in order to determine whether it is affordable.

alike. You may feel that your four-person family needs half as much space as the average family, or you may feel more comfortable in a larger home. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms is also important and the layout of the home that you are considering should be examined. Do you want an open layout? Look at homes that offer this feature, or be prepared to take on the cost of opening up the floor plan.

Style: The design of a home can be changed, but you will need to pay for any major changes in the style of a home. Do you want a modern home that has clean design elements, or do you prefer the ornate style of the past? Pay attention to these small style features while looking at a potential purchase.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that experienced and professional real estate agents will guide their clients through every detail of purchasing a home. I know I spend a lot of time with my clients; it is normal for buyers to have a ton of questions. It is my duty to provide my clients with all their answers. It is important to me that my clients trust me and my experience to help them make the best purchase.

Size and Layout: No two families are exactly

2016 reflect, plan and execute Kathy McDonald kathy@carib101.com

Student Education 2015 ended with kind words of encouragement and for this I am truly grateful. One year ago I had just embarked on an incredible adventure.

After seventeen years of focusing primarily on my biggest investments, my children, I became a trustee for the Peel District School Board.

By the end of that year I began another new and exciting undertaking, that of journalism.

As 2016 is in its genesis and I embark on this new chapter of my life, I cannot help myself; introspection is a must. I strongly believe in the value of self-reflection as it is an invaluable exercise that can help propel us forward. As a lifelong learner I am constantly searching for ways to better myself.

Just a suggestion for the New Year.

I would like to propose that parents or guardians allocate sometime in the New Year to sit and discuss with their children attainable educational goals for 2016. Write down these goals and place them in a location that is clearly visible by all. We are half way through the school year and most students would have received a progress report card by now. This report can be a valuable tool to help parents navigate the best way to move forward, as they strive to help their child be the best student that he or she can be. I would propose that parents go into the schools and establish or solidify the relationship with the teacher and administration.

Discuss your goals for your child and express the desire to partner with the school to work together for the best interest for your child.

For students that are facing exams in the coming weeks, revisit your study habits and exam preparation strategies and hunker down; before you realize it the examination day will be here.

How about a bibliophile’s paradise?

Rediscover the library. For a lot of you a library was a quiet place for researching information for a project, reading reference materials for a thesis or studying for an exam. Today most libraries are vibrant hubs where knowledge is exchanged, stories are read out loud, computers are accessed and people collaborate. There

are often language classes, Lego or robotic competitions and craft time. While the dewy decimal system is still used we no longer utilize the massive and sometimes overwhelming card catalogue to locate a book. With the click of a button and the guidance of knowledgeable staff we can locate what we need in an instant.

The function of the library is changing and in many schools as the traditional use of library space is evolving so is the name. Today in many schools the name “library” is being replaced by the term “learning commons”.

Just a few important reminders to parents as we begin the New Year. Information regarding bus cancellations or school closing will be available usually by 6:15am (for PDSB).

To access this information you can follow the Board’s; Twitter account, Facebook, Website page or visit stopr.ca. In addition to this, information may be attained by listening to the radio as well as the television. On the PDSB Website there is valuable information on Cold Weather Guidelines as well as how to treat cold injuries.

Now is a good time to review with kids fire safety, staying alone at home and safe active transportation to and from school. Remind kids that they “can’t beat out and Duco”. In other words if they get hit by a car, while the car can easily be repaired and look brand new, kids

invariably can’t. Encourage kids to put away all electronic devices and pay attention when using the roads. Reiterate the importance of making sure the driver makes eye contact with them and is aware of their presence before attempting a crossing, watch for cars backing out of drive ways and PAY ATTENTION. The academic year is just about half way through and we must now look towards this next phase in our journey of knowledge.

So pick a weekend in January, gather around the kitchen table after “yuh belly full” and start reflecting, planning and executing for the education of your children. As always never lose sight of the fact that parents are an important member of the team at school boards, working towards the success of your child/ children. A world class education is the best gift or legacy we can give our children. At age forty they won’t remember the Elmo toys, the dolls, the hot wheel cars or the video games. At age forty they will remember they received an education, an education that no one can take away. Whatever name you may call the building that houses volumes of wonderful books, data bases, computers and a wealth of knowledge, go check it out. So Happy New Year and may good duppy walk with you for 2016. Walk Good - Belle Marche!!!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

Remedies for victims of domestic abuse Valerie Dye

valerie@carib101.com

Legal Matters

Domestic abuse is very common in Canada among married and common law couples. Spouses are not the only ones affected by abuse, as children are also often victims of abuse. It is important for the abused spouse to be aware of the remedies he or she can obtain from the court when a partner has a history of abuse. The remedy awarded by the court may depend on the frequency and extent of the abuse.

