Police Serious About Cultural Diversity

Toronto Police Joining Caribana Parade this year

The Toronto Police Service is taking part in the competitive section of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly known as Caribana) along the Lakeshore Boulevard August 3. According to Sergeant Rod Chung, one of the persons involved with the undertaking said, this is a push forward to show that the service is not just involved for the cosmetic look. The police personnel involvement is a demonstration of its commitment to foundation and proof of its determination to be an integral part of the carnival.

Dr. Alok Mukherjee, Chair of the Police Services Board noted that the Caribbean Carnival Toronto is a celebration of the vibrancy, richness and colourfulness of the kaleidoscopic culture that characterizes the city and the country today. “The powerful spirit of this festival can be felt throughout this city, in all of our neighbourhoods,” he added.

At Police Headquarters downtown Toronto Chief William Blair, Board Chair Alok Mukherjee and other senior officers launched the service’s involvement in the festival now being presented as Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival. It was truly a Caribbean affair complete with masqueraders, music and culinary offerings, for all present, not only for the VIP’s as the Festival management Committee have become famous for doing. Earl La Pierre, one of the country’s outstanding steelpan soloists provided exciting music for the assembly of masqueraders at the event. It was his third year participating in the event which he likes very 

                                              Pannist Earl La Pierre Jr. lively up Headquarters

                                              Sergeant Rod Chung at Thursday's Launch

                                            Toronto Police Brass appreciate good mas

                                                  police masquerade at Headquarters

much. “I endorse it because without them there would be no Caribana because we need that and as they say ‘protect and serve’ and it looks like they are having more fun than we are at times. As he endorsed the police participation in the festival, La Pierre noted that they “bring us into their quarters now and a lot of us get to come down and see their main headquarters. So it’s nice to come in and sit down and see Chief William Blair sitting down and talking to us alongside Fitzroy Gordon and Jamal Magloire, it’s a nice experience. I am glad to be a part of it.”

Members of the Caribbean Consular Corps were among those who assembled for the special occasion during the lunchtime Thursday afternoon. Contributors to the occasion included performers, students of Seneca College, the Ontario School of Design, the Carpenters’ Union, Proctor Cartage, members of the service’s Diversity Management Unit, Divisional Policing Support Unit and 33 Division as well as members of the Auxiliary unit.

Sergeant Chung said this is a huge opportunity for the service as it reiterates some of the work being done by the service behind the scene. It shows that the police service is part of the community and it is very important to show “not only that you are a part of the community but to be a part of the community. We talk about the caterpillar and the butterfly this year. A lot of people don’t know what we do behind the scenes. It’s like the work of the caterpillar but a day like this for celebration. We’ve been working on this for months and months. So just like everybody else who is getting ready for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival kick off, we are part of it too. It’s very important to show everyone we are still part of this community. “It’s a day for people to really understand that we are not just here for that cosmetic look. We are here for the long haul,” says Sergeant Chung.

After some 16 years involved in Caribana celebration Sergeant Chung said the service is about to put its mark on the scene to show that it is here. Instead of presenting Youth in Policing on a non-competitive truck, the police presence will be in Jamal Magloire’s Toronto Revellers as one of the sections. Chung contends that move is huge. “Most of the time we are taking part and having fun. People would never see us. By the time they get there, we have left but this year we are going to be front stage and I am looking forward to it,” Sergeant Chung added.

Dr. Mukherjee acknowledged the new publication produced for the occasion as very informative reflecting the hard work that went into the launch. The service’s involvement in this year’s festival is going beyond recognizing diversity but building on it. Asked whether he will be in costume for the parade Dr. Mukherjee laughed and promised maybe, as it is always fun. “I imagine we have the talent to do that (be part of the Toronto Revellers band). The police service involvement in the Carnival festival is a positive thing and it is important because it showcases the many police officers and others who work here who come from these cultural backgrounds. It’s not just the public image. It’s also the message that is sent inside to the organizations about our valuing the importance we attach to cultural diversity and that’s a strength. And we mean that and we have the talent, the richness and cultural knowledge inside the organization. So in terms of changing the organization, this is an important event,” Dr. Mukherjee added.

Why no feds Funding for Toronto Festival

No Feds $ for Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Festival… Caribana Disguised by Another Name? No Gun Highway Robbery!
By William Doyle-Marshall
It was quite a launch for the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival at Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was the place for slips and falls as there were errors or mis-statements after mis-statements.
At the top of the list was the Federal Government’s Minister for Senior Citizens arriving with a message and she was not sure whether it was from Prime Minister Stephen Harper or the Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney. Alice Wong, who is also the MP from Richmond B.C. flew in for the occasion. She read a message that she said was from the Right Honourable Jason Kenney. At the end the MP asked Denise Herrera-Jackson, CEO of the festival to receive it on behalf of the Prime Minister. The title of Right Honourable is usually reserved for the Prime Minister.

