Who Betrayed Us?

“For two years, the phrase “safe and effective” was a near-universal mantra, repeated thousands of times by global leaders in an effort to build public trust...”

STORY - PAGE 8

ESTHER IJEWERE

The weight of becoming whole

You are sitting in a room that has become too small for the woman you are becoming. You can feel the walls pressing against your shoulders, a silent demand to shrink, to quiet the roar in your spirit for the sake of someone else’s comfort. It is the most dangerous contradiction we face: the belief that to be “good” to be a good partner, a good daughter, a good woman, we must remain static. The soul is not a still life; it is a moving train, and when you are in alignment with a purpose higher than yourself, you cannot simply pull the emergency brake because the person next to you is getting dizzy.

In the world of strategic storytelling and psychological truth, we often talk about the weight of a narrative. Esther Ijewere, a woman who has built a legacy on amplifying others through Women of Rubies, knows this weight intimately. She grew up in Nigeria, a society where humanity is often at the core of life, yet truth-telling makes people profoundly uncomfortable. When you speak up against injustice, oppression, or domestic violence, you become a target because you are forcing people to confront a reality, they aren’t ready to change.

This is where the tension begins. You want to heal the world, but your own world is fracturing. Esther recalls the moment her marriage broke, not as a failure, but as a crossroads. She realized that who she was becoming was a challenge to her partner. There is a psychological brutality in that realization: the person who should be your anchor has become the ceiling. You are faced with a choice: stay stuck and die slowly or choose your destiny and risk the turbulence. Esther chose the latter. She chose her transcript from God over the comfort of a partner.

We often use soft language to describe this; we call it growing apart. Let’s use charged language instead: it is an extraction. It is the violent act of pulling yourself out of the soil of a relationship that can no longer nourish your roots. A plant cannot grow backward. It either reaches for the sun or it rots in the shade of what used to

be. For Esther, the “Breakaway,” much like the Kelly Clarkson song that serves as her anthem, was about spreading wings to find the sky. It was an affirmation that she was breaking away from grief, from rock bottom, and from the silence that would have kept others in the dark.

Let’s be real about the release” phase. Healing isn’t a spa day, and for anyone who has been on a healing journey, you know it is more like a battlefield. You can sit in therapy for ten years and still be carrying the same baggage if you aren’t willing to confront yourself. Real healing is the moment you look in the mirror and say, “This old version of me is no longer working.” It’s about dropping the baggage without forgetting the journey that made you strong.

When the world sees a powerful African-Caribbean woman, they often see the harvest. They see the awards, the Women of Rubies platform, and the global impact.

They don’t see the pruning season, the days at rock bottom where faith feels less like a comfort and more like a delusional confidence. Esther speaks of a faith that is grounded in meditation and centering God even when nothing seems to be working. It is a confidence that looks like delusion to the outside world but is actually the only thing that makes you worthy in the presence of the divine.

Why do we hesitate to be visible? For many women, especially African-Caribbean and racialized women, visibility feels like a trap. We are taught to be selfless to the point of erasure, but Esther’s daughters see her differently; they see her as a reflection of the path they will follow. Her goal is for them to walk into rooms and, when asked who raised them, simply say, “Google my mother.” That is a legacy of intentional living and empowerment. It is showing them that you can have a voice regardless of your skin color, ethnicity, or social status.

Yet, the higher you climb, the more you have to protect. In an era of digital footprints and performative

kindness, the most strategic thing you can do is say “NO!” Esther has learned to say no to the political noise and the trolls that burn out your spirit. She understands that you cannot be everything to everyone without losing yourself in the process. You have to choose your battles wisely, because your energy is the currency of your purpose.

“To the woman reading this who feels the urge to complain about her current season; STOP,” shares Esther. “Complaining is a distraction from the solution. It makes you lose focus and can turn your heart bitter. Instead, ask yourself, ‘What is this season trying to teach me?’ Sometimes the very thing you are complaining about is the blessing someone else is praying for. When you stop complaining and start confronting, you gain clarity. You begin to see that your pain must serve a purpose higher than yourself.”

“Your next step is to recognize that you are the storm. You are a woman of that same indomitable spirit, who shows up at 100% even when the economy is bad, or the world is watching. You are a survivor who has turned her “breakaway” into a bridge for others.”

Women like Esther show us that success is about impact with sustainability. It is about building structures that allow you to grow without burning out. It is about making a wise decision to live intentionally, so that your name is mentioned in rooms you will never enter as the woman who touched a life and shifted a paradigm.

So, look at your reflection. The old you isn’t working anymore. Drop the baggage. The train is moving. Are you going to stay back to make the world comfortable, or like Esther, are you going to reach for the light? Your children, your community, and your destiny are waiting for your answer.

The cold hits your tongue first, a velvety dark chocolate that feels too heavy to be dairy-free. Then comes the crunch; the violent snap of stretchella chocolate and the nostalgic shatter of candy-coated mini eggs. Finally, a slow, numbing heat from Mala spice crawls up the back of your throat. This isn’t just ice cream…

When Roger Mooking sat down with Erik Chow and Michael Lam of Good Behaviour, the air was thick with five years of spiritual pressure. Roger had been sitting on a concept that most corporate brands would find terrifying: Seggsual Chocolate.

“I have been walking around with this idea for five years,” Roger admits, his eyes reflecting the depth of the 70% dark chocolate base. For him, the name is a Trojan horse. On the surface, it’s a cheeky nod to 80’s pop culture and a “menage à trois” of egg motifs, real egg yolks in the base, cracked mini eggs in the fold, and the literal sexuality of the name. Underneath the humour of his head photoshopped onto a hyper-masculine body is a visceral commentary on the hypersexualization of Black masculinity.

Seggsual Chocolate: Truth behind taste

“We are launching this for February,” Roger says, leaning into the complexity. “It’s Valentine’s Day. It’s Black History Month, but we are also the ‘flavour of the month’ at Good Behaviour. It forces the question; are we just a temporary commodity? A trope? Or do we have roots?”

Erik, the technical architect behind Good Behaviour’s reputation for integrity, didn’t flinch at the provocation. Instead, he saw a formulaic challenge.

“We generally make a custard ice cream: milk, cream, sugar, egg yolk,” Erik explains.

“Roger wanted a dairy-free version that still captured that ‘victory prize’ richness. We did 15 testers of the formula before we landed on this.”

The result is a culinary anomaly: a dairy-free custard. By utilizing egg yolks (a traditional stabilizer that most industrial brands have traded for artificial gums) Erik created a mouthfeel that defies the watery expectations of vegan desserts. “We wanted the heaviest possible product,” Erik says. “It’s not meant to be crushed in one sitting. It’s an indulgence that demands attention, like a fine truffle or a ribeye.”

The dialogue between these two creators is where craftsmanship meets social rebellion. While Erik obsessively balanced the Maldon salt pops to accentuate the sweetness, Roger was ensuring the artwork whispered “try it once” in yellow text, a blatant play on the “once you go Black” trope.

“I’m a storyteller,” Roger notes, dismissing the labels of chef, or musician. “My tools just happen to include the palate. We are coming to people where they

are: at the ice cream shop with their kids, and forcing a conversation through their mouths.”

Even their shared identity as “bamboo shoots,” an English translated Chinese term for those born in the diaspora with “no roots,” informed the collaboration. Erik, and Michael of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, found common ground in the way they both navigate Western spaces while carrying inherited histories. This collaboration is an act of solidarity and amplification.

Behind the scenes, the integrity extends beyond the pint. Proceeds from this February launch is diverted to mentorship programs in Gray County, provid-

ing access to spaces for those who have been historically excluded.

You might think you are just buying a pint of premium chocolate, but as the Mala spice begins to numb your lips and the richness of the egg yolks settles in, you realize you are consuming a narrative about power, perception, and the refusal to be anyone’s “flavour of the month.”

Your next step? Stop consuming the stories others write for you. Like Roger, Erik, and Michael realize, your “lack of roots” in traditional systems is actually your greatest strength. It allows you to build a foundation that is entirely your own. Own your narrative, even if it makes the world a little bit uncomfortable.

BLUE BINS: NO LONGER CITY-RUN

January 1, 2026: Private company takes over residential recycling collection (provincial requirement).

As we wrap up this edition and begin preparing the next one in two weeks, something quietly but powerfully hit me — we are entering our 15th year of publishing the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper.

That’s a sentence that takes a moment to sit with.

When I look back to where this all started, it’s hard not to feel grateful and humbled. What began as a 12-page newspaper with 5,000 copies, delivered out of a Nissan Altima, has grown into something much bigger than we ever imagined. Today, we are supported by an incredible lineup of writers, reporters, and contributors — all working together, in unison, with one shared purpose: to be the voice of the community and to always put the community first.

That mission hasn’t always been easy. There have been moments over the years where staying true to that purpose came with risk — real risk. The pandemic was one of those defining moments. We were faced with a serious decision about our reporting, and when we chose to publish information and perspectives that went against much of what mainstream media and government messaging were promoting at the time, we knew there would be consequences.

And there were. At the time, our coverage was met with strong reactions — dissatisfaction, criticism, and pushback. But it was also met with something else: growth. Growth in our readership, growth in trust, and growth in connection with you — our readers. Many of you felt that something wasn’t right. Some of you met our delivery drivers in parking lots just to say thank you. Others took the time to call us, to share your experiences, to express appreciation for the courage it took to report on what you were seeing and living through yourselves.

Those conversations mattered. They still do. Our intention was never to promote conspiracies or fear. Our goal has always been unbiased reporting — presenting information, showing both sides, and allowing you, the reader, to decide for

yourself. That principle shaped our reputation and defined who we are today: a voice for the people, a platform that holds power accountable while defending the everyday individual — the way news media was originally meant to operate.

In contrast, much of today’s mainstream media has become increasingly jaded. When you look past the logos and familiar names, you’ll often find that many outlets are owned by the same massive corporations. The illusion of choice remains, but the message stays largely the same. That’s why we take such pride in being fully self-funded. We have never accepted government grants or payouts, and that independence allows us to report freely, without pressure or influence.

The year 2026 is also special for another reason — it marks the 20th anniversary of Carib101, where it all began back in 2006. What started as an online club and event listing site for the community eventually grew into news, storytelling, and finally the physical newspaper you hold in your hands today. While Carib101 may no longer exist in its original form, it represents two decades of consistency, presence, and commitment to the community we serve.

So with that, I want to say thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for believing in what we do. Your support means more than you may ever realize. As time passes, we are watching many community newspapers fade away, giving in entirely to digital spaces. We see things differently. Digital doesn’t replace us — it enhances us. But print remains something special.

Newsprint is never censored. It isn’t controlled by algorithms. And it never gets lost in the noise.

As long as our community values truth, accountability, and connection, we’ll be here — telling the stories that matter.

Britain abandons push for mandatory Digital ID: Will Canada follow?

MICHAEL THOMAS

michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The British Cabinet Office confirmed that the controversial Digital ID cards would no longer be compulsory for those seeking employment. This, according to a British news source, is the 13th time Prime Minister Keir Starmer has had to swallow his pride and back down.

Last December, his government reversed a plan to raise taxes on farmers, months after it backed down on cuts to welfare spending and scaled back a proposal to reduce subsidies on energy bills for the elderly. His famous “Let me spell it out, you will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have a Digital ID” line has been shelved for a more

SIMONE SMITH

simone@carib101.com TC REPORTER

In the Afro and Indo-Caribbean communities, we are taught to “tough it out,” to pray it away, and to work through the pain, but what happens when the very system designed to preserve our lives treats us as if we don’t exist? We are currently witnessing the rise of the “Ghost Patient” phenomenon, a crisis of invisibility that is haunting Ontario’s healthcare halls and disproportionately claiming the spirits of our people. There are many of us reading this who have been there; you have walked into

PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

modest helping. This means that Digital ID cards will be optional, allowing workers to choose whether to use alternative methods of proving their identity.

A government spokes person had this to say: “We are committed to mandatory digital rights to work checks. Currently, right-to-work checks include a hodgepodge of paper-based systems with no record of checks ever taking place. This is open to fraud and abuse. We have always been clear that details on the Digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation, which will launch shortly.”

“Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined up, and effective, while also remaining inclusive.”

Tory MP Mike Wood, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said, “While we welcome the scrapping of any mandatory identification, this is yet another humiliating U-turn from the government. “Wood concluded by pointing out, “Keir Starmer’s spinelessness is becoming a pattern, not an exception. What was sold as a tough measure to tackle illegal working is now set to become yet another costly, ill-thought-

out experiment abandoned at the first sign of pressure from Labour’s backbenches.”

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said, “It was clear right from the start this was a proposal doomed to failure, that would have cost obscene amounts of taxpayers’ money to deliver absolutely nothing.”

Just a few months ago, a poll by the More In Common think tank showed that public support for the ID cards had plummeted from 53% to 31% in the wake of Starmer’s backdown. What is worse is that more than 2.8 million people have now signed a petition on parliament’s website opposing Digital ID cards.

The plan is also facing cross-party opposition from the Tories, Lib Dems, Reform UK, and SNP. Britain has a history with ID cards. A history that this present PM either does not know or forget. Britain has not had compulsory identity cards for ordinary citizens since shortly after World War II. The idea has long been contentious. Civil rights campaigners argue it infringes personal liberty and puts people’s information at risk.

Even Former PM and Climate Preacher

Why are we becoming ghosts?

a crowded, chaotic emergency room (ER), looked at the sea of suffering, and walked right back out before you are even registered. You are now invisible to official clinical data. While the provincial government touts a “left without being seen” (LWBS) rate of about 4.9%, the reality on the ground is far more terrifying. A staggering 21% of Canadians reported leaving the ER without care in the last year.

For the Afro/Indo-Caribbean community, this is not just a statistical gap. We are already navigation-weary in a system where medical bias often minimizes our pain. When we finally decide that a situation is dire enough to seek help, we find ourselves in ERs that feel like warehouses for the forgotten. Our youth, aged 18-34, are hitting the breaking point fastest, with 29% walking away from care because they simply cannot afford to lose hours in a lobby that offers no hope of a doctor’s touch. Why should those who have never thought about this care? Well, invisibility

is infectious. If the system can ignore an African Caribbean mother, or an Indo-Caribbean elder who leaves an ER in silence, it can eventually ignore you. These ghosts are often dealing with urgent issues that risk rapid deterioration, or even death if left untreated. When people walk away, their mortality odds increase. We are effectively allowing a silent cull of our most vulnerable citizens.

