A Prime Minister Out Of Control

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Volume 10 • Issue 25

Wednesday, January 19 2022

“They don’t believe in science and progress and are very often misogynistic and racist. It’s a very small group of people, but that doesn’t shy away from the fact that they take up some space... Do we tolerate these people?”

FULL STORY - PAGE 8

PAGE 2

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

NATASHA FERGUSON

Changing the industry from the inside out!

“I know what construction has done for me in my life and my family on a physical, emotional, mental and also financial level.

It’s been really great to me, but there are also some things in the industry that need to change and I am willing to lead that.”

So, you are looking to do some work in your home, and you heard about this great contractor who appears to be making moves in the industry. You call to get an estimate on the job, and when you open the door, you see a beautiful, formidable, Black woman standing there with clipboard in hand.

For most, they may not know how to react to a woman, who is clearly in control, and is able to tell you things about your home that you didn’t realize. Humbly you allow her to finish her walk through, and she hands you her card: Ethelfox Construct Group. “Hmmm,” you say to yourself, and you decide to do some research; what you find is both inspiring and empowering.

Natasha Ferguson is the mogul powerhouse behind Ethelfox Construct Group. Oddly enough, the company’s genesis occurred just before the pandemic, and has since successfully expanded into a brand that has been featured in popular newspapers and magazines. The Canadian Business Review Board recently named it one of the Best Businesses In Canada.

The company specializes in landscape, garden design, roofing systems, interior and exterior renovations and additions. They have the ability to translate individual needs, desires, and aspirations into sophisticated, materially sensuous environments that exude order and artistic cool. The genius of it all; 70% of her construction company employees are women. She wanted to employ women in her company because of the experiences she has had running a construction company.

In early 2021, it was announced that EthelFox was selected to participate in the Starter Company Plus Female Founders Program, offered through Enterprise Toronto. This program helped women-led businesses, offering training to assist them further with operations and marketing their business. The program also provided an opportunity to apply for a grant of $5,000 towards growing small/ medium businesses within the City of Toronto. EhthelFox Construct Group successfully completed the program and received the $5,000 grant and was the only construction related business in the running - the others were primarily from the food, fashion, IT and creative industries.

EthelFox being recognized in such prestigious ways is a testament to the values of its founder and the uniqueness of its business practices. I look forward to sharing with you the legacy of Natasha Ferguson and the EthelFox Construct Group.

“I’ve gone on my own job sites,” said Ferguson, “and I’ll get there and the guy will be like, ‘oh is your boss going to

come’ and I’ll be like ‘oh no, no, I’m the boss’.”

When I finally caught up with Natasha, she was on a site, and had taken a few minutes away from the dust and noise to chat with me. I loved her energy and the intensity of her spirit. We jumped right into her story.

“I named the company after two formidable women in my life: my mother and my youngest daughter. My mother’s name was Ethel (which means Noble). Losing her was devastating for me. She was my best friend.”

Natasha’s mother passed away last September after a yearlong battle with cancer.

“She was helping me build this brand,” Ferguson recalled. “I designed the logos and she chose that logo. I decided to honour her and name it after her and my youngest daughter Fox.”

Born in Toronto, Natasha’s parents are from Jamaica. Her dad was a tradesman and has been for sixty years, and her mother was a credit manager.

Even though Natasha dropped out of University, she has always gone against the grain, held some pretty high positions in the corporate world. Although her corporate life was paying her the money she wanted, there was something that had stayed with her for her entire life. She was a tinkerer.

“I met my second husband and he is a tradesman,” Natasha shares. “He was roofing, and I realized how great the money was. We ended up starting a company together in 2012 the same year that we met, and then three years later, we started a landscaping company and that blew up.

My corporate and marketing skills came in handy, and I was able to market our companies and get the word out about what we were doing.

In 2017, I had to recalibrate the business, because I found out that I was pregnant. A lot of the work was seasonal, so I decided to open up the interior business. That is when the pandemic hit, and things really blew up.”

Despite her success, Natasha can speak directly to the challenges she has encountered, and why she has decided to pioneer for change.

“I was treated badly by other general contractors. As a woman of colour in the construction industry, my mission is to break down barriers and gender biases for women who want to work in the trades and show them if I can do it, they can too.

I have found my spot in the industry, and now I can help other women. My team and I are unique. Not just because we are women working in this industry, but also because we are women who do viable work. Each one of my team members is coming from a place of new beginnings, and so I am excited to continue to provide leadership, while we change the ideas around gender bias narratives and stereotypes around women in the construction

industry.”

Natasha tells me that the government is pushing to get people into the trades. Due to that, EthelFox Construction Group is getting a lot of support. Men and women go to Natasha because they are intrigued to see what it is like to work with a female contractor. Natasha has seven trades under her belt, and has made it her mission to change this industry from the inside out, and have fun doing it.

“It is why I decided to start the non-profit organization A Woman’s Work. A Woman’s Work is an organization that supports women in the trades through self-esteem programs, training sessions and career involvement for people in the trades.

It is still early in the planning stages, but it is open to men and women and teaches basic skills in the trades like roofing, tiling, drywall, hardscape, softscape and even an introduction to plumbing and electrical.

If you can imagine this, you take a one or two-month course in dry walling and you actually finished, did really well and did some amazing work. This could be a freelance opportunity for you,” she said.

“You are going to get education, you are going to learn about a trade, which will allow you to get a job, hobby, teach others how to do things, do things for yourself, be more independent.”

In Natasha’s words, “Let’s Build Something Clever Together.” You can learn more about this dynamic woman at: https://ethelfoxconstruct.com/.

Photo Credit: Cheryl Gushue

Written by Simone J. Smith Toronto Caribbean News

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PAGE 3

Thirteen ways we as a community can stop Vaccine ID Passports in 2022 SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

For some of us, standing up for ourselves doesn’t come naturally; this can be seen by what has occurred in the last two years of this pandemic. For some, going against what your government tells you might feel impossible. Maybe you’re someone who doesn’t like to “rock the boat” so you swallow any opposing thoughts or feelings to avoid confrontation. Maybe you are a new immigrant, and you feel if you speak up, the government will send you right back to the place you so desperately tried to escape.

Standing up for ourselves is about having boundaries, and importantly, knowing how to assert them. At this point in the game, we cannot allow life to just happen.

Allowing life to just happen has given the government power to tell us how to live our lives, who we can speak to, and what we are allowed to do to our bodies.

It is unfortunate, but many of us have left ourselves wide open to being taken advantage of, and today, I am going to share with you thirteen ways to actively stop the roll out of the Vaccine ID Passports.

I found the original twenty-two suggestions on the Mission Possible World Health International (www.mpwhi.com) web-

site. It was founded by Dr Betty Martini, D. Hum and is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. Dr Betty has been openly speaking out against vaccines, the use of aspartame, and other diabolical substances that have been unleashed on the people of the world. Her goal is to empower citizens in nations all over the world, to take a stand now, before it is too late.

Without further adieu, let us take a look at some of the stances presented on the list: • Do not be coerced, bribed, blackmailed, shamed, manipulated, or intimidated into complying. Civil disobedience is necessary. Businesses and patrons need to rally together to defy this tyranny.

• Vaccine ID Passports, digital identities being pushed by banks, license facilities, and other industries should be avoided at all cost.

• Educate yourself, family and friends about what this QR code and digital identity is really about. The plan is to put all of us on the Blockchain to survey and control our every move.

• Get the Law Involved. While tyrannical governors and mayors may try to make illogical and illegal demands on business owners and patrons, including fines in some cases, the sheriff has the power to choose to not enforce it. Many of them do not understand the full power that they have and policies they can put in place.

• Bringing this information to the attention of your legislatures and demanding legislation to block vaccine id passports and digital identity applications is criti-

•

•

•

•

cal.

Remove your money from the large banks into smaller, family-owned banks and small credit unions. If 10% of people did this, it would create a huge shift.

Build your own family or community energy and food systems. Resilient energy and food supplies will go a long way against their digital financial blackmailing systems.

Stop feeding the beast; do not spend money at Amazon and big box stores that are building the infrastructure to enslave humanity. When you hurt their bottom line, they are more apt to reverse their demands for employees and patrons.

CASH IS KING. Use cash as often as possible, to avoid the hyper-tracking taking place inside bank accounts that are aggregating your data and building your social and climate score, as well as studying spending behaviors of the masses to manipulate industries, supply chains, and markets.

•

• •

•

Leave your phones at home. Don’t download any data tracking apps, and if you still have a smartphone be sure to stay on top of what data mining apps they are installing into your phone without you even knowing.

Limit personal data you provide online, in paper forms, and other sources trying to collect data points on you.

Clear as many debts as you are able to, so you are beholden to no one. Invest in people, learning trade skills, family and community, hard assets, proper schooling for your children which might mean a local home-school network, local farmers, any necessary supplies or equipment you feel you need, your health and peace of mind.

Visualize a better future for all, where these corrupt individuals are stopped in their tracks, and pray.

There is a way to put an end to this; we just have to take a stand. Are you ready?

Human Rights Project Peel Regional Police Release Results of 2021 Community Survey on Perception of and Experience with Peel Police Half say reform needed; most call for more accountability, transparency in police interactions.

People (1,102) who live or work in Peel Region completed a Peel Regional Police survey, which was developed with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Peel Police Services Board as part of a broader effort to help the PRP identify and address systemic racism in its organization.

A full report on the results survey and details on PRP’s broader Human Rights Project can be found at https://www.PeelPolice.ca/HumanRightsProject.

The survey found that 48 percent of respondents who answered the question agreed with the statement “systemic racism in policing is a problem,” and just over half (55 percent) agreed with the statement that policing in Peel Region is in need of reform.

Over half (58 percent) of the question respondents also said the seven principles in the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on eliminating racial profiling in law enforcement are a suitable framework to shape the changes needed to address systemic racism and improve respect for human rights in the PRP. “Systemic racism exists across all systems and continually affects service delivery to the communities we serve,” said Chief Nishan Duraiappah. “The results of this survey and other community consultation activities are helping us develop a thorough understanding of the experience Peel residents have with police, and that will help us implement the right remedies.”

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PAGE 5

Quebec’s decision to request payments from unvaccinated adults triggers an avalanche of criticism across Canada PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

As cases of Omicron surge across Canada, provincial governments have attempted to come up with creative strategies to deal with the looming health crisis.

The provincial government of Francois Legault announced on Tuesday, January 11th, 2022, that it would be imposing an anti-vaccination tax, which caught many people off guard.

Reports are saying that the measure will be a “health-care contribution” whose value has not been determined yet.

Premier Legault states that those who are not vaccinated “Will have to pay because there are consequences on our health-care network and it’s not up to all Quebecers to pay for this. It’s a question of equity because right now, these people put a very important burden on our health-care network. I think it’s normal that the majority of the population is asking that there be a consequence, and yes, we will continue to look at spreading the use of the vaccine passport, but I think we have to go further.”

Premier Legault believes that $50 or $100 is not high enough and he wants it to be a significant amount. The details will be worked out between the government in conjunction with its finance minister and legal experts. Reactions to the proposed vaccine tax have been largely negative as many constitutional experts questioned the legality of it.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association released a statement in which Cora Zwi-

bel, general counsel wrote that Premier Legault is “Proposing a direct penalty for unvaccinated-compelling individuals to undergo medical treatment.” She notes,” Our Charter recognizes individual autonomy over our bodies and medical decisions.

Allowing the government to levy fines on those who do not agree with the government’s recommended medical treatment is a deeply troubling proposition. To justify this kind of restriction on constitutionally protected rights, the government must provide clear and compelling evidence and demonstrate that there were no other reasonable alternatives.”

Vincent Marisal, health critic of Quebec Solidaire (QS) stated explicitly that this is a “radical “proposal”, which ignores the plights of the most vulnerable in society. He states, “There are homeless people, people with serious mental health problems, undocumented migrants. It would help if the Legault government released the legal and scientific evidence that promoted it to come to this extreme position,”

There has been additional criticism of this proposed anti vax tax from Dominque Anglade, Liberal Leader. He states, “Today, Francois Legault has chosen to divide and divert. With arrogance Legault gave us a beautiful ‘smoke show’ without public advice, without any details, without having answered questions and without having consulted the Assembly.

Again, he relies on the polls and his political instincts.”

Advocates working with Black and Indigenous communities are particularly concerned that this tax will have a greater negative effect on them. Paul Bailey, Executive Director of the Black Health Alliance,” We know that they’re already living with the spectre of poverty and many other inequities, whether it be food insecurity, or housing insecurity, and so for this specific population, applying a tax to them only further entrenches those inequalities.”

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Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

As Canadian citizens, we deserve more than this!

Half of the country now more stressed than during 2020 lockdowns •

MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“Canadians are overwhelmed and certainly fatigued by the numerous economic and life/health challenges being thrown their way,I can’t imagine a bigger need for financial relief than living through this global event.”

Laurie Campbell (Director of Client Financial Wellness at Bromwich + Smith) Feelings of anxiousness; distress or worry: fear of contracting the virus, fear of family members getting sick. Then there is the stress and anxiety related to isolation and quarantine measures; distress about separation with family members; fear of long term impacts of the pandemic; you have to admit, many of us are experiencing prolonged psychological stress.

As we enter year three of the pandemic, I was curious as to what Canadians are most worried about. I came across a new national survey by Licenced Insolvency Trustees, Bromwich+Smith called The Perfect Storm Survey (https://www.bromwichandsmith.com/cost-living-lockdownscanadian-survey).

The Perfect Storm Survey, an Angus Reid study of 1,519 Canadians, shines a light on financial hardships throughout the pandemic, the conversation around work, cost of living and the delicate balance of health.

Overall, 84% of Canadians are worried about cost-of-living/inflation, sevenin-ten are worried about their physical and mental health (e.g., getting COVID, burnout, sleep deprivation) and two thirds are concerned about Covid restrictions. Other fears are being able to save money (63%), managing day-to-day household expenses (54%) and managing debt (47%).

Nearly half of Canadians (48%) are more stressed to start 2022 than they were during the first lockdowns in 2020, especially as it pertains to their finances.

Canadians were also asked to answer how several possible economic situations would impact them in 2022. At the top of the list was a planned rise in payroll taxes (due to rising CPP and EI payments), a repayment of personal debts and the likelihood of rising rents in Canadian cities.

• • • •

49% would be most impacted by the planned rise in payroll taxes 44% by a repayment of debts 37% by rising rents in Canadian cities 29% by a reduction in hours/pay at work 28% by changes, reductions or repayments to government supports

I am sure you are reading this and can either identify with some of these statistics, or know someone who can identify with them. What needs to be considered and shown great concern is the number of people and communities who are particularly vulnerable to the psychological and psychosocial impact of the pandemic?

Those who have existing mental health conditions may experience an increase in psychological distress and trauma symptoms, especially if they are isolated.

The lockdowns have not been helpful, and we can see this with the increase in overdoses and suicides.

We can’t forget our senior population, especially those in isolation and those with cognitive decline/dementia, who may become more anxious, agitated, irritable and withdrawn while they are being quarantined. Physical and emotional support is so important at this time.

Then there are those who are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence.

Isolation increases their risk, and with the lockdowns, and fear surrounding new variants, they may feel trapped, and unable to seek help. How do we help them? Included in this vulnerable group are children. They have lost the ability to express and communicate their feelings in a safe and supportive environment. Parents have to find ways to discuss COVID-19 in an honest and age-appropriate way. If caregivers are infected, quarantined, or pass away, it could lead to protection and psychological issues for children.

Our frontline workers (health care workers) have faced unique hardships during this pandemic and have had to work in extraordinary circumstances. The threat of losing employment if your beliefs do match those of the governing bodies, and the fears of transmitting the disease to loved ones have stood out as two areas of distress.

I urge our governments to focus on bringing our country back to a place where fear is not the dominant emotion.

Keeping people in a state of flight or fight is damaging, and as Canadian citizens, we deserve more than this.

NEWS

PAGE 7

PAGE 8

NEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Misogynistic and Racist: Is Trudeau speaking to Black Canadians, the most vaccine hesitant?

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

We are at a time when there is no shortage of topics to disagree on: masks, vaccines, we all have our opinions, and the risk of deepening our societal divides is as real as ever.

Unfortunately, Canadians have a Prime Minister whose words of, “We are in this together,” have been changed to, “If you don’t want to get vaccinated, that’s your choice. But don’t think you can get on a plane or a train beside vaccinated people and put them at risk!”

Justin Trudeau is doing everything possible to divide Canadians. When a leader with a large national platform decides to take that path, the result is that the nation ends up being bitterly divided.

Trudeau wants some Canadians to fear and hate other Canadians, because he sees this as being in his political interest.

This is why when you are scrolling through your newsfeed, and you come across a heated discussion thread propagated by mainstream media; you can’t help but keep scrolling. You see the emotional arguments, the uniformed opinions, and in your head, you think, “These people have no idea what they are talking about.”

Maybe you read something that day that has something to say about the current discussion; maybe you were just watching CP24, or CBC News, and for a moment, you consider adding your comments to the feed, telling the dissenters they are wrong. They are so far off, so why bother? You have done your research, so if someone disagrees about something you care about, you tend to think of him or her

not as having a different perspective, but as having the wrong perspective.

It is this thought pattern that has been encouraged by our government, pitting friends against friends, family against family. Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau pretends that he is a passive observer or victim of the rising level of anger in Canada.

He has divided the nation for his own selfish political gain, and this is how we have gotten to where we are now.

A few weeks ago, Trudeau gave an angry and divisive speech where he demonized unvaccinated Canadians in what looks like an attempt to divide the country, turning a group of Canadians into a targeted group, and use that targeted group as an ‘excuse’ to deflect anger and hatred towards a ‘politically-convenient’ target.

