Editor
Good morning all
Somehow I don’t believe we are in the month of March and about to see the first signs of spring. Frankly I never thought this winter would ever be over, especially in light of the severe weather we’ve seen in the last two weeks. First, the minus 45 degrees in mid-month, and then the record-breaking fifty centimeters of snow a week later. But who am I to complain? I chose to live in Canada, didn’t I? And no matter how much I complain about the weather, I do love it here. Ottawa is indeed a great place to live in, make no mistake about it!
Our March edition brings you a lot of goodies. February being Black History Month ensures that the lion’s share of our stories commemorate this important event in Ottawa and Canada’s history. We start with the government of Canada celebrating Black History Month under the auspices of Heritage Minister Melanie Joly. Other Black History Months follow in succession: Colonel By Secondary School; the “Florida Highwaymen” Art exhibition by the US Embassy; the ever popular “Children’s Stories in the diaspora”, capped by our Top Story featuring the special award to our own civic icon Sarah Onyango by the Ontario Black History Society.
For our Interview we bring you Rev. Joseph Kiirya, a passionate advocate for the spiritual and health needs of Ottawa’s Black community. Our Youth In Action continues its lively tradition with articles by newcomers Drew Simpson and Muna Mohamed, plus a poignant poem by Youth Editor Kika Otiono. Associate Editor Annette Ejiofor weighs in with an inspirational piece on the tragic La Loche shooting and its aftermath. We also feature the annual Somali “Awakening” conference, where role models share their life experiences with the youth.
The business end of our publication brings you an important seminar connecting diaspora African Canadians and the continent, titled: Workshop on African entrepreneurship, Innovation, Philanthropy and economic development. Our new Community Profile features the Ottawa Sierra Leone Community Association, the first of many more as we showcase and acknowledge the great work done by volunteers in the service of their respective communities.
Of special interest to our francophone readers is the community award to Yvette Yende-Ashiri by l’Association des communautés francophones d’Ottawa. We report this occasion in French with the expectation that more of our French-speaking readers would be willing to share with us information on similar events in their community.
All these and more in the March 2016 edition of your favourite news magazine. And finally, here is the result of last month’s survey:
Is it fair that Syrian refugees will not have to repay the cost of their air fare to Canada, while refugees from other countries are required to repay this loan to the Canadian government?
No 64%
Yes 36%
Thank you to all who voted and please remember to vote in the March survey about Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Blessings to you and your loved ones!
Godwin Ifedi
Editor