We're Coming For You!

What makes our Woman Empowered different is her fearless mentality, along with her ability to genre bend and push musical boundaries. Her cre ative mind is very different from others in the industry as she functions outside of the norm to create an ultra-creative euphoria. There are people out there that support her unorthodox and unique sounds, and the team at the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper are a group of those people.

Her name is Desarae Dee and she is a solo Instrumental Fusion Art ist. Some of you might be thinking, what is that exactly? Well, this talented artist is a Pianist/Keyboardist, MultiInstrumentalist, Producer and Educa tor from Toronto, Canada and she has created her own lane in the music in dustry that has never been heard of in Canada. Most people have never heard of a Black woman pianist in Canada at that and especially one who plays in strumental Fusion music.

There isn’t much talk of in strumentalists putting out music in North America, regardless of race or gender. To be honest, you don’t hear much about the work of instrumental ists; people don’t seem to understand the amount of work, time, energy, and level of skill it takes. Music lovers in North America are used to hearing lyr ics from vocalists and rappers, and for some reason there is not much interest in trying to understand anything dif ferent, especially when it comes to in strumental music.

Regardless, Desarae’s has overcome this lack of openness, and her grind has been in overdrive over the past eighteen months. After launching multiple critically acclaimed projects in 2020, she entered into a strategic music monetization brand partnership with RADIOPUSHERS, who have appointed Desarae as the Global Ambassador of MUSIC HYPEBEAST, an interactive broadcast platform for pro gressive emerging artists.

I had a chance to sit down and vibe with Desarae, and she shared with me her story of inspiration, triumph and of course, her love for music.

“I was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Jamaican and British/Indian parents. I have been told that I was very ener getic, and a little extra. I would walk around with this fur jacket and purse that I still have. My dad is a musician, and he used to sing in a group. When I was four my parents noticed that I had

a talent, and at six years old, I started to play piano.”

Her parents eventually put her into mu sic school, but she tells me that she was a tomboy, and loved to run around, so music was not on her mind.

“What was missing for me was representation. At school no one looked like me, and the teachers could not connect with me. I was about nine years old, when my parents discovered that there was a Black lady who worked at the school. My parents immediately approached her about teaching me.

I was so frustrated the first day that I worked with her, and I will never forget when she asked me, ‘How are you feeling.’ For once someone cared, and that is when I blossomed. She would have me come in early when there were recitals to play for the parents as they were coming in. This is when I started to discover music outside of classical music.

I went to high school, and that was when it hit me; I was very good at this. People used to call me Alicia Keys, and they would request songs for me to play. I flourished in school, and I was the only girl in a jazz band.”

Desarae tells me about a visit to see her guidance councellor and what he told her, “When you go to university, make sure that you are doing what you love. I will never forget that. I studied music for three years. It was a four-year program, but I excelled in my classes, so I finished it in three. I learned how to play violin, the trumpet, and now I play 15 instruments. I was going to write the LSAT’s, and I told my parents I didn’t want to go to law school. I wanted to do what I was inspired to do, so I decided to go to teacher’s college instead. The words of my guidance councellor re mained with me, kept me focused.”

Even though she was follow ing her desired path, her journey came with some challenges. She was the only Black student in teacher’s college at Western University, and she had to deal with racism, and prejudice attitudes.

“One day we were doing a part ner assignment, and an emergency call came in, and the teacher called me out for being on the phone, when everyone else was on his or her phones. I nearly got kicked out of the program, it was a tough three months, but I pushed through and graduated.

I wanted to explore my musi cal talents, but I didn’t want to be like any other artist out there. It took some

time to figure out who I was in music and how I wanted my sound to be.

In 2014, I started out with a single “I’ll Worship You,” to see how people responded. After recording that, I realized that I had a passion for producing instru mentals.

In 2016, I put out my debut EP “20,”and I also put out my Christmas project, and people really enjoyed it. In 2018 I had a very rough year. I went through writer’s block, and I was trying to figure out what more I could do. I almost quit music because I was not getting the support that I thought I deserved as a black woman who was pro ducing instrumental music.

I realized that I was not tapping into all the gifts that I had. I relied on other people to help me get my songs out. I be gan experimenting with sounds, and I realized that I was sleeping on myself. I started to drop music, and then the pandemic hit. I kept creating. I wrote 150 songs in 2020. “Moments of Christmas,” was re leased in 2020 and it was an album of Christmas songs written by me.”

Desarae now teaches music, and she explains that being a music teacher in the system is different then being a private teacher.

“I don’t believe in grading stu dents. How do you grade creativity? My goal is to open people’s eyes to the im portance of music. It is a subjective art, but very empowering. I want to create a curriculum where kids enjoy music without the pressure of grades.

I wanted to be the one to take on a new path and smash all the bar riers and ceilings. I’ve done the im possible and am still working to share my story with as many people as I can because I believe it’s important to cel ebrate Black women, especially musi cians.”

the mind of

creative

Written by Simone J. Smith

Caribbean

I had the opportunity to attend the 2022 Indigenous Leadership & Business Congress, and although my attendance had me facing some tough truths about Canada, and the Canadian government, it allowed me to really delve into just how drastically the Canadian government has failed the indigenous community, and how similar the plight of the indigenous community and the African-Caribbean community is.

As many of us know, Canada has a harrowing past when it comes to its indigenous peoples and especially their children. Many of us are familiar with resi dential schools, which operated between 1831 and 1996, in which children were tak en from their families to assimilate them.

Then there was the ‘Sixties Scoop,’ where the government rounded up thousands of Indigenous people for adoption by White Canadian families. Some children were even sold abroad.

Despite attempts at reconciliation, these communities are still not treated equally and the youngest are extremely affected.

Indigenous communities are found throughout Canada, and include the: Inuit, First Nations and Métis (of mixed origin). Within these designations there are more than 630 different nations, communities and communities within a nation. The diversity of Canada’s Indig enous peoples is what makes the country so culturally rich, but an issue common to all its communities is that children’s rights are not respected and young people find it hard to assert their rights. With that is the: social, economic and quality of life that continues to be disregarded by our government, even though they continue to make promises to give back to the peo ple that so much has been taken from.

There is so much that needs to be taken into consideration; infant mortality among Aboriginal children is three times the rate of non-Aboriginal kids. The sui cide rate for Aboriginal people is six times higher than for others. On average, life expectancy for Aboriginal people is a de cade less than for non-Aboriginal people.

With that as context, we have to ask ourselves: what has been, and contin ues to be, the biggest public policy failure in Canada? In all measures the answer has to be Indigenous and Aboriginal policy. In terms of social, economic and quality of life outcomes, nothing comes close to the failure of generation upon generation of government policy relating to Indigenous

people.

This unfortunate trend has now placed the world on a trajectory of inef fective leadership in the corridors of pow er in many nations, with wars raging and rising cases of discrimination, racism and injustices against Indigenous peoples, and people of African descent.

On September 29th, 2022, in honour of the National Truth and Rec onciliation Day in Canada, the Canadian Congress invited thousands of people all over the world to be part of the Second Annual Indigenous Congress, 2022.

With a focus on developing lead ership capabilities of thousands of del egates, and sharing sacred ways of em powering oneself and each other through whatever challenges you may be faced with, this virtual gathering provided per spective about the Indigenous ways of coexisting as one, and highlighted just how abhorrent the treatment of Indig enous people in Canada actually is.

The Congress focused on:

• Generational Healing

• Equitable Justice and Governance

• Generational Wealth

And explored topics surrounding:

• The Role of Government in Indige nous Wealth Creation

• Indigenous Principles for Economic Empowerment

• Redefining Generational Wealth - In digenous Perspectives

I learned that in general, the employment rate for Indigenous people is lower than for the general population of Canada. Ac cording to the 2016 (Canadian Encyclope dia) census, the employment rate for nonIndigenous people aged 25 to 64 was 76%. Their Indigenous counterparts had lower rates. First Nations people on re serves had an employment rate of 46.9%; the rate off reserves was 60.2%.

In terms of income, Indigenous workers made less on average than the general population, although the amount varied. According to 2016 (Canadian En cyclopedia) census data, the median in come of Indigenous people living on re serve ($20,357) was considerably less than that of non-Indigenous people ($42,930). Métis had the highest median income among Indigenous people with $40,814, followed by Non-Status people ($34,458), Status people living off reserve ($32,553), and Inuit ($33,135).

The hard part is what to do about it? How do we bring equilibrium to an unbalanced situation? The issues that Indigenous communities face are so in terwoven in the history of colonialism, so deeply rooted in attitudes, patterns of racial discrimination, biases and cultural conflict. Despite considering itself as the upholders of rights of Aboriginals, this perception is far from reality. Canada has failed its Aboriginal peoples, leaving both sides ensnared in a broken relationship.

“What good is the land if we don’t have our children.”

Canada has failed

people,

in a broken relationship!

Why are MPP’s receiving raises when Ontarians are facing economic challenges?

when our health-care system is in crisis. Bill 124 caps (public sector) wages and some education workers make $30,000, a year is a slap in the face to people work ing hard to care for loved ones.”

As Ontario’s parents continue to face in creased food prices and grocery bills, the Ontario government has indicated that it will provide more funds to boost tutor ing support for their kids. There was a surprising surplus of $2.1 billion, and the government has decided to earmark an extra $140 million for tutoring support. Government revenues increased to $185 billion due to a 20% increase in the cof fers as recorded on March 31st, 2022 the end of the fiscal year.

The planned increase raise of $26,000 for Ontario MPP’S prompted by the increased revenues, which fall under the 2009 legislation will not go through. Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s Minister of Finance states, “With workers and fami lies struggling with increased costs, now is not the time for politicians to be receiv ing raises.” If the legislation had gone through it would have been an increase of $26,565, which would jump the MPPs’ base salary from $116,550 to $142,125. It has been 13 years since they got their last increase.

Many healthcare activists have expressed concerns as to why the On tario government has not decided to channel some of the surplus funds back into the cash-strapped public healthcare system. This is in light of public reports regarding the chronic shortage of nurses in the public system, which has led to the closures of many hospital emergencies. This has worsened with no sign of any upcoming improvement.

Catherine Fife, New Democrat MPP of Waterloo stated, “It’s devastat ing for Ontarians who can’t access the health care they needed.” Furthermore, Mike Schreiner, Green Party leader in a prepared statement notes, “The gov ernment is touting a $2.1 billion surplus

It was reported that Minister Bethlenfalvy, in a news conference on Friday morning, stated that there will be there will be an increase from $225 million to more than $365 million that will be sent directly to parents as was announced when the budget was re-re leased in August. Although details have not been released about when and how much parents will receive they can start applying in October. He states, “This in creased federal funding can be used by parents for things like additional tutor ing supports or supplies and equipments that support learning, We will have more details shortly on when and how parents can expect to receive their direct pay ments.”

At the outset of the pandemic, the Ontario government provided di rect funds to parents two times under the Support for Learners program in which parents received $200 per child or $250 per child with special needs, which amounted to around $868 million. It fol lowed up in 2021 with $980 million in payments to help parents defray educa tional costs related to the transition of their children to virtual schooling.

Stephen Leece, Ontario Minister of Education remarked at Friday’s news conference, “We look forward to get ting the details out shortly. Parents need further support. We owe it to our par ents.”

MPP Fife is concerned that the estimated $225 million that parents will receive is not enough, which translates to about $100 per child. He states, “They certainly are not making it very clear to parents.” He would like to see the funds go toward additional resources for stu dents and schools, and not on trying to find tutors. He notes, “This government has been moving away from strengthen ing the public education system to really putting this responsibility back to the pri vate sector and back to parents.”

There is a trend in Canada showing the Crown’s lack of determination to punish violent crime

deserve a serious punishment for those two ruffians.

There is a trend in Canada show ing the Crown’s lack of determination to punish violent crime. If a Black man mouths off to a police officer, the police have no problem taking them in, if they are lucky enough not being shot. The wealthy are invited to the police station or their lawyer’s office while the average working blue-collar worker, or disabled person faces violence, and then the Crown ignores the violated victim, while concen trating on the perpetrator’s rehabilitation and future.

The two men mentioned were young people, so the Crown decided they did not need criminal records. The courts being so very busy and backlogged, why take this obvious assault to court? After all, the victim gets an apology and maybe a free meal. All is well in Canada, right?

cial, racial and health issues reflect in the criminal penalties they receive.

Many of our Black, Aboriginal and minority communities look for equality before the courts, yet this justice goes one way. Violence seemingly does not matter in the crimes being committed. Also, if the prisons are full, those committing crimes can receive lesser penalties. Senior citi zens are victimized, yet the perpetrators of these crimes seemingly get off easy. In America, where many prisons are privately run, hundreds of prisoners can find them selves released earlier than their charges required. No room in the prison or halfway house. So much for equal justice applied.

assist them, whether that is hospi talization, mental health assistance, counselling and money too.

• Victims need satisfaction, to believe that justice is fully served, and that criminals once caught, are responsibly punished.

• A truly felt punishment is needed for those who commit crimes, so they will at least think twice about committing crimes again.

two men asked him too. These two men forced him out of the restaurant in a very forceful, violent manner. The two men as saulted Justin.

What did the Crown do in resolu tion to this fiasco? The two men donated $3,000.00 to a charity, wrote an apology for their misunderstood actions. That is it! Seems like the Crown had better things to do, but this video-taped assault did not meet their idea of a violent act, nor did it

No way. Murderers, who claim to be mentally ill, get off with a slap on the hand. A few months in a hospital, halfway house and home again. The Crown may even relocate the criminal because they are too well known in their hometowns, or people do not want them to be their neighbours. What do victims get? Not much at all. Since the administration of Pierre Trudeau, the rehabilitation of crimi nals has been more important than justi fied revenge, justice and recompense to the victim. This pampering of the criminal continues to this day. Now a criminal’s so

Respect for the political, police and judicial authorities need to be earned. The protection of our fellow citizens is primary, and essential. Criminals must be punished, feeling the true power of soci ety’s displeasure for their actions. Crimi nals are to be rehabilitated, yet the vic tims, what of them? They must often face their own rehabilitation from the crimes perpetrated upon them on their own, or with the support of family and friends.

You may ask what is needed here?

• Violent Crimes, and those where weapons are used must face severe charges and penalties, with little or no parole allowed. If you kill someone, in side you must stay.

• Victims must receive every effort to

• Habitual criminals like those charged a dozen times for DUI, or robbery must be treated as a danger to society and incarcerated indefinitely. Treat them as addicts if you like, mentally unable to live and work in society.

• Immigration services must do a bet ter job investigating those claiming refugee or immigration status. If they are criminals in their homeland, they must be deported.

By the way, the man assaulted in the restaurant mentioned above lives with Aspergers, and his dog is a comfort sup port animal. Those two assaulting ruffians should be charged with assault and hu man rights charges. Everyone has a right to participate in our society, no matter his or her mental, physical or social condition. Justin’s dog Epi experienced over 400 and 700 hours of training. Perhaps the two men who assaulted him should also re ceive training in how to be good, helpful and sociable citizens. What do you think?

Attracting and retaining talent: A view from the eyes of the smart city planners

maybe, just maybe, almost all of the man ual jobs done by ordinary folks were nonexistent.

MICHAEL THOMAS

According to a report series from ICTC aka Information and Communications Tech nology Council, smart city initiatives have multiplied across Canada, and their success depends on attracting and retaining talent with the right technical and human skills. First of all, here are some of the definitions of a smart city according to the ICTC docu ments.

“Smart cities I think refer to loca tions that are technologically advanced and remote work is available to employ ees. They are advanced when it comes to resources.

A city in which investments in human and social capital, traditional and modern communication infrastructure fuel sustainable economic development and a high quality of life, with a wise manage ment of natural resources, through partici patory action and engagement.”

The Smart City idea is not new; it has been thrown around in many ways since the 60’s. That said, let’s have a look at some of the ideas Canada has for de veloping these so-called smart cities. First up are job descriptions: Health Technol ogy, Augmented/Virtual Reality & Gam ing, Smart Mobility, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Human-Computer Interaction, Business and Policy Analysis, Agricultural Technology (e.g., vertical farm ing) Urban Design & Sustainability, Clean Technology, Hardware Design and Devel opment, Web or Software Development, IT Operations Cybersecurity, Data Science, Cloud Computing & Databases. These are just some of the terminologies you need to start becoming familiar with.

