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March 25, 2015
PAGE 1
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
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VOL. 9, NO. 06 • March 25, 2015
Website: www.caribbeangraphic.ca • Tel: 905.831-4402 • Fax: 416.292.2943 • Email: [email protected]
Granger Coming, April 19!
Calling All Bandleaders
the estimated five and half
hour Meet, Greet and Mingle
Session will allow Guyanese
Canadians first hand exposure
to the Granger- Nagamotoo
led Coalition’s plans to effect much needed change in
Guyana. As South America’s
only English speaking country
Guyana, has been recently
ranked as that Continent’s
poorest and one of the world’s
most corrupt countries.
Significant immigration by
dissatisfied Guyanese has
also resulted in the country’s
population having declined
to approximately 750,000
within the past two decades.
Estimates of the total number
of Guyana-born emigrants
now living abroad range from
500,000 to 1 million — a
massive Diaspora relative to
Guyana’s resident population.
Come take advantage of our Carnival Craziness
Special Advertising Rates to promote your 2013
Mas Bands
Enjoy 50% P
Discounts off our Regular
Community Rates on any ads booked from
April 12 – July 16, 2013.
ickering’s 1527
Bayly Street Family Worship Centre
will be packed to its
rafters and overflowing
on April 19. The Centre
will on that day host Brigadier
David Granger, the APNUAFC Presidential Candidate
for Guyana’s upcoming May 11,
2015 General Elections.
Granger and his Prime Ministerial Candidate colleague
Moses Nagamootoo, have embarked on a North American
Tour to brief Diaspora based
Guyanese on their APNU-AFC
Coalition Party’s Elections
platform. Under a Time For
Change Banner, the APNUAFC aims to overthrow the
incumbent Donald Ramotar
led PPP Government, which
has held power in Guyana for
the past twenty-two years.
Scheduled to Commence at
1:30 pm and end at 6:00 pm,
Wendy Jones Cops HarryJerome
Entertainment Award
All ads are full colour.
P
an Fantasy’s Wendy
Jones is the Entertainment Winner of
this year’s Harry Jerome
Awards. The Black Business
Full Page
10 X 14.5
and Professional Association
(BBPA) recently announced the
fifteen recipients of the 33rd
Annual Harry Jerome Awards
presented by the BBPA and RBC
Royal Bank. The BBPA celebrates 33 years of recognizing
excellence within the AfricanCanadian community on April
25th, 2015.
The BBPA Harry Jerome
Awards is recognized as the
most prestigious national
awards gala in the African-
$1000
$500
Canadian community and a
coveted symbol of achievement. This year’s winners are: Edmond Nankam
Dzokou – Academics; Cory
Joseph – Athletics; Wendy
Jones – Entertainment; Nneka
Elliott – Media; Dr. Wanda
Thomas-Bernard – Community Service; Dr. Carol Althea
Pitters – Health Sciences;
Jelani Smith – Leadership;
Mark Beckles – Professional
Excellence; Tamar Huggins;
Archie Alleyne - Lifetime
Achievement; Scott Mullin –
Diversity; Masai Ujiri – President; Gerry McNeilly – Public
Advocacy; Kareena Elliston
Keynote speaker for the
33rd Harry Jerome Awards
is Rich Castillo, A&R Director Universal Music Canada,
responsible for music management, publishing and primarily A&R. Entertainment for the
night includes International
Recording Artists, The Savoy
Ellingtons, Heirs to the Jazz
Throne, USA.
The 33rd Annual BBPA
Harry Jerome Awards will be
held on Saturday, April 25th,
2015 at the Metro Toronto
Convention Centre, South
Building, 222 Bremner Blvd.,
Toronto. Tickets for the Harry
Jerome Awards are $200.
C
Bo
co
To
yo
ca
1/2 Page
10 X 7.25
$500
$300
– Youth Advocacy and Deputy
Chief Rudolph Andrew Crawford – Social Engagement.
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Not intended to solicit properties already under contract.
To Accept This Ou
PAGE 2
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Art, Image, Culture Exhibition Ends March 31!
T
he Tropicana Community
Services Exhibition Art,
Image, Culture is now
in its final stages, culminating as it will on March 31. The
Tropicana Community Services
sponsored Exhibition features
the works of Photographers Ian
Grant and Carlos Ferguson,
as well as Artist Jennylynd
James,. It can be viewed at
Scarboough’s Tropicana Centre
of Excellence, located at 1385
Huntingwood Drive.
Grenadian-Born Ian Grant has lived
in Toronto for many years. From this
vantage point he has developed a unique
collection of naturalistic photographs,
capturing images in Brazil, Italy, Aruba,
Yugoslavia, Azores, Grenada, Honolulu
and other spectacular locales.
Carlos Ferguson studied Photographic
Techniques at Humber College, and
Photography and Imaging at Georgian
College. Over the last decade, he has
produced several solo exhibits and has
been included in various shows in the
Greater Toronto Area. Most notable,
has been ‘Landscape 4 Views’ hosted by
Toronto’s J.D. Carrier Gallery. Trinidadian-born Jennylynd stumbled across her artistic talent in 2009,
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braced self expression in art as a new
lifestyle.
Donations will be made to Tropicana Community Services from any
art purchased at the Exhibition . Show
times are Monday –Thursday: 9:00am –
5:00pm; Friday: 9:00am – 4:30pm and
Saturday:10:00am – 4:00 pm..
Norman Sue
Bakery
Wishing all our valued customers a
Most Blessed Easter.
Thanks for your continuing support.
Please visit our Bakery, or call us
for a wide selection of
Bread, Cakes, Guyanese Pastries,
Black Pudding, Fish Cakes,
Potato Balls, Pholouri,
Roti, Dhal Puri, Noodles
and many nostalgic, delicious delights!
Asif A. Kasim
The
while taking an art class for therapy
and motivation after a traumatic loss
in a relationship. Jennylynd uses the
vivid colours of her heritage, and the
rich culture of food, dance, Carnival
Art, and theatre to influence her work.
Jennylynd now lives in Bloor West
Village, Toronto where she has em-
Inc.
Tel: 416-754-4181
1220 Ellesmere Rd., Unit 29, Scarborough
March 25, 2015
Saturday, May 16 is the date for the Guyana Christian Charities’ (GCC) hosting
of its 2015 Spring All White Glow Party
at the Pickering Recreation Complex,
1867 Valley Farm Road. Live dance music will be provided by the dynamic Fuh
Fun, accompanied by DeeJay Tee Cee.
Tickets for the Cash Bar evening are
$25.00 person and can be obtained
from any GCC member. There will also
be delicious Guyanese food dishes on
sale. The fun starts at 7:30 pm sharp
and goes until 1:00 am.
and pretty boy Raul Deoram. There will
be live music from the Ravi Sookhoo
lead N2 and tassa performances by the
Talanablu Tassa Cru. Deejays Navi, De
Unstoppable Jnr, King Cobra, Rob, Reg,
Mixmaster, Da Dancehalland G98.7’s
Riyad will also be in attendance.
Venue for Oh Ma Unplugged is the
Rose Garden Banquet Hall, 6628 Finch
Avenue W. Tickets starting at $30.00
are available online at; www.TicketGateway.com - starting at $30.00
“OH MA”
UNPLUGGED!
APRIL 25th, 2015 is the date for a very
special event in honour of Mother’s Day.
“Oh Ma” Unplugged, will feature, live
and direct from Trinidad, the phenomenon Neval Chetlal. Arguably Trinidad’s
top vocalist period, Chetlal will be
performing Bollywood hits, ghazalas,
English tunes and some other surprises
as well.
He will be supported onstage by the
popular Nishard M, playing a piano live
for the first time ever. Attendees will
also be exposed to the many talents of
the beautiful and sultry Savita Singh.
Oh Ma Unplugged will also feature
appearances by Guyana-based Bollywood film specialist Bisram, as well as
Toronto’s own Sara Ali, Kavita Sookhoo
PAGE 3
Caribbean
aribbean Jewel
ewel
GCC Hosts
Spring All
White Glow
Party!
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Wanted:
Carib Jewels: Calling all
Beauties. Email your Selfie’s
to us at caribbeangraphic@
rogers.com for a chance to
be featured as a Carib Jewel
and also win great prizes.
Winners will be chosen according to which submitted
Selfie best reflects Carib’s
spirit as the Caribbean’s
Beer! The contest runs
monthly from April 10 to
August 12, 2015!
Shipping all personal and household items to
your destination in 4 weeks or less!
PAGE 4
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Betrayed By A Boyhood Hero!
T
here may be as much love
for West Indies cricket
cursing through my
veins as there’s life sustaining blood. So it shouldn’t come
as a surprise to anyone that I
was among those who suffered
through the entire ordeal of the
West Indies’ inglorious quarter
final exit from the 2015 Cricket
World Cup, now in its final
stages in Australia and New
Zealand.
From ball one to the fall of the last
West Indies wicket, via television I
loyally endured the experience of the
shame and embarrassment that was
forthcoming. First there was the New
Zealand batsmen’s merciless mauling
of our bowling, including Martin Guptil’s record breaking 237 as the highest
ever individual World Cup score. That
was quickly followed by the brainless
submission of our batsmen in chasing
the formidable yet not unreachable
target of 394 that the Kiwis had set for
us to win.
At the end of the ordeal the most
prevalent emotion I felt, was neither the
shame or embarrassment as profound
as they both were. Rather it was a deep
sense of having been betrayed, not so
much by the players themselves, but by
our Chairman of Selectors, Clive Lloyd.
The reasons for this are that it
was Lloyd’s decision to send us to
the World Cup minus the services of
our best and only world recognized
all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. It was
also Lloyd’s decision to appoint as the
team’s Captain, the totally inexperienced twenty-three year old Jason
Holder. Giving such as acknowledged
novice as Holder the responsibility
of leading an already incapacitated
West Indies team in cricket’s most
competitive Tournament against full
strength opponents was the ultimate
in cricketing stupidity and a recipe
for inevitable disaster.
There are those who are of the opinion that it was Marlon Samuel’s having
dropped Guptil, when he had scored
only 4 of the 237 runs he eventually
made, that cost West Indies the match. I
happen not to share that view.
As unwelcome as they may be
dropped catches are a normal occurrence in cricket matches, the effects of
which can often be mitigated. The fact
that Guptil went on to score another 233
runs should not be attributed to Marlon
Samuels, but rather to Holder’s blatant
inexperience and unfortunate conservatism as captain.
