Guided by love and compassion, Gemma Raeburn-Baynes gives with a big heart
October 6, 2025
Because language and cultural similarities facilitate integration, it’s easy to understand why French-speaking immigrants from Haiti and Africa opt to settle in Montreal.
However, it might be less obvious why many English-speaking Caribbean immigrants also prefer Canada’s second-largest city over more English-dominant places like Toronto.
Family ties, education, affordable living, job opportunities and accessible immigration programs make Montreal a viable option for immigrants from the Caribbean. Despite language differences, many individuals manage to make it work through determination and strong support networks.
Arriving from Grenada as a teenager in 1974, Gemma Raeburn-Baynes entered a city that was developing its multicultural identity, characterized by a growing but still small African community, a significant influx of English-speaking Caribbean students and professionals and the early stages of Black Power and anti-colonial activism.
Through activism and community leadership, she established a strong support network that helps Caribbean immigrants feel welcomed and connected in Quebec’s largest city.
Of all the community initiatives Raeburn-Baynes started, Playmas Montreal Cultural Association (PMCA) is closest to her heart because it celebrates Caribbean culture and empowers the next generation through arts and education.
At the organization’s 25th anniversary on October 3 at the Armon Plaza Montreal Airport hotel, she was honoured with the Medal of the National Assembly of Quebec for her visionary philanthropic initiatives and selfless community service.
Gemma Raeburn-Baynes proudly displays the Medal of the National Assembly of Quebec (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“For the last 60 years, you have dedicated your life to improving the lives of others,” said Quebec Member of the National Assembly Brigitte Garceau who made the presentation. “That is such an amazing accomplishment.”
Garceau noted that Raeburn-Baynes’ first name, Gemma, suits her perfectly.
“She is unique in so many ways and a true gem,” the politician added. “She is a force of nature who possesses a compassionate heart and philanthropic spirit and has a natural ability to bring people together.”
Garceau also presented Certificates of Recognition to PMCA Board members.
A trip from Toronto to Montreal was worth it for Dr. Wesley Crichlow to see Raeburn-Baynes, whom he admires, being recognized for community service.
“Gemma has done an incredible job representing Caribbean diasporic culture in a space that is linguistically challenging while also mobilizing the community,” the professor and scholar activist said. “Unlike Toronto, which has a strong activist community, Montreal lacks this. She, however, has deep roots and history here and has successfully brought people together.”
The theme of the silver anniversary masquerade ball was ‘Savour the Caribbean’.
Raeburn-Baynes, who founded Montreal Ebony Models, which raised almost $2 million for various charities, and Taste of the Caribbean, which highlighted Caribbean food, music, and culture, brought together and highlighted the projects she has launched over the last four decades.
Dawn McNichols of Dawn Caribbean Delights provided saltfish buljal and roast breadfruit at the cocktail reception (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
The event featured a fashion show, and the cocktail reception offered a variety of delicious Caribbean culinary treats.
Event promoter Ricardo ‘Rickey D’ Daley, who brought Run-DMC – the American hip hop group to Montreal in 1985 – was recognized with a Certificate of Honour.
Event promoter Ricardo Daley was presented with a Certificate of Honour at Playmas Montreal Cultural Association's 25th anniversary (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
To revive the struggling Carifiesta summer carnival that Raeburn-Baynes helped establish in 1974, she inserted a band – Playmas – into the event in 2000.
The parade was a huge success, attracting over 350 participants. That event marked the beginning of PMCA.
“We had a band for about three years, and we then began to organize cultural events,” said Raeburn-Baynes who was recognized on Saturday night with a Star Can Community Service Award. “In 2004, we incorporated as a non-profit and started to recognize people in the community who are doing wonderful things.”
PMCA offers scholarships and mentorship through the Gem*Star Circle of Excellence initiative sponsored by the Bank of Montreal, which was Raeburn-Baynes’ employer for 35 years until her retirement in 2015.
Modelled after BMO’s defunct Possibilities Youth Internship Scholarship program, she launched the undertaking in 2021 to celebrate her 70th birthday.
Anne Farray, a retired administrative officer from McGill University, has spent the past two years serving as a mentor in the program.
"Gemma is deeply committed to building and supporting the community," she noted. "She loves working with young people and helping them succeed."
In March, PMCA honoured Farray with the Distinguished Woman of Merit Award in recognition of her ongoing contributions to the organization.
