Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

BROUGHT IT BACK TO WEBISTE FOR MY APPLICATION FOR A THIRD YEAR CREATIVE WRITING COURSE - THEY WANTED PROOF OF LIFE      BRUCE'S SEVEN CRIMES OF THE LAST CENTURY (AND THEN SOME)   photo by Bruce Paton By Stephen Weir The first crime of the day was the sweetest. Black paint spray cans at the ready; Bruce and I had our way with the road sign that had stuck in our craw for years … “Renfrew, a beautiful town to live in, population 9,800.” We weren’t very literate back in the day, so we made it short and to the point. “Renfrew a beautiful town to die in, population 9,798.” Littering was our second misdemeanor that hot dusty August morning. We tossed the evidence – two spent spray cans - into the weed filled ditch just before we threw our knapsacks into the back of the pickup truck that had stopped to give us a ride. Squeezed into the cab, left knee getting pummeled by the vibrating four-on-the-floor gearshift, Bruce and I once again left town forever. We were too young to...

  Paradise Lost is found on one side ot PAMA the Brampton Art Gallery Yesterday, Brampton's Main Street received a striking makeover as a massive two-storey art piece found its place outdoors on the side of PAMA, the public art gallery and museum located on Main Street, just across from Gage Park. This awe-inspiring creation, named "Paradise Lost," is the creative art of Caribbean Canadian artist Chris Louis and Dillon Douglas, and it promises to inject a new level of intrigue into the daily commutes of motorists. "Paradise Lost" is a triptych artwork spanning three outdoor banners, portraying a journey from a thriving, healthy Earth to a desolate wasteland. Bursting with repetitive and overlapping motifs, some whimsical and others peculiar, Douglas and Louis guide us through a humbling exploration of monumental human failures. Their intention is to serve as a stark warning of the grim potential for our own future. The official launch of "Paradise Lost...

But Wait it isn’t Over (if You Have Access to the Internet) If you don't mind watching movies on your Iphone, Ipad or computer, there is good news. The annual Caribbean Tales Film Festival (CTFF) didn't end on Sunday. While the curtain has fallen for films shown at the Harbourfront, there are still movies to watch on the CTFF website for the next week. On Sunday evening, the final live screening for CTFF took place at the Harbourfront Centre theatre. The three-film lineup included "Dolapo is Fine," a 15-minute short about women’s haair from the UK; "Behind the Blue" as in the Blue Devils from Trinidad & Tobago; and "Yubism: Life and Art of Yubi Kirindongo" from Curacao. "All three films were wonderful... the first had you cheering for Dolapo, and the last two made you want to visit the countries to experience what you just saw in person," reported film fan Dorothy Abbott. "And those wonderful Oxtail Empanadas (served in the lob...

  Just in time for winter, new flights to Montego Bay New Airline, New Destination, New Price: Canada Jetlines Adds Montego Bay, Jamaica to Winter 2023-24 Schedule Canada Jetlines, Ltd., operating under the brand name Jetlines, has introduced Montego Bay, Jamaica, as one of its two new destinations for the upcoming winter season of 2023-24. "One-way tickets to Jamaica are priced as low as $299." Jetlines, a value-oriented leisure airline, is celebrating its first anniversary this week and continues to expand its reach with both scheduled and charter services throughout North America. In a recent announcement, the airline revealed its plans to broaden its network with new routes departing from Toronto to Montego Bay and Toronto to Orlando, beginning this fall. These new additions complement Jetlines' existing service to Cancun and Las Vegas. "We're thrilled to unveil our expanded winter flight schedule, offering travelers a wider array of options to escape the col...

Lakecia Benjamin'd Sax Schooling Toronto   Stand back. Don't sit down; Lakecia Benjamin will blow you out of your seat anyway. Jazz fans in the city have wanted to see and hear her since 2012 when she burst onto the world stage with her saxophone with the release of her first album, "Retox".  She has been in this country only a few times, playing backup alto sax for some of America's top performers, including Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys. But next Friday, she will take to the Meridian Arts Centre North stage, and it will be her music, her hip look, and her own band for the very first time on a Canadian stage. Although she wasn't sure which country the Caribbean Camera was calling from when we reached her at her home in NYC last week, she was excited to talk about her upcoming tour, which includes stops in Turkey, Germany, Norway, and this single Canadian performance, making for a busy fall schedule. She told us she was up for all the gigs that she will be pla...