As the former great West Indies fast
bowler Mikey Holding noted in his post
match analysis, no matter how good a
bowling attack you have if you allow
your opponents to enter the last 10 – 15
overs of a 50 Over match with wickets
in hand, you are setting yourself up for a
mauling! Yet that’s exactly what Holder
allowed New Zealand to do.
New Zealand lost its second wicket in
the sixteenth over with the score on 89.
The next wicket fell at 232 in the 39th
over. In between the New Zealand pair
of Guptil and Taylor were allowed to
face more than 20 overs from West Indies’ second string bowlers. This while
the team’s leading strike bowler and
highest wicket taker, Jerome Taylor, languished in the outfield having bowled
only four of his allotted ten overs.
Had Holder been in possession of any
semblance of the cricketing know how
that comes with experience, he would
have realised that “attack is very often
the best form of defense!” Instead of
allowing the Kiwis to settle as he did he
should have been trying to take wickets
through two over spells of his three
front line bowlers, Taylor, Andre Russell
and himself. As it was he allowed the
Kiwis to get to the comfort of 232 – 3 in
the 38th over.
There was only ever going to be one
translation for seven batsmen faceing
only twelve overs which was exactly
the mayhem that inevitably followed.
For the next twelve overs it rained sixes
Consumed By Corruption
Guest Editorial
MARCH 20, 2015 | BY KNEWS T
he culture of corruption
has permeated every level
of our society. We assume
that things would only get
worse, because many who are
not yet corrupt are beginning
to realise that the wrongdoing
is significantly enhancing their
lifestyles. But those persons represent a select few. The masses
suffer as a result of the transgressions.
This notion was expressed by World
Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim,
when he declared corruption “public
enemy number one” in developing
countries, and told participants at an
anti-corruption forum, “Every dollar that a corrupt official or a corrupt
business person puts in their pocket is
a dollar stolen from a pregnant woman
who needs health care; or from a girl
or a boy who deserves an education;
or from communities that need water,
roads, and schools.
Every dollar is critical if we are to
reach our goals to end extreme poverty
by 2030 and to boost shared prosperity.” That in essence presents the picture
as clearly as it could be depicted.
Studies have shown that countries
greatest affected are those with “nationalized economies, authoritarian
governments and recently democratized
societies. Scholars perceive corruption
as not a cultural flaw but a symptom of
a sick state.
Some believe that corruption helps
“grease the wheels” of an otherwise
inefficient bureaucracy and economy.
Companies that do business in places
where corruption exists often say
they have no choice but to pay bribes
and kickbacks because that is the way
business is done”.
In the World Bank Group’s “Helping
Countries Combat Corruption: The
Role of the World Bank,” the following
is observed:
“The government benefits purchased
with bribes vary by type and size.
Contracts and other benefits can be
enormous (grand or wholesale corruption) or very small (petty or retail
corruption), and the impact of misinterpretation of laws can be dramatic
or minor.
Grand corruption is often associated
with international business transactions and usually involves politicians
as well as bureaucrats. The bribery
transaction may take place entirely
outside the country. Petty corruption
may be pervasive throughout the public
sector if firms and individuals regularly
experience it when they seek a license
or a service from government.
The bribes may be retained by
individual recipients or pooled in an
elaborate sharing arrangement. The
sums involved in grand corruption may
make newspaper headlines around the
world, but the aggregate costs of petty
corruption, in terms of both money and
economic distortions, may be as great
if not greater.
Theft of state assets by officials
charged with their stewardship is
also corruption. An extreme form is
the large-scale “spontaneous” privatization of state assets by enterprise
managers and other officials in
some transition economies. At the
other end of the scale is petty theft of
items such as office equipment and
stationery, vehicles, and fuel. The
perpetrators of petty theft are usually middle- and lower-level officials,
compensating, in some cases, for
inadequate salaries. Asset control
systems are typically weak or nonexistent, as is the institutional capacity
to identify and punish wrongdoers.
Theft of government financial resources is another form of corruption.
Officials may pocket tax revenues or
fees (often with the collusion of the
Publisher/Editor:
Contributors:
Legal: Graphic Design: and fours as the Kiwis ran rampant in
scoring another 162 runs at a whopping
average of 13.5 runs per over.
So the Holder inexperience caused
damage was done as the Kiwis set the
West Indies a daunting 394 to win.
Amazingly Chris Gayle responded as
only he could, blasting 61 from just 33
balls. When he was fifth out the West
Indies score was at 120 in only the 17th
over. That meant that they were scoring
at a rate of 7.5 runs per over, well within
strike of the 7.88 that had been required
at the outset.
At that point Holder’s captaincy
inexperience and apparent cricket
ignorance again proved disastrous.
The sensible thing for him to have done
then would have been to insert himself
in the order ahead of the hard-hitters
Darren Sammy and Andre Russell. Had
he and Jonathan Carter batted together
conservatively, until the 35th over, adding just another 100 runs at just over
five runs an over, the West Indies would
have been left with a target of 174 in the
last 15 overs. With Sammy and Russell
still available that would have been an
entirely gettable T20 like score.
Clive Lloyd may have been one of our
greatest ever captains and the subject of
my unbridled hero worship as a kid. His
World Cup 2015 Selection decisions in
omitting Dwayne Bravo and appointing
Holder Captain have however now left
me feeling absolutely betrayed.
— Tony McWatt
payer, in effect combining theft with
bribery), steal cash from treasuries,
extend advances to themselves that are
never repaid, or draw pay for fictitious
“ghost” workers, a pattern well documented in the reports of audit authorities. In such cases financial control
systems typically have broken down or
are neglected by managers.
Corruption within government can
take place at both the political and the
bureaucratic levels. The first may be independent of the second, or there may
be collusion. At one level, controlling
political corruption involves election
laws, campaign finance regulations,
and conflict of interest rules for parliamentarians. At another level corruption may be intrinsic to the way power
is exercised and may be impossible to
reduce through lawmaking alone. In
the extreme case, state institutions
may be infiltrated by criminal elements
and turned into instruments of individual enrichment.
Corruption is systemic (pervasive or
entrenched) where bribery, on a large
or small scale, is routine in dealings
between the public sector and firms or
individuals.”
It is quite disconcerting that all of the
above are familiar to us and continue
to consume our society after almost 50
years of independence. To combat this
state of affairs may take generation.
Tony McWatt
Sandra Ann Baptiste, Akua Hinds,
Christine Reid, Sir Ronald Sanders,
Oumarally and Baboolal
Adryan Manasan (www.echodesign.ca | 416.716.2362)
Website: www.caribbeangraphic.ca • Tel: 905.831-4402 • Fax: 416.292.2943 • Email: [email protected]
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
PAGE 5
PAGE 6
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Increased Oil
Exploration Interest
BRIDGETOWN, A second company has
expressed an interest in bidding for a
licence to explore for oil and gas off the
shores of Barbados which, according
to the firm, could earn this country at
least one billion dollars in tax revenue
annually. With a new bidding campaign
expected to start by the end of April,
Bajan Hydrocarbons Inc. (BHI), a
Barbados-based, privately-owned, regional company, is hoping to join BHP
Billiton, an Anglo-Australian multinational mining, metals and petroleum
firm, in bidding for a licence.
The last bid round was in 2007.
Speaking to local media chief executive officer and founding director
of Bajan Hydrocarbons Inc., Robin
Birchall, was optimistic his company
would get the nod. He is certain
there is potentially significant
amounts of oil and gas off the shores
of this country and production in the
longer term on-shore itself.
Birchall said while he was optimistic
of getting licences, the decision still
rested with the Ministry of Energy to
determine if Bajan Hydrocarbons was fit
to do the job.
The businessman, who is also executive chairman of Silver Bear Resources
and director of Vast Exploration Inc.,
revealed that anyone who makes a discovery off Barbados and starts production, could end up contributing at least
50 per cent of its tax revenue. He said
Barbados would definitely become a net
exporter of oil and gas “and you would
be the envy of the Caribbean”.
Birchall said one proper discovery would also supply this country’s
domestic consumption requirement
of 10,000 barrels of oil per day, five
times over, and would be a huge
foreign exchange earner as well. The
company, which boasts of international investors, is also involved in
onshore business in Barbados. According to a presentation document dated
March 3, 2014, BHI will establish a
joint venture company with the Barbados National Oil Company Limited
to seek to increase onshore oil and gas
production by at least 50 per cent.
LAWYERS
Wage Caution
BRIDGETOWN, A Trade Unionist has blasted Government for
bloating the Public Service with
political picks for people who
supported them. And outgoing
president of the National Union
of Public Workers (NUPW) Walter
Maloney is warning that political
administrations should not spend
more than 45 per cent of its rev-
Reduced
Power
Costs
BRIDGETOWN, Barbadian consumers
can look forward to paying reduced light
bills as the Barbados Light and Power
(BL&P) projects lower energy costs as it
moves towards greater use of renewable
energy. This is one of the major findings
of a study on Renewable Energy Intermittent Penetration, recently released
by the BL&P and posted on its website.
The study says new wind and solar
resources will displace expensive oil
generation and lead to significant reductions in energy production costs between $19 million and $62.5 million per
year, a reduction of five to 15 per cent.
The report also stated that increased
use of renewables will allow Barbados to
Credit Union
Saving Still
High
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www.oblaw.ca
❏ Wills and Estates
BRIDGETOWN, Despite continued economic challenges
in Barbados, members of the
Barbados Light & Power Credit
Union are managing to keep
their savings up. And the chief
executive officer of the Financial Services Commission (FSC)
Randy Graham is giving the
credit union praise for being a
leader in savings.
“The growth in GDP for the
Barbados economy in 2014 was
less than one per cent, and
unemployment figures were
predicted to increase, but the
Light and Power Credit Union
was able to maintain an average
savings per member of $22,205,
which is 155 per cent above the
industry average of $8,702 per
member,” Graham said at the
credit union’s March 22 Annual
General Meeting at the Lloyd
Erskine Sandiford Centre.
“It would appear in the
scheme of things that this credit
union story is somewhat of a
March 25, 2015
enue to pay civil servants.
Presently, Government expects
to spend $763 million, or about 30
per cent of Government revenue,
on maintaining the jobs of public
officers.
Maloney said Government had
to keep the Public Service from
ballooning to the point where it
then had to cut workers as was the
case last year when 3 000 public
servants lost their jobs.
utilize domestic energy resources, thus
decreasing the dependence on foreign
fuel imports.
In the scenarios analyzed, total oil
consumption for energy generation is
projected to drop by approximately
66 000 barrels to 225 000 barrels of
oil per year. The study was the first of
its kind done by Light & Power, and
included specialized and complex wind
and solar models to help in determining the results.