In that regard, one instance of abuse may be treated differently from the situation where abuse is constant, ongoing and severe.

One of the most common remedies for domestic abuse is for the abused partner to be granted exclusive possession of the matrimonial home.

Although section 19 of the Family Law Act of Ontario states that both spouses have an equal right to possession of the matrimonial home, section 24 of that Act states that upon application, the court may make an order granting exclusive possession of the home to one spouse. The order granted by the court may be for a limited duration or for an extended period, depending on the circumstances of the case. Section 24 (3) (f) of the Act states that, in determining whether or not to make an order for exclusive possession the court will consider any abuse that has been committed by a spouse against another spouse or against the children.

Sections 19 and 24 are contained in Part II of the Family Law Act which relates only to married couples.

Common law spouses are therefore not entitled to the same rights regarding possession and may be denied ex-

clusive possession even in the case of domestic abuse. In the case of Gonzalez v Trobradovic ONSC 2014, the common law spouse Mr. Trobradovic initially obtained exclusive possession of a home owned by the other spouse Ms. Gonzalez who was accused of domestic abuse against him. Ms. Gonzalez subsequently obtained a writ of possession against her common law spouse and he was forced to relinquish exclusive possession and vacate the home. Ms. Gonzalez was able to obtain exclusive possession of her home despite being accused of domestic abuse. The court based its decision on the fact that Mr. Trobradovic did not legally own the home and further, he could not claim an interest in the home as he was unable to establish that he had contributed to the acquisition and the maintenance of the home.

Another remedy for domestic abuse is that of a restraining order.

Even where exclusive possession is granted a restraining order should also be sought in order to ensure that the perpetrator does not visit or go near the matrimonial home. Section 46 of the Family Law Act provides that a restraining order may be granted against a spouse or former spouse or against anyone else who is cohabiting or has cohabited with the applicant. The court may grant either an interim restraining order or a final restraining order if it is determined that the applicant has reasonable grounds to fear for his or her safety or for the safety of a child or children. It is important to note the requirement that there must be reasonable grounds for the fear, as spouses often believe that they can simply seek and obtain a restraining order without adequately establishing a fear for their safety. Furthermore, an applicant who maintains contact and communication with an abuser would find it difficult to establish that he or she has a fear for his or her safety. In that regard, a restraining order may not be granted.

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Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Double standards for 407ETR Tammy Flores

tammy@carib101.com

407ETR Matters There are so many complaints the public has with respects to Highway 407 and how it has operated over the past fifteen years. At the heart is 407 ETR’s lack of concern for following consumer protection laws. It seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as one of the shareholders in this highway is notorious for ignoring the law in Spain.

Ferrovial is the largest shareholder of 407 ETR, owning 43.23%. They definitely have a say in the day to day operations of 407 ETR and have a double standard for what they expect for the company and what is expected from its customers.

The group “Global Anti-Toll Alliance”, GATA for short, has been highlighting scandals surrounding Ferrovial and questions why governing authorities continue to do business with this foreign company that has a reputation for ignoring the law.

In Spain, the law is that construction companies have sixty days to pay their creditors. In a report released by La Plataforma Multisectorial contra la Morosidad (PMcM), which is available through CNMV, an agency that lists timing of collections and payments in Spain’s construction industry, Ferrovial is reported to be the worst offender of this law.

Ferrovial has taken as much as 536 days to pay their suppliers. That’s about ten times the legal limit. This has put some smaller suppliers out of business and has caused an outcry.

When companies like Ferrovial practice business this way, it leaves a lot of heartache because it’s not just that the company has to shut down. People lose jobs. They lose their ability to provide for their families. Sometimes a good paying job is replaced with a job that pays far less and so the standard of living is reduced. Our governing authorities have to stop worrying about these multinational corporations providing jobs and look at what their business practices do to good paying jobs.

Although Ferrovial will take as much as 536 days to pay their suppliers, no financial penalties are imposed on the company.

