Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  WONDERFUL JOE HAS MANY STRINGS ATTACHED by Stephen Weir In these turbulent times of 2024, leave it to the puppets to show us how hard life can be for penniless seniors living downtown, as they're displaced from a soon-to-be-demolished rundown apartment building to make way for a high-rent tower. You almost don’t notice the strings when "Wonderful Joe," a weary, weathered senior, takes the stage at the Jane Mallet Theatre in downtown Toronto. With his wrinkled face, stooped back, and clothes likely scavenged from dumpster dives, Joe is the star of a one-act play that will run for the next month in the city. Wonderful Joe is written and performed by longtime puppeteer Ronnie Burkett. The cast of marionettes includes a community butcher, a nasty landlord, Mister the dog, and even Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Jesus Christ. “The play tells the story of an elderly gay man living in a fifth-floor walk-up in an urban centre,” says Burkett, considered one of Canada’s top p...

1st First Friday Marks 30 tonight at Globe and Mail By Stephen Weir: I know what Warren Salmon was doing on Friday June 3rd1994. IT was early in the evening, and he was rolling the dice wondering if people within the Black community would come out to the Glass Bucket. It was a long gone Yonge Street lounge and it was hosting the launch of Warren Salmon's first First Fridays event. Salmon describes his vision for the monthly event he planned to run the 1st Friday of every month as the “premier networking event for entrepreneurs and professionals of African descent in North America and other parts of the world.” Back in the early days of the evenings, the Caribbean Camera called it an event that attracts Black businesspeople “who want to network, learn about new business endeavours, meet industry leaders and most importantly, socialize. And, on that spring even the dice rolled his way, people took to his networking concept. "Around 80 people showed up. It was hosted by Mike Pur...

 Prime Minister Selfie Madness Slows Down the Kiddies Parade Photos by Herman Silochan & Prime Minister's office. Story by sweir The Junior Carnival Parade in Malvern is an annual event that never fails to captivate and entertain, and this year was no exception. Held last Saturday at the Community Centre & Neilson Park, the parade brought together thousands of kids, parents, and neighbors to celebrate diversity, freedom, and Caribbean cultures. However, what made this year even more special was the unexpected appearance of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. For the second time, Prime Minister Trudeau graced the Kiddies Parade with his presence, surprising the organizers with short notice. Earlier in the day, he attended the Fun Philippines Toronto Street Festival: Mabuhay! Following that event, his team informed the Carnival parade organizers about his plan to make an appearance. The news of the Prime Minister's arrival was met with mixed feelings. While the children and sp...

  Carnival Hopes That The Feds Are Listening. Public Safety At Stake Organizers of this year's Toronto Caribbean Carnival have their fingers and toes crossed and their ears to the ground, hoping to hear the sound of approaching government funding. They have reason to be hopeful. Early this week, the Feds announced an emergency grant of money to the country’s Pride Festivals to cover rising fixed costs. On Tuesday, Toronto Pride learned that it will be receiving money from the Federal government to cover the costs of added security measures at this year's Pride parades. The Feds is providing up to $1.5 million to Pride organizations across the country for increased security measures this year. Half of that money goes to Pride organizations in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Like Pride, the Toronto Carnival is facing a hefty increase in the cost of insurance, security, and other fixed costs this summer. However, to date, it has not received an increase in funding to pay the bil...

 A BUCK 'N' DOE OR NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY FIVE DECADES AGO? Found Art. Pictures from the Sixties.  These pictures were inside a large box of unclaimed family snapshots, left for development, pickup and payment at a now long gone Drouillard Avenue store in Windsor, Ontario. I recovered the box while helping clean out the store. I promptly put them away in my attic office.   According to the orange Kodak envelope for this set of pictures, they were let at the store by a man who lived on Cadillac Street a few minutes from the front gates of theFord Foundry.  All the young dudes party in a beat-up basement apartment. Holes in the ceiling, third hand furniture, 60s style greaser hairdos. In 1965 the Elvis look still was a major influence on these hard drinking Windsor Hound Dogs.  Out of focus, damaged by the heat of being in my attic for 35 years, I rediscovered their pictures while cleaning out my files!  Young dudes party while the ghost of their yout...