                                    Denise Herrera-Jackson, Festival CEO and Chris Alexaner, right Next was the introduction of Michael Coteau, Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. He was described as the lone Caribbean-Canadian parliamentarian in Ontario. Trinidadian Bas Balkissoon a sitting member of the Ontario Parliament for quite a few years representing Scarborough Rouge was ignored in the haste of the Festival Management Committee to recognize the new minister. It would be quite accurate to refer to Mr. Coteau, whose heritage is Grenadian, as the lone Caribbean-Canadian in the Ontario Cabinet.
The federal government is not contributing any money to the 2013 edition of Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival. This was announced by Toronto City Councillor Joe Mihevc at the Nathan Phillips Square launch. In disclosing that the feds are not contributing a single penny to this festival, the councillor called on Torontonians to do something about the situation. They were urged to write a letter to their Members of Parliament and emphasized that they (Government of Canada) needs to change things.
Mihevc wants the feds to at least match funding contributions by the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario. The councillor informed the gathering that despite Toronto’s $525,000 sponsorship funds to Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the City makes no money from the festival. The provincial government makes money as well, but it is a contributor to the operation. And the city is indeed very thankful to the province for their contribution to this important festival. Further the federal government makes money off the cultural event and they should be contributing, Mihevc said. “Indeed the federal government needs to be brought into the picture as well,” Mihevc explained.
In addition to its funding commitment, the City of Toronto’s contribution to the staging of this festival includes the value of the services it provides – the police, parks and recreation and ambulance. Mihevc said the city puts a lot into this festival “because we believe this festival is what it means to be a Torontonian”.
Coteau wished the festival a successful 46^th anniversary. It is pretty strange that Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival has not been taking place for 46 years. As a knowledgeable Canadian, the minister knew he was speaking about Caribana. The bank became title sponsor of Caribana in 2008 and from that year to now, simple calculation or mathematics would prove from 2008 to now is not 46 years. If the Festival management committee wants to claim its festival has been staged 46 years, they are clearly talking about Caribana—a name it is pretending not to be using.
Christine Williams Scotiabank Vice President for Toronto East informed the Nathan Phillips Square assembly “you just can’t think about summer in Toronto without seeing images of brightly coloured costumes, the sound of the steelband and the smell of the grill. So many Canadians spend part of their winter in the Caribbean and this is one time that the Caribbean comes here and we all love it.”
The high ranking bank executive notes that forty plus years ago this event (Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival) started as a small gathering on the island but today it is a huge celebration that everyone’s invited to attend. The FMC and banking officials are playing games with the people of the Caribbean community. They are avoiding the name Caribana but every year they are talking about Caribana under the pretense that their festival is brand new. The renaming of Caribana took place in 2010 at Scotiabank Plaza. Renaming the festival is nothing but a sham.

Nathan Phillips Crowd at Festival Launch

Indeed if the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is not Caribana, it is time that FMC personnel create their own brand new programmes. Stop using existing events that the Caribbean Cultural Committee launched and branded over the years. If this is a new festival then they must come up with a brand new slate of programmes. To use Caribana events as though they are their own is nothing short of dishonesty. This is Highway robbery without guns. The colourful parade along the Lakeshore Boulevard; King and Queen of the Bands, Junior Carnival and the Calypso Monarch contest are not creations of the FMC. Since the Festival Management Committee boasts about more professional than the Caribbean Cultural Committee and since Councillor Joe Mihevc and his cronies support the FMC, it is time they call for a set of new programmes from the brains of the smart FMC champions.
Council Michael Thompson, Chair of the Economic Development Committee acknowledged the festival injects millions of dollars each year in the city’s economy and that it’s absolutely amazing. Certainly this money plays a crucial role with the need to create more jobs and to create more opportunities for all in the community. This ensures that there is prosperity for all – restaurants, hotels, retailers and services of all kinds.

Toronto Caribbean Festival Launch

largest Toronto Festival launch crowd, Creativity Lacking

By William Doyle-Marshall

Wow! This is the best description for Tuesday’s launch at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square of the 2013 edition of the city’s mammoth Caribbean festival (Caribana). Some will boast about it being the best ever but I have to challenge that. It was the largest lunchtime crowd attending since the Festival Management Committee started producing the event following its political coup over the Caribbean Cultural Committee. That was the success of political wits.