“We are going to end this pandemic by proceeding with the vaccination,” said Trudeau in French.

“We all know people who are deciding whether or not they are willing to get vaccinated, and we will do our very best to try to convince them. However, there is still a part of the population that is fiercely against it.”

“They don’t believe in science and progress and are very often misogynistic and racist. It’s a very small group of people, but that doesn’t shy away from the fact that they take up some space.”

“This leads us, as a leader and as a country, to make a choice: Do we tolerate these people?”

What he did in a very aggressive nature is dehumanize those who are not going along with the vaccine mandate. This is a subtle form of dehumanization that happens all the time; “Things revolve more around me than around you,” which we also call egocentrism. It is that common, everyday narrative that is constantly being presented to us via social media and main-

stream media that other people are “less” than you are if they have not decided to take the injection.

So, exactly whom is Justin Trudeau talking to? What I am about to share might shock you.

Why are people Vaccine Hesitant?

According to Abacus Data (https://abacusdata.ca/vaccine-hesitancy-canada/) hesitancy rates are influenced by concerns about side effects and are different depending on the specific vaccine in question. Since the beginning of March 2021 comfort levels with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have increased, while comfort with the AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson products has declined.

The most important reason for hesitancy is a worry that the vaccines were created quickly and that the long-term effects might not be fully known. Second on the list of drivers of hesitancy is a fear of blood clots, followed by fear of flu-like side effects.

Different groups in society have different factors that rank higher or lower in affecting their hesitancy. As an example, fear of blood clots is significantly higher among women than among men and especially high among those aged 45-59. The idea that “If others take it, maybe I don’t have to,” is especially common among those aged 30-44.

What should not come as a surprise is that higher on that list of vaccine hesitant individuals is African Canadians, and for good reason.

There is a dark history of Black people being robbed of their bodily autonomy; decades of systemic anti-Black racism, and a healthcare system riddled with racial disparities such as lower access and poor treatment outcomes. This has resulted in an inherent distrust towards the government. This distrust did not disappear with the appearance of COVID-19.

The lives and livelihoods of Black Canadians have been, and continue to be, dispro-

portionately affected by the pandemic.

For African Canadians, making the decision to take the vaccination isn’t as simple. Twelve months into a national vaccine rollout, as employers and provinces mandate vaccination passports and amidst a fourth wave, African Canadians have remained the most vaccine-hesitant group. As of June 2021 33%, of the adult African Canadian population reported vaccine hesitancy to some degree, significantly higher than the 19% of the White population and 25% of non-Black people of colour. This is not without reason.

African Canadians are also facing economic challenges: 56% of African Canadians have reported being laid off or have reduced working hours. 45% were worried about being able to pay the rent. African Canadians also have to wade through a barrage of ever-changing information, and oftentimes misinformation, from unreliable sources, including social media.

So, when our Prime Minister touts rhetoric like “They don’t believe in science and progress and are very often misogynistic and racist. It’s a very small group of people, but that doesn’t shy away from the fact that they take up some space. This leads us, as a leader and as a country, to make a choice: Do we tolerate these people?”

Again I ask whom is he talking to?

If the numbers show that it is African Canadians who are the most vaccine hesitant, are we a people who have to be tolerated?

It has become glaringly obvious that we were not all in this together.

The great part of being Canadian is that we have personal freedoms in order to make choices surrounding issues like religion and our health. To call fellow Canadians who choose to make their own health care choices these kinds of vile names is not only unbecoming from neighbour to neighbour, it’s reprehensible for a sitting prime minister to Canadians.

Prime Minister Trudeau, you MUST DO BETTER SO WE CAN BUILD BACK BETTER!

Canadian Race Relations Foundation launches $3 million National Anti-Racism Fund PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Since it was created in 1996, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) has been making a difference in the fight for social and racial justice and to end racism in Canada.

According to its website at www. crff-fcrr.ca, “It is Canada’s leading agency, dedicated to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society.”

On Tuesday, January 5th, the CRRF announced the launch of a $3 million National Anti-Racism Fund for “Developing, sharing, and applying knowledge and expertise to eliminate racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society.”

In order to be eligible for the funds ap-

plications must be in alignment with one or more of the following themes of objectives of the CRRF, which are: 1. Systemic racial barriers Reducing barriers to inclusion by addressing systemic racism in education, healthcare, the justice system, public services, employment, and public life.

2. Research and education Promoting and increasing availability and accessibility of date, evidence, and community insights on race relations in Canada.

3. Public awareness Informing public policies by highlighting systemic and institutional barriers.

4. Cultural and intercultural community building Creating cross-cultural opportunities through discussions and dialogue on race, religion, building awareness, and collaborations.

Furthermore, projects or events that

are approved should be able to fulfil these objectives:

coordinating events that align with CRRF’s themes.

•

3.Youth initiatives sponsorship applications These are geared to organizations, which focus on youth anti-racism initiatives.

• •

•

Increase public awareness of public policy issues related to race relations, anti-racism or anti-hate nationally, regionally, or in local communities Increase public awareness of Canada’s cultural diversity Increase awareness of factors such as race, culture, ethnicity, or religion that may be hindering full participation of the entire Canadian population in society and the economy Increase knowledge and capacity within communities to address racism and discrimination

There are three types of funding available within the National Anti-Racism Grant: 1. Project-based applications These are geared to organizations working on anti-racism or anti-hate projects.

2.Event sponsorship applications These are geared to organizations with

The application portal opened on Tuesday, January 4th, 2022, and will close on Friday, January 28th, 2022, for projectbased applications. Other applications will stay open until December 2022. Projectbased funding ranges from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $125,000.. There are certain limitations that apply to what the funds can and cannot be used that should be considered.

Mohammed Hashim, Executive Director of CRRF states in the press release, “We believe that community initiatives are often the catalyst for societal change. Giving much-needed funding to community organizations who often do the heavy lifting in anti-racism movements is an essential step in making Canada more racially equitable.”

NEWS

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 9

Jerome “JYD” Williams joins a Network of Untapped Entrepreneurs committing $5 million for Canadian Black entrepreneurs neurs (NUE) is an impact investment initiative focused on closing economic wealth gaps by supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs.

Their mission is to invest in and grow the network of untapped BIPOC entrepreneurs as well as support the growth of BIPOCowned businesses. In addition to private investors, NUE is supported by Alumni Pro Global Sports (APGS). APGS advisors and investors include NBA Hall of Famers Julius “Dr. J” Erving, George Gervin, Spencer Haywood, Allen Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo, and Mitch Richmond, and NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.

“BIPOC entrepreneurs continue to be impacted by systemic barriers that impede their opportunities for success and are difficult to navigate alone. BETA-i aims to level the playing field by mitigating entrepreneurship risks and providing business owners with the tools, knowledge and access to services to support their opportunities for success.” Joe Halstead (Board Chair at BETA-i)

Founded in 2020, BETA-i is the first Black-focused incubator in the world and the first Canadian, non-profit organization to use the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) model and adapt it to meet the needs of BIPOC entrepreneurs. Headquartered in Toronto, the organization’ entrepreneurship-in-residence program equips aspiring business owners with the tools to: locate, acquire, manage and grow a privately held company.

“We will help BETA-i’s Black and IPOC entrepreneurs navigate the legal and regulatory challenges they face and offer training and mentorship. Our contribution is

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“$5 million dollars; what is this about?” I briefly read through the press release, and immediately jumped on my computer. This was huge!

The best part of this pandemic is that there has been an overwhelming emergence of programs that have been made available for our community. It is important that during this time, we all figure out a way to pivot through it all. Gas prices, food prices, living prices, mortgages, it is all getting to be too much, but I would like to introduce a group of individuals who are willing to help those of us, who are willing to help ourselves.

At the end of 2021, former Toronto Raptor and founder of Alumni Pro Global Sports, Jerome “JYD” Williams, the Network of Untapped Entrepreneurs (NUE), and the Black Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Incubator (BETA-i) have partnered and committed $5 million in funding for BETAi’s Canadian entrepreneurship-in-residence program. This unbelievable announcement kicks off a five-year joint venture with BETA-i and NUE. Let me tell you all about them.

Network of Untapped Entrepre-

one small way our firm can work to remove the barriers that disproportionately affect BIPOC entrepreneurs.” Paul Davis (Partner with McMillan LLP)

BETA-i have partnered with McMillan LLP, a leading business law firm serving public, private and not-for-profit clients globally, and the Business Development Bank of Canada a financial institution devoted to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs.

In even more incredible news, McMillan LLP and Business Development Bank of Canada joined the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC), and the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) organizations who continue to be important and valued partners of Beta-i.

I had an opportunity to catch up with Wayne Isaacs, and the Junkyard Dog himself Jerome Williams. As important components of this initiative, they shared with me why this program is not only imperative, but also game changing.

“As an Investment Banker on Bay Street, and a serial entrepreneur, I have spent many hours in boardrooms,” Wayne tells me, “And very rarely do I see someone across the table that looks like me. I want this to change. There is an inordinate amount of talent that does not get leveraged; young people who have no idea that these opportunities exist. It is part of my purpose to get them the help they need.

What this program does is help entrepreneurs acquire and operate a business.

We are not an incubator to start new businesses. We want the entrepreneurs involved in the program to learn to evaluate a business, and then take that business to the next

level. Two entrepreneurs have signed on, and are closing business in 2022. Have to admit, it is impressive to see the progression.”

During his time in the NBA, Jerome Williams was observant of everything that was happening around him. He noticed a pattern that didn’t sit well with him.

“There were very few Black people in organizations involved in this sphere.

Yes, of course there were the players, but there are so many opportunities that you notice unfilled by people of colour. In my mind I was like, these opportunities could be turned into a business. While inroads have been made in the last year to foster a more inclusive environment for business and entrepreneurship, there is more work to be done in addressing the systemic barriers that disproportionately affect Black business owners.”

Jerome shares with me another pattern he has witnessed. “Black entrepreneurs are not able to get business loans. We, as a community, have to provide financial opportunities for our young Black entrepreneurs. They are an untapped source of entrepreneurial potential.

I am proud to be an ambassador for BETA-I; they are creating a foundation for future generations of BIPOC entrepreneurs to thrive and I am happy to do my part to support Canadian business owners in fulfilling their dreams.”

I am happy to announce that NUE will bring the BETA-i program to BIPOC entrepreneurs in the United States. Very impressive work, and it goes to show that when you are able to constructively collaborate, everything is possible.

Perhaps that is the lesson this pandemic is teaching us; Look to our own needs something that Asia cannot easily steal and imitate. When you do not have the financial resources or time to study such things, as the pressures of payroll, paying the bills continually grow upon your shoulders it seems like an unbearable struggle. A future is all we are looking for future generations and ourselves. We seem to be losing sight of that light of accomplishment we used to see years ago. The light is dimmer, and certainly does not speak of a better life, but of a continual struggle within our lives.

Many of Canada’s leading manufacturers are pawns to those who have placed us in this situation. The financial investments come from firms on Wall Street and Bay Street, all beholden to unnamed firms out of Asia, the EU and beyond.

A manufacturing firm of metal components pre 2019 became a major source of personal protective products for home and corporate use. They did not receive their financial seed money from a bank, but from a firm in Shanghai. This firm made great connections within the Federal and Provincial governments. The metal components firm used to make parts for Canada’s Military Armored Vehicle Program.

Problems of security and suspicious intentions will certainly abound once our overworked security apparatus notices this flaw. Money is hard to find, and our gov-

STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

North American businesses are still reaching out to importers from Asia and elsewhere.

Many North Americans allow greed to feed their conscience, instead of moral justice for our dying local businesses. Manufacturing will move to high tech or specialty stuff, or domestically made super cheap items. Canada will be a service industry and/or its usual resource-based colony to other nations.

We feed China with lower costing resource-based materials and then rely upon these firms for cheap products, not North American based, and certainly not long lasting. Lower prices for lower grade items, and we continue to buy them without thought to our local businesses, neighbours or future generations.

We must study what we can manufacture that is unique to North America, RY 10TH

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The Americas are seen in five parts: • Canada • America & Mexico • Central America • Latin America • The Caribbean

2018

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ernments will jump at any avenue of financial fulfilment.

Gas prices escalate constantly. The petroleum/energy firms blame the cost’s increases on green gas initiatives, while the government points to obvious corporate profiteering. We try to figure out how our employees will afford gas so they can go to work, and how we can support escalating logistics and trucking costs. Everything goes downhill until you and I, the consumer, decide to buy something, or not.

Developers are building industrial buildings at a fast pace these days, hoping that businesses will expand, or new foreign firms will reside in them. The cost of money is low, fuelling this crazy growth, as it does the housing market, but I feel certain the interest rates will increase this year, as inflation is making daily life difficult for all.

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massive market we would have to rearrange our way of doing business, devising ways to centre our attention upon “our” needs, our local economies.

Perhaps that is the lesson this pandemic is teaching us; look to our own needs, our own people and communities. After all, Asia (China) is doing that. They carry out business often at a monetary loss in order to maintain their economy for their massive population, and to continue a form of normality within their communities. People are happy when they are fed, clothed, employed and promised a better future.

Who is stronger? Our local economy, built for our neighbour’s benefit, or economic systems built to continually grow and maintain itself for that single purpose, growth.

We cannot get away from the effects of global economic influences, but we can get some form of control locally that is manageable and based upon a set of values that is centred upon community benefit.

Our expectations may need to be revised, but our wants and desires are not what make us. We are more than that.

PAGE 10

NEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

“Say what you want, but what is really in our vaccines, and how will knowing this help me?”

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“How Bad is my Batch? Batch codes and associated deaths, disabilities and illnesses for COVID-19 vaccines.”

Very bold! I was going through a website that was sent to me, and it was incredible to me how much work had been put in gathering all the information, and making it easy for citizens like you and me to take a look at what is in the actual batch of vaccines that was administered to us.

Created by Craig Paardekooper, How Bad is my Batch is a website populated with data sourced from VAERS, a public database of over 700,000 adverse reaction reports for Moderna, Pfizer and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines in the USA. He has been very detailed and meticulous with his work and has been able to access the VAERS database that includes data for Moderna, Pfizer and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines in countries outside of the USA.

All of the information at https:// www.howbad.info has been extracted from

the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, and this non-domestic data has been submitted by foreign regulatory agencies and consists of approximately 1,000,000 adverse reaction reports. The intention of the How Bad is my Batch team is to present the VAERS data in an accessible and unadulterated form, that can be easily verified using the links provided on the website.

I reached out to Craig, and he shared with me why he created the website, and why it is important for global citizens to take a look at exactly what they are putting in their bodies.

“I realized that the government’s intentions were not good, and that they were using punitive measures to coerce vaccination - despite the fact that there are alternative cures,” Craig tells me.

“I am a Certified Life Sciences Allied to Medicine, I have a BSc in Psychology, and I have worked as a software developer. My education, and job opportunities have given me an indispensible ability to detect patterns.”

“How difficult was it to pull this information together.” I queried?

“It just takes time and an undistracted, un-brainwashed mind. This means no mainstream media sources plugging the mind with propaganda. Right now, it’s about survival. It is important to share information and raise awareness, because an aware population is less hostile to those who side with freedom. I cannot survive in a hostile environment, so by raising awareness, I am

protecting myself.

It is also about duty,” Craig adds. “I have a duty not to remain silent. If I choose not to warn people and they are harmed, then I will be responsible for that harm. That’s something I could not live with.”

Each section provides source data such as Pfizer’s own reports showing that most adverse reactions occurred within 24 hours of the vaccinations including more than 50% of the heart attacks and strokes.

“You can check this for yourself just by opening a link to the Pfizer document and reading,” Craig shares. “I also provide the research papers showing how the spike protein causes clotting when added to healthy blood. There are referenced papers on the decline of the immune system following vaccination.

Ask yourself why they are coercing people with a threat of losing their job to take a vaccine where death or disability is a possible side effect, and why are they sidestepping parental consent to force this vaccine upon children?”

On the website, Craig provides a detailed look at how he was able to extract the information STEPS Part 1 - Getting your data 1. Download main table and batches table from VAERS website 2. Import batches table into same workbook as main table 3. Make sure both tables are in Table for-

mat, and named simply 4. Use vLookup() function to copy batch/ lot numbers from batch table to main table 5. Use vLookup() function to copy vaccine names from batch table to main table 6. Save the main table with the columns that you have added Part 2 - Filtering the data 7. Use the dropdown filter to select a particular manufacturer in the vaccine name column 8. Use the dropdown filter to select a particular date range in the vaccine date column 9. Select columns for Lot Number, Died, L-Threat and Disability. Copy these using Control C 10. Paste into a new worksheet Part 3 - Counting your data 11. Create a pivot table to count the number of adverse reactions for each batch 12. Copy and paste the rows of the pivot table to a new worksheet 13. Name and order the columns If you really take a look at the numbers provided by the government, you will begin to ask yourself why the government has not slowed down despite the huge number of deaths and disabilities following the vaccination. Then ask yourself if their intent is good or bad?

An alliance of labour, political and economic concerns are gathering to reclaim their rights as Trinidadians STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Trinidad and Tobago’s national government has made every effort to serve its citizens, and yet this COVID -19 pandemic has challenged the government like never before. The Row-

ley Administration has placed the globally approved health protocols in place, with the hope of stopping this spread of the Omicron variant. What has become a normal procedure in the EU, Canada and elsewhere has been applied to the Trinidadian lifestyle.

Most nations have placed some form of dictate, law or motion towards vaccination of all its citizens, and particularly the public workers that police, provide healthcare and serve their people, Trinidad is no different.

The Rowley Government has ordered that all public employees be vaccinated, and should an employee not do so, that employee will lose their rights to that employment. If one cannot go to work, one certainly can expect not being paid. Well, what about Trinidadians

Labour and Human rights?