"Gemma has already given so much and continues to make a difference,” the Concordia University graduate who migrated from Grenada in 1973 added. "She is also a woman of remarkable presence and style.”
Anne Farray (c), flanked by sisters Nellis (l) & Pamela Corion (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Princeton University graduate and journalist Akil Alleyne manages the Gem*Star Circle of Excellence program that also receives financial support from Groupe 3777 and individual and other corporate donors.
“Auntie Gemma makes it her mission to connect with as many young Black people in the city as possible,” he said.
Several integral components form the backbone of the organization's structure.
To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, the organization hosts a tea party celebrating Black women who exemplify excellence, innovation and courage.
Recognizing the importance of inclusion, PMCA launched a Father’s Day tribute – Let’s Hear it for the Boys -- to honour young men and boys who inspire their communities through leadership, resilience and positive contributions.
“Most Black men and boys are not involved in gangs, and there are countless outstanding Black fathers who provide for their families daily,” said Raeburn-Baynes who was recognized as a Changemaker in Montreal in 2024. “We want to celebrate the positive.”
Even though Raeburn-Baynes’ father’s life was cut short by illness, she holds on to the beautiful memories they shared. He died in Grenada at age 50 of a heart attack five months after she, her sister and their mother moved to Canada 51 years ago.
Fatima Wilson, who was introduced to steelpan by her father Salah Wilson at age five, provided musical entertainment at the anniversary celebration (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
With funding from a Canadian Heritage grant, PMCA launched a program, The Roots of English Black Arts & Culture, last October.
The five-month program aims to help individuals explore and understand their personal and cultural heritage through interactive workshops, storytelling and community engagement. The goal is to foster a deeper sense of identity, pride and belonging.
Playmas also started an intergenerational dialogue with community seniors to bridge the generation gap, combat social isolation and promote lifelong learning.
Wanda Kagan, a Westmount High School mate and friend of United States presidential candidate Kamala Harris, returned to community service in 2023 after stepping back during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I love the work Gemma does, and I’m inspired by the organization’s mission and its focus on empowering young people,” said the PMCA board member who briefly lived with Harris’ family in the early 1980s.
Wanda Kagan (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Nellis ‘Yvonne’ Corion said Raeburn-Baynes is an exceptional woman and a strong presence in the community.
“She fully commits to everything she takes on,” Corion pointed out. “It is never just about her. She's deeply focused on supporting others, especially young people.”
Pannist Ukpong Etang performed at the cocktail reception (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
From a very young age, Raeburn-Baynes’s passion for community and educational empowerment was evident.
At just nine years old, she gathered the children in her village during summer break to teach them what she had learned in school.
“Some children didn’t attend school at all, while others went irregularly,” recalled Raeburn Baynes who, in 2023, organized the Multicultural Women Entrepreneurs exhibition to showcase emerging businesses and foster an environment where women could support and empower each other. “At the end of the summer school, parents were invited to come to our verandah where my father put up a screen to block the view of attendees. The goal was to collect 25 cents from each parent, which we used to buy snacks and Christmas toys for the children. My parents were involved in everything I did.”
She also sang in the church choir, and her mother was the organist.
With mom losing eight out of ten children to miscarriage at childbirth, Raeburn-Baynes considers herself lucky to be alive.
Perhaps this is why community service comes so naturally to her.
“My sister is number six and I am number nine,” she pointed out. “My mother could have stopped at six, figuring she has one now. She didn’t and I came after she lost two more.”
Weighing just three pounds at birth, Raeburn-Baynes was not expected to survive.
“I was told that my father said, ‘Look at those big bright eyes, she is going to live’,” the 1997 YWCA Woman of Distinction Award recipient recounted. “I did, and I keep asking myself why.”
Leah Lamarche (l) & Luana Duarte brought a carnival flair to the event (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Raeburn-Baynes, who turned 75 last month, feels her life has a purpose and is determined to make a meaningful impact before leaving this world.
Like her father, she has an enlarged heart and has experienced congestive heart failure three times. Diagnosed three months after her son’s birth, she had a heart defibrillator implanted in 2004 which needs to be replaced every eight years.
While heart enlargement poses health risks, having a big heart has allowed Raeburn-Baynes to give freely with love and compassion.
Dara Robb in her carnival costume at the PMCA anniversary (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