Here are some of the educational standards that will be required of you for future employment in these smart cities: Ph.D. / Masters, Undergraduate Degree, College Program, and Technical Institute Program degree. As I kept reading into this research I could not help noticing that

It is important to note that Canada historically performed well on measures of e-government. For example, in 2005, Can ada ranked first among 22 countries sur veyed in North America, Europe, and Asia for “customer service maturity” in the egovernment category. However, Canada’s position has dropped in the last decade.

In 2020, the Electronic Govern ment Development Index ranked Canada a distant 28th, compared to third place in 2010.

According to this report, here are the top five in-demand job postings in Canada for 2022: Software Engineer, Proj ect Manager, Business Analyst, Cyber Secu rity Professional, and Full Stack Developer.

This document also discusses the choice between longer-degree programs and shorter competency-based creden tials, for folks wanting to shorten some academic trips to successful employment.

As I looked through these docu ments a few questions came to me. What role would the elderly play in these smart cities, and how adaptable would these smart cities be for folks who are computer illiterate, because even as we speak there are millions of people living among us who have none of these tech skills, what would be their fate?

Will free enterprise be allowed to reign in these smart cities? Will the guy who sells coffee and toast from his truck to construction workers be left alone, and what will be the fate of the folks who are just not interested in all these tech-savvy things?

This document talks of consider ing digital literacy for folks, but that might just be easier said than done simply be cause it is not so easy to digitally educate someone who is in their 60’s and up, and who has no prior knowledge in the digital department.

As can be expected, not every thing in the documents can be covered here, but as I said earlier, the more I read, the more questions come to mind. If you are interested in learning more you can click on the link below, and please share with us your thoughts on smart cities.

“We should go back to the good old days when we had slaves!”

“He said what?” I was speaking with Nicholas Marcus Thompson Black Class Action Secretariat about a recent announced submission to the UN Com mission for Human Rights’ Special Rap porteur on contemporary forms of rac ism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

That comment was made by an employer (who and what company was not disclosed), and to be honest, even though my response sounded surprised, I really wasn’t. It has become exhausting to repeatedly explain that racism exists in Canada. For Canadians who have likely never experienced sys temic racism, it is easy to deny its exis tence.

The issue is that our govern ment officials continue to ignore the cries of the people, the very same peo ple who have put them in office. A few years ago, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated that Canada doesn’t have the same systemic deep roots of racism that the United States does. He retract ed that statement, but his original spo ken thoughts are telling. Canada’s racist past continues to be felt by people of colour, particularly African-Canadians, and Indigenous communities.

This is not something that White privileged individuals give much thought to, because let’s be honest, it doesn’t directly impact their lives. We did however see the experience of di vision during the pandemic, when it was no longer about colour, but more so about whether you were masked, or unmasked, vaccinated, or unvaccinat ed, but I digress.

Let’s go back to the head of the snake, and speak about our leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Since he has taken office, Prime Minister Trudeau has been cashing cheques that he doesn’t have the money to pay. In other words, making promises that he cannot, and doesn’t seem to want to

keep.

When he got elected, Trudeau told us three of his priorities were de livering action on climate change, rec onciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people and running an open govern ment. To this day, he has not delivered on his promises and Canadians are not getting timely resolution of their com plaints for access to information re quests, which go against his promise to run an open government. Other than wearing an orange shirt, and providing a holiday, Canada’s Indigenous people are still dealing with systemic racism, and there are many of them who are unable to access clean drinking water. Can you imagine; a country as large as Canada with access to large quantities of fresh water?

In August 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised action to ad dress systemic racism in Canada polic ing and other institutions. This was af ter more than 100 Liberal MP’s and half of Trudeau’s cabinet signed a declara tion from the Black caucus that called for a wide range of reforms.

In 2019, the Liberal govern ment unveiled a $45-million strategy to tackle racism in the public service and federal policies, and in mid-June 2021, Trudeau pledged further action on sys temic racism would come “Very soon.”

Well enough is enough! There are a group of individuals who have decided that they are going to take ac tion. In December 2020, a class action was filed against the Canadian govern ment on behalf of more than 45,000 Black federal public service employees who have been subjected to systemic racism, discrimination, and employee exclusion.

This complaint to the UN out lined the Canadian government’s fail ure to protect Black Canadians, and on September 28th, 2022, representatives of the Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS), together with partner Amnesty International Canada (Amnesty), joined forces to shed light on the historic and on-going human rights violations faced by Black employees in Canada’s federal public service. These workers have en dured anti-Black hate and anti-Black racism, both covertly and overtly, over the course of decades in the service of their country. This is contrary to the right to non-discrimination found with in several international conventions ratified by the Government of Canada.

“On behalf of all Black workers, we are elevating Canada’s past and ongoing failures to the United Nations,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson. “Black Canadians are suffering, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice on their behalf. Each of us believes the government of Canada must be held accountable. What they do is throw money at us, and it doesn’t reach our community. Other community newspa pers have not covered this matter; and I want to thank the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper for taking the lead. This story impacts 1000’s of Caribbean’s, and there is a significant connection to the Caribbean.

A lot of Caribbean people mi grated to this country. They have been welcomed to this country and get caught up in the dream; they think that if they get their foot in, they can work their way up. Many of them today have retired in the exact same position that they started in. Many cannot afford to retire; it is so expensive. Pensions are not enough to retire.

They have gone through so much trauma, and dealing with it on a day to day basis, living in low income housing, not being able to get by. We are Caribbean Canadian Nation als fighting the government, against systemic racism. We have to dismantle this system from the top. It is Caribbean people who are leading the charge, and creating this massive dialogue on the economic impacts of systemic rac ism.

It is about setting the prec edent and empowering members of the community to step forward, and stand up. How do we sustain changes? I thought about how we are treated in the workplace; employers have their knees on our neck.

It is dehumanizing. It takes away a person’s values. They speak about the work giving you experience, but what good is this experience if it doesn’t move you up.

Black people have been in Canada for 400 years; majority of them were brought here as slaves. Slavery was abolished, and then they couldn’t vote because they didn’t have prop erty. Then the government of Canada said that Black people were undesir able. During the war, they said it was a White man’s war, and they created a segregated battalion. They had to cut down trees, defuse landmines, and dig

the trenches. That was the early public service. 107 years later, family members are still digging the trenches. The gov ernment of Canada knows it has treat ed Black people terribly for years.

Black people have to continue to fight for representation, to defend our need for mental health support. The government will say they are doing these things, but nothing is happen ing.”

Together the BCAS and Amnes ty are calling on the Special Rapporteur to investigate Canada’s violation of its obligation to abide by these interna tional treaties. This includes calling on the federal government to:

• Meet its international obligations

• Establish a coherent plan to ad dress hiring and promotional gaps for Black Canadian workers

• Develop a plan to increase oppor tunities for professional develop ment

• Initiate a study and report on sys temic discrimination in labour and employment to help identify why this persistent culture exists

With almost 1,500 plaintiffs from across Canada, the Black Class Action has gar nered the support of major interna tional organizations like Amnesty In ternational and Canadian associations, including: the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.

“Black women make up 70% of Federal employees who have come for ward with allegations of discrimination in the public service. These experiences are not only an affront to the inherent dignity of the people who uphold the Government’s functions daily,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

“They are contrary to Canada’s obligation under international law to eliminate discrimination in employ ment. We unequivocally support Black Class Action’s call for justice and urge the government not to wait for the UN’s response to start enacting muchneeded change. Federal workers, and millions of Canadians who rely on their efforts, cannot wait.”

As a worker, if you have faced systemic racism in your workplace you can join the suit by visiting www.black classaction.ca.

“We are fighting for the soul of Canada; fighting for significant change for workers at the service level”

There is a power struggle between consumers and corporations

STEVEN KASZAB

automotive parts, providing too few sedans and other vehicles. If there is an opportunity to make greater profits, these dealerships are going for it big time.

While production is generally in creasing, and interest-sensitive demand cooling, pressures to reduce vehicle mar gins and prices have appeared. The greater volume of new vehicles may bring prices to bay, but certainly not reduce them quickly. Taking the profit is a limited time deal, and these businesses will surely advance profit ability.

The Central Bank’s move to in crease interest rates in an effort to reduce inflation will partly hinge upon how easily companies will surrender their hefty profits. If firms reduce their prices in order to bring about competition within the marketplace, price increases may slow and hopefully not result in job losses. There will be a struggle between holding onto larger profits and the

Central Banks squeeze of the economy and quashing demand that creates and fuels in flation.

There is a power struggle between consumers and corporations, and with the support of the public authority, corpora tions must experience some financial pain.

Image is everything today, and a corpora tion seen as a scrooge, treating consumers as afterthought financial partners within the market will suffer in many ways.

Our marketplace is still suffering from three forces of economic manipula tion...

• Supply chains are still wounded by the pandemic. Supply chains have not fully healed

• Demand for products may be slowing down, but the momentum to grow re mains

• Firms that are used to making huge

profits are proving to be hesitant to lower their prices

Many firms believe there is still unmet de mand for their products, and also believe that supply/manufacturing will not be roar ing back any time soon. Profiteering firms still believe that consumers have been able to bear the rate increases and the increasing prices that will follow, no matter how out of whack our supply and demand sector re mains.

Economists fear that interest rates must continue to rise farther to a point where consumers have had enough pain and we all see a pause in demand.

Even if inflation drops to accept able levels, the debt clock continues to pound away, increasing in volume and fi nancial influential importance.

“Experience Greatness – Again!” One of the biggest celebrations of Caribbean culture on the globe (and the biggest in the U.S.), took place last weekend starting October 8th-9th, 2022, and as I watched friends post videos and pictures, it took me back to my trip to Antigua, and my first ever island car nival experience.

Steel drums, rhinestone-encrusted costumes, the aroma of Caribbean spices in the air.

Describing my first island carnival experience is going to fall short of the sen sory experience that Antigua Carnival is. Just being there tantalized all my sensory organs.

The exhilaration of music and oth ers sharing this feeling with you, it released a

spirit of uncontrollable desertion. Although I was pretty tired, especially because we had to get up super early for J’ouvert, I lost what little control I had as bacchanalia took a hold of me. I had to press on as the week was far from over. The dancing in the streets went on for hours, driven by the infectious sounds of steel pan, soca music, and reggae, which caused even the weariest masquerader to summon that last bit of energy to move their hips as their feet kept moving. Too soon the revelry was over, and I had to come back down to earth, spent, breathless, but think ing damn, that was a real great high!

The Antigua Ministry of Creative Industries & Innovation is responsible for planning and organizing the big details around Antigua Carnival. The 10-day Carib bean festival is curated with the very best in Antiguan food, music, dance and a whole lot of fun. The festivities climaxed on the first weekend of August.

This year’s calendar included:

• Band meet Band showdown

• Tee Shirt Mas - A must for any true Car nivalian.

• King Short Shirt - An event in honour of a local legend

• Teen Rave - A party for teenagers

• Drues Day - A live concert with many

Soca Artists.

• Opening of Carnival - The official kick off by Carnival planners

• Jaycees Caribbean Queen Show - A carnival beauty contest

• Melting Pot - Live concert with the best soca artist on the island

• Calypso Monarch Competition

• Party Monarch Competition

• Pand de Mix

• Emanating Watch Night Celebration

• Emancipation Day

• J’ouvert -Dutty Mas - A pre daybreak, pre carnival day celebration where rev ellers celebrated by throwing colourful powder, mud, much of which I tried to avoid, but couldn’t

• Carnival Monday

• Parade of the Bands

• Last Lap

There were cultural performances by some of the country’s leading soca and calypso performers: Tian Winter, Claudette ‘CP’ Peters, Jahsan Hughes, Dennise ‘Menace’ Roberts, Althea ‘Queen Althea’ Williams and Richie Francis.

My favourite parts of the carnival experience were all the beautiful costumes. My top two designs were the Milan and the Honolulu. The Milan was a cascade of white

feathers, accented with gold trim, and the Honolulu design was a plumage of bright yellow feathers, orange and green accents, with a hint of pink to keep the eyes fixated on the creative excitement.

It was no surprise to me when I found out that Antigua and Barbuda wasrecognized with CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER’S 2022 READERS’ CHOICE AWARD “#9 TOP ISLAND IN CARIBBEAN & ATLANTIC!” The RCA’s celebrate the world’s top hotels, re sorts, cities, countries, islands, spas, trains, airlines, airports, cruises, and more.

More than 240,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers submitted responses rat ing their travel experiences across the globe to provide a full snapshot of the top places they enjoyed this year and can’t wait to re turn to next.

“It’s always an honour to receive recognition from such a reputable entity, it is the direct result of the efforts of our teams and our various stakeholders that ensures Antigua and Barbuda remains on the path to becoming the number one destination in the Caribbean.” said CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority Colin C. James.

Yep, Antigua Carnival definitely helped to put the island on the map, and stake the claim that when you come, you will experience greatness again!

Ontarians need to exercise their democratic rights to vote in the Ontario Municipal Election

1. What’s important to you in your life?

2. What’s important for your friends and family?

3. What’s important for your community?

• How to apply for election jobs

• Whether or not you are eligible to vote in the municipality

dations to the councillors 3. Officially representing your municipality

The upcoming Ontario municipal election on October 24th, 2022, will be very impor tant in the history of the province. In many ways, the issues that are important to Ontar ians will come to the forefront as they vote to elect: mayors, regional/municipal council members, and school board representatives (trustees). Thanks to the support from the United Way of Greater Toronto, the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the Democratic Engagement Exchange pub lished the Ontario Municipal Election Readi ness Handbook. There are three important questions that each potential voter should ask:

It is important that Ontario recognizes that each individual vote gives one the power to choose representatives that will reflect val ues that are priorities in their life. The recog nition that governments make crucial deci sions about important issues in our society cannot be undervalued or underestimated. Municipal governments are responsible for many spheres of activities that impact direct ly on all aspects of our life, such as schools, community safety, housing, transit, environ ment, taxes, policing, parks and recreation and child care.

qThe upcoming municipal election takes place every four years and is estab lished by the Province of Ontario, which set out the common rules that each voter and candidate must abide by. Municipal clerks play vital roles in these elections, as they are responsible for running the election. There are three specific things that they are knowl edgeable about:

• Where, when and ways to vote

It is important to know that there are no po litical parties listed on the ballot when you go to vote. Municipal elections are very different from federal or provincial elections. There are no party leaders influencing councillors, mayors and school trustees on how they should vote. Voters have freedom to exercise their independent rights to elect anyone.

It is vital to have insights on how municipal councils work. Councillors have three main jobs:

1. They consult with your community and represent your service needs at the town or city council.

2. They make decisions for the whole city.

3. They help people in your community with problems they may be having with the town or city governments. Mayors are leaders in the cities and act as Chief Executive Officers. Their job includes:

1. Running council meetings

2. Making policy and budget recommen

When voting for school trustees, it is vital to know that school boards oversee boards. There are 72 school boards in Ontario: 31 English public boards, 29 English Catholic boards, four French public boards, and eight French Catholic boards. School board trust ees play many important roles in the boards of education such as:

• Oversee the school board’s budget and policies

• Hiring and overseeing the board’s Direc tor of Education

There are many opportunities to learn about the candidates by visiting their websites, and attending and participating in local candi dates debates, forums, or events. In order to vote in a municipal election, there is no need for proof of address. Advance polls are avail able on October 6th, 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th. There are several voting options that you need to be aware of; you can: vote-by-mail, online voting, telephone voting or voting by proxy.

I had to come back down to earth, spent, breathless, but thinking damn, that was a real great high! Reliving my Antigua Carnival Experience

Vancouver International Film Festival takes steps forward to include women and people of colour on panels

marginalized communities.

Attendance to the VIFF Amp sum mit is by application, with a cohort of 100 songwriters, composers, music supervisors, managers, and filmmakers to be selected by a committee of industry members. The selected cohort is given free entry to the summit and a $150 professional develop ment stipend.

sion, as a craft, has just blown up. Shows like Breaking Bad, which was the first show that I came onboard for season two, with shows like Euphoria, where music is so inte gral to the story, and that it resonates with the audience, people want to do that role. The other big factor that has sort of shift ed over the years is just technology,” said Metoyer.

was a hope that I would do something oth er than music, like music is a great hobby, it was a great thing to have, as part of your culture. As many immigrant stories are, they want you to be successful and finan cially secure,” said Vaz. “For me, it wasn’t the traditional immigrant parent story, they were still supportive of me, and they did invest in my career.”

Who gets to pick or make the music that goes behind a scene in a movie or televi sion show? Toronto Caribbean interviewed two women of colour who do just that.

