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Check Out Our New Blog Posts!
Dear Friends of the Canada-Caribbean Institute:
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It might be summer...and we might have been at the cottage...but the stories do not stop for that. Here is some of what missed...have a look...just to catch up.
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If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please consider forwarding it to those in your networks who might also find it interesting.
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If you have a story, or ideas for relevant content, that you think we should look at, please do not hesitate to get in touch,
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Toronto Caribbean Carnival: Let the music play, backed up by data
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July 23, 2025 The streets of Toronto will be pulsating with the rhythmic sounds of Caribbean music in the days ahead. To kick off the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, let’s take a look through a musical and trade lens at the 774,510 Canadians who reported being of Caribbean ethnicity in the 2021 Census of Population, with a focus on the six …
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Moody’s: Caribbean Development Bank Maintains Aa1 Credit Rating with Stable Outlook
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Moody's and the CDB both recognize the importance of the forthcoming $200M Canadian Porfolio Credit Guarantee. July 29, 2025 The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB, the Bank) is pleased to announce that Moody’s Ratings has affirmed its Aa1 long-term issuer and foreign-currency senior unsecured bond ratings with a stable outlook. This reflects the Bank’s commitment to financial stability, prudent risk management, and continued efforts to …
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Consequential Electoral Contestation in the Caribbean
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The Caribbean is in a very active election season. Prof. Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, with whom we have partnered on several Policy Panels, has written a good overview of the season, with an emphasis on Guyana, for The Ward Post, an online journal hosted by Ambassador Curtis Ward. July 28, 2025 by Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, PhD When political sociologists concerned …
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Mohamed Lachemi steers Toronto Metropolitan University through transformational change with vision and purpose
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Dr. Mohamed Lachemi is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). He has guided the university through a number of significant and high profile initiatives. As Ron Fanfair notes in a recent article on Lachemi, "His journey from international student to university president and vice-chancellor is a powerful example of the transformative potential of global education, the value …
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TCI PREMIER, POLICE COMMISSIONER LINK MASS SHOOTING TO HAITIAN GANG VIOLENCE
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By Daisy Handfield, Sun, Jul 27, 2025 Commissioner of Police, Fitz Bailey, and Premier Charles Washington Misick said they believe Haitian gang-related violence is behind the Turks and Caicos Islands’ first known mass shooting; a brutal attack, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, July 27, 2025, at the Island Hookah Lounge on Leeward Highway, Providenciales, leaving three dead ten …
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Business giant Don Wehby has died
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Don Wehby served as a Director of the Canada-Caribbean Institute following it's founding. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Institute extends condolences to his family. July 27, 2025 Don Wehby, the former GraceKennedy Group chief executive officer and Government Senator died on Saturday, July 26. He was 62. His family, who announced his passing early Sunday, described him …
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PAHO and CARICOM sign 2025-2029 Joint Subregional cooperation strategy
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Georgetown, Guyana, 22 July 2025 (PAHO) – The Joint Subregional Cooperation Strategy that will provide a coordinated framework for technical cooperation to address common public health challenges in the Caribbean was signed today by the Director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, and Dr. Carla N. Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The Strategy will cover the …
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How publics in small-island states view climate change and international responses to it
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July 25, 2025 Authors: Matto Mildenberge, Sara M. Constantino, Paasha Mahdavi and Ingmar Sturm Summary The success of climate adaptation and resilience efforts in vulnerable regions will be shaped by public awareness and acceptance of proposed solutions. Yet for publics in small-island states and territories, who represent some of the world’s most climate-exposed populations, there has been no systematic effort …
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Commonwealth Leaders Dialogue Canada: Study Conference workplans
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The Study Tours from this Conference are over, but the participants have mapped out programs that they will undertake over the coming year. The Canada-Caribbean Institute was pleased to be able to participate in the launch event. We will be looking for ways we can help the Study Tour participants advance their work. In celebration of the 69 year anniversary …
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$1b export tariff threat