In contrast, the company demands that their customers pay after only thirty four days. As we have seen here in Canada with 407 ETR, not only does this company demand to be paid within thirty four days, but imposes harsh financial penalties to the tune of thousands and thousands of dollars. To make matters worse, our governing authorities help the company perpetuate this gross misconduct by keeping people in what is essentially debtor’s prison by means of Plate Denial, until you pay whatever usury amounts of money the company imposes on you for nonpayment. Talk about your double standards.

Ferrovial can destroy smaller companies, putting them out of business by simply not paying them. Ferrovial can operate a foreign company like 407 ETR and destroy people’s lives by imposing harsh financial penalties for nonpayment and have governing authorities place people in debtor’s prison. A double standard at its finest. The question is why? Why do we continue to allow large multinational corporations do this? Don’t we, as a democratic society, frown on sovereign nations that treat their people in this manner? Then why is our very own governing authorities doing business with a company that does the same thing?

Green car technology: The skinny on Hybrid technology in the 21ST Century Jelani Daniel

jelani@carib101.com

Automotive Corner Environmental enthusiasts are boasting about green alternatives to gas-powered vehicles.

What are the pros and cons of each and are they suitable for your lifestyle? Hybrid technology is the gap between fully electric and fully fueled car models. Is a hybrid model suitable for you and your lifestyle?

Hybrid Technology: A hybrid is a cross-over between gas guzzling to fully electric vehicles. They utilize both a gas motor and a battery allowing for parallel modes (one or the other) as well as pure hybrid.

A purely hybrid model allows different parts of the car to utilize battery functions while running on gas. For example, the wheels may use electricity while the motor uses fuel.

Some models allow for the car to charge as it is driven, giving the driver peace of mind since charging stations are still fairly rare in Ontario.

The Benefits Of Hybrid Technology: Although hybrid technology is fairly dated in comparison to electric vehicles, consumers are still quite new to the hybrid model. Public transit plays a large part in hybrid technology, im-

proving city-wide environmental impacts and setting a positive example for drivers.

The biggest benefit of a hybrid car lies in the carbon footprint of the driver. Although there is gasoline consumption, the overall consumption is cut back due to the partial usage of gasoline.

Another very large benefit for consumers is that hybrid technology acts as a ‘training wheel’ of sorts for drivers who are on the fence between gasoline and electric powered cars. Being stranded without a charging station can be of definite concern and hurting the environment can be another; hybrid is the middle-ground.

Setbacks: The most concrete setback for a hybrid driver is that there is still an impact on the environment through the use of gasoline. Although the carbon footprint is lower, an electric car would have none.

Electric Cars: Tesla models that are completely electric act as an advancement to green technology in car manufacturing. They have zero emissions but require charging at pit stops or within one’s garage. Charging may be a source of frustration for many drivers, but innovations to battery power is on the horizon for electric models, saving drivers pit stops and fuel costs.

Overall, there are benefits to both hybrid and electric models. The high cost and possible frustration of electric vehicles may defer drivers, while the environmental impacts of gasoline dependent vehicles may harm future generations. With both issues present, hybrid models are a prominently sound solution to lower one’s carbon footprint.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 | www.torontocaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean

insight

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Now that we know better, letʼs do better!

Simone Smith simone@carib101.com

A Better Tomorrow Happy New Year Toronto Caribbean Family! I am happy that many of you have had the opportunity to celebrate this New Year!

For those who have lost loved ones, or for those who did not have the best 2015, know that each day is a new day. Life is a circle; if you remember that, you will be cautious of the choices that you make.

The last part 2015, I spent a great deal of time discussing Persuasive Development Disorders. Some of the topics covered included: Understanding Behavior, Developing Communication Skills, Teaching Play and Social Skills, Toilet Training, Reinforcement, Teaching Social Communication, Learning how to Play and Playing to Learn.

Whenever you do get an opportunity to learn something new, take that chance. Having the ability to take this Autism workshop, opened my eyes to the difficulties that many parents here in Toronto are having when searching for support. For many, Autism is something

that is meant to be hidden; it is kept secret because parents are unsure of how to provide support to their child and many feel embarrassed. I hope this series has demystified what Autism is and we as a community can begin to help these families who are in desperate need of support.

