The best way to understand what CanJam News is — and why it exists — is to read it. But if you're new to our newsroom and want a sense of the ground we cover, these five stories are a good place to start.
Each one represents something different about the Canadian-Jamaican beat: the cultural, the political, the local, the international, and the deeply personal. Together, they make the case for why this journalism matters.
1. Air Jamaica's Potential Revival
Few stories have resonated with our readers as deeply as the ongoing coverage of Air Jamaica's potential return.
For Canadians of Jamaican heritage, Air Jamaica was never just an airline. It was the carrier that brought families together across the Atlantic, the plane that meant you were going home. When the airline ceased operations in 2015, it left a hole that no other carrier has fully filled.
Our coverage of the revival discussions — the routes being considered, the aircraft, the economics, the politics — drew on sources and context that only a newsroom with deep roots in both countries could provide. We understood what was at stake beyond the business case.
This is the kind of story that gets a paragraph in a general-interest outlet, if it gets covered at all. At CanJam News, it gets the full treatment it deserves.
2. Jamaica, Reparations, and the King Charles Question
When the debate over Jamaican reparations intensified and King Charles's role came into sharp focus, CanJam News was there with coverage that went beyond the headlines.
The history of slavery in Jamaica, the British Crown's role in that history, and the contemporary political and economic arguments for reparations are all deeply relevant to Canadians of Jamaican heritage. Many of our readers have grandparents and great-grandparents whose lives were shaped by that history.
We covered the story with the nuance it required — not as a distant political debate, but as something with direct meaning for a community that carries that history forward. We included the voices of Jamaican-Canadians, historians, and community leaders who rarely get space in mainstream Canadian media.
3. The Marsh Street Shooting in Moncton
When a shooting occurred in Moncton's Marsh Street neighbourhood, CanJam News was on the ground.
This is the kind of local story that illustrates why community-specific journalism matters. A general-interest outlet might run a brief item. CanJam News understood the neighbourhood, the community context, and the people affected. We covered it with the depth and care that the community deserved.
New Brunswick has a growing Caribbean community that is often invisible in provincial and national media. CanJam News is committed to changing that — covering the full range of life in Atlantic Canada's Caribbean communities, not just the moments of crisis.
4. Jamaica Raises US$1 Billion in International Bond Markets
When Jamaica successfully raised US$1 billion in international bond markets, it was a significant story about a small island nation's economic credibility on the world stage.
For Canadians with family in Jamaica, this kind of economic news has direct relevance. It affects the value of remittances, the stability of the Jamaican dollar, and the long-term economic prospects of the country that many of our readers still call home in some sense.
CanJam News covered the story with the economic context it required, explaining what the bond issuance meant for ordinary Jamaicans and for the diaspora community watching from Canada.
5. Operation Yellow Ribbon: Gander's 9/11 Story, Revisited
Our coverage of the 25th anniversary of Operation Yellow Ribbon — the remarkable story of how the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, welcomed thousands of stranded airline passengers after the September 11 attacks — connected two threads that define CanJam News.
Many of those passengers were Caribbean nationals, including Jamaicans, who found themselves stranded in a small Canadian town and were met with extraordinary kindness. The story is a reminder of what Canada can be at its best, and of the deep connections between Canada and the Caribbean that predate any formal policy or program.
It's also a story about New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada — a region that CanJam News covers with particular attention, because it's where our newsroom is based and where the Caribbean community is growing fastest.
Why These Stories Matter
These five stories share something in common: they exist at the intersection of Canada and Jamaica, and they require a newsroom that understands both sides of that intersection to cover them properly.
That's what CanJam News is. Not a general-interest outlet that occasionally covers Caribbean stories. Not a Jamaican outlet that sometimes mentions Canada. A newsroom built specifically for the community that lives between those two worlds.
We're just getting started. With over 40 published articles and a growing readership, we're building the journalism this community has needed for a long time.
Explore our full coverage at CanJam News — and if these stories resonate with you, share them. The more people who know about us, the stronger our journalism becomes.