While the Fair Trading Commission
was ultimately responsible for the decision to increase the allowable amount
of intermittent energy, the results of the
so-called IP study provided the basis
for their determination.
In a press release, Light & Power’s
Manager, Systems Planning and Performance, Johann Greaves, said the study
also provided recommendations on the
process for connecting intermittent
renewables to the system.
factual story tale, and credit
must go to the board of directors for their governance during
this period”.
Coming Soon:
The Republic
of Barbados!
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados will
soon be switching from a monarchical system of government
to republican status, dumping
the Queen as its head of state.
The Queen’s representative,
the Governor General, will be
replaced by a president, a “ceremonial figure” rather than the
American-type president who
wields the real power in government.
Prime Minister Freundel
Stuart made the announcement while addressing a March
22 meeting hosted by the St
George South branch of the
Democratic Labour Party (DLP)
at St Luke’s Skills Training
Centre, in Brighton, St George.
Stuart said the shift would take
place “in the very near future”,
without giving specifics.
March 25, 2015
Grenada Hosts
Science & Technology
Conference
St GEORGE’S Grenada, The Spice Isle
will host the second high level meeting
of Science and Technology (S&T) in the
Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, who
has lead responsibility for science and
technology within the quasi-CARICOM
cabinet, will address the March 26-28
meeting that will be held under the
theme “Strengthening and Utilizing
S&T in the Caribbean”.
The meeting, which will be attended
by CARICOM ministers responsible
for information communication and
technology (ICT) will focus on science
education in schools, strengthening the
research culture as well as strengthening the entrepreneurial science and
technology environment in the region.
Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central bank (ECCB), Sir Dwight
Venner , the Registrar of the Barbadosbased Caribbean Examinations Council
(CXC), Glenroy Cumberbatch and the
former S&T advisor to the Jamaica government, Dr. Arnoldo Ventura will present papers at the three day conference
that is being organized by CARICOM
Science, Technology and Innovation
Committee jointly with CARISCIENCE,
UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean and The World Academy of Sciences
Regional Office for Latin America and
the Caribbean.
A number of academics from the
United Kingdom, United States, Brazil
and the Caribbean are also expected to
attend the meeting.
St Lucia To Open
Taiwan Embassy
CASTRIES, ST Lucia, Tiwanese Officials have announced that St. Lucia
will be opening an embassy in Taiwan
by the end of June. The announcement was made by a Taiwanese
foreign affairs official responsible for
Latin and Central American affairs.
St. Lucia has selected a location in
Taipei and is finalizing details of setting up its embassy there for the first
time, said Antonio Yeh, counselor
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’
Department of Latin American and
Caribbean Affairs, at a regular news
briefing.
When asked about the progress
of the embassy, Yeh said it would be
opened by the end of June and senior officials St. Lucia will attend the
opening ceremony.
During a visit to Taiwan in Febru-
PAGE 7
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
ary, St. Lucia’s minister of external
affairs, international trade and civil
aviation, Alva Baptiste, then said the
purpose of his visit was to look for a
location for an embassy in an effort
to strengthen bilateral ties.
The Republic of China and St. Lucia
have maintained close cooperation in
public health, education, infrastructure and culture since the both countries resumed diplomatic relations in
2007 following a 10-year hiatus.
The two sides first established
diplomatic ties in 1984, but St. Lucia
switched its recognition to the
People’s Republic of China in 1997.
Of Taiwan’s 22 diplomatic allies,
St. Lucia and Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines are the only two countries that have not set up embassies
in Taiwan.
Rapid
Decline In
Antigua’s
Tourism
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, A “rapid
decline” in tourism arrivals has
led the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) to revise down
its projections for economic
growth in the country to 2.1 per
cent for 2015, from 2.4 per cent
in 2014. The IMF report, the first
for 2015, noted tourism arrivals began declining in the last
three months of 2014, and that
an 8 per cent decline in tourism
arrivals for the first two months
of 2015 has “reduced the prospects for the sector.”
Meredith Arnold McIntrye,
who led the latest IMF mission
to the country from March 9 to
16, however said low fuel prices
will likely keep inflation low this
year and narrow the current account deficit.
The government in February
lowered gasoline prices slightly
Robin Shiwsankar
Home Financing
Advisor
from EC $14.99 to EC $13.50
per gallon after the price of oil
dropped from over US $120 a barrel last year to currently under US
$45 per barrel. The government
has resisted dropping prices lower,
however, and so has been able to
increase tax earnings.
The IMF team leader explained the modest growth
prediction for 2015, barring any
change in policies.
The IMF team carried out its
third monitoring exercise following the end of the more than US
$102 million loan or Stand-ByArrangement in 2013.
The IMF said increase public
investment, higher than expected transfers and increased
spending on goods and services accounted for most of the
deficit. The IMF noted that with
more debt payments becoming
due, the gross financing needs
also increased to 10.3 per cent of
gross domestic product (GDP).
The ratio of public sector debt
to GDP increased to 98.7 per
cent of GDP.
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Antigua’s US Chicken Ban?
ST JOHN’s Antigua, The island is expected to impose a ban on poultry and
poultry products imported from the United States, in order to “protect” the
country from Avian Bird Flu which has been discovered in at least five states
in the US. This has been confirmed by highly placed government officials
who indicated that an official announcement would soon be forthcoming.
Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Tubal Edwards, would neither confirm
nor deny the ban but said it would have a major impact on the country
since “90 per cent” of the poultry consumed is imported from the USA.
Animal health experts and poultry growers in the US are scrambling to
determine how a dangerous new strain of bird flu infected poultry flocks
in several states and to stop if from spreading.
Dr Edwards said the disease is spread only through live birds but the
local authorities are taking “precautionary measures” and banning poultry
products as well.
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PAGE 8
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Jagdeo Misled Country Claims Accountant
GEORGETOWN, For over two decades,
the ruling People’s Progressive Party/
Civic (PPP/C), has been telling Guyana
that the administration of former Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, mismanaged the economy prior to 1992.
It is myth. As a matter of fact, under the Presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo,
Guyana borrowed more and there is
evidence that growth declined steadily.
Writing in his online blog chrisram.
net on March 20, prominent accountant
and lawyer, Christopher Ram, argued
that Greenidge, a Finance Minister in
the People’s National Congress (PNC)
administration, has been one of the
chief targets of the PPP/C since 2011 for
what they claim to be his mismanagement of the economy prior to 1992.
“This claim is at best one-sided and at
worst totally dishonest, completely ignoring the performance of the economy
when Greenidge demitted office in 1992.
Perhaps as the calypsonian Chalkdust
sang: “they ‘fraid Carl”.
Ram said that it must be noted that
Economic Recovery Programme (ERP)
which the PPP in opposition had dubbed
Empty Rice Pot was not replaced after
Christopher Ram
the party won the elections in 1992. “…
why did they not replace it? The truth is
that the ERP negotiated by Greenidge
with the IMF and other international
lenders and donors placed Guyana on
a trend where its economic growth rate
was well above anything the country has
ever witnessed, before or after.”
Ram said that Asgar Ally, the PPP’s
Finance Minister, riding on the wave of
debt write-offs initiated by Greenidge,
“kept the economy roaring until he was
undermined by then Junior Finance
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Minister Bharrat Jagdeo.”
Backing his arguments, and using
figures from the Bank of Guyana, the
accountant noted that in October 1992
when Ally took over as Finance Minister, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
which measures growth, was growing at
7.7% following a 6.1% growth in 1991.
However, the economy recorded its first
decline in the decade of the nineties under
Jagdeo as Finance Minister, an underperformance repeated for three years between
2000 and 2005 under his presidency.
Ram has been highly critical of the
Government and the management of the
economy for a number of years now, in
his online blog, television program and
newspaper column. A number of privatization deals by Government and large
scale infrastructure projects have also
come under his scrutiny.
“The PPP/C would also have the nation
Fire Cover Up?
GEORGETOWN, Prominent Attorney and Chairman of the Alliance
For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes
has revealed details about an electrical fire which reportedly occurred
on March 17 at Guyana’s National
Scientific Forensic Laboratory,
located in Turkeyen.
In a Facebook Post, Hughes
noted that the fire started at an
electrical outlet in the office of the
Head of the Technical department
and was so intense that it blew out
the glass wall which separated the
room from the rest of the floor.
According to Hughes, the fire
also destroyed the electrical outlets on the rest of the floor.
According to him, government
was advised prior to the fire that
the electrical installation and air circulation in the building was faulty
and poor.
He revealed that the construction
believe that their Government paid off the
debts inherited from the PNC. The reality
is different. As a result of the economic
recovery programme constructed by
Greenidge, Guyana benefitted from substantial debt write-offs even as the PPP/C
engaged in its own borrowing spree, both
locally and internationally.”
He said that unfortunately for Guyana, economic mismanagement is not
the only or the worst of Jagdeo’s ailures.
To cap it all, Ram wrote, Jagdeo did
not wait on an independent Parliament
to reward him with a fair retirement
package. “He ordered his Cabinet and
the then PPP/C majority in the National
Assembly to administer to Guyanese the
ultimate insult: a retirement package
for him that is equivalent to the average
earned income of sixty sugar workers.
Or to put it another way, the equivalent
of the old age pension of 240 persons.”
of the laboratory is poor with loose
tiles scattered throughout the
building and staff members who
have been relocated to another
facility at Ogle “have been forbidden to speak with the press and
as a consequence the matter has
escaped media attention.”
“Almost $1 billion and counting,
we can’t even get the air flow and
electrical system right while there is
no DNA capacity at the facility. Better must come,” Hughes stated.
On July 14, 2014 the $900M facility was officially commissioned by
Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon and Home Affairs Minister,
Clement Rohee.
Rohee had said then that the purpose of the lab is not only to generate funds for Government but will
be used as an instrument to deter
criminal activities and reduce crime.
The facility is also scheduled to
provide DNA testing, but to date
this has not been done.
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Telephone: (416) 787-1616 Ext. 230 | Toll-Free: 1-800-361-8726 Ext. 230
Cellular: (416) 346-8883 | Fax: (416) 787-8998
E-mail: [email protected]
March 25, 2015
PAGE 9
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
TIMES Trying To Silence Me, Says Ramkarran
GEORGETOWN, Former Speaker of the
National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran
has come under attack from the Guyana
Times. The fact that these attacks came
almost immediately after he publicly
condemned statements made by former
President Bharrat Jagdeo has led Ramkarran to believe that the newspaper is
seeking to penalize him and simultaneously send a warning for him to back off.
Ramkarran recently chided Jagdeo for
attempting to justify his “Cadillac lifestyle” by painting a picture suggesting
that the late former President, Cheddi
Jagan had a similar life style.
