Connect with us

Community News

The United Achievers 33rd Annual Scholarship & Recognition Awards Night 

Published

on

BY: ASHELLY SMITH 

“Have you ever reached the rainbow’s end and did you find your pot of gold? Ever catch a shooting star tell me how high did you soar?”

The scholarship recipients from the United Achievers Club, may not be able to answer the above line verse by Fantasia’s song ‘I Believe’ yet but they will surely be able to do so. On September 16th, 2017, sixteen students received scholarship awards to assist with their post-secondary tuition. They are as follows: Dana-Kaye Matthews, Mikaelia Miller, Candace Newell, Arinze Ochuba, Mary Osei, Maya Simon, Jenae Downes, Ronaldo Duke, Kareem Elliot, Victoria Ezekwemba, Kayla Goodbridge, Taylor Bogle, Rya Buckey, Victoria De Freitas, Zoe Lopez and Danell Wright. 

At 6 pm at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, was the cocktail session. This session was a social and networking hour while drinking a glass of wine and listening to smooth music. All the guests waited in a queue to be seated accordingly. Soon, everyone was seated and were ready for the introduction of the Emcee, Jesse Jones.

‘Your Passion Can Be Your Life’s Work’

Those are the words Jones lives by. He is an innovator, brand builder, speaker, and influencer. He has made it his mission to help others tap into their own passions and actualize their dreams through their careers. Jones began to welcome special guests such as Peel Regional Police Chief, Jennifer Evans and the Mayor of Brampton, Linda Jeffrey.

Chief Jennifer Evans gave a few words to the scholarship recipients:

“I wish you all the best, take your time and have fun. Sometimes you get lost in your studies and forget to have fun.”

I agree. As the popular proverb says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” 

At last, it was the moment everyone was waiting for – dinner. The Caribbean jerk chicken was the Talk of the Town. It was just the right taste, at a minimum, the spicing included scotch bonnet pepper, and other spices. It wasn’t too spicy which was good because a lot of people would not be able to consume spicy dishes.  The chicken had a hint of sweetness and was decorated with sprinkles of thyme.  The chicken coconut soup was fairly good, a few guests commented that it was a bit too salty but nevertheless it was a tasty meal.  Also, on the menu was Rockfish with a fresh black bean and mango salsa. Guests could have their meals with rice and beans or seasonal vegetable medley. Dessert was also another thing that guests went crazy for, it was all done in a split of a second. Apple pie, black forest cake, fresh fruits & berries were on the dessert menu.

Later, there was a cello performance by one of the recipients, Ronaldo Duke. His performance was sentimental as he performed ‘It Will Rain’ by Bruno Mars. The introduction of the keynote speaker was done by Majorie Taylor, a past president of the United Achievers Club. The speaker was Dr. Everton Gooden, Chief of Otolaryngology/ Head and Neck Surgery at North York General Hospital.  He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  Everton began his career at North York General Hospital in 2001. He recently received the 2017 Harry Jerome Trailblazer Award according to his biography in the scholarship’s program.

In his presentation, he mentioned that he struggled academically. He wasn’t getting the A’s or B’s, he was a below average student. But he didn’t let that hinder him from aspiring for greater achievements.  He says: “As long as you continue to work hard, maintain your determination and commitment anything is truly possible.”

Gooden has followed through with his statement to be where he is at today. He said there were bad days and a lot of obstacles in his way but he continued to persevere until he became successful.

Finally, it was the presentation of the 2017 scholarship recipients by Kathy Mcdonald and Lucinda Sloley. I spoke with one of the recipients, Maya Simmons about how she felt receiving this award:

“After receiving my award, I felt proud. Proud to be a part of a group of young black people that have all the potential to change the world.”

When I asked her what significantly did she do to receive this scholarship she later shared: “For me, I believed that it was my volunteer work that stood out the most. I really like to focus on giving back to my school community to prepare younger kids for big changes in life such as high school. I go back to my elementary school twice a year to talk with the grade eight students about the transition into high school. I also volunteer a lot within the black community through events such as Afro Fest.”

Maya is eighteen years old who is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School. She is enrolled in the Media Info and Techno-Culture program at Western University.

Soon, the night was over with a splendid performance by Canadian singer Liberty Silver.

The United Achievers Club of Brampton is a non-profit organization established in 1980. For thirty-three years, the United Achievers’ and its partners have assisted approximately 370 students in their quest for higher education.

I’m proud to say, I was a past recipient in 2014 whose life this organization has touched. It was an amazing night and hopefully next year you will be there!

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Community News

Are citizens the ones causing harm to the environment, or is it our world leaders?