   Considering this is a Toronto Caribbean cultural festival why was Ravi B, who does not live here included as the major act in this prime time launch. That speaks volumes for Toronto calypsonians. Which is the correct reason? Calypsonians here are not regarded as good enough or is it because Ravi B appeared gratis? Or did he pay to be on the show? Again that’s the kind of action or reaction when you have a lame-limbed organization speaking for calypsonians.

Minister of Citizenship & Immigration at festival launch

   Pre-launch promotion promised a barrage of activities following the official launch. From 2:00 to 8:00pm the Festival Management Committee announced that festival supporters would have entertainment and numerous food selections right through to the end. But after Ravi B left the stage Nathan Phillips Square was transformed into a sort of wake environment. All that was missing were coffee, crackers and cheese. Ravi B provided the rum in his song. Yes, there were booths but nothing to attract the passersby. Even those assembled on site engaged in conversations getting up to date on things as many had not seen each other since last year or maybe two years ago.

  What about creativity? The launch of a festival must provide insight of things to come. There is much hoopla about the parade along the Lakeshore and the contest for the best king and queen title. Current and retired masquerade band leaders were present but what about an amazing creation being showcased to that lunch time assembly. Nothing of the sort. Scotiabank could have commissioned a work or two for the launch. Certainly they could have enticed some new converts to this cultural spectacle. Exhibiting young women’s bodies decorated with beads, bikinis and feathers cannot be considered creativity. Sorry. Not good enough.

masqueraders on display at festival launch!

Mayor Rob Forde reminded the gathering in Nathan Phillips Square that the “Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival is the largest in North America attracting millions of visitors to this city each year for several weeks. The festival contributes to the economic vitality of this great city and promotes harmony. The Mayor proclaimed July 9 to August 4. This is something everyone must be proud of.

                                          Nathan Phillips Square at Caribbean Festival launch

   If this is true, what is the Festival Management Committee hiding? I am convinced that this organization does not understand the role of the media. Covering numerous festivals, community gatherings, political conventions and major conferences across North America and in other parts of the world, I am absolutely astounded that these people are treating media as the enemy. At the launch, they felt compelled to separate the media/press from its cherished Very Important People (VIP). Margo Harris no doubt speaking for the FMC promptly informed media practitioners that they had to remain behind the barricade – a rather inappropriate spot for conducting the affairs of covering this event. If Miss Harris and her colleagues believe that our work is to simply stand in one spot and photograph scantily clad girls, she must think again. We do not all belong to the tits and ass club. Some of us actually do more than that. So we must move around in search of those special shots and interviews/comments as well. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to call for a total media boycott of this festival. Remember the saying: ’you do not attract bees with vinegar’. Just imagine a total media blackout on this 46 year old festival. There are many other stories we could gladly cover where organizers would happily welcome us. Shoddy planning and adopting exclusionary tactics will get FMC no where but in the media’s dog kennel.

July10, 2013

summer chock full of culture

Join Calypso, Reggae and More Festivals of City of Toronto
By William Doyle-Marshall
This is the time of year when Canadians enjoy the weather that allow them to spend more time outdoors after being cooped up indoors for many months of the cold seasons. Barbeque parties, curry Q limes, picnic in public parks and small family assemblies. But the more adventurous ones join friends on yachts or travel out of town to camp or stay in cottages just to get away from the normal humdrum of city life. For the city slickers festivals are prime activities and consequently they focus on South Asian festivals, Block-O assemblies staged by steelbands around the city; tenth anniversary of Dundas Square and masquerade lovers are scheduling visits to masquerade camps selecting costumes for the big mammoth Caribbean Carnival taking place at the beginning of August.
From August 2 through August 5 (Caribana) now being called the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival weekend -- the TD Irie Music Festival will be staged at Nathan Phillips Square and according to Phil Vassell, artistic director, “as you jump up at Carnival, you cool down at Irie”.This year the festival will not be only feature reggae headliners but there will be some Soca headliners. The international Soca headliner that weekend is Bunji Garlin whose big hit “We Ready” is expected to set the mood for the party lovers. The weekend is being slugged “Irie Soca” “so if you want to get warmed up for the parade on the next day come on down to Nathan Phillips Square, share in the music and the good vibes,” says Phil Vassell, artistic director.