There were outraged responses by many
people to Jagdeo’s statement, including
Clem Seecharran, Peter Fraser and two
distinguished Guyanese historians living and working in the UK. But the most
telling came from Nadira Jagan-Brancier, the Jagan’s daughter, Dr. Tulsie Dyal
Singh and Sadie Amin.
Ramkarran had set the ball rolling by
stating it was “sinful” for Jagdeo to make
the comparison he did. Now, Ramkarran
believes that he was being penalized for
defending the legacy of the founder of the
Party he spent many years in.
Ramkarran lamented the attacks in
his most recent article published on his
website, www.conversationtree.gy and
said that it was “expected.” “As expected, two articles appeared in the Guyana
Times containing stories about me on
familiar issues, some from twenty years
ago, some earlier, which are completely
and deliberately fabricated or distorted
even though the correct information is
trademark “Demerara Gold.”
He noted that he replied to Guyana
Times with a detailed refutation but up to
the time of writing it was not published.
The former stalwart said that he
spoke out for years in the PPP, sub-
jecting himself to intense abuse and
isolation, “until it became necessary to
ensure that I no longer remain within
its ranks. No one else has so far dared to
oppose Jagdeo.” He added that Jagdeo is
in full command and control of the PPP.
Hunt Down Those Who Have
Not Returned Uniforms, Says
Former Police Chief!
known or easily available to the newspaper,” said Ramkarran.
This newspaper had published what
Ramkarran said about Jagdeo on March
15. By March 18, Guyana Times wrote the
first article under the caption “If you live
in a glass house, don’t throw stones!”
In that article, it was alleged that
Ramkarran refused a cabinet post in
1992 and instead demanded legal work
for his firm. By March 19, Guyana Times
published another article this one under
the heading “Ramkarran strikes gold
with Demerara Gold.”
In defending the content of the first
article, Ramkarran said “I was never
offered a cabinet post in 1992 and there
was no flood of legal business to my
firm.” Speaking about the second item,
Ramkarran said, “In this piece “a series
of patently false allegations were made
about technical matters relating to the
GEORGETOWN, Former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix is advising that the Guyana Police Force
employ sterner measures to recover
police uniforms that can be used
to commit criminal acts by persons
posing as lawmen. The former Top
Cop was responding to recent reports that criminals are pouncing on
unsuspecting citizens by dressing
in police uniforms and setting up
illegal roadblocks.
Felix, who served as Commissioner
from 2004 to 2006, strongly believes
that the force should hunt down
those persons who have left the force
and have not returned their kits.
Police ranks are reportedly given
one kit per year. This kit, which consists of three shirts and three pairs
of trousers (in the case of males) and
three skirts (in the case of females),
must be turned in the following year
in order to uplift a new one. Even
if the uniform is badly damaged, it
must be turned in so that a proper
record could be made.
If a rank should leave the Force
without turning in their uniforms and
other police property, the police
would then forfeit whatever funds
they have at the police credit union
to pay for the unreturned items.
However, while persons can be
charged, one senior police officer
has acknowledged that this is an
area where the Force needs to tighten up. He said that recent reports
of persons posing as policemen are
worrying because there appears to
be no method in place to stop them.
He advised that the force administration should take the initiative and
try to ascertain how many ranks have
absconded (without returning their
uniforms) and carry out searches for
them. The Guyana Defence Force
had previously adopted a policy
of publishing the photographs of
soldiers who went Absent Without
Leave (AWOL). Felix believes that the
Guyana Police Force should adopt a
similar method, given the high attrition rate within the organization.
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PAGE 10
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Disabled Kids Being Singled Out
For Abuse, Says Hanna
KINGSTON, As Jamaica continues to
reel from news of violent acts against
children, Minister of Youth and Culture
Lisa Hanna is revealing that children
who are disabled are being singled out
for physical and verbal abuse.
“We’ve gotten reports that people
spit on them, people take their money,
and people do all kinds of things to
children who act differently than how
some of you might act,” Hanna said as
she addressed students during a March
20 ‘Pon di Corna’ session hosted by the
Ministry of Youth and Culture at the
Half-Way Tree Transport Centre. “That
is a form of child abuse.”
She also said that the ministry was
aware of “too many situations of young
children being sexually abused”, and
noted that boys, too, are victims.
As sexual exploitation often comes
from “older members of the family”,
Hanna revealed that children were hesitant to report these acts to adults.
The minister chose the occasion to
plead to both adults and children to
make the effort to report all incidents
of abuse to
the Office of
the Children’s
Registry or
the Child
Development
Agency.
Donna
Lowe, principal of Genesis
Academy, a
special-needs
high school
in Kingston,
echoed Hanna’s concerns,
pointing to incidents where children in
wheelchairs were physically attacked for
simply being disabled.
Lowe said the situation is so dire that
JUTC personnel have to escort and
“baby sit” the disabled students who
wait for transportation at the Half-Way
Tree Transport Centre.
Lowe pleaded directly with the students
who were congregated at the busy bus
park to look out for the disabled children.
Orchids For Cancer
KINGSTON, The JOS and the JCS have
signed a memorandum of understanding committing the two organisations
to jointly support the Jamaica Orchid
Society Show.
Both organisations will promote the
show, with the JCS also agreeing to be a
participant in the event slated for March
28 and 29 in St Andrew. In return, the
JOS will share some of the proceeds,
guaranteeing the JCS a minimum contribution of $50,000.
Jarrett said the development was a
logical step that would serve the members of both societies. The signing took
place at the chief office of Jamaica National Building Society in Half-Way-Tree
on March 19. Jamaica National is one of
the main sponsors of the show.
Renowned Jamaican scientist Dr
Henry Lowe was recently granted a new
patent by the United States of America
Patent Office in his anti-cancer research.
The development is being regarded as a
major scientific stride for biotechnology
in Jamaica as it relates to the making of a
new group of chemical compounds called
Dicinnamoyl-Glycerol Esters, which have
major anti-cancer activities.
A news release from Lowe’s Bio-Tech
R&D Institute explained that the new patent -- Number 8907117 -- is titled ‘Anti-tumour and Anti-Inflammatory Dicinnamoyl-Glycerol Esters and their Analogues’.
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Paul Ernest Archer,
C.R.M. R.I.B. (Ontario)
Senior Account Manager
As minister responsible for youth, Lisa
Hanna said that every week an average
of 220 reports of abuse against children
were made, and said more investigators
are being brought in to deal with the now
over 3,000 cases in backlog.
“I don’t think that the increase in
reports necessarily means that there
are more cases of abuse, but people
are more sensitised to report,” Hanna
explained.
“The making of these new anti-cancer
drugs was inspired by the isolation of
chemical compounds from the Ball Moss
plant, which has been actively pursued
over the past 10 years by Dr Lowe and
his research team,” the news release said.
“The synthesis of these anti-cancer drug
agents is a first of its kind.”
The patent information was recently
released, but was formally granted on
December 9, 2014, the release explained, adding that the new patent is
one of three anti-cancer patents so far
granted to Dr Lowe, with an additional
five patents undergoing different stages
of evaluation prior to the patent award.
This, he added, is particularly burdensome for scientists in developing countries like Jamaica, where resources are
limited and the filing and maintenance
of patents are very expensive.
The company noted that Dr Lowe and
his colleague scientists -- Dr Joseph Bryant and Dr Ngeh Toyang from the University of Maryland School of Medicine,
as well as Dr Charah Watson of Bio-Tech
R&D -- are particularly encouraged by
the news that their work has been regarded as “exceptionally outstanding”.
The Bio-Tech R&D Institute in collaboration with the University of Maryland
School of Medicine is primarily focused
on cancer research as well as diabetes and
HIV/AIDS. Recently, the institute joined
Lowe’s new company, Medicanja, in leading research and development of Cannabis
for medicinal and commercial projects and
programmes in Jamaica, which, Bio-Tech
R&D said, “are expected to significantly
impact scientific and clinical development,
as well as economic benefits to Jamaica”.
March 25, 2015
Busy
Signal
Giving
Back
KINGSTON, Dancehall deejay
Busy Signal will soon be embarking on his latest project -the Busy 20/20 Helping Hands
Foundation Limited. According
to the dancehall artiste, the
venture is for a much-needed
cause.
“My priority is the St Ann’s Bay
Hospital. It is in need of vital Xray/CAT scan equipment for detecting cancer. It costs roughly
$12 million,” Busy Signal recently
told local media .
The foundation — which was
registered last year — will be
officially launched at the Jewel
Dunn’s River Resort & Spa in
Ocho Rios on April 2.
Busy Signal, whose given
name is Reanno Gordon, explained his reason for taking on
this project.
“This is the hospital I was
born in. The majority of people
from St Ann are farmers and
they don’t have the money fi go
private hospital. So mi haffi help
inna my way and give back. Dem
need the help,” he said.
The artiste said he is aware
that he alone cannot do it, and
therefore welcomes assistance
from corporate Jamaica.
Jamaica’s health sector has
been haemorrhaging for years
from a shortage of vital equipment, beds, gloves, gauzes and
manpower.
Several charities including We
Care Foundation and Shaggy
and Friends Foundation have rallied to the hospital’s aid. However, the sector remains in dire
straits.
“Government a government.
We haffi help inna our way. Nobody is excluded from sickness,”
he said.
With regard to his career,
Busy Signal said he has a double
album pending.
“We haven’t finalised the
name yet, but we’re looking at
about August-September. In the
meantime, we’re focusing on
some visuals because people
want to see what they’re buying. We’re shooting three videos
today [Friday]... Welcome, Text
Message, and Kuff,” he said.
Busy Signal is known for hits
including Watch Out Fi This,
Come Over, Badman Place and
Nah Go Jail Again.
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Government Clueless
On Fixing Economy,
Says Holness
KINGSTON, Leader of the Opposition
Andrew Holness has warned that if the
Government fails to meet its $12-billion
tax compliance target in 2015/16, there
is the likelihood of another tax package
to fill the gap.
“... Don’t be surprised if you wake up
one morning and find that the minister of finance drops an additional $12
billion in taxes,” he told the House of
Representatives in his contribution to
the 2015/16 budget debate.
Holness said that while taxes are inevitable, Jamaica has reached its taxable
limit. According to the Opposition leader,
it should be clear by now, even to those
who refuse to see, that a People’s National Party Government knows nothing
about how to grow the economy.
“Mr Speaker, the impoverishment of
our people has gotten worse since 2012.