What we are missing is the recognition that the ER is the new primary care clinic because our frontline defenses have collapsed. Ontario is facing a catastrophic shortage of family doctors, with a projected 4.4 million residents without primary care by 2026. Without a family doctor who looks like us and understands our cultural history, our community defaults to the ER for infections, chronic pain, and mental health crises. There, we are met by a quota system, a government that caps medical school admissions at 3,000 spots and leaves international medical graduates

Tony Blair tried to introduce biometric ID cards two decades ago as a way of fighting terrorism and fraud, but the plan was abandoned after strong opposition from the public and Parliament.

Considering this massive push back by British citizens, opposition Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said, “Labor’s only consistent policy is retreat.”

It is extremely important to note that the British government never used the word quit when it comes to their plans to enslave citizens through Digital ID’s. The words used were scale back, U-turn, and a few other temporary sentiments.

All over the globe, including Canada, the citizens must not only be vigilant, just like the Brits, but also watchful as hawks. Britain is only a tiny slice of what these globalists see as their plantation. Therefore, no citizen will be safe until everyone stands united against the fangs of Agenda 2030. Do not mistake a retreat for surrender ever. It will come as no surprise if the British government repackages Digital ID and presents it again sometime soon.

(IMGs) in a perpetual state of limbo while our people suffer.

Our government’s inaction is a choice. They have allowed public confidence to crater, with 66% of us expecting the quality of healthcare to decline further. They have prioritized digital metrics over human pulses. We need an immediate expansion of medical school seats and a fasttrack for qualified IMGs who are currently driving Ubers instead of saving lives.

As a community, we must stop being the silent sufferers. We must demand front-end tracking so that our presence is acknowledged the moment we step through those hospital doors. We must advocate for our neighbours and our youth, ensuring that when they feel the system ghosting them, we are there to pull them back and demand they be seen.

We cannot build a future on the backs of ghosts. It is time to step out of the shadows and demand a system that counts us, cares for us, and finally, truly sees us.

TDSB surplus exposes political contradictions

al of the TDSB Director raised questions about timing and intent. Many observers viewed the move as political interference in a democratic process, prompting a petition on Change.org calling for the Director’s reinstatement.

There have been several negative reports about the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the largest school board in Canada. The June 2025 announcement that Rohit Gupta, a provincially appointed supervisor, would assume control of the board due to years of alleged “mismanagement” came as a surprise particularly because external audits found no evidence of financial irregularities.

Ontario’s Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, spoke publicly about the TDSB’s ongoing deficits and argued that funding should be “Directed toward the classroom.” The December 2025 dismiss-

Recent financial disclosures added another layer of complexity. The TDSB posted a $31 million surplus in 2025 after three consecutive years of deficits, as reported by Gabe Oatley in a January 7th, 2026, article for TorontoToday. The board had projected a $7 million surplus, but instead recorded more than $24 million above expectations.

Notably, the surplus did not stem from reduced spending. While budget allocations for instructional, administrative, operational, and maintenance costs were $100 million higher than planned, actual spending in 2025 was $90 million lower than in 2024. These expenditures were offset by increased provincial funding: the board expected $3.2 billion in core education funding but received $3.4 billion.

In previous years, the TDSB ex-

plained variances between projected and actual spending in its public financial statements. This year, it did not, raising transparency concerns. Supervisor Gupta has also yet to provide detailed public explanations about the budget, further fueling uncertainty.

Trustee Shelley Laskin (Eglinton–Lawrence) speculated that the funding increase may be tied to a February 2025 Ontario Superior Court ruling that declared the provincial government’s one-percent cap on public-sector wage increases unconstitutional. Following an arbitrator’s decision requiring retroactive compensation to affected boards, additional funds flowed into the education system.

Ricardo Tranjan, Ontario Research Director at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, agrees that the influx was likely a one-time adjustment. He cautions that it may not resolve the TDSB’s longterm sustainability challenges.

The province has also mandated that classroom materials and staff resources (such as teacher-librarians and guid-

ance counselors) be funded through perpupil accommodation allocations. Yet, the TDSB reportedly spent only $390 million on public accommodations instead of the planned $435 million.

In a December 2025 letter to parents, Minister Calandra focused on what he described as excessive bureaucratic spending, praising Supervisor Gupta for having “Redirected millions of dollars into classrooms by freezing all non-schoolbased hiring and eliminating central positions in the board.”

Trustee Matias De Dovitiis (Humber River–Black Creek) called this framing “Very ironic,” noting that $105 million was spent on administration, compared to a budgeted $93 million, under provincial supervision. Trustees De Dovitiis and Laskin both argue that the government’s emphasis on administrative costs is misplaced. In their view, the surplus resulted primarily from increased provincial funding, not internal cost-cutting.

Caribbean Wellness reclaimed at the circle

SIMONE SMITH

simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

I see you. I see the way you carry the weight of generations on your shoulders, trying to navigate a world that often feels like it was built to watch you fail rather than help you fly. You are dealing with a persistent worry that feels like a shadow you can’t shake, a reality for 56% of our youth today. In our community, we have been taught to keep our business inside the house, but that silence has a cost. Caribbean youth are facing mental health hurdles 15% above the global average, rooted in a cocktail of: cultural stigma, systemic inequities, and the heavy echoes of intergenerational trauma.

For too long, the help offered didn’t look like us, didn’t talk like us, and certainly didn’t understand the nuance

have felt the sting of anti-Black racism, or the overrepresentation of our families in child welfare. It makes sense why you’d hesitate. It makes sense why 54% of us feel a lingering sadness that won’t quit.

There is a shift happening; a movement from protection to prevention. We are moving away from models that only show up when things are broken and moving toward a space that honors our wholeness. Enter The Circle: Peel Centre for Child, Youth and Family Well-Being at 25 Capston Drive in Mississauga.

This is a one-stop destination designed to heal divisions. It’s a space where you don’t have to tell your story ten different times to ten different people. By co-locating essential services (from mental health support to crisis intervention) The Circle removes the exhaustion of navigating a fragmented system. It’s about “Waawiyebii’igan” an Indigenous-led concept for unity that anchors this mission.

Think about what it means to walk into a space that recognizes your humanity before your case file. At The Circle, partners like the Safe Centre of Peel, Catholic Family Services, and even the Youth Wellness Hub Ontario (YWHO) work together to provide wrap-around care. If you’re between 12 and 25, this is

your zone. It’s low barrier, meaning you don’t need a referral, or even a health card to get your foot in the door for mental health counseling or substance use support.

We have spent enough time being investigated. Now, it’s time to be understood. This hub provides everything from vocational training and housing aid to specialized support for survivors of intimate partner violence. It’s a community-led wellness model that prioritizes equity and quick help over bureaucratic red tape.

I want you to realize that seeking help is an act of reclamation. We are dismantling the strong taboos that have kept us suffering in silence. By stepping into a space like The Circle, you are participating in a collective shift toward wellness that honours our Caribbean roots and our future potential.

Your next step is about being supported. Whether you walk in during standard hours, or call for an appointment, the goal is the same: to ensure you receive culturally competent care when you need it most. You have the power to change the narrative of your wellness. The Circle is just the ground where you can finally plant those seeds of healing. You are worth the effort it takes to feel whole again.

Carney’s cuts reshape Canada’s public service

STEVEN KASZAB

steven@carib101.com

TC COLUMNIST

time, the federal government’s marching orders are different: consolidate, reassess, and reduce. Departments are being told to identify employees who can be reassigned, shared, or laid off.

If you are a federal employee working in a department deemed “temporarily unimportant,” the warning lights are flashing. The private sector, as many already know, is far harsher than the public service when downturns hit.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is alarmed by the impact. The union reports that at least 1,775 workers have been readjusted, a bureaucratic term that can mean reassigned, shared between departments, or laid off either temporarily, or permanently. PSAC says that number is likely to grow.

According to the union, these cuts are concentrated in areas such as national statistics, IT infrastructure, and economic development. Shearing off a few thousand workers from the federal payroll may look efficient on paper, but once those employees find work in the private sector (where pay is often higher) they are unlikely to return to public service.

PSAC warns that the public will feel the effects. Fewer staff means slower service. Program delays stretch wait times. Smaller communities, in particular, risk being pushed further down Ottawa’s long and growing list of priorities.

Several key agencies are already facing pressure:

Public Services and Procurement Canada, which manages procurement, real estate, and administrative services, may see delays in contracts, maintenance, and purchasing.

The Treasury Board Secretariat, responsible for oversight of government operations, could experience internal strain that weakens coordination and accountability.

• PSAC also identifies impacts at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and Pacific Economic Development Canada, all engines of regional growth.

Since January 2025, PSAC says 4,610 members have received workforce adjustment notices, not including the thousands of term employees whose contracts were ended early, or not renewed. That sounds familiar to anyone in the private sector. The uncomfortable question follows: are public servants somehow less expendable than everyone else?

Bruce Roy, National President of the Government Services Union, has warned that fewer union members serving the public could trigger a domino effect across federal, and even provincial departments, reducing the quality and reach of services Canadians rely on. So, what is the union doing? Offering workforce adjustment resources. The packages explain what’s happening and, in some cases, even suggest that members leave voluntarily so others can stay. According to PSAC, 2,100 members have already enrolled in these programs. Still, critics argue the union movement should have seen this coming. Federal consolidation did not begin with the tariff wars. Government policy moves slowly, but unions, some say, move even slower. The result: members left wondering whether they are being represented effectively and treated fairly by both employer and union alike.

PSAC represents 245,000 members nationwide, including 180,000 federal workers. Its component unions (the Government Services Union and the Union of National Employees) represent another 39,000 members. It is a formidable force, and yet negotiations are stalled. Imagine a national strike. The pressure would be enormous, but what if the government legislated away the union’s right to strike? If the union cannot strike, how else can it fight for its membership? What purpose does a union serve if its hands are effectively placed in federal handcuffs?

That is how the federal government often rolls: draw out negotiations, declare roles redundant, and remove workers deemed unnecessary. After all, in practice, the federal government is Canada’s largest corporation.

SIMONE SMITH

simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The air is cold, and the coughs in our community are sounding deeper, more hollow, and more frequent this year. The flu has been fierce, tearing through our households with a vengeance that feels different, more aggressive. As a writer rooted in the psychological and social wellness of my people, I cannot simply report the numbers. I have to decode the silence. I am speaking today because the media has us distracted with events happening all over the world, especially with what is happening with Trump. I want to draw our attention back to the fact that what we are witnessing is the fallout of manufactured consent and the quiet retreat of those who promised us safety.

“What are you talking about Simone,” you might be asking?

For two years, the phrase “safe and effective” was a near-universal mantra, repeated thousands of times by global leaders in an effort to build public trust. We heard it from Joe Biden, who called vaccination a “Milestone of science,” and from Boris Johnson, who framed it as “Humanity’s greatest shared endeavour.” They spoke with absolute certainty, yet as we move through early 2026, that certainty has been replaced by a deafening, strategic silence.

Let’s decode what is happening behind the curtain. In late 2025 and early 2026, the regulatory landscape shifted

Community Health Through Radical Truth

don’t know, a black box warning is the agency’s most serious alert, reserved for risks of severe adverse reactions or death.

Specifically, these warnings center on myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly in our young men. More hauntingly, internal memos have surfaced referencing potential links to at least ten pediatric deaths. While the leaders who once stood on podiums urging compliance have gone quiet, the regulatory bodies are narrowing approvals, limiting them only to the high-risk or elderly, and companies like Moderna have halted new trials.

This is the Orwellian “Newspeak” of our time. They don’t admit they were wrong; they simply pivot, hoping we don’t notice the bodies left behind, or the side effects currently ravaging our neighbours. My personal experience has been seeing my mother’s health deteriorate year after year since 2022. It has gotten to a point where she is beginning to draw a correlation between her recent health struggles and them becoming worse since she took the vaccine.

When we see the flu hitting so hard now, we have to ask: what has happened to our collective immune resilience? On January 15th, 2026, the FDA quietly notified manufacturers to include warnings about increased febrile seizure risks in babies and preschoolers following flu vaccinations. Our children are being used as the front line in a medical experiment for which no one is being held accountable.

If you feel like you were part of a psychological experiment, it’s because you were. This isn’t a conspiracy theory. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has openly described the pandemic as a “test of social responsibility.” They used our fear and our desire to protect one another to see how far we would comply with sweeping behavioural restrictions, mask mandates, and digital track-

ing.

In the eyes of the elite, our compliance was proof of concept. They are now using this data to push “My Carbon” initiatives, where your personal choices: what you eat, where you travel, are tracked by AI and blockchain under the guise of sustainability. This is the ultimate doublethink: framing surveillance as inclusive and smart while it actually empowers billionaires to nudge and control our behaviour while they continue business-as-usual.

We were told that if we didn’t comply, we were the ones being irresponsible. Where is the social responsibility of the institutions that ignored manufacturing impurities? We now know, through parliamentary inquiries, that Health Canada was aware of SV40 promoter-enhancer sequences (DNA fragments from a monkey virus) in the Pfizer vaccines. While they claim these are merely residual manufacturing impurities with no proven link to cancer, the fact remains that this information was not debated openly before mandates were enforced. People lost their jobs, their access to society, and their peace of mind over a product they were told they had no right to question.

As your storyteller and educator, I am not here to breed fear, but to foster fortitude. We have been told to trust the experts, but the experts are currently issuing alerts for the very things they once dismissed as misinformation. This cannot be denied or refuted.

The fierce flu season we are enduring is a reminder that our health is our own responsibility, not something to be outsourced to unelected forums, or politicians who disappear when the black box warnings arrive. We must look at the intersection of our history and our current reality. For racialized communities, the history of medical exploitation is a long, dark road. When we see targeted use and narrowed approvals,

Power without limits breeds global chaos

we must recognize it as a tactical retreat by those who have already moved on to the next test.