Those who are championing the labour cause are calling foul to this directive.

Trade Unions such as The National Trade Union Centre and Oilfield Workers Trade Union call upon members to go to work, so long as they have not received a letter of suspension or termination, reporting to their workplace every day and signing the register as proof of their willingness to work.

The government’s labour and legal departments must get used to the term “constructive dismissal” as something that most of these employee’s legally will charge the government. Changing an employee’s job or working conditions with the aim of forcing them to resign is illegal. If an employee is not

paid at the end of the month this constitutes a lockout. Labour lockouts can easily become a national movement, a general strike against a government that is showing many of its citizens little empathy and mismanaging governmental health and labour protocols.

Issues of privacy come to air also.

Who is vaccinated and who is not? Who is employed and where? Trinidad and Tobago has a moral duty to advance the health and safety of all its citizens, and not to prosecute some, while claiming to do so in order to protect the many. Democracy is supposed to work for all, not just the many, while the few suffer indignities.

Ontario government updates back to school plan as students return to classrooms PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

There are still many uncertainties in the public education sector as the announcement that students will return to the classrooms triggered widespread concerns from many groups.

On Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, Ontario Education Minister, Stephen Lecce and Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kieran Moore reported that students will return to schools on Monday, January 17th, in the midst of rising cases of the Omicron variant in the Ontario population.

In preparation for the return of students, a news release from the Ontario government revealed that additional measures such as rapid antigen testing, high-quality masks to staff and students and the launch of school-

based vaccine clinics will be offered.

Minister Lecce states, “We are meeting the unique challenges presented by the Omicron variant head-on as we do everything we can to support in-person learning. Our government is taking nothing for granted, which is why we are launching school-based vaccination clinics, distributing millions of rapid antigen tests and have deployed non-fit-tested N95 masks to staff and three-ply masks to students.”

New steps include: • High-quality masks • Improved ventilation • Stricter screening • Historic funding • Access to additional educators • Enhanced co-horting and cleaning Dr Kieran is supportive of the return of students to the classrooms. He states, “In-person learning is critical to the mental health and well-being of our children and youth. In light of the unique challenges posed by the Omicron variant, my team and I will continue to work with the education sector to review all of our guidelines and all environmental, health,

cleaning, and ventilation standards to ensure our schools remain as safe as possible for all.”

There has been media attention given to the fact that random testing of asymptomatic individuals was not widely available.

The press release states, “The use of the tests is for symptomatic individuals who will be required to take two rapid tests 24 hours apart and upon negative results can return to class.”

There was a release of guidance to school boards on Thursday, January 6th, 2022, which states, “The use of take-home PCR selfcollection kits will only be used in limited circumstances. These kits are to be provided only to symptomatic elementary, secondary students and education staff who become symptomatic while at school.”

Many individuals have expressed concerns that parents will not be informed if someone is exposed to COVID-19 in their child’s class. The guidance states further, “Given the widespread transmission and inability to test all symptomatic individuals, schools will not be routinely notifying students/pupils in classes with a positive case, or if a child/student or staff is absent due to symptoms associated with COVID-19.”

Steven Del Duca, Ontario Liberal

Leader is not happy about parents not being informed. “This is something that will actually be scary for parents to hear, that they’re not going to know that their child is sitting beside another child that has tested positive, I just cannot for the life of me figure out that approach.”

The lack of data collection and publishing of COVID-19 numbers does not sit well with the community. Andrea Horvath, Ontario NDP Leader states, “Doug Ford has had a month to add safety measures while kids were out of schools - but he didn’t, and now we’re down to the wire. In fact, he made it worse by denying testing and scrapping reporting. Parents, teachers and education workers are anxious that they won’t be told when they are being exposed to COVID right in their classroom.”

There are still so many lingering questions in the coming weeks as students return to schools that hopefully have enhanced safety protocols, improved ventilation and easier access to vaccination clinics. The fact is that the Ontario government was not prepared for the impending crisis despite being warned repeatedly by teachers’ unions and others that it has to invest more for students’ safety.

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

NEWS

PAGE 11

Church prelates promoting vaccination is misleading the nation and must repent!

MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

In a sweeping alter-call, the Secretary Bishops of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate made a heartfelt plea to three “Judas Priests” who are using the church’s office to promote a “Satanic Injection” asking them to repent and change their evil ways in order to escape God’s judgment.

The bishops urge Slovakians to rise up and spit in the faces of Zvolenský, Bober, and Babjak, who have sold themselves to the devil. Like serpents, deceitfully leading astray trusting souls onto the path of temporal suffering and eternal destruction.

According to the bishops these

disciples of Satan whose only mission is to erase humans from this planet have no place in the church, not to mention hold these high religious offices.

Here are some of the media regurgitated sentences that some of these socalled priests use to convince their congregation to get injected.

“We are witnessing a rise in Covid infections and deaths alongside a growing number of exhausted medical staff, which may cause an imminent collapse of hospitals.” This quote is from one named Bober.

He went on to tell his audience that, “We are convinced that vaccination can greatly help in stopping the pandemic and saving thousands of human lives.”

Another priest named Babjak told his flock, “By getting vaccinated, we protect both ourselves and others, as our holy father Francis said, getting the vaccine is an act of love toward others.”

This is what the third member of these “Judas Priests” named Zvolenský had to say about the experimental injection

openly, “Let us pluck up courage and take this step of love toward others, the weak, the vulnerable. We urge priests to spread the right word, raise awareness in favour of vaccination and adhere to the hygiene rules.”

The following is from a letter, which the bishops have asked Toronto Caribbean Newspaper to make public. This statement was sent to an Archbishop in response to his teachings on the injections.

Dear Judas Archbishop Stanislav, your words “Let us pluck up courage and take this step” urge people to commit physical and spiritual suicide! You urge priests to spread the right word and raise awareness, but if any priest began to do so, you would immediately punish him.

Do you not know that an international alliance of physicians backed up by over 12,700 specialists held a symposium recently in Rome against Covid terror? Do you not know that there was a demonstration in Prague on Sunday November 14th, organized by the Parallel Medical Chamber?

Upstanding doctors laid down their medical

coats outside the Department of Health in protest and placed a banner on them saying, “You are lying!”

It is important to note that evil knows no boundaries and these days more than ever this is evident almost everywhere, even in the church.

Some so-called preachers, Pastors, and Priests have all of a sudden become “injection experts”, but this is just the beginning. When Pope Francis is in support of this “injection” it should come as no surprise that his disciples are just following the leader.

A leader that the bishops who wrote this letter are certainly not impressed with in the least. Here are some opening words the Secretary Bishops of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate has for Pope Francis, “Dear pseudo-Pope, the whole world knows, and you yourself certainly know it too, that you have one foot in hell. Through the BCP, God is urging you to take one last chance to repent publicly of your spiritual crimes against God, the Church, and humanity.”

Dr Glenda Simms; Her legacy, her community activism, champion of women’s rights in Canada and Jamaica PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The death of Dr Glenda Simms on Friday, December 31st, 2021, has brought international tributes as she is remembered for her contributions to social justice and gender equity in Canada and Jamaica.

She was born in Jamaica where she completed her Teacher’s Diploma before migrating to Canada to continue her professional development as an educator. She pursued a Bachelor of Education at the Universi-

ty of Alberta in 1974, followed by a Master of Education in 1976 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1985. She served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta between 1977- 1980, as an Associate Professor at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan between 1980-1985 and at the Faculty of Education at Nipissing University College in North Bay between 1987-1990.

Dr Simms rose to the echelon of administrative leadership as the first Black female President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women between1990 and 1995. She provided strategic advice to the Canadian government, supervised a staff of 44 including senior managers and engaged in a broad range of public campaigns related to issues specific to the educational, social and political lived realities of females in Canada and Jamaica.

In 1996, she was appointed Execu-

tive Director of the Jamaican Bureau of Women’s Affairs where she served for ten years until the year 2006. In this capacity, she provided advice to the Government of Canada on women’s issues, poverty, eradication, race relations, child labour and issues of development. From January 2005 to December 2008, she served as an expert on the Committee for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women as described at the webiste:genderequality.gov.ky.

Dr Simms’ LinkedIn profile reveals that she served as Executive Director of Simms Consulting starting in December 2005. Senator Scott-Mottley in a statement on behalf of the PNP wrote,” Born in Stanmore, St Elizabeth, Dr Simms lived an exemplary life, and was an admirable leader and advocate for women’s rights, social justice and equity. Dr Simms was a woman, whom I deeply admired, and her passing saddens me, she was a passionate and fearless advo-

cate for women’s rights and ending discrimination on the grounds of gender and race.

Her rich legacy will have a lasting impact.”

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller wrote, “She was strong in her conviction that the way to end genderbased violence was to create a better understanding between women and men. She was intolerant of any kind of gender discrimination and was strident and vocal when qualified women were passed over for important national positions.” Dr Simms received many awards for her outstanding accomplishments.

Dr Simms was remembered for her contributions to Canada at a Kwanzaa event in Toronto. Dr Jean Augustine, Dr Akua Benjamin and Adaoma Patterson paid tributes to her and acknowledged her immense social activism and advocacy during her time in Canada. Undoubtedly, her legacy and influence will last a lifetime.

“I am done with this pandemic.” Not done by a long shot folks!

STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

This pandemic has made a certain statement spoken by many of your neighbours famous, “I am done with this pandemic.” “I am done.”

Certainly, we have had to do many unusual things these last two years, all of which were done to keep you and I safe from the COVID-19 virus.

You have had enough, you’re done with it, cannot do anymore, right? Well, you’re not done yet folks. Not by a long shot.

Two years ago, I sent an email to the Premier suggesting his health and safety trust investigate what had been done during the last world scale pandemic. Go to any University History Department in Ontario and speak to a history specialist, preferably one with insight into the various pandemics of our past. Most of the Premier’s Health Council were doctors,

and even virologists, but none had experienced a real living pandemic before.

The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide and killed approximately 20-50 million people. At that time there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain. Citizens were ordered to wear masks while schools, theatres and businesses were closed. Bodies piled high in makeshift morgues before the virus ended its global spread. This strain was highly contagious, just like Omicron is today.

When an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, respiratory droplets spread into the air and onto people and items around them. The Spanish Flu like COVID-19 attacks the respiratory system. The first wave of the Spanish Flu occurred in the spring of 1918. Most infected experienced typical flulike symptoms such as chills, fever and fatigue, and recovered within a week. However, the second wave of influenza attacked with a vengeance in the fall of 1918. Victims died within hours or days of developing the symptoms, their skin turning a blue colour and their lungs filling with fluid. The average life expectancy rate in America in 1918 dropped by a dozen years.

When the flu hit, most doctors, scientists and medical staff were unprepared, much like today. There were no working vaccines or medical protocols to fall back upon, no plans on how to respond. While World War I was still going on, another problem was a lack of medical staff within many nations; most were in various armies. Hospitals were overloaded with influenza patients, so schools, private homes and other buildings were used to house the many ill patients.

Students from higher learning and high schools were often used to staff these places. Many elected officials imposed quarantines, ordering citizens to wear masks, and shut down public places, including schools, churches and entertainment venues. Municipalities even outlawed spitting as a health violation.

Home remedies became popular too. Doctors not having anything that could really assist these patients prescribed aspirin, often at very high doses. Doctors often prescribed 30 grams per day; a dose now known to be toxic. Today, most doctors will prescribe less than 2-3 grams per day. Historians believe deaths of patients were due to misuse of aspirin and other home remedies. Further happenings were the burials of family mem-

bers on family property, and plots dug by their family members. Basic services offered by various governments and businesses were limited or shut down.

Many made tragic decisions. Philadelphia’s response was a little too late. Their Director of Health and Charities insisted the mounting deaths were not the Spanish Flu, but the plain old flu. On September 28th, the city went forward with its planned Liberty Loan parade attended by tens of thousands of citizens, spreading the disease like wildfire.

Over the next ten days thousands of Philadelphians were dead with another 200,000 sick.

Two months later 15,000 citizens were dead.

St Louis, Missouri was different, closing schools, movie theatres and other public places. Citizens in San Francisco were fined five dollars if they were caught not wearing a mask in public, and often charged with disturbing the peace.

It is believed the Spanish Flu fizzled out over a five-year period, once those infected had died or developed immunity. The forgotten pandemic must remind us all that an end will come over time.

Safe practices and community bonding together will assist our journey towards a new and better future.

NEWS

PAGE 12

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

If sports players are allowed exemptions, shouldn’t we all?

Introduction to the National Interest Exemption •

SIMONE SMITH

•

simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Exemptions from travel restrictions for foreign nationals travelling from any country other than the United States Exemptions from quarantine requirements for individuals who are authorized to travel to Canada

To date, they have granted five classbased quarantine exemptions on the basis of national interest for professional sports leagues – two for the National Hockey League, one for Major League Baseball and two for Major League Soccer.

It is intended for use in exceptional circumstances only. All other exemptions must be considered before giving consideration to applying the national interest exemption. National interest exemptions are to be used in limited cases beyond those contemplated by the other exemptions. They are not meant to be a workaround for cases when the authority authorized to make the exemption does not grant a more appropriate exemption.

IRCC uses the Public Safety Canada Guidance on Essential Services and Functions in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic webpage as a guide to determine whether a person’s travel to Canada

We now live in a world where rules are applied for some, and not applied for others.

After reading this article, I would not be surprised if many of you feel moved to lash out at our government. Yet again, they are practicing what too many might see a little unfair. I am curious, how many of you know about the Canadian government’s National Interest Exemption?

What is that you ask? Well, basically, it allows certain members of our society to be exempt from policies that are mandated by our government. According to Canada.ca, each decision is weighed carefully in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

They have the authority to issue two types of national interest exemptions as follows:

is related to supporting critical infrastructure. IRCC also uses provincial guidelines.

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Foreign Affairs also hold national interest granting authorities for both exemptions from quarantine, and from the non-United States travel restrictions under the COVID-19 related orders in councils (entry restrictions). Quarantine exemption decisions are based on the advice of the Minister of Health and with full support of provincial health authorities and implicated municipalities.

All individuals that are granted an IRCC national interest exemption from the travel restrictions are subject to the mandatory quarantine requirements, unless specifically exempted from the quarantine requirement. They claim that each case is thoroughly analyzed to ensure there is a national interest in having a foreign national enter the country despite the COVID-19 travel restrictions in place.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the five class-based exemptions from quarantine granted to the professional sports leagues applied to a total of 1,458 individuals as follows: •

1,200 individuals from the National

• • •

Hockey League 20 individuals from Major League Baseball 134 individuals from Major League Soccer for pre-season training 104 individuals from Major League Soccer for pre-playoff training

As of October 31st, 2020, 1,398 national interest exemptions from the travel restrictions, to allow entry to Canada, were granted by the Minister and delegated officials, as follows: • • •

1,098 exemptions were granted for business visitors who were coming to support critical infrastructure; 276 for urgent resettlement of refugees; and 12 were for family members of victims of Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752. The remaining 12 were for other reasons.

Interesting. I can see when it comes to the resettlement of refugees, and the twelve family members of victims of Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752, but were they just used as a loophole to substantiate the exemptions? Community; let us know your thoughts; if sports players are allowed exemptions, shouldn’t local citizens?

The Vatican is notoriously silent about crimes of sodomy in the Catholic Church you at a critical moment! You will then be held responsible for all the evil you have caused by your betrayal and cowardice, and you will also lose the crown of eternal glory!”

Bergoglio has abused the church structure and drawn the Catholic Church into a rapid process of doctrinal and moral self-destruction. He transforms the Church of Christ in stages into a harlot of the antichrist and a synagogue of Satan.

Today, it is quite clear that an orthodox Pope cannot be officially elected. The apostate Vatican, under the influence of the Masons, will elect Francis No.2, No.3… continuing in the line of self-destruction of the Church and humanity.

This New Year’s Eve message was packed with things which the Bishops of Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate deemed an abomination unto God, “The Deep Church, headed by the invalid Pope Bergoglio, is cooperating with the Deep State on the Covid affair. It is a planetary coup that is supposed to lead to the establishment of a New World Order, the goal of which is hell on earth and hell after death.”

Today, the homo-network is already present even in the highest places in the Church. It is a gross disregard for God’s warning against temporal (2Pe 2:6) and eternal fire (Jud 1:7). The legalization of sodomy is closely linked to the stealing of children by so-called social services.

MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“In this given situation, standing up for Carlo Maria Viganò and electing him a legitimate Pope is a prerequisite not only for restoring the Church but also for saving humanity.”

This was a warning that went out to all the Catholic bishops asking them to reject the pseudo Pope Francis and all the evil he stands for and to install a Godly pope in the person of Carlo Maria Viganò.

This was the New Year’s message to the catholic world.

This plea came from none other than the bishops of the Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate. The warning was precise, “Dear Bishops, unless you stand up for Carlo Maria Viganò in this situation, you will remain under the curse and after death, you will be held accountable for not doing what you were obliged to do and what the will of God was for RY 10TH

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Under the guise of so-called adoption, which favours same-sex couples, the stolen children are abused and demoralized.

In Norway alone, with a population of 5.5 million, 70-100 of these children commit suicide each year.

The Vatican is notoriously silent about these crimes! If only it was at least silent about the vaccination, but it is not!

The Vatican vehemently forces criminal mRNA vaccination on people! How could the apostate Vatican along with Bergoglio stand in defence of humanity if they did not stand in defence of innocent children against gender madness?

Bergoglio’s intense promotion of sodomy was accompanied by a gesture of kissing a transsexual’s feet. He set a precedent for extraordinary respect for perverted thinking and immorality. The legal establishment of a lie about a man being a woman marked a turning point in thinking, where every reality was challenged. This has now culminated with the establishment of a system of lies through the Covid affair and mass genocidal vaccination.

