Miss Lou’s Room to Strengthen Ties Between Jamaica and Canada

Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Hon. Mike Colle, has said that the Miss Lou’s Room, slated to open later this year in Toronto, would serve to strengthen linkages and exchanges between Jamaica and Canada.
The Minister was speaking with Jamaica’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Canada, Evadne Coye, when she called on him at his offices recently.
Minister Colle had announced the creation of Miss Lou’s Room in February as part of celebrations for Black History Month. “We want to revitalize some of the historical connection we have between Jamaica/Canada and Jamaica/Ontario.
Miss Lou’s Room is a very important educational and governmental connection,” he stated.
High Commissioner Coye, who was accompanied by Jamaica’s Consul General to Toronto, Anne-Marie Bonner, thanked the Minister for honouring Miss Lou in this manner and said she looked forward to the earliest possible opening of the facility.
She stressed the importance of a strong cultural identity for the development of positive, goals-oriented persons and expressed the hope that the Miss Lou’s Room would be a focal point for the appreciation of cultural roots and expressions.
Turning to cricket, which is another area of shared interest between the officials, the High Commissioner congratulated Minister Colle for the substantial boost he had given to the game in Ontario. The Minister had succeeded in getting Cdn$1 million for the improvement of cricketing facilities in his province.
The government officials also discussed a range of areas in which Jamaica and Canada/Ontario could improve relations, including the enhancement of the island’s productive capacity for maximizing the potential of the CaribCan Trade agreement.
High Commissioner Coye also paid courtesy calls on Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, Hon. James K. Bartleman and Minister of Children and Youth Services, Jamaican-born Hon. MaryAnne Chambers.