We are keeping you updated because knowledge is the only way to keep our community safe and healthy. We are decoding the language of power so that you can make choices rooted in reality, not manufactured consent. We have to be the ones who hold the government accountable, because their targeted warnings are too little, too late for the families mourning pediatric losses, or the young men dealing with heart inflammation.

What have we learned from this test? We have learned that social responsibility is a term the powerful use to demand the obedience of the many while they maintain the exemptions of the few. We have learned that safe and effective can be a mantra that masks a black box reality.

The path forward requires us to be psychologically aware and emotionally intelligent. We cannot let them divide us into the compliant, and the conspiracy theorists ever again. Both are labels designed to stop us from looking at the data, data that now shows the FDA is finally admitting to the risks we were told didn’t exist.

We walk away from this thinking differently. We walk away understanding that our wellness is a form of resistance. When the flu strikes, we lean into our community’s traditional wisdom, our collective care, and our radical transparency. We do not wait for a press release from a leader who is currently going quiet.

We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the council of our own safety. We will continue to decode, to challenge, and to heal, because our survival depends on our refusal to be tested without our informed, uncoerced consent.

Stay vigilant, stay healthy, and above all, stay awake.

STEVEN KASZAB

steven@carib101.com

TC COLUMNIST

fining test of those limits. What he has faced instead are consequences, both intended and unintended, of decisions made domestically and internationally.

Attempting to raise capital from those he views as past “users” of the United States has produced mixed results. Yes, over a trillion dollars has reportedly been raised toward addressing U.S. debt, but a direct sense of chaos now exists across global markets, stock exchanges, and retail sectors.

Confusion over ever-changing rules of financial and commercial engagement spreads like an unquenchable forest fire. Many allies have become economic and diplomatic adversaries under what some now call “Trumpian decrees.” Stack diplomacy onto this pile, and the fire of instability rises higher. Smoke may obscure some realities, but one thing is visible: the United States is now deeply divided.

Messaging creates further consequences. Americans hear, “Buy American. Look within for what you need and

desire,” and “buy local and regional to save money and build America.”

These messages sound empowering and, in some ways, they are. What happens when former trading partners do the same? Your market shrinks. Your manufacturers lose reach. Entire supply chains weaken.

Had this policy been applied regionally, say, across the Americas, it might have made sense to strengthen trade with: Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America. Instead, the administration has gone out of its way to antagonize leaders in Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and even its most reliable partner, Canada. This is a fool’s errand; one step forward, three steps back. If the president wants to be seen as a leader who cares about ordinary people, his messaging is deeply contrarian to their economic reality.

Diplomatically, the administration claims to support Ukraine while also portraying itself as friendly with Russia. It voices respect for Iranian protestors

but offers no tangible support.

With diplomacy conducted behind closed doors, the public cannot know how America will act, why it acts, or whose interests truly shape those decisions. Increasingly, it appears that America’s agenda is not being set transparently by Congress, but privately, among wealthy elites whose meetings are invisible to voters.

“Through a clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and hell as paradise.” That line wasn’t written by a modern strategist. It was written by Adolf Hitler. Since World War II, political parties and think tanks across the world have studied the Nazi Party’s psychological methods. Elements of those strategies have surfaced in modern elections, including in the United States.

The question isn’t whether propaganda exists. It always has. The real question is this: what else has been learned from the past, and how far are today’s leaders willing to go?

Fashion leaders master digital identity

You stand there, staring at your closet, and the silence is deafening. You are part of the fashion-forward generation, yet you find yourself paralyzed in front of your own closet, whispering, “What the hell am I going to wear?” It is a specific kind of modern exhaustion, a first world problem I must add, and a paradox of choice where you have everything, but feel like you have nothing, and the ticking clock of a morning waits for no one.

I’ll be real with you: I am still very weary of AI. There is something haunting about feeding a machine the intimate details of your life: your tastes, your size, your daily movements, and watching it learn who you are. It is scary to witness technology reaching so deep into our personal spheres. However, as someone who moves at the intersection of social justice and psychological insight, I know that any tool, when used with intention, can be a weapon for liberation. This week we are looking at a tool called aisthetic. It is an AI-powered wardrobe optimizer that aims to turn that closet chaos into a streamlined expression of self.

The 4-step digital wardrobe revolution

Digitizing your sanctuary

Stop treating your clothes like a pile of chores and start treating them like a curated archive. You can organize your wardrobe by taking photos directly in the app, scanning barcodes for instant recognition, or even integrating your email so the app can scan order receipts. If you have a piece that defies photography, the AI Image Generator allows you to describe it to create a visual. You are essentially creating a digital twin of your style.

The smart match strategy

Once your items are uploaded, the smart match algorithm takes over. It figures out which items complement each other based on your preferences. This right here, is the release to your morning tension. It takes the heavy lifting out of the decision-making process, allowing you to focus your mental energy on your work and your community.

Contextual intelligence

Aisthetic doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It integrates with weather data and your personal schedule. It ensures your outfit is appropriate for the forecast and the specific demands of your day, whether you are heading to a boardroom, or a community rally. You can even use the Outfit Planner to preselect looks for the entire week, or a specific big event, ensuring you never

repeat looks too closely together.

The feedback loop for growth

This is where the psychological edge comes in. The algorithm learns from your feedback. Every time you accept, or reject a suggestion, it hones its understanding of your identity. It is a mirror reflecting your choices back to you, helping you move toward a more mindful and eco-friendly approach to fashion by actually wearing what you own instead of buying more.

From consumer to curator

We often think of AI as something that replaces human intuition, but in this context, it can be the bridge that helps you reduce decision fatigue and reclaim your time. By digitizing your closet, you are forced to see what you actually possess. You confront the waste, the fast fashion ghosts, and the pieces that truly represent your power.

This journey is about common ground between technology and humanity. While the machine learns your style, you are learning your own boundaries. You are moving from being a passive consumer to a strategic curator of your own image.

The next step is yours. Don’t let the machine own your identity; use the machine to give yourself the mental space to change the world. Think about it like this; every time you leave your house dressed; you are preparing for battle, and now you have the data to do it with precision.

Canada’s deep freeze exposes inequality

BY ADRIAN REECE

TC REPORTER

Canada is facing one of its coldest winters in years. The last time temperatures dipped this severely was in 2019. Now, with Ontario once again gripped by extreme cold, many residents, especially in Toronto, are being forced to re-adjust to conditions they haven’t faced at this scale since before the pandemic.

Canadians are used to winter, but the shift to remote work during the COVID years changed how many people live and move through the city. With fewer daily commutes, the return to full-scale winter travel feels jarring. A recent snowstorm dropped more than 20 inches of snow and contributed to over 200 car accidents in a single day. Toronto has officially returned to full winter mode.

Long-time residents still remember the devastating ice storm that once paralyzed the city. With similar flash-freezing conditions now in play, the risk of exploding trees is back, when moisture inside trunks freezes and expands, causing branches and entire trees to split. That creates serious hazards for both vehicles and pedestrians.

The greatest danger however

is not to commuters. It is to people with nowhere to go.

The city’s unhoused population is particularly vulnerable to extreme cold. Prolonged exposure can be fatal. In Toronto, people experiencing homelessness account for a disproportionate share of hypothermiarelated deaths and injuries. Early 2026 data already suggests a troubling rise in weather-related fatalities, driven by multiple factors, including harsher conditions and limited shelter capacity.

In 2024, the federal and municipal governments attempted to expand shelter spaces for vulnerable populations. With Toronto’s rapidly growing population and a worsening housing crisis, the need continues to outpace resources. Outreach teams still work daily to connect with people living outside and offer support, but the scale of the crisis demands more sustained investment.

There were once major national programs designed to support people during extreme conditions, both for housing and emergency response. Many of those supports were cut under previous administrations. While responses today are marginally stronger, gaps remain. Entire streets still go unplowed for hours or days,

making it difficult for people to reach work, food, or medical care.

We won’t have full data for 2026 until the year ends, but waiting for statistics cannot be an excuse for inaction. With deaths already rising, governments must respond now (urgently and humanely) to protect people from conditions that can kill within hours.

Historically, institutions like Toronto Community Housing played a central role in providing shelter, food, and medical access. Today, homelessness is visible across downtown and beyond. Thousands of people walk past those living outside every day on their way to work, or social events. It’s seen, but often not truly acknowledged.

As of October 2024, more than 15,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Toronto. That number doubled from roughly 7,000 in April 2021. The surge reflects a city under economic strain. Housing costs, stagnant wages, and systemic barriers have pushed more people out of stability and into survival mode.

The housing crisis did not just lead to homelessness, it magnified it, and winter, in Canada, makes that crisis impossible to ignore.

MICHAEL

THOMAS

michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Why would half the country think that, after Venezuela, Canada is next to be invaded by Trump? This is the question I shall attempt to answer somewhere in this article, but first, let us address the facts and receipts immediately.

Recently, a poll conducted by GEF Consulting Inc pronounced GEFF found that 57.9% of Canadians feel that a US invasion of Canada is more than likely after the recent invasion of Venezuela. Specifically, 39.5% think it is ‘more’ likely; 10.6% say it’s ‘much more likely’ and 7.8% say it’s likely.

GEF Consulting Inc asked 1,000 random Canadians how they think Canada would fare against a US Invasion. A combined 79.3% responded ‘no,’ 54.7% responded or ‘maybe’ 24.6%.

As recently as January, Canadians

Venezuela this month, who is next Canada?

were asked when they think a USA invasion would happen if they did invade. 66.1% of Canadians said before the end of the Trump presidency (notably, this is a13.3% increase in the stat from polling in October). 9.90% were even less optimistic, saying that it would happen within the next year, and 7.30% think it will happen within 5 years.

On the question of trusting their intelligence agencies to spot signs of a US invasion against Canada, Canadians were divided. 33% ‘kind of’ trust Canadian intelligence services, a quarter of Canadians (23.2%) say they don’t, and 17.5% say they don’t know.

When asked if they have confidence that Canada’s new “Defense Investment Agency” for defense procurement could scale up the Canadian military quickly enough to fend off a US invasion, a combined 80% of Canadians said ‘no’, 44.5% or ‘maybe’ 35.5%.

Procurement expert Graeme Foster is cautiously optimistic about the new department and its ability to scale up; he warns there are at least three red flags to look out for.

1. “It is a great idea in concept, but now they must create a fully functioning, brand-new organization … there’s al-

ways a gap between idea and operational. We need to ask how long that is realistically going to take,” said Foster.

2. “An ex-banking ‘mover and shaker’ of great pedigree in his world has been put in charge, but someone who does not have the public sector procurement background could be a big problem.”

3. “The Liberal government already has a history of setting up new departments … then nothing happens for years. For example, the Infrastructure Bank Agency was set up to fund capital projects across the country, and it took many, many years to disperse actual money,” added Foster.

When asked how much they would personally be willing to pay in additional taxes for a “proper national defense against the USA,” Canadians would rather not spend.

That said, let us find out why half of Canadians think Trump and his regime will invade Canada. It is no secret that the US has always taken advantage of weak countries and their governments, and yes, Canada falls under that weak category. If you would rather apologize than man up to an oppressor, the answer is clear: 40.1% said it.

Let us look at what the ‘Official reason/excuse for a hypothetical US inva-

sion’ would be, and how Canadians answered:14.9% said, “Securing North American energy independence,” 14.4 per cent said, “Unifying North America for efficiency and security,” 12.3% said “Reclaiming American prosperity through continental growth,” 11.7% said “Preventing Russian and Chinese Arctic expansion,” and11.3% said “Securing northern borders from illegal drugs” (Fentanyl).

My answer would be, “Reclaiming American prosperity through continental growth,” (aka to steal resources), another thing the US government has shamelessly done for centuries, e.g., Africa’s resources and artifacts.

Delusions aside, Canada and the US are playing for the same team, namely The World Economic Forum, (aka, The New World Order and Agenda 2030). These players stage games all the time because it keeps the unsuspecting citizens distracted.

Ninety-nine per cent of the world’s countries, including the Caribbean islands, have signed on to the WEF Agenda 2030 rules, yet their leaders would like to have the people believe that they hold opposing views.

Therefore, if ever the US pulls that hat trick off with Canada, it will just be their handlers shuffling the deck.

The system that breaks us, cannot be the one that heals us

SIMONE SMITH

simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

As a community, we have been conditioned to live under a microscope, and the latest data from the sources confirms what our grandmothers whispered: the child welfare system isn’t a safety net for us.

Drawing on the intelligence of Dr. Amos Wilson, we must understand that the protection of African Caribbean children by the state is often a masquerade for social control. Wilson argued that the psychological destabilization of the African Caribbean family is a requirement for maintaining power dynamics. When we look at the 2019 Ca-

It was a motivational, educational, and inspirational day at the 27th Annual Martin Luther King Celebration (January 17th, 2026) , held at the CCC Event Centre in Whitby, Ontario. Presented under the banner MLK Connexus, this year’s theme, “From Dreamer to Torch Bearer: The Legacy Continues” hounoured Dr. King’s enduring impact while spotlighting contemporary leaders carrying his vision forward.

The event is the result of years of work by Pauline Christian: community leader, author, entrepreneur, and former president of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA). The MLK Connexus Facebook page describes

nadian Incident Study (CIS) data, we see this power dynamic in cold, hard numbers. African Caribbean children are investigated at 2.27 times the rate of White children. Here is the most jagged pill to swallow: even when the clinical and economic profiles are identical (meaning the money in the bank and the risk factors are the same) African Caribbean children are still snatched from their homes at twice the rate of their White peers.

We have to stop letting them use our socioeconomic struggles as a scapegoat for their bias. The sources are clear: these disparities cannot be explained by economic hardship alone. This is the institutionalized hunting of the African Caribbean family unit.

Let’s talk about the eyes of this system. The sources reveal a terrifying pipeline: 42% of referrals for African Caribbean children come from schools, compared to only 28% for White children.

Our children are being educated in environments where their teachers are functioning as unpaid surveillance agents.

her as, “A social change advocate and esteemed business entrepreneur with the goal of creating a platform for positive change, especially among youth.”

