Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Mayor Chow and councillor Michael Thompson officially open the 2024 Grand Parade  at the start line in front of a sea of empty bleachers Shared with Public Broke Again! Sign the petition Stephen Weir Well, the rumour mill that I reported on last week turns out to have been churning out the truth. Apparently, it’s official—the Toronto Caribbean Carnival is broke, with numerous bands, performers, and creditors still waiting to be paid. How much is owed? A cool $2 million—and perhaps more. And how do we know? The Festival Management Committee (FMC), the organization responsible for putting on the annual summer carnival, has just launched an online petition addressed to the three levels of government, calling for the “Immediate Emergency Funding of $2 million to cover the operational costs from the 2024 Carnival.” And, in that petition the ask for $1.5 million for the next couple of years to keep the parade going. When my article about the carnival’s financial issues appeared in print...

  Doug Ford Promises Carnival Will Have More Money From The Province in 2025          Mayor Chow in her Mas parade costume Premier Doug Ford By Stephen Weir No Toronto Star. No Globe and Mail. No Toronto Sun. It is a big secret, as the Caribbean Camera is the only print newspaper in town that knows all about the Carnival’s good news. We showed up at 8:30 a.m. last Saturday for the official opening of this year’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival. CP24 was there covering it too so we both got dibs on the scoop of the summer. Standing on the stage in front of the nearly empty bleachers were the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, councillor Michael Thompson, and mayor Olivia Chow. There were two NDP MPPs, the Calypso Monarch (King Cosmos), and, of course, Jennifer Hirlehey, the head of the Festival Management Committee (which runs the annual parade). Doug Ford wore an overstretched, grunge-style green T-shirt and seemed in a very good mood. Smiling, he took to the mic...

MPP Jill Andrew Rides The Train with a 1,000 others The 2024 Carnival Weekend Began With a Special Underground Train Ride Stephen Weir Drummers pounded out the countdown just before midnight. It was seconds before the start of August 1st. Drones lit the sky above the Downsview subway station with hearts and words of love. Singing. Cheering. It was all part of the 11th annual Underground Freedom Train ride in Toronto. No Justin Trudeau wasn’t there, that was last year. And judging by the size of the turnout last Wednesday night, there wouldn’t have been a shoehorn big enough to squeeze him into the dedicated subway train that carried close to a thousand people from Union Station to Downsview Station to honour the Underground Railroad of the1850s and to mark the arrival of Canada’s Emancipation Day. The official launch was handled by the honourary whistle-blowing conductor, Amah Harris ( above left ). The distinguished educator, producer, mentor, playwright, and researcher led this ye...

 Justin Rode That Train (we are not kidding) Photos by stephen weir and KJ Mullins I want to dispel a growing urban myth. Despite what people are saying, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did, in fact, ride the Underground Freedom Train on July 31st. The voice that they heard over the subway train’s speaker system on Monday night WAS NOT a recording of the PM’s voice; that was him in person (and I have included a picture to prove it). For the past ten years, Itah Sadu a bookstore owner, community leader, and the driving force behind the newly emerging Blackhurst Cultural Centre has spearheaded the Underground Freedom Train Ride and Emancipation ceremony in conjunction with the TTC. The late-night event provides an actual non-stop underground experience via the subway system, representing the underground railroad journey. The ride ends at Downsview Station a few minutes after midnight with an outdoor service marking the dropping of the 19th-century Emancipation Act by the British govern...

  Toronto Caribbean Carnival Kicks Off  with HOT  HOT HOT Launch Event everybody loved Olivia Unedited news story by sweir: Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square came alive on a scorching hot day as the 56th Caribbean Carnival was officially launched on Tuesday. The vibrant atmosphere was filled with excitement as approximately 2,000 enthusiastic audience members gathered to celebrate the rich Caribbean culture. The event took place at Toronto City Hall, where a jampacked list of speakers and performers graced the outdoor stage. The ceremony was hosted by CTV Nathan Downer and CP24's Jessica Smith, who successfully wrangled the line-up of speakers. Among them was Jennifer Hirleheym, the new Chair of the Festival Management Committee, who kicked off the proceedings with an extensive review of the exciting changes and improvements for this year's festival. "We pride ourselves in creating a welcoming, safe environment for this shared celebration of Caribbean culture," Hir...

It never rains on grade 12 graduating students who take part in the annual March of Excellence  It is a given, it never ever rains on the annual Walk of Excellence. True to form, this past Tuesday morning was bright and sunny, and the air was filled with excitement as the annual parade commenced in North Toronto. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the event, organized by the Blackhurst Cultural Centre, formerly known as A Different Booklist Cultural Centre, along with four high schools in the Jane-Finch/BlackCreek area, the York-TD Community Engagement Centre, and the Toronto District School Board. Four Black female principals (a first) led the parade, symbolizing the strength and resilience of the students as they transitioned from secondary to post-secondary education. Mia Mundy receives $2,000 bursary The event, a public demonstration of student achievement, showcased some 500 graduating high school students from Westview, Emery, Downsview, and CW Jefferys. Wearing white T...