People are no longer talking about oxtail
and curried goat. As a matter of fact,
chicken back is now priced way above
the means of many Jamaicans. What
many are forced to buy these days is
‘fish back’,” he stated.
This Government does not have
a growth plan; it has a tax plan,” he
said, as the previously sedate debate
started to descend into some heated
exchanges between Government and
Opposition members.
The Opposition leader said that unless
the Government can get the economy
growing at five per cent and upwards,
on a sustained basis, the agreement
with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) will continue to cause Jamaicans
“unbearable pain and suffering”.
He attributed the increase in poverty
since 2011, as recorded in the most
recent edition of the Jamaica Survey
of Living Conditions, to Government’s
misguided policies.
As the noise rang out in the chamber,
Holness continued his onslaught stating
that while it is a good thing to pass the
IMF test, the Government will also need
to pass the growth test.
Cash Injection For
Jamaica
AIDS Support
KINGSTON, Persons living with HIV are set to benefit
from improved facilities for treatment, care and support at the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life through an
almost US$100,000 grant from the Embassy of Japan. The
US$99,738 grant will go to the entity’s Grassroots Human
Security Project.
The funds are expected to facilitate an expansion in
medical services and increased counselling support for
persons living with HIV.
In his address at the contract signing and handover
ceremony yesterday, Minister of Health, Dr Fenton Ferguson, said the strengthening of the multi-sectoral response
to HIV and AIDS will be key to how readily the country
advances towards the UNAIDS targets of zero discrimination, zero transmission and zero AIDS related deaths.
Ferguson also thanked the Government of Japan for its
continued support of the health sector in Jamaica.
IDB Favors
Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica is the lone Caribbean Community (Caricom) country
to be given the green light by the Inter
American Development Bank (IDB) to use
procurement systems on bank-financed
projects. A March 16 IDB statement said
the other countries given that approval
are Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru.
“This approval reflects the countries’
efforts to improve their public procurement systems, which represent a
US$800-billion market in the region,”
the IDB said.
“The impact of these efforts is measured by various indicators, including
market access, which has increased
significantly as 70 per cent of all public
procurement opportunities are today
accessible through electronic means.”
The Washington-based financial
institution said that the decision establishes the basis to expedite contracting
processes by avoiding duplication and
reducing transaction costs.
“The systems that may be used are
shopping, framework agreements,
reverse auction, and selection of individual consultants,” it said, adding
“this approval represents a step towards
a potential use of the entire national
system, as in the case of Brazil, Chile,
Ecuador and Mexico”.
The IDB said that the approval
resulted from the assessment of these
systems, and their compliance with
international standards and practices.
These standards were approved by the
IDB in June 2010 based on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development best practices indicators.
PAGE 11
PAGE 12
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Rowley Not Sorry For Cat Comment
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Opposition Leader Dr
Keith Rowley is calling on citizens not to
be distracted by the “cat” comment controversy which he has labelled as a matter
of “very little public interest”. And he has
not apologised for making the statement.
Speaking at a March 17 People’s National Movement (PNM) political meeting in Brazil, East Trinidad, Rowley
made a statement which has provoked a
firestorm from some sectors.
“She could jump high, she could jump
30 New
Candidates
On PNM’s
Elections
List
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Of the Opposition PNM candidates selected so
far to contest the general election,
30 are new. This was confirmed in
a listing of the 34 candidates released by PNM general secretary
Ashton Ford on March 20.
The list includes four incumbents who are part of the PNM’s
13-member parliamentary
team. Of the 13, however, only
incumbents Dr Keith Rowley
(PNM leader), Marlene McDonald (PNM deputy leader), Colm
Imbert (PNM vice chairman) and
Terrence Deyalsingh (St Joseph
MP) have as yet been confirmed
by the PNM’s screening team. The status of the other members of the 13-member parliamentary team are: The PNM’s candidates in
order of their selection are
Rowley (Diego Martin West),
Clarence Rambharat (Mayaro),
Terrence Deyalsingh (St Joseph), Alif Mohammed (Couva
South), Faris Al-Rawi (San Fer-
low, she could drink this, she could
drink that, she could bark at meh dog, I
go ignore she cat,” Rowley said in reference to Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar on Tuesday night.
Persad-Bissessar condemned Rowley’s comments and labelled them an
attack on every woman in this country.
A number of leaders from women’s organisations across the country, including president of the National Muslim
Women’s Organisation of Trinidad and
nando West), Maxie Cuffie
(La Horquetta/Talparo), Ancil
Antoine (D’Abadie/O’Meara),
Stuart Young ( PoS North/St
Ann’s West), Neil Mohammed
(Pointe-a-Pierre), Terry Jadoonanan (Oropouche East), Cherrie Ann Crichlow-Cockburn (
Lopinot/Bon Air West), Alisha
Romano (St Augustine), Colm
Imbert (Diego Martin North
East), Marlene McDonald (PoS
South), Diane Baldeo-Chadeesingh (Chaguanas East), Abbegail
Nandalal (Chaguanas West), Dr
Nyan Gadsby-Dolly (St Ann’s
East), Clifford Rambharose
(Oropouche West), Dr Lovell
Francis (Moruga/Tableland),
Edmund Dillon (Point Fortin),
Avinash Singh (Caroni Central),
Sara Budhu (Caroni East), Glenda Jennings-Smith (Toco/Sangre Grande), Kevin Craig Chan
(Tabaquite), Anthony Garcia
(Arima), Randall Mitchell (San
Fernando East), Wendell Berkley (Tobago East), Shamfa Cudjoe (Tobago West), Dons Richard Waithe (Naparima), Vidya
Deokiesingh (Siparia), Marsha
Bailey (Fyzabad), Nikolaiski Ali
(Princes Town), Esmond Forde
(Tunapuna), Fitzgerald Hinds
(Laventille West).
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Tobago Soraya Khan, have called on
Rowley to apologise for his comments.
The United National Congress’s
Women’s Arm described Rowley’s comments as “disrespectful and derogatory”.
The PNM’s Women’s League, however,
defended Rowley, stating “there was
nothing malicious, sexual, sexist or
chauvinistic about it”.
Rowley was questioned about the issue
at Transparency International’s annual
Anti-Corruption conference yesterday
March 25, 2015
at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference
Centre, St Ann’s. He said the comments
are being “misrepresented” and are being
successfully used as a distraction from
the real issues plaguing the country.
“The matter that you are referring to,
as far as I am concerned, is of very little
public interest. It is being misrepresented by the handlers of the Prime Minister
and her party,” Rowley said. Rowley said
during his hour-long address at Johnny’s
Green Acres in Brazil Village, he raised
many important issues in the country,
including the current problems plaguing
the National Gas Company (NGC).
Trinidad Must Confront
Racial Divisions
Says Samaroo
PORT-OF-SPAIN, T&T must confront
the racial divide if it is to move forward
as a society. However, that confrontation will not take place before the 2015
general election, as race will once again
be a significant factor in the polls, said
UWI professor and noted historian Dr
Brinsley Samaroo. Speaking with local media about the contentious issue,
Samaroo contended that there would be
a continuance of tribal voting in 2015
since that was what citizens had been
taught and that was all they knew.
Race has been in the spotlight over
the last two weeks. Firstly, it was raised
when a firestorm erupted on social media over a photo of a National Gas Company sign advertising the refurbishment
of the East Indian Recreation Ground in
south Trinidad.
The issue escalated last week with
the publication of a racist rant from
Chaguaramas Develop-ment Authority
(CDA) board member Jaishima Leladharsingh on Facebook last year. He was
immediately fired when the racist posts
resurfaced on social media.
Samaroo contended that even though
citizens might challenge racial issues,
at the end of the day, when they went
into the voting booth in 2015, people
would not look at what parties had to
offer by way of education, health, or
diversification of the economy. “Most
people are not concerned about that,
they are concerned about me and my
kind. I and I have to take political
control. I say sadly, as blessed a nation
that it is and as much as we love it,
going into the next election (T&T will)
basically be voting on ethnic lines,”
Samaroo said. ‘The elites don’t want
change…we need a unifying leader’
Samaroo said though he did not
believe any of the present politicians
deliberately wanted to continue this
ethnic trend of politics or foster racism,
neither did he believe that any one of
the current cadre of politicians “has the
larger vision and the capability to do
something about that (ethnic voting) in
their political tenure.”
He said, historically, the masses were
brought up in a status quo of divide and
rule which had been entrenched by colonial masters. This, he said, continued
today and was unlikely to change soon.
Samaroo said he was hopeful that
T&T could recreate that unification of
the races.
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Mom At Work
With Baby Causes
Social Media Stir
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Images of a female
Kentucy Fried Chicken (KFC) employee holding a baby while on the job recently sparked heated debate on social
media websites before the photos were
taken down.
The woman, wearing a red shirt was
seen on the phone while holding the
baby. The pictures which were originally
posted on Twitter and were later shared
by many were said to have been taken at
KFC’s Sangre Grande branch. A few of those who commented on
the post raised concern for the baby as
she was in the area where food was being prepared and criticised the woman
for bringing the child to work. Others
came to the woman’s defence, saying
that no one knew her situation. Some
even questioned whether it was taken in
Trinidad. “This isn’t funny, nobody knows her
situation and this could have been the
first time this happened so let’s not criticise her,” one woman commented. Another said, “She could be a single
mother who had no other choice...don’t
judge her.” Many others also pleaded with people
who posted the photos to remove them
as it could result in the young woman
losing her job. One popular social website account holder who shared it and
asked for its followers to comment, later
took down the photos.
It is not yet clear whether the
woman was on duty at the time the
photos were taken or if she had just
completed her shift. In a subsequent release, Prestige
Holdings Limited said it was made
aware of the photo of a woman with a
baby in arms, in “the back of house” at
one of their restaurants. The company
said its policy was not to allow children in, “the back of house” and other
restricted areas of the restaurant. The company said the infant’s mother
was an off-duty team member who was
visiting the store on a personal matter. She asked her co-worker to assist
with the infant for a short period while
tending to her personal business. The
company said the entire event lasted
approximately five minutes and mother
and child left shortly thereafter.
Traffic Jam Outrage
PORT-OF-SPAIN, A decision of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
to set up road blocks along the highways and major roads at daybreak
March 23, caused massive traffic jams and outraged commuters. There
was gridlock along the Solomon Hochoy and Churchill Roosevelt highways
and along most roads filtering to the highways. The grid lock extended to
Tobago where motorists reported being trapped in kilometres of traffic,
with a five minute commute taking as long at two hours.
People took to social media and radio frustration over the decision of
the police to conduct stop and search exercises. Many said they turned
around and returned to their homes. Pupils missed end of terms examinations. Some said they sat in their vehicles for hours without moving. The
country’s productivity took a big hit, they said.