According to the MLK Connexus website, the celebration is designed to explore the civil rights movement through a global lens, highlighting international Black excellence, diasporic connections, youth voices, arts activism, and multicultural programming. The goal is to honour King’s legacy, and to celebrate the ongoing accomplishments of Black communities locally and globally.

That mission was clearly reflected in the room. The MLK Celebration has become a signature event within the Black, African, and Caribbean communities, as well as the wider Canadian public; testament to its growing influence and credibility.

The Educational Foundation Care Canada (EFCCC), under the patronage of Oakwood University in Alabama, showcased excellence across education, leadership, and service. The audience included business leaders, government officials, and members of religious and spiritual communities. The program featured performances by: Choral Expressions, Adelfi

These mandated reporters are seeing physical abuse where none exists. In fact, African Caribbean families are reported for physical abuse at significantly higher rates, despite the data showing no significant differences in actual physical harm compared to White children. They are criminalizing our culture and our parenting styles, labeling cultural discipline as abuse to justify the trauma of removal.

We are told this system is positive, because it protects children. As Professor Alicia Boatswain-Kyte points out, for African Caribbean families, this protection translates into heightened scrutiny and trauma. The system itself is invasive and a source of trauma. It is a machine that consumes African Caribbean childhood and spits out fragmented identities.

As Dr. Wilson would remind us, power is never surrendered voluntarily; it must be challenged through self-definition. We have to stop looking to the system that breaks us to be the one that heals us. If the child welfare system were truly about safety,

Academy, Josiah Hibbs, Applecreek Singing Hands, Crawford Adventist Academy East Steel Pan Orchestra, Perpetual Praise, and the MLK Mass Choir, among others.

One of the day’s most compelling moments was an address by Dr. Jaime Kowltessar, a globally recognized scholar-practitioner and social justice strategist. Her remarks emphasized leadership rooted in equity, courage, and community transformation.

The 2026 MLK Community Leadership and Social Impact Award recipients included:

• Hon. Greg Fergus – First Black Speaker of the House of Commons

• John Tory – Former Mayor of Toronto

• Ndidi Nwuneli – CEO, ONE Campaign (Global)

• Wes Hall – Chancellor, University of Toronto

• Commander Paul Smith – Royal Canadian Navy

• Orlando Bowen – Founder, One Vision, One Voice

• Dr. Rhonda McEwen – First Black Female President, Victoria University (U of T)

• Superintendent Kolin Alexander – York Re -

it would address the systemic racism and structural inequities that create the risk in the first place. Instead, it uses risk assessment tools that fail to account for our cultural reality and relies on the biased decisionmaking of caseworkers who see an African Caribbeans father’s frustration as a threat and a White father’s frustration as a functioning issue to be coached.

Your next step is a shift in perspective. Stop seeing the knock on the door as a moral failing of our community. It is a structural assault. We must demand comprehensive provincial-level data to hold these institutions accountable, but more importantly, we must build our own community-based support systems that make their interventions obsolete.

We are not unscathed by this system. It is time to stop being the subjects of their investigations and start being the guardians of our own protection. Your power lies in the refusal to let them define your family’s worth through their biased lens. Our children belong to us, not the state.

gional Police

• Judge Dalton Burger – Jurist and Educator, Durham College

• Tanya Walker – First Black Female Judge elected in Toronto

• Diana Alli D’Souza – Humanitarian and international volunteer leader

MLK Connexus also highlighted its MLK Scholarship recipients on Instagram, writing, “These outstanding young leaders represent excellence, resilience, and the future of our communities. We are honoured to invest in their dreams and support the next generation of changemakers. Congratulations to each recipient; your journey is just beginning.”

The post featured a conversation between Pauline Christian and Tanya Walker, noting that Walker’s leadership and service “Truly embody the spirit of Dreamer to Torch Bearer.” It added, “Tanya’s story is a powerful reminder that the dream continues through everyday acts of courage, faith, and service.”

Together, the celebration reinforced a powerful truth; Dr. King’s lives through people who choose to lead, serve, and build every day.

Toronto’s Caribbean Community Highlights: 2026 Cultural Blueprint - Black History Month Launches, Sankofa Insights, and AGO Family Magic

Welcome to this week’s Community Highlight Section, your curated guide to the events and experiences shaping our landscape this season. From the heart of Halton to the historic streets of Buffalo, and the creative halls of the AGO, we are bringing you the must-attend moments that celebrate our resilience, our history, and our future.

As we move into a pivotal February, our community is stepping up to ensure that our narratives are felt. Whether you are looking for high-level intellectual discourse, soulful cultural performances, or family-oriented creative escapes, this edition has you covered.

Black History Month 2026 Launch: Out of Many Cultures, One People

The Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH), will be hosting 2026 Black History Month (BHM) launch on Monday, February 2 , 6PM-8PM at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (OCPA). Our theme this year is “Out of Many Cultures, One People” as it represents our ongoing commitment to bringing the community together to acknowledge the rich and abundant Black history in Halton during February and beyond.

This year’s event will feature Mississauga native and news correspondent, Anne-Marie Green; opening remarks from Halton Region Chair, Gary Carr and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton; keynote address by actor, musician and educator, Sean Mauricette, who will weave history, poetry, and live sound to reflect on what the world has gained through Black existence, from the Moors of Africa to present-day global culture; and guest speaker, Sheridan College President and Vice Chancellor, Dr. Cindy Gouveia. There will be performances by West Indian crossover band, The Band Destiny, and CCAH Steel Band and Parang Ensemble. Local pianist, Daniel Fernandez will entertain early arrivals during the pre-show reception. Don’t miss this exiting evening and opportunity to reflect on our shared cultures. Tickets are $25 and available through the OCPA Box Office.

CCAH is pleased to acknowledge

the support of the the Town of Oakville, Government of Canada and TD Bank Group with the Black History Month 2026 launch.

“TD is proud to support CCAH’s Black History Month Launch and help bring communities together, showcase Black talent, and create space to share Black stories and experiences.”

“As we begin Black History Month, this year’s theme, Out of Many Cultures, One People, invites us to reflect on the strength that comes from diversity and shared understanding.”

“This event, and the upcoming events in Black History Month recognize the history, resilience, and contributions of Black communities whose stories continue to shape Oakville and Canada. Thank you to the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH) for their leadership and continued work in bringing people together. By coming together to learn and celebrate, we reaffirm our commitment to inclusion, unity, and building a community where everyone belongs.” The Hon. Anita Anand, Member of Parliament, Oakville East and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The First Annual Sankofa Conference Buffalo Featuring: Special Guest Speaker,Zeinab Badawi

The Sankofa Conference Buffalo invites the WNY & Southern Ontario community to an enriching experience that goes beyond education—it’s a profound call to acknowledge and celebrate the full spectrum of Black history and its enduring impact on our world.

This not-to-be-missed event will be held at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (BPS 192), located at 450 Masten Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209.

Date: February 28th, 2026

Time: 10 AM –4PM

We are thrilled to announce a lineup of distinguished speakers and engaging activities designed to inspire and inform. The conference will feature a special guest virtual appearance by Zeinab Badawi, an award-winning TV &radio journalist, educator, civic activist, Tedx Speaker, and BestSelling author. The keynote address will be delivered byAfrican Historian, Tedx Speaker, & Best-SellingAuthor, Emmanuel Kulu, Jr., who will share insights intohis presentation titled, “Black History Uninterrupted.”

The event will be hosted by Shantelle Patton of “That Brown Bag,” with moderators Juweria Dahir, Dr. Marcus DuBois Watson, and Nubian Goddess guiding our discussions. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with panelists including

LeAnthony Freeman,Dr. LaGarrett King, Ras Jomo, Chey Winston,Buffalo State Africana Studies, among others, as they delve into topics that unveil untold stories and explore our shared human origins in Africa.

What to Expect:

Unveiling Untold Stories

• Explore pre-colonial African civilizations and influential figures in Black history.

• Understand the crucial role of oral traditions in preserving our history.

• Our Human Origin in Africa

Investigate anthropological discoveries and genetic studies tracing our roots back to Africa, the cradleof civilization.

• Discover African contributions to early technology and art.

• Interactive Sessions and Panel Discussions

• Engage in thought-provoking discussions led by historians, educators, and community leaders focused on Black history and its global significance.

• Participate in discussions including storytelling and oral history, cultural heritage, and panel discussions addressing contemporary issues.

The Sankofa Conference Buffalo is an opportunity for reflection, dialogue, and action. Attendees will leave empowered to promote a more inclusive understanding of history and its ongoing relevance in today’s society. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. Join us for a day of learning, connection, network, and celebration of our shared heritage. Register now to secure your spot at the Sankofa Conference Buffalo, proudly sponsored by Highmark Health and Tops Market.

For registration and further information, please visitEventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/e/sankofa-conference-buffalotickets-1618480993219?aff=oddtdtcreator

AGO announces winter 2026 Programming for Children, Youth and Families Family Weekends

Weekends are for families at the AGO, where admission is always free for AGO Members, Annual Pass holders, Indigenous Peoples, and visitors ages 25 and under!

At the Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre, our youngest visitors can explore art-making activities, stories, and playbased learning. No registration needed. In Walker Court, AGO Art Carts provide visitors of all ages with free materials to make and do every Saturday and Sunday between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Summer Art Camp 2026 Registration Don’t miss out! AGO art camp returns in 2026, offering ten weeks of artful adventures for children and youth ages 5 to 13. Blending studio art, museum tours, fun, and games, returning this year is the dynamic two-week Leadership in Training program for youth ages 14 and 15. AGO members receive a discount on camps and enjoy early registration beginning January 28, 2026. Camps go on sale to everyone on January 30, 2026. Act fast as they sell out! To see a complete list of available camps for more details and to register, visit AGO.ca/ learn/camps/summer-art-camp.

Family Day Weekend: February 14 - 16, 2026

Serving up three days of Family Day fun, the AGO welcomes families to participate in free drop-in art making, creating David Blackwood-inspired prints and sculptures that will transform Walker Court into a winter wonderland.

Events run daily between 10:30a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All programs are included in General Admission and admission is always free for Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members, Annual Pass holders and visitors aged 25 and under. For more details, visit ago.ca/family-day-weekend-2026.

March Break at the AGO: March 14 - 22, 2026

For nine days, creativity rules at the AGO! Pick up a free AGO PLAY activity booklet at the entrance, and explore new artmaking challenges, scavenger hunts, discussion prompts, and games. From 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, families can create glowing sculptures inspired by Ranbir Sidhu: No Limits and join in collaborative artmaking. Don’t miss live performances on March 14 and March 22 by Toronto’s favourite tween rockers, Lego Money. All programs are included in General Admission and admission is always free for Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members, Annual Pass holders and visitors aged 25 and under. For a complete list of March Break programming, visit ago.ca/marchbreak2026

Courses for children, youth, and families Studio art courses continue this winter at the Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School, with more than 30 course offerings for children, youth, and families, ranging from 8-week, 4-week and 1-day workshops. Registration is now open for all winter courses at AGO. ca/learn/courses-and-workshops. AGO Members receive a discount on courses.

Introducing an intriguing addition to menopause management

W. GIFFORDJONES MD

DIANA GIFFORD-JONES

TC HEALTH COLUMNIST

Hot flashes, disrupted sleep, decreased sex drive, and irrational urges to kick your husband for no good reason. The menopausal transition can make life hard to manage! Many women find themselves weighing the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Not everyone can take HRT, and not everyone wants to.

Interest is growing in plant-based options that offer symptom relief without synthetic hormones. One newer botanical, DT56a, marketed as Femarelle and available in more than 40 countries, has emerged as a promising option. It is a plant-based compound that behaves in some ways like pharmaceutical drugs and has been evalu-

SIMONE SMITH

simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Our community has a long memory, and it is a memory etched with the scars of protection that felt more like policing. Today, we are told that if it feels like everyone around us is sick, we aren’t imagining it. The CDC reports that at least 15 million people have been struck down by the flu this season, with 180,000 hospitalized and 7,400 dead. They point the finger at a new villain: Subclade K.

We must ask ourselves; is this a medical emergency, or a psychological one?

The current institutional narrative is clear and urgent. We are told this is the highest number of flu cases in nearly 30 years. Experts describe the virus as a family

It came as little surprise when President Donald Trump announced that Cuba would no longer receive Venezuelan oil or financial support. He shared the claim on his social media platform, Truth Social (@realDonaldTrump), and major outlets soon reported on it. A January 11th, 2026, Reuters article by Dave Sherwood and Marianna Parraga summarized Trump’s statement and the Cuban government’s response.

ated in clinical and laboratory studies.

Drugs such as raloxifene can mimic estrogen’s protective effect in some tissues, like bone, while blocking estrogen in others, such as the breast, or uterus. The goal is to gain these benefits without stimulating cancer-sensitive organs. DT56a, a standardized soy-derived compound, is designed to interact with estrogen receptors in a tissue-selective way, only from a plant source.

Early studies are intriguing. In small clinical trials, women taking DT56a reported fewer and less intense hot flashes. The improvement was noticeable and meaningful for daily life. One study compared DT56a with low-dose estrogen, and both groups improved. Importantly, researchers did not observe changes in the uterine lining, or mammograms in women taking DT56a. This suggests a reassuring safety profile for breast and uterine tissue. Laboratory and animal research adds to the optimism, showing that DT56a activates bone cells and may help them stay strong even under stressful metabolic conditions, meaning possible bone-protective effects.

Most studies have been small,

following women for weeks or months rather than years. It’s not yet possible to say whether DT56a reduces fracture risk, protects the heart, or influences the risk of breast or uterine cancer. At the same time, no serious safety signals have emerged in trials.

What should women think about DT56a alongside more familiar options? Hormone therapy remains an option, especially for severe symptoms and for protecting bone health, but it is not safe or appropriate for everyone. Non-hormonal prescription drugs can also ease hot flashes. But DT56a is an option women should consider. It offers biologically active, hormone-free symptom relief rather than simply masking symptoms in the brain.