When one listens to the biography of this current Vatican it makes one wonder if it is a case from “America’s Most Wanted,” and the bishop’s message goes on.

The mRNA vaccination alters the human genome, which leads to the ex-

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tinction of the human race. It is a crime against God the Creator. Furthermore, the vaccination is associated with the process of chipping, which aims to turn people into bio robots and deprive them of free will and thus the possibility of repentance and salvation.

At the same time, this vaccination is part of the agenda of depopulation, i.e., genocide of mankind. This was admitted

by Gates himself, the promoter of vaccination, who said that it should contribute to the reduction of the population by 1015% in the first stage.

In addition, this vaccination is associated with a brutal crime in which a live unborn baby has its kidney tissue ripped out of the body and then is killed. In spiritual terms, the blood of these murdered children places people under Satan’s rule.

So, this is satanic anti-baptism. Using a kind of remote cell line as an excuse, and thus distracting attention from the essence, is a gross deception of the public on the part of the ecclesiastical authorities and a crime.

“The curse that has come upon us at this time has come because of the Church’s betrayal, so the Church must be the first to repent! How? It must call the false Pope a false Pope and separate from him.”

NEWS

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 13

Toronto’s Festival Management Committee offers free training to small business owners MICHAEL THOMAS

people complete the program.

•

The topics include:

• •

• •

michael@carib101.com

• • • •

TC REPORTER

Toronto’s FMC Festival Management Committee has secured federal funding to offer a program that will support Black entrepreneurs. The program’s purpose will be to provide free training to help small business owners increase their entrepreneurial skills, and be successful in their businesses. “We are focusing our program on the festival and its related business.” The FMC hopes that this initiative will be of interest to the small business owners involved in the festival.

The festival’s goal is to have 120

Money management Technology solutions and digital strategies Business structure and planning How to grow your business Funding opportunities Vendor and customer relationship management

Courses are conveniently delivered online for 1.5 hours per week for four weeks. Two courses will be 1.5 hours per week for four weeks.

Here are some of what the program provides: • •

Lectures, workshops, and mentorship on eight (8) key business disciplines Internships for the selected number of participants

Practical solution case studies to common business problems Access to business advisors Certificate of Completion from George Brown College

I spoke with the Chair of FMC Laverne Garcia on how things are progressing with this three-year progressive plan, “The federal government put out a call for proposals about supporting Black entrepreneurship with small Black businesses, and so as an organization that has a ton of Black small businesses participating in our event, from the mass people, steel band to the food vendors everybody, the purpose of this grant is to help people have the business skills to take their businesses further.”

This program will be in effect until 2024 and the goal is to train 120 small Black businesses each year so that they become successful business people in the end.

Garcia said some people have small businesses but lack the accounting and mar-

keting skills to take it to the next level and that is where this program comes into play, it’s a way to teach them all that and more in the courses that are offered.

This year’s spots are nearly filled, so it will be wise for would-be participants to start planning next year’s event soon.

“This is a time of rebuilding and transitioning for everyone, people are faced with lots of challenges. I think it’s time for strengthening the stake, making sure you have those great ideas that you wanted to put out, that you’ve got the tools you need in order to execute on them, and this is one way of doing that,” said the FMC Chair.

Garcia told Toronto Caribbean Newspaper that the present situation has caused a lot of small businesses to go under, but she is hopeful there will be a rebound, and she is also hoping to take the festival back on the road again this year.

For more information, please visit www.bbep.ca

No Vaccine, No Pay! Trinidad and Tobago’s move to authoritarianism will be furloughed. Yes, the Rowley government has given their employees the choice of keeping their employment if they are vaccinated, or no employment without the vaccination. Those who cannot return to work, due to this vaccination mandate, will not be paid.

The National Trade Union Centre (Natuc) encouraged their members to show up at work and register. If an employee is not allowed to do their job, it is an offence against their legal contractual rights as an employee and union member, and such an act can be viewed as constructive dismissal.

The Rowley government is playing loose and underhandedly with the Energy Portfolio also. The National Resource Fund Legislation has come under the direct control of the PMO and Minister Rowley. This

STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The Rowley government shut down all but essential public services in December. A directive has been issued stating that all public employees must be vaccinated if they wish to receive their earned pay. The government has advertised that public servants who are not vaccinated against COVID-19

transition from an objective, nonpartisan committee to the direct control of the Prime Minister is putting the control of this Islands future in jeopardy.

The promised wealth of Trinidad and Tobago’s natural resources has fallen into politician’s hands. Look out for the many lobbyists from the energy and development sectors already to pay a pretty penny to these politicians with open hands and offshore accounts. Many thousands of oil workers are stranded in a vortex of uncertainty while their firms decide whether they will continue drilling for oil or are on standby while corporate giants compete for these firms’ future ownerships. The National Gas Company’s 30,000 employee’s future depends upon it.

Trinidad and Tobago has fallen into

a more centralized authoritarian time set, where the rights of individual employees mean little to the grander scheme devised by the government and large corporations.

The vaccine protocols can be applied without forcing individuals to become vaccinated. Mass vaccinations were offered in mid December, at the same time the vaccine directive was pushed through governmental agencies. The government has seen the opportunity to consolidate its power and influence over its citizens. This health crisis has created fear and chaos throughout the Caribbean, and as we all know when chaos and fear reign, great opportunities to take advantage of the situation open up to those in power.

The Federal Government commits $20 Billion to overhaul the Child Welfare System Rights Tribunal that the system was rigged, and consequently it led to First Nations’ children being discriminated against.

In 2016, there was a tribunal ruling, which agreed that there was discrimination by the federal government against First Nations’ kids due to deliberate underfunding of the on-reserve child-care system.

Subsequently, in 2016, Ottawa was ordered to pay $40,000, which is the highest amount possible under the Canadian Human Rights Act to “children, along with their primary guardians, who was part of the onreserve child welfare system from at least January 1st, 2006.”

ICBC News reported on Tuesday, January 4th, that the parties in the dispute have until March 31st, to agree to the details of the settlement. Cindy Woodhouse, Assembly of First Nations Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse stated in a press conference, “First Nations from across Canada have had to work very hard for this day to provide redress for monumental wrongs

PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The federal government agreed to a landmark settlement of $40 billion towards compensation for First Nations’ child welfare underfunding. The dispute was centered on the federal funding for the child welfare system for Indigenous children.

It started in 2007 when the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the First Nations’ Child and Family Caring Society filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Human RY 10TH

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against First Nations’ children, wrongs fuelled by an inherently biased system.” He explained that First Nations’ children were denied the basic necessities of life and instead were shoved into the foster care system that supposedly had their best interests in mind.

Compensation will also be made available to those affected by what the government called its “narrow definition” of Jordan’s Principle, used between December 12th, 2007, and November 2nd, 2017. Compensation is being extended to children who did not receive an essential public service or faced delays in accessing such services between April 1st,1991 and December 11th, 2007.

There is an estimate that over 200 000 children and youth would be able to benefit from this compensation according to the AFN. There are still a lot of details that need to be ironed out in order to assist applicants to know whether they would be eligible for compensation. Details about when the payments will commence, and the exact

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figures have not been finalized.

Patty Hajdu, Indigenous Services Minister states, “Our expectation is that $40 000 is the floor and there may be circumstances where people are entitled to more.”

The commitment of $20 billion by the federal government to overhaul the child welfare system will be spread out over five years.

Woodhouse affirms, “Today is about a plan for the future, with First Nations defining and determining a path forward grounded in our rights and the common goal to have our children succeed.”

Hajdu notes, “No compensation amount can make up for the trauma people have experienced, but these agreementsin-principle acknowledge to survivors and their families the harm and pain caused by the discrimination in funding and services.”

There is hope that April 1st will be the date of the launch.

PAGE 14

NEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

The most unreported story of last year; COVID-19 policies have destroyed a generation of children SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“It is the crushing impact that these COVID-19 policies have had on our children.

A teenager has a one in a million chance of getting and dying from COVID-19. They have a higher chance of getting into a car accident.

If our policies don’t reflect a more measured and reasonable approach for our children, they will be paying for our generation’s decisions for the rest of their lives. That to me is the most unreported story of last year!”

Jan Crawford (Political Correspondent and Chief Legal Correspondent for CBS News) The Surgeon General says there is a mental health crisis with our children.

The risk of suicide among girls is up 51%. Black kids are twice as likely to die from suicide as White kids. This pandemic has had a tremendous negative impact on our children. It has hurt their dreams and their future. Learning loss, risk of abuse, their mental health, and now with our knowledge, these vaccines. They lose these years, our young people should be exploring, connecting, meeting people, instead they are sitting at home staring at computer screens, depressed, anxious.

Despite all the restrictions and lockdowns that caused economic devastation and suffering beyond measure, especially in children, and despite a 90% vaccination rate, we’re back to square one.

When Toronto Caribbean Newspaper first brought these topics of discussion to the community, people were unsure of our reporting; you were unsure that we knew what we were talking about. It has taken two years, but now politicians are coming out, scientists are speaking out, healthcare workers are speaking out, and brave members of the community are speaking out; something is wrong, and our children are the ones who are ultimately affected.

According to the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization latest statistics, more than 870 million students at all levels have been negatively affected in their education. In South Asia alone, more than 400 million children are affected by school closures and limited access to remote learning.

It was also found that children living in institutions and migrant children are particularly vulnerable. We cannot forget the economic strain that has been caused by the pandemic; families struggling to pay for rent and food face considerable difficulties in providing for their children’s most basic needs. At the same time, loss of income often induces stress within the family, and this can manifest into domestic violence between parents or against their children.

There are stressful events, called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), that have short and long-term consequences, including children’s impaired cognitive and emotional development.

Are we really surprised though?

Maybe some of us are, but there are a group of global citizens who have known all along that the combination of lockdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, social distancing, school closures, plexiglas walls in classes,

obsessive sanitizing, PCR testing, and quarantine facilities were achieving nothing but the normalization of chronic hysteria.

UNICEF urges governments, local authorities and school administrations to reopen schools as soon as possible, while taking all possible precautions to mitigate transmission of the virus in schools. “Every hour a child spends in the classroom is precious – an opportunity to expand their horizons and maximize their potential.

And with each passing moment, countless amounts of opportunity are lost,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director.

As a community, what can we do?

We, leaders, community activists, politicians, larger organizations, we need to get in touch with families in our community, make sure they have everything they need for their children to learn and give families whatever support they need.

What this pandemic has done is rise to the surface inequalities that existed before this global crisis. Low-income families don’t need the system’s pity; they need support. It’s incumbent on our system to create opportunities for family engagement.

The African community in Denmark, and the status of the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Many may not realize this, but there are Black people who live in places like Denmark, and as a matter of fact we are a people that live everywhere. Now, I know that you may be wondering why I am saying this, and the answer is simple; the status of the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron in Denmark is out and as a people who make up part of the Danish population, we are very much affected.

In 2019 non-western immigrants and descendants of immigrants from nonwestern countries made up 8.9% of the nation’s 5.8 million population, according to Statistics Denmark.

According to immigrants in Den-

mark by country of origins 2020, over 11,000 Somalians are living in that country, and there are more from other parts of the dark continent and beyond, so with stats like this we as a people must be concerned with what is Denmark’s plan of action.

This is a country not too long ago whose parliament voted to get rid of the socalled ghettos of Denmark where the dwellers were of course predominately Black and made all sorts of elusive excuses around the fact.

This Omicron variant was originally discovered in Denmark in November last year, and it quickly became the nation’s leading variety in December, according to their local news. Although the risk of being admitted to hospital with this is half that of the Delta variant, Denmark Statens Serum Institute’s academic director Tyra Grove already expects this brew to transmit quickly affecting a large number of the population in January and February.

Here are a few elderly comparisons of this exceptionally deadly disease.

Apart from Denmark, South Korea has also recorded fatalities linked to the new

COVID-19 strain Omicron. Two men, who were in their 90s, have lost their lives to the disease. The Omicron variant claimed its first victim in the Australian state of New South Wales in late December. A man who was in his 80’s, infected at an elderly care home in Australia, was confirmed as the fatal case.

Until Sunday December 19th, 2021, nearly all-positive SARS-CoV-2 samples were tested with variant PCR to identify Omicron cases. As of Monday December 20th, 2021, only a representative sample of the positive SARS-CoV-2 samples were tested with variant PCR at TCDK, hence, the number of identified Omicron cases does not represent the total number of Omicron cases in Denmark.

In the Clinical Microbiological Departments are the PCR samples from hospitalized patients prioritized to be variant PCR tested. There are currently registered a total of 54,616 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) SARS-CoV-2 cases in Denmark.

Here are the number of positive cases per injected as opposed to un-injected people: • Not vaccinated 21,390 23.7 3,500 8.5

• • • • •

Received first dose 2,813 3.1 731 1.8 Completed primary vaccination schedule 56,532 62.5 29,781 72.0 Revaccinated 9,704 10.7 7,330 17.7 Total 90,439 100.0 41,342 100.0 Denmark has injected 75% of its entire population.

It is extremely important to note that those who are so-called fully injected are more than double the ones infected. That said, Danish people are being threatened once more. Does this sound familiar? Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke stated that Denmark might face a fresh lockdown if more people do not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Denmark’s opposition party has a voice and is using it to their people’s advantage. Venstre, the opposition liberal-conservative party claims that Heunicke is violating a key agreement by threatening to reinstate limitations. “Scolding individuals does not help here since the population has assumed responsibility. Threatening to shut down society is a completely crazy message from the health minister.”

NEWS

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 15

Study shows that Black Canadians experience racial discrimination at least once a week PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER The release of recent study revealed that about 40% of Black Canadians experienced racial discrimination every week. The details of this study was reported in an article by Andrew Duffy on Thursday, December 24th,2021 for the Ottawa Citizen.

The study is the first of its kind in Canada by University of Ottawa’s psychology

professor Jude Mary Cenat. It was published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and was based on results from 845 volunteer participants between the ages of 15 and 40.

The study participants were asked to describe their exposure with different forms of racial discrimination, which range from microaggressions, normal racism to significant racism. When the data was analyzed, it found that about four of ten participants faced casual discrimination at least once a week. The details of the show revealed the following: • • • •

46% reported being treated with less courtesy or respect than others 43% reported being treated as if they’re unintelligent 41% reported being threatened or harassed 38% reported receiving poorer service than others at stores or restaurants

• •

47.5% reported being treated unfairly during discussions about housing 46.3% reported being treated unfairly during discussions about bank loans

Analysis of the data revealed that over 50% of the 845 participants reported that they faced “Major episodes of racial discrimination at least once in their lives related to job hiring (61.5%), education (60.5%), policing (55.5%) and health services (53.1%).”

The conclusion of the study notes, “These initial observations indicate that racial discrimination, whether it is daily, major or comprised of microaggression is not an isolated occurrence for people from Black communities in Canada. On the contrary, it forms part of their daily lives.”

These numbers are startling considering that African-Canadians only make up approximately 3.5 percent of the population

of Canada. Professor Cenat stated that it is important to obtain quantitative data after hearing anecdotal information from Blacks who had experienced mental health challenges related to discrimination and “About its impact on people’s school and work lives.” Dr. Cenat states, “In my clinic, I have never taken on a Black man, a Black woman, a Black youth, who told me, I have never experienced racial discrimination. It is part of our daily life.”

He mentioned that this study highlights the fact that racial discrimination is not simply an American phenomenon, “But also very much present in Canada.” He believes that the results of this study will help to dispel Canada’s colour-blind approach. He states, “I want schools for instance, to take into account the pathway for each student. You cannot just say, ‘I don’t see skin colour.’ You have to take into account that experience is related to my skin colour.”

Still unsure about the jab?

Your questions answered at the Family COVID-19 Vaccination Webinar JANIECE CAMPBELL janiece@carib101.com

TC REPORTER On January 12th, 2022, a webinar hosted by the Region of Peel, the Black Physicians Association of Ontario and several other partners featured an expert panel of healthcare professionals answering questions from the community regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for children and adults. The one-hour discussion covered topics such as vaccine safety, efficacy, consent and more.

The speakers consisted of two acclaimed doctors: Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, a pediatric clinical immunologist and allergist, as well as Dr. David Burt, an immunologist with more than thirty years of international experience in the research and development of vaccines against infectious diseases including influenza and SARS.

A common question that the professionals addressed was how are so many people getting COVID-19 after being double vaccinated?

“Viruses are always looking for a host.

They’re looking for warm bodies to infect.

When they see resistance, they change so that

they can infect you. And that’s why we’re seeing so many new variants, because they’re trying to find a way to bypass our immune systems. It’s not unusual that this can happen, as viruses are always trying to find a way to prosper. With our vaccines, they’ve been great. But with Omicron, it’s been a little different. Having two vaccines gives you a little protection but having three is better. And yes, we’re seeing vaccinated people still get Omicron, but they’re getting a much milder disease. Even if you might still get mild infections, the fact that you’re getting mild infections speaks volumes to how well it’s working. It’s stopping you from getting really sick.

You’re still getting some prevention and it’s still worth it,” says Dr. Abdurrahman.

“The vaccine is still doing what it’s supposed to do. As of January 11th, if you’re fully vaccinated, you have a 77% chance of being less likely to be hospitalized, and 90% less chance of being in the ICU,” Dr. Burt says additionally.

Another proposed question was about the necessity of boosters and how to explain the negative adverse effects that previously healthy young people have received after getting their dose, such as myocarditis.