Vancouver International Film Fes tival announced the first-round of speakers to take the stage at this year’s VIFF Amp Music in Film Summit, which will take place in Vancouver from October 6th – 8th, 2022 as part of the 41st annual festival (Septem ber 29th – October 9th).

“Emerging professionals have the extraordinary opportunity to meet and learn from internationally acclaimed creators while forming new connections through inclusion, mentorship, and end less opportunity,” said Rob Calder, VIFF Amp Co-curator and Founder of Secret Study.

Entering its sixth year, VIFF Amp is a three-day annual summit dedicated to exploring every aspect of music in visual media, from composition to song place ment for film, television, advertising and video games. The program is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and connec

Yvette Metoyer is a Music Su pervisor who has selected music for: Bet ter Call Saul, Sistas, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, The Boys, Spiderhead, and The Cleaning Lady.

“I started roughly about 13 years ago,” said Metoyer. “But it wasn’t a career that I knew existed when I was in college. I majored in Communications at Cal State Long Beach, and with the idea that I would go into public relations at the time. And once I graduated, I interned at NBC Studios, which is a local studio in Los Angeles.”

At the time Metoyer may have not known it yet, but she was already good at selecting and creating a playlist.

“My brother was a DJ, and so I got a lot of my musical knowledge just from listening to him spin records at home. One of the perks of having a brother, as a DJ, is that I had access to a lot of the unreleased songs or music that you wouldn’t hear on the radio, when radio was basically the source of new music. I was sort of the cool kid in the neighbourhood, because I had all these remixes and bootlegs, and I just had such pleasure with putting together mixes for friends.” Said Metoyer.

Music supervision is becoming very popular due to the change in technol ogy.

“The popularity of music supervi

Metoyer gives advice to anyone interested in Music Supervision.

“If there’s a show or film that you love the music for, or you love the film or the show in general, try a few different scenes on your own and practice with songs that you’re into, and just see how they play. I would certainly look into intern ships. It’s a niche career that I know it’s a challenge to tap into, but if you stick with it, opportunities will pop up, don’t give up.” said Metoyer.

Amritha Vaz is a Composer who has made music for Home, Mira: Royal De tective, Cam Girls, Bhawani Junction, and Pomegranates & Myrrh.

“I fell in love with music through my family. I was very lucky to have my grandfather play the drum kit in India in a jazz band. He was part of one of the biggest jazz bands in Bombay at the time, called the Teetotallers dance band. He ended up joining Bollywood and being part of the musicians who helped create Bollywood music back in the 50s and the 60s in India.” said Vaz.

Vaz’s parents supported her when she started to show an interest in music.

“In terms of musical training, my parents saved money, and they gave us musical lessons. So I got to learn piano and violin. I think, certainly for my dad, there

Vaz speaks about working on the new show by Disney, Mira: Royal Detective and why it’s one of her favourite projects.

“It was so impactful because it was four years of my life. As far as a woman of South Asian background, growing up in Canada, I never saw myself represented on cartoons or any of the stories like eating a samosa or saying Hindi words, that was never in a mainstream TV show. And here it is for kids, seeing themselves represented, hearing people talk about their aunties, the importance of chai, the songs, the festivals, seeing Eid, and Diwali, all these things that are important that you celebrate with your friends and family in a beautiful, lovely way.”

Vaz shares advice and insight for other young music composers of colour.

“Continue to be really good at what you do. Believe in yourself, find your voice, know you have something to bring to the table, make alliances with other likeminded people who are going to make sure your credits are as big as they can be. I think the Composer’s Diversity Collective is doing a really great job of being a voice for people of colour. I think that studios are re ally taking a lot of steps forward to try and include women on panels, to include peo ple of colour on panels, to include more people of colour when hiring,” said Vaz.

retirement age.

When Ontario locked down the province in 2020, they directed doctors to not see patients unless absolutely neces sary. This pushed visits, either in person or virtually down by more than 30%. Doctors who charge the province by a fee-for-ser vice modal lost most of their income while keeping their offices open for the few who visited.

Patients in need visited the emer gency offices of hospitals, filling these ven ues. Then hospitals redirected the patients to private or walk-in clinics that were lim ited in how many patients they can help. Family doctors were placed in the middle of a healthcare storm, with patients in need on one side, and provincial governments on the other. Those doctors that had small er practices, fewer than 500 patients, left the job at a higher rate.

out of their hospitals, opening up their surgical and emergency wards, the doc tors in need continue to place their efforts in peril. Those patients in need continue to go to ER’s, often to find rural and smaller community ER’s periodically closed for a few days or a week. The province needs to deal with the increasing costs to maintain their health systems. Medical professionals leave the health system only to return bet ter paid through temp firms.

legally essential. Preventive medicine must become legally binding to all citi zens.

• Medical professionals must be the highest paid of civil servants

• The medical system must be indepen dent from provincial management, with active and powerful auditors present to make sure the system is op erating cost effectively and properly

The pandemic has made a bad situation even worse in primary care. On tarians and Canadians need to address this issue by supporting those who wish to go into family medicine and primary care. This is a near crisis situation that the province and federal governments seem to be ne glecting. As of March 2020, 1.8 million On tarians did not have a family doctor, and a further 1.7 million Ontarians have a family doctor older than 65 years old. Yes, that is

Between 2010-2019, Ontario had 12.247 active family doctors, while from 2019 to September 2020 there were only 11,862. Regionally, north-western Ontario, the Niagara Region and Bruce Peninsula Region, Toronto, and Ottawa lost the most doctors. This situation hit hardest in rural communities, where the numbers of doc tors were smaller to begin with, and the doctor’s influence upon the community was greater. The trend towards retirement found within the medical field places our health system into a present and future cri sis.

While the provinces are attempt ing to move patients without crisis needs

Is the province trying to bring in some form of privatization within our health system? Two-tiered medicine is already here, with doctor’s offices charg ing for things once taken care of by the province. Universal Healthcare seems to not work these days, especially when the province ties medical professionals hands and denies them the funds they need. Pre ventive medicine, the most cost-effective healthcare has gone out the window, re placed by triage and reactive medicine.

What can the government do?

• Institute homecare as the basis for the health system. If a problem can be done at home, medical professionals visit domestically

• Emergency departments are only for emergencies

• Allow new Canadians who are medi cally trained to enter the system as quickly as possible. End the Medical Associations stranglehold upon who works in the province and where

• Make strict annual medical check-ups

• Those studying to become a medical professional should receive full allow ance for their studies. If they graduate into the system, the province should pay all their educational expenses

• Complete family services should be of fered to medical professionals, such as childcare, and family emergency crisis management

New doctors should begin their residency in rural areas of the province, generating experience, people skills, and patience in service. Nursing should be treated in the same manner. The public must give these professionals what they want and need, and demand of them provincial service for a five year period, perhaps longer.

The staffing shortage within the most important department our govern ment has must not happen again. Taxes will go up, but what are you worried about when your loved one is ill; money or their welfare?

This is a near crisis situation that the Province and Federal Governments seem to be neglecting

1,289 adverse events of special interest have been laid out in the appendix of the Pfizer documents

terests that were laid out in the appendix of the Pfizer document. It’s beyond astonish ing. It lists all the types of vaccine adverse events Pfizer logged in just three months of injections.

I want to share with you a few items from their list of abbreviations:

VAERS - vaccine adverse event reporting system:

Well community, our global leaders have been asking us to trust the science, trust our health officials, and trust the media because they have our best interests at heart, and they want to ensure that we are healthy!

Hmmmmm! Well, I am not sure if you remember me mentioning a few months ago that Pfizer was court ordered to release their 490,000 documents about the COVID-19 injections to the public. Once exposed, people began to recognize the corruption in the Pharmaceutical Industry as well as the corrupt Federal agency that approved this vaccination. It is page af ter page after page after page of different types of adverse events.

There is no doubt in my mind that these released documents that expose Pfiz er’s agenda mirror the same things that are happening with; MODERNA, JOHNSON & JOHNSON, ASTRAZENECA, and some of the other COVID-19 injections that have been introduced to the public.

What was truly astonishing was the list of 1,289 adverse events of special in

AESI - adverse event of special interest: So Pfizer was anticipating that there were going to be resulting adverse events from this experimental COVID-19 injections.

TME - targeted medically event: Hmmmm! Does this imply that they are ob serving for a medical event target caused by an ingredient(s) in the COVID-19 injec tions?

VAED - vaccine-associated enhanced disease: Well, well! Enhanced disease from the injec tion of COVID-19 is associated with the vac cine.

VAERD - vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease: Here we go again. Enhanced respiratory disease from the vaccine. This also is pos sible in two different ways: first, by the man made synthetic SARS-CoV-2 virus in the injection to cause respiratory disease. Sec ondly, as you lose from 25% to no immune system at all, you are now vulnerable to any virus, bacteria, and disease you are in con tact with.

Now this Government site for reporting ad verse events and death from the COVID-19 injections is a joke. Why? Well, doctors or hospitals ever report only about 1% of ad verse events. To get a more accurate picture of actual adverse events and deaths from the injections, experts have said to multiply VEARS figures by 40, and yet this figure is probably a very conservative figure.

When we go to page 30 of the document, with the adverse events, we have a list that spends about 10 pages. There is no way that I can go through all of them here, but the list is bountiful, and I am sure that if you have experienced anything that you find weird after you were injected, it is probably on this list.

The very first listing on page 30 is: 1p36 Deletion syndrome:

It means that the vaccine is actually delet ing parts of your chromosomes! It is a disor der that typically causes severe intellectual disability. Most affected individuals do not speak or speak only a few words. They may have temper tantrums, bite themselves, or exhibit other behaviour issues. It is a rare chromosomal anomaly characterized by: distinctive facial dysmorphic features, hy potonia, developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, heart defects, poor/ab sent speech, and prenatal onset growth deficiency.

Next on the list is: Hydroxyglutaric aciduria: A condition that causes progressive dam age to the brain! During the court process, the FDA argued it would take them 75 years to redact all the personal information con tained in the thousands of documents they have on file, related to the Pfizer vaccine.

On January 6th, 2022, Justice Mark Pittman ruled, “The court concludes that this FOIA request is of paramount public importance.”

It was noted, “Excessive adminis trative secrecy feeds conspiracy theories and reduces the public’s confidence in the government.”

Now that the documents have been released and are being analysed, we can see exactly why it would take 75 years to redact all the personal information that was contained.

I beseech the community; please start taking the time to research informa tion that is provided to you. You cannot trust the sciences that mainstream media are propagating, because their science has been bought and paid for. There is a sinis ter agenda that is happening, and the only people who will be able to stop it are us, the people!

We have attached the document for your review. Take a look to see if you have been affected, and share with your doctor what you have discovered. It is not too late!

MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com TC REPORTER

Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan has done a survey and came up with some rec ommendations, and guidelines as well as some geographical information as to how, and where Black folks can start accessing and partly growing their own food in this city.

Now just in case anyone is wonder ing what Black Food Sovereignty means, here is a description from our source, To ronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan.

“The right of people’s descent to healthy and culturally-appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture sys tems and build their own institutions to ad

vance community capacity and resilience for food access.”

According to the data put for ward by this survey, it is clear that from a food point of view Blacks are in the back of the line when it comes to proper nutri tion. Here are the numbers: 28.4% of Black households are food insecure, 36.6% of Black children live in food insecure house holds, 63% of Black (food) organizations expect to run out of funding in six months or less.

This report went on to reveal that Toronto neighbourhoods with high Black populations experience less access to community gardens; green space and tree canopy cover and are more likely to be vulnerable to the impacts of climate emer gencies. Black Torontonians are 9% of the population and 3.5 times more likely to be food insecure.

A very interesting point made in this paper is that neighbourhoods with the highest density of Black populations also have the greatest density of residents liv ing on a low income.

As I said earlier in this article, the survey has recommended some muchneeded things to remedy the food prob lem, which the Black community faces;

however, there is work to be done on our part.

Here are some quotes from some folks who attended the conference:

• “We need a Black food strategy fund ed by the government of Toronto. We shouldn’t have to worry about chas ing dollars; there needs to be access to core services to support health and food access for our communities”

• “There is a lot of shame as a parent when you can’t feed your kids. When you know what is healthy, but you sim ply can’t do it”

• “Food is in our culture, no matter what part of the diaspora you’re from, food is how we build our resilience and pre serve our histories.”

• “Growing our own culturally appro priate food is a social prescription for health.”

• “Black organizations need more sup port. We cannot keep up with de mand.”

Now, for a few things recommended by the participating members:

• Re-imagine public land as an opportu nity to advance an inclusive reparative

economy approach to build increased community resilience.

• Land -based learning initiatives and healing through identifying, re-fum ing and re-purposing land to promote stewardship and urban agriculture ini tiatives

It would be unfair to close this article with out pointing out that interested Black resi dents of this city can access government owned agricultural gardening spots in this city. These spots are located almost all over the city and interested folks can participate in growing their own food in the warm months, which will alleviate some of the food problems facing our community. As is evident, food prices are rising at an alarming rate, not to mention the Ontario government is teaching children in science classes that bugs and crickets are the “New Lunch!” Therefore, it will be prudent for those of us who can, to look into planting some of our food indoors as well. There are a number of ways to do so.

Something as simple as looking up indoor gardening on YouTube will be very helpful indeed.

“We need a Black food strategy funded by the government of Toronto!” The Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan

Is Breastfeeding after Vaccination Safe?

The FDA did not investigate passage of Vaccine mRNAs in breast milk

are presented to us doesn’t readily acknowl edge this. This is an indication of how deeply entangled pandemic politics is in science

“We really need to make patients aware that this is not going to be a walk in the park,” Dr. Sandra Fryhofer of the Ameri can Medical Association said during a virtual meeting with the Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on November 23rd, 2020.

to what extent?

Many of us have moved on from this pan demic, but there are certain aspects of the pandemic that we cannot ignore. One as pect is the adverse effect of global vaccina tion, and how it has destroyed the lives of millions of people. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dr Antho ny Fauci have advocated everyone should be vaccinated and yet couldn’t produce any scientific data showing vaccination for those with natural immunity would be beneficial.

While you would never know it from listening to public-health officials, not a single published study has demonstrated that patients with a prior infection benefit from Covid-19 vaccination. Mainstream me dia, or any of the doctors or scientists that

UCLA Geffen School of Medicine Doctor Joseph Lapado and Yale School of Public Health Doctor Harvey Risch warn there are legitimate and serious concerns about the side effects of the vaccine. They also worry vaccine politics could be prevent ing officials from telling Americans the truth about the risks.

“The large clustering of certain ad verse events immediately after vaccination is concerning, and the silence around these potential signals of harm reflects the politics surrounding Covid-19 vaccines. Stigmatizing such concerns is bad for scientific integrity and could harm patients”

One adverse effect that is now com ing to surface is the fact that breastfeeding indeed affects infants, and the question is,

On page 12 of the “5.3.6 CUMULA TIVE ANALYSIS OF POST-AUTHORIZATION ADVERSE EVENT REPORTS OF PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) RECEIVED THROUGH 28-FEB2021,” it was reported that out of 133 breast feeding vaccinated mothers reported, there were 17 cases of adverse events in breastfed infants. Three of them were “serious”. These adverse events show that for some, breast feeding while vaccinated is not “harmless passing of antibodies”. It created adverse events, including serious adverse events, in those breastfed infants.

Again, the media kept insisting that there were “No serious COVID-19 vaccine side effects,” and “No shedding,” which we now know is not entirely true.

On September 26, 2022, a research study titled “Detection of Messenger RNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Human Breast Milk,” was published sharing some information that would be useful for new mothers. In the report they share that the initial messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine clinical trials excluded several vulnerable groups, including young children and lactating individuals.

The US Food and Drug Administra tion deferred the decision to authorize CO

VID-19 mRNA vaccines for infants younger than six months until more data are avail able because of the potential priming of the children’s immune responses that may alter their immunity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends offering the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to breastfeeding individuals, although the possible passage of vaccine mRNAs in breast milk resulting in infants’ exposure at younger than six months was not investigated.

Of 11 lactating individuals enrolled, trace amounts of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were detected in seven samples from five different partici pants at various times up to 45 hours postvaccination.

The report goes on to say that the sporadic presence and trace quantities of COVID-19 vaccine mRNA detected in EBM suggest that breastfeeding after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination is safe, particularly be yond 48 hours after vaccination. However, caution is warranted about breastfeeding children younger than six months in the first 48 hours after maternal vaccination until more safety studies are conducted.