Motorists have called on senior officers to explain why the road blocks
have been ordered at a time where people are headed to work or taking
children to school.
There are suggestions that the way in which the police went about the
exercise today, indicated a form of protest action. The Police Service is
currently negotiating for better terms and conditions of work and is unhappy with the offer being made by the State.
The police said that the road block exercises were planned, and Micheal
Seales, secretary of the Police Social and Welfare Association called it a
day of total policing. Seales got little support for the action.
PAGE 13
Highway Extension
Costs At $5.1 Billion!
PORT-OF-SPAIN, The Government has paid out $5.1 billion
on the construction of the Point
Fortin Highway extension to
date. The Government has a balance of $2.4 billion to pay out.
And it expects to start the San
Fernando to Princes Town Highway within the next two months.
This was the information provided by Works and Infrastructure Minister Suruj Rambachan
in response to a questions
from Point Fortin MP Paula
Gopee-Scoon on March 20 in
Parliament.
Rambachan said the contractor for the Point Fortin Highway
extension had thus far received
$2.4 billion.
He said there were other costs
to be met including construction oversight, land acquisitions,
community outreach, management fees, construction contingencies and financial charges.
He said of the total funds
it received ($5.1 billion) the
National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) still
had $1.1 billion outstanding for
meeting project expenses during the remainder of the financial year. He said Nidco is also
still to be provided with $2.4
billion to finance the remainder
of the project.
Rambachan said the highway
was 50 per cent complete.
He said there was no problem
with the financing of the Point
Fortin Highway as far as the Government is concerned. Asked
about the decline in oil prices
and its effect on the financing of the project, Rambachan
noted that the Prime Minister
had stated that Government
was committed to completing
the projects which it had already
started. He said this project was
important to the development
of the Point Fortin/La Brea area,
which is a growth pole.
On the San Fernando to Princes Town Highway, Rambachan
said his Ministry was reviewing
the existing designs and also
coming up with more reasonable costs for the project.
In answer to another question,
Labour Minister Errol McLeod
disclosed that there were 58
fatal industrial accidents in
Trinidad and Tobago in the past
five years. There were seven in
2010; six in 2011; 20 in 2012; 11
in 2013 and 14 in 2014.
PAGE 14
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
HOME AFFAIRS
Real Estate Commission & Legal Fees Part I: What’s Going On?
O
ne of the biggest purchases
anyone will make during their
lifetime is buying a house. Over
the last decade in the GTA prices for
residential real estate have skyrocketed.
Stories of multiple bidding and properties
being sold for far greater than the asking
price are now common place.
The Toronto residential real estate market is hot with some of the highest prices
for real estate in all of Canada. According
to the new reports, Toronto prices are
second to only Vancouver. If you are buying or selling real estate, you will require
the services of a lawyer to close the deal
and transfer title to the property. Our
legal fee for a single mortgage residential
property purchase ranges from $450.00$1,000.00. The fee for selling a home
is $400.00-$700.00. Please note these
figures represent only legal fees, there are
usually additional costs of disbursements:
faxes, photocopies, couriers, banking
fees, the costs of searching the property,
searching executions, title insurance
premiums, registration fees etc. On top of
this, you will have land transfer tax to pay.
I am aware that some lawyers in
the G.T.A. quote legal fees of $499.00
to purchase a home; homes are selling quickly and some of the real estate
agents report that there are not enough
listings in certain areas to satisfy the
demand. In the G.T.A. the average
amount that a real estate agent is paid
for selling a home is about 5% commission, with the increase in home prices –
agents are seeing tremendous increases
in the commission that they are being
paid. But, how is this possible? After all,
if the homes are selling more quickly
then it means that the agents are putting in less time and are yet being paid
more. Furthermore, with the advance
of technology, it has become easier to
advertise and reach a wider market.
An agent who sold a bungalow
in, say Etobicoke ten years ago for
$200,000.00 would make a commission for $10,000.00. Today that same
bungalow would sell for $500,000.00
and so the commission paid on that sale
would be $25,000.00. That’s a ridiculous
increase for the same service. It seems
to me that modern technology has made
advertising and listings much easier.
Any Entitlements As A Home Owner?
Y
ikes! I must have missed
some deductions and credits! Why am I paying so
much taxes!
Tax Return Deadline is almost here:
April 30th and June 15th (Self-Employed)!
What are You entitled to as a Home
Owner and Working Canadian???
First-time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit: Yes, as a first-time home buyer you can
claim a non-refundable tax credit of up to
$750. You, your spouse, or common-law
partner can claim this credit.
HST Tax Rebate (New Housing
Rebate): When you buy a new home
for less than $450,000.00 and it is your
principal residence, you can claim the
HST new housing rebate. In Ontario, you
can also claim the provincial portion of
the HST, if you buy, build or do a major
renovation on your principal residence.
Other home tax reductions exist for
DR. RICHARD LAI
AND ASSOCIATES
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
Beths Suepaul
homes that are built by the owner, as well
as for residential rental properties.
Home Buyer’s Plan: The Home
Buyer’s Plan (HBP) allows you withdraw
up to $25,000.00 from your registered
retirement savings plan (RRSP) to help
with the purchase or construction of
a home for yourselves or for a related
person with a disability. Some conditions
apply - the T1036 tax form needs to be
completed and submitted.
Medical Expenses Tax Credit:
Mobility impairments can be debilitating, and restrict your enjoyment of your
home. You can claim renovation expenses to make your home more accessible
under Medical expenses deductions in
Canada. Check website listed below for
eligible deductions.
Work From Home Expenses: If you
are using your home as part of your business, such as your home office, you can
claim a deduction for part of the home
that is used to conduct business activi-
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Today, almost everyone has a smart
device with internet capabilities. So how
can increase real estate fees be justified? In my opinion, the public should be
paying less in real estate commissions
not more. My good friend, who has been
a real estate agent for over three decades
and is semi-retired, and I often chat
about the Toronto markets and trends.
He considers himself fortunate to be getting out of the profession at this point in
his life because as he sees it “Real Estate
agents are going to be rendered obsolete”.
Asked why he would say this, his answer
was quite simple: “Prices have gone up
dramatically and people are not willing
to pay exorbitant commissions anymore.
Furthermore, with technology it is only a
matter of time before the public can and
will be able to access the listings without
the assistance of an Agent.
ties. As a home owner you can claim a
portion of your mortgage interest, property taxes, and capital cost allowance.
CRA forms T2124 and T2032 can
guide you, check website below.
Rental Income: If you rent a property
you own or that you have use of, use the
T776 tax form to report rental income and
claim allowable expenses such as advertising, insurance, and interest on money you
borrow to buy, or improve the property.
Provincial Credits: As a home owner
in Ontario, you can apply for Ontario
property tax credit, and the Senior
Homeowner’s Property tax credit.
For more information and verification, please consult the CRA website:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca
Super, now with some more deductions and credits - a tax refund...seems
like a vacation may be on the horizon…
The information contained in this
article does not constitute legal or tax
advice. The author makes no claims
about its accuracy, completeness, or
up-to-date character, and that applies to
any site linked to this article as well.
Beths Suepaul (www.bethssuepaul.com)
is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX
Realty Specialists Inc. with over 10 years
experience. She is committed to making
Your Buying, Selling and Investing in
Real Estate pain free, and successful.
Having a hard time finding
and buying that hidden gem?
Call now if it's out there
together we can find it!
Charles Dow 416-838-2616
Sales Representative Right At Home Realty Inc.
[email protected]
www.CharlesDow.ca
Buying strategies and
recommendations
Not intended to solicit Purchasers under Purchaser/Agency agreement or properties currently listed for sale.
March 25, 2015
PAGE 15
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Belly Bustas: Take 4!
Cure All Treatment
An Engineer could not find a job, so
he opens a clinic, and puts a sign
outside that says get treatment for
$50, if not cured get back $100. A
doctor thinks this is a good opportunity to show up the engineer and
earn a quick $100 and so he visits the
clinic.
Doctor: I have lost my sense of
taste.
Engineer: Nurse, bring the medicine from box no 22 and place 3
drops in the patient’s mouth.
Patient (Doctor): spits out the medicine and says “this is not medicine,
it’s gasoline”.
Engineer: Congrats…you have
your taste back ...that will be $50
Doctor gets annoyed, and returns
after several days to recover his
money.
Doctor: I have lost my memory
and can’t remember a thing.
Engineer: Nurse, bring medicine
from box no 22 and put 3 drops in
patient’s mouth.
Doctor: “This medicine is for the
sense of taste” protests the doctor.
Engineer: Congrats. Your memory
is back....that will be $50
Doctor leaves, but after several
days angrily returns for one last try.
Doctor: My eyesight has become
weak.
Engineer: Well I don’t have any
medicine for that. Take this $100
Doctor: But this is $50 note
Engineer: Congratulations, your
eyesight has gotten better…..That
will be $50
Next Of Kin
Notification
Father O’Malley rose from his bed
one morning. It was a fine spring day
in his new west Texas mission parish. He walked to the window of his
bedroom to get a deep breath of
the beautiful day outside. He then
noticed there was a jackass lying
dead in the middle of his front lawn.
He promptly called the local police
station.
The conversation went like this:
“Good morning. This is Sergeant
Jones. How might I help you?”
“And the best of the day te yerself.
This is Father O’Malley at St. Ann ‘s
Catholic Church. There’s a jackass
lying dead on me front lawn and
would ye be so kind as to send a
couple o’yer lads to take care of the
matter?”
Sergeant Jones, considering himself to be quite a wit and recognizing
the foreign accent, thought he would
have a little fun with the good father,
replied, “Well now Father, it was always my impression that you people
took care of the last rites!”
There was dead silence on the
line for a long moment....... Father
O’Malley then replied: “Aye,’tis certainly true; but we are also obliged
to notify the next of kin first, which is
the reason for me call.”
Hooker Deal
A Guyanese man walks into a
bawdyhouse in New York and asks,
“You have a girl work here from
Guyana name Arlene?” “Yes,” answers the madam. “Go
on up to Room 6.” So the fellow
went up to Room 6 and knocked
on the door. When the woman
answered, he asked “Is Yu name
Arlene?” “Yeah man, dah mi name,” replied
the woman. “Well, ah have a couple Hundred
dollas....” he proudly announced. With that, the hooker interrupted
him, grabbed the money, opened
the door wide and hauled him by
the shirt into the room. After a little
rest from the vigorous activity, the
fellow got up to leave.