“If you look at the benefits and risks associated with taking vaccines versus getting Covid in relation to children ages 12-17, the risk of myocarditis is very low. A lot of people don’t realize that there’s a 30% higher risk of myocarditis after Covid infection than after getting the vaccine. Being vaccinated especially for teenagers is important. Not only are you preventing severe disease and potential hospitalization, but you’re preventing and decreasing chances

of myocarditis. It’s very clear now that three doses of the vaccines are critically important to prevent you from getting severe disease,” replied Dr. Burt.

Dr. Abdurrahman chimes in. “It’s important to look at the data for children who have been infected with Covid. When we look at all the children admitted to ICUs or hospitals across Canada, there wasn’t an overwhelming portion of them who had chronic diseases who would be seen as being more fragile. We had a lot of healthy children being admitted, so it’s not just affecting kids with other medical conditions. We are seeing children getting long Covid, meaning they’re having present symptoms more than three months after getting infected.

They may have just had a positive swab and nothing else, but now they’re getting chronic pains, medical issues and getting put on medication. And that’s what we’re trying to prevent; hospitalizations, ICU visits, deaths, as well as trying to prevent the infection so we don’t see this long covid. It’s one thing to get a cold, but we didn’t see this long systematic issue happening in our bodies afterwards like we’re seeing with this infection.”

“Long Covid also causes brain fog, meaning there can be difficulty processing and remembering things. You don’t want your children experiencing learning problems,” Dr. Burt follows up.

A final important question that the panelists answered was regarding the clinical trials and how children and racialized groups were involved in the process of studying the vaccine efficacy.

“Every time the vaccine has been re-

leased for a certain age group, it’s always after studies have been completed. One of the great things now different from other studies done on non-Covid vaccines we use all the time, there is a focus on looking at a diverse population in these studies. They’re done in multiple countries, and they are getting a much broader approach in terms of people from not just one race category unlike a lot of previous medical studies. Now we’re seeing that Black, Asian, Latinx communities were represented. And this was seen in each age group. In some studies, there’s up to a 9-10% Black population represented which is phenomenal because it’s typically less than 1%t. You can know that someone who looks like you was represented in these clinical trials,” says Dr. Abdurrahman.

“If there’s anything you could say that’s good about Covid, it’s that it’s enabling the medical community to realize that they need to include the same demographics in communities in their clinical studies. That gives an added level of confidence to communities like ours. We’re included in these trials, and we know that the safety and efficacy of these vaccines were similar across all the demographics, racial and cultural groups included,” concludes Dr. Burt.

COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics for African, Black and Caribbean communities will be happening throughout Peel towards the end of January and into February. Black healthcare professionals and community ambassadors will also be on-site to answer any vaccine questions.

For more information about booking, call Roots Community Services at 647-812-8545 or visit their Instagram page @rootscspeel.

Israel, a nation that applies a system of oppression, manipulation and racial prejudice towards the Palestinians STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC REPORTER A recent Israeli National State Law has codified apartheid as, “The right to exercise national self-determination in the state Israel is unique to the Jewish People.” Palestinians in East Jerusalem are stateless and at constant risk of losing their residency in that city. 35% of land in East Jerusalem has been confiscated for Jewish settler’s use, and Israel is open to the prospect and desire of removing as many Palestinians as possible using forced displacement, mass

house demolitions and settler violence as daily occurrences. Palestinians in Israel and Gaza face massive economic restrictions and discrimination. They have the right to vote; yet as the law above states, the Jewish State can manipulate and disregard certain aspects of democratic procedures.

Compare some of these facts with what had been occurring in post-Apartheid South Africa. The free world could not stand by and allow the Apartheid System of Racism in South Africa to stand or survive. The world put social-economic and political pressure upon that regime, turning it into a pariah state.

Through the determination of Global Leaders and the common person, possibly your neighbours and friends, this system collapsed, and was transformed over time into a democratically led nation.

Why have the progressives of the world, and those in Canada and the USA not taken on the selectively oppressive regimes of

Israel? Why indeed? Did you know that Israel has built a large fence along parts of its national border, a fence that is supposed to keep troublemakers out of their land? Palestinians lived in Israel long before the nation of Israel was created, yet the Palestinians were considered a threat to Israeli security, and so driven out of their homeland. Nearly six million Palestinians are registered as refugees by the U.N. Many live in massive camps throughout the Middle East.

A million more are unregistered. They seek the right to return to the lands their ancestors once owned, taken from them by Israel. Every Jew in the world has a right to return, to go live in Israel. What about The Palestinians?

So long as Canadian, American and British politicians continue to kowtow to their populations Jewish Lobbyists, the needed pressure that could force Israel to become a true democratic nation of the Jewish-Palestinian People will not happen. Israel’s economy is dependent upon foreign funds coming from

these three nations. It is not to say that allowing Palestinians to become full partners within their nation will solve Israel’s national problems, but Israel would be a free, strong and more vibrant nation before the world. If their many enemies threaten them, they could stand together as one nation united. Ending Israel’s dependence upon the foreign welfare state could bring about necessary changes. Israel could become a more totalitarian regime, oppressing many of their own citizens who feel the Palestinians plight must end, or they can realize the benefits of peaceful national unity.

Will westerners accept Palestinians as victims with a justifiable cause, or continue to view them as an unwanted people, terrorists and radicals. If we despised Apartheid in South Africa, why are we supporting Israel, a nation that applies the same system of oppression, manipulation and racial prejudice towards the Palestinians?

NEWS

PAGE 16

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Dry January is a great opportunity to explore the emerging world of alcohol-free wines with Better Rhodes mended guidelines of alcohol consumption) without realising the effect it may be having on their health.

Individuals who have taken part in Dry January testify to how great a month off from alcohol can be; they sleep better, have more energy, some lose weight and save money, and others notice improvements in their skin and hair.

With “Dry January” almost coming to a close, many Canadians are ready to put their health first and kick off 2022 with a fresh start. I know, I know; for the wine drinkers out there, this might seem like an impossible task, but this is why Better Rhodes (meaning a clearing in the woods), has found a way to make it easier for you.

Now you can enjoy the best alcohol-free drinks, all in one place, and not lose the intimacy and calm that comes from taking a sip of wine, at the end of the day.

Better Rhodes is the largest Online Retailer of Non-Alcoholic Adult beverages in the U.S., and they are ready to serve up Canadians the best non-alcoholic options this January. Better Rhodes, led by CEO Daniel Stiller, is changing the narrative around alcohol by offering a carefully curated marketplace of alcohol-free options that not only taste great, but also align with Canadians’ wellness goals.

With more AF drink alternatives than Amazon, Better Rhodes (https://www. betterrhodes.com/) is the internet’s foremost destination for zero-proof beverages with more than 200 varieties of AF beer, wine and spirits all in one place. The site

SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“It’s about the experience; something that gives you pause for thought!”

As we know, 2021 turned out to be more challenging than we thought, and it looks like a challenging start to 2022. With all the upheaval, stress, and anxiety it has led more and more Canadians to turn to alcohol. What is the result of this? Canada is now among the top twenty-five countries with respect to alcohol consumption. It is because of this that a campaign “Dry January” was launched in 2013.

Dry January is now a household term, and the aim of the campaign is to start a new conversation about alcohol, to encourage people to consider and discuss their alcohol consumption and ultimately, to inspire behaviour change following a positive and fun-filled month of sobriety.

Let’s be clear: this challenge is not a detox or for those with dependency issues. Instead, it’s aimed at the huge numbers of people who are steadily drinking a bit too much, too often, (exceeding recom-

features expertly curated drink collections and recipes crafted by skilled mixologists to provide customers with an exciting and educational experience from start to finish.

“The process is difficult. It is why they are pricier than the sparkling juice that you find in the stores,” Daniel tells me during our discussion. “Dry January is about wellness and giving our bodies a chance to reset, but there is no reason those thirtyone days have to be dull. We like to think of Dry January as a great opportunity to explore the emerging world of alcoholfree wines, beers, spirits and mocktails that pack all the fun and flavour with none of the hangover.”

“I am not anti-alcohol,” Daniel shared with me. “I am pro health and wellness. It is about giving people options. Alcohol is a carcinogen, and we are having the same dialogue about alcohol as we did about cigarettes a few years back.”

Chris Becker (Founder of Better Rhodes) was looking for satisfying nonalcoholic options, and there were not a lot out there.

“We want our clients to experience great tasting, non-alcoholic beverages. We wanted to make it easy and accessible.”

During our discussion, Daniel brings up a great point to me. Sometimes we will have people in our homes, and the polite thing to do is offer them a drink.

What if they can’t drink? Wouldn’t it be nice to have something to offer other than pop or water?

“Let’s make sure that everyone

feels invited around the table, and that they don’t have to come and justify their decisions. To be a good host, you have to make everyone feel comfortable, and that means having amazing non-alcoholic beverages. We are here to celebrate you, give you great options. Everything is online right now, and we have free shipping in Ontario!”

I went and took a look at what they had to offer, and I must say that I was excited to see the options: The Sober January Survival Pack The pack offers a combination of AF/NA Beers, Pre-mixed cocktails and wine that is sure to satisfy one’s taste buds. $79.99.

The Ultimate Alcohol-Free Kit From ready-to-drink cans of bubbly, hoppy, sweet, or citrus plus Sexy AF Viirgin (AF Gin) to mix up an AF cocktail, this pack has you covered. $99.99.

The Better Sparkling Kit Corks still deserve to be popped and glasses clinked! It is the perfect way to sample six different AF bottles of bubbly for any and all occasions. Includes two bottles of Noughty Sparkling Chardonnay, two bottles of Noughty Sparkling Rose and two bottles of Loxton Sparkling Brut. $139.99.

We have enough to keep us apart, let’s do something to bring us all together.

OSSTF and ETFO called on Ford government to improve safety in schools with a positive result from a rapid antigen test will no longer be required or encouraged to get a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.” Changes in the isolation periods will go into effect depending on whether one is healthy, vaccinated or unvaccinated.

The press release notes, “Individuals with COVID-19 who are vaccinated, as well as children under twelve, will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. Their household contacts are also required to isolate.” In addition, “Non-household contacts are required to self-monitor for ten days. Individuals who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or immunocompromised will be required to be isolated for ten days.”

On Monday, January 3rd, 2022 the provincial government announced that there would be additional changes, which would see students engaged in remote learning from January 5th, 2022 to January 17th, 2022. There has been much negative response from different education unions to these announced changes.

The provincial OSSTF/FEESO released a statement on Monday, January 3rd, 2022 titled, “Ford fails to fortify the public school system to protect students and communities.” The statement reads, “Today’s announcement does not go nearly far enough.

Without increasing access to COVID-19 test-

PAUL JUNOR paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

On Thursday, December 30th, 2021 the Ontario government released a news release titled, “Ontario Updating Public Health Measures and Guidance in Response to Omicron.” This can be seen at the Ontario’s government website:news.ontario.ca.

The press release indicated that changes would go into effect with respect to updated testing and isolation guidelines.

It states, “Effective December 31st, publiclyfunded PCR testing will be available only for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and/or at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including for the purposes of confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis to begin treatment, and workers and residents in the highest risk settings. Members of the general public with mild symptoms are asked not to seek testing.”

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Cancelling contact tracing Reducing access to PCR testing Ending transparent reporting of case counts in schools Excluding schools from occupancy caps similar to those for households and businesses Failing to reduce class sizes to ensure REAL co-horting and physical distancing can be established Failing to have N95 masks ready for deployment Leaving education workers and teachers without priority access to vaccination and boosters

A second teachers’ union, ETFO, also released a statement on Monday, January 3rd, 2022. Karen Brown, ETFO President stated, “As the pandemic surges, the Ford government must invest in infection prevention

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and control measures that ensure in-person learning can continue safely and sustainably. Last week’s decision came dangerously close to risking the safety of students and ETFO members.” It repeats several calls made by the OSSTF/FESSO in addition to others such as:

2018

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ing, providing full access to enhanced PPE, guaranteeing priority access to booster vaccines for educators, ensuring HEPA filters are in place in schools, and reducing class sizes to allow for physical distancing. The Premier cannot say he is doing everything he can to protect students, staff and communities.”

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HEPA filters should be installed in all classrooms and public/shared spaces in schools Rapid Antigen Tests must be provided to students and education workers to minimize absenteeism and learning loss There must be a plan to address staff absenteeism, which can anticipate given the impact of isolation requirements on the health care sector and the spread of Omicron The Ford government must expand the paid sick leave program immediately

President Brown concludes, “Without the addition of these layers of protection, we are not confident that safe in-person learning can be sustained. We want to welcome students back in schools as quickly as possible, but schools must be safe, and we need to see more than a press conference or two to be assured that they are.”

PAGE 18

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Photo Credit: Julian Peters

AUNT JEAN CREAMS

Combining Spicy with the Sweet SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“Oh my gosh, it smells so good in here!”

As I jumped out of the car, I could smell that familiar smell of barbeque, but with a pinch of my mom’s home cooking. I knew that my journey into Hamilton that day was to visit Aunt Jean Creams Restaurant, but here I was thinking that I was going to your typical Caribbean Restaurant. What I experienced was a welcoming surprise.

“The food is always great. I love their oxtail and rice & peas and their Meat Lovers Roti. Love the option of extra hot sauce rather than getting over spicy meals. Not particularly a sweet tooth but I tried their ice cream and it’s amazing. Highly recommend them.”

5 Stars, November 20th, 2020, TripAdvisor The city of Hamilton has fallen in love with Aunt Jean Creams Meals. As one of Hamilton’s fastest rising Caribbean restaurants, the family behind Aunt Jean Creams Meals have found a way to bring all the delectable aspects of Caribbean food, and combine them with delicious homemade cakes and ice cream desserts. They are actually one of the first Caribbean Restaurants to group Jamaican Patties, Caribbean dishes (oxtail, curry goat, jerk chicken meals) and roti, with French style desserts, and a full ice cream parlour for those clients who come, looking for a way to satisfy their sweet tooth.

L’il bit of This, L’il bit of That The first thing that I learned is that when they tell you to order ahead of time, there is a good reason for that. I patiently waited for 25 minutes knowing that my wait was for a great reason. Patrons can expect authentic Caribbean dishes, savoured and cooked to perfection, on the spot. That’s right, you are not getting food that has been sitting for a while, everything is cooked as it is ordered, so you are guaranteed a FRESH meal. I had ordered their infamous Jerk Chicken Poutine, and it blew my mind. The spice of the chicken, mixed with the taste of cheese and potatoes; oh Lord!

Proud owner, Aunt Jean, runs the restaurant, and she has made the business a family affair. Assisting and supporting Jean

all the way are her husband and family. Her Caribbean background and love of Caribbean cuisine comes from recipes lovingly passed down by her Grenadian Mother. Of course, we can’t forget Uncle Mikey who is known as the “Curry Goat ‘’ champion. Between her Grandmother, Trinidadian Aunt, and other Caribbean islands relatives, Aunt Jean learned how to cook popular recipes from different islands, and has created a menu that highlights the best of the Caribbean. One thing that I learned when I had a chance to speak with Aunt Jean is that like Soul Food (popular in North America) certain recipes follow a certain format, where the results lies in the chef’s knowledge of “A l’il bit of this, A l’il bit of that!”

The restaurant prides itself on serving meals that are moderately spiced so that children can enjoy it, along with those patrons who are unable to handle spicy foods. Now, if you are one of those people requiring that extra zing, you can ask for some extra hot sauce on the side.

I do have some suggestions when you do go and visit Aunt Jean; their signature meals are their MEAT LOVER ROTI and JERK CHICKEN POUTINE. All their Roti’s have a special AJC sauce, which gives the Dhal Puri wrap a distinct, much desired flavour.

Voted AJC GOLD WINNER in Caribbean Cuisine Category “We were overjoyed when we received a call from Hamilton Spectator Newspaper notifying us that we were the winners in the Caribbean Restaurant Category. We were not even aware of this poll or voting process and that made us even more elated.”

Aunt Jean The restaurant opened its doors in August 2018, and has successfully established itself as the place to dine if you live in, or passing through Hamilton, Ontario. It is conveniently located at 36 Parkdale Avenue North, and has become a favourite eating spot among locals and people all over Hamilton, the GTA and Niagara Region.

As I stood there waiting for my food, I saw people from all races, ethnicities and cultures come down the alley to order, or pick up their food. I noticed that Aunt Jean, and the young man working with her actually greeted people by name, and knew their order before the even began to speak. I appreciated that because unfortunately, Caribbean restaurants are known for having questionable service; it was refreshing to be witnessing quite the opposite.

“Best Jamaican jerk chicken in the city!!

You can really taste the love!!! Can’t wait

to try their oxtail” 5 Stars, September, 2019, TripAdvisor Aunt Jean, the Dessert Queen Aunt Jean is a proud resident of Hamilton, and she has always had an appreciation for Hamilton’s medium sized city where there is still a sense of close community, culturally diverse neighbourhoods and rich music culture. Placing Aunt Jean Creams in Hamilton was a perfect fit. It added heart to the city. During my dialogue with Aunt Jean, she opened up about her passion, the struggles, and her vision.

“I was born in Grenada, but my relatives are from Trinidad, Jamaica, and St. Lucia,” Aunt Jean shared with me. “My cooking experience came from all of the islands.

I grew up in Montreal, and that is where I developed my love for French pastries. It made sense to me to combine the Caribbean flavours with Canadian desserts.

“The year we opened, the city was digging up the streets and replacing pipes,” Aunt Jean tells me. “It was similar to what you are seeing on Eglinton. People began to find us and know about us because they would smell us when we were cooking.”

Aunt Jean chuckles, “People were coming from off the street just to find out where that smell was coming from. It is truly incredible how quickly word of mouth can spread. We have people from Ajax, Pickering, Milton, Mississauga all over, coming to visit us.