  Soca. Calypso. Helping Children. Its Roy Cape, and he has the Jean Augustine Trophy to Prove it Two film festivals are taking place in Toronto simultaneously this week. Where do you think the paparazzi and cameras (except ours) were on this past Saturday night when celebrities like Sean Penn, Willem Dafoe, Spike Lee, Lil Nas X, Nickelback, and Viggo Mortensen were spotted on King Street? Well, most readers probably already know the answer. The world's attention was focused on Saturday night TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). It's a shame because they missed the opportunity to cover a historic Caribbean evening at the CTFF (Caribbean Tales Film Festival) a few blocks away. Call it a Big People Party that combined a birthday fete for the famed retired Grenadian Canadian politician Jean Augustine, the showing of a Trinidadian documentary about saxophonist Roy Cape, an award presentation and a live wild performance by Ozzie Gurley which ended with two of his brass sectio...

A Gateway to Success The Toronto Business Summit 2023 is just around the corner, set to take place on September 16 at the University of Toronto Scarborough's Highland Hall. With a promise to immerse attendees in a whirlwind of innovation, growth strategies, and industry trends, this year's summit is poised to be a game-changer for business enthusiasts. The event boasts a stellar lineup of expert speakers, including Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, Ph.D., the Dean at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, and Michael Dutra, CEO of the estate planning and insurance company bearing his name. These industry titans, along with other luminaries like Lee Soda, Executive Director of Agincourt Community Services Association, Sam Ibrahim, President of Arrow Group of Companies, and Jonathon Brown, Chief Growth Officer of Trend Hunter, are set to unravel the hidden secrets of success and unveil the latest industry breakthroughs. One of the standout features of this summit is ...

DON’T BE GLUM THE CTFF IS ENDING ON A BLUE NOTE  This Sunday night’s audience that catches the documentary, "Behind the Blue," as it closes out the annual Caribbean Tales Film Festival should yell out "Encore." Hopefully, director Kenderson Noray will hear the call and give it another Toronto run (around 2024 Carnival time, please).   Behind the Blue  is the history of the Paramin Blue Devil. It is a film all about the Blue Devil bands who continue to tell their stories of triumphs and failures while scaring the living daylights out of those not in the know.  Both in Trinidad and Toronto, the Blue Devil has taken part in the Jab Jab J’ouvert. But here in Toronto, their role has diminished at the annual carnival, and many don't understand why they dance and preenion the parade blue route.   “The Blue Devil in competition always appears as a pair - The King Devil and the minion who restrains the devil from the world,” Noray told the media before a screen...

  Patrice - the art of the blur HEADS WE WIN, TAILS NYC LOSES AS FANS MIND THEIR BUSINESS LOUDLY Patrice on stage Patrice Roberts had to make a tough choice last Thursday: Should she come to Toronto and perform outdoors at the CNE Bandshell, or should she fly to New York City to attend the inaugural Caribbean Music Awards? Patrice chose Toronto, and the city is delighted that she did! Thursday marked Soca Night at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), where the Trinidad and Tobago singer headlined a special Soca concert at the Bandshell. It was an evening dedicated to celebrating the art form and marking Trinidad's 61st birthday. As for the Caribbean Music Awards, their loss was Toronto's gain. While Patrice was on stage performing for an estimated 6,000 people, she was named the Female Artist of the Year, and her music video "Mind My Business" won the SOCA Video of the Year Award. The skimpy chic leather-clad singer never stopped singing, and neither did the audien...

Canada's most prestigous fiction prizes now  has a 12-book longlist. Dionne Irving Wednesday  morning, the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist was announced. This year’s 12-book list is an exceptional compilation of books from an extraordinary range of writers, celebrating not only the strength and diversity of writing in Canada but also marking the 30th anniversary of the Prize. The longlist was announced this morning at The Rooms in St. John’s, Newfoundland, by the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, Suzette Mayr (Sleeping Car Porter). Of note among the dozen books on the list is Dionne Irving’s short story collection, "The Islands: Stories." The Toronto-born author and educator, now living in the US, has penned powerful stories that explore the legacy of colonialism, and issues of race, immigration, sexual discrimination, and class in the lives of Jamaican women across London, Panama, France, Jamaica, Florida, and more. Set in locations and times ranging from 1950s...

CTFF CONTINUES THIS EVENING WITH A RAP STAR AND A PUERTO RICO SEA GODDESS Garcia shoots Daughter of the Sea The party started last night with the opening night of Caribbean movies and happy fans. The 18th annual Caribbean Tales Film Festival kicked off its 16 day run at the Harbourfront Centre. If you are reading this and it is Thursday, put down the paper and order tickets for tonight now because CTFF’s Day 2 might be a sell-out. It happens this evening at 7 pm back at Harbourfront. Tonight’s theme is "Standout Shorts," featuring eight short films that explore various aspects of Caribbean culture, from a movie about a Caribbean Sea Goddess to a Black British, Black and White Duppy. Director/Writer Alexia Garcia right The Caribbean Camera's top pick of the night is "Daughter of the Sea," a Puerto Rican colour film. After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the orisha Goddess of the Sea. The ...