“You gun be here tomorrow?” he
asked. “Yeah Man,” Arlene said, “Me gun
deh hay.” The next night, the fellow comes
back and gives up $200. When they
were done, he’s sitting on the side
of the bed, and asks.
“You gun be here tomorrow
night?” “Honey,” replied the hooker, “Mi
deh yah every night fi you”. Night comes and the fellow was
back in action. When they were
done, they are both sitting on the
edge of the bed. “Tell me sumting,” Arlene said,
“what part of Guyana yu from?” “Albouystown,” replied the fellow
with a satisfied grin. “True ? Me have one sister live in
Albouystown yuh know!” the hooker
exclaimed. “I know dat,” the fellow replied,
“She gimme six hundred dollas fi gi
yu!”
PAGE 16
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
HEALTH MATTERS
Teeth
Whitening
quence, the results of whitening treatment
may not be as convincing as consumers
originally expected.
I
Surface Whiteners: These products use
special abrasives to improve the product’s
ability to remove surface stains. Most products in this category are either toothpastes
or chewing gums. Because the special
abrasives in these whitening products are
often only finer versions of what is used in
regular toothpastes, they are unlikely to
cause excessive tooth wear. However, the
effectiveness of these products is limited to
surface stains and should not be used as a
substitute for professional cleaning.
In addition, the perception of the colour
of teeth is severely affected by skin tone
and make-up. Independent of the real
colour of their teeth, people with darker
skin or who use dark makeup will look
like they have brighter teeth.
Although teeth are not naturally meant
to be completely white, many Canadians
want a brighter smile. Responding to this
desire, a wide range of “whitening” options has become available to consumers.
These products fall into two main categories: surface whiteners and bleaches.
It should be noted that claims related
to tooth whitening are seen as cosmetic
in nature by Health Canada. These claims
must be accurate, so as not to mislead the
public. However, the regulator tolerates
some puffery or exaggeration. As a conse-
Bleaches: Most bleaching products are
peroxide-based and are actually capable of
altering the colours of the tooth itself. However, not all tooth discolourations respond
to tooth-bleaching treatments. Individuals
contemplating tooth-bleaching should consult with a dentist to determine the cause of
the tooth discolouration and to determine
whether a bleaching treatment will have the
desired result. This step is especially important for patients with fillings, root canal
treatments, crowns and/or with extremely
dark stains on the anterior teeth.
A number of different bleaching
techniques and products are available to
patients. Your dentist will use one of these
two methods to whiten your teeth:
Vital bleaching is done on “living” teeth
and can be used to whiten your teeth if they
have become stained by food or tobacco, or
if they have become dark with age.
Non-vital bleaching is bleaching done
on teeth that are no longer “alive.” If your
tooth has changed colour because of a
Dr. Richard Lai
Dental Surgeon
n most cases, the natural
colour of teeth is within a
range of light greyish-yellow
shades. Teeth naturally darken
with age and their appearance
can be affected by the accumulation of surface stains acquired
from the use of tobacco products and the consumption of
certain foods or drinks.
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root canal, non-vital bleaching can lighten
your tooth from the inside out.
There are three methods for bleaching
teeth. The method that will work best for
you depends on the number of teeth that
need to be bleached, and on how badly
they are stained (or discoloured).
Your dentist may suggest: Putting a
special bleach on your stained teeth and
using heat (or heat and light) to start the
bleaching action; or
Wearing a custom-made mouthguard
filled with a special bleach for part of each
day; or
Brushing with a special bleach mixed in
toothpaste.
Bleaching should be done only under
a dentist’s care. Tooth-bleaching under
Fashion
Today,
Pain
Tomorrow!
Dr George Traitses
L
ooking your best might not always
be the best thing for you. Today’s
society is extremely fashion and
style conscious. Unfortunately, clothing
designers and stylists aim to please by creating unique looks that might not always
be practical or even comfortable.
The look of the season shows runway
models in high platform heels and tight
skirts or pants. Models have perfected the
runway “walk,” but the popular looks and
accessories are frequently impractical and
could create leg, back, and spine or neck
problems. Sometimes I see a woman walking down the street with high heels and
a two-ton bag, and I want to stop her and
make her aware of what she is doing to her
body. Women generally wear high heels to
complement an outfit, not for comfort, but
some might not realize that these shoes can
cause serious discomfort in the feet and can
also exacerbate back pain. High heels alter
the balanced position of a person’s body.
When a woman wears high heels, a
new dynamic equilibrium occurs. We can
compared the musculoskeletal system to a
controlled dental office conditions may be
safe and effective, but the new in-office vital
tooth-bleaching techniques, particularly
those using laser and lights, have undergone
little scientific assessment.
Home-use tooth-bleaching systems are
available to the general public, either from
a dentist or from various retail outlets.
Clinical studies support the safety and effectiveness of home-use bleaching gels when
used appropriately. Tooth sensitivity and
irritation to soft tissues can occur during
bleaching treatment, but these effects are
transient. Yet the effects of long-term toothbleaching are unknown and need to be
researched, especially since the effect is not
permanent and many individuals end up
undergoing periodic bleaching treatments.
(Source: Canadian Dental Association)
mobile, hanging in dynamic equilibrium,
each part balancing the other. If one part
becomes ‘fixed,’ the whole system will
compensate with a movement or restriction. Essentially, wearing high heels for
any length of time increases the normal
forward curve of the back and causes
the pelvis to tip forward. This alters the
normal configuration of the pelvis and
spine necessary for the body to maintain a
center of gravity. The legs are the foundation of the musculoskeletal system, and a
person standing flat-footed or bare-footed
would be completely balanced. While
standing, the hamstrings are taut and
both parts of the pelvis are stabilized so
that the support is normal. By bringing
the heel up, you encourage the shortness
of the hamstring muscles.
Women and men alike fall into the
fashion trap. However, women, more than
men, tend to wear clothes that are too
tight. Stylish tight tube skirts and tight
pants can be attractive, but are often
too restrictive. Clothes that are too tight
throw a person off-balance, and simple
everyday tasks such as bending, sitting and walking become difficult. Tight
clothes restrict a person from moving
comfortably, resulting in poor posture and
misalignment of the spine.
Another unhealthy fashion statement
is the use of heavy purses, backpacks and
handbags. Women and men tend to carry
too many items in one bag, or briefcase,
and are often not aware of the potential
health risks associated with toting an
excessive amount of “stuff!” Carrying a
bag with detectable weight-more than 10
percent of your body weight-can cause
improper balance. When hiked over one
shoulder, it interferes simple suggestions,
being fashionable can be comfortable.
March 25, 2015
PAGE 17
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
MONEY MATTERS
Opportunities For Pension Income Splitting
Generally, income from non-registered investments will also not qualify.
One exception is when the income is
received from a Guaranteed Interest
• RESPs
• ETFs
• RRSPs
Contract (GIC) provided by an insur• INSURANCE
• MUTUAL FUNDS
• TFSAs
ance company. A GIC from an insurance
• STOCKscompany •reports
GICs the interest accrued
• RRIFs
•
BONDs
•
RDSPs
an you reduce your famas annuity income, which qualifies for
1
ily’s tax bill? Spouses are
the pension income credit at age 65. The
Isa M. Rahamat
Financial Advisor
allowed to split qualified
interest element of a non-registered anLife Insurance Advisor
retirement income. This can reduce nuity contract (prescribed and non-preIt’s now Autumn — for many a time to relax and get away from it
family taxes and help
incomescribed)your
is another
exception
all.preserve
So while you
might take a vacation,
money never
should. for those
tested tax credits and We’re
benefits.
agefind
65 innovative
or older.ways
Income
splitting options
committed to helping you
to make
investments
If you have a spouse who is in a lower
tax work harder for you.
Mall
bracket, you and your spouseYorkdale
can elect
toTower Eligible income
1 Yorkdale Road Suite 404, Toronto, ON, M6A 3A1
have
up
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You1-800-361-8726
can split up to 50
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cent of eligible
Telephone: (416) 787-1616 Ext. 230 | Toll-Free:
Ext.
transferred to theCellular:
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spouse.| Fax: (416)
income,
described above, with a spouse.
(416) 346-8883
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E-mail:
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Eligible income
is defined
as income eliBecause of income-tested tax credits and
gible for the pension income credit.
benefits, such as age credits, medical expenses and OAS, the optimal transfer may
What types of income are eligible? be less than 50 per cent. Some analysis
Under age 65, only income received
will be necessary each year to determine
directly from a pension plan or received
the amount that will maximize the reducbecause of the death of your spouse
tion in taxes and minimize the impact on
qualifies for pension income splitting.
income-tested tax credits and benefits.
Income from other registered plans,
such as Registered Retirement Income
Canada/Quebec Pension Plan
Funds (RRIFs), annuities purchased
Although not part of the federal initiawith your Registered Retirement Savtive with respect to pension income
ings Plan (RRSP) and Deferred Profit
splitting, these government plans
Sharing Plans, is only eligible for splitalready allow spouses who are age 60
ting if you are age 65 or older. Governyears or older to share up to 50 per cent
ment plans, such as the Canada/Quebec
of benefits earned while living together.
Pension Plan (CPP/QPP) and Old Age
Security (OAS), do not qualify under the Spousal RRSPs
federal pension income splitting rules.
Contributing to a spousal RRSP can
C
Investments, Retirements,
Estate and Tax Planning
Mortgages - Did You
know? Part 2
I
Asif
Kasim
n keeping with the
last “Did You Know?”
article….
Did you know?
• You may qualify for a 5 year
fixed rate, but may not qualify
for a shorter term or a variable
rate? The reason for this is that
there are different qualifying rules (rates) for different
mortgage products. Depending on the product you choose,
a lender will use either the 5
year contract rate or the Bank
of Canada 5 year posted rate to
qualify you. It’s a government
guideline to manage a borrower’s ability to handle interest
rate fluctuations.
• Lending Rules & Policies differ
from Lender to Lender? For
example, TD Canada Trust may
approve a deal that Scotiabank
may decline due to differing
policies. Canadiana Financial
may approve a deal that First
National may decline. This is
also result in tax savings. Under
these rules, RRSP and RRIF income
can only be split at age 65 or older.
However, spousal RRSPs provide
income splitting at any age that is not
restricted to 50 per cent. Also, if your
spouse is younger, income can be delayed until the year after your spouse
reaches age 71.
Isa Rahamat is a Financial Advisor
with Manulife Securities Inc. His email
is isa.rahamat@manulifesecurities.
ca This content is provided courtesy of
Solut!ons from Manulife Financial.
