SOURCE: CMC: – British Virgin Islands (BVI) Premier Andrew Fahie was Thursday detained in Miami on charges related to conspiring to import cocaine and money laundering.

The managing director of the BVI Port Authority, Oleanvine Maynard was also detained and taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents at Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport.

The two government officials were in Miami for a cruise convention and US media reports indicate they were arrested after meeting with undercover DEA agents posing as cocaine traffickers.

Authorities said Maynard’s son, Kadeem Maynard, was also arrested on Thursday in connection with the case, but not in Miami.

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Prime Minister Mia Mottley has signalled government’s intention to “move beyond” the naming of national heroes and recognise “builders of Barbados” across every parish.

She made the revelation at the inaugural Humanitarian Awards Ceremony at Kensington Oval where she announced that approximately 6,000 COVID-19 heroes would receive monetary tokens totalling approximately $3 million.

“Yes, there will always be a few at the top, but this nation must move beyond heroes and freedoms and start to also recognise builders of Barbados, parish, by parish, by parish, for their story must be written and told for future generations,” said Mottley during the feature address.

“And, therefore, my office and the cabinet office has agreed that we will work with the office of the President such that she will have the responsibility for being able to mold and to establish a category of builders of Barbados so that we can truly say thank you because more often than not, even when we offer you financial reward, it is never enough to express how much we are grateful to you,” she added.

A four hour postponement of the National Heroes Day ceremony to 2 p.m. made the world of a difference as heavy overnight showers gave way to clear skies.

The humanitarian awards covered frontline workers at all levels of the country’s 27-month pandemic response and special guest,  the Director-General of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus.

Mottley said although the country is still in the midst of the pandemic “battle”, thousands of Barbadians’ lives and livelihoods were saved because of the contributions of frontline workers.

“At its peak, more than 40,000 Barbadians lost their jobs or were temporarily laid off. Today, we are back on our feet, not right back where we want to be, but our unemployment rate has dropped back down to 10 per cent from the extraordinarily high numbers that it was two years ago. We have not gotten here by accident,” said Mottley.

“Were it not for the efforts of all of you present and those that are not present who lifted their hands and who didn’t ask a second question, who faced the dislocation at their personal level as well, in their families, in their communities, in their churches, for the rest of the country who had to cooperate by complying with very difficult restrictions that had to be put in place, to restrict movement so that we could save lives, we say today, thank you.

Among the awards were the Freedom of Barbados Award, the Gold Award, a presentation of Plaques to nations and agencies and the citation of Humanitarian Medals and Humanitarian Lapel Pins.

During her address, the PM announced each awardee would receive $500 as an additional token of appreciation, though no amount of money could convey the nation’s gratitude.

“We could do more, but I am confident that if we work together and that if we apply ourselves together, that a time will come when we can continue to build this country because you are the people who give us the inspiration to work for you each and every day,” said the Prime Minister.

“That is why we have a programme of housing that will see nurses and orderlies and teachers and policemen and soldiers being able to access housing at affordable prices again. You saw evidence of it last week, you will see more evidence of it,” Mottley promised.

She also singled out the WHO Director General for his unswerving commitment to assist Barbados throughout the pandemic.

“Every call, every single call that I made on behalf of the people of Barbados to Dr Tedros and the WHO was answered, whether it was day or night, whether it was weekend or weekday. That is the sign, not just of a leader, but of one whose compassion and caring allowed them to see all and not just the rich ones. And we recognise you, we know that even as you tried to lead the world, in fighting this pandemic, you were faced with the withdrawal of financial support and allegations of all types, but to your credit, you kept focused, you stayed focused and you led the world as best you could in the absence of a global political compact which is the greatest criticism that can be made of global leaders as we fought this pandemic. In spite of that lack of global cooperation, you held your ground at the WHO and you did right by the science and you did right by the large and small nations of the world and we say thank you, thank you, thank you,” declared Mottley. (kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)

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Barbadians will get their first look at the new polymer banknotes that will go into circulation at the end of the year when the Central Bank of Barbados hosts an official launch event for the new series on May 4.

The event will be live streamed on the Bank’s website and social media channels starting at 11 a.m.