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario addresses the urgency of recruiting Black teachers

There were five outcomes expected by the symposium:

• Identify the barriers for Black students to enter the teaching profession

• Develop strategies to increase repre sentation of Black educators

• Supporting and amplifying issues raised by Black community organiza tions and parent organizations

• Work in partnership with Black organi zations to advance Black lives within the broader community

tem, but also other systems that have to be examined.

Marva shares her work with the BEP, and the impact of this study.

Dr. Campbell known as Dr. ABC talked about the level of stress and violence that Black teachers face. He spoke about the role of heavy lifting in doing educational work and the impotence of protecting Black students in these alienating academic spac es.

There have been many reports that have brought attention to the lack of Black edu cators in Ontario schools. In order to bring increased focus on this issue, the Elemen tary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) hosted a symposium on Saturday, October 1st. It was held at the Hyatt Regency on King Street West in Toronto and featured teach ers from: across Ontario, the Ontario Princi pals’ Council, university professors, parents, and concerned community members.

The title of the symposium will be “Generation Black: You’re Next!” which seeks to “Addressing the urgency of recruiting Black teachers and the necessity of retaining Black educators to improve the representa tion of Black people in education.”

In the opening message President of ETFO, Karen Brown mentioned that to day’s symposium is one of the multi-year strategies and that ETFO intends to bring stakeholders together for collective action to address this long-lasting issue that is vital in public Education. She states, “It is the first step in a series of actions that ETFO is taking working alongside our partners to profile and demand action on this important issue.”

• Address intentional recruitment, and hiring that fosters an environment that attracts, retain and nurtures diverse Black talent in the teaching profession

The “Theoretical Framework Panel” was the first one and it focused on research about why Black teachers matter and the positive impacts that Black teachers have within their classrooms, learning communities, and the broader educational system.

Four panelists, Dr.Andrew Allen, Dr. Andrew Campbell, Dr. Carl James and Marva Wilson participated in the discussion. Dr. Allen highlighted several research reports, which showed the benefits of having Black teachers to students’ overall performance.

Dr.James stated how education takes place outside of schools and schooling refers to the policies, programs, and proce dures. He reiterates that we are not just look ing for Black teachers for Black students, but for the system. He emphasized that Critical Race Theory is a framework that provides a perspective of seeing the world. Decolo nization needs to be done. CRT allows one to see decolonization through an intersec tional analysis. It is not just the school sys

The “Black Excellence Panel’ was the second one and it centered on diverse perspectives within the education system.

Four panelists: Wesberlyne Avril, Jhonel Morvan, Tyrone Russell and Pierette WalkerEnnis shared what motivated them to pur sue teaching as their career choice and the obstacles they faced as Black teachers.

The “Parent, Student and Commu nity Voices Panel,” examined different expe riences of navigating the education system and the personal impacts that Black teach ers have within their learning communities. Three panelists: Rihanna Harris, Stephen Mensah and Natasha Shakespeare shared their lived realities with respect to the edu cation system.

Wes “ Maestro” Williams delivered the keynote speech. He shared personal memories from his high school days at Senator O’Connor College School. He spoke about his parents as his first educators and the importance of high expectations and having positive Black models.

The specific calls to action include:

• Government to have intentional invest ments in the hiring of Black educators in Ontario

• Government provides financial incen tives to Faculties of Education to recruit Black teachers

• Faculties of Education to develop inten tional recruitment of Black teachers

• Faculties of Education need to hire more Black teachers

• School Boards need to encourage, pro mote and support Black teachers

• Encourage Faculties of Education to collect race-based data of teacher can didates applying to programs and staff

• Mandatory race-based data collection of candidates applying to school boards for teaching positions

The executive of ETFO recently passed a Generation Black Campaign pilot. The goals of it would be to:

• Encourage more Black student enrol ment in Faculties of Education

• Advocate for better retention of exist ing Black teaching staff

• Build on the work and advocacy of Black ETFO members by profiling them

• Amplifying their calls for more Black teachers in the classroom

• Value the work of Black teachers in the classroom

• Highlight the work ETFO is doing to ad vance equity and social justice in the classroom

Details about this important symposium can be seen at etfo.ca/generation-black

My Vancouver International Film Festival Reviews: Two extraordinary films that centred Black artists

in Los Angeles, in the mid 60s and in the Watts rebellion. And so, we very much wanted to create this sort of historic land scape from that time to moving to New York,” said Tully.

The Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped up this past Sunday and it was a great success. I viewed two beautiful films that centred Black artist.

The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art & Times Of David Hammons. Directed by Judd Tully and Harold Crooks

The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times Of David Hammons had its North American premiere at VIFF. It was a brilliant film that introduced me to an artist that I am now inspired by.

This documentary perfectly com bines interviews, archival footage, music and animation to bring to life the story of David Hammons, an African-American artist in New York, who’s art was firmly rooted in the questioning of dominant culture and exposing racial injustice.

Directors Judd Tully and Harold Crooks always wanted to work on a film together. They were coming up with doc umentary film ideas when they landed on the art of David Hammons.

“We landed on David Hammons as being this amazing artist. Also, an art ist, at least at the time, was unknown out side of this very elite small art world. And our idea was to bring him to a larger au dience, because we both felt that he was such a powerful kind of outsider, insider artist who was so present about many social issues and dealing with them from the very beginning of his practice, which goes back to when he was a young man

One of Hammons’s art pieces that stood out was a chandelier replacing a basketball net. He also used bottle caps to cover an entire phone poll. Last but not least, he used cut hair from Black barber shops around New York and used the hair in his projects as well.

Tully says he is most proud of the beautiful music that is in the film.

“One of the things that I’m most pleased about with the film is the music is composed by Ramachandra Borcar and what he was able to do, and the musi cians he was able to bring in, I think great ly augmented the effect of the film and in terms of moving along when you have a lot of people talking,” said Tully.

The co-director says the art world started to wake up during the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020.

“I’m involved in the art market, not buying and selling, not as an art deal er, but as a journalist covering things like auctions, art fairs and art exhibitions. The art world, until fairly recently, was some thing like approaching a South African apartheid. It was a White only world, from top to bottom artists, art dealers, mu seum curators, museum directors, and then all of a sudden, it was as if some one flicked on a switch and said, “Oh, my goodness, we have to bring in this other part of our world.” And that’s been going on actually, during the time that we made the film. And so your question about the message behind the film is that, it’s just waking up the artwork.” said Tully.

Check out www.themeltfilm. com to learn more about the film and where you can watch it.

Music Pictures: New Orleans

Directed by Ben Chase Music Pictures: New Orleans is a beau tifully done film that is compelling and sounds even better because of the four New Orleans superstars featured in the film.

Music Pictures gives us four legacy portraits of New Orleans music figures Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King, Ellis Marsalis, and The Tremé Brass Band. In their 80s, these local masters continue their practice, for the love of the music, in the city that made them who they are.

The film had its Canadian pre miere at the Vancouver International Film Festival last week. Earlier this year it had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Fes tival in New York.

Ben Chase is the Director, Screen writer, Editor and Producer of the film. He says that this story is inspirational be cause the musicians choose to continue to make music despite hardships.

“It’s a story about these beauti ful people that are still doing their thing. To me, watching the subjects of the film practice their craft in their 80s, when they don’t need to be doing it, when they’ve already had enough recognition in their town, they’ve already had enough strug gles in their life, but they do it because they love it. That’s inspirational. I think that could be inspirational to anyone, whether they are Canadian, or other wise,” said Chase.

Sadly, one of the artists featured in the film, Ellis Marsalis, passed away in 2020 from Covid at 85.

In the film, we see all four musi cians perform. Living-legend Little Fred die King, one of the last original blues men, is still performing live at age 81. Grammy-winner Irma Thomas, who is also known as “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” and has performed with James Brown, sings gracefully in the film. Benny Jones Sr., of the Tremé Brass Band also

gives a stunning performance.

Chase shares how and why he selected the four talented New Orleans musicians.

“I can see this project as both a music recording project and a documen tary film. I was doing some work with this record label in New York, that just did these kinds of vinyl compilations called New Vale records. I had just moved down to New Orleans and I said, “Listen, there’s some incredible musicians here that are not being recorded really too much at this stage in their careers, but and also haven’t quite gotten the recognition out side of New Orleans that they deserve,”” said Chase.

Music Pictures takes the audience on a journey through New Orleans as it shows the history of the city, the energy on the streets, and the passion of the musicians. The musicians also share vulnerable sto ries that help the audience feel closer to them. Chase hopes that after people watch the film, they will feel intrigued to search up each artist and listen to their music.

“It’s a difficult moment for music because everything’s online, and it be comes ephemeral. So, things kind of have less gravity than they did back in those days. And that’s why I think we have a lot to learn from those musicians who came up in that era. And to go through what those artists had to go through as Black musicians in the South in the 60s and 70s. This documentary is not going to change the trajectory of anything, but hopefully, when people watch it, they’re going to look up all the artist’s records and dig into it,” said Chase.

Check out www.musicpictures. co to learn more about the film and where you can watch it.

Denyse Thomasos Paintings garners the first major retrospective at the AGO

dia had the chance to get a view of the exhibit through a press preview curated by: Renée van der Avoird, Assistant Cura tor, Canadian Art, AGO; Sally Frater, Cura tor of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Guelph and Michelle Jacques, Head of Ex hibitions and Collections/ Chief Curator.

industrial complex and the transatlantic slave trade.

The exhibition will also include some of Thomasos’ earlier work from when she was a graduate student who started as a figurative painter.

with her and seeing all of her work being featured in the AGO.

For those who love to learn about history and contemporary issues through art work, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is giving people the opportunity to explore these topics through paintings and pho tographs at an exhibit they have available for a limited time.

From October 5th, 2022 until February 20th, 2023, the AGO will hold its first major retrospective of paintings cre ated by late painter, Denyse Thomasos.

The exhibit, known as “Denyse Thomasos: Just Beyond,” is set to feature more than 70 paintings and works on paper from almost 40 years ago along side archived photographs, sketches, in terviews, and documentary footage of Thomasos at work.

The day before the exhibit was open to the public, members of the me

The first piece of work viewers will notice as soon as they enter the ex hibit will be a large-scale photograph of the artist working on a piece called Hy brid Nations.

In 2005, while the AGO was un dergoing a major renovation, contempo rary artists were invited to the gallery to create site-specific wall works. Thomasos created a massive mural that contained a mixture rendition of a computer-gener ated panopticon, a building designed to have consistent surveillance of occupants from one authoritative point without the occupants knowing if and when they were being watched or not.

The piece also included handpainted details of structures and rigid cells that delegate into curved forms that surrounded the computer-generated panopticon.

Thomasos hoped this piece would remind viewers there is a con nection between the present-day prison

In an untitled self-portrait, creat ed when Thomamsos was an undergrad uate student at the University of Toronto, Renée van der Avoird, one of the exhibit’s curators, describes how the artist por trays herself as a very strong and serious artist.

The painting features Thomasos sitting on a chair with brushes and paint underneath the chair.

“It’s really an opportunity, 10 years after passing to look at the impact of her work,” said Sally Frator, one of the guest curators. Frater describes the ex hibit as a celebration of her work and the sheer brilliance of her artistry practice.

Two things Frater looks forward to when the public has the opportunity to look at Thomasos’ work is the interest in hearing the reactions of people who are encoun tering her work for the first time and hear ing the experiences of people who knew Thomasos through work and through those who have maintained a friendship

“I think it is entirely fitting that this retrospective is opening in Toronto,” said Frater who shares how Toronto has been formative to Thomasos’ develop ment as an artist.

After the exhibit concludes in Winter 2023, it will make a few more stops at the Remai Modern in Saskatoon in Spring 2023, and at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Thomasos, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in To ronto, received her BA in painting and art history from the University of Toronto in 1987, attended the Skowhegan School of Painting & and Sculpture in 1988, and en rolled at Yale University where she would receive her MFA in painting and sculpture in 1989.

That same year, Thomasos would have her first solo exhibition at the Alpha Gallery in Boston.

Thomasos’ was at the height of her career with major museum shows, gallery representation in New York and Toronto, and achieving many prominent awards when she passed away in 2012.

Guyana scores big once more at (FITCE) in Florida winning 20 spots this year

MICHAEL THOMAS

country had the single largest delegation of any participating country and several of these businesses benefited from tutoring on exporting to the US from agencies such as: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) president had this to say,

registration by companies in Guyana to be able to match these with companies with an interest in importing their products and produce, as well as identifying potential dis tributors for US products in Guyana.

Minister, which participated in a ‘Doing Business with Guyana’ forum put on by the Guyanese Chamber,” Ms. Baraya said.

(FITCE) aka Florida’s International Trade & Cultural Expo and Conference have awarded Guyana 20 free spots this year to showcase its country’s culture and products, which makes crucial business connections includ ing importing and exporting ties between both countries.

The event will be held in Ft. Lauder dale, Florida from October 18th -20th. This year FITCE brings together more than 100 businesses from some 60 countries. This is the second time that Guyana has had a very good showing in this race. In 2019, the

“Once again, the GACC has secured free registrations and booths for 20 exhibi tors from Guyana and encourages small and medium-sized enterprises in Guyana to reg ister early.

The Chamber will also seek to have discussions with the Government of Guyana to determine what assistance could be given to deserving small businesses to participate in this event,” says Wesley Kirton, GACC Pres ident.

Since 2017 Guyana has been a part of this FITCE event, and one of the fruits of its labour is the acquisition of a license by De merara Distillers Limited (DDL) to establish a World Trade Centre in Guyana.

The GACC is encouraging early

Paola Issac Baraya, who is the Spe cialist Economist, International Trade, and chair of the organizing team for the event had these words to say concerning the event.

“FITCE will welcome local and inter national companies to the Greater Fort Lau derdale / Broward County Convention Cen tre in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a unique opportunity to engage: high-level govern ment leaders, international trade experts, and delegations from around the world. This is a great opportunity to participate in dialogue relating to: international trade, for eign direct investment, and culture.”

“There has been a lot of interest in Guyana ever since oil and gas were dis covered there. All this peaked last October when Florida was host to a high-level del egation from Guyana headed by the Prime

She also noted that her office is committed to working with the GACC to assist in matching businesses from Guyana with those in the US to expand trade and in vestment, and to help develop up-and-com ing industries such as the creative industries which include arts and culture.

Speaking of U.S and Guyana trade and investments, just as recently as July, President Ali was in the U.S and met with several high-ranking government officials there, here is what Guyana’s President had to say about his country’s relationship with the U.S.A.

“We have been discussing many matters of mutual interest, and areas in which we can strengthen and expand our relationship. The goal of this week is to bring harmonization between the plans and pro grams of Guyana, and the aspirations of the U.S, both at the governmental level and the private sector.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare at an astounding pace. Vantage Market Research, an American firm special izing in emerging markets, estimates the global AI market in health will climb from US$6.6 billion in 2021 to US$95.7 billion by 2028. That’s an astounding 46.1% com pound annual growth. What does this mean for the healthcare consumer?

Henry Ford advised, “Before ev erything else, getting ready is the secret to success.” He lived in a different time, when his assembly lines operated in a simple op erational sequence, one workstation after another. Today, getting ready for anything

doesn’t seem to be an option. In healthcare, the pace at which AI technologies are re shaping the sector is both exciting and in scrutable.

On the bright side, diagnostics are already undeniably improved. As pathology adopts AI tools, earlier detection of cancer is possible. Medical errors in diagnosis are cer tain to decline.

AI is changing the cost structures of new drug development. Biopharmaceuti cal companies can more efficiently identify effective drugs, reducing costly and timeconsuming clinical trials that don’t lead to marketable drugs – currently about 90% of drugs in development.

Robotic-assisted surgery is another area of profoundly improved outcomes for patients. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Ro bots help doctors perform complex proce dures with a precision, flexibility and control that goes beyond human capabilities.”

Some companies have developed the potential to create your digital twin. Life style changes and adjustments to medica tions can be modelled to help forecast the effect on chronic disease conditions like type 2 diabetes. It will be interesting to learn

whether meeting one’s future self will mo tivate people to lose weight and eliminate other risk factors for lifestyle illnesses.

Graphic pictures of diseased lungs and toothless gums on cigarette packages are effective in reducing tobacco usage. Maybe an image of one’s own fatty liver or amputated leg will have the same effect in helping people choose healthier food.

On the darker side, there are risks to the explosion of AI technologies that are yet to be well studied or managed.