Women with bothersome but not overwhelming symptoms who want to avoid hormones may find it a welcome alternative. Those who prefer a plant-based approach may also be drawn to it. Women who cannot or choose not to use estrogen may find Femarelle particularly appealing. For women with a history of breast or uterine cancer, or who are at high risk for estrogen-sensitive conditions, a doctor’s

Deadly viruses, or deadly control?

tree, where “Subclade K” is a new twig carrying mutations that bypass our immune systems. This “twig” is unfamiliar, the virus spreads faster, driving up hospitalizations. The solution offered is the same one we have been handed for decades, the vaccine. Even when health officials admit the vaccine is a less perfect match for Subclade K, they insist it is critical for preventing serious complications like sepsis and seizures. They lament that vaccination rates are down, only 42% of our children are vaccinated compared to 53% a few years ago. They use these numbers to warn us of real consequences, citing the deaths of 280 children in the previous season, most of whom were unvaccinated.

Now, let’s read between the lines. If we take a look at how manipulation has been used against us in the past, we begin to see the Subclade K narrative as a psychological conditioning campaign designed to normalize a state of constant viral fear and surveillance.

Why the sudden obsession with Subclade K? This is scientific jargon intended to confuse and disempower the public. When we are overwhelmed by complex terms, we are conditioned to stop thinking

for ourselves and start relying blindly on the very institutions that have historically failed us. This is about maintaining a biosecurity mindset.

We must question the timing. The discussion of declining vaccination rates is being used by governments to pressure populations back into compliance. They are framing viral drift as a reason to justify top-down health control and digital health ID measures that align with globalist agendas like UN Agenda 2030.

There is a duality here that requires our highest level of critical thinking. On one side, we have real people getting sick. The pain in our bodies and the loss of our elders are not imaginary. On the other side, we have a technocratic elite that views these epidemics as levers for sociopolitical transformation.

The CDC noted a slight dip in labconfirmed cases recently, but then immediately dismissed it, suggesting it was just because people didn’t visit doctors during the holidays. This is how they keep the tension high. They refuse to let the peak pass in the public mind because a calm population is a population that starts asking too many questions.

Trump targets Cuba’s oil lifeline

Some reports and social media commentary have gone further, alleging U.S. military actions affecting Venezuela and Cuba. These claims include assertions about Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and about U.S. attacks leading to Cuban casualties. Venezuela has long been Cuba’s major oil supplier, with an estimated 26,500 barrels per day arriving on the island, according to shipping data cited by Reuters. This has fueled speculation that Mexico could become an alternative supplier, given that Cuba already receives some oil from Mexican sources.

Trump has frequently targeted Cuba as he seeks to pressure the island economically and politically. In a Truth Social post, he wrote, “Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela… there will be no more oil or money going to cuba. Zero! … I strongly

guidance is essential.

When you try Femarelle, do so with realistic expectations. It may take weeks to show an effect, and the improvement may be modest. Many women report gradual, steady improvement rather than a sudden change. Keep a journal of daily symptoms and any changes. It is not a cure, but it can meaningfully improve quality of life for some women.

The bottom line is that DT56a is an intriguing addition to menopause management. It represents a new generation of botanicals that are more refined than traditional natural remedies, and with enough early data to justify serious interest. It offers hope of relief, provided women approach it with eyes open, careful monitoring, and guidance from a healthcare provider.

Ladies, with menopause, don’t keep your symptoms to yourself, including the ones that are hard to discuss or seemingly hard to solve. There are treatments to help. Femarelle is one of them, but so too, vaginal moisturizers, and thermostats.

Gentlemen, remember, chocolates and flowers help too.

We were manipulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw how safety was used to erode trust and divide our neighborhoods. We cannot afford to fall for the same script. While epidemiologists see Subclade K as a natural outcome, we must see it as institutional narrative management.

The goal of the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has always been to speak to global manipulation. We want you to think critically, even about the words on this page. Does the vaccine protect the vulnerable, or does the push for it simply sustain Big Pharma’s revenue streams? Perhaps it is both.

Do not let the jargon disarm you. Strength comes through vulnerability, the vulnerability to admit we don’t have all the answers, but the strength to refuse a onesize-fits-all reality. We must care for our health with hand hygiene and common sense, but we must care for our freedom with even more localized intensity. Walk away thinking differently. Subclade K is a biological fact, but the fear surrounding it is a political choice. Choose to be informed, not conditioned.

suggest they make a deal, before it is too late.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded on X (formerly Twitter), rejecting U.S. pressure and asserting Cuba’s sovereignty, “Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Nobody dictates what we do…” He framed the standoff as a continuation of decades-long hostility.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also wrote on X that Cuba has the right to import oil from any supplier and denied that Cuba received financial or “material” compensation in exchange for security services.

Florida Congressman Mario DíazBalart echoed Trump’s hardline stance on X, writing, “We are witnessing what I am convinced will be the beginning of the end of the regime in Havana…”

The Toronto Forum on Cuba, based in Toronto and known for support-

ing the Cuban Revolution, published a brochure documenting the effects of the U.S. blockade in place since 1959. It states, “The U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba, spanning over six decades, is the longest in modern human history and has inflicted nearly $1.5 trillion in economic damage.” The pamphlet also criticizes Cuba’s placement in the U.S. state sponsor of terrorism lists and calls for solidarity actions, including awareness-raising, political advocacy, humanitarian aid, cultural exchanges, and academic ties. What remains clear is that President Trump is pursuing a strategy of maximum pressure on Cuba, aiming to force political and economic concessions. Whether that approach produces reform, further hardship, or deeper regional instability is the central question now facing policymakers and the Cuban people alike.

SIMONE SMITH

simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

I was sitting there, headphones on, listening to Ether for the thousandth time, feeling that raw, surgical precision Nas used to dismantle an opponent. I recognize the emotional intelligence in those bars, the way he dissected. I then think about some of the young people that I work with, watching them with their textbooks, their thesis, and their creative projects, and I can

Hip Hop brilliance meets Harvard

is elite. That contradiction is a lie designed to keep you small, and it’s time to stop acting like a guest in the house of education. You are the architect.

The Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard University is a declaration that our culture is the highest form of scholarship. Established in 2013 and housed within the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, it is the first academic fellowship named after a hip hop artist. It exists because the world finally realized that the same brain capable of navigating Nas’s complex lyricism is the brain that can reshape the future of the African diaspora.

If you are a writer, a journalist, a filmmaker, or a visual artist, from the heart of Toronto to the shores of the Caribbean, this is your signal. You don’t need to clean up your narrative to fit in. The fellowship wants projects that build on hip hop’s rich traditions through rigorous and innovative contributions. They are looking for creators who demonstrate exceptional scholarship, or creative work connected to the broader

STEVEN KASZAB

steven@carib101.com TC

African diasporic experience.

The clock is ticking. With today’s date being January 26th, 2026, you have only days left before the January 30th, 2026 deadline. This is the tension, the gap between your potential and your action. You might think Harvard is a world away, but for Canadian students, especially those in Toronto’s vibrant scene, this is a direct bridge. Whether you are exploring the fusion of Caribbean-hip-hop or the global impact of artists like Drake, your local expertise is exactly what Harvard’s prestige needs to stay relevant.

In Nas’s own framing, the goal is to create work that speaks through American youth rather than speaks about and to them. Most academic circles talk about us like we are a problem to be solved, or a specimen to be examined. This fellowship invites you to speak as the solution, integrating social analysis, artistic craft, and education.

To get there, you need to move with the same strategic storytelling Nas used to claim his throne. The application,

Why smart money waits right now

in message or purpose. They redirect our gaze away from the south with promises of a better, more prosperous future. Diversion tactics 101.

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) estimates that Canadians could enter a mild recession by the end of 2026, possibly stretching into early 2027. You know what that means, don’t you? If you’re going to invest, look for protected banking institutions. There are simply too many scams circulating right now.

Where not to invest

Restaurants and bars: According to Dalhousie University, more than 4,000 restaurants and bars could close by the end of 2026. That’s a projection, but one grounded in post-pandemic reality. Restaurants never fully recovered. Bars are struggling because more Canadians are drinking less, or not at all. This is not a growth sector. Cannabis retail: Online operations

might survive. Retail storefronts? Oversaturated. Profit margins are collapsing. The black market still holds major market share. As investors panic, many cannabis enterprises will disappear.

• Electronics and clothing stores: Brick-and-mortar electronics stores can’t compete with online prices, so they have retreated into repairs and maintenance. Clothing retailers face brutal price wars, except for high-end brands that somehow continue to flourish.

• Farming and agriculture: The family farm is being pushed toward extinction. Agri-corporations dominate through patent control and scale. Agricultural stocks are costly and longterm plays, not safe short-term bets.

• Medical establishments: Groups of doctors offering multiple services may look like solid investments, but beware of government regulation, policy shifts, and how physicians respond

submitted via SlideRoom, requires: a detailed project description, a writing or work sample, your CV, and three letters of recommendation. It is open to both postdoctoral and predoctoral levels (though non-Harvard doctoral candidates are excluded). If selected, you’ll receive a funded residency in the Cambridge-Boston area, complete with an office, library access, and a community of scholars who finally speak your language.

We often carry the weight of being “too much” for the boardroom and “too real” for the classroom. This fellowship heals that division. It acknowledges that your understanding of power analysis, history, and culture (the same tools used by the greats like James Baldwin or Lauryn Hill) is valid academic currency.

Stop skimming and start acting. Your voice is a tool for social justice and cultural empowerment. Apply by January 30th, at the official Hutchins Center page. Your next step isn’t just about getting a title; it’s about claiming your power.

to pressure from the public sector. Healthcare profits are politically fragile.

Tariffs have made money markets difficult to predict. Projecting costs, growth, or declines has become nearly impossible. You can always buy gold, or silver if you have the ability. Then you need a buyer. When the economy slows, liquidity dries up. You may end up a coin collector instead of an investor.

In the end, protecting your investment often means not making massive profits. That’s the cost of doing business. Please understand: a downturn is coming. How do I know? Well, investors like Warren Buffett are on buying sprees quietly acquiring future-facing firms that will serve both the public and the business world, like railroads and infrastructure. When capital consolidators start moving, they see downturns as profit machines.

Three methodologies used to detect AI-generated text content creators should know

BY GEORGE SHEPPARD TC COLUMNIST

For years, my morning routine has been the same; up at 6:00, the first 15 minutes spent in silence, just me and consecutive cups of strong coffee. It’s not crucial; it’s more important than that. Then, gingerly, I turn on the sports highlights from the night prior. Depending on the season, the scores of any game involving my cherished teams (the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Blue Jays) set the tone for the day.

This is not rational. I know that the result of a game played hundreds of kilometres away has no real bearing on my responsibilities. Yet, like millions of others, I let sport quietly shape my emotional weather. That alone explains much of its value. Sport gives pressure somewhere to go. It offers a release that isn’t work, family obligation, or the persistent hum of adult stress.

At its best, sport is a pressure valve with rules. The clock expires. The game ends. There is a winner, a loss, and then life resumes. In a world where so many prob -

lems feel endless and unresolved, sport offers something contained. You are allowed to care deeply, react honestly, and then move on.

That release matters even more for children. At its finest, sport is designed for kids of all ages and abilities. Its original purpose is almost offensively simple: get kids moving, playing, and connected. Promote active lifestyles. Build confidence, coordination, and belonging. For some children, sport is also something quieter and more profound, a refuge. A rink, field, or court can become a place to set aside the bickering, tension, and condescension waiting at home. For an hour, the noise fades. For a minute, they are not the kid navigating adult moods, or household stress. They are the one hitting the winning home run. They are free.

Somewhere along the way, we complicated this. Youth sport, in too many cases, has become an outlet for adult frustration rather than childhood joy. Parents arrive armed with expectations, convinced that “the game” is their child’s birthright. Playing time becomes entitlement. Devel-

opment becomes demand. Other kids (just kids) become obstacles rather than teammates.

This is where sport loses its way. When adults vent their anxieties from the sidelines, the lesson shifts. Fun becomes conditional. Effort is no longer enough. The car ride home turns into a post-game analysis no one requested. The irony is brutal: the very thing that helps adults manage stress becomes a source of it for children.

My childhood idol, the late Ken Dryden once wrote about hockey as a lesson in responsibility, space, and trust, not just stopping pucks. Those lessons disappear when sport becomes transactional, when enjoyment is replaced by pressure, and when adults forget that the game does not belong to them.

Yet, sport still holds extraordinary power to unite us. In an Olympic year, that power becomes unmistakable. For many years, the Olympics were preserved (at least in spirit) for non-professionals. Before endorsements, social media followings, and the almighty dollar became the be-all and end-all, we watched athletes we might

only ever hear of briefly. The boxer whose name we forgot by the next cycle. The Australian swimmer slicing through the water. The Canadian diver piercing the surface with impossible precision. The Jamaican runner on golden feet, making speed look effortless.

They were not brands. They were moments, and for a few weeks, they belonged to all of us.

Still, the most meaningful version of sport rarely involves medals or broadcasts. Sometimes it’s just a kid alone in a backyard, counting down imaginary seconds, taking a last shot, and believing, briefly, that it matters enormously. No scouts. No contracts. No applause. Just play.

Those moments are fleeting. They always have been, but they are also the point. Sport endures not because it produces champions, but because, when we protect its simplest purpose, it gives people, especially kids, a place to move, escape, belong, and feel heroic, if only for a few precious moments.

A man who found his purpose within the

room DWAYNE RUTHERFORD

The mirror does not lie, but in the spring of 2020, for Dwayne Rutherford, the reflection staring back was a vision that had suddenly been stripped of its stage. After twenty years of navigating the corporate climb and the rhythmic pulse of the event industry, he had finally taken the leap into full-time entrepreneurship in 2019. He had walked away from the safety of a 9-to-5, determined to build a legacy of wealth and excellence for his wife and three children. Then, the world stopped. The galas, the summits, and the high-stakes corporate retreats that were his lifeblood went up in smoke.

In that silence, the “Debonair” brand faced its greatest trial. Yes, the pandemic posed its challenges, but more so it was about a man reconciling who he thought he was with the reality of a world that had pulled the rug from under him. It was a low point that would have broken a person of lesser conviction, but for Dwayne, it became a forge. This is a narrative of strategic resilience, cultural reclamation, and the audacity to believe that an African Caribbean man from Guyana belongs at the head of the most prestigious tables in the corporate world.