“In the weeks since we announced the change to polymer, we’ve focused on ensuring people understand why we’re doing it and what it will mean for the notes currently in circulation. Now it is time for us to show them what the new notes will look like so they can become familiar with them before they are issued,” said Octavia Gibson, Director of the Bank’s Currency and Payments Oversight Department.

She will be one of the speakers at the launch event along with Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes and Gareth Evans, a representative from De La Rue, the company that has printed Barbados’ banknotes since the Central Bank began issuing them in 1973. Gibson believes that Barbadians will be impressed with the new notes.

“As Governor Haynes indicated in his announcement, we have retained some elements for continuity, including the historic Barbadians currently featured on our currency. However, we have updated the design to give the notes an attractive, modern look. And of course, we’ve incorporated a number of new security features that the public will be able to use to quickly and confidently authenticate their notes.”

The Central Bank official encouraged the public to tune in to the event, not only to get a glimpse of the new notes, but also to get answers to questions they might have about the new series. The upcoming polymer series was first announced in March by Governor Haynes and will be only the second major redesign of Barbadian banknotes. The first was done in 2013.

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SOURCE: CMC: The London-based Privy Council has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the former vice president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) and former senior Trinidad and Tobago government minister Jack Warner regarding his extradition to the United States.

Warner is questioning whether the Extradition (United States of America) Order is unlawful as well as questioning the decision of the Trinidad and Tobago Attorney General to issue an authority to proceed in respect of the USA’s extradition request against him.

Warner is arguing that the decision is a breach of his right to procedural fairness.

Warner’s appeal is also based on whether the Attorney General acted in conformity with the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Privy Council is Trinidad and Tobago’s highest court and on Thursday, the panel of five judges deferred its decision in the appeal after hearing two days of submissions from lawyers representing Warner and the Office of the Attorney General.

In a 50-page judgment delivered in September 2017, High Court Judge James Aboud agreed that there were minor inconsistencies between the treaty and legislation, but said Warner’s concerns were exaggerated and speculative.

Aboud also noted that Warner’s rights would be protected during the eventual extradition proceedings before Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle-Caddle as she would have to apply local laws to the charges against Warner alleged in the US extradition request.

In July 2019, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court ruling.

Warner, 79, who is currently on TT$2.5 million bail in connection with a provisional arrest warrant, is wanted in the US to face a dozen charges including bribery, corruption and wire fraud conspiracy in his role at FIFA.

The US made the extradition request on July 24, 2015.

Warner, who served as a senior government minister in the 2010-15 People’s Partnership government, is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives charged by the US Department of Justice with running a criminal enterprise that involved more than US$150 million in bribes.

He has consistently maintained his innocence. (CMC)

PHOTO: TRINIDAD GUARDIAN

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Barbados recorded 217 new COVID-19 cases, 93 males and 124 females, from the 625 tests carried out on Thursday, April 28, by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory.

Of the positive cases, 47 persons were under the age of 18, and 170 were 18 years and older. The number of people in isolation facilities was 112, while 4,238 were in home isolation.

A 59-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman died from COVID-19 on Thursday. They were both unvaccinated.  As at April 28, there were 392 COVID-19 related deaths.

The public health laboratory has conducted 647,492 tests since February 2020, and recorded 69,562 COVID-19 cases (31,964 males and 37,598 females).

Under the National Vaccination Programme for COVID-19, the total number of persons with at least one dose is 161,711 (70.8 per cent of the eligible population).

The total number of fully vaccinated persons is 151,930 (56.1 per cent of the total population or 66.5 per cent of the eligible population).  The eligible population represents those persons who are 12 years and older.  (BGIS)

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Guyanese Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn has dashed any lingering hope that 34 Haitians stranded in Barbados might find refuge in the South American country.

Furthermore, Benn declared that the documents used by the Haitians to enter Barbados with assistance from a Barbados-based travel agency are “fake”.

He said that contrary to promises made to the Haitians prior to their arrival in Barbados and during their frustrating ordeal here, Guyana had not been approached by anyone on their behalf.

“We will not,” Benn told the local online media house Demerara Waves, when asked if his government was considering granting visas for the group reportedly bound for Guyana and Brazil.

“We have not been approached so far by anyone who is representing them directly. Their bona fides we have seen are fake. There are ID cards for Brazil which are not legal and there are also other documents which we have seen which are fake,” the Guyana home affairs minister added.