© 2013 Manulife Financial. The persons and situations depicted are fictional and their resemblance
to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This
media is for information purposes only and is not
intended to provide specific financial, tax, legal,
accounting or other advice and should not be relied
upon in that regard. Many of the issues discussed
will vary by province. Individuals should seek the advice of professionals to ensure that any action taken
with respect to this information is appropriate to
their specific situation. E & O E. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all
may be associated with mutual fund investments.
Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual
funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.
Any amount that is allocated to a segregated fund is
invested at the risk of the contract holder and may
increase or decrease in value. 08/13
Speak to your advisor
If you are in or near retirement and
would like to discuss your eligible
sources of income for the purposes of
pension income splitting, as well as
other income splitting options, contact
your advisor.
2/23/2015
Spring Dance Flyer 8.5x11.jpg
not to say any one lender is
better than the other, however
each lender has a different
preference and risk tolerance
for the business they want.
• Most lenders will require a borrower to have at least 2 active
trade lines (ie, credit cards,
loans, lines of credit) on their
credit bureau for at least 1 year.
The overall concept is that lenders want to see that you can manage money/credit responsibly and
pay it back in a timely manner.
This is reflected on your credit
report and typically 2 trade lines
managed over a 12 month period
of time is a good indicator of the
borrower’s ability.
When purchasing a home, always be sure to get your finances
in order in advance. Speak to your
mortgage advisor and they’ll be
sure to provide you with the right
steps to making your home purchase a smooth process.
Asif A. Kasim is a mortgage agent
with DLC’s The Integrity Professionals Inc. (Powered by Bedrock
Financial Inc Lic. 12275) – asif.
[email protected] or 416.561.1258 or
www.theintegrityprofessionals.com
https://mail.google.com/_/scs/mail­static/_/js/k=gmail.main.en.ObKuID8yl2o.O/m=m_i,t,it/am=OiMacP­3_iDGmpulT­r­_fe7T4qPHF7­RxgAkp0AOL_Z_wP4P…
1/1
PAGE 18
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
March 25, 2015
up cooking as well as help the seasoning and Escovitch infuse fish) Lightly
season with your choice of fish seasoning. Heat oil to medium heat (add whole
scotch bonnet to flavour oil is optional)
gently add seasoned fish to oil (make
sure it is completely dry to avoid splatting of hot oil) cook on each side for 5
minutes or until golden brown and carefully turn with tongs or spatula as oil is
very hot. Remove from oil and place on
paper towel to remove excess oil.
- 2 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp of sugar
- Pimento Berries
- Bay leaf
- 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (control heat
with less seeds or no seeds)
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Large Spanish Onion
- 1tsp salt
- ½ each Red and Green bell peppers
(optional)
- Lemon juice
Escovitch For Easter
D
uring this Lenten period
a popular custom is the
exclusion of meat from the diet
every Friday as a sacrifice and
reminder that acknowledged
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross we
commemorate Good Friday.
Many observe this tradition and
also refraining from cooking
on Good Friday. With fish as
the main staple of nearly every
household on Good Friday, it
can be prepared in every conceivable way; fried, steam, roast,
grilled jerked and of course
Escovitch.
Here at the Caribbean Jerk House, we
have some who may ask “what is Escovitch??” where we simply explain, that it
is a hot, sweet and sour pickling of onions,
carrots and peppers that we marinate our
fish dishes in before serving.
But where did this term Escovitch really come from..?
The origin of this name has been disputed, as there are many similar terms
and styles of preparing seafood, meats
and vegetables all around the world
One hypothesis suggests it comes
from the word Ceviche. This is a popu-
lar seafood dish in Central and South
America. Basically, it is made with
fresh raw fish that is cured in citrus
juice and spices with chili peppers, seasoning like onions and cilantro may be
added for presentation and flavour.
Another theory is a dish called
Escabeche, which is similar to Ceviche except the fish or meat is cooked
lightly first. Escabeche originates from
the Mediterranean and Latin America
particularly Spain. Escabeche came
from the Moors who occupied Spain
for almost 800 years bringing many of
their eastern dishes, such as ‘Al-Sikbaj”
a Persian word meaning “vinegar stew”.
In Spain, the lamb and beef variations
died out but the fish recipes remained
because as Christians, the Spanish
were always in need of meatless dishes
for lent and other fasting days. This
may also be why they developed vegetable variation. Escabeche is usually
prepared with poached or fried fish or
even chicken that is pickled or soused in
an acidic marinade usually vinegar or
citrus based before serving.
So weather Ceviche or Escabeche, Escovitch is the Jamaican variation. Just as
Jamaicans have added their own local fla-
HAROON GAFUR
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Providing solutions for personal and
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Tax planning and tax minimisation strategies
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vour to the word, they have also done the
same with this dish. Here is our recipe for
perfect Escovitch pickling to any fish.
Fried Escovitch Red Snapper
- 2 lbs Red Snapper (about 4 medium
side fish)
- 1 lime
- Fish seasoning
- 2 cups Oil
- 1 scotch bonnet
Clean and trim Fish thoroughly
removing all scales and wash with lime
juice and cold water. Pat dry fish of all
moisture on the inside and out to ensure
a crisp fried fish. Cut two slits into
the belly of each side (this will speed
Slice or julienne scotch bonnet pepper,
carrot, onions and bell peppers. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, boil vinegar with
sugar, pimento berries and bay leaf.
Once reduced add in scotch bonnet,
carrot, onions, bell peppers and salt.
Remove from heat to keep carrots and
onions crisp or cook for longer if you
wish. Drizzle pickling on fried fish.
Serves 4 with Bun and Cheese! Happy
Easter!
March 25, 2015
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
Gibson Happy About Simmons
Appointment As Windies Coach
F
ormer West Indies head
coach, Ottis Gibson, is glad
that the West Indies Cricket
Board (WICB) has appointed
another West Indian as his
replacement. And although he
has acknowledged it won’t be
an easy job, Gibson is backing
the regional side’s newest head
coach, Phil Simmons to do a
sterling job.
His comments came on the heels of
the WICB’s announcement that Simmons, a Trinidadian, will take over the
post left vacant by Gibson’s controversial sacking seven months ago. Simmons
has signed a three-year contract. Gibson
–– who coached the West Indies from
2010-2014 –– said he felt confident
the former West Indies all-rounder had
the ability to turn the regional outfit’s
fortunes around.
“I think the appointment is great news
for the West Indies. I always believed that
the job as head coach should have gone
to a West Indian and Phil [Simmons]
has shown he is more than capable of
handling the job,” the former Barbados
and West Indies fast bowler said during a
telephone interview from England.
“He is a very experienced coach and
I am sure that he will do very well. He’s
done an absolutely great job while coaching Ireland over the past few years where
he has led them to international success.”
Chief executive officer of the WICB,
Michael Muirhead, said Simmons was
the right person for the job at this time.
Simmons was one of seven people interviewed for the position
Simmons acknowledged it was difficult to leave Ireland, but said coaching
the West Indies team was too good an
opportunity to let pass.
“West Indies have a tremendous
Gayle Out Of England Series!
view, I know him well,” Gayle said. “He’s
a good man, he has done well with Ireland and he’s one of us as well, so there’s
no doubt about it. We know how we can
actually become a stronger unit.
PAGE 19
history and prestige in the game, and
I am honoured to have been given this
opportunity to be head coach. There is
an abundance of young talent coming
through the ranks and to be able to assist with the development of the future
playing talent in the West Indies is
fantastic. I can’t wait to begin and I am
looking forward to starting work with
the players,” Simmons said.
He added: “I am excited to be beginning this new chapter in my coaching
career and to have the opportunity to
create a winning culture. West Indies
have a huge following across the World
and I have great admiration for the
passion fans show for our team. We are
determined to give the supporters the
brand of cricket and the level of success
that we are all looking to achieve.”
Simmons helped Ireland’s standing in
world cricket grow since he took charge
in April 2007. His tenure included 224
matches, making him the longest serving coach in international cricket. During
that time, Ireland won 11 trophies and
qualified for every major ICC event, beating West Indies and England at the last
two World Cups. Simmons’ first assignment will be to oversee the West Indies
team for the international home Test series against England starting next month.
“I didn’t know he was appointed, so
that’s news to me at this point in time,
so I wish him all the best and hopefully he’ll have a successful coaching
career with West Indies and can uplift
West Indies cricket and take us further
in international cricket and help the
Regional [Tournament] as well.”
Gayle Somerset Bound!
C
hris Gayle is not retiring from any form of the
game, but a recurring
back injury will keep him out
of West Indies’ upcoming home
Test series against England.
“Definitely want to play the T20 World
Cup next year for West Indies, there’s
no doubt about that,” Gayle told ESPNcricinfo. “I’ve got a few concerns and
a few injury [cases] to try and solve. I’ll
give myself some time and hopefully
look back at it and see how well I can
actually progress for West Indies cricket
at this point in time.
“I’m actually out of the Test series,
the back won’t hold up for that format
at this point in time. But I haven’t
retired from any format as yet. As I go
on I will keep informing WICB about
my progress in the future with West
Indies cricket.”
West Indies were knocked out of the
World Cup on Saturday after losing
their quarter-final against New Zealand
by 143 runs. Gayle made a 33-ball 61 in
an attempt to keep West Indies in touch
with the asking rate in a chase of 394.
Gayle said he suffered a groin strain
during the game, but his back didn’t
trouble him too much.
Gayle looked forward to working
with Phil Simmons, who will take over
as West Indies’ coach after the World
Cup. Simmons, the former West Indies
allrounder, has just ended an eight-year
stint with the Ireland team.
“I know Phil from a personal point of
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has signed to play
T20 cricket for Somerset County. And the announcement via Twitter overwhelmed the cricket club’s servers
on March 23.
“BREAKING: Chris Gayle will be joining Somerset for
6 @NatWestT20Blast matches!” Somerset Cricket announced via Twitter earlier today.
It was retweeted more than 300 times and as people
rushed to read the story, the website crashed.
“We are having some technical issues with our website at the moment! A certain story is receiving too
much traffic for our servers! #bearwithus”,” said a follow up tweet.
Gayle is expected to arrive in late May, as he will be
competing in the Indian Premier League for the Royal
Challengers Bangalore.
“Signing a world-class player of the quality of Chris
Gayle is tremendously exciting for the club,” said Somerset’s director of cricket Matthew Maynard in an interview with the BBC.
“He will be a tremendous addition to our already extremely strong squad. He is an inspirational character
and we are delighted to be bringing him to Somerset.”
Gayle recently announced he would not be representing
the West Indies in the upcoming series against England.
PAGE 20
CARIBBEAN GRAPHIC
March 25, 2015