The seeds of Debonair were sown long before the corporate contracts arrived. Growing up in Guyana, Dwayne was immersed in a household where “We didn’t have a lot, but we had each other.” It was an environment of constant energy, laughter, and a deepseated kindness that became part of his spiritual fiber. This was a foundational understanding that human connection is the ultimate currency.

When he launched “Debonair Entertainment” at the age of nineteen inwas conducting a psychological experiment in perception. While the world expected young African Carib -

bean men to show up in baggy jeans and Timberlands, Dwayne and his partners chose the suit. They chose class. They chose to be “Debonair” , a word they had to educate their peers on, transforming it into a marketing campaign for respectability and selfworth. It was a bold, strategic move to flip the script and present themselves in a manner that demanded a different kind of gaze. This was the first iteration of his mission: to use the spectacle of an event to change how people see themselves and each other.

Dwayne Rutherford does not just manage logistics; he engineers high-impact brand experiences. With over twenty years of expertise, he speaks the language of C-suite executives, marketing leaders, and visionary brands who demand a strategic investment. His methodology is a blend of agile project management, financial optimization, and a deep, psychological understanding of ROI. He knows that for a $5M+ revenue corporation, an event is a message that must resonate flawlessly.

Yet, beneath the polished exterior of flawless execution lies a man who understands the quiet, beautiful line of a legacy. He is a Digital Events Strategist with Pandemic On-Site Protocol certifications, but his true edge is his emotional intelligence.

He recognizes that successful conferences require discipline and clarity long before the first chair is placed. He navigates the complexities of the government sector, the banking industry, and luxury brands with the same precision, ensuring that every attendee experience is tailored and cohesive.

He has been named among the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry and has secured the Canadian Event Award for Best

Corporate Event. If you ask him which achievement carries the most weight, he won’t point to the shiny objects. He will tell you about the Building Diversity Awards. This event, which started with a client’s dream to grow tenfold, has become a national movement that changes the lives of hundreds of families. It is here that Dwayne’s work intersects with social justice and community responsibility.

The path to being a trusted advisor is paved with sacrifices that are rarely televised. To be the person who gets things done for Fortune 500 companies requires a brutal schedule. It means 5:00 AM meditations to stay grounded before the world demands your attention. It means missing the very family functions you are working to provide for: birthdays, kids’ events, and vacations sacrificed to fund the business.

As an African Caribbean entrepreneur in Toronto’s cutthroat corporate scene, Dwayne had to navigate systemic barriers and the immigrant’s fear of walking the fine line to avoid disappointment. For years, he looked at his Caucasian peers, trying to mirror their path to success, only to realize that his true power lay in his boldness. If he could tell his younger self one thing, it would be to take more chances and take the leap sooner. He realized late that there was no professional event roadmap laid out for people who looked like him, so he had to build the road while driving on it.

Dwayne’s “why” is rooted in a belief that the world is better than the media portrays. He views his events as spaces where human beings can connect at a level that breaks down the artificial walls of society. It is not always about the big decor, or the big spectacle; it is about the small little things

happening in the corners, the curated relationships that continue long after the lights go down. His legacy will include a portfolio of high-profile galas or a list of awards, but more than that it is the intentional opening of a door. He wants every African Caribbean male to know they belong in the corporate space, and he measures his success by the increasing number of those who take their seat at the table.

To work with Dwayne Rutherford is to enter a strategic partnership where your time is valued, and your ROI is non-negotiable. More than that, it is an invitation to see your own power differently. He provides the blanket to land by being the expert who has already survived the fall.

Stop filling rooms and start moving people. The seat at the table is not a gift; it is a destination you architect. Whether you are a C-suite executive, or a visionary entrepreneur, the question is no longer “Can we execute this?” Instead ask, “What ripple effect will we create?”

It is time to embrace the “Debonair” way, where class, strategy, and human connection converge to create something extraordinary. Reach out, take the chance, and let the work speak for itself

Written by Simone J. Smith Toronto

Even Angels Need Guardians

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, 2026

Woodbine Banquet Hall

30 Vice Regent Blvd, Etobicoke (Hwy 27, South Of Rexdale Blvd)

Doors Open @ 5:30 pm • Dinner 8:00 pm

Tickets $75.00

• Roses for the Ladies • Cash Bar • Formal Attire

FOR TICKETS AND INFO CONTACT: • Jay: 416-418-2745 • Ojha: 905-672-2287 • Vic: 647-280-6712

• Jankie: 647-338-5817 • Kumar: 416-498-9962 • Ray: 416-278-9302

• Amit: 647-703-1283 • Donna: 416-741-4970 • Deeka: 416-281-5525

There is a natural way to look younger, and feel

younger

BY DIANA GIFFORD-JONES COMMON SENSE HEALTH

Why is it that the face lines of aging men can make them handsome while a wrinkled female face needs improvement?

That double standard should be put to bed. Nevertheless, looking and feeling younger is not a cosmetic matter, for women or men. Studies show that “feeling younger,” or perceiving oneself as younger, correlates with better health outcomes.

A study of three large longitudinal U.S. samples found that people who felt older than their real age had a 24% higher risk of mortality compared with those who felt younger. Researchers following over 6,000 people in the U.K., found a rate of death of 14.3% for those who felt three or more years younger than their age, compared with 24.6% for those who felt older.

Feeling younger is a worthwhile goal! That’s why collagen supplements are

big business, promising to make you look younger by helping keep skin firm and hydrated. The real health story isn’t at the surface. The body is comprised of tens of thousands of different proteins that conduct all kinds of functions. Collagen is the most abundant of them, accounting for nearly a third of all the protein we have. It’s the glue that holds us together, forming the scaffolding for our skin, joints, bones, tendons, blood vessels, and even the lining of our gut. It gives tissues their shape, flexibility, and ability to repair themselves when stressed or injured.

Starting in our 40s, our fibroblasts (the cells that produce collagen) slow down. The fibers they create lose structure and strength. Declining collagen means joints feel stiffer, muscles recover more slowly, and tissues take longer to heal. Blood vessels lose some of their elasticity. Even digestion can be affected, as the gut lining depends on collagen. Aging, in other words, begins from within. Collagen

supplements have surged in popularity, with sales climbing every year. Many forms require large doses (up to ten grams daily) usually consumed as powders. Capsules are more convenient, but few deliver enough active material to make a measurable difference.

An exception is the new generation of marine collagens. When buying it, look for the ingredient Cartidyss, a hydrolyzed Type II collagen derived from the cartilage of sustainably caught skate fish in northern France. The collagen is extracted using only water. No chemicals, and the cartilage itself is upcycled from fish already harvested for food. It’s a clean, environmentally responsible source. What makes this marine collagen distinct is its composition. Cartidyss doesn’t just supply collagen. It naturally contains other compounds that are key building blocks for joint cartilage, skin elasticity, and hydration. it’s been produced to facilitate absorption by the body, so only two capsules

a day yield effective benefits.

In a 90-day study involving women aged 45 to 59, those who took 500 milligrams of Cartidyss daily showed a 38% increase in skin dermis density leading to a 26% reduction in crow’s feet wrinkles around the eyes and a 31% reduction in laugh line wrinkles. Those are the measures that are easy to see on the surface, and signal stronger connective tissue everywhere collagen is functioning in the body.

We’ll all get wrinkles and that’s not a bad thing. Every line tells a story, but there is nothing wrong with fighting back if it helps you feel younger. If you’re looking to boost collagen naturally, make sure you are getting enough vitamin C and lysine, the essential building blocks of collagen formation. If you choose a collagen supplement, make it a high-quality one, clean, clinically tested, and built on real science. That’s the smart way to age strong from the inside out.

Jerk-Style Roast Beef with Rum-Onion Gravy; A Caribbean reinvention of a Sunday classic

There are certain meals that don’t need an invitation. You don’t get a text. You don’t get a call. You just know. Sunday dinner is one of those meals. Somewhere between late morning and early afternoon, the house starts to smell different. Something is slow-cooking. Something important is happening. Conversations get shorter. People start “just checking” the kitchen. That’s how you know it’s real.

In many Caribbean households— especially across the diaspora—Sunday dinner has always been about adaptation. We cooked what we had. We seasoned what we were given. We made something familiar feel like home, even when home was far away. So when people hear “roast beef” and assume it doesn’t belong in Caribbean kitchens, they’re missing the point entirely.

Roast beef isn’t foreign to us. What’s foreign is cooking it without flavour.

This Jerk-Style Roast Beef with Rum-Onion Gravy is not about turning jerk into a gimmick or slapping heat on something for shock value. This is about respect. Respect for technique. Respect for tradition. And respect for the way Caribbean cooking has always evolved—quietly, confidently, and without asking permission.

This dish lives in that space where cultures overlap. Where British Sunday roasts met Caribbean seasoning logic. Where slow cooking mattered. Where gravy wasn’t an afterthought—it was the soul of the plate.

Jerk Isn’t Just a Flavour. It’s a Method. Somewhere along the way, jerk got reduced to a sauce. A rub. A bottle on a shelf. But jerk was never meant to be one-note. It’s a balance. Heat and sweetness. Smoke and herb. Time and patience. It’s about knowing when to push and when to pull back.

Traditional jerk is aggressive by design—it was meant for open fire, for preservation, for intensity. But that same flavour profile can be adapted for roasting, where restraint becomes just as important as boldness.

For this dish, jerk doesn’t dominate the beef. It frames it.

The goal isn’t to overpower the roast—it’s to build layers, letting the beef stay rich and tender while the jerk spices deepen, mellow, and bloom slowly in the oven. The heat is present, but controlled.

The aromatics do the heavy lifting. The gravy finishes the conversation.

• 3 scallions, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Why Roast Beef Works Here

Roast beef has always been about timing and trust. You season. You wait. You let the oven do its work. That philosophy aligns perfectly with Caribbean kitchens, where we’ve always known that food needs time to tell the truth.

In many Caribbean homes, large cuts of meat were saved for special days. Sundays. Holidays. Gatherings. You didn’t rush them. You didn’t overcomplicate them. You respected them.

This dish follows that same thinking. We’re using a solid roasting cut— something with enough structure to hold up to long cooking, but enough fat to stay moist. As it roasts, the jerk seasoning caramelizes gently on the outside, forming a crust that locks in flavour without burning. Inside, the beef stays tender and deeply seasoned. Then comes the gravy.

Rum-Onion Gravy: Where This Dish Comes Alive

If the roast is the foundation, the rum-onion gravy is the personality.

This isn’t a thick, flour-heavy gravy meant to smother everything. This is a glossy, aromatic sauce that carries sweetness, depth, and just enough bite to wake up the plate.

Rum has always played a quiet but important role in Caribbean cooking. Not for intoxication—but for complexity. When cooked properly, rum doesn’t taste like alcohol. It tastes warm. Rounded. Almost smoky.

Combined with slow-cooked onions, beef drippings, and herbs, the rum creates a gravy that feels intentional—like it belongs here, not like it was borrowed from somewhere else.

This is the kind of gravy people fight over. The kind that disappears before the meat does.

This recipe serves 4–6 people, depending on how serious everyone is about seconds.

For the Jerk-Style Roast Beef Ingredients:

• 3–4 lb beef roast (sirloin tip, top round, or blade roast)

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 small Scotch bonnet or habanero, finely minced (optional, adjust to taste)

• 1 tbsp allspice (pimento)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• Salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl, combine garlic, scallions, thyme, Scotch bonnet, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire, black pepper, and salt. Mix into a thick paste.

Pat the beef dry. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the roast, massaging it into every surface. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. This step matters. Don’t rush it.

When ready to cook, remove the roast from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 45 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).

Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast uncovered for approximately 2½ to 3 hours, or until internal temperature reaches:

• 135°F for medium-rare

• 145°F for medium

Baste occasionally with pan juices.

Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 20–30 minutes before slicing.

For the Rum-Onion Gravy Ingredients:

• Pan drippings from roast

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1 tbsp flour (optional, for thickening)

• ¼ cup dark rum

• 1½ cups beef stock

• 1 sprig fresh thyme

• Black pepper to taste

Method:

Pour off excess fat from roasting pan, leav-

ing about 2 tablespoons along with the drippings.

Place pan over medium heat. Add butter and onions. Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are deep golden and soft—about 15–20 minutes.

Sprinkle flour if using, stir well, and cook for 1–2 minutes.

Carefully deglaze with rum, scraping up all the browned bits. Let simmer until alcohol cooks off and sauce reduces slightly. Add beef stock and thyme. Simmer until glossy and slightly thickened. Season with black pepper and salt if needed. Strain if desired, or serve rustic.

How to Serve It

This roast doesn’t need much help, but it appreciates good company.

Classic pairings:

• Coconut mashed potatoes

• Rice & peas

• Roasted carrots with ginger

• Steamed cabbage or callaloo

This is also one of those dishes where the plate matters. Serve it warm. Don’t drown it in gravy—let people add their own. That’s part of the ritual.

A Dish That Speaks Without Explaining Itself

This jerk-style roast beef isn’t trying to prove anything. It doesn’t need to. It exists because Caribbean cooking has always been fluid. Always intelligent. Always responsive. We didn’t abandon tradition—we expanded it.

This dish belongs on a Sunday table. It belongs at family gatherings. It belongs in conversations about how Caribbean food continues to evolve without losing its soul.

And most importantly, it belongs in kitchens where cooking is still about feeding people properly, not impressing strangers online.

If someone asks, “Is this really Caribbean?” the answer is simple: If it’s seasoned with intention, cooked with patience, and shared with love—then yes. It absolutely is.

BY GEORGE SHEPPARD A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

There is a particular sound winter makes that no one talks about. It isn’t the crunch of snow under boots, or the wind whipping between buildings. It’s the collective, low-grade ugh that settles over the city somewhere around mid-January. Not loud enough to be called despair, not dramatic enough to demand attention, just a steady hum of fatigue, irritation, and quiet self-questioning. You hear it on the subway platform. You feel it waiting for the light to change. It lives somewhere between the shoulders.

