Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Tomorrow's Caribbean Camera Tonight! ROCHDALE – IT’S THE SIXTIES MAN. FREE LOVE AND FREE RENT COME TO TORONTO. BLACK POWER TOO By Stephen Weir Do you know what Rochdale College was? No? That probably means that you weren’t alive and living in the Toronto in the late Sixties when Rochdale was the centre of all things counter culture … including Black Power. Cast of rochdale in costume It was a large residence on Bloor Street near Spadina and housed over 800 people; most of them love bead-wearing students.  It was launched in 1968 as an experiment in a student run, free form alternative education set in a hippie run co-op.  Rochdale lasted only 8-years.  Closure came when the students stopped paying rent and the building started falling apart. At the time the police and neighbours said it had become a haven for drugs and crime. It was closed in 1975 when the authorities actually welded the front doors shut. Irony of Ironies, it is now a senior’s residence and many of

Caribbean Camera First With The News About   Chariandy’s big Toronto Book Award win By Stephen Weir Last week, literally 10-minutes before the Caribbean Camera went to press, Trinidadian Canadian author David Chariandy won the prestigious $10,000 2018 Toronto Book Awards.  His book, Brother, is a novel about growing up in Malvern. We were able to get a picture of him accepting his award in the paper --- the only paper to do so on Wednesday night.  We didn’t have room to print our story about his accomplishment. What follows are the details of his amazing win! David Chariandy’s book is a devastating story about the love between a single Trinidadian mother and her sons, the impact of race, masculinity and the senseless loss of young lives in Malvern, in the violent summer of 1991. The winner of the 2018 Toronto Book Awards was announced last Wednesday night at the Toronto Reference Library. This was the 44th year of the Toronto Book Awards. The annual awards offer $15,000 in

JAMBANA One World Festival is moving to two indoor Brampton venues Denise Jones Jambana, the annual August long-weekend Reggae and Roots festival, has loaded up the truck and is moving from the Markham Fairgrounds to two venues in Brampton.   For its 10 th anniversary, the August 5th & 6th   outdoor festival has not only moved cities but is also heading indoors! “ It is a big step for us to move Jambana from a big field (the Markham Fairgrounds) to fully serviced indoor halls,” Denise Jones, Executive Producer of JAMBANA One World Festival told the Caribbean Camera in an interview last week.   “ There are some huge pluses to this. We are moving to a city where we have produced a number of very successful Reggae events. Brampton has a real hunger for Jambana, and now that we are heading indoors, there is no need for people to drag along their lawn chairs and umbrellas to the see the shows.” Launched in 2008 Jambana, One World Festival is the GTA’s pre

ACTIVE, INCLUDED AND SUCCESSFUL   By Stephen Weir for the Caribbean Camera Next Saturday night the Black on Bay Ball will be held at the Arcadian Court as the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP) celebrates 20 years of championing Black excellence in Toronto. The CAUFP is a member-based resource organization that provides a link between corporations and the black communities through education, information, and programs to facilitate economic empowerment. For the past 20 years, CAUFP has established itself as a catalyst for excellence and for the advancement of Black leaders in the Canadian financial services industry. “We believe that there should be No Boundaries set for what we should strive to achieve professionally and for the community, or where we can go to achieve success,” said Abdul-Aziz Garuba, the president of CAUFP and Senior Manager, Finance at Royal Bank of Canada. “ The Saturday night ball is an evening of affirmation that our

  Brockville's Brand New Riverside Attraction for Divers and Shipwreck Fans! It only makes sense that Dave Sheridan, diver, underwater sculptor and educational Programmer at Brockville’s Aquatarium , would use the word anchor when talking about the new riverside shipwreck museum and aquarium called the Aquatarium . “ This is the city’s anchor attraction – not just for divers but for all tourists who have an interest in history, aquatic life and, of course, shipwrecks” said Dave Sheridan. “The new Aquatarium has the look and feel of the Thousand Island.    Anyone who has taken a island tour will have seen the historic Bolt Castle   - the Castle’s boat house is the   architectural inspiration for what we have here.”   Dave Sheridan by Otter Tank  - Weir The $25-million, 27,000+ sq. ft attraction is a learning and discovery centre located on the waterfront in the heart of Brockville.   There are fresh water fish filled aquariums, underwater shipwreck exhibition