As many of you know, I was invited to a workshop that was being put on by Erin Oaks Kids, a center dedicated to the treatment and development of children diagnosed with Autism. It was a ten week workshop that had cycles occurring during the summer and fall months. I encourage parents to look for workshops in your community that can help answer some of your questions. There is no shame in asking questions; the shame comes in not asking questions and suffering in silence. Once you understand why an issue is occurring, you are better able to deal with it.

Today I want to introduce some resources for my parents who still have some questions about Autism and other Persuasive Development Disorders. Applied Behavior Analysis, is a service that is offered to help children establish, enhance and maintain socially important behaviors in the areas of: • • •

Social/ Interpersonal Skills (Group Sessions) Communication (One on One Sessions and Group Sessions) Behavior management and emotional

•

regulation (One on One Sessions or Group Sessions) Daily living (One on One Sessions)

ABA programs are usually offered two to four hours a week for a period of two to six months. Family involvement is very important to your child’s progress. Enrolling your child in an ABA program will not only help your child, but it will allow parents to work side by side with a therapist. Therapists will help parents learn new strategies to help their child meet his or her goals.

Additional support includes consulting with a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, service navigator and a social worker. Speech-language pathologists not only help people who stutter or have a lisp, they are highly educated professionals who study: neuroanatomy, genetics, human and language development, linguistics, psychology and acoustics. Their goal is to help your child become more socially independent by helping them learn to speak and present themselves confidently.

Occupational therapists have an important role; they help people of all ages to improve their ability to perform daily tasks in their daily living and working environments. The majority of their work is with individuals who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, socially or emotionally disabling.

A service navigator can help fami-

lies with questions and concerns about how to access services provided by health and social service systems here in Toronto. They provide portals for families to resolve their concerns and connect families with health and social service providers that address concerns. They do not have any decision making authority, but can provide information.

Finally, a social worker is one of the greatest resources a family can have.

They not only diagnose and treat mental, behavioral and emotional disorders, they also provide family therapy. Therapy usually involves assessing a client’s history and situation to understand their needs and then develop a treatment plan that is suited for that client. Social workers usually work very closely with the client’s doctor and other health care physicians. They will encourage their clients to discuss their emotions and experiences to develop a better understanding of themselves and their relationships.

I hope that this series has been helpful. If there are any topics that you would like to see me cover, please send me an email and I will be sure to research any information and provide you with honest, authentic information that is aimed at making life easier for you. Thank you for following this series; take all that you have learned and apply where it is necessary in your life.

FORWANTED SALE HELP

FOR SALE PERSONALS

SEEKING JOB: A Registered Health Professional looking for home care work. Call Marie Smith @ (905) 458-1124, thank you.

KITCHEN HELP Now hiring Chinese Chef and West India Cook for busy Mississauga Restaurant/ Bar. Please contact Caribbean Sunset

905-564-7800 SALES: Now hiring full/part time sales reps. MUST be experienced and self motivated. Great income potential. Serious inquiries only please. 647-722-6298 PSW LOOKING FOR WORK: Need Help call Indra 416-748-4848. Willing to work for senior, some house cleaning and light grocery shopping and laundry.

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60 AND KIND: White Senior lady in her 60 ‘s wants to met a kind gentleman 60 +.

Must be in church or temple no drinker or smoker. Must be serious minded. 416-5312651.

FOR RENT SALE FOR CHAGUANAS: Private Compound, public Traffic. You can call 221 -1646 745 7562 for viewing. $36,800 Mth TT$ 1-647- 349 -6633

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JAMAICA: Montego Bay, Jamaica Christian home by the sea available for long or short term rent. $150 per week. Contact 647-267-6949

WORSHIP: Worship with us at Solid Rock Miracle Center 689 Warden Ave at 11am .

Sunday school at 10.05am. 416-293-1839

SALON CHAIR: Salon Chair and Aesthetic room for rent in Mississauga call Lorna 905-782-2177

WEST INDIAN CONGREGATION Emmanuel. Mission Church of the Nazarene.

Service at 1.30 p.m.1875 Sheppard Ave. West, Toronto, ON, M3L 1Y6 For info call Rev. Jerold Boodhoo 416-303-7163

LIST UP TO 30 WORDS FREE!