The holidays have passed, leaving behind a faint emotional hangover and a house suddenly stripped of sparkle. Decorations disappear into boxes, and credit card statements follow not far behind, quiet reminders that generosity, nostalgia, and impulse don’t always age

It’s winter, and winter is heavy

well once the calendar turns.

Work resumes with a vengeance. Commutes grow longer and more treacherous, not only because the roads are worse, but because winter turns every drive into a trust exercise with physics. Black ice humbles confidence quickly. Public transit becomes a study in collective endurance. You arrive at work already emotionally spent, having negotiated snowbanks, delays, and other people’s moods before 9:00 a.m.

Snow must be shoveled. Cars must be excavated. Sidewalks become obstacle courses designed by someone who deeply resents joy. All of this happens before coffee has had a chance to do its job, which feels like a personal affront.

Then there are the clothes. Bulky coats, thick scarves, and sweaters that promise warmth but mostly deliver inconvenience. You dress like survival is

Nicki Minaj’s most recent views have deeply hurt some of her fans

BY SYDNEY WALCOTT VARIETY CORNER

It may have been a while since the Turning Point USA took place, but rapper Nicki Minaj’s choice of words at the conference continues to linger in the back of people’s minds.

Since December 2025, Minaj’s ventures have caused some of her longtime fans to distance themselves from her. From revealing she’s a supporter of President Trump to partaking in a conservative conversation with Erica Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, at the Turning Point USA conference to praising Vice-President Vance as “The assassin JD Vance,” in the presence of Kirk, whose husband was assassinated three months prior, things did not get any better when the rapper shared her anti-trans views.

“If you’re born a boy, be a boy,” said Minaj at the conference, who claimed men were discouraged from being masculine.

The comment came as a shock to fans, as Minaj has historically been an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and has shared words of encouragement to fans within the community. The sudden switch comes as a slap in the face to her LGBTQIA+ fans who have been longtime supporters of her music and other ventures.

As someone who attended Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 World Concert in 2024, I personally got to see for myself that she has a handful of fans within the LGBTQIA+ space who came out to support her, see her live and enjoy their favourite songs by the rapper. So, I can only imagine how some of those same concertgoers may feel after all that has become known.

Fans have taken to social media to express their overwhelming disappointment in Minaj aligning herself with the right-wing movement and affiliating herself with MAGA, which has a history of promoting anti-trans views and Turn-

the goal, only to step into overheated offices where winter gear transforms into a personal sauna. By mid-morning, you are either freezing, or quietly self-combusting at your desk, peeling off layers while trying to maintain professionalism and dignity; two things winter does not actively support.

Winter, unlike other seasons, demands participation. Summer allows a little escape. Fall flatters you into optimism. Spring offers hope on layaway. Winter shows up uninvited, kicks the door open, and hands you a list of obligations before you’ve finished blinking.

It is also the season when winter struggles (the so-called winter blues) create space for self-doubt to surface. The shorter days and longer nights leave room for old questions to creep back in. Am I doing enough? Am I behind? Familiar pangs of depression don’t announce themselves; they linger quietly, waiting for fatigue to lower your defenses. Many of us spend this season doing the unseen work of keeping that dark place at bay: showing up, carrying on, laughing when expected, and hoping no one notices how thin the margin feels.

It’s remarkable how winter turns ordinary inconveniences into philosophical events. Missed the bus? A personal failure. Forgot lunch? Evidence you don’t have your life together. Slipped on the ice? An unsolicited metaphor for everything you’ve been trying not to think about. Winter sharpens the inner critic.

Yet, life continues. Shifts are worked. Driveways are cleared. Children are picked up. Meals are made. Even joy sneaks in occasionally quiet, stubborn, and unannounced. A shared laugh over nothing. Music in the headphones that hits just right. The small satisfaction of finishing a long day upright.

Winter doesn’t ask us to thrive. It asks us to endure with honesty. To lower the bar just enough to clear it without shame. To understand that feeling tired, irritable, or unsure doesn’t mean something is wrong with us, it means its winter, and winter is heavy.

The ugh will lift. It always does. Not suddenly, not dramatically, but slowly like daylight returning in increments so small you barely notice until one day you do.

ing Point USA, which has a history of being prejudiced towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

Comments on clips and commentary videos on the comments Minaj made about discouraging trans women from transitioning displayed the disappointment people had. The comment sections were flooded with fans who did not shy away from how they felt about Minaj’s choice of words.

“She didn’t betray us. She was never on our side,” said one user. “Can people just… not be transphobic? Even just for a little bit? We didn’t do nuthin’,” wrote another user.

The situation has led to many people sharing how they may have enjoyed the rapper’s music from before, but they could no longer support her after her anti-trans comments. I even came across a TikTok of a former fan throwing vinyl records of Minaj’s albums in the garbage as their way of saying they will no longer support her.

Another thing to note is Trump’s negative views about immigrants, and with Minaj being an immigrant who has yet to obtain her US citizenship, she could easily be deported. In response to her offensive comments, a petition was created on Change.org to have the rapper deported back to Trinidad and Tobago, serving as a reminder that public figures need to be held accountable for their choice of words and the immense impact they have on diverse communities.

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Although people have become more accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community over the years, we still have a long way to go when it comes to accepting people from the community. For Minaj as a Black woman, she will not have it any better than them, considering the views some Republicans hold against people of colour.

For communities already accustomed to carrying more than their share: financial pressure, generational expectations, the constant demand to be resilient, winter adds weight. The city moves faster, colder, less forgiving. There is pride in endurance, but endurance still costs something.

Until then, be gentle. With yourself. With others. With the version of you doing the quiet, invisible work of getting through icy streets, overheated rooms, and another long winter day.

Winter is not a failure of spirit. It’s a season, and like all seasons, it passes even if it complains loudly on its way out.

BY SIMONE J. SMITH HUMAN SPECIALIST

You are sitting in a boardroom, or perhaps staring at a screen, and the heat starts at the base of your neck. Someone just minimized your contribution, or maybe they are performing for an invisible audience, using your labour as a footstool. Your pulse quickens. You want to clap back with the fire of a Jamaican woman scorned, and your body is currently betraying you. Your jaw is clenched, your shoulders are near your ears, and your brain is screaming for a reaction.

This is the trap

When you react emotionally to the nonsense of others, you are outsourcing your peace. In our community, we are often told that being strong means being loud. I’m here to tell you that true strength, the kind that heals divisions and builds legacies, is found in the stra-

Stop feeding people your peace

tegic pause.

The art of the calculated pause

Most people blurt. They let their anxiety wear a trench coat and call it speaking their truth. You? You must calculate. When the annoyance hits, wait three seconds. Ask yourself, “Is this worth my energy, or am I about to embarrass Future Me?” Your Future Self is fragile; protect their reputation by refusing to be goaded into a low-level conflict. Stop taking it personally. Most people are not attacking you; they are simply tired, insecure, or confused. Once you realize that their behaviour is a reflection of their internal chaos, life stops feeling like a battlefield and starts feeling like a classroom. You become an observer.

The three question power filter

Before you let a single word leave your lips, run the situation through this filter:

1. Will this matter in a week?

2. Do I control the outcome?

3. Will reacting improve my life?

If the answer isn’t a resounding “yes” to at least one, congratulations: you are now officially above the situation. Use humour as your armour. Sarcasm shouldn’t be a weapon to make others small; use it as a tool to make the situation lighter. Punch up at the bureaucracy, or the absurdity of the moment, never down at the person.

Mastering the smug, peaceful loop

There is a secret link between how you talk and how you feel. When you talk better, you get less bothered. To claim your power in a tense room, speak 10–20% slower. This signals to everyone that you are in total control. It gives your brain the necessary time to ensure it doesn’t betray you with a reactive comment.

Aim for “clean sentences”:

short, clear, and calm. If someone pushes you, use neutral language. Replace “That’s stupid” with “I see it differently.” If the situation is truly beneath you, the elite move is to say nothing at all. Most people are terrified of silence; they will overshare just to fill the void, often revealing their own hands while you remain a mystery.

We often think that being unbothered means being cold, or apathetic. It doesn’t. It means selective engagement. It means you are so rooted in your own psychological awareness that you refuse to let someone else’s insecurity activate your fight-or-flight response.

You don’t need to be “normal,” normal is overrated and poorly defined. Aim to be functional, kind, and mildly interesting. Your power comes from the fact that you didn’t need to have it in the first place. Unclench your jaw, take a breath, and reclaim your throne

Carney’s betting the Canadian house on China

BY HERBERT HILDEBRANDT POLITICAL PARLEY

Mark Carney went to China in mid-January and got a standing ovation from the Canadian media and the elbows-up boomer class. He did not arrive at this moment accidentally, nor is his outreach to China an improvisation born of crisis. It is the logical extension of a worldview he has carried for years, one that treats global finance, trade, and governance as systems best managed by technocrats operating above the messiness of: national interest, electoral accountability, and hard power realities.

The most revealing element of the China outreach was not the photo ops or the language of cooperation, but the substance of the concessions. Canada agreed to effectively lift its punitive tariffs on a capped number of Chinese electric vehicles, allowing tens of thousands per year into the Canadian market at a fraction of the previous rate, while China, in return, eased retaliatory pressure on Canadian agricultural exports. It was a classic technocratic trade-off that assumes all actors are playing the same game under the same rules.

They are not. China’s trade behaviour is not market liberalism with Chinese characteristics. It is state-directed

industrial expansion, heavily subsidized, politically enforced, and strategically timed. Access is granted when useful and withdrawn when pressure is required. The Canadian government knows this, and the United States knows this even better. This is precisely why Washington reacted almost immediately, making it clear that Chinese EVs entering Canada would not be tolerated as part of any continental supply chain and would be blocked at the U.S. border.

That response matters far more than the number of vehicles involved, because it exposes the deeper miscalculation embedded in Carney’s strategy. Canada is not merely a trading nation adjacent to the United States. It is economically integrated into an American platform that functions on trust, alignment, and a shared understanding of who the strategic adversaries are. When that trust weakens, integration becomes a liability rather than an advantage.

This is where Carney’s record becomes relevant. As a central banker and global financial figure, he has consistently favoured managed outcomes, coordinated policy, and moralized economics over the blunt realities of national interest. That approach works tolerably well in boardrooms and international panels where enforcement is abstract and con-

sequences are deferred. It works far less well when the counterparty is the United States, led by a political movement that has decided access to its market is a weapon, not a courtesy.

Donald Trump’s dismissal of the future of USMCA should be read in that light. It was not a throwaway line. It was a signal that preferential access is no longer guaranteed, and that Canada’s historical assumption of inevitability has expired. The upcoming review of the agreement does not automatically kill it, but uncertainty alone is enough to freeze capital, delay investment, and spook industries that live on long planning horizons. Autos, aluminum, steel, and advanced manufacturing do not tolerate ambiguity, especially when margins are thin and supply chains cross borders multiple times. Canadian manufacturing is getting pummeled and there are no signs of the punches slowing down.

By reopening the door to Chinese EVs, even in a limited way, Canada handed Washington an excuse it did not need but will gladly use. What matters is that it will now be deployed, loudly and repeatedly, as justification for stricter enforcement, harsher audits, and tougher bargaining at the USMCA table.

The economic consequences will not arrive as a single dramatic rup -

ture. They will show up as delayed plant upgrades, postponed expansions, capital flowing elsewhere, and a gradual rerating of Canada as a higher-risk jurisdiction for North American manufacturing. That is the real carnage, slow and bureaucratic, invisible until it is irreversible.

The tragedy here is that Canada does not lack options. What it lacks is seriousness about domestic capacity. Diversification without productivity is illusion. Sovereignty without infrastructure is theatre. If Canada were aggressively building energy projects, streamlining approvals, welcoming capital, and scaling its own industrial base, it would have leverage in every trade conversation. Instead, it is attempting to substitute foreign alignment for domestic strength.

Carney’s China bet reflects a belief that systems can be managed into stability. The United States is signaling, with increasing clarity, that it now manages outcomes through leverage instead. Canada is caught between those philosophies, and unless it relearns how power operates in trade, it risks discovering that diversification, pursued carelessly, can weaken a nation faster than dependence ever did.

How to cultivate big-picture thinking in a complex world

BY DANIEL COLE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Big-picture thinking is the cognitive ability to perceive situations as integrated wholes rather than isolated events. It involves understanding patterns, long-term implications, interdependencies, and the broader context within which decisions, actions, and events occur. At its core, bigpicture thinking is not about ignoring details; it is about placing details within a meaningful framework.

Big-picture thinkers are rarely consumed by temporary setbacks, or short-term disruptions. This is not because they underestimate challenges, but because they evaluate them against a longer time horizon. Their decisions are guided by trajectories rather than moments, by direction rather than noise. Research in strategic cognition and systems thinking shows that individuals who operate with extended time perspectives tend to make more resilient and adaptive decisions, particularly in uncertain environments.

Big-picture thinkers are often optimistic by nature. However, optimism, when unchecked, can become cognitive biases, particularly optimism bias, the tendency to overestimate positive outcomes and underestimate risks. Intellectual maturity requires holding two ideas in tension: maintaining hope for what could be, while remaining honest about what is. Seeing the big picture is about interpreting reality accurately while still pursuing meaningful progress.

Strategies for developing big-picture thinking

Use mind mapping as a cognitive tool: Mind mapping is a powerful method for externalizing thought and revealing structure. Cognitive science suggests that vi-

sual representations help the brain recognize patterns and relationships that linear thinking often obscures.

To use mind mapping effectively:

• Begin with a central concept placed at the center of a page.

• Create branches for key themes, subtopics, and influencing factors.

• Use symbols, images, and colors to encode meaning and highlight relationships.

• Revisit and revise the map as new information emerges, allowing the structure to evolve.

• Ask critical questions: What connects these ideas? What assumptions am I making? What am I missing?

Over time, mind mapping trains the mind to think relationally rather than sequentially, a hallmark of big-picture intelligence.

Step back to see clearly: As Les Brown aptly puts it, “You can’t see the full picture when you are in the frame.” Psychological distance (whether temporal, emotional, or conceptual) is essential for objectivity. When deeply embedded in a situation, personal attachment can distort judgment.