  Patties Wave Goodbye To Yonge Street By Stephen Weir    Hungry hipsters. Out-of-towners looking to sample Patties Express’s finest Patty and Coco Bread special. Hospital workers rushing for a cheap and cheerful lunch take-out. Street people looking for hardy midnight snacks are about to go into mourning now that the word is out. Patties Express is about to close its downtown landmark Yonge and Elm Street take-out.   Patties Express isn’t going broke because of Covid. In fact their four outlets are going gangbusters and have plans for more outlets in town. Blame it on Toronto’s Condo craze. Located a block south of the Yonge and Gerrard intersection, the building that has housed the famous Jamaican style Patty is making way for  67-storey 819 condominium retail mega tower.   “ This is so unfortunate - you are our  go-to  at the Toronto General when staff is too busy to grab lunch,” posted a hospital worker on social media. “You will surely be mis...

                      7th Annual Walk of Excellence Pannist Will Perform at Jane/Finch This Thursday. Press Release What :  Jane & Finch graduates Walk With Excellence When  : June 18th., 2020, 10.00 am - 11.00 - Pannists play at designated spots throughout the community from Wilson/Keele to Shoreham and Jane. Earl LaPierre Jr. AfroPan Who  10.30 am - 11.00 am Earl LaPierre Jr. pannist travels from Westview Secondary home origins of Afro-Pan, Canada’s oldest steelband to the intersection of Jane & Finch. Where : 11.00 - 12.00 pm Pannists play at intersection York University Faculty Association gathers to symbolically mark the passage from high school to post secondary. 11.00 - 12.00 - Virtual Walk on Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Youtube This year’s 7th annual Walk With Excellence parade, will be virtual with some physical elements. Steel Pannists will create a day...

Kevin and Raesha signed on for hosting duties Information is scant right now but get ready for a media dump from the FMC about the Digital 2020 Toronto Caribbean Carnival   Raesha Sirois   By Stephen Weir  When it comes to the upcoming Virtual Toronto Caribbean Carnival  MUM s is the word as far as detailed information about the event is concerned.  However the Caribbean Camera has heard through the grapevine that a deluge of information the 2020 Digital Carnival is soon to be released by the organizers of this unique online July event. We do know that the  Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2020 is getting ready to digitally jump up beginning July 3 rd  with an official City Hall Proclamation of Toronto Caribbean Carnival Month. Over the next four weeks there will be programming of Steelpan music, live Calypso performances, a virtual King and Queen competition, a Junior Parade and the Grand Parade itself. “For several nights in July there...

Investing in Cultural Infrastructure in Hamilton  The Government of Canada supports the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the creation of a civic museum! HAMILTON, Ontario, February 11, 2020 The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the creation and renovation of cultural spaces to allow better access to the arts and heritage for everyone.  The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour, and Member of Parliament (Hamilton West–Ancaster– Dundas), announced $112,875 in funding for the Art Gallery of Hamilton today. She made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage. The Honourable Filomena Tassi   This support, provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, will help fund a comprehensive feasibility study for a significant renovation of the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The study will explore improvements to the art gallery’s storage, displays and interpretation of its perma...

South African granddaughter of Desmond  Tutu launches her new book on Martin Luther Day at ADBCC on Bathurst The A Different Booklist Cultural Centre (ADBCC), in conjunction with Penguin Random House is marking Martin Luther King Day with a superstar evening book signing!   On January 20th,   Nompumelelo (Mungi) Ngomane, the granddaughter of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be launching her new book Everyday Ubuntu in Canada. "This book will open your eyes, mind and heart to a way of being in the world that will make our world a better and more caring one," says Mungi’s biggest fan, her grandfather Desmond Tutu. Never heard of Ubuntu? It is a South African based philosophy which teaches that people’s common humanity and interconnectedness is key to living a better life. By embracing the philosophy of Ubuntu and living it out in daily life it's possible to overcome division and be stronger together. There are 14 lessons in Everyda...