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By:Shawn Cumberbatch Date: July 23, 2025 Barbados and other CARICOM countries trading with the United States (US) are at risk of missing out on $1.08 billion in export revenue if the US pursues its reciprocal tariff regime. The potential sectoral fallout would be felt mostly in based metals and articles thereof ($311.8 million), hides, textiles and apparel ($205.6 million), agriculture …
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Five key takeaways from the ICJ’s historic climate ruling and what comes next
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By Rosie Frost Published on 25/07/2025 The ICJ’s advisory opinion spells out states’ duties on climate, opening doors for lawsuits and stronger climate action On Wednesday, the UN’s highest court delivered a historic opinion on climate change, outlining states’ responsibilities under international law. It was the largest case ever seen by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with more than 150 submissions …
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From selling peanuts to saving lives: Researcher uses AI to combat health misinformation across Africa
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Jude Kong is harnessing artificial intelligence and community collaboration to address public health challenges in the Global South Published: July 15, 2025 By Sharmeen Somani At age 15 – a time when most teenagers are enjoying after-school activities and hanging out with their friends – Jude Kong was selling peanuts on the street in Cameroon. He grew up in a village called Shiy, about a 10-hour drive …
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As Haiti turns to lethal drones to fight gangs, Canada is among those who are uneasy
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Geoff Nixon · CBC News · Posted: Jul 25, 2025 Haiti's battle against criminal gangs has leaned into the lethal use of drones this year, with senior officials defending the tactic that some outside parties, including Canada's government, have voiced qualms about. The embattled Caribbean nation has been struggling to expel the powerful armed gangs that senior United Nations officials say have taken "near-total control" of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The gangs' …
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Barbados Renewable Energy Project Takes Centre-Stage At UN
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July 2, 2025 A groundbreaking Barbados-based renewable energy project took centre stage at the 25th United Nations (UN) Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP), held in New York from June 16 to 20. At the UN ICP meeting, co-chaired by Barbados’ Permanent Representative to the UN, François Jackman, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative …
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These five students travelled 4,000 km to graduate from TMU
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From medical lab technologist to full-stack developer: Adult learners from Guyana transformed their careers through online education By: Savara Khokhar July 15, 2025 This past convocation marked a special milestone for these adult learners from Guyana. On June 24, 2025, they crossed the convocation stage at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), having successfully completed The Chang School’s certificate in Full …
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The UWI Mona to launch cybersecurity major in September
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The Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, will be launching a cybersecurity major in September. The new major, being offered through the Department of Computing, is designed to prepare a new generation of cybersecurity professionals equipped to protect Jamaica’s digital infrastructure and support regional security efforts, the faculty said.The cybersecurity major …
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AI used to ‘democratize’ how we predict the weather
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A team of researchers, including U of T postdoc James Requeima, has developed an AI tool to predict the weather faster and with a fraction of the computing power of traditional methods. Published: July 14, 2025 By Diane Peters Weather prediction systems provide critical information about dangerous storms, deadly heatwaves and potential droughts, among other climate emergencies. But they’re not always accurate. And, …
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CARICOM condemns Venezuela’s defiance of ICJ order
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By Staff Reporter July 13, 2025 HEADS of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have reaffirmed their unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, strongly condemning Venezuela’s recent attempts to assert authority over the Essequibo region in defiance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). During the recently concluded 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government …
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Trump to put tariffs of over 10% on smaller nations, including those in Africa and the Caribbean
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By JOSH BOAK, July 15, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he plans to place tariffs of over 10% on smaller countries, including nations in Africa and the Caribbean. “We’ll probably set one tariff for all of them,” Trump said, adding that it could be “a little over 10% tariff” on goods from at least 100 …
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Haiti gangs’ expansion, human-rights violations, threaten whole Caribbean, UN warns