One concern is the introduction of systemic bias into decision making. For example, when AI models use data limited by ethnicity or gender, both computers and doctors alike may arrive at sub-standard re sults for some patients.

Another concern is personal priva cy. The irony is that protecting privacy stifles AI. The real challenge is that society has not yet figured out how to protect privacy in a world where cameras capture images every where. Most individuals have no idea where, when, and how to offer or remove consent for their private data to be collected.

Legal experts acknowledge that regulation of AI lags behind. The slow pro

cess of law is problematic, but can’t be blamed. Instead, innovators, businesses, governments, and consumers need to think through their own responsibilities, seeking to understand risks, identify ethical ques tions, and invite discourse on social or moral consequences.

Data scientists need closer scrutiny. They are known for their “black box” algo rithms, which nearly always lack transpar ency. How many are trained or take even a small interest in the implications of their work? Do buyers of their services do any better?

Imagine a company that adopts technologies to compare individual employ ee’s mental health data with large popula tion datasets, then uses machine learning to match people with specialists or make health appointments for them. Care to talk with a chatbot about how you are feeling?

Maybe welcome? Maybe ill ad vised? Like it or not, these new AI services and products are in the marketplace and probably already part of your healthcare. Asking if you are ready is a moot point.

Diverse stakeholders welcomed the an nouncement of a new pilot program that will contribute to better crisis response in the Peel Region on Thursday, September 29th.

It is a result of a collaboration be tween: the Canadian Mental Health Associa tion Peel Dufferin, Peel Regional Police, Pun jabi Community Health Services and Roots Community Services. As a result of this new initiative, individuals who are going through a crisis and call Peel Regional Police are able to obtain support from trained caseworkers, instead of police officers. The response of crisis workers to mental health calls means

that these individuals will be able to get ap propriate help without the intervention of Peel Regional Police officers.

David Smith, CEO of CMHA Peel Dufferin states in the press release, “The goal is to have a mental health response to a mental health call. The intention is to reduce stigma and the criminalization of mental health and addictions. By offering appropri ate clinical interventions and connections to resources in the community, we will help reduce emergency room utilization and free up officers for appropriate police calls.”

The pilot program is one year in du ration and will involve a team of two crisis workers who will be available from Monday to Sunday for 12 hours periods whenever there is a 911 call for a mental health crisis and addiction situations that do not warrant police involvement.

Employees from CMHA Peel Duf ferin, PCHS, and Roots Community Services will be part of the team of crisis workers. This is necessary to ensure that they are reflec tive of the communities that are impacted. The team members will be available to see the individuals after the crisis has subsided

for a follow-up to ensure that continuity of services is maintained. Adequate training and tools will be provided to these team members to ensure that they are able to provide appropriate mental health help and de-escalate crisis situations.

Solicitor General Kerzner states in the press release, “Mental health matters, and the government supports providing the appropriate mental health and addictions response in crisis situations. We must contin ue to work together to develop innovative and effective approaches to keep Ontario safe.”

Nishan Duraiappah, Chief of the Peel Regional Police notes in the press re lease, “To help ensure appropriate commu nity resources are provided. Peel Regional Police will also have a third crisis worker in our communications centre to provide sup port, education and an immediate response to callers inquiring or requesting a mental health or addiction response. This program reinforces our commitment to multi-system approaches to community safety and wellbeing. We are grateful to collaborate with these invaluable partners to support mental

health in our community.”

Baldev Mutta, CEO of the PCHS states in the press release, “Punjabi Com munity Health Services is a proud partner with CMHA Peel Dufferin on several mental health projects. Together we are looking at providing culturally competent services to diverse communities. It has become evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities in healthcare, and these organiza tions are joining hands to address them.”

Angela Carter, Executive Direc tor of Roots Community Services writes in the press release, “We are excited for Roots Community Services to be involved in this important pilot with our partners. As an or ganization that focuses on the Black, African and Caribbean communities, we see this pilot as a critical response that will help to address the issue of individuals who need mental health support in our community.”

This program will make a difference in Peel and could have prevented the death of Ejaz Choudry and D’Andre Campbell who were in crisis and were later killed by PRP.

There are risks to the explosion of AI technologies that are yet to be well studied or managed

New pilot project adds a critical component to crisis response services in Peel Region

• Self- sufficiency in all things has often been the milestone of national gov

ernments. National Governments are obligated to nurture their youth, and ensure future generations are well ed ucated, creative and ambitious.

When in doubt, all national govern ments will support every endeavour to make the nation more successful, and greater than the previous administra tion.

A Leader, no matter the political stripe, will work towards leaving their mark on their nation’s politics and history.

President Putin is presently playing the same cards that every democracy in ex istence has played. How did America be come such a powerhouse economically and militarily? By annexing, conquering and buying their own land masses. Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium to name a few were colonial powers that raped the African, Latin American, Asian and Caribbean continents. India still feels the effects of British Colonialism to this very day. If the people are not united, they will certainly fall. Distorting and manipulat ing a people’s national quest allows nation alist elites to rule the day.

Putin is taking his nation’s vast

riches and capabilities and throwing them against the wall, hoping that something will stick. Once a great and powerful em pire, Russia’s fear of those that surround and threaten Russia continues to affect policy, even if it is an illusion. If your nation has become the majority supplier of all en ergy to the EU, why not inject political ad venture into the equation? America does it all the time, as do other superpowers.

Russia’s economic engine needs a reason to modernize and grow. Simple cap italistic greed is not enough. Pride in the nation’s accomplishments, its conquests, its power must be quenched. Ukraine once belonged to the Russian soviet federation, as did the Imperial Russian Empire. Then western forces assisted elites within the Ukraine to force separation from Russia. If Hawaii decided on its own accord to de clare independence from America, what do you think mainland America would do?

Who is this war good for? The su perpowers armament industry and suppli ers, that’s who. Billions sent to Ukraine to fight off Russian aggression. Will Ukrainians return to a democratic government once this war is over? A process of rebuilding can be an oppressive moment in a nation’s

life. Will the Ukraine have to pay back all those weapons? The weapons are not free. The economic and political speed bumps these people will have to endure may be unachievable, and while this is happening, the Western world’s leaders and their allies show up for photo ops, gathering to bad mouth the Russian leader, who they had no problem dealing with a year ago.

The world claims Putin is illegally claiming four regions of the Ukraine. If you know your history, you’d know what na tional governments have put their people through. The invention of modern slavery came from the imaginations of Portuguese and Spanish entrepreneurs. The British perfected it in the Caribbean. Nations pol lute their own land masses through uncon trolled capitalism, and when their fellow citizens complain, these entrepreneurs establish their toxic manufacturing plants and processes in third world nations.

The globe’s powers play high and mighty with each other, and the lowly citi zen suffers. How long must this be allowed to happen? History repeats itself as a timehonoured process.

“Since the city council’s ban on private cars in the city, lots of new mobility ser vices have arrived. It is cheaper for you not to own your own car, which, in turn, reduces congestion so you arrive at your destination more easily and quickly and don’t have to spend time looking for somewhere to park.

For lunch you can choose from dozens of exciting meals – most of them are plant-based, so you eat more health ily and are more environmentally friendly than when lunch meant choosing be tween five types of burger.

People travel more in their region and by train, so air traffic has started to decline. Most airlines have switched to electrofu els, biofuels or electricity.”

World Economic Forum, 2020

What I shared above is the vision that was proposed if we as a planet appropriately deal with climate change. They have made it sound so great, but I want you to think,

what does this mean for us in the near fu ture?

The elites have warned us that when it comes to global warming, it will require sustained action and investment to really protect human life on this earth. They have also been propagating the fact that the frequency and intensity of ex treme weather and climate-related events have already increased considerably in re cent decades (IFRC, 2020).

According to the Ecological Threat Radar (ETR) ecological threats and climate change pose serious challenges to global development and peacefulness. The adverse impacts will disproportion ately affect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable and create spill over pressures on neighbouring countries through mass movements of people. Building resilience to ecological threats will increasingly be come more important and will require substantial investment today.

The ETR goes on to share some points that heighten this sense of urgency:

• One hundred and forty-one countries are exposed to at least one ecological threat, with 19 countries facing four or more threat

• 6.4 billion people live in countries, which are exposed to medium to high ecological threats

• An estimated 1.2 billion people are at risk of displacement by 2050

• Water stress poses a large risk in the Middle East and North Africa, with 18

of the 20 countries experiencing high levels of water stress. The projections indicate the situation to worsen over the next two decades

• The majority of the countries in Eu rope and South America will face lower levels of ecological threats, be cause of low population growth

• The global population is projected to reach ten billion by 2050

• The global population is projected to grow by 35% by 2050 in the least peaceful countries compared to a 2% decline in the most peaceful

• By 2050, estimates indicate that the global demand for food will increase by 50%

• An estimated two billion people cur rently face moderate or severe food insecurity. By 2050, this figure is ex pected to increase to 3.5 billion peo ple

• More than 2.6 billion people are living in the 46 countries currently experi encing high or extreme water stress. This means that they do not have enough water to meet their needs or that their water supply is at material risk of disruption

• The combined effects of rising tem peratures, population growth and increased rainfall variability are likely to reduce the water supply in many countries

• Globally, the frequency of natural di sasters has increased ten-fold since 1960, increasing from 39 incidents in

1960 to 396 in 2019

• Floods and storms accounted for 71% of the natural disasters between 1990 and 2019

In a virtual press conference, IFRC Secre tary-General Jagan Chapagain stressed that “Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for climate change.”

So, what does that mean? Ac cording to the World Economic Forum if we take the measures needed (climate lockdowns, less private car ownership, less meat), by 2030, our CO2 emissions will be greatly reduced? Meat on your dinner table will be a rare sight. Water and the air you breathe will be cleaner and nature will be in recovery. The money in your wal let will be spent on being with family and friends, not on buying goods. Saving the climate involves huge change, but it could make us much happier at the same time. Really?

“The concept of a climate lock down doesn’t require legislation out of Congress. The idea is that this would all be done through the Environmental Protec tion Agency,” Chuck DeVore (Texas Public Policy Foundation) stated. “People have theorized it could be done through regu lation, not legislation.”

They want to take lockdown compliance and then move that over to climate change compliance. They want climate change lockdowns. That’s what’s coming. Are you prepared?

The globe’s powers play high and mighty with each other, and the lowly citizen suffers

“Unfortunately, there are no vaccines for climate change.” Preparation for permanent climate lockdowns!

Meet

Elijah De Los Santos also known as OfTheSaint has taken photos of some of the biggest names in Hip Hop includ ing Drake, Kanye West, and Nas at just 23 years old.

OfTheSaint is a talented, emerging photographer and videog rapher in Toronto. He’s ambitious, en ergetic and extremely creative. While working, he’s always laughing and up lifting the people around him. He was raised by his single mother in the Jane and Finch community and attended Westview High School. When he gradu ated, he received a scholarship to play soccer for a college in the states. After his mom had to start paying out of pocket, he decided to move back and attend college in Toronto. At the time, he was also pursuing being a full time Youtuber, and decided to drop out to take his dream seriously.

He knew that to collaborate with highly successful influencers and Youtubers, he would have to add value for them, so he decided to learn how to do photography.

“I thought, ‘I have a lot of pho tographers around me, let me try pho tography.’ So, I started photography and I loved it. Then in August 2019, that’s when I started my production company, OfTheSaint Productions.” said OfTheSaint.

He named his production com pany after his last name. De Los Santos means of the saints in Spanish.

Since then, OfTheSaint and his team have been hired by nine cor porate companies for various projects, including the Billboard Top 100, Rolling Loud and Universal Music.

He reflects on being a kid from Jane and Finch to travelling and being on the biggest stages with some of the biggest names in mainstream music.

“Jane and Finch is known for a lot of gang affiliation, and it’s popu lar through rap music. It just made me

more hungry to make a difference. I want to really go hard and fulfill my dreams, and really embrace the city.

So, while I’m doing all this, I tell people where I’m from. I want to be an inspira tion to any other kids coming from Jane and Finch. I want them to think, ‘if this guy can do it, I can do it,’” said OfThe Saint.

The emerging photographer says his success did not come overnight and faced a few challenges. He asked himself a lot of questions in the begin ning as he feels to stand out in an in dustry it takes 20% the talent you have and 80% hard work.

“How can I gain more clientele?

I have barely any experience in what I’m doing, how can I grow? What do I need to do to make myself go to the next level? I think that was the biggest chal lenge. How can I really make money through this? If you told me two years ago that I would be in this position so fast, I wouldn’t have believed you. I thought it would take at least six years,” said OfTheSaint.

Although he couldn’t imagine getting the opportunities he has had now, he still always had confidence in himself and in his work.

“I always kind of knew what to do. I knew the steps I needed to take to get to the next level. And I went through a lot of ups and downs, but I’m grateful I did because if you don’t go through that early, if you don’t go through shit early, then you won’t grow,” said OfThe Saint.

Just before and during the pan demic, the Toronto photographer con tinued to network with people in Toron to and the US. He had met and become good friends with Carl Lamarrre who is a journalist and writer for Billboard. Then two years later from starting his business he got the most important phone call of his life.

“So, in August 2021, he called

me up. He’s like, ‘Yo, I have an oppor tunity for you. I love that I’ve been seeing your hustle. I’ve been seeing you do your thing, bro. Come to LA. I want to shoot, and I want you to cover the Grammy Conversation with Nas and Hitboy.’” said OfTheSaint. “It was a FaceTime meeting. When I got off the phone. I didn’t even know what to do. I was like, ‘Oh, this is nuts.’ Yeah.”

OfTheSaint isn’t motivated by opportunities for just himself, but op portunities for the people around him too.

“I want to be in a position where I can support upcoming videographers and photographers in the city that don’t get to have the opportunities I have. I want other photographers to build themselves up. I just want more opportunities to grow my brand be cause then I can give back to my city,” said OfTheSaint.

OfTheSaint recently worked with Grammy nominated, Canadian singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez. He was invited to LA last month to take pho tos at her album release party where Drake, Diddy and Ty Dolla $ign attend ed. Then he was asked by Reyez’s team to join them in Colombia. Afterwards, he joined them again for Reyez’s press run in New York.

“Jessie and I are from the same hood. We’re from the same area. So, to be around someone who is super pas sionate, a super go getter, really serious about her craft was inspirational.” said OfTheSaint. “Just to see her behind the scenes and to be able to capture these moments for her, it was unreal. I trav eled three times within two weeks. My dream is to travel with artists. The fact that that dream is happening, I am hon oured.”

The photographer is inspired by several people, including entrepre neurs in Toronto.

“My mom is very business ori

entated. She’s been planning major events for a long period of time. So, go ing to festivals, seeing her work, it’s in spiring. Director X, Cole Bennett, Jacob Ettinger, Jalen (LickMyFashion) Brazy Kuts inspires me. Their work ethic and their drive boost me up when I’m feel ing down,” said OfTheSaint.

OfTheSaint shares some advice for emerging creatives trying to land opportunities now.

“A lot of people chase the money, but when you chase the money, it’s not always doing what exactly you want to do. If you and the other per son can add value to something big together. Why not? If you’re truly pas sionate about it, why not just do it?” said OfTheSaint. “Keep pushing. If you really love this, doing the free stuff is just something you have to do until you get your foot in the door. Then when you get to that certain point, know your worth and the cost is up to you. You’re going to go through a lot, you can go through a lot of hurdles, a lot of failures, but learn to love fear. Hire the right people around you too and keep pushing.”

Learn more about OfTheSaint on his website www.ofthesaintproduc tions.com and view his awesome pho tography on his Instagram @ofthesaint. His podcast, Of The Conversations, is available to watch on his Youtube chan nel, OfTheSaint Productions.

Written by Selina McCallum

Photo Credit: Sanj P Photography

YOUNIQUELY YOURS SWEETS & MORE

Transforming a cake into something breathtaking!

United States alone, it was estimated at 480.47 billion in annual revenue in 2020. That figure contributes 2.46 to the Unit ed States GDP.

Chocolate Bombs with a Twist, White Rum Flavoured Oreo Covered Chocolate Bombs, White Rum an Wine Flavoured Raisin and Cherry Topping Chocolate Bombs, White Rum and Rum Cream Flavoured Fruit Chocolate Bombs,

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine sure was after I got off the phone with Tris hon Eubanks-Beckett the owner at You niquely Yours Sweets & More. Natasha Von Castle, a close friend of both of ours, introduced me to her after I had men tioned that I wanted to start sharing the work of Caribbean across the diaspora in a preponderant way.