Benn said his office was working with Barbadian authorities on other aspects of “this activity” which “has been going on for a while”. He did not provide any additional details on the “ongoing” activity to which he referred.

The group of CARICOM nationals arrived here from Port-au-Prince on February 20 and they have reportedly endured a tough time in Barbados almost entirely at the mercy of an agency called MPH.

Some of the Haitians said they paid upward of US $4,000 to make the journey, based on promises made to them by officials associated with the MPH who are based in Haiti.

Noelson Dossous, a 19-year-old who is among the homeless youth, demanded a full refund.

“They took our money totalling US$4 500,” Dossous told Barbados TODAY.

“They took it in Haiti. They came and dropped us here, dropped off our suitcases and left us here. They have dropped us here like dogs on the street, like people who have no guardians,” said the teen.

The group was initially supposed to spend no more than 15 days in Barbados before being moved to Guyana or Brazil.

On Tuesday, they were evicted from apartments at Wanstead Gardens St James by a landlord who had reportedly previously received more than BBD $23,000 to house them.

There are at least eight minors in the contingent as well as a pregnant woman. On Tuesday evening, the group was seen lugging suitcases, duffle bags and other belongings through the suburban community.

Sources close to the situation said the Haitians are now staying in small groups at properties scattered across the island with assistance from the Haitian Association of Barbados.

Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, said Immigration officials were treating the Haitians as a group of CARICOM nationals who are in the country on a six-month stay.

Co-director of the Haitian Association of Barbados, Pearlie Drakes, stressed that the group was fleeing social, political and economic turmoil in Haiti and called for provisions to be made for them to work and live in Barbados.

“I am convinced that they can contribute to the Barbadian society and economy and it is on that basis largely that I would suggest that the officials look at how best we can incorporate these people. I don’t think sending them back to Haiti with the difficulties that persist there now… would make any sense,” said Drakes.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey says six children who were in the group of Haitians evicted from a St James apartment on Tuesday now have accommodation, as he dismissed calls for the minors to be “picked up” by child care authorities.

He told members of the media on Friday that Child Care Board (CCB) investigations had found that the minors were being housed by members of the local Haitian community.

Addressing the issue at a press conference to launch Child Awareness Month 2022, Humphrey said that since Barbados TODAY broke the story that the Haitians were in search of new accomodations, he has been receiving several calls from people “casually asking me to go and tell the Child Care Board to go and collect children”.

He assured that while the CCB would ensure the children are safe while they are in Barbados, it was not that agency’s mandate or practice to “just collect children”.

“The Child Care Board receives children when families are unable to provide for the children or when there is a need to protect a child,” Humphrey said.

“And in all cases, the Child Care Board tries first to work with the families to see if they can make sure the family stays in that location, the child stays in that location. That is how the Board operates.”

Humphrey stressed that neither the Haitian children nor the adults with them were here illegally and they would therefore be treated accordingly.

“They came into the country, they went through the immigration process. Like a European visitor or an American visitor if they fall on hard times, I don’t expect people to be calling me asking me if I am going to go and pick up the American children or if I am going to go and pick up the European children,” the Minister said.

“If there is a case where they need to be assisted, then we will assist. But I have no intention of saying that that is the approach the Child Care Board should take . . . . The responsibility of the Board is to make sure that . . . when they are here, as they would for any other child, that the children are safe, make sure that the children have proper housing. Now if that is the circumstance where they don’t have those things then you would intervene differently.

“I can see no reason for  different treatment for a Haitian visitor as opposed to a European visitor or an American. If fact, if there were going to be different treatment it would certainly not be to the disadvantage of the Haitians,” Humphrey insisted.

The group from the French-speaking CARICOM nation was evicted from the apartment they had called home for the last two months while they awaited visas for onward travel to Guyana and Brazil.

The trip was arranged by a travel agency that has so far been unsuccessful in securing the visas.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) is pleading with government to convene an urgent meeting with that organisation and labour to devise a restructuring strategy for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to stop the “fiscal bleed.”

The appeal was made on Friday by chairman of the association Trisha Tannis as she responded to the Central Bank’s first-quarter economic review for 2022, which, among other things, reported an 11.8 per cent growth in the economy during that period when compared to the corresponding time last year.

While welcoming the growth, Tannis expressed concern about the ongoing impact which the funding model of the SOEs is having on government’s slender finances.