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By Jacqueline Charles July 11, 2025 For days, the message circulated on WhatsApp chats, warning of an imminent attack. The message, which claimed to be from Jeff Laros, the sanctioned leader of Haiti’s so-called Taliban gang, didn’t specify when or where. But residents of Lascahobas, an important trading point between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, stood their guard. Shortly after dawn …
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The UN Security Council extends mission in Haiti
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Dolores Vicioso Jul 15, 2025 The United Nations Security Council decided on 14 July 2025 to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) until 31 January 2026 as Council members spotlighted the Office’s critical support to a country in the throes of multi-dimensional crisis. Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2785 (2025), the 15-member body …
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Residents of tiny nation devastated as homeland vanishes before their eyes: 'Every day I see a piece of my land disappear'
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by Nicole Westhoff July 15, 2025 Residents of South America's smallest country face a decline in land area as the sea laps at its doorstep — and it's not relenting. What's happening?Suriname, a developing country with just over 600,000 people, has a landscape that is predominantly rainforest. Much of its population lives on the coast — and that is vanishing. With …
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Prof Donna Hope new head of Caribbean Studies Association
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Professor Donna Hope, Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), in the Faculty of Humanities & Education at the University of The West Indies(The UWI), Mona Campus, was recently installed as president of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA), at its annual conference held in Simpson Bay, St Martin. Professor Hope, a distinguished and renowned Jamaican scholar of cultural …
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PNH seized record 1.05 tonnes of cocaine in historic raid
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This is a big win for the PNH, and for Canada (and the United States) which was probably where it was headed. Haitian police call the 1,045-kilo cocaine haul the largest drug bust in the force’s 30-year history, after a July 13 operation involving PNH, Coast Guard, and UDMO units on Tortuga Island. Overview:PNH different specialized units Haitian seized 1.05 …
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A Special issue of the Comparative and International Education journal with a focus on education in the Caribbean
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Call for Papers - Special Issue of the CIE - Proposals Due August 1st This special issue of Comparative and International Education/Éducation Comparée et Internationale (CIE/ÉCI) provides an opportunity to mobilize research completed on innovation, leadership, sustainability, and system change in the Caribbean by Caribbean researchers and/or in partnership with other researchers, including those from Canada. Researchers and universities in the Caribbean have …
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‘A compass towards progress’ – but key development goals remain way off track
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Global life expectancy increased by an astonishing five years between 2000 and 2019. And then since the COVID-19 pandemic, it slid backwards by almost two. More than 110 million children have entered school since 2015 – but by 2023, 272 million children still had no access to the classroom. The UN’s key Sustainable Development Goals Report launched Monday by Secretary-General António Guterres, chronicles …
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CARICOM IMPACS and Canada discuss regional security
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The Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) is the regional body responsible for coordinating and implementing CARICOM’s crime and security agenda. Headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago, IMPACS is the focus for regional security efforts. Its core mission includes: Strengthening regional cooperation on crime prevention Enhancing border and maritime security Combating transnational threats like drug trafficking, firearms smuggling, …
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Regional Security: Organized Crime and Gangs
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The recent CARICOM Heads of Government meeting included discussions on the topic of security. CARICOM agreed on the the "Montego Bay Declaration On Transnational Organised Crime And Gangs", which commits, albeit in very generalized language, to further action and coordination to enhance security vis a vis criminal gangs. In addition, one of the invited guests to the meeting was the …
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About the the Canada-Caribbean Institute (CCI)
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The CCI is a collaboration between Caribbean and Canadian universities and colleges. The mission of the Institute is to provide a forum:
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to connect academic institutions, scholars, the business and public sectors, civil society, the cultural and diaspora communities
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to inform and encourage collaboration across Canada and the Caribbean to advance important social, environmental, and economic issues that are vital to the shared prosperity and advancement of both regions; and
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to identify impediments and opportunities related to such progress.
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For more information please visit our website
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