My reason for wanting to do this, well I was reading a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which found that 41% of Black-owned businesses have been shuttered by COV ID-19, compared to 17% of White-owned businesses. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the impact of the virus only intensified the on-going racial dis parities that existed pre-pandemic.

I also learned that there are more than two million Black-owned busi nesses in the United States, 58% of Black business owners said their business’s fi nancial health was “at risk” or “distressed” during the COVID-19 pandemic, 35% of Black business owners are women, and Black business owners still receive less business financing, less often, and at higher rates.

It is one of the reasons why we feature businesses in our publication; we do so to lend support to Caribbean busi ness owners by letting our audiences know just how awesome they are.

The baking industry is one of the largest industries in the United States, North America and in the world. In the

It looks like Trishon made a great choice when she decided to open up Youniquely Yours Sweets & More. They specialize in hand made products and bake products made from scratch. Her aim is to take the guesswork out of what to give or get. She makes it easy with her array of unique and delicious products. She strongly believes that delicious, vi sually appealing products sell and as a result, every cake, cupcake, or bomb she makes is crafted and carefully thought of.

The whole time that I was speak ing with Trishon, my mouth was water ing. I had to stop and focus on what she was sharing with me.

“I was born in Jamaica and grew up in St.Thomas,” Trishon began. “I at tended Seaford High School, and it was my brother who got me into the art of baking. He is an amazing pastry chef, and to this day, I reach out to him for advice, and assistance with my special culinary arts.”

Trishon shares with me that her school days were very simple: she went to school and she came home.

“I would be in my room if I was not at school. My brother was invited to go overseas, but he had his hustle and didn’t want to stop. One day he came into my room and said, ‘Come; you have to learn how to do this.’ I first learned how to bake cheesecake. We did it the old school way. You didn’t use a toothpick; you used your hands.

He then taught me how to deco rate. He left his business and went over seas and I continued.

In 2007, I opened my first busi ness Exquisite Pastries and Events and I had the opportunity to cater for hotels. I would send out a menu on Friday’s to office staff, they would order, and I would deliver. I would cater to gas stations as well. I loved it. I really enjoyed doing it.”

Trishon moved to the United States in 2011, and went into healthcare. At the time it felt like the right thing to do, but her love for baking, and creating delectable desserts never left her.

“I put the baking business be

hind me. I remember the first cake I baked was for my friend’s baby shower. Baking that cake brought everything back. I realized that I would have to re turn to my first love.

I started working from home again and opened up my second busi ness ‘A Slice of Cake.’ This was when I was in Georgia. When I moved, I wanted to come up with a name that nobody ques tioned. I wanted when I put the product out there, it was unique. I wanted the product to be unique to my clients. This is when I came up with Youniquely Yours Sweets & More. People liked the new name.

I am thankful and blessed to have a strong group of people support ing me. My best friend is always motivat ing me, and encouraging me. She always tells me, ‘you have something special. This is your passion, so go out and get it.’

I started investing more into the business, one event led to another, and I remember dropping off samples at VP Records. This is when I met Natasha Von Castle. After trying one of my specialty cakes, she called me back to tell me how much she loved them. She loved the red velvet cake and she asked me to bake a cake for Red Foxx.”

So, Trishon did her research; she didn’t want to make just a regular cake.

I designed a mike on the cake with musical notes. I put his first album, and my favourite song “Reset.” I chan nelled my energy into the cake. I am very critical of my work, and I wanted him to be amazed. I knew I had done just that when he gave his review in the form of a video.

My goal is to attract larger cor porate clients. My dream is to do work with someone like Tyler Perry; baking for someone like him would put my cre ations in front of larger audiences. I have to say, my creations are like fine dining.

I like having the ability to trans form a cake into something breath-tak ing. I don’t just want to bake a regular cake. I want to make a cake that speaks.”

Well, when you get a chance to check out her creations at https://www. youniquelyyourss.com/, you will see why this young entrepreneur is definitely on the way to the top.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Need to get some exercise in; rake up the leaves this fall

W. GIFFORDJONES MD

DIANA GIFFORD-JONES

Raking up those leaves offers a wonderful cardio workout, in the lovely outdoors, resulting in the satisfaction of a job well done. It’s an exercise that can be self-paced. The twisting and bending are nothing but good!

length of a semi-truck trailer, the noise can still measure over 70 dB. No wonder neigh bours get annoyed.

What’s the most absurd image of healthy living? It’s a picture of a young woman us ing a leaf blower to clean up leaves in her yard while wearing ear protection, eye pro tection, and a mask covering her nose and mouth. The only thing that makes good sense is the mask.

It’s the leaf blower that is most offensive. The first offense is the condoning of lazi ness. A leaf blower nearly eliminates the physical effort needed to clean up the leaves. In the past, we may have looked upon this as a good thing. Less work equals better life. False!

The second is environmental. Gaspowered leaf blowers spew pollutants at astounding rates. A remarkable study in 2011 compared a consumer-grade leaf blower to a 6,200-pound Ford F-150. The tests found that a 4-stroke leaf blower emit ted “Almost seven times more oxides of ni trogen (NOx) and 13.5 times more carbon monoxide (CO),” and a 2-stroke leaf blower emitted “23 times CO and nearly 300 times more non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC)” than the pick-up truck.

One reporter calculated that the “Hydrocarbon emissions from a half-hour of yard work with the two-stroke leaf blow er are about the same as a 3,900-mile drive from Texas to Alaska.” Gulp!

How about noise pollution? These machines can produce levels between 8092 decibels (dB), and sometimes over 100 dB for the operators. At a distance of the

Why do dangerously noisy leaf blowers exist? One wisecrack observer noted we allow it “For the same reason that builders made chimneys to be cleaned by starving, frightened orphan boys: it was not yet illegal.”

In fact, leaf blowers are banned in some cities and subject to increasing regu lation across North America, but the pace of law-making is slow.

Removing the leaf blower from the scene, what about the mask worn by the woman in the picture? There may be good reasons for this.

Fallen autumn leaves can be a haven for moulds, pollen, and weeds that cause allergies. The plentiful fall pollen of ragweed, for example, travels far and can settle on all those leaves. Leaves damp ened by rain or morning dew become a haven for mould. Raking up the leaves can send pollen and mould spores into the air, causing aggravation for asthma sufferers.

Dr. Purvi Parikh is an allergist and

spokesperson with the Allergy and Asthma Network. “Most people associate allergies with spring, and often fall allergies get mis taken for viruses and other infections due to weather getting cold,” she notes. The distinguishing feature of an allergy is that it does not cause a fever. However, if an al lergy leads to a sinus infection, a fever can result.

One more thought about those leaves. They are full of nutrients like car bon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potas sium. These are the ingredients for healthy soil needed by productive gardens, beauti ful landscapes, and all the grasses that are home and sources of food to diverse wild life.

To see the picture of good health, look at those falling leaves with anticipa tion and admiration, not dread. A rake, pair of gloves, and a mask are the items to use this fall when tidying up the yard.

Remember moderation too. Rak ing leaves can be just as strenuous as shov elling snow. Stay tuned!

RACHEL MARY RILEY

Some of us are always on the go. Some times some of us don’t have enough time to prepare meals and cook good food. Pro cessed foods have their pros and cons. Pro cessed foods aren’t good, especially junk food. Over the years I have become knowl edgeable about the ins and outs of having a healthier lifestyle including the dangers of processed foods. In this article, I will be diving into some of the major things I dis covered about processed food and junk food that we should be aware of if we want

Yes, I understand that food is food.

However, there are major reasons why pro cessed foods would affect us and our bod ies, and cause hormone imbalances, which can cause things like bloat. How many of you believe that?

Fast Food

According to careful research, it is well known that eating out may lead to excess calorie intake and increases the risk of obe sity due to the large portion sizes and in creased energy density of foods (Obesity and Fast Food, n.d, 2019).

Fast foods fall into this category of food. Fast foods are typically:

• High in calories

• High in fat

• High in saturated and trans fat

• High in sugar

• High in simple carbohydrates

• High in sodium (salt)

Fast food and BMI

Fast food is associated with higher body mass index, less successful weight-loss

It takes discipline to say no, and it takes consistency to keep going

maintenance and weight gain.

Fast foods reduce the quality of diet and provide unhealthy choices especially among children and adolescents raising their risk of obesity (Obesity and Fast Food, n.d, 2019). Eating fast food every other day can affect you and cause massive weight gain.

Process Foods

People eating ultra-processed foods ate more calories and gained more weight than when they ate a minimally processed diet, according to results from a National Institutes of Health study. The difference occurred even though meals provided to the volunteers in both the ultra-processed and minimally processed diets had the same number of calories and macronu trients. The results were published in Cell Metabolism(link is external) HYPERLINK “https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/ fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30248-7” (NIH Study Finds Heavily Processed Foods Cause Overeating and Weight Gain, n.d.2019).

Previous observational stud

ies looking at large groups of people had shown associations between diets high in processed foods and health problems. None of the past studies randomly assigned people to eat specific foods, and then mea sured the results. Scientists could not say for sure whether the processed foods were a problem on their own, or whether people eating them had health problems for other reasons, such as a lack of access to fresh foods (NIH Study Finds Heavily Processed Foods Cause Overeating and Weight Gain, n.d.2019).

Enjoy the food you like, but have balance

I am not saying you shouldn’t eat junk food but not every day. You can eat junk food or cook food and enjoy it with modesty and emotional control. Nevertheless, what matters the most is always bouncing back after you eat a day of junk food and that includes working out. It takes discipline to say no, and it takes consistency to keep go ing even when you don’t feel for it.

How to overcome fall fatigue

Do you experience an annual drop in energy when autumn rolls around? If you’re wonde ring why you tend to feel tired at this time of year and want to fight it, here are a few things you should know.

Possible causes

Different people have varying reactions to the change in seasons. You may experience fall fatigue due to:

• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This condition is classified as a subset of depres sion. It can lead to mental health issues that may affect your ability to get out of bed.

• Reduction in sunlight. The number of day light hours diminishes in the fall, which may reduce your intake of vitamin D. This shift can impact your body’s circadian rhythms and trigger increased melatonin production, cau sing fatigue and disrupting your sleep cycle.

• Daylight saving time. The body must reca librate to the shifting of the clocks, which for most people requires a period of adaptation.

Potential solutions

Regular physical activity can help counter fall fatigue. Here are a couple of other strategies to explore:

• Light therapy. When exposure to the sun isn’t possible, such as when you’re at work, use a lamp designed to treat SAD to reduce daytime sleepiness.

• Sleep hygiene. Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evenings. Find ways to signal to your body that it’s time to go to sleep, such as dimming the brightness on your screens or taking a mo ment to relax.

If you often wake up feeling exhausted, you may have a more serious health problem. In this case, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor.

What is endometriosis?

During a standard menstrual cycle, hor mones help the endometrium, a membrane in the uterus, thicken in prepa ration for pregnancy. If no ferti lization occurs, a portion of this mucus is eliminated through menstruation. In about five to 10 per cent of women, however, this process becomes compli cated by a disorder known as endome triosis.

Description

Endometriosis occurs when endome trial tissue develops outside the uterus rather than inside. It attaches to the ab dominal walls and nearby organs like the ovaries, fallopian tubes and blad der. If it’s located outside the uterus, en dometrial tissue cannot be expelled through the vagi na and becomes trapped within the body.

Symptoms

Indications of endometriosis vary significantly among women, and some don’t experience any symptoms at all. Fertility problems occur in about 40 per cent of af fected women. Severe menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, nausea and painful intercourse are common signs of this disorder.

Treatment

Treatment of endometriosis may involve a combina tion of drugs and surgery. Medication counteracts pain and restores hormone levels in many cases. However, surgical intervention may be needed to completely relieve pain and lessen the extent of the adhesions. Lifestyle changes, such as an alteration in diet or physical activity, may also mitigate symptoms.

If you have painful periods, be sure to talk to your doctor.

Men’s razors: manual vs. electric

Given the vast selection of men’s razors available in stores, choosing one may not be easy. Whether you want to try a new model, or your tee nager needs to step up his shaving routine, here’s what you should know about manual and electric razors.

Manual

If you’re looking for a razor that’ll pro vide a high precision shave, blade models are the best option. You must use them on damp skin and apply shaving cream to prevent skin irrita tion. The manual method allows you to shave hair close to your face, gi ving you extra smooth skin. This op tion also allows you to space out your shaves more, as the hair will grow back slower than it would if you used an electric razor.

In addition, manual shaving is ideal for targeting awkward contours, and it’s a good choice if you want to shape a beard or sideburns.

Electric

An electric razor can be used on both dry and wet skin. Much faster to use than a manual razor, it reduces skin ir ritation and helps you avoid getting nicks and cuts. However, because it doesn’t provide as close a shave as a manual razor, you must make several passes over the same area of skin to achieve a satis fyingly close trim. Some waterproof models can be used in the shower.

Men’s razors are constantly evolving. To find the right one for you, be sure to compare features before selec ting a model.

Every existing invention has an intellectual gap. Birthing newness will demand a sense of questioning, open-mindedness, and curiosity. Apples had fallen a billion times before Newton questioned this phenom enon; why does the fruit fall straight to the ground rather than sideways or upward?

His curiosity led to the theory of the uni versal gravitational pull. Interestingly, for 228 years, the world believed this theory to be completely true until Albert Einstein im proved on it in 1915. Einstein found the in tellectual gap in Newton’s theory through

Creativity and the power of curiosity in driving personal and societal change

Inventiveness comes with experi mentation and the ability to take a second look at existing outcomes and create better solutions. However, the downside of ques tioning existing norms and ideas is running the risk of being ostracized, especially in a society of normalized average. Indepen dent thinking is subdued in a society that only sees collective reasoning or group thinking as the benchmark of true intellec tualism. Those who blaze the trail are cre ative rebellions and mostly independent thinkers.

In problem-solving, there is a model called the Five Why Principle; I spoke about this in my TEDx Talk. This problemsolving approach or model is used for root-cause analysis when trying to solve a problem but requires deep thinking and a creative way of questioning. Don’t just ask why; ask it in layers.

The Picassos of this world, the Thomas Edison’s, the Wright brothers, the Isaac Newtons, and the like, what do they all have in common? Curiosity. I assert that dogmatism is a crude, primitive, and suboptimal way to live. Be it change at a per sonal or societal level, being open-minded

is fundamental.

One of the fallacies of creative thinking and innovation is the idea of originality. What do I mean? The thinking that an idea has to be originally yours, many people get caught up in this thinking rut, and conse quently, they don’t move forward. Here’s the thing, most inventions we celebrate today are improvements of what existed before them.

Did Steve Jobs invent the iPod?

In some sense, yes, he did. But in actual ity, the iPod was an improvement on the cassette and CD player of the time. Before the Wright brothers took their first flight in 1903, other inventors had made numerous attempts. Among these earlier efforts were contraptions such as kites, hot air balloons, airships, gliders and other types of aircraft. It is therefore right, to say, that Wilbur and Orville Wright improved on what already existed before they successfully flew theirs.

Did Charles Darwin postulate the evolution theory? No, he popularized it. The roots of the theory came from Greek philosophy. The idea dates back to centu ries before Darwin. Three natural philoso phers of the ancient world worked on the

idea. They are Anaximander (c. 610 BC – c. 546 BC), Empedocles (495 BC – 435 BC) and Lucretius (99 BC – 55 BC). To postulate and to popularize are two different concepts. If you want to harness your creative power, start by first improving on what already ex ists.

Any society that aims to grow and be progressive must continually question the sustainability of its current state. How can we make this better? Given the techno logical tools at our disposal, how can they be leveraged to improve on what already exists? Society must place a high premium on creativity, innovation, research and de velopment.

An individual must also continu ally creatively question his current state of being for optimal function and creating newness. Ask yourself, given all I know and have; and all the intellectual arsenal at my disposal, is this the best life I could curate for myself? If you don’t stop questioning, if you continually stay curious, you will find answers and create a better life as a conse quence.

Optimists have better healthier outlooks on life

experience as temporary rather than per manent, specific rather than global, and external rather than internal. In this way optimists more easily see the possibility of change.

Optimists have better healthier outlooks on life, living longer while putting all things under the light of observation, and study. They are less susceptible to the effects of illness, fatigue and depression.

Optimists are better pain and health man agers. Optimism often buffers the negative effects of illness, looking for a meaning in adversity.