The best part about it is that they love the food. We don’t cut corners; we take the time to prepare. That smell is indicative of the great tasting meals you will get from our restaurant. Because we prepare the food on site, it may take some time to serve, so we urge patrons and visitors to our restaurant to pre-order when possible.”

I was curious as to what we had to look forward to in 2022 from the team at Aunt Jean Creams “We want to add my macaroni pie, which has gotten rave reviews. We are also going to add some more Caribbean pastries. We are contemplating fish, but we are waiting on that, because that is a different type of preparation. We go with what the community requests, so once things get back to normal, we will have a more extensive menu.”

The restaurant’s full menu can be found on their website. www.auntjeancreams.com, and they can be found on: Uber Eats, DoorDash & Skip the Dishes.

I am proud of the team at Aunt Jean Creams, and I will most definitely be heading back to Hamilton to grab a chocolate milkshake, and another delicious Jerk Chicken Poutine. Yum!

Registration for Kindergarten classes is now open!

The York Catholic District School Board provides publicly-funded JK - Grade 12 Catholic education to approximately 51,000 students in 101 schools across York Region.

Parents of children born in 2018 can register online at www.ycdsb.ca for September 2022. Visit locator.ycdsb.ca to find your local Catholic school.

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Funeral services are provided by Canadian Memorial Services which is affiliated with Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries.

PAGE 20

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Photo Credit: Kofi Morris (Facebook)

COACH KOFI MORRIS Changing lives from the inside out

“Live your destiny, fulfill your goals, put your family first, and live FEARLESS!”

For some of you reading this, lately, your mind has been telling you that things are awful, horrible, and dreadful.

Life might have convinced you that you can’t succeed and that there is no chance it is going to get better. What our Classic Man allowed me to see during our time together is that just because you think it, doesn’t mean it’s true. Your thoughts may be distorted, inaccurate, or just wrong.

Hopeless feelings fuel hopeless thought, and with everything that has been going on in our world the last few years, it is easy to get caught up in a negative cycle that makes it hard to see that things can get better. I know; you have tried everything already, and nothing is working. That thought right there is a cognitive distortion. This week, I want to introduce you to a man who is going to challenge the way that you think; open your mind up to the idea that the way you were thinking might be wrong, and that there may be more hope than you thought.

“I’ve learned that life will challenge you to bring the best out of you, if only you will just believe that this is why you are hit with some of the greatest challenges in your life.”

Kofi Morris is the CEO of Cosmic Wellness Holistic Health, and as an “Empowerment Coach” and “Wisdom Leadership” Wellness Entrepreneur, Kofi has devoted his life to helping individuals with their personal transformation. Part of his work includes workshops with topics ranging from Blueprint for Change “Life Mapping,” to “From Passion to Profit” Entrepreneurship.

His most popular and soughtafter transformational course, “The Momentum Masterclass Academy,” is based on the teachings from his book, “Change your Life from The Inside Out”: Holistic Habits Success Guide Vol.1.” In his book, he shares his journey of self-healing, working through self-doubt, pushing through procrastination, building self-

confidence, and avoiding self-sabotage, while actualizing personal victories. The book provides a foundational framework for living a life grounded in a personal success mind-set with a mindfulness foundation, centred on one’s core values and personal mission.

Kofi is also the founder of “Cosmic Wellness,” a Holistic Health business that focuses on promoting ancient wisdom for modern day happiness, and the “Divine Kings Coaching Academy,” a selfdevelopment coaching academy specifically supporting men of colour. He speaks on the importance of his “Flow Alignment Method,” which merges energy healing exercises of Qi Qong (“Chee Kung”), mindfulness meditation, self-care, and nutrition to empower, and strengthen his clients.

Kofi has conducted Mindfulness and Holistic Health seminars to both Nonprofit and Corporate Organizations in Toronto, the United States, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. He balances his professional life with volunteering and sharing his skills and experiences with community youth groups across the GTA.

It is time to stop struggling, feeling stuck. With health leaders like Kofi, not only will you be able to take a different perspective on life situations, but he can also offer strategies that can help you feel better. I would like to share with the community my time with our Classic Man, Coach Kofi.

“I was born in North York, Ontario,” Coach Kofi begins sharing with me, “From ages one to three, I lived in Trinidad with my aunt and grandparents. That provided some grounding for me culturally and gave me the community, rural/country influence that has followed me into my adult life. I remember it clearly; being in the yard, running around with a full diaper. These were simpler times. These experiences led to a certain level of love and community, with extended family, elders.

It assisted with my passion and drive for my people.”

Kofi tells me that his neighbours were very pro Black and entrenched him in his culture. “In school, the stories I wrote, the things that I spoke about, books that I read including “Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom,” and “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” all shaped me. I experienced racism, and this made me an angry young man.

I was always the younger brother to my older brother who was five years older than me. I began to establish my own identity, apart from my brother. I gave myself a nickname JussOne, formed my little crew, and started to do bad things. Stealing, graffiti, weed sales stuff like that. I got caught stealing, and that was when the first change happened for me. When I was arrested, the courts gave me a choice; I either did community service or boxing.”

This was how Kofi was introduced to the world of self-defence and martial arts.

“My coach was Black, and he taught me a lot. I was fourteen years old at that time. Football and boxing planted seeds of discipline in me. It was about resisting against my own personal limitations, or those set for me by others. I became interested in martial arts. I always had older males lead me, which was impactful. It was so important having older people outside of my home that believed in me.”

“At eighteen years old, my neighbour exposed me to a business opportunity, which led me to owning my first business. I started selling cell phone accessories, and pagers. This planted the seed of entrepreneurship. I will never forget that Caribana weekend, when I went downtown, and spent the weekend handing out flyers. I didn’t get one call that whole weekend. It was a very humbling experience. My business was not providing what it needed to take care of my expenses, so I decided to register at George Brown College for Business Admin Marketing.

I was still doing illegal things on the side, and some of the people that I work with got caught. It was during this time that I realized a very difficult lesson; what I did affected people. I left college, got a job and started to work. It was all very sobering.”

Kofi had his first child when he was twenty-one. Life had to change. He had to learn quickly that being a father meant that he couldn’t do the same things anymore. His friends weren’t happy about it. They didn’t like the fact that he had become a family man, but he decided to commit his time and energy into being the best father he could be.

“I got a job as a personal support worker for individuals with mental health challenges. I was a stay-at-home father: working at night, and with my daughter at day. As life went on, my work in the community intensified, and I began to learn more about my ancestry. I had an elder introduce me to the holistic lifestyle.

I became mindful of who I was as an individual: my feelings, my thoughts, who I was.”

Since then, Kofi has evolved as a healer, and one of his principles is that we are born here to explore, learn and transcend our physical conditionings, to ascend in our consciousness, and to become aligned with our purpose and our calling.

“My strategies are with these outcomes in mind. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience.”

Photo Credit: Sanj P Photography

Written by Simone J. Smith Toronto Caribbean News

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Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

FEATURE

PAGE 25

BOOST UP. Book your booster today.

What to look for in a wood wedding ring Are you looking for a wedding ring that’s stylish, durable and evokes the beauty of nature? A wood wedding band could be a good fit. Here’s what to look for.

• Fit. Wood rings aren’t malleable and can’t be resized. Therefore, it’s important to know your ring size so you can ensure you get the right fit.

• Style. If you want a wedding ring that’s one of a kind, wood is the way to go. In­ deed, the texture and pattern of each wood ring is unique. These wedding bands can be made solely of wood or plated and inlaid with other materials.

To find the wood wedding ring of your dreams, visit your local jewelry stores.

Protect yourself against COVID-19.

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• Durability. Wood rings are durable but not indestructible. Ideally, they should be made of a hardwood, such as oak, to en­ sure they can withstand years of wear.

• Price. Wood rings can vary in price de­ pending on the chosen materials, finish and design. For example, gold plating and precious stone inlays will drive up the cost. However, wood rings are far less expensive than traditional gold wed­ ding bands.

Getting remarried: a fresh start Did you know that many people meet their soulmate after getting a divorce or becoming wido­wed? In this type of situation, it’s perfectly normal to want to make your relationship official by getting remarried.

When you think about it, there are many advantages to getting married again, including not repeating the mistakes you made the first time. If you invited the wrong people, your outfit was uncomfortable or the food was disappointing, you’ll be able to make better choices.

In fact, countless exhausted and stressed-out newlyweds admit they didn’t really enjoy what was supposed to be the best day of their lives. Plus, you’ll be less nervous about your se­ cond wedding because you’ve done it before and know what to expect.

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HEALTH

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 27

How much longer can parents take it?

W. GIFFORDJONES MD DIANA GIFFORD-JONES COMMON SENSE HEALTH

Remember the movie, “Network”?

Howard Beale, the TV news anchor, encouraged viewers to go to their windows and yell out, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” How many parents feel that way about school closings?

Uncertainty about openings and closings is bad enough. But now schools face severe staffing shortages. Entire classes may be disrupted because teachers are falling sick or required to be isolated.

Substitute teachers are nothing new, but the scale of the problem is concerning. Just as hospitals can shut down due to insufficient workers, so too can schools.

School boards are scrambling to figure out what options they can of-

fer students for online learning. Some offer synchronous learning (in realtime). Others offer asynchronous learning (independent, on no fixed schedule). Some are giving students a choice between these or other options.

How will these work in practice? Due to COVID-related isolation requirements among symptomatic teachers, students can expect frequent reassignment of teachers, merged classrooms, and confusion.

Good students may fend sufficiently well, but others most certainly will not. Parents are ill equipped to fill the gap. Many are dealing with their own shifting work requirements. Adding supervision of home-based learning for their children is not in the cards.

There is little that is more important to a child’s healthy development than quality education.

Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), says, “Nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible.”

She added, “When COVID-19 community transmission increases and stringent public health measures become a necessity, schools must be the last

places to close and the first to re-open.”

The interests of children should be paramount. Fore notes, “Another wave of widespread school closures would be disastrous for children.” She knows that interrupted learning leads to lower academic achievement.

She could add, for millions of children around the world – especially girls – school closures result in permanent dropout of education, a life-altering tragedy.

Fore has done her economic calculations too. “This generation of schoolchildren could collectively lose US$17 trillion in potential lifetime earnings.” That’s bad enough for children and their future families. But it’s also terrible news for governments. The last thing governments need now is projected lost income tax from this generation. The U.S. is already trillions in debt. Canada and many other nations are in terrible debt too.

What about the health of these children? One fact many ignore is that for some children the school meal is the most nutrition they’ll receive for the day! Moreover, prolonged isolation at home does nothing for their physical

health as they sit inside for hours. You can bet your last dollar they’re gaining weight and inching closer to Type 2 diabetes. Authorities also report an increase in eating disorders and mental health problems. Recall the GiffordJones Law: “One health problem leads to another and another.”

Closing schools is not the answer. We must get far more ambitious with creative solutions. Retired doctors and not-yet credentialed medical students are being called on to assist with vaccination clinics. Why can’t retired teachers be invited back into schools, for example?

Church buildings sit empty most weekdays. How could community volunteers use these facilities to support parents for whom temporary home schooling is not a good option?

Can initiatives be set up to get kids outside and active in experiential learning?

This virus is far from dead. If we are going to beat it, part of the solution will be for governments to champion new ideas, and children should not be the ones to suffer when they fail to do so.

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new year new you Jan 10th_Feb 6th_2022_caribbean.pdf 1 2021-12-31 2:32:08 PM

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Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

COMMUNITY

PAGE 29

In order to be successful, you have to reverse engineer the path; The 3 C’s of Success DAVID ANDERSON d_anderson@carib101.com

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

As an entrepreneur it can be tough staying motivated and on track to success. The path is riddled with pain, struggle, accomplishments and support.

Did you know 42% of start up businesses failed because there was no market need for their services or products? 29% failed because they ran out of cash and 23% failed because they didn’t have the right team running the business. Starting a business means that you are willing to risk a high failure rate. 20% of businesses fail in their first year and around 60% will fail within their first three years.

These statistics were not meant to scare you but to prepare you for what is to come. Entrepreneurship is filled with people who think they have a passion, dedication

and drive. The problem is when we fail or encounter obstacles like financial hardships, lack of commitment and competency we become less motivated.

Let’s take a look at the 3 C’s of success: 1. Capital (money): Financial capital is the lifeline of an entrepreneur and business.

Your profit should be invested back into the business, instead of treating yourself to a dinner; self care day or shopping spree. The goal is to have multiple streams of income. This can be done if you have: multiple services, products, affiliate marketing and investors that believe in your business.

2. Commitment: Lack of commitment seems to be a theme for entrepreneurs.

As an entrepreneur, staying committed to the vision and mission of the business is important to investors and consumers.

Consumers will not believe in you or your brand if you are not consistent and committed. You have to have a no matter what mentality. In order to achieve these goals you have to prove to your audience that you are committed to making their lives better with your product, knowledge and service.

When you are committed to your goals,

no one else will be able to distract you.

3. Competency: (understand in knowledge): Competency is being able to do something successfully or efficiently.

As an entrepreneur it is crucial to be competent about your business, services and consumers. Understanding what people like takes trial and error.

Set up focus groups to get the organic opinions of consumers when releasing new products. By reading business and self-care books you are expanding your knowledge of self and others. Knowledge, confidence and efficiency is acquired or obtained through research, failures and experience.

Your failures are our biggest lessons in life.

You have to be able to detach your feelings and pride from your business so you are able to fail gracefully and learn respectfully.

Competency can also be gained from consistency.

Muscle is built by tearing the muscle before it rebuilds. Working out the same muscles for a month will at first be hard to do then as the weeks go by become easier. Your muscles have built muscle memory. Your muscles understand and have grown. In order to keep improving you will have to con-

fuse your muscles by working on different parts of your body. This is a direct correlation to when entrepreneurs try something new.

It’s going to be difficult, but with dedication and consistency you will be a competent entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs need to research and take notes on business statistics in order to prepare. The market is an unforgiving place, if you come off too strong consumers will not resonate with your brand. Create a list of five businesses that you aspire to be.

Take notes on how many times a day, week, and month they post on social media.

Create a list of ways to stay committed and on this document add a list of potential obstacles and support systems.

Remember the only way to truly understand the market, your target audience and the value you provide is to take a risk and start now.

Build muscle memory and confidence by failing constantly until you develop competency on how to be successful. In order to be successful you have to reverse engineer the path. Remember struggle comes before success and every successful entrepreneur has had huge failures. It’s what they learned from it that made them who they are today.

PAGE 30

LIFE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

How to recognize and maximize opportunities DANIEL COLE

daniel@carib101.com

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

You’ve probably heard the saying, “An opportunity once lost can never be regained.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. Opportunities are always around us whether we recognize them or not. They come in seasons, and they come in different forms.

The opportunity you missed five, ten years ago will come again but in a different pattern or form. The challenge we often have with opportunities is our lack of readiness, recognition and not making the most of it when they arrive. While it is believed that opportunities hide in problems, the truth is, not all opportunities present themselves as problems. However, we

must be able to recognize opportunities when they come knocking, irrespective of the form they present themselves.

It is better to position for an opportunity than to run after it. The great Abraham Lincoln once said, “I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come.” And indeed, his chance came. The American Civil Rights Leader, Whitney Young was right, “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Sometimes in life, “It is not those who chase after the ball that scores the goal, it is those who are rightfully positioned to get the passes. Readiness and right positioning is the key.”

Did you know that one person’s problem is another person’s opportunity?

Doctors exist because people are sick.

Educators exist to teach literacy. Police exist because of the lack of lawlessness. The point is, most of the problems in our society is an opportunity in disguise. If you give yourself wholly to solving problems, your opportunities are limitless. Your ability to solve problems will bring tremendous op-

portunities to your life.

Few of the thoughts I will be sharing may not seem conventional or somewhat appealing, but these are proven principles that have worked overtime. How can you recognize an opportunity?

When you have the privilege to serve or work for a person with good social standing or a person who has more influence than you, that’s an opportunity. Opportunities hide in service to people. The key to greatness is service. Don’t underestimate the power of one single recommendation from a person of influence. Sometimes in life, people don’t rise to the level of their brilliance or ingenuity they rise to the level of the quality of relationships around them. Life will reward you with opportunities if you have diligently served people of worth or your organization. So, when you have a privilege to serve, to give your best, don’t take it for granted. Seize that opportunity and maximize it.

Also, opportunities hide in giving. I understand this idea may not seem sensational or appealing, but as previously mentioned, these principles may not be

mainstream ideas, but they’ve been tested and proven to be true. The Good Book, the Bible says, “Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!” Proverbs 18:16. Gifts are seeds you sow into people’s emotional bank account. Sometimes, it can be materials and sometimes it can be a kind gesture. When you have the privilege to give, do it, it always open doors of opportunity.

The ability and the discipline to learn new skills prepare and position you for better opportunities later in life. Learn new languages, learn how to drive, learn how to swim. You may not see its usefulness at the moment, but don’t forget, readiness is the key.

Avoid places and people without opportunities. Life is too short to spend your waking hours in places that do not advance your dream. When the season of an opportunity is over, move on. Remember, while we look forward to “That Opportunity” we often forget that every waking hour of our life, is an opportunity to right the wrongs of yesterday. Make each day count.

Today is an opportunity.

LIFE

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

Good luck, they are nasty over there!

Reliving my past trauma SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

HUMAN SPECIALIST

The Marshalls waited patiently as I finished getting dressed. Once I was done, they walked towards me, but this time, they had handcuffs, and ankle cuffs in their hands.

“Sorry,” the lady officer said. “We have to transport you with handcuffs here. It is not that you are a risk, it is just protocol.”

“No worries,” I replied. “I understand.” I put out my wrists, and they placed the handcuffs on. They led me through the door and put me in a cell that had a group of other women.

