Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Saint Lucia Is Sinking an Underwater Art Gallery for travelling Scuba Divers ByStephen Weir When a soon-to be seen sculpture of Dame Pearlette Louisy is lowered onto the bottom of the sea off Saint Lucia, the Caribbean will have another extraordinary reason for scuba divers and snorkellersto visit the island — an underwater art gallery. And this one will not be in a museum and visitors are asked to not touch the art work. But only leave bubbles, Louisy is a particularly important figure in Saint Lucian history. She was Saint Lucia’s first woman Governor-General, the country’s representative of the Crown and its head of state during her more than 20 years in the office. She served from 1997 until 2017, making her the longest-serving Governor-General in Saint Lucia’s history. The title “Dame” reflects a British honour bestowed on Louisy. Saint Lucia was formerly a British colony and became an independent country in 1979. It remains a me...

Anguilla Beach Named the Best in the Caribbean This vacation season Canadians wanting to dip your toes into the Caribbean at what has been named the region’s best beach, Anguilla is the place to go. Travel + Leisure has named Shoal Bay East in Anguilla the No. 1 beach in the Caribbean for 2026, according to a new ranking from The World’s Best Beaches. The beach also earned the distinction of being the No. 1 beach in North America and ranked No. 6 among the best beaches in the world. The annual ranking is based on the votes of more than 1,000 travel professionals. Beaches are judged on a range of factors, including how easy it is to enter the water, wildlife, crowds, remoteness, the condition of the beach and the likelihood of having what the judges describe as a “perfect” beach day. The 2026 Travel + Leisure Caribbean top 10 also included Princess Diana Beach in Antigua & Barbuda, Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, Canto de la Playa in the Dominican Republic and Seven Mile Beach in ...

  New Turks and Caicos Flights from Toronto and from Ottawa By Stephen Weir Canadian travellers looking for a winter getaway in the Caribbean will soon have another nonstop option. Porter Airlines is adding Turks and Caicos to its growing Caribbean destination, with new flights from both Toronto and Ottawa to Providenciales. Service from Toronto Pearson begins November 6, operating up to five times a week. Ottawa travellers will get their own nonstop connection beginning December 17, with flights twice weekly. The new service is part of Porter's continuing expansion into the Caribbean and other warm-weather destinations. The airline has been building its winter network with new routes to destinations including Aruba, Montego Bay and Costa Rica. For GTA travellers the new Turks and Caicos service provides another direct route to Providenciales without having to connect through a U.S. airport.The addition is also of note for Ottawa customers, where Porter has been expanding its selec...

  Carnival Is Over... Long Live the Food! The stages are quiet, the costumes have been packed away, and crews are busy cleaning up the Canadian National Exhibition grounds after last weekend's spectacular Caribbean Carnival Grand Parade. Even the popular Frofest celebration has been cancelled this week. But don't put away your Caribbean appetite just yet. The summer celebration continues on Saturday, August 15 , when Toronto Chowfest returns to Scarborough for a full day dedicated to one of Trinidad and Tobago's greatest passions — food. Now in its tenth year, Toronto Chowfest has grown from a unique cooking contest into one of the city's most anticipated Trinbagonian cultural festivals. Since 2016, it has transformed the island tradition of making chow — a spicy mixture of fresh fruit or vegetables seasoned with lime, peppers and herbs — into a lively competition while celebrating the flavours, music and spirit of Trinidad and Tobago. This year's free festival...

 

 

 

 

 

  CARIBANA 2026 - the 59th annual edition Caribana Parade these reveller gave me a send- off on the road to take pictures in Toronto 's Caribana parade worn out Reveller after walking the Parade route beside  Lake Ontario. We fininished togett JJ\ust in time forCaribana j