What would you rather be, an op timist or a pessimist, a person who sees limitations everywhere. The nurse in emer gency who sees patients who are going to

get better and leave for home some day, or a nurse who sees only negative outcomes, depression and failure. An optimist can even see the good in death and under stands that pain is how people’s bodies point out there is something wrong that needs to be corrected.

Are you the type of person who says, “I hate this miserable job,” or the per son who declares how pleased that he/ she has a job. Remember, “That the dark ness will end, and the sun will rise.” (Victor Hugo)

To be an optimist does not mean to be foolish, deluded or plain. Optimists centre their minds upon the marvels of our world, seeing “The possible,” instead of the maybe. Life may be miserable, stressful and

pain filled, yet the words of Oscar Wilde say it all, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

An optimist does not worry about what they cannot control, but rather shifts their abilities and attitudes to what they can create. I have been of the opinion for quite some time that optimists are: cre ators, inventors of change and betterment, while their cousins the pessimists can be: stagnate, unsure and far too reserved to wards action.

People are just that, people. Opti mists and pessimists seem to complement each other, just as a liberal’s opinions are bounced off the opinion of a conservative. Are we not all here to create, dream and ex tend a hand to one another?

you, but doing so is crucial.

SIMONE

“What next?” This is all that I could think to myself. My days had turned into weeks, and I had finally moved off the couch and into my bed. The heal ing had begun, and I knew that there was a lot that still had to be done, but it was time to pick myself up and make the very best of this situation.

It was around this time that I realized the importance of taking the good from the bad that you go through. It is hard during times of ca lamity to think this way; you are deal ing with the stress of the situation and your emotions. It is hard to focus on the lesson that the situation is teaching

It was time to start building my business back; I had a beautiful young woman working for me at the time, and she had been holding things down while I was dealing with myself. I decid ed to give her a call to let her know that it was time to meet so that we could come up with a plan of action. I was going to have to visit my families, and let them know that Hear 2 Help was still active, I was just not sure what I was go ing to say about my extended absence.

I didn’t want to lie to my fami lies, but how could I tell parents that I had been arrested and thrown in prison? What would they think of me? Would they allow me to work with their children? I decided that the best thing to do would be to tell them something as close to the truth as possible. I would tell them that I had to deal with a fam ily emergency out of town, and that is what had kept me away for over a month. In many ways it was true; my imprisonment was a family emergency,

what the parents didn’t have to know is that I was the emergency.

After my talk with my tutor, we came up with a game plan to move for ward; for the next few months, she was going to work with the families closely, and I was going to work on building out other parts of the business. I knew that I had to start getting the brand out into the community, and the best way to do this was to start networking. Now this was going to prove challeng ing, because technically, I was not sup posed to go anywhere but work and home.

It was around this time that LinkedIn had become popular. What was intriguing about this platform was the fact that it was business focused, and not purely selfies and pictures of friends and family. I began to build my profile, and in no time, my connections grew. Within three months, I went from 100 connections to over 1,000. I de vised a plan to stay in touch with each and every one of my connections, shar

ing words of wisdom and helpful life tips and tricks.

The next part of my plan was to begin blogging on a more regular basis. I had always been a pretty good writer, so I knew that finding and speaking on topics relevant to the Black community would garner attention and help me share more about my work at Hear 2 Help.

I did this for a few months with mostly positive feedback. Naturally there were some haters, but I dismissed them and kept writing.

One day I received a message from a woman named Trish Browning. She worked for a budding newspaper and she was looking for volunteer con tributors to write for them. She had seen my work and liked it, so she de cided to reach out to me.

Little did I know that this one connection would change the course of my life forever.

Peel Regional Police recognizes Black youth pursuing future education in law enforcement

On Oct. 1, Peel Regional Police co-host ed an event with the Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE) to recog nize the accomplishments and contri butions of Black Canadian profession als in law enforcement. Held at Brampton’s Pearson Convention Cen tre, the event featured a keynote by Da vid Mitchell, followed by a scholarship presentation for local youth pursuing a future education in law enforcement. Nearly 700 people from the law en forcement community, including na tional and international political digni taries were in attendance.

“The greatest impact of ABLE has been its ability to mentor young Black officers and support their career trajectories,” says Mitchell, currently the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Minis try of Children, Community and Social Services. Mitchell is also the first Presi dent and one of the founding mem bers that established ABLE in 1992.

With a current membership of police officers, correctional officers, probation and parole officers, and many others, ABLE addresses the needs

and concerns of Black and racialized persons in the law enforcement com munity. This includes from offering pro fessional counselling services to pro viding opportunities for Black youth in law enforcement.

Peel Region’s Chief of Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah recounted his journey with ABLE. “In the early days, as a South Asian police officer in this pro fession, there was no resource group for those of my racial identity to lean on for support,” said Chief Duraiappah. “ABLE’s mission to prioritize the needs of Black and racialized persons since the last 30 years is a testament of their continued commitment to not only those in our law enforcement commu nity but the entire community at large.”

Mitchell adds, “As an organiza tion, we have come a long way, but there is still work to do. We need to build for the future, particularly for our young people. We need to set them up for success.”

To learn more about ABLE, please visit www.ableorg.ca

Little did I know that this one connection would change the course of my life forever; healing from the Trauma!

How to make your own cannabis infusions at home; consume responsibly!

To begin you will of course need some dried cannabis flowers. Cured cannabis is ideal but not completely necessary. Of note here is that not only bud can be used to make infused products. Since you’ve proba bly just finished trimming your plants after harvest, what would end up as waste can be reclaimed in this process. Any tiny buds and “sugar leaf” (small leaves close to the buds covered in THC crystals) are not worth smok ing, but valuable for infusing. Obviously, they will not produce an end result as tasty or potent as using actual buds but still very ef fective.

The amount of cannabis to use for your home infusion is up to you. Without lab testing, it’s impossible to know the exact po tency of your infusion, but a simple calcula tion can at least give you a ballpark figure. Once you have determined the THC percent age of the strain you are using (which is rela tively easy to look up), you can use this info to calculate the strength of what you’re mak ing. Every percent is equal to 1 mg of THC per 1g of dried flower. So, if you used 3g of flower that had a THC content of 20%, your infusion would end up with approximately

60mg of THC.

Your next choice is what type of me dium you will be using to infuse with your cannabis. THC molecules will bond to any type of fat molecule. Butters and oils are your best option. Coconut oil has the highest fat content of all oils and is versatile enough for baking and cooking. Keeping track of how much oil or butter you’re using is necessary to derive a dosage per serving. Once you’ve figured out the size and number of servings you want, the THC is divided evenly amongst them. Please be aware that the most THC you will infuse using the simple methods will be about 60-70% of the original amount, so there will be some drop off in potency.

The following step is perhaps the most critical in this process; in order to give your infusion the effects you wish it to have, your cannabis must have its THC activated. This process is called decarboxylation or “de carb” for short. The best way to do this is by putting all the cannabis you wish to use on a flat tray in an oven at 110 degrees C(230 de grees F) for 20-30 mins. Be careful because overdoing this step can destroy all the THC in your cannabis!

Now that your cannabis is ready to infuse your chosen medium, you will create a small pouch using cheesecloth. Place your lightly broken up cannabis inside and tie it off tightly. If you wish to remove some of the grassy taste and colour from your cannabis before infusing, you may blanch it by placing it in boiling water for 1-2 mins and then quickly placing it into an ice bath. Most of the chlorophyll, which is the cause for this taste and colour, should be leached out while re taining its THC.

Place your oil or butter into a pot with twice the amount of water and bring it to low to medium simmer. Place your can nabis pouch into the liquid and allow it sim mer for 3-4 hours. Once complete, remove the pot from the heat and place it in the fridge to cool after taking out the cannabis pouch. Once cool, your medium will have hardened and separated from the water. Simply scrape any residue from the under side and your homemade Infusion is ready to use! Remember your dosages and consume responsibly!

your way!

How a circular economy could help protect the planet

While it might seem like an unattainable goal, an increasing number of people and corporations are striving to create a wastefree planet. Here’s a closer look at why.

The current reality

Around the world, roughly two-thirds of raw materials extracted from the Earth get thrown away. Minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass are discarded as waste and emitted as pollution. Unlike natural ecosystems, which endlessly recycle resources, most of the industrial economy is linear.

In a linear system, new raw mate

rials are collected and transformed into goods. Often during this process, finite re sources aren’t efficiently employed and the resulting by-products go unused. Additio nally, the final products are typically dis carded when they break or no longer serve their original purpose. Not only is a linear approach detrimental to the environment, it’s also expensive and unsustainable.

The way forward

In a circular economy, resources are conti nuously reused and nothing is wasted. New materials are optimized at every step of their

lifecycle, which reduces the environmental impacts of continuously producing new goods and can strengthen regional econo mies. The model is fashioned after the en dless cycling of resources in natural ecosys tems.

A large-scale transition toward a cir cular economy requires the collaboration of governments, businesses and consumers. Here are a few ways you can incorporate the principles of a circular economy into your daily life.

• Eat organic food that’s grown and pro

8 habits that harm the environment

duced locally

• Host a clothing swap or donate items you no longer wear

• Compost, recycle and reuse goods whenever possible

• Opt for modes of transportation that run on renewable resources

As climate change continues to threaten the planet, an economy that protects the envi ronment and promotes sustainable living isn’t just sensible, it’s essential.

If you want to live a more eco-friendly li festyle, start by ditching habits that generate a lot of pollution. Here are eight things you might be doing that needlessly harm the en vironment.

1. Flushing or throwing out medication. Prescription drugs can contaminate the water supply and poison wildlife. Always bring unused and expired medication to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.

2. Drinking bottled water. In most places, tap water is just as safe as bottled water and creates substantially less pollution. If

necessary, equip your home with a filtra tion system.

3. Putting old electronics in the garbage. Since these devices contain toxic subs tances, bring them to a drop-off location in your region to be safely recycled or refur bished.

4. Tossing cigarette butts on the ground. These are a major source of plastic pollu tion. Before you light up, locate a nearby outdoor receptacle or make sure you have a pocket ashtray on hand.

5. Opting for single-use plastic straws. Re fuse them at restaurants and coffee shops. There are plenty of reusable options on the market made of metal, silicone and bamboo.

6. Removing makeup with single-use products. Since these wipes take years to decompose in landfills, many beauty brands offer alternatives that can be was hed and reused.

7. Driving erratically. Rapidly accelerating and slamming on the brakes will cause your car to produce more emissions.

5 tips for eco-friendly grocery shopping

If you want to help protect the planet, there are a number of ways you can make your grocery runs more eco-friendly. For starters, stick to local stores and follow these five tips.

1. Bring your own containers

Consumers are increasingly getting into the habit of carrying their groceries in reusable bags. You can take this a step further by bringing along small reu sable bags for your fruits and vegetables. Additional ly, you could transport ready-to-eat meals and loose bulk items in jars and reusable containers.

2. Opt for local products

This doesn’t mean you have to give up bananas enti rely. However, if you have the option to choose between equivalent products from different regions, go with the one made or grown closest to home. Lo cal produce is often identified as such, which makes it easy to spot. Plus, it’s more likely to be fresh and in season.

3. Choose older produce

If you eat it within a few days, there’s no harm in

buying food that’s nearing its expiration date or star ting to wilt. This will prevent it from being thrown out by the grocer. Plus, these items are often on sale, so you’ll save money too.

4. Avoid excess packaging

Steer clear of individually wrapped snacks and precut fruits and vegetables. In general, you’ll generate less waste by purchasing large-format items or pro ducts in bulk — as long as you can finish the food before it goes bad.

5. Pick paper over plastic

Since paper products are safer for the environment than plastic ones, buy items like milk and juice in cardboard cartons rather than plastic jugs. Similarly, choose powdered laundry detergent over the liquid variety. Styrofoam packaging should be avoided al together since it can’t be recycled.

Finally, if you plan your meals in advance and stick to your grocery list, it’ll be easier to buy only what you need and avoid wasting food.

Pushing on the pedals gently and driving with smoother transitions will save gas and money.

8. Using harsh chemical cleaners. These corrosive products are a health and envi ronmental hazard. Opt for biodegradable options or discover the cleaning proper ties of vinegar, lemon and baking soda.

From taking shorter showers to buying food grown and produced locally, there are count less small lifestyle changes that can make a huge difference.

9 fun facts about pets

Domesticated animals are more interesting than you might realize. Whether you have a dog, cat, hamster, reptile or rabbit, these nine fun facts about pets are sure to surprise and delight you.

1. Hamsters are most active at night. While you’re asleep, they can run more than seven kilometres on their rodent wheel.

2. Most cats don’t have eyelashes, but they do have an extra eyelid that lubricates and protects their eyes.

3. Geckos don’t have eyelids. Instead, they have a transparent membrane that covers and protects their eyeballs.

How to choose the right dog shampoo

Dogs are notorious for getting dirty, and once in a while, they need a good bath. While you might be tempted to use whate ver products you keep in your shower, human soaps and shampoos can irritate a dog’s sensitive skin. Luckily, there are hundreds of pet-friendly shampoos on the market. Here’s how to choose the right one for your dog.

Skin type

If your dog has dry, sensitive skin, look for shampoos with soothing and moisturizing agents like oatmeal and honey.

Opt for products that are labelled hypoallergenic, and avoid anything with fragrance.

Coat

Is your dog’s coat smooth and silky or coarse and curly? Many dog shampoos are tailored to different types of coats. If your dog’s fur is prone to mats and tangles, opt for a detangling shampoo. If your canine companion has white fur, choose a product with whiteners that will brighten their fur and reduce discolouration.

Medicated shampoos

If your dog has fleas, ticks or dandruff, they’ll most likely need a medicated shampoo with active ingredients (such as sulphur, hydrocortisone or coal tar) that work to treat the root cause of the issue. A vet can prescribe the pr oper shampoo for your dog’s condition.

To help keep your dog’s coat healthy and shining, follow the shampoo with a quality conditioner and a thorough brushing.

When in doubt about bathing your pet, reach out to a veterinarian or professional groomer for advice.

Why do cats like high places?

4. Rabbits can see behind their head. The lateral place ment of their eyes gives them a near 360-degree field of vision.

5. Chameleons’ tongues are nearly twice as long as their bodies. That’s why they’re so good at catching their prey.

6. Greyhounds are the fastest breed of dog. They can reach speeds of up to 30 kilometres per hour.

7. Horses can drink an average of 30 litres of water per day. This amount increases with activity.

Is your cat constantly trying to climb your furniture? If so, this behaviour isn’t surprising. After all, felines like to perch in high places. Here are some things to know about your cat’s fond ness for heights.

Reasons cats like heights

Animals need to adapt to their sur roundings to survive in the wild. They develop instincts to help keep them safe. These instincts persist even when they’re domesticated. Seeking high places is part of a cat’s natural be haviour. Being up high gives your pet a good vantage point to observe what’s going on around them, target their prey and spot any potential danger. This makes them feel safe and secure. It also gives them a place to retreat to when they don’t want to be part of the action below.

CREATING VERTICAL SPACES

Providing cat-friendly vertical areas will help keep your feline friend off your furniture. Here are some simple and affordable ways to create vertical space for your cat:

Purchase or build a cat tree or climbing post.

• Mount shelves for your cat to climb.

• Add a window perch to your cat’s favourite window.

To help keep your cat safe at all times, make sure that any perches you build or buy are se cured and mounted with the necessary anchors.

Does my pet need a passport to travel?

8. Rats laugh when tickled. However, the frequency of their laughter is too low (50 kHz) to be heard by the human ear.

9. Like a snowflake or fingerprint, no two dog noses are the same. They all have unique patterns and creases.

Now, go give your pet a treat or snuggle to reward them for being so interesting.

If you’re planning to travel internatio nally and you want to bring your pet with you, you’ll need to make sure you have specific documentation. Here’s what you need to know about pet passports.

Requirements by country

The documentation that’s required varies depending on the country you visit. You may also be asked to pro vide an international health certifi cate from your country of origin, or you may be asked to obtain a health certificate when you arrive at your destination. Other common require ments include:

• Proof of vaccination

• Microchip details

• Proof of ownership

• Treatment records

• A description of the animal

A pet passport contains most or all of the required information listed above. A pet passport is needed to travel through Europe and several other countries. If you travel fre quently with your pet, you’ll want to consider getting one.

Each country has different require ments depending on the type of pet you have (e.g. dog, cat, parrot, snake, etc.). Some exotic species require a specific permit from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in order to travel.