She said while the government has already signalled its strategic intent to be a lot more urgent in 2022/2023 to re-engineer those state-owned enterprises, this is not enough.

“We do think that now, we need a strong and structured plan, timelines…and we do now need to sit down with the help of the BPSA and labour and the wider stakeholder map, lending our relative competencies to assisting in restructuring of the state-owned enterprises, so that we can stop the fiscal bleed and bring more efficiency and productivity and effectiveness to the delivery of services to the state-owned enterprises while generating sustainable revenue,” the private sector leader stated.

Tannis suggested that such a meeting of the stakeholders could also consider if the SOEs are serving the purpose for which they were originally intended.

Of equal concern to the private sector is the perennial problem about the ease of doing business in Barbados, which Tannis contends continues to make this island uncompetitive as an investment domicile.

“This is an issue that concerns the BPSA as it relates to the ease of doing business and our business facilitation and the fact that we are still internationally relatively uncompetitive. It is an issue that needs to secure the most urgent attention, even though we know that the World Bank has discontinued its dashboard; certainly that is not an excuse for us to retire or lay back or decelerate our efforts as it relates to tangibly moving the needle and making ourselves accountable to our own economy and moving those hurdles down,” she said.

Tannis also suggested that the country must pick up the pace of dismantling all the obstacles to seamlessly doing business in Barbados, to create the required efficiencies, improve output and productivity which in turn would drive down costs.

“Once we start doing that then the cost of living starts to follow suit and drive downward as well,” Tannis declared.

Regarding the near 12 per cent economic growth announced Thursday by the Central Bank, Tannis said it came as no surprise to the private sector.

“As we know we have the impact of the lockdown in the prior year and that would have given rise to a national adjustment upward in 2022. But we also would not want to minimise the real and tangible impact of the improved tourism sector and the impact that it’s been having on the economy that is no doubt contributing to that percentage growth,” the BPSA chair said.

“We are watching, and still very, very concerned about the large external shocks and the internal management of course, of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the decisions that we are making around that public health crisis that continue to dampen the economic recovery to some degree,” Tannis pointed out.

She said the business community is also worried about the geopolitical shocks on top of the supply chain challenges that countries have had, as they try to emerge from the lockdowns of 2020.

“We are concerned about the escalating rise  in the cost of living that we here are experiencing. We do know that it is likely to stabilise; we agree with that outlook from the Governor of the Central Bank, because we are seeing it, certainly in the retail and distributive sector. That is what our own companies and our stakeholders are predicting as well,” Tannis disclosed.

She noted that the government had taken the action it could “afford” by capping the freight costs on goods coming into Barbados.

“Consumers may be very well wondering why in spite of that cap on freight costs, why is there still an increase in the cost of goods and services on the island? One only then can imagine that if we didn’t have those mitigating actions, that the costs would even be more austere and more severe and more pronounced,” the private sector association chair argued.

However, the business leader admitted that there is still cause for concern in the country.

“I don’t think that the job is done yet in terms of us sitting down and contemplating and deciding and discussing what more can be done, if anything, to try to mitigate that impact even further,” she added.

Tannis also welcomed the Central Bank news that unemployment among females has dropped.

“We also noted very favourably that female unemployment has now regularised and it has reduced. We do take that as a signal of the number of females that are employed in the tourism sector because we know that female unemployment had actually out-stripped male unemployment coming into the latter parts of 2020/2021. Therefore, we think that the regeneration and resuscitation in the tourism sector has had a very positive impact on female unemployment in particular and unemployment on the whole,” the BPSA head said.

She is looking forward to that reduction in joblessness benefiting the economy throughout 2022 to improve disposal income flows across all sectors.

“What is concerning of course continues to be the excess liquidity in the market. This speaks to an even low investment climate and low investment appetite, certainly at a grassroots level and across the board and a wider economy, notwithstanding the fact that we have large companies and large investors making applications and plans for large construction, particularly the renewable energy sector,” Tannis pointed out.

The business leader contended that the excess deposits to loan ratio indicates that the country has a challenge in terms of the use and turn of capital in the economy.

Acknowledging that there is stagnancy in capital flows, Tannis sees the need for all stakeholders to work together to improve the investment opportunities for Barbadians to use their funds which are currently sitting dormant in the financial institutions.

The Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes said in his review that with Barbados already recording 11.8 per cent growth during the first quarter, he is forecasting that it will end the year with double-digit figures

However, he said that this continued strong economic expansion will require several urgent measures to mitigate the tasks.

He said that in order for Barbados to reduce its economic vulnerability, there must be improvements in food and energy security, strengthening of resilience to climatic events over the medium term and enhancement in the island’s competitiveness.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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Prime Minister Mia Mottley makes no apologies for increasing taxes on soft drinks and sweetened beverages and acknowledges that the unhealthy lifestyles of many Barbadians are leading to a prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Urging Barbadians to do better, Mottley said even though Government was playing its part by expanding its range of services to provide better healthcare, people were still engaging in unhealthy practices that were putting their lives at risk.

The prime minister’s comments came following a tour of the Maria Holder Diabetes Centre for the Caribbean in Warrens this morning.

Making it clear she had no regrets about increasing taxes on the sweetened beverages in last month’s Budget, the Prime Minister said the prevalence of NCDs and other illnesses were taking a toll on Government’s resources.

“I want to use this opportunity to speak to our people, to Barbadians, because the rate of increase in expenditure for dialysis, and as a result of the loss of productivity, for chronic NCDs has forced me in this Government to have a minister who has direct day-to-day responsibility for chronic NCDs and the QEH – Dr Sonia Browne. I have done that because I am not satisfied that we are reaching as many of our people and therefore, I have asked Minister Browne and Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill to designate some champions who will help us with the change in public behavior.

“This Government, as will future governments, wants to keep Barbadians well, but we need the help of Barbadians to keep Barbadians well. We recognize that our school system and our public information to date as an independent country did not teach people sufficiently how to eat and what to eat. If I doubted the correctness of my action in the Budget last month about putting the additional taxes on soft drinks and sweetened beverages I do not doubt it now and I do not apologize for it,” Mottley said.

“…Barbados has too many amputees, Barbados has too many people losing their sight, Barbados has too many people dying from cardiovascular diseases. It is within our control. We will play our part as Government and we have played it and we have expanded the services, but I need Bajans, each and every one of us, I don’t exclude myself, to play their role if we are going to win this battle against chronic NCDs in the same way we were able to do against HIV/AIDS…”

Mottley said plans were in the works to significantly upgrade polyclinics across the island and to use more telemedicine.

Additionally, she is hopeful that ground for the new Geriatric Hospital in the National Botanical Gardens would be broken later this year.

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, lauded Government for the role it was playing in looking after the health of its citizens.

“Your commitment to alleviating poverty and improving the quality of life of Barbados’ population through a comprehensive approach is an inspiring model from which other countries can learn. We support your vision to expand this approach to other countries in the region through your collaboration with PAHO and WHO,” Dr Ghebreyesus noted.

He said he was especially pleased with Government’s commitment to pay the fees for dialysis patients, which he said cost around $300 per session. He said dialysis patients usually required three sessions per week.

Dr Ghebreyesus said without Government’s assistance most persons would not be able to afford the life-saving treatment.

Meanwhile, Christopher Holder, the son of Maria Holder, revealed that 1252 patients attended the centre in 2021 and 756 patients had so far attended in 2022.

He acknowledged that he would like to see more patients being referred there from polyclinics and doctors.

Holder said there was also the need for more podiatrists on the island.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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Barbados will soon have a new state-of-the-art children’s home.

On Friday, Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey announced that the home is being constructed by the Barbados Children’s Trust at Bullens, St James.

“They had asked for a few acres and has been given those few acres to build a new home. It will house the children who are currently held now in the building once called Farrs, in St Peter. And it would also have training and other facilities.

“It will be a new state-of-the-art facility for children in Barbados and I want to thank the Barbados Children’s Trust for the work that they did at Nightengale as well. We were to officially open that building two weeks ago, but that has been delayed,” he said.

Speaking during an event at the Warrens offices to launch Child Month 2022, the minister also revealed that conversations have been ongoing, though not solid, regarding the possibility of repurposing the old building at Farrs, to house persons with disabilities.

Humphrey also used the opportunity to call on Barbadians to volunteer to become foster parents. He said while all persons who volunteer must undergo necessary screening, the Child Care Board (CCB) is always in need of foster parents on whom they could call.

