All posts on February, 2020

Bill 40 is viewed as a hurried bill with accompanying negative consequences for Québec’s public schools… On October 1, 2018, a general election was held in Quebec. It was the first election in 40 years wherein Sovereignty was not a campaign issue.With the absence of such a sensitive issue that had long divided Quebecers, traditional voting blocs were freed up, allowing federalists and separatists alike to change their allegiances. Such a move brought in its wake a landslide victory for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ). The victory began as the continuation of a succinct ailing process, one that would not …

Remembered as titan of Caribbean Literature by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Motley Contact Staff With the passing of Dr. Kamau Brtaithwithe on February 4, the Caribbean lost one of its literary giants. The Barbados-born poet and academic distinguished himself with a body of work that includes over 50 books of poetry, plays, essays and novels. He also taught extensively in Ghana, the University of the West Indies and at New York University where he was professor of Comparative Literature. In a spectacularly gilded career, Dr. Braithwaite earned some of the most prestigious international awards for his contributions as a historian, …

Contact Staff News of the passing of Raymond Tony Teemal spread across our community like a wildfire on the hills of the northern range in Trinidad and Tobago and ignited bursts of sadness and mourning. Tony Tiger as he’s known to some or Tony d’ Doubles-man he is known to others was a community favorite in the truest sense of the term. He died on Saturday, February 15 after an extended struggle with cardio-vascular issues. Originally from Morvant, a little bedroom community on the outskirts of Port of Spain, Trinidad, where his family owned the “little shop” on the corner. …

Rosie AWORI On January 29, a cross-section of Montrealers gathered at Salon Urbain, Place des Arts for the launch of Black History Month 2020. at the Place des Arts. It was organized by The Round Table on Black History Month and kicks off with events and activities showcasing the presence, contributions and achievements of Blacks in Montreal, across Canada and around the world. Those gathered for the launch heard messages from Michael Farkas, president of the Round Table and from Deputy Mayor of Montreal Sterling Downey on behalf of Mayor Valerie Plante. The theme of this year’s celebration is Here …

Contact Staff The way Carla Beauvais sees it, Black History Month comes as a reminder for us as a community to get our act together: to reflect and figure out ways to build for the future. “I see it as a platform for us to take a moment to think creatively, and maybe organize ourselves for the rest of the year,” says Beauvais who has been the coordinator of the Round Table on Black History Month for the last 12 years. She says every time February rolls around, it should remind us of how much work Black people still have …

The youngest and the first female solo act to win the Grammy for the Best Reggae Album Contact Staff Probably it’s too much of a cliché but here goes: It’s safe to say that Koffee, is now the toast of Jamaica That love was cemented on January 26 ceremony when at the Staples Center in Los Angeles the 19-year-old singer out of Spanish Town, became the youngest and the first female solo act to win the Grammy for the Best Reggae Album. She did it with her debut EP Rapture , which carries five powerful tracks: “Blazing,” “Raggamuffin,” “Rapture,” “Throne” …

Rosie Awori Let’s remember Kobe Bryant. The 6 foot 6 inch scoring machine was the first guard to be drafted from high school into the NBA in 1996 as the 13th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets. He went on to play 20 seasons, all of them with the Lakers, and scored 33,643 points, which ranks him fourth on the all-time NBA scoring list. On January 27, at 10am local time near Calabasas, Los Angeles, the NBA giant was among eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, killed in a helicopter crash In Montreal just like the world over, family, …

Egbert Gaye After 17 years at Global Television in Montreal, it comes with some satisfaction for Elysia Bryan-Baynes in her decision to step away from a profession she loves and a job that she says was rewarding in so many ways. “I loved Global News Montreal and was fortunate to be able to do many different roles: researcher, reporter, National Assembly reporter and anchor.” When news of her retirement broke on Friday, January 31, it sent shock waves across the community, with many calls to the CONTACT wondering how “Lysie” as we know her can retire, “so young.” “I’m 38 …

Lots of talk, yes, but does anyone care, is anyone listening…? With all due respect to the civil rights icon, anyone and everyone born in the decades of the 1940s to ‘70s, all now 50- to 60- and early 70-something year-olds, should be quite familiar with him, and to varying degrees well-schooled in his historic socio-political exploits… [Before continuing, let me hasten to add that several years ago I was in the presence of a group of Black people, including a Black gentleman who at the time was in his late 70s, and was being interviewed about growing up in …