Posts

Showing posts with the label Ontario

PM IN THE AM WITH MALVERN KIDS

Image
 Prime Minister Selfie Madness Slows Down the Kiddies Parade Photos by Herman Silochan & Prime Minister's office. Story by sweir The Junior Carnival Parade in Malvern is an annual event that never fails to captivate and entertain, and this year was no exception. Held last Saturday at the Community Centre & Neilson Park, the parade brought together thousands of kids, parents, and neighbors to celebrate diversity, freedom, and Caribbean cultures. However, what made this year even more special was the unexpected appearance of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. For the second time, Prime Minister Trudeau graced the Kiddies Parade with his presence, surprising the organizers with short notice. Earlier in the day, he attended the Fun Philippines Toronto Street Festival: Mabuhay! Following that event, his team informed the Carnival parade organizers about his plan to make an appearance. The news of the Prime Minister's arrival was met with mixed feelings. While the children and sp

CARNIVAL MONEY WOES TAKE TO THE AIRWAVES

Image
  Carnival Hopes That The Feds Are Listening. Public Safety At Stake Organizers of this year's Toronto Caribbean Carnival have their fingers and toes crossed and their ears to the ground, hoping to hear the sound of approaching government funding. They have reason to be hopeful. Early this week, the Feds announced an emergency grant of money to the country’s Pride Festivals to cover rising fixed costs. On Tuesday, Toronto Pride learned that it will be receiving money from the Federal government to cover the costs of added security measures at this year's Pride parades. The Feds is providing up to $1.5 million to Pride organizations across the country for increased security measures this year. Half of that money goes to Pride organizations in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Like Pride, the Toronto Carnival is facing a hefty increase in the cost of insurance, security, and other fixed costs this summer. However, to date, it has not received an increase in funding to pay the bil

1964 ERA FOUND PARTY PICTURES

Image
 A BUCK 'N' DOE OR NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY FIVE DECADES AGO? Found Art. Pictures from the Sixties.  These pictures were inside a large box of unclaimed family snapshots, left for development, pickup and payment at a now long gone Drouillard Avenue store in Windsor, Ontario. I recovered the box while helping clean out the store. I promptly put them away in my attic office.   According to the orange Kodak envelope for this set of pictures, they were let at the store by a man who lived on Cadillac Street a few minutes from the front gates of theFord Foundry.  All the young dudes party in a beat-up basement apartment. Holes in the ceiling, third hand furniture, 60s style greaser hairdos. In 1965 the Elvis look still was a major influence on these hard drinking Windsor Hound Dogs.  Out of focus, damaged by the heat of being in my attic for 35 years, I rediscovered their pictures while cleaning out my files!  Young dudes party while the ghost of their youth linger on, on this page.

End of the Road for the original Patties Express

Image
  Patties Wave Goodbye To Yonge Street By Stephen Weir    Hungry hipsters. Out-of-towners looking to sample Patties Express’s finest Patty and Coco Bread special. Hospital workers rushing for a cheap and cheerful lunch take-out. Street people looking for hardy midnight snacks are about to go into mourning now that the word is out. Patties Express is about to close its downtown landmark Yonge and Elm Street take-out.   Patties Express isn’t going broke because of Covid. In fact their four outlets are going gangbusters and have plans for more outlets in town. Blame it on Toronto’s Condo craze. Located a block south of the Yonge and Gerrard intersection, the building that has housed the famous Jamaican style Patty is making way for  67-storey 819 condominium retail mega tower.   “ This is so unfortunate - you are our  go-to  at the Toronto General when staff is too busy to grab lunch,” posted a hospital worker on social media. “You will surely be missed especially by the Transplant Team!”

This Thursday morning Jane Finch Students Will Cheer From Balconies.