Published

on

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

For many years now, we the public have been hounded by the climate change hoaxers in government and climate zahrs who have lied to us, lectured us, and now have subjected us to punitive financial steps to make us comply with their climate change lies. In this piece, we shall first look at, and then reveal who the real climate vampires are.

A recent study published by PubMed has revealed what many others have long suspected, which is that wireless radiation emitted by cell towers and other wireless technology harms both human health and the environment.

All these mentioned in the paragraph above fall under electromagnetic fields (EMF), which seriously affect many different life forms, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria.

This is exceptionally serious considering that from the depths of the soil to the highest layers of the atmosphere imbalances caused by this wireless radiation emitted by cell towers can affect the universe in ways that we as humans never thought possible; here is how this is happening.

It is important to note here that as recently as August 2021, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in favor of Children’s Health Defense (CHD) in its landmark case against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), challenging the FCC’s decision not to review its health and safety guidelines regarding 5G and wireless technology.

This happened because the court recognized that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) did not fully disclose the harmful effects of these radiations upon the public. This ruling also made it clear that the FCC was arbitrary and capricious in its failure to respond to comments concerning environmental harm caused by RF radiation.

Here are the findings of this study about what, how, and who is affected.

As mentioned earlier studies have shown that radiofrequency EMFs can have detrimental impacts on plant species, some of these impacts include: A shorter lifespan in certain plant species and trees that are exposed to cell towers being damaged on the exposed side which over time spreads to the entire tree.

In animals the effects are devastating; here is how. Radiofrequency EMFs have also been shown to adversely affect several animals such as: birds, frogs, rats, and mice.

These studies show that electromagnetic pollution from wireless telecommunications may be a factor in reducing certain mammal populations. There has been a notable decline in the number of babies and irreversible infertility in mice due to radiofrequency radiation.

Cell towers can cause developmental problems and death to the tadpoles exposed to them. Then there is the inability for birds to navigate their path safely because of electromagnetic noise, which blocks out their magnetic compass.

Even rats that come into contact with the waves from these cell towers give birth to babies with altered genetic expression in the brain. Insects experience changes in their: behavior, physiology, and morphology because of the trauma of these 5G networks and their towers.

This study revealed that even bacteria are not exempt from the harmful effects of EMF sources such as Wi-Fi, which have also been shown to have significantly altered their growth rate.

Studies have shown that even the extremely low-frequency EMFs from power lines can produce changing effects in the magnetosphere, the region of space around the earth.

As promised in paragraph one, we looked at and explained the damage caused by these: cell towers, WIFI, radiofrequency EMF, and 5G radiation. In closing, we will examine who is responsible. I will be concise in my answer by saying that it is those mentioned in the same paragraph.

Imagine hypocrites and liars like: Al Gore, Tony Blair, John Kerry, Justin Trudeau, and the little WEF climate actress Greta Thunberg lecturing us on climate change.

These are the liars who use private jets to circle the globe religiously, while climate taxing us and attempting to shame us for using our little cars.

Finally, we must follow the money. Who owns and benefits from the 5G rollout? Readers, I am sure your surname is not BlackRock or Vanguard, is it? Now we know who is controlling these greedy climate puppets mentioned above.

Continue Reading

Community News

Public Service Alliance of Canada calls on government to ensure pension surplus goes to workers and not o federal coffers

Published

on

BY PAUL JUNOR

The issue of what to do with the federal public service pension surplus of $9.3 billion is of significant concern to more than 700,000 federal public service workers, retirees, and territorial government employees. The federal government has expressed an interest in utilizing the surplus and this has prompted the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to launch a national campaign to bring awareness of the government’s plan. PSAC released information in a press release on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, to express its concerns about the government’s planned actions.

Sharon DeSousa, National President of the PSAC states, “This is a betrayal of trust. Workers and the government contribute equally to this pension fund, but now the government is taking a break while workers are left to shoulder the burden.” PSAC believes that the government’s desire to put its hands on the surplus pensions would be a precedent-setting move. It could prompt private and public employers to do the same thing to their employees’ pension plans. This is an essential issue for the largest public sector union in Canada. “This is more than a fight for public sector workers; it is a fight for everyone who believes in: fairness, accountability, and the retirement security of workers.” National President Dsouza notes further, “If the federal government (the largest employer in the country) can raid its own workers’ pensions, what stops other employers from doing the same thing?”