Stepping back may involve:

• Temporarily disengaging from the problem.

• Viewing the issue from the perspective of a neutral observer.

• Asking how the situation fits within a larger system: your organization, industry, culture, or even history.

This practice aligns with research on metacognition, which shows that thinking about how we think improves judgment and decision quality. Distance clarifies

structure; proximity magnifies emotion.

Curate your intellectual environment: Your thinking is shaped, refined, and constrained by the people around you. Sociological and psychological studies consistently show that perspectives are socially transmitted. If your environment is narrow, your thinking will be too.

Surround yourself with individuals who:

• Think strategically and long-term.

• Challenge assumptions respectfully.

• Are willing to offer unbiased feedback.

Use others as intellectual mirrors and sounding boards. Diverse perspectives expand your frame of reference and help you see angles that would otherwise remain invisible.

A consequence-oriented way of thinking: Brian Tracy’s insight is worth repeating, “Things are important to the extent that they have important consequences.”

Big-picture thinking is fundamentally consequence-oriented. When faced with a decision, resist the instinct to ask only, “How do I feel about this?” Instead, ask:

• What are the short-term and longterm consequences of each option?

• Who and what will be affected downstream?

• Which choice aligns best with my values and long-term objectives?

Human beings are wired to make fast, emotional decisions based on incomplete data—a survival mechanism that is often maladaptive in complex modern contexts. Big-picture thinking acts as a corrective, slowing down judgment just enough to allow wisdom to emerge.

When winter hits different: How Caribbean bodies heal in a cold world

BY ANYA NICOLA

The first time someone told me about Seasonal Affective Disorder, I laughed, because finally someone had given me a name for what most Caribbean people in Canada know but rarely talk about: winter changes our entire being.

It’s mid-January, and Toronto is doing that thing where the cold seeps into your bones and makes you question every life decision that brought you this far north. The sun sets at 5:00 PM like it’s giving up on the day, and somehow, we are supposed to pretend this is normal. That our bodies, designed for year-round warmth and light, should adapt to months of gray skies and frozen sidewalks.

Here is what I have learned after years of fighting January blues with Caribbean remedies and modern mental health tools: healing looks different when you are healing in exile from the sun.

My grandmother experienced Canadian winters before she returned home for good, she knew about the darkness. She knew about the kind of heavy feeling that settles in your chest and makes everything feel harder than it should. Her remedy wasn’t a light box, or vitamin D supplements; it was mint tea, stories told between sips, and the understanding that some seasons require different kinds of tending.

This morning, I made some mint tea and turned on my SAD lamp, and it hit me: this is what healing in diaspora looks like. It’s honouring what our ancestors knew about wellness while adapting to realities they never faced. It’s drinking bush tea under artificial light and calling both practices sacred.

The thing about seasonal depression in Caribbean communities is that we often don’t name it. We say we’re tired, we’re stressed, we’re “not feeling ourselves.” We push through because that’s what we do; we survive difficult seasons. Surviving and thriving are different things, and our mental health deserves better than just making it through.

I have started thinking of my winter healing practice as cultural fusion therapy. Sunday mornings mean call-and-response with my cousins over FaceTime, or WhatsApp while I diffuse peppermint oil. I play soca music while doing light treatment. I cook curry and let the turmeric remind my body what warmth feels like from the inside.

The Caribbean women in my therapy group understand things my wellmeaning Canadian friends don’t. They understand why hearing steel pan music can make you cry in February. They understand why grocery shopping becomes an act of resistance when you’re searching for scotch bonnet peppers and breadfruit in a

city that thinks hot sauce means Tabasco. We’ve learned to create microclimates of home in our apartments. Space heaters become altars. Vitamin D becomes communion. Video calls with family back home become lifelines, not just social calls. Here’s what’s revolutionary about naming our seasonal struggle: we can heal it intentionally rather than endure it. We can combine the wisdom of traditional Caribbean healing with evidence-based mental health practices. We can take antidepressants and drink cerasee tea. We can do talk therapy and sage our apartments. We can acknowledge that our mental health is impacted by being separated from our natural environment without letting that separate us from healing.

The healing happens when we stop pretending, we’re fine and start getting creative about wellness. When we realize that missing the sun is biology. When we understand that seasonal depression affects Caribbean people differently because our connection to light and warmth isn’t just a preference; it’s cellular memory. So, this January, I’m healing through it. With ancestors’ remedies and modern medicine, with community care and professional help, with acceptance and action. Healing is still the new black, even when the season tries to convince us otherwise. Winter may have us, but it doesn’t own us.

Can a National Women’s Health Framework address Caribbean Canadian women’s health inequities?

BY IKA WASHINGTON COMMUNITY HEALTH SPECIALIST

In December 2025, Senator Danièle Henkel introduced Bill S-243, legislation establishing the first comprehensive national framework for women’s health in Canada. The bill represents a watershed moment for health advocacy, mandating the federal government to develop coordinated strategies addressing long-standing gender disparities in healthcare access and outcomes.

For Caribbean Canadian women and girls, this legislative milestone carries particular significance, offering a critical opportunity to address health inequities rendered invisible by a healthcare system that has historically failed to collect data disaggregated by race and ethnicity.

Caribbean women experience significant health disparities shaped by a high burden of non-communicable diseases such as: diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, alongside persistent reproductive health challenges including elevated maternal mortality and greater risks from violence against women, all exacerbated by social determinants like poverty and gender roles, according to recent data from PAHO, WHO, OECD and regional studies.

For instance, studies have shown Caribbean women to be 65% more likely to have diabetes and three times as likely to be obese as men, and within the Caribbean region women struggle with high maternal mortality rates (e.g., 88 per 100,000 in 2020), reflecting the combined effects of economic inequality, gendered caregiving roles, and uneven access to quality healthcare. These patterns are not uniform, as Caribbean women are racially, ethnically and culturally diverse, including Afro-Caribbean, Indo-Caribbean, Chinese-Caribbean, and other communities, yet they point to shared structural conditions that shape women’s health across the region.

Within the Canadian context, health disparities often surface through data reported on Black women, in part because Caribbean women have historically made up a significant proportion of Canada’s Black population, particularly through women-led migration from the Caribbean beginning in the 1960s. While Black women in Canada are not exclusively Caribbean and the Black population has become increasingly diverse with growing African immigration, existing research shows that Black women experience disproportionately high rates of adverse maternal health outcomes, including preterm birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, perinatal mortality, and are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications linked to hypertension.

Although these findings are especially relevant for Afro-Caribbean Canadian women, they highlight the limitations of race-only data and the need for ethnicitybased disaggregation that can distinguish Caribbean-Canadian women’s experiences from those of other Black populations to tru-

ly reflect their lived realities and their families navigating healthcare systems shaped by systemic barriers. The continued absence of robust, disaggregated data on Black and other racialized women in Canada exposes a critical health research gap, one that allows preventable harm to persist without adequate recognition, accountability, or policy response.

Understanding these disparities requires an intersectional lens recognizing how race, gender, and socioeconomic status interact to shape health outcomes, as overlapping systems of discrimination create unique experiences of marginalization. For Caribbean Canadian women, health is shaped by gender bias in medical practice, anti-(Black) racism in healthcare settings, xenophobia, linguistic barriers, economic precarity from immigration and care work, and chronic stress navigating a historically colonial society. If this national framework fails to adopt an intersectional, anti-racist lens will inevitably reproduce the inequities it purports to address.

Bill S-243 mandates targeted solutions for populations that experience structural health inequities, including racialized women, and requires strategies to strengthen healthcare professional training. The calls for strengthened primary care and preventive health services, and mandates consultation with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous peoples, and civil-society partners. Most critically, the bill’s focus could enable the collection of disaggregated health data, exposing racial and ethnic inequities that are currently masked by current aggregate reporting.

Yet, we are reminded that legislation alone does not guarantee equality, or equity. The implementation will depend upon whether provincial political representatives and policymakers commit to centring the voices of Caribbean Canadian women, investing in community-based research, training healthcare professionals on structural and social determinants of health, and establishing accountability mechanisms ensuring progress is measured transparently.

The hope is Caribbean Canadian women and other diverse groups of women will continue to actively participate in shaping this national framework. Our diverse expertise, grounded in lived experience and professional knowledge, is essential to ensuring that policies, and bills, like Bill S-243, translates into tangible improvements in our health and well-being.

Perhaps, what is required is a continued effort for a fundamental restructuring or shift within our Canadian healthcare systems to reduce fragmentation of care and persist with actively centring community and equity with committed resources to ensure all women, particularly those historically and contemporarily excluded from health research and policy, can achieve optimal health. Canada’s future depends on whether health equity is treated as a structural obligation rather than a rhetorical goal.

BY JAY BRIJPAUL REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST

Ontario’s thaw-and-freeze winters make ice dams easy to miss, until they’re costing thousands in repairs.

It usually starts the same way.

You’re enjoying one of those peculiar winter days, above zero, the sun peeking through, snow slowly melting off the roof. It feels like a little break. Then the temperature drops overnight. The next morning, you notice thick icicles hanging from the eaves. Maybe the gutters seem heavier than usual. Everything appears frozen in place.

That’s when the trouble begins. With the constant thaw-and-freeze cycles we have experienced this winter, ice damming has quietly returned to roofs across Ontario. While it may look harmless at first (almost picturesque) it’s one of the most destructive winter problems a homeowner can face if neglected.

So, what exactly is an ice dam?

An ice dam is precisely what it sounds like: a wall of ice forming along the edge of your roof. Snow accumulates on your roof. Warmer daytime temperatures, or heat escaping from inside your home, cause that snow to melt. The water flows down the roof toward the eaves, which are colder because they extend beyond the heated part of the house. When the water reaches that colder edge, it refreezes.

Repeat that process a few times (melt during the day, freeze at night) and suddenly you have a solid ridge of ice. That ridge blocks new meltwater from draining off the roof. With nowhere else to go, the water backs up under the shingles. Water, as we all know, always finds a way in.

Why ice dams really form

Many homeowners assume ice dams are simply caused by a cold winter. Ironically, they are often caused by heat. Warm air escaping into the attic, through poor insulation, unsealed light fixtures, vents, or attic hatches, warms the underside of the roof. This warmth melts the snow from below, even when it’s freezing outside. The meltwater flows downward, hits the colder eaves, refreezes, and the cycle repeats. In other words, ice dams often result from what’s happening inside your house, not just outside.

The damage you don’t see—until you do Ice dams are not just an exterior problem. Once water backs up behind that ridge of ice, it can seep under shingles and into areas where it shouldn’t go; attics, insulation, ceilings, and walls. Homeowners often first notice yellow stains on the ceiling, peeling paint, or dripping water near exterior walls.

By the time that occurs, moisture might already be saturating insulation, decreasing its effectiveness, and gradually rotting wood framing and roof sheathing. If left long enough, it can cause mold growth and structural damage.

Outside, the weight of ice can tear gutters off the house, damage fascia boards, and pose serious safety risks when heavy chunks break loose and fall. What starts as a winter nuisance can quickly turn into thousands of dollars in repairs.

What to do when you see ice dams forming

If ice dams are already present, caution is critical. Removing snow from the lower portion of the roof using a roof rake can

help reduce the amount of meltwater feeding the dam. Some homeowners use calcium chloride ice melt placed in fabric socks or pantyhose and laid across the ice to create channels for water to escape.

On milder days, gentle flowing warm water can help speed up melting, but aggressive techniques are risky. Hammers, chisels, and saws can harm shingles and weaken your roof.

The safest option is professional steam removal, which melts ice safely without damaging roofing materials. This is not a DIY weekend project. Roofs can be slippery, ice is unpredictable, and falling can be serious. Hiring a professional is the smart, and safer, choice.

The true solution is long-term Ice damming is a recurring problem unless you address the root cause.

Proper attic insulation keeps

heat where it belongs, inside your home.

Sealing air leaks around vents, light fixtures, and chimneys prevent warm air from escaping upwards. Good attic ventilation helps maintain an even roof temperature, reducing melting and refreezing.

These improvements don’t just protect your roof; they lower heating bills and improve overall home comfort.

Ice damming is one of those winter problems that rarely resolve on their own. In fact, it usually worsens. Being proactive now can save you money, stress, and surprise repairs later. More importantly, it turns a recurring winter headache into a one-time fix.

In a season full of unpredictability, preventing ice dams on your home is something you can control, and your roof, your wallet, and your peace of mind will thank you for it.

YOUR HOROSCOPE

YOUR HOROSCOPE

for the week of January 25 – January 31, 2026

THE LUCKIEST SIGNS THIS WEEK: SCORPIO, CAPRICORN, AND GEMINI

ARIES: Momentum builds this week. Trust your instincts, but slow your reactions—timing matters more than force right now.

TAURUS: A steady week with subtle wins. Focus on finances and routines; small adjustments bring long-term comfort and security.

GEMINI: Conversations unlock opportunities. Speak clearly, listen harder, and avoid overexplaining—clarity is your advantage this week.

CANCER: Emotional balance improves. Protect your energy and don’t take on responsibilities that aren’t truly yours.

LEO: You’re noticed more than you realize. Lead confidently, but let others contribute—collaboration strengthens your position.

VIRGO: Details demand attention. Stay organized and avoid perfection paralysis; progress beats waiting for flawless conditions.

LIBRA: Decisions you’ve delayed resurface. Choose what brings peace, not just what looks good on paper.

SCORPIO: Powerful inner clarity arrives. Trust what you feel beneath the surface and move quietly with confidence.

SAGITTARIUS: Restlessness fades when you commit. Pick one direction and follow through—discipline brings unexpected freedom.

CAPRICORN: Strong week for structure and planning. Your consistency pays off, especially in work or long-term goals.

AQUARIUS: Fresh ideas spark momentum. Share selectively—protect your vision until it’s ready to stand on its own.

PISCES: Intuition is heightened. Creative or spiritual pursuits flow easily, but stay grounded in practical responsibilities.

CROSSWORDS

HOW TO PLAY :

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: You must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column, or 3x3 box.