Posts tagged Trinidad & Tobago

Ms. Winnifred Loretta Riley Born October 15 1946- Died on May 12, 2022 Ms Riley was a petite, 4 ft 5inch woman who stood tall in her Black community because of her beautiful smile, hard-working West Indian values of endless kindness and love for others She is survived by her son Richard Williams Riley Her brothers’ Calester Riley , Kenbourne Riley, Reford Riley and David Riley; her sister-in-law, Daisy Riley and her cousins Sonia Lloyd, Marsha Wilson, Doreen Castle, Denham Douglas, Marcia Douglas Visitation of Ms. Riley: Friday, June 10, 2022 ● 2pm-5pm and 5pm -9pm Centre Funéraire Côte-des-Neiges, 4525 …

There was a time when the Quebec education system was even less accommodating to Black students than it appears to be today. A time when many students coming to Montreal from the Caribbean were being arbitrarily funneled to special-needs schools where, grouped with learners with real disabilities they struggled to make it to college and to university. “For the handful of Black educators at the time, it was troubling to see,” says Garvin Jeffers. “ Because we knew what the children were experiencing was not an inability to learn but culture shock. So, we had to do something.” At an …

On Saturday April 23rd, fifty guests including family, friends, community leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and politicians, gathered in an industrial location on Beaubien West, to celebrate the Spring chapter of outdoor adventures with the wind of change, and the new kid on the block: Kaya-Pêche. It was an invigorating event that provided guest with an opportunity to socialize and learn about an enterprise that offers outdoor adventures such as kayaking, fishing and camping as a new way of family bonding. For those of us from the Caribbean who have been migrating to Canada since the 1950’s and 60s, it was an …

Rosie Awori (LJI) “Finally, the universe is giving value to black skin,” this was part of an Instagram post from Leila Lopes a former Miss Angola who bagged the title of Miss Universe in 2011. Pageantry has come a long way since the crowing of beauties such as Janelle Commissiong and Wendy Fitzwilliam from Trinidad and Tobago, Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana paved the way for the likes of Jamaican Canadian Tishina Thompson to dream of getting the coveted crown of Miss Universe. Tishina who is Jamaican heritage was born in Montreal into a family of community activists. Her grandmother, the …

Well known Montrealer Dr. Roopnarine Singh, an accomplished cardiologist snd founder of this city’s Canada Day Parade died at Etobicoke General Hospital, Ontario on March 12, 2022. He was 86 years old. Trinidad and Tobago born Dr. Singh migrated to Canada at the age of 24. Between 1961 and 1969, he attended McGill University, earning a BSc. Hons Biochemistry, MDCM, (Doctor of Medicine Master of Surgery, Medicine and Cardiology.) For decades he was the attending physician to many Montrealers. But was equally recognized as the founder and chief organizer of the annual Canada Day parade that graced the streets of …

Just when you think it can’t get any worse. Soca artist Blaxx is back in the hospital and Reggae Artist Jah Cure sentenced to six years in jail. And just when you think it can’t get any better, it can. As restrictions are being eliminated, Montreal is gearing up for a summer filled with events. Dexter “Blaxx” Stewart who suffered from a serious lung and kidney infection two years ago is now hospitalized, having contracted Covid-19. The popular soca star is currently at the Arima General Hospital in east Trinidad where doctors say he is stable but is being monitored …

The watered down Trinidad & Tobago Carnival 2022 has come and gone. Now the question is: Is there gonna be a Toronto Caribana or Montreal Carifiesta this year? Fortunately, 2022 is looking promising as Covid-19 cases are going down and restrictions are being lifted. It’s been a tough two years but here’s the changes in Montreal since February 28, bars, casinos and taverns were permitted to reopen with capacity limits. Capacity limits also remained for certain businesses, including restaurants, very large cinemas, performing arts venues and sporting events and vaccine passports were still required for most non-essential businesses. Remote working …

Rosie Awori (LJI) & Egbert Gaye Only those who have really needed the services of a plumber can appreciate the value of Joseph Phillip to our community and on the same token, only those who know the true value of a father can appreciate the man we call “Maddy.” And as the community gem, as he is aptly described by a family member, marks his 65th birthday, relatives, friends and indeed the community is celebrating the milestone with him with expressions of gratitude. We also call him Joe. He arrived in Montreal in the early 1970s from Point Fortin, a …

Soca lovers around the world are excited to see Trinidad & Tobago Carnival returning in 2022. To compliment this great news Soca Sessions on CKUT 90.3fm will be showcasing all the new music of the season and news updates of the soca scene. This year’s celebration in T&T is scheduled to take place from Monday 28 February to Tuesday 1 March under the theme “A Taste of Carnival 2022.” The plan is to showcase the its carnival culture to the world with an extended portfolio of events aimed at helping local and international viewers easing through this phase of the …

Rosie Awori (LJI) With the passing of Sonya Biddle on January 20, our community and Montreal lost a vibrant and engaging personality that stamped her name on the landscape of this city as an actress, community worker, culture ambassador and politician. Biddle, daughter of Montreal jazz icon Charles Biddle, emerged as a political force on the municipal scene when she defeated incumbent Sam Boskey in the Notre Dame de Grace district in the 1998 elections, running for Pierre Bourque’s Vision Montreal Party. In office, she championed the City’s acquisition of the Cinema 5 building on Sherbrooke Street in NDG visioning …