Send your information to info@torontocaribbean.com or call 647-722-6298

SUNDAY SERVICE: Fountain of Truth Ministries Pastor: Reverend Maxine Campbell Worship Address: 2170 Kipling Avenue, Etobicoke Percy Johnson School – Cafeteria Sundays: 10.am – 2. pm Teaching, Worship, Ministering For info call: 416 748 0211 RECOVERY THURSDAYS: You CAN recover from your hurts, habits and hangups! Rosewood Church of the Nazarene, 657 Milner Ave, Scarborough, ON. M1B 2K4. Free. Light dinner at 6:30pm. Meeting 7pm-9pm Pastor Arnie 416-459-1462

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PAGE 42

astrology

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

ARIES

TAURUS

Just when you feel you’re finally on a good move-along, Mercury and Jupiter hit reverse.

Despite an initial setback, both transits will help you to get a better grip. Friday is for setting the record straight, for reinforcing the rules or your resolve. Watch for results, news, a milestone, or a conclusion. Monday through next Thursday is especially lucrative and/or opportune.

Thursday/Friday puts you on a major switch track regarding thinking, finances, a relationship, or a circumstance. If you hit a full stop, it isn’t for long. Saturday’s revitalizing new moon takes the brakes off. Monday through Thursday, you’re in luck. Watch for fresh options and conversations. It’s a great week for creative enterprise, travel, studies, and socializing. Things can go surprisingly well.

GEMINI

CANCER

If you haven’t pushed yourself to do so already, Mercury and Jupiter retrograde will force you to curb unnecessary spending and get more organized. Despite this advice, Monday through Thursday you can easily spend more. These smooth-go days are also good for moneymaking or refinancing; for sweet-talking the powers that be or bending the rules; for creativity and romance.

Thursday/Friday delivers a time-has-come threshold. Perhaps there’s a sendoff, a goodbye, or a special occasion to mark. Something timely can be the “it” or “fix-it” ticket that sets you onto a faster, more successful movealong. Tuesday/Wednesday, great gains can be made. If it comes to you effortlessly and naturally, buy it or take it on. Use these days to sway or woo.

LEO

VIRGO

Thursday/Friday, something uncovered or uncharted may cost you extra time, effort, expense, or disappointment, but better now than later. See it as good timing—it sets you up for down-the-road benefit. Sunday through next Thursday, you’ll hit an excellent creative flow. Your social, sales, and communication skills are at peak. A profitable and great social or play week lies ahead.

Have you been out of commission lately or felt that things have mushroomed beyond your ability to control? If so, you should feel Mercury’s dip back into Capricorn and Jupiter’s turn to retrograde as pluses. Both help you to get a better handle on yourself, your health, and what’s most pressing. Communications and results improve in the week ahead, especially Tuesday/Wednesday.

March 20 - April 19

May 20 - June 21

July 22 - August 22

April 19 - May 20

June 21 - July 22

August 22 - September 22

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Is your inner voice nagging you? Thursday/ Friday, take extra time for soul searching, healing, or exploring more options. As of Friday, when Mercury retrograde dips back into Capricorn, you’ll naturally work your way to a conclusion or finish line. A home move or renovation project can put you under added pressure, but Sunday through Thursday is optimal for seek, find, and accomplish.

While Mars, recently into Scorpio, pumps you full of fresh fuel, Jupiter and Mercury have just launched into reverse. How does that translate for you? Both transits help you to target, pinpoint, edit, or negotiate with greater efficiency and expertise. A review, revisit, revision, or even a complete overhaul is an intelligent and well-timed thing to do. Tuesday/Wednesday, the stars gift you.

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

Friday can spark new appreciation, wisdom, or insight about a higher truth. Perhaps you’ll gain attention or a result you weren’t expecting. If you come to a stop, it’s only momentary. As of Saturday, the stars plug you into a fresh outlet. Over the next week, you’ll write, talk, explore, create, travel, spend, earn, win, or gain more. High expectations can deliver quite nicely.

Mercury’s return to Capricorn on Friday calls for a second look, a rethink, or an overhaul.

The test of time is your ally; put it to work.

Thursday/Friday, plans, minds, or commitments can change. Let the moment dictate the play. Saturday’s new moon pushes the Refresh button in some significant way.

Tuesday/Wednesday delivers big and best.

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Thursday/Friday can be a sendoff, sign-off, or take-flight time. After only one week of a fresh refuel in Aquarius, Mercury now steps back. The retrograde is an opportunity to refortify, replenish, and gain a better handle before you get too far ahead of yourself. You won’t need long! Sunday through Thursday, your swing is near perfect.

