All posts on September, 2021

Rosie Awori (LJI) On Tuesday September 7, the Quebec government announced that all health care workers no longer have the option of turning down the vaccine. And as of October 15, healthcare personnel who have not been vaccinated will be suspended without pay. Quebec Health minister, Christian Dube said the mandate applies to “everyone.” This means janitorial staff and other support staff are included in the directive and it applies to both public and private sector workers. This is a change from the prior mandate which only applied to workers who had to deal with patients for over 15 minutes. …

Promises and counter promises… political auctioneering at its best as stupendous amounts of money are being seductively blown around like magic dust by the candidates vying for Canadians’ votes with hopes of forming and leading the next federal government once the dust eventually settles and a new prime minister is selected in a little over a week or so to begin the process of delivering the goods promised throughout the campaign. In the first national debate former prime minister Justin Trudeau was, to reiterate the oft-used sentiment of his challengers and their supporters, was ‘forced to defend his decision to …

On September 3, Drake released his latest album “Certified Lover Boy.” Comprises of 21 songs and lasting over 86 minutes of listening, this latest effort (if one could call it that) is yet another Drake project filled to the brim with predictable themes and a bloated track-list featuring some of the T.O rapper frequent collaborators as well as some uninspired production. While this LP is indeed subpar, rather than start with the negatives it might be more productive to list off some of the highlights scattered throughout the record. The hot intro track, “Champagne Poetry” kicks off the album with …

It’s a sad time for the Reggae/Dancehall fraternity as family, friends and fans are in mourning after Grammy Award-winning Jamaican music pioneer, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, died. He reportedly died in at a hospital in Lucea, northern Jamaica on August 29. And since then there has been an outpouring of messages to his family including from Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness. He was born Rainford Hugh Perry in the Hanover parish of north-west Jamaica in 1936, is credited to be the mastermind behind the roots reggae sound that Bob Marley made world famous and his dub productions made him a magnet …

By 1991, seminal rap group Public Enemy not only had rewritten the story of hip-hop and popular music but had offended and unwillingly threatened the white power structure as well. It seemed that everyone at the beginning of the new decade had a problem with P.E. Their music cut right to the heart of white racist America and all oppressive forces in a musical tapestry that truly sparked the “fear of a Black planet.” Led by the commanding baritone-voiced Chuck D. who wielded the presence of a modern b-boy African chief, complete with Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat, P.E. baseball jacket …

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:11 “The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding…” This tells us that no one man can make it because of themselves, their skill, their talent or their knowledge. We need to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. He will strengthen you for whatever the task is. Our Heavenly Father knows that we (all of us: men, women, children, Christians and non-Christians too ) are weak. We get weary, we make mistakes and …

Just a reminder…  Even with everything going on in the world right now, make it a point to be intentional and do something every day that will bring you a little closer to your goals and your calling. Every purposeful step that you take moves you closer to your destiny. Yes, it may be a struggle and it may be challenging at times, but it will be worth it in the end! Progress is impossible without a decision and commitment to change. We spend so much time thinking about what we can’t do and very little quality time thinking about what …

Following the World War II, Canada was no longer made up of its two ethnocultural groups, French and English, but instead by polyethnicity, or many ethnic groups. From that time on, the country has actively accepted and adopted multiculturalism, culminating with the passage of Bill C 93, an act for the preservation and enhancement on July 12, 1988 in the House of Commons. While the multiculturalism experience has been much depicted and represented as a celebration of ethnicity where different cultural groups share their customs and learn from each other, it is not all it has been hyped to be. …

Two weeks after Justin Trudeau sent Canadians to the polls for an election on September 20, he is yet to catch his stride as he positions himself for a run at forming a majority government. As it appears none of the other federal political parties, the Conservative, the New Democrats (NDP), or the Green want to make it easy for Trudeau and his Liberals. When on August 15, Trudeau visited newly installed Governor General Mary Simon and asked her to dissolve Parliament, his minority government held 155 seats while the opposition Conservatives held 119, the Bloc Québécois held 32, the …

Rosie Awori (LJI) Days after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated part of Haiti’s southern peninsula on August 14, Montrealer Svens Telemaque got busy trying mobilize help for victims. Through what he describes as the power of social media Telemaque who serves as outreach director at Union United Church, connected with other organizations such as, Eglise Jesuit, DESTA, Eglise Le Refuge, Youth Stars Foundation as well as groups in the Haitian sector and Montrealers at large, collecting supplies to assist in the massive relief effort currently underway in Haiti. So far, according to information from the Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency, the …