Bunji Garlin for TD Irie Music Festival
Half Pint, a legendary Jamaican reggae star is coming to Toronto for the first time as well as Richie Stevens, the golden voice of reggae, who will be releasing a new album.
“Dance Immersion” will be offering a brand new programme for the festival and the artistic director promises patrons would see some of the best dance performances in terms of the various dance artistes and dance groups. “Since dance Immersion is an umbrella organization, you get to experience some of the best we have here in Canada and also internationally,” says Vassell.
“We are looking forward to as big a year, if not bigger, as we had last year when we featured Third World on the same day that some guy named Usain Bolt just tore up the track in London and left everybody in the dust. It was quite a celebration as this (Nathan Phillip Square) became celebration central for all those who were watching the London Olympics and enjoying the good vibes.”
  Celebration Square, downtown in the City of Mississauga will host the festival for a second time on July 13 and 14. Leading international reggae sensation ETANA headlines the first Irie Women’s Showcase that Saturday evening. She will be joined by a who’s who of rising Canadian female artists including Belinda Brady, Ammoye and Dahlia.
   Oshawa is a new venue for the festival this year. July 20 and 21 TD Irie Music festival will introduce that city with its blend of Reggae, R&B, Hip Hop triple threat Wayne Wonder.
   The importance of volunteer contributions to the festival’s success as Vassell acknowledged individuals who have been with him from the inception eleven years ago.
   Strong young female performers to be on the festival stages include Belinda Brady and Maccie Paquette and according to Vassell this will be an opportunity to showcase some very strong female performers who need to be given the attention and the opportunity to show what they are doing. “I can tell you that we featured a lot of those women in the past on the Irie stages and this is a great chance to see all of them together at the same time on the stage at Celebration Square,” he continued.
   Vassell concluded that the festival really could not happen without all the efforts of various funders and the hundreds of volunteers. “This festival really could not happen without the strong support of our title sponsor TD Bank,” the artistic director emphasized.
   DJ Carl Allen, one of the city’s very experienced Executive producer and Programmer, has been with the festival for the entire eleven years of existence and he is convinced it is the only festival which features reggae in its entirety. It started as a reggae festival but has grown and diversified to a point where it embodies reggae, Soca and calypso. This year soul fusion stage is a part of the overall plan and music lovers will be exposed to the diversified Toronto music scene. “We feature everything from Bangra to soul, some acoustic stuff, so it’s grown a lot.” Allen has been a deejay for about 35 years and for 25 of those years he hosted a show on CKLN Radio.

12-year-old Jaeden at Junior Carnival launch
   Finalists for this year’s Calypso Monarch Contests on July 28 have been selected by the panel of judges who listened to the singers at two of the city’s calypso tents – The Professionals Calypso Tent and Kaiso Forum. Master’s Cove Calypsonians were forced to appear at the other tents to be judged. The singers who are attempting to wrestle the crown from (Tara Woods) Macomere Fifi, the reigning champion include Dennis James and (Pat McNeilly) Pan Man Pat, Professionals; (Bryan Thornhill) Structure -- Forum; (Newton Lewis) Spivey, Masters Cove; (Henry Gomez) King Cosmos and (Alfred Caton) Dynasty - Forum; (Joel Davis) Connector, Professionals and (Michael Thomas) Redman – Forum. The contest will be at the Chinese Cultural Centre’s P.C. Ho Theatre in Scarborough.
   The one calypso session I experienced at the Master’s Cove was truly refreshing especially seeing a 12-year-old performer Jaeden Shabazz bring the house down with his presentation of “I Like School”. It was encouraging to see Colin Benjamin, president of the Organization for Calypso Performing Artistes and his wife present. The Master’s Cove certainly offered patrons a balanced programme Smokey (Cleve Henry) appealed for unity among Caribbean people to offer the world a stronger vision of their cultural offering. (Otis Lewis) Taurus did his nine year old composition, “The Message” in which he called on young men in the community to put down their guns. Still very apt. Jiselle DM, decked in her parks and recreation uniform sang about “Everybody’s Important”. This editorial reminded us that the type of work you secure to earn a livelihood does not matter. We all have a role to play in society. Loveman Kent drove in form Montreal to remind us about Caribana, complete with costumed carnival dancers. Spivey, the new Montreal Calypso Monarch showed off to the audience the material (Kent Merchant) that earned him the new title “Cry for the Little Children” Brown Sugar, Spivey, Miss JD contributed a gospel touch to the evening with “Closer Walk With thee and “Precious Lord” and June Smith What’s Going On? Is an editorial on social behavior among men and women.
   For those who prefer to remain close to water they have a plethora of diverse activities to select at the Harbourfront Center, despite the construction work being undertaken on Queen’s Quay. Experiencing the world in one location is what Harbourfront promises every family member.