Image
                      7th Annual Walk of Excellence Pannist Will Perform at Jane/Finch This Thursday. Press Release What :  Jane & Finch graduates Walk With Excellence When  : June 18th., 2020, 10.00 am - 11.00 - Pannists play at designated spots throughout the community from Wilson/Keele to Shoreham and Jane. Earl LaPierre Jr. AfroPan Who  10.30 am - 11.00 am Earl LaPierre Jr. pannist travels from Westview Secondary home origins of Afro-Pan, Canada’s oldest steelband to the intersection of Jane & Finch. Where : 11.00 - 12.00 pm Pannists play at intersection York University Faculty Association gathers to symbolically mark the passage from high school to post secondary. 11.00 - 12.00 - Virtual Walk on Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Youtube This year’s 7th annual Walk With Excellence parade, will be virtual with some physical elements. Steel Pannists will create a day of celebration for the graduating students in the Jane & Finch C

Kevin and Raesha signed on for hosting duties

Image
Kevin and Raesha signed on for hosting duties Information is scant right now but get ready for a media dump from the FMC about the Digital 2020 Toronto Caribbean Carnival   Raesha Sirois   By Stephen Weir  When it comes to the upcoming Virtual Toronto Caribbean Carnival  MUM s is the word as far as detailed information about the event is concerned.  However the Caribbean Camera has heard through the grapevine that a deluge of information the 2020 Digital Carnival is soon to be released by the organizers of this unique online July event. We do know that the  Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2020 is getting ready to digitally jump up beginning July 3 rd  with an official City Hall Proclamation of Toronto Caribbean Carnival Month. Over the next four weeks there will be programming of Steelpan music, live Calypso performances, a virtual King and Queen competition, a Junior Parade and the Grand Parade itself. “For several nights in July there will be performances using footag

Funding for the Art Gallery of Hamilton Press Conference

Image
Investing in Cultural Infrastructure in Hamilton  The Government of Canada supports the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the creation of a civic museum! HAMILTON, Ontario, February 11, 2020 The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the creation and renovation of cultural spaces to allow better access to the arts and heritage for everyone.  The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour, and Member of Parliament (Hamilton West–Ancaster– Dundas), announced $112,875 in funding for the Art Gallery of Hamilton today. She made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage. The Honourable Filomena Tassi   This support, provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, will help fund a comprehensive feasibility study for a significant renovation of the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The study will explore improvements to the art gallery’s storage, displays and interpretation of its permanent collectio

Mungi launches new book in Toronto on MLK evening

Image
South African granddaughter of Desmond  Tutu launches her new book on Martin Luther Day at ADBCC on Bathurst The A Different Booklist Cultural Centre (ADBCC), in conjunction with Penguin Random House is marking Martin Luther King Day with a superstar evening book signing!   On January 20th,   Nompumelelo (Mungi) Ngomane, the granddaughter of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be launching her new book Everyday Ubuntu in Canada. "This book will open your eyes, mind and heart to a way of being in the world that will make our world a better and more caring one," says Mungi’s biggest fan, her grandfather Desmond Tutu. Never heard of Ubuntu? It is a South African based philosophy which teaches that people’s common humanity and interconnectedness is key to living a better life. By embracing the philosophy of Ubuntu and living it out in daily life it's possible to overcome division and be stronger together. There are 14 lessons in Everyda

Obsidian Theatre - Big Change At The Top

Image
Phil says goodbye and Mumbi says hello The Obsidian Theatre, the country's  leading culturally diverse  theatre  company is now going through a major change.   After twenty years, the theatre’s founder and CEO has retired. He has been replaced by a young African Canadian director who will take over the running of the company in August. Philip Akin has been acting and directing for over 40 years. In 2000, he was a founding member of Obsidian Theatre, Canada’s leading black theatre company, and has served as its Artistic Director since 2006. Earlier this week Obsidian announced that   Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu is the new Artistic Director of the Obsidian Theatre.   In a press release issued by Obsidian Ms. Otu “was raised in Kenya and Victoria, BC. She is a critically acclaimed Toronto-based stage director with over a decade of professional experience and is the Founder/Artistic Director of the Dora Nominated experimental theatre company IFT (It’s A Freedom Thi