The minister also indicated that Cabinet and his Ministry have been engaging in discussions regarding establishing a national parenting programme to offer needed support to parents.

Additionally, Humphrey made an appeal to families in a position to provide support to other households, to do so.

“We are going to make an official programme of it. We are going to be encouraging families to come forward and support other families. This does not necessarily mean financially, though that would be nice. It also means taking the children out, expose the children to something that they probably would not have been exposed to, positive of course,” he said.

Throughout May, the CCB will be hosting a number of activities to heighten public awareness regarding its work and mandate.

Some of the activities include daily devotions, a National Children’s Service at St Leonard’s Anglican on May 1, open days at Government Day Nurseries from May 9 to 27 and a virtual children’s webinar for primary and secondary schools on May 27. (AH)

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The Child Care Board (CCB) cannot intervene in the case of two wards of the Government Industrial School (GIS) who are alleging abuse at the state-run juvenile facility.

Director of the CCB RoseAnn Richards sought to make that clear on Friday, stressing that the agency’s hands were tied as the court had ruled that the teenage girls remain at the Barrows, St Lucy reform school.

On Wednesday, the High Court turned down the request of advocacy group Operation Safe Space (OSS) to move the two girls, ages 13 and 15, from the institution. The two had escaped on April 16 but turned themselves in to authorities on Tuesday night.

“If they were to be placed in our care, we would have intervened. In some instances, some children who go into the care of the Government Industrial School would have passed through our system. In this particular situation right now with the children at the Government Industrial School, the Child Care Board was called upon. But, obviously, when children are in the court system and the court makes orders we have to comply with the orders,” Richards explained on Friday during a press conference to launch Child Month 2022.

“So we wouldn’t intervene when the court makes an order. If they come to us before, we open our arms and we provide all the care that we could to them. We also intervene and work with the families,” she added.

Although ruling that the two girls remain at GIS, Justice Barbara Cooke-Alleyne instructed the juveniles’ attorney to return before her on May 5 with case law that proves the High Court has jurisdiction to overturn the ruling of the magistrate who sent the minors to the GIS, on a charge of wandering, in the first place.
(AH)

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Despite Barbados’ economy growing by almost 12 per cent, Leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley is concerned that there has been little to no diversification.

He has cautioned that if Government continues to rely heavily on tourism it could have a detrimental impact on the island’s economy in the long run.

Delivering his first quarterly review of the economy for 2022 on Wednesday, Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes announced that the country’s economy had grown by 11.6 per cent for the first three months and was on track to end the year with double digit growth.

Haynes said the growth was mainly due to a strong performance in the tourism sector.

However, speaking to Barbados TODAY Atherley said the revelation was not earth-shattering.

“I don’t think there was anything in the Central Bank report that was surprising. The world economy has been on the upward swing in recent months with the easing off of the COVID pressures on the global market and therefore we have seen, like the Central Bank Governor said, increased traffic coming into Barbados and with our relaxation of the COVID protocols and so forth you’ve seen more activity and economic spinoffs will come from that to the extent that we can forecast growth in Barbados for the economy,” Atherley said.

“It is not suggestive that we have necessarily done anything which has been earth-shattering. Let’s not forget that we are still climbing out of a hole and if you’re down in a hole 30 feet and you improve your elevation by 10 feet you’re still 20 feet below where you want to be and that is the situation with Barbados’ economy.

“We have a situation where we’re not seeing that significant movement in respect to other critical areas of growth. We’re still posturing on renewable energy in my view, we’re still paying lip service to manufacturing and not diversifying the products we can manufacture in Barbados and find niche markets around the region and beyond.”

Atherley also said the ongoing war in the Ukraine was a threat to Barbados’ economy.

He said the increases in fuel and food prices were worrisome developments that had to be carefully monitored.

“The increases that will emanate from the European situation will impact fuel and food and financial services, freight costs and stuff like that, the supply change issues. I’m saying that we have a situation where we’re talking about growth from a hole, we’re coming up 10 feet out of 30 feet so we still have another 20 feet to go and we have as a countervailing force  – the fallout from the Ukraine situation and its impact…so that is a recipe for a drag on Barbados’ economy.

“Government needs to be nimble and navigate the hurdles that we are up against and I don’t think necessarily that we are seeing sufficient evidence that the Government has been doing that,” Atherley said. randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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Attorney General Dale Marshall said late retired High Court judge Leroy Inniss will be best remembered for his zeal as an attorney-at-law and his sharp legal mind.