Friday could mark a special anniversary, a milestone, or an important finish line. You may gain bank approval or take some other official step. Your reputation precedes you— someone could speak highly of you. A meeting with a mentor or advisor is well timed.

Regarding money, travel, creative endeavour, romance, or play, Tuesday/Wednesday is especially opportune, perhaps even lucky.

September 22 - October 23

November 22 - December 21

January 19 - February 18

October 23 - November 22

December 21 - January 19

February 18 - March 19

Across 3) Cowboy’s best friend 8) Famous Calgary rodeo 10) Seconds to stay on 13) Where rides begin 14) ____ riding 16) Ten-____ hat 17) Tie-down ____ Down 1) Male rodeo competitor 2) Horse-and-cart racer 4) ____ bronc 5) Leg protectors 6) ____ wrestling 7) Ladies race around it 9) Traditional breakfast 11) Jumping and kicking 12) Cowboy’s prize 13) Bull’s distraction 15) Cowboy’s rope

PAGE 44

self help

Toronto Caribbean | www.torontocaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The countdown has begun Keisha Johnson

keisha@carib101.com

Professional Development Congratulations! You’ve crossed the finish line into the New Year! I hope it feels like a new beginning for you.

Irrespective of the outcomes of the last 365 days, whether your goals

and expectations were unmet or exceeded, the dial of the calendar has restarted.

One second past midnight on December 31, 2015 the count down of your Best Year to date started. Thatʼs what I told myself and I am believing the same for you.

On New Yearʼs day I literally felt like an era was over and I had the opportunity to step into complete newness with no baggage, no fear, absolutely nothing harnessing me.

Nothing in my physical environment, circumstances, responsibilities or relationships changed. It was just a mental shift.

As I soaked it in, it dawned on me that a new year literally means that in time and space each of us have been given a new start. Yet it is up to us to embrace it! Each of us are also at the helm of our destiny and the choice is ours to own it! And each of us have the power to direct our world. So why not take charge and do something about it!

Perspective is what makes all the difference.

The underlying current here is that the power to create and rule your world in 2016 and beyond is within you!

Every action we take is a deci-

sion and every decision is a choice and every choice is made. The question is, who is making your choices for you and what will you do differently to make this your Best Year Ever?

Thatʼall for this week. Continue to check in with us every issue. As the year progresses, it is my hope that the articles in this space will continue to be resourceful and valuable to you in your journey. Let me know your thoughts and let us keep each other accountable to be our best selves and live our best life in 2016.

Your three percent It’s the start of a New Year, filled with many hopes, aspirations, dreams, resolutions, decisions, and more. One thing is for sure, a brand New Year signals to all an opportunity for a fresh start; a chance to hit the reset button and start all over.

But, for the vast majority of people, that feeling of euphoria of a New Year soon fades and reverts to the previous years’ hum drum, filled with broken New Year’s resolutions, unfulfilled dreams and a same old same old attitude that does not produce any real change.

The following words may seem harsh, but if taken internally are like

medicine. At first they may unnerve you, but these words have the power to help you take the necessary action to create real and lasting change in your life and move you towards your dreams, desires and aspirations.

Let me ask you this. What is the one thing that has been constant and ever present every year of your life, in every situation you’ve encountered (positive or negative) and at every decision you have made? If you haven’t already guessed it, ITS YOU!!!! You are the one constant across the pages of your life.

A wise man once told me…”if

you want things to change, you’ll have to change.” May I suggest to you that the first step in achieving meaningful change in your life, is growing as a person. That means focusing on your own personal growth and development and acquiring knowledge that can enhance your life and the lives of other.

Challenge yourself in 2016 and throughout the rest of your life to invest 3% of the income you desire to earn into your own personal growth and development. It is said that 20% of the most profitable companies invest 3% of profits back into training their staff.

Brian Tracy in his book “No Excuses, The Power of Self-Discipline,” calls this the “3% Formula”. Many people make New Year’s Resolutions involving earning more money, but few develop a plan to attain that resolution. Consider this 3% formula and make it an integral part of that plan. Invest in yourself to gain increased knowledge in areas that allow you to increase the value you provide.

Growing as person is central to realizing your goals, dreams and aspirations. I encourage you to make your own personal growth and development a life long learning a goal.