As I sat in holding, I couldn’t help but notice that being in an American jail was drastically different from being in a Panamanian jail. It looked just like how it did in the movies and shows like Cops and America’s Most Wanted. The walls were a drab grey, and there was one solid blue line right in the middle of the wall. A part of the ceiling was chipping, and the cell had benches that were screwed into the wall. Majority of the benches were occupied, so I found myself in a corner close to the door.

I glanced around at the other women who were now in holding. There were two other Black girls in the room,

what looked like an Indigenous woman, and a White girl who looked strung out.

The Black girls were talking loudly to each other, swapping stories about their nights and what had gotten them into their current predicament.

“That bitch had it coming to her,” the one girl said. “She should have known better than to speak out of the corner of her mouth at me. She’s lucky that all she got was a beat down.”

The other girl started to laugh at her. “I hear you girl. These bitches out here are doing too much.” They were so caught up in each other’s stories that they did not even seem to notice that anyone else was in there. I looked over at the young lady who I assumed was Indigenous, and she was staring right at me.

“What are you in for?” she asked in a calm voice.

“Conspiracy charges,” I told her.

“I just arrived from Panama today. How about you?”

“Drugs, and theft! Stupid charges. I will be out soon; I am used to this.”

She seemed very self-assured.

“I don’t know when I am going to be getting out of here,” I told her. “I think they said that they are going to be taking me somewhere else.”

“Yea! You are probably going to county. Good luck, they are nasty over there.”

“Thanks for the heads up!” I sat back on the bench and closed my eyes. I didn’t want anyone to see that her words had shaken me. I was so tired of this situation already, and to think that I was go-

ing to have to deal with more bullshit, put me in a negative space. I sat there trying not to ruminate about what I was about to experience, but of course, when you try not to think about something, it is all that you think about.

The time seemed to slow down, and after a couple hours of sitting on a metal bench, my ass started to hurt. I got up and began to pace the cell. The Black girls had finally stopped talking and were both asleep on the cold benches. The indigenous girl had her head pressed against the wall, and she too was fast asleep. I was the only one who was still awake, pacing, wondering …

The steel door opened, and one of the officers came in and called out a name.

“Shanice Jenkins.”

I saw one of the girls stir.

“SHANICE JENKINS,” the officer said louder.

“Yeah, yeah!” The louder one of the two slowly sat up and made her way to the door.

“Simone Smith.”

“That’s me,” I replied.

“Come with me.”

I walked towards the door, not at all looking forward to what was to come.

Old keys won’t open new doors; Happy New Year Cosmic Family!

GARCIA AKUA

garcia@carib101.com

COSMIC CORNER

I am wishing each of you a magical year ahead. We have survived and thrived during 2021, give yourself a round of applause and celebrate your wins.

The last two years have been extremely challenging to say the least. We have gone through numerous changes, experienced numerous losses but we have also grown tremendously. We were forced to find strength in times when we didn’t know we had it. We found new ways to do our everyday activities from school and work to how we socialize and play. We may have ended some relationships in order to make room for more meaningful alignments. We have gone through a lot and now we are at the beginning of a new cycle, so now, what’s next?

The year will start with a powerful new moon in Capricorn. New Moons are opportunities for setting new goals and intentions as we have discussed before. Capricorn is the last earth sign of the

zodiac. It closes and begins the calendar year. Capricorn is known as the goat of the zodiac. Ruled by Saturn, it promotes discipline, commitment, respect for traditions and the ability to structure and organize. They are willing to take calculated risks to lead to long term success, ruler of the 10th house in astrology.

Capricorn also speaks to our public life, our careers and legacy. Saturn is also the planet of time and karma, so Capricorn is very cautious with how it spends its time, knowing what we do today will have an impact on our tomorrow.

This new moon is right on time for setting your intentions for 2022 and preparing us for the cosmic near year in the spring.

This Capricorn energy sets the tone for the next six months.

We normally set our new year resolutions at the beginning of the year, but I would like to challenge us to pause and not be forced to set things in stone just yet. We need to normalize rest and rejuvenate. We also have Pluto currently in Capricorn right now. Pluto represents death, rebirth, transformation and our relationship to power. This energy speaks to transforming the way we have been working, building, spending our time and where we may be giving away our power.

Capricorn wants a return on the time that has been invested. We may need to reflect on how we have been doing things before setting new intentions

in the same mindset. When we are constantly in a cycle of change, fear and the unknown, we do not have the time or the capacity to process what is truly happening within us and around us. Rest is key, it gives our body time to heal and also allows our emotional and mental gears to rest as well. Rest is not to be applied when you are burnt out; that is counterproductive. Rest actually increases productivity.

Nature is always a guide we can count on. From the beginning of time, nature has been teaching and guiding humanity. In winter nature rests. The animals gather all that is needed throughout the summer and spring and they hibernate until life re-emerges again. The time is used to rest and prepare for the spring season ahead. The year starts with Venus in retrograde, along with Mercury following not far behind on January 14th. The universe is saying we need to slow down and reflect and rethink our: relationships, finances, values, mindsets and then set intentions from this new perspective.

This is a year to build on your new foundation. Old keys will not open new doors. Regardless of the doom and gloom over the last two years, nature always says we must bloom, within season.

Rest, reset, recharge, reflect and prepare for your best year yet!

New opportunities await us, grab your keys and let’s go! Happy 2022!

PAGE 31

LIFE

PAGE 32

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Ontario Government initiates steps to deal with chronic shortage of teachers PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

YOUTH EDUCATION

As students return to in-person learning in schools across Ontario on Monday, January 17th, 2022 the provincial government expects there will be a shortage of teachers.

On Tuesday, January 10th, 2022, the Ontario Ministry of Education released a press release titled, “Ontario Takes Action to Support Staffing Access in Schools.”

Ontario Minister of Education, Stephen Leece states, “We are seeing staff shortages impacting all sectors of

the economy. Well before Omicron came to Ontario, school boards were reporting high rates of absenteeism from education staff. We need staff in order to continue providing live teacher-led remote learning and safely operate our schools when students return to in-person learning.

That is why we have secured an agreement with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation that will deliver access to thousands of teacher-qualified educators that will keep schools open and safe.”

The press release indicated that efforts are underway to ensure that N95 masks are available to all education staff, greater access to booster-to-booster shots, more vaccination clinics and better ventilation equipment are in schools.

There will be an investment of $304 million to hire more than 2,000 additional staff. In addition, prospective teachers who are in their second year of teachers’ college will be able to work as teachers. Retired teachers will be able to work twice as long in schools without it affect-

ing their pensions.

The press release shows the magnitude of the shortage of teachers across Ontario. School boards across Ontario anticipated a shortage of about 7,000 occasional teachers as they grappled with the challenges of providing academic programming in the context of pandemic planning.

Approximately 40% of school boards have indicated that almost 25% of their teacher absences cannot be covered because there are no occasional teachers available. In addition, 20% indicated that nearly 50% of their teacher absences are unfilled and 50% have had to resort to using teachers who are not yet certified, by permission of the Ministry through a temporary OTC certificate.

The Ontario Teachers’ Federation responded that not many retired teachers have expressed an interest in teaching in the current environment and that the government should have done more to deal with pandemic-related staff short-

ages.

Even though the number of days for retirees to teach has been extended from 50 to 95, there has been minimal interest expressed in it.

Chris Cowley, President of the professional group which represents teachers, indicated in an email that approximately 60 out 142,000 retired teachers “Have expressed interest in increasing the 50-Day reemployment rule,” since September.

Despite the repeated calls on the provincial government by the teachers’ unions to enhance safety and health protocols in schools, it has largely fallen on deaf ears. President Cowley states, “This would strongly mitigate the need for additional retirees (average of which is 72) to somehow fill any void, given the current environment.” Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario states, “It’s a problem that we created. I don’t think we can do it in seven days.”

LIFE

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 33

The way to safe Cannabis consumption SEAN SEURATTAN sean@carib101.com

THE HEIGHTENED CHEF

Within the Caribbean communities, Cannabis has had a long, sorted history of both positive and negative connoted stories. Most negative stories and their impacts were based on the fact that cannabis was wrongly made illegal in a failed war on drugs.

Those days are behind us and so is the stigma and misinformation surrounding cannabis use. The positive influences of cannabis run deeper in Caribbean communities than perhaps the rest of the world and they exude through as celebrated culture, art and music.

Being in the planet’s most favourable climate zone for cannabis made it widely available to Caribbeans and therefore long known to have healing and medicinal qualities, even if only anecdotally.

The way to unlock the true potential of cannabis is through safe and responsible

use. By far, the safest method of cannabis consumption with the most benefits is ingestion, and here are some tips that will help you gain a better understanding of how this affects you.

The first step to safe Cannabis use is your knowledge as to where you are on the spectrum of tolerance. This ultimately decides how much you should make each dosage. Every person has what is called an endocannabinoid system. A network of nerve receptors spread throughout your entire body.

The active ingredients in cannabis affect these receptors to provide a multitude of effects. For cannabis ingestion, this is done so by entering the body’s bloodstream through digestion.

Each person metabolizes food differently and at a different rate, so this must be taken into consideration when determining effects on different individuals. The standard unit of measurement for the active ingredients in cannabis (THC, CBD) are milligrams (mg).

Once you’ve figured out how many milligrams give you the desired effects, you can comfortably use cannabis with a measure of reliability. If a product doesn’t clearly state how many milligrams it contains, it is NOT a quality product and avoid using it.

Generally, cannabis effects through digestion are much more delayed opposed to inhalation or even consuming beverages. Food must go through the stomach, into the large intestine and then into the bloodstream.

Again, the length of this process differs from person to person but can take anywhere from 30-90 minutes before effects present themselves. Effects will begin to increase to peak and eventually taper off before fading completely.

Similar to how the onset of effects are longer than the other methods of consumption, the duration of effects are also extended. 1-3 hours can be expected to elapse before effects are completely gone. Responsible use must have these time frames in mind so as not to place you in a compromised situation.

It is not uncommon for people to become more extroverted or introverted depending on their length of experience with cannabis. Effects themselves are varied and in different degrees of intensity depending on dosage. They can range from euphoria, increased creativity and happiness to drowsiness, delayed reaction and extreme relaxation. Effects common to inhalation can also include redness of eyes, dryness of mouth and increase in appetite. Yes,

food that makes you want more food!

Be careful! Regardless of the effect, all of them will inevitably wear off and cause no lasting damage even with extreme dosages. In the event of consuming too much or experiencing effects too intense, the only real remedy is time.

Effects will decrease as your body works it out of your system naturally. If you’ve ingested THC (the psychoactive ingredient), CBD is the natural counteragent and will reduce those effects. There are other anecdotal remedies for over consumption but none reliable enough person to person.

Treating cannabis with a healthy level of respect and understanding can allow an increase in the quality of your life. Most important is to know yourself and what you want from your experience with cannabis. As we each become more comfortable with our place on the cannabis spectrum, we become more confident to share our knowledge and experiences benefiting the community as a whole. As science is now legally able to do more research than ever before, we will see facts come to light about cannabis that the Caribbean communities long knew to be true.

The Heightened Chef is proud to guide the way!

Can the Caribbean become something greater than its past and present self?

STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

INSIGHT TO SOCIETY

Will there ever be a time where the Caribbean’s local community will stand at the harbour or airport asking visitors to not step onto their pandemic-stricken islands? In Italy it is a well-known event whereby locals of Florence and Venice tell visitors to stay on their cruise ships and not visit their lands. Their reasons are based upon how the undue pollu-

tion, littering and population increases during tourists’ visits.

Presently 26% of all COVID-19 cases in St. Lucia are found in visiting tourists. These visitors can and do act as super spreaders of this pandemic in resorts, community settings and celebrations. The local economies are often based upon seasonal input, and now that the pandemic has changed the way the globe does business, so too locals must bend with the tides and transform their businesses and island environments into money-makers. Survival has become for many the impetus for transformation and change.

Local communities everywhere must learn to evolve, become self-reliant or starve. We have seen how many throughout the world hold onto what

they need, and this self-interest puts excessive pressure upon local communities and their needs. Personal protective items, vaccines, food, building materials, medical services are all withheld from smaller nations. The Caribbean’s self interest must become paramount in their government’s policies and directives.

While the world looks upon the Caribbean as a nice place to retire or visit, the island governments must look to their community’s present and future needs.

Wealth is in the Caribbean now, present in their banks, land mass and under their waterways. Guyana has oil wealth, as does the Dominican Republic, Belize and Barbados. Guyana has the capacity to produce revenues of 320 billion annually. The region’s natural resources can jump-start a regional

economic bounty as long as each island controls its extraction, production and sales revenue.

Corporate vultures such as Exxon Mobile will do anything to take control of these gifts of Mother Earth, gifts to the Caribbean people. Through corporate corruption, manipulation and misdirection, greedy politicians and their backers can steal the fruits of the Caribbean. Watch out and be prepared.

Can the Caribbean become something greater than its past and present self? Only through unity of the region can all the Caribbean’s Nations share in this wealth, this future abundance. Moral, ethical, economic and international political strength are found through unity of purpose. May the Caribbean Rise!

The inspiring and motive driven story of Johnny Armani GLORIA O’KOYE

gloria@carib101.com

CREATIVE SPEAK

Johnny and I met through social media and I got to listen to some of his music and a bit of his story. As he continues to live in his truth and build on his craft, it is crucial to support his creativity and growth as an individual.

I asked Johnny if he could share with our readers a bit about who he is and his artistic practice.

“My name is Johnny Armani and I am thirty-one years old. I am originally from Buffalo, New York and I am currently residing in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I am a creative artist and entertainer who started writing and recording in 2003. I took a hiatus from my craft from 2010 to 2011 and have been pushing my music since then.

I was inspired to become an artist when I first watched my older cousins that went by the names Bones and Eagle, recording songs on their karaoke machine when I was ten years old. When I was thirteen, I went to an official recording studio with my brother Wiz and saw the reaction from my friends after the session. What motivates me to continue my creative journey is that I strive to be the voice for my neighbourhood that is

known as Da Jungle, in Buffalo New York.

I am motivated to speak up for my people who don’t have a voice through my music. I also want my art to help my family, wife, son, and me to have a better life and give them everything that I never had.

Some of the themes and topics that I focus on in my music are my personal lived experiences and experiences of others from the streets. I talk about wanting to give the world to my family because they mean everything to me. I also create music that my listeners can dance to and have fun with.

My supporters tell me that I am very versatile and I have a great voice for making music. The message that I would want for my audience to gain from my music is to cherish life, family is everything, and to keep breaking generational

curses.”

I then asked Johnny if there are some words of advice and encouragement that he would like to give to upcoming artists.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve anything. Don’t be afraid to take a chance to accomplish everything that you dream of and lifelong goals that will strengthen you as a human being. Most of all, to never give up because things will not just happen overnight. Anything worth having is worth fighting and working hard for.

There will be stumbling blocks and there will be times that you may want to give up, but you have to keep on pushing. It will all be worth it in the long run. Be consistent and all things shall follow through.”

PAGE 34

LIFE

Interesting

CRAB FACTS

If you spot a crab, the first thing you might notice is the way it moves. But do you know why these curious crustaceans walk to the side instead of forward?

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

8 tips for keeping your

room clean

Lastly, crabs have a very useful superpower. If they lose a leg, it’ll eventually grow back.

QU IZ

What do you think of when you hear the word desert? Vast stretches of sand? Camels? Giant cacti? Here are 10 questions to test your knowledge about this unique biome.

TRUE OR FALSE 1. There are hot and cold (polar) deserts.

2. The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world.

3. An oasis is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert.

4. You can see fennec foxes in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

5. Patagonia is a hot desert in Argentina.

Crabs scuttle sideways because their shells are wi­der than they are long. As a result, they can’t fully extend their legs. In addition, crabs have five pairs of limbs that are close together, making it impossible for them to move backward and forward. Consequently, because of their unique anatomy, crabs have no choice but to walk sideways.

Nevertheless, crabs are surprisingly fast and can reach speeds of up to 12 kilometres per hour or more. Therefore, you’d probably lose if you ever got into a race with one.

The desert

Do you want to keep your room neat and or­ganized?

Here are eight tips to help you declutter your space.

1. Put your games and toys away after using them 2. Make your bed every morning 3. Put your dirty clothes in the laundry basket after you change 4. Fold and put away your clean clothes 5. Don’t leave anything on the floor 6. Store your toys, crafts, clothes and books in easy-toreach places 7. If you need more space, ask your parents for shelves, bins or cabinets 8. Regularly go through your things and decide whether to recycle, donate or throw away the items you no longer use Having a clean room can help you sleep and feel better.

How to create a

MULTIPLE CHOICE 6. Which of these deserts is not found in Australia?

A. Simpson Desert B. Great Sandy Desert C. Thar Desert 7. How tall are some of the sand dunes in the Alaskan desert?

A. 30 metres B. 45 metres C. 60 metres 8. In Morocco, as well as other places, you can walk through desert grass.

What’s the name of this plant?

A. Alpha B. Tamaris C. Acacia Raddiana 9. On which continent is the Gobi Desert located?

A. Asia B. Europe C. Oceania 10. How many countries does the Sahara Desert span?

A. 7 B. 11 C. 14

Valentine's Day card with a hidden message • Flap card. Glue the top edge of a small piece of paper to the inside or outside of your card to create a flap that reveals a hidden message. The paper can be cut into any shape you like including a heart, rectangle or star.

• Envelope card. Make an envelope card by folding the sides of a piece of paper over your message and sealing it in the middle with a sticker or ribbon.

• Scratch-off card. Write your Valentine’s Day message on a thin piece of cardboard, cover it with clear tape and add a few coats of scratch paint.

