Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

 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...

THE KIDDIES PARADE - ANOTHER BIG WIN FOR THIS YEAR'S TORONTO'S CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL --> By Stephen Weir  You could tell that everyone was pumped to cheer on the children.   A city ambulance stuck a Trinidadian flag on its hood. A Caribbean man donned a banana costumes and walked the parade route handing out bananas to the junior revellers.   Local politicians waved and cheered and parents cried for joy when they saw their kids play mas on Neilson Road in Malvern! If you can ignore the punishingly hot sunshine and the lack of a cooling wind, Saturday’s Junior Carnival Parade and Family Day. There were over 2,000 little masqueraders wearing costumes belonging to nine competing bands. An estimated 8,000 people lined the parade route and sat in the stands to wildly clap and cheer at one of Canada’s biggest children’s costume parade. On Saturday morning Mayor John Tory and Deputy Mayor, Michael Thompson, along with other councillors and MPPs cut a ribb...

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...

DAVID WINS BIG ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT Photo by: Ceta Ramkhalawansingh Story by Stephen Weir  On Wednesday night Trinidadian Canadian writer David Chariandy’s award winning novel, Brother has won thi s year’s Toronto Book Awards. David Chariandy’s book is a devastating story about the love between a mother and her sons, the impact of race, masculinity and the senseless loss of young lives in Scarborough, in the violent summer of 1991. Brother was one of five books on the City of Toronto and Toronto Library‘s 2018 Toronto Book Awards shortlist. Established by Toronto City Council in 1974, the awards honour books of literary merit that are evocative of Toronto. The 2018 shortlist  Dionne Brand “The Unpublished City“  David Chariandy “Brother“  Carrianne Leung “That Time I Loved You“  Lee Maracle “My Conversations with Canadians“  Kerri Sakamoto “Floating City“ The winner of the 2018 Toronto Book Awards was announced last night at the Toro...

--> Giller Prize Longlist Has a Familiar Face  By Stephen Weir for Caribbean Camera The Scotiabank Giller Prize announced early this week its longlist for the 2018 Canadian book award. There are 12 works of fiction in the running for this year’s   $100,000 prize. Esi Edugyan, is one of the authors longlisted for Canada’s most prestigious Fiction Prize. She has been nominated for her new book Washington Black . Washington Black tells the story of George Washington Black; an eleven-year-old field slave living on a Barbados sugar plantation. From the brutal cane plantations to the icy waters of the Canadian Arctic, from the mud-filled streets of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black is the tale – inspired by a true story – of a world destroyed by slavery and the search to make it whole again. Esi Edugyan made history in 2011 by being the first Black woman to win the Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel  Half-Blood Blues ....