Talk to your veterinarian about your travel plans as soon as possible. And don’t forget to check your air line’s pet policy before you book your flight.

Affordable housing is within reach. The three levels of government, Federal, Pro vincial and Municipal, are three steps on the ladder to cheaper housing. The fourth step is community involvement. To know more, visit www.toronto.ca/HousingTO.

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people and Canada’s leading eco nomic engine. It is one of earth’s most mul ticultural cities. Toronto set up The OpenDoor program: the catalyst to affordable home making. The city will chip in by offer ing financial handouts along with fees and property tax amnesty. Affordable housing projects get quick planning approvals. The Don Mills scheme collected $17.5 million in financial aid from the City of Toronto.

Construction to build 390 afford able rental units commenced at 844 Don Mills Road. The site is scheduled to open in 2025. It’s an enormous 27-story mixeduse building with 214 one-bedroom apart ments, 79 two-bedroom suites, 39 three bedrooms apartments and 58 studios. This is a shrimp of a grander goal to build 40,000 new affordable rental accommodations by 2030.

Mayor John Tory, at the inaugural, added, “We know housing is a pressing is sue that we are working to address in the city, but we know we cannot do it alone. All three levels of government are working together to bring this project to life, and as a city we are doing our part through the

Open-Door Program.”

Lower-income families can enjoy affordable housing that are safe and sound. The Open-Door Program was launched in 2016 and helped in making over 21,700 affordable rental accommodations. Their aim is to give incentives and to stimulate a fast-track approval process.

In regard to the Don Mills proj ect, when completed, the occupants will get a kick of the amenities. In addition, 60 suites will cater for handicapped individu als, boasting an easy flow to the kitchen, bedroom, living room and bathroom. Gen erations Toronto, a non-profit corporation, which build, own and manage affordable rental homes across Canada, is involved in this project.

When finished, the lower four lev els will cater for a long-term care facility, a day care and retail spaces. Projects like these need strong community backing.

The Ismaili community is working hand in hand with the City of Toronto and the Prov ince of Ontario. Prince Amyn Aga Khan, a prominent figure from the Ismaili commu nity, recently celebrated the groundbreak ing ritual for this undertaking.

Karim Thomas, Vice-President of the Ismaili Council for Canada, com mended Generations Toronto. “The unique characteristic of Generations is its focus on a community-centric model of care. This involves extensive volunteer engagement as well as reducing isolation and loneliness through frequent interaction with indi viduals and families of different ages and experiences”.

This hybrid is unique since multigenerational families can live in the same building taking care of each other. On tario’s Premier, Doug Ford, at the ground breaking ceremony, gave his adorations on the concept.

“On behalf of the Government of Ontario, I am pleased to celebrate the groundbreaking of this unique multigen erational campus, made possible in part nership with the City of Toronto and the Is maili Council for Ontario,” Ford voiced. “Our government is undertaking the most am bitious Long-Term Care building program in Canadian history and this project is just one more way we are delivering the quality care and access to affordable housing that seniors across Ontario deserve.”

Low-cost loans are available through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a Crown Corporation. CMHC works through its Rental Construc tion Financing Initiative (RCFI) to give lowcost loans during the construction phase of affordable accommodations. The idea is to sustain corporations that build affordable

accommodations during their most vener able time, when there is no income to off set construction cost.

Over the last two years, the cost of affordable rental accommodations has gone through the roof. Families are strug gling to make ends meet and building af fordable rental accommodations is com mendable. However, affordable ownership is the key. The city of Toronto’s goal is to build 4,000 affordable homes by 2030.

Toronto’s Caribbean community is large and diverse. The time is ripe for the picking. Let’s take a chapter from the Is maili community and build our own afford able community centric accommodation. Together, we stand.

Clever ways to add storage to your home

If you lack storage in your home, there are many unique ways to utilize your space more efficiently. Here are a few ideas to consider.

• Purchase bags and bins specifically de signed to fit underneath your bed. If your bed isn’t high enough, you can get bed risers to give you more room.

• Install a cabinet, shelf, or rack if you have an empty wall or door space. You may be surprised at how much you can fit inside.

• Invest in under-cabinet racks that slide conveniently out of the way when not in

use. This is a great way to use the space un derneath your cabinets and shelves.

• If you’re looking for a new entryway bench or coffee table, consider buying one that has hidden storage space inside for odds and ends.

• Did you know your ceiling is a great place to store things? For example, you can ins tall overhead shelves in your kitchen to store various everyday goods.

Visit your local hardware store to find unique space-saving storage ideas.

How to make your home more pet-centric

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people welcomed pets into their homes. Whether you’re a new pet owner or have had one for many years, why not try ma king your home more pleasing to your furry friend? Here are three ways to create a pet-centric home.

1. Wash station. If you own a dog, why not create a dedicated area to groom and clean them? A ground-level wash station featuring tiled walls, a vinyl pan base, and a hand-held showerhead will help keep your pet and your house clean.

2. Pet door. Do you want your cat or dog to come and go as it pleases? Fortuna tely, pet doors have come a long way in recent years. For example, older doors

with a simple flap pose a security risk since other animals or heavy rain can also pass through them. Modern ones, in contrast, are electronic and use program mable collars or microchip implants to open only for your pet.

3.Pet flooring. Pets can be messy. Rather than get annoyed and frustrated, why not choose floor materials like linoleum, vinyl or stain-resistant carpet that are easy to clean? A small area of radiant-floor hea ting will also give your pet a welcome place to lie down.

Contact an interior designer in your area to help you come up with unique ideas to make your home more pet friendly.

ARIES

You’ll try your best to impress those around you. You’ll increase your client base to reach one of your goals at work. Don’t be afraid to move forward. If you take action, you’ll achieve success.

TAURUS

If you’re looking for the perfect job, you’ll be inspired to take the necessary steps to move in the right direction. You’ll feel imagina tive, which will inspire you to create a masterpiece.

GEMINI

You may start to feel the unpleasant effects of living a sedentary lifestyle. You’ll ask your friends to get active with you and motivate you to start moving your body.

CANCER

Whether starting a new career or retiring, you’ll clearly figure out your next steps. You must create a plan to ensure your fu ture meets your expectations and aspirations.

LEO

You’ll do an apprenticeship that will propel your career for ward. You’ll face new challenges that will that require pa tience. You’ll also be motivated to work toward your goals.

VIRGO

After much reflection, you’ll make important changes to your envi ronment. You’ll need to thoroughly review your priorities and find a living situation that suits your needs.

LIBRA

You may feel the need to say yes to everyone. This will put a lot of pressure on you to keep your commitments. You’ll find it hard to make a deci sion with the right information; reflection is needed.

SCORPIO

You’ll work extra hours to improve your financial situation. You may also realize that you need to make more time for your love life.

SAGITTARIUS

You’ll be in the right place at the right time. This will allow you to stand out and make a good impression. At work, you’ll be rewarded, or at least given the recognition you deserve.

CAPRICORN

You may find it hard to leave your home this week. You’re very attached to sentimental things that take up a lot of space in your home. You may finally be able to get rid of stuff you don’t need.

AQUARIUS

You’ll be outspoken and express what others are thinking. You must be authoritative in a complex and upsetting situation to reach an agreement.

PISCES

You’ll have to invest a significant amount of money in your career. You may need to buy a new vehicle to avoid breaking down or im press your clients.

Classifieds

FOR SALEFOR SALE

SHIRT JACKS: Shirt Jacks all sizes all colour call 416-474-3454

FURNITURE FOR SALE: Spanish Oak dining room table with 2 ex tensions and 4 upholder chairs,2 walnut Chesterfield side table and 1 oak table. All is good condition and reasonably price to sell. Call 416-923-7269.

LIST UP TO 30 WORDS FREE!

FOR SALEHELP WANTED HELP WANTED

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

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

LIVE OUT HOUSE KEEPER:

Needed for family in North York, Legal payment only T4 416-729-4772

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.

FOR RENT

FOR RENT: Furnished Room For Rent! Sharing Kitchen & Wash room. Located in Scarborough, Toronto, Morningside Avenue & Kingston Road. $850.00/month including utilities. Please call (416)459-6155.

FOR RENT: Furnished 1 BedBasement Apart For Rent! Sepa rate Entrance, Private Kitchen & Washroom. Located in Scarbor ough, Toronto, Morningside Av enue & Kingston Road. $1,550.00/ month including utilities. Please call (416)459-6155.

FOR SALE WORSHIP

SUNDAY SERVICE: Fountain of Truth Ministries Pastor: Rever end Maxine Campbell Worship Address: 2170 Kipling Avenue, Etobicoke Percy Johnson School – Cafeteria Sundays: 10.am – 2. pm Teaching, Worship, Minister ing 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

SALES REPS WANTED

Some restrictions may apply. We reserve the right of refusal.

We are in the process of expansion and constantly looking for the best of the best! Dedicated salespeople; people interested in opportunities to help others while also being able to help themselves. For more information, please contact Trish 647-722-6298 or trish@carib101.com

Four property upgrades and improvements for real estate investors

CLEVE DeSOUZA

MANAGEMENT

One of the things that many successful real estate investors know is the value in upgrad ing and improving their investment proper ties. For some people, this will be done in preparation for a sale. For others, it will be focused on attracting and retaining tenants. Whatever your motivation, here are some great property upgrades and improvements for real estate investors to consider.

Add storage

From walk-in closets in the master en-suite to pantry space in the kitchen, everyone loves having sufficient storage space. Add ing storage can be particularly beneficial in spaces that are smaller, like studio apart ments. When choosing how to add stor age, look for opportunities to utilize wasted space. Things like installing taller cabinets in the kitchen, turning under the stair space into a closet or shelving area, or adding coat

hooks and a shelf to a wide entry hallway are just a few ideas. While you are at it, look for ways to also bolster outdoor storage areas too.

Improve flooring

Flooring is one of those things that just about everyone notices and seems to have an opinion on. People with small children, for example, may be concerned if it is dirty. People with pets, on the other hand, are usually looking for an easy to clean floor. So whether you want to improve aesthetics or functionality, giving the floors a little love is a great idea. When selecting flooring, it is important to look for materials that will be durable and resistant to things like odours, mould, and stains. If you will be upgrading the floor yourself, focus on options that are easy for DIYers and that don’t require a lot of specialty tools or expertise to install.

Enhance security

Tenants and buyers alike will be looking for a space that is affordable and usable, but also one that is safe. Adding a few upgrades to your property that boost security is just smart. The good news is that many home safety products are not especially expensive, so you can do more with less budget. Start with the basics, ensuring that the property has working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and that all handrails are strong

and secure. Next, install strong door locks and window locks, and keep exterior areas well lit. Finally, consider adding a security system to the home or other smart technol ogy like a camera doorbell.

Update fixtures

Everyone loves a space that feels fresh and updated. One way to help accomplish this without doing a total gut and overhaul in your investment property is to update fix tures. Things like faucets, door handles, lighting elements, and cabinet pulls really become focal points for the eye, and updates to these can enhance the entire room. When making these upgrades, try to be consistent with colours and styles throughout the en tire property. Choose materials and brands that are good quality and have a luxurious feel. If your budget is very limited, focus on the kitchen and living room spaces first, then the master bedroom and bathrooms.

Watch for unique opportunities

While the above projects are great overall places to invest in, every property and inves tor is different and unique. Be sure to take some time as a real estate investor to assess your property specifically to see if there are more “out of the box” upgrades or improve ments that would make sense and add val ue.

Ways to generate extra income in retirement

Retired and struggling to get by? Or pe rhaps you’d simply like a little extra spen ding money? In either case, there are many ways retirees can earn extra income. Here are several ideas worth considering.

Become a landlord

Rent out an existing property, a suite or room in your house, or even an extra par king spot. This revenue-generating possi bility may be especially well suited to those who are a bit handy and able to make minor repairs. However, being a lan dlord involves a variety of legal aspects, and renting your property is not a means to generate passive income. Hiring a pro

perty manager can mitigate some of the workload, but will also lessen the profit margin.

Turn a hobby into a business

Many hobbies have the potential to be come lucrative businesses. And thanks to the world of online commerce, selling your services or goods is easier than ever.

Hire yourself out as a consultant

If you developed expertise in your field over the course of your career, your know ledge and experience could be of great value to new or existing businesses. Consulting work is short term but offers

the opportunity to make extra cash doing what you do best.

Teach

Teaching, tutoring and coaching are all viable ways to convert your skillsets into extra cash. You could instruct your own class at a community college, tutor stu dents or coach business professionals, for instance.

Earning income in your retirement years is entirely feasible. Your experience, passion and maturity are assets that can and should be used to your advantage.

How to manage finances as a couple

There’s no longer a one-size-fits-all financial agreement that suits every couple. These days, individuals can enter a relationship at any phase of life. This means each partner comes with a pre-established array of debts and savings, as well as firmly rooted financial habits and values. Generally, couples are ch oosing one of the following arrangements:

• Finances are completely merged. All money is kept in a joint bank account, into which all earnings are deposited and from which all expenses are paid.

• Finances are kept completely separate.

Expenses are shared either equally or by assigning a percentage based on in come. Each partner must pay his or her allotted portion of expenses but keeps a personal bank account.

• Finances are both merged and separate. There’s a joint account into which a por tion of income is deposited and through which shared expenses are paid. What’s left over from each person’s paycheque is kept in separate accounts.

Depending on the individuals involved and their particular priorities, any of the above

systems can make for a positive and fair ar rangement. The key is to be completely upfront with one another about finances, especially once shared property and/or children are involved. Partners should divul ge their budgets, debts, expenses and ear nings, as well as their financial goals and concerns. Finally, it’s crucial to have a firm legal arrangement in place that allows your partner immediate access to your finances in the event of your unexpected demise. Wit hout this provision, he or she may be left unable to make critical payments during an already difficult time.

All-season vs. winter tires: what drivers should know

It may seem like a misnomer, but all-season tires aren’t really built to withstand winter driving conditions. In truth, winter tires are a much safer alternative. Here’s some infor mation about what makes them the supe rior choice.

Materials

Tires need to be pliable enough to grip the road, which is why they contain rub ber. However, summer and all-season tires are made with a compound that becomes rigid when the temperature falls to se ven-degrees Celsius. Because of this, they can’t provide enough traction when the weather turns cold.

Winter tires, on the other hand, are made of a softer compound containing a higher concentration of rubber. This allows them to remain soft even in cold temperatures, thereby enabling them to grip snow-cove red roads. In addition, they contain silica, which provides even more traction.

Tread

Named after its inventor, John Sipe, siping is the process of making hairline cuts across a surface to improve traction in wet or icy conditions. On tires, these small cuts create shallow grooves that displace water and snow. The marks prevent the tread from becoming clogged, which impedes your car from hydroplaning in wet conditions.

While each tire manufacturer has its own tread design, all tires share one common feature: their tread is single-directional. This allows the tire to push snow and ice away from its surface. It also enables winter tires to grip roads covered in snow, ice and slush.

Winter tires are a smart investment. They enhance your safety in extreme weather conditions and can help prevent acci dents. You may even get a discount on your car insurance!

Winter car care: 3 things to remember

As winter approaches, it’s important to make sure your vehicle is ready to face the difficult driving conditions ahead. Here are three tasks you should complete before the first snowstorm of the season strikes.

1. Inspect your winter tires

To be safe on the road in snowy weather, your winter tires need to be in good condi tion. If the tread on them is worn, they won’t be able to provide an adequate amount of traction. You can get a mecha nic to inspect them or do it yourself.

Some tires have tread wear indicators lo cated inside the grooves. If the indicator is flush with the grooves, the tires need to be changed.

You can also use a quarter: insert the coin inside the grooves of the tread with the caribou facing down. If you see its nose, then you know you need to change your tires.

2. Test your windshield wipers

Your windshield wipers are another com ponent on your car that will help keep you safe in wintery weather. Ensure that they’re in good condition by making certain that the blades stay in contact with the glass when they’re in motion and that their movements aren’t jerky. In addition, they shouldn’t be noisy or leave streaks behind. You can also slide your finger along the blades to feel for irregularities.

3. TAKE CARE OF THE INTERIOR Frost on the inside of your windows is often made worse if they’re dirty, so give them a wash before the cold weather ar rives. You should also switch your floor mats for plastic ones, as carpeted liners tend to retain moisture, which will make any frost issues worse.

It’s also a good idea to check the owner’s manual to make sure you don’t forget any thing. If you need help getting your car ready for winter, your local mechanic will be able to help.