• Pocket card. Fold a piece of paper in half

and use staples or glue to seal two of the open ends. Attach the pocket to the front, back or inside of your card and slip in a note or surprise.

Happy Valentine’s Day! ANSWERS 1. True 2. False (in Antarctica) 3. True 4. True 5. False (it’s a cold desert) 6. C (the Thar Desert is in India and Pakistan) 7. B 8. A 9. A 10. B (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara)

Do you want to add a special touch to your handmade Valentine’s Day cards? If so, here are a few ways you can create a card with a hidden message.

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

REAL ESTATE

PAGE 35

Home insurance. How important is it?

JAY BRIJPAUL brijpaul@carib101.com

REAL ESTATE PRO

A home is a substantial investment and in the event of a fire or natural disaster, the damage can be hefty. The right coverage can protect the consumer against accidents such as a slip and fall, hurricane and other unpredictable happenings. Home insurance is not a requirement unless there is a mortgage on the property. When there is a mortgage, the lender will insist that the homeowner has fire insurance. If there is no fire insurance, then the lender can consider this as a default on the mortgage and start power of sale proceedings. Content and life insurance are not compulsory.

There are three types of insurance.

The first kind is called basic or “no- frills”. Basic insurance is the cheapest. The consumer is protected for only the risk mentioned such as fire, flood or wind damages. If it is not mentioned in the policy, then it is not covered. The second kind is called broad coverage. It offers more protection and is more expensive. Comprehensive policy is the third type. It covers the building and the contents against all risk except the ones that are excluded. Although the essence of the various types is the same, different insurance companies may package them differently with unique names.

There are two types of risk that are not covered by any insurance policy: one being risks that are uninsurable such as predictable events and the second is optional coverage. Predictable events are

when the damages are caused because of negligence. For example, the roof leaks since the shingles needed to be replaced, or there is a flood in the basement caused by a ruptured frozen exterior water pipe.

The second type is known as “optional coverage”. These are coverages that the homeowner can purchase separately such as sewer back up insurance or hurricane coverage.

Insurance policies can be daunting to understand. Take a look at the declaration page. This page gives an overview of the policy and the cost. The cost of the policy depends on many things but the two most important are creditworthiness of the homeowner and the location, size and upkeep of the property. It will also have the deductible. The deductible is the amount the policy holder agrees to pay in the event of a claim. For instance, if you agree for a deductible of $1000 and the cost of repair is $5,000, then you would pay the first $1,000 and the insurance coverage would cover the difference. Usually, higher the deductible, cheaper the policy.

Items such as furniture, appliances and electronics are called personal property. The policy may cover the cost to a certain extent. Some policies will cover the cost of replacing the appliances with new ones while others will give a discounted cost based on depreciation. For more expensive items such as jewelry, antiques and art, it is better to have extra coverage based on the appraised value of the items.

Fire insurance does not cover vehicles and that’s why vehicles have separate insurance. Homeowner insurance will cover for temporary accommodation while a property is being repaired. However, this might be capped to a certain limit as outlined in the policy. A homeowner policy will cover accidents such as slips and falls to a cer-

tain degree. Homeowners with pools and dangerous pets should take an umbrella insurance — a large liability insurance that covers accidents that are not in the regular policy.

For those living in condos, the condo insurance will cover liabilities related to the common areas. In event of a fire, it will cover the cost of repair and accommodation for the owner during the repair.

In addition to the condo insurance, homeowners should have their own insurance to cover the suite. For example, if the bathtub overflows and affects the unit below, then the condo insurance will not cover the cost for this repair.

For rental properties, there is a separate policy. The wording is different for an owner-occupied home and a tenanted property. In addition, the lease should stipulate that the tenant will have tenant insur-

ance. If the tenant has pets such as certain dangerous dog types, then it is important for the tenant to have extended liability insurance as well. For landlords who rent rooms to students, inform your insurance company. If not, and there is an accident, you can be sued, and the insurance company may not protect you.

When looking for insurance, compare prices and the extent of coverage given from various companies. It is imperative to give correct information when completing an application. Most insurance companies do the underwriting when a homeowner makes a claim. If they find that the information provided was not correct, they may deny the claim. It is important to shop around for insurance every three years. Many times, you will find companies that are willing to give more coverage at a cheaper price.

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PAGE 36

HOME

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

4 renovation projects you should always leave to the pros If you want to make improvements to your home, you might be tempted to take on a few projects yourself to save money. How­ ever, even if you have experience doing work around the house, certain tasks are best left to the experts. Here are four reno­ vation projects it’s best to leave to a profes­ sional.

1. Repairing or replacing a roof Professional roofers have the equipment and experience to work safely on a roof and avoid injuries. Additionally, they know how to pro­ perly install various roofing materials to en­ sure a final result that’s sturdy, weatherproof and long-lasting.

2. Doing any kind of electrical work Faulty wiring can lead to sudden power sur­ges and fires. If electrical work needs to be done, hiring a licensed electrician is a must. These professionals know how to safely handle dangerous components and will make sure everything is up to code.

3. Installing or moving plumbing Do you want to add another bathroom to your home or move the kitchen sink to the other side of the room? Working with a qualified plumber is the easiest way to avoid costly mistakes that could lead to flooding and ot­her types of water damage.

4. Tearing down walls Knocking down a wall might seem like a simple task, but if you remove one that’s load-bearing without taking the right pre­ cautions, you’ll compromise the entire structure of your home. Since load-bearing walls can be tricky to spot, this type of demo­ lition work is best left to an expert.

To help you find the right person for the job, be sure to consult online customer re­ views and ask potential contractors about their credentials and experience.

3 reasons to buy a fridge with an ice and water dispenser Do you need to replace your re­fri­gerator? If so, you might want to consider investing in a model that has an ice and water dispen­ser.

Here are some of the perks of this feature.

1. It’s convenient Having quick access to cubed or crushed ice and drinking wa­ter ma­kes it easy to stay hydrated through­out the day. It also comes in handy when entertaining guests or pre­ paring meals. Plus, you won’t have to re­ member to fill ice trays anymore.

2. It includes a filter system Most refrigerators with this feature are equipped with an interior filter, and consequently provide healthier and better tas­ting water than what comes out of the

faucet. Depending on the water quality in your area, this can be crucial for removing con­taminants.

3. It attracts homebuyers If you’re thinking about putting your house on the market, a fridge with all the bells and whistles might catch the attention of potential buyers. While this is unlikely to raise the value of your property, it can still be an interesting selling point.

Keep in mind that if you purchase a fridge with an ice and water dispenser, you’ll need to book a service call with a plumber. Ha­ ving a professional connect the water lines is the best way to ensure your new ap­ pliance runs smoothly.

FUN

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | www.TOCaribNews.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 37

WEEK OF JANUARY 16 TO JANUARY 22, 2022

ARIES

The luckiest signs this week: LIBRA, SCORPIO AND SAGITTARIUS

You’ll accomplish a heroic feat! You may be a great help to someone in need who’ll be forever grateful to you for taking the time to listen to them.

TAURUS

You’ll spend a lot of time at home with your family. Your children, for example, may need you to look af­ter them. Working from home will be in order. However, you’ll enjoy getting down to business.

PUZZLE NO. 753 ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 753

HOW TO PLAY :

GEMINI

If you find yourself in a difficult situa­tion, ask your friends and family for help. Your friends might also come to you for advice.

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

CANCER

You’ll want to redecorate and breathe new life into your living space. You may feel compelled to buy a home or move into a new apartment if you’re feeling cramped.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: You must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column, or 3x3 box.

LEO

Now is the time to act! You’ll be quick­w itted and cut to the chase. If you’re active on social media, one of your comments will get a lot of attention.

VIRGO

PUZZLE NO. 43 47. Threat’s final word 51. Totally cool 54. Carton 55. Kind of sauce 56. Storage crib 57. Challenger 58. Weed tool 59. Puzzling 60. 12-month periods DOWN

ACROSS

1. Clutch 6. Smear 9. Not in tune 12. An ____ of prevention . . .

13. Wise bird 14. Trouble 15. Fantastic!

16. Smiled

broadly 18. Stitched 19. Memo error 20. Nero’s garment 23. Border 27. Alpine slider 30. Compulsion 32. Loony 33. Undergo

35. Studio couch 37. Bright light 38. Wiggles, as a tail 40. Previous to, poetically 41. Appetizing store 42. Tot 44. Not this

1. Gear teeth 2. Angler’s bait 3. From scratch 4. Meager 5. Goldfish, e.g.

6. GI’s ID 7. Wrong 8. Radar-screen spot 9. ____ up (confess) 10. Enemy 11. Gave lunch to 17. Honorably 21. “____ Town” (play) 22. Expanded 24. Evening garment 25. Cake decorator

26. Vogue 27. Fax 28. Jeans patch site 29. Cherished one 31. Overwrought 34. Divisions 36. “____ Me No Questions” 39. Show up 43. Unearthly 45. Wanderer 46. Among

48. Igneous flow 49. Night sight 50. Slippery fellows 51. Charcoal residue 52. Court, as a sweetheart 53. Gaze at 54. Wail

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 43

Give yourself time to rest and re lax. You may devote yourself to some­ one you care about; this is a per­son with who you share a lot of fond memories.

LIBRA

You’re needed and won’t be able to run away or hide your head in the sand. An active social life starts with good organization and planning. If you take the initiative, everyone will rally behind you.

SCORPIO

You have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders, and everyone is counting on you. You may need to isolate yourself to get all your tasks done on time.

SAGITTARIUS

If you want to plan your dream ad­venture, now’s the time to get or­ ganized. You’ll need to make some changes in your life to achieve your personal and professional goals.

CAPRICORN

There’s something you can’t get off your mind. You must focus on your priorities. If you have an artistic or creative flair, you’ll be inspired to create a masterpiece.

AQUARIUS

Sometimes you’re shy and other times you’re outgoing. Even though you’re not always easy to figure out, you’re extremely trustworthy. You might need to weigh the pros and cons of a particular situation.

PISCES

You’ll see things more clearly by clea­ning out your home or office.

You’ll need to get plenty of rest to avoid bringing germs into your home this winter.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

the free

Classifieds Your destination to buy, sell and post!

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FORWANTED SALE HELP

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GENERAL HELPER: Looking for a helper to do general labour, garden cleaning, landscaping, and winter snow removal. Cash paid weekly. Located at Morningside & Lawrence in Scarborough. Please call: (416)269-5174.

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HIRING FOR CLEANING: Looking for experience people for general cleaning evenings and night.

Must speak English and can drive to areas in the GTA. Call or Text 647-239-4808. Seriou calls only

HELP WANTED PART TIME DELIVERY DRIVERS: Approximately 4-6 hours commitment every second Wednesday.

Drivers needed for: • Scarborough/Pickering/ Ajax • North York/Rexdale/ Malton • Brampton/Mississauga Driver must have SUV or Van. Call 647-722-6298 to apply.

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Has a Separate Entrance, Private Kitchen & Washroom. Located in Scarborough, Toronto, Morningside Avenue & Kingston Road. $1,500.00/month including utilities. Please call (416)459-6155.

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FOR SALE WORSHIP 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 MISSISSAUGA: Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church invites you to join us at 1620 Dundas St West, each Sunday at 10am for praise, worship and in-depth Bible teaching with Pastor Sean, 416-219-9137

We are in the process of expansion and constantly looking for the best of the best!

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TEL: 705-291-1100

PAGE 40

FINANCE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Stop limiting your dreams and start following them instead!

CLEVE DeSOUZA cleve@carib101.com

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Another year has come to a close. While some people look back and celebrate their successes, others are tempted to view this season as a time of discouragement. The goals and visions they had for last year that didn’t materialize and seem to haunt many, often causing them to limit their hope for the future. Don’t let this happen. Determine to STOP limiting your dreams and start following them instead.

Dreams Look Different For Everyone Don’t Get Sidetracked!

One of the biggest mistakes people make is when they get their eyes off of their own dream and begin looking at someone else’s. The dreams that you personally have will almost always look vastly different, and so will your path to accomplish it.

If your dream is debt freedom, for example, you may forgo buying things using credit or loans. However, when a co-worker or neighbor pulls up in their brand new (financed) vehicle, there may be a temptation to feel that their dream out shadows yours in the moment. Don’t give into this.

“Decide what your dream is and then follow it.”

Dreams Take Time to Fulfill - Be Willing to Wait!

We live in a society where instant gratification is the norm. Fast food is common, two- day shipping is usually possible, and microwaves are home necessities. A dream is more like a fine wine. It will require time.

Instead of putting your focus on the calendar, keep your focus on the milestones. So what if the year is over? You have another one just like it to keep working toward that dream. If you are moving the needle forward and finding meaning and purpose along the way, consider that a win.

“Dreams worth having are also worth the wait.”

Dreams Will Likely Change Over Time Flexibility is Important!

If you look back over your life, odds are that your dreams have grown and evolved with time. You have matured and so did your dreams. Even if the dream itself hasn’t changed, the idea of how that dream is defined may have. The dream of home ownership may have started out looking like a chic one bedroom loft in the city, then changed to a three bedroom home in the suburbs after your first child was born.

As you near retirement, it may yet again change. Be careful to not limit dreams simply because they no longer fit. Learn to ad-

just them to fit instead.

“The very best dreams are the ones that grow and mature over time.”

Dreams Sometimes Derail - Remember that Setbacks Are Not Failures!

Most of us don’t like to think about the part of the story where the dream stalls for a season, or even jumps off the tracks entirely. However, life does happen and sometimes it isn’t pretty. Many people saw some pretty harsh realities of dream derailment this last year. Even something as drastic as a worldwide pandemic doesn’t mean that your dream is dead or should be limited.

Setbacks may take some time and effort to work through, but they also provide valuable learning opportunities along the way.

“Have dreams that are stronger than your excuses.”

Dreams Don’t Work Unless You Do - Get Started Today!

The first step in realizing your dreams is to wake up every day and do something intentional that moves you toward the future you desire. Mindset is a huge key, but so is developing discipline and surrounding yourself with people who support your dreams. Remember, every dream began as a passion to fulfill a purpose, but was accomplished by people who had a plan.

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

3 common financial no-nos to avoid If you recently started managing your own money or simply want to improve your financial situation, it’s important to be careful. Here are three common mistakes you should avoid.

1. Not saving money every month If you forget to put money aside every month, con­sider setting up automatic withdrawals. By doing so, a certain percentage of each paycheque will be transferred directly into your savings account.

2. Paying off only the largest debt In the long run, making payments on only your largest debt can cause you to pay more in interest and stay in

debt longer than you need to. Instead, focus on paying off your high-interest debts first.

3. Not having an emergency fund If you have an emergency fund, it’ll ensure you have a safety net to fall back on if you unexpectedly fall ill, get in a car accident or lose your job. Experts recommend saving at least three months’ worth of basic living expenses.

If you’re struggling to manage your money, make an appointment with a financial expert for personalized advice and assistance.

PAGE 42

AUTOMOTIVE

How to choose the right motor oil There’s no test that can prove one brand of motor oil is better than another. However, there are certain criteria to consider if you want to be sure you’re purchasing top-quality oil for your car.

Choose oil that features the American Petroleum Institute logo on its packaging: this signifies that it was rigorously tested to ensure a high standard of quality before hitting the market. Also look for the SAE International emblem. In addition to these logos, you’ll notice a series of letters.

If you have a gas engine, for example, look for the initials SN. Four types of engine oil There are four main types of engine oil available on the market. The most common, conventional (or mineral) oil, works just fine, as long as it’s replaced every 5,000 kilometres and complies with all relevant quality standards. Regenerated oils are made from used motor oil that’s been collected, cleaned and purified, then mixed

with additives and returned to the market.

Purchasing recycled oil affords you the same quality product as virgin oil while giving a helping hand to the environment.

The highest quality motor oils currently available on the market are synthetic oils. These lab-created oils are more chemically stable than conventional oil, making them more resistant to high temperatures, more effective at lubricating the engine, and less heavy on fuel consumption. Synthetic oil is more expensive, but for most experts, the extra cost is well worth the benefits.

So which type is right for you? If you don’t mind spending a bit more, synthetic oil is your best bet. However, there is a way to get the best of both worlds: semi-synthetic oil performs better than conventional oil but is less expensive than fully synthetic varieties.

Finally, if you do your own oil changes, remember to bring the waste oil to your local recycling facility.

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TOCaribNews.com | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Do you really want to pay for your car for eight years?

Ask any driver what they’re looking for in a new car, and many will answer “a price I can afford.” Automakers are well aware of this and have found a way to make vehicle ownership more affordable through financing. But is that really the case?

Back in the day, vehicle financing plans usually lasted two, three or four years, rarely more. Today, terms commonly extend over 84 and even 96 months. That’s eight years spent paying for a car. This strategy is pretty straightforward: the longer the term, the lower the monthly payment. But the monthly cost isn’t the only factor to consider.

Other things to keep in mind are the warranty and depreciation.

Brand new vehicles are typically under warranty for three or four years, sometimes five. This means that once the warranty period ends, you’re responsible for all maintenance and repair costs, even if

the vehicle is a lease. The rate at which the car depreciates is another significant factor: vehicles usually lose 40 to 50 per cent of their retail value in the first four years following their purchase. After seven or eight years, you’re likely to be left with more money to put on your car than its actual market value.

Also keep in mind that interest rates are generally higher on long-term loans than on short-term financing. The longer you pay for your car, the more it’ll end up costing you in the end. There is a way to benefit from a longer term, however: zero-interest financing. If you can find such a deal to take advantage of, keep the car until the term ends.

Bottom line: it’s a good idea to opt for a car loan that won’t last longer than the warranty. This way, you’ll be able to rest assured that your car will retain a worthwhile resale value.