PSAC is optimistic and hopeful that the federal government will reverse its course of action as it is still early. They have presented three possible solutions to protect retirement security and tackle the pension surplus. These include:

  • Reverse the two-tier system:

Reverse the two-tier system introduced by the Harper government in 2012. Under the Harper changes, federal workers who started their jobs on, or after January 1st, 2013, must work five years longer to reach full retirement. This inequality is fundamentally unjust.

  • Equitable retirement options for frontline workers:

Follow through on the government’s commitment to provide equitable retirement benefits for frontline public safety workers.

  • Suspend employee contributions:

If the government gives itself a contribution holiday, workers who equally pay into the pension plan should get one too, ensuring fairness and equality.

DeSousa states, “This isn’t about pensions; it’s about fairness, accountability, and doing the right thing for the workers who serve Canada every day.”

In a press release on Monday, November 25th, 2024, issued after the federal government’s announcement of a multi-billion-dollar surplus, PSAC notes that “This represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the future of Canada’s public service, and righting the wrongs of the Harper era.” The press release referred to a report by the independent Chief Actuary of Canada, which acknowledged that there was a $1.9 billion surplus in the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) that is more than the optimal surplus allowed according to prescribed legislation. These funds will be transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Fund by the government.

PSAC is not pleased that federal workers who commenced on, or after January 1st, 2023, have to wait five years later to get a full pension. For PSAC, “This inequality is fundamentally unjust.” President DeSousa notes, “Federal workers built this pension surplus through their hard-earned contributions, and taking these funds is a betrayal of their trust. It also sets a dangerous precedent for all Canadian employers who may now be eying the pension contributions of other public sector workers.”

PSAC believes that the transfer of these funds into general government revenues rather than to alleviate the unfair two-tier pension system is inherently unfair. PSAC has offered a cost-neutral policy to the government to undo the policies introduced by Harper and will continue its fight to ensure these funds are allocated equitably. “PSAC is determined to express opposition to any actions by the federal government to divert these funds,” DeSousa notes. “A two-tier system is inherently unfair, especially for: racialized, Black, Indigenous, and young workers who make up the majority of recent hires-the same workers this government has confirmed to support and recruit into the public service. If the government is serious about equity and inclusion, we need fair retirement benefits for everyone.”

In an email on Friday, November 29th, 2024, PSAC announced that government’s actuaries revealed that $7.4 billion will be taken from the PSPP as it suspends employer contributions. The government has tabled measures indicating that it will pass the surplus to its coffers. President DeSousa states, “The decision by the government to put itself ahead of workers is wrong. They’re suspending employer contributions for the plan, but not investing in fairer pensions, or a contribution break for workers. That is a betrayal.”

PSAC is disappointed that the government did not engage in consultations with them and hid their true intentions hoping that they would not be found out. DeSousa notes, “The government could have given much-needed financial relief to some of the lowest paid workers in the federal government and make a fairer pension system in a revenue-neutral way, at no cost at all to taxpayers. The question is, why didn’t they?”

DeSousa expressed disappointment at the failure of the government to table pension reform legislation and ensure that frontline public safety and law enforcement workers have access to future equitable retirement benefits. “I spoke with the Prime Minister earlier this week. He must do right by these workers. It’s not too late.”

Continue Reading

Community News

Vegetable Pancakes: Wintertime delicious

Published

on

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Zucchini Pancakes: A flexible vegetarian meal that allows you to add whatever you desire to it, feeding your family a nutritious main for breakfast, or lunch. The main ingredients need not be zucchini, but perhaps squash, or any other fleshy fiber laden veggie. Also, you can top the pancake with just about whatever you desire be it: hot peppers, fried eggs, jam or even delicious maple syrup.

Family instructions: You will prepare this just as you would a regular pancake.

  • Shred three small zucchini’s and add a teaspoon of salt to draw out the moisture, leaving it to breathe for about 10-15 minutes.
  • While you’re waiting, chop green onions, or scallions finely. You will need 3 – 4 eggs to blend into the zucchini. If you wish to replace eggs with another substitute that will bind the shredded zucchini such as: flax, or chia seeds in water, mashed bananas, or applesauce do so.
  • Mix together and add if you so desire a cheese such as parmesan cheese to your distinctive taste, along with fruit, or berries. Add one cup of flour (more if you want the pancake to be denser).
  • Using a large spoon add to a hot pan, frying to your desired consistency. Flip and add some cheese to melt if you wish.

Another less costly ingredient may be the ever-present Mexican Avocado diced and added to the mix. The Germans often add fried onions with diced mushrooms and in Southern Italy don’t be surprised to find fried anchovies with pitted olives added.

Cooking is limited only by your imagination, so be creative, experiment and enjoy.

Continue Reading

Trending