Posts in category Life & Style

Contact Staff This summer look out for Eloi “SK” Thomas, Montreal’s newest Caribbean fusion artist on the scene. Of late he has been positioning himself to make a mark on the local music scene with his upbeat and fiery performing style which had the crowd moving at Trini Day in the Park 2016. He says he’s looking into dropping his first solo CD in 2018. Born in Montreal to Trini parents Eloi SK grew up surrounded by Soca, Reggae, and pop music  and  has been involved in the music scene  for almost  two decades. He says his parents created a …

Gemma Raeburn Baynes: “retirement maybe…” Egbert Gaye It must have been something about 22-year-old Gemma Raeburn back in 1972, when Winston Roberts, the man accredited as been one of the founders of the Montreal Caribbean carnival parade, called on her to help organize the inaugural event. Union United Church was marking its 65th anniversary and they decided to make a Caribbean parade part of that celebration. As it turned out, the youthful Raeburn was one of the livewires in the community at the time called on to make it happen. And so it began. These days, more than four and …

All about fitness and well-being Contact Staff Yohance Johnson is on a quest. He wants to bring the message of fitness and wellbeing to as many of his friends, acquaintances and other Montrealers as possible. So whenever he engages in conversation with anyone, the first thing he does is to encourage them to get involved or participate in one of the many activities he organizes to promote physical and mental growth. Johnson, a personal trainer and leader of the Boot Camp training sessions at the West End Gym in NDG, established his Fit Squad about three years ago and embarked …

 No drama for Lettia McNickle Contact Staff In a world where some are made and others are broken by social media, 22-year-old Lettia McNickle is quickly mastering the many communication platforms such as Facebook and Internet TV, and using them to earn some short-term points and position herself for a future in the media. Today, she is the reigning Miss Black Beauty (Quebec), a crown she snagged in a mostly French environment at a show on April 1, at Plaza Antique, a feat that followed her winning the Miss Montreal Carnival Queen in June last year. Lettia, who is currently …

Beverly Deroy remembers the tough days Egbert Gaye Part of the foundation of our community rests on the shoulders of the thousands of women who made their way here to Montreal and other big Canadians cities as domestics from across the Caribbean. They came in large numbers in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and worked hard to pave the way for others to follow, many of them bringing husbands and relatives helping to shape the landscape of our community, many sometimes under abusive conditions. When Beverly Deroy left her native Jamaica in 1976 to come to Montreal, with the promise …

Always shining in the spotlight   Egbert Gaye The thing about Alicia Anderson is that she has grown accustomed to winning and making things happen, especially on stage.  That’s why fans get a treat when she gets into her act, because for her it has always been all or nothing. As one of Montreal’s emerging reggae stars, the woman they call Miss Diva has placed herself on a fast track in getting to the top of her game. And says she’s doing it by “staying busy, staying true to myself and staying true to the music.” “I think the most …

Contact Staff On Saturday, March 4, at Indigo bookstore in downtown Montreal, Audley Coley will be on hand for a re-launch of his book, Audley Enough. It chronicles how he has been able to live a “normal” life while suffering with bipolar illness, by managing his affliction over the years by maintaining a positive attitude. First published in 2013, the book is “a brief account” of Coley’s journey, and is both motivational and inspiring, especially for people who also may be suffering with the affliction and seeking help. His first crisis happened when he was 27. His core message then …

Renowned dance instructor and choreographer active as ever now that she has turned 60. She will be recognized on Friday, February 17 Contact Staff There’s something intriguing about Dayle King: the way she looks … the way she moves. “Nothing special,” she says in a recent telephone interview. “Just a lot of self confidence and the way I choose to carry myself.” And she has decided to take it to another level now that that she has turned that magic number of 60. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to get to my 60th birthday and begin this …

Remembering Augusta Marie Chiwy By J. Leblanc Augusta Marie Chiwy was born in 1921 in Burundi. She was the daughter of a Belgian veterinarian and his Congolese wife. When she was 9 years old she moved to Bastogne, her father’s hometown located in Southeast Belgium. On May 10, 1940, Belgium was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany. During the long occupation Augusta went to nursing school, and after graduating worked in a hospital in the city of Louvain, about 160 km from Bastogne. On June 6, 1944, allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in France and fought their …

Novel Thomas Longtime Liberal MP Warren Allmand died on Wednesday, December 7. He was 84. For over 30 years, Allmand served at all political levels—federally, provincially and municipally. An indefatigable champion of human rights and other social justice issues he fought for the issues that were close to his heart uncompromisingly. Allmand’s commitment to social justice was seeded at a young age during the Great Depression; it was a period that helped to nurture his comprehension of humanity and served him in good stead in his adult life, and more specifically throughout his political life. A lawyer by profession, Allmand …