Paying tribute, on behalf of the Government, to Justice Inniss who passed away on Thursday, Marshall said he was a man of humble beginnings who maintained that humility throughout his life and in his several careers.

“His generosity to young attorneys was legendary and I can attest to that, since I was his junior in many cases in the early days of my legal career. In a sense, it was a loss to the Bar when Justice Inniss accepted an appointment to the High Court bench, but his service as a judge was a credit to the entire profession and to the country,” the Attorney General stated.

Marshall recalled that Inniss was able to quickly unravel complex legal issues which meant that he was able to render decisions with little delay.

As for Inniss’ life as a teacher and the work he did with Parent Education for Development of Barbados (PAREDOS), Marshall said he will be remembered for his passion and commitment.

“But Justice Inniss will perhaps be best remembered for his zeal as an attorney-at-law and for his sharp legal mind. He was a doughty campaigner in all of our courts and reached his professional zenith as a labour lawyer, in which field he was unmatched,” he stated.

Marshall expressed sincere gratitude to Inniss’ family for allowing him to serve the country as he did.

Glowing tribute was also paid by Madam Justice Cicely Chase who said her late colleague was a mentor and a “really good man”.

The judge said she learned a lot from Inniss when they were on opposite sides as lawyers, and when she appeared before him later in his capacity as a judge.

“The one thing I can say for Mr Justice Inniss is that in spite of whatever battle we fought with Mr Inniss as Queen’s Counsel or whatever matter we appeared before him and did not get our way, he was always cordial after the fact,” she told Barbados TODAY.

“He was respectful and he was a gentleman in the law, and we are going to miss him, because that type of camaraderie at the Bar and the judicial flare and the judicial skill that he had is something that we all need to emulate.”

Chase said Inniss was a firm and dedicated litigator whose practice was expansive, particularly in the area of employment law.

He practised in the Magistrates’ Courts and High Courts in all matters, primarily civil, with concentration on employment and commercial cases. She recalled that she was unable to win a single unfair dismissal case against him when they were opposing counsel.

“Justice Inniss was exceedingly well respected at the Bar among his peers and he was later elevated as, rightly he should have been, to a position on the Barbados Bench. His level of expertise, his knowledge and his understanding of the law came to bear at that level of being a judge. And, therefore, it was an absolute pleasure for young counsel and counsel in general to appear before him, because he was very well versed in civil procedure and the practice,” she pointed out, adding that Inniss was able to guide attorneys and litigants on how best their case could be conducted with the appropriate resolution.

The late judge was also held in high esteem by the Barbados Bar Association of which he served as president.

Current president Rosalind Smith Millar Q.C. said in a brief media statement: “Leroy or Justice Inniss, however one came to know him, was always a courteous colleague in every circumstance, a jovial man, learned in law and many other things, a stickler for good research and case preparation, and a proponent for the teaching of civics to our youth.”

Inniss, who spent more than 40 years in the legal profession, had also been admitted to practice at the bar in Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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The University of the West Indies (UWI) is working on a new funding model, which if successful, will result in approximately a two per cent increase in funding from regional governments and the private sector, international partners and entrepreneurial activities.

This was disclosed on Friday by Vice Chancellor of the UWI Sir Hilary Beckles, who indicated that the regional learning institution was in the process of rolling out a global online facility to aid its development and increase revenues.

He was presenting his report to the annual business meeting of the university council.

The report, The UWI – A Global Disruptor: Surging in a World of Disruption noted that the government debt owed to the university stood at around US$51.33 million as of July 2021. Sir Hilary said a part of the new funding model for the university was to get governments increase their financial support.

“At the moment, the governments of the region are contributing 48 per cent of the operational cost of this university. With my humble submission, I believe it is too low,” he said, as he recalled that at one point the contribution was as high as 80 per cent.

“In my humble submission, I think the future would be ideal if we can hold our governments to a 50 per cent . . . and leave the rest to us. This would be an ideal partnership, 50/50. If we could achieve this, we can then pursue the students, the alumni, the private sector, the entrepreneurial activity,” he said.

The proposed new funding model would see the UWI getting 15 per cent of its funding from students, 10 per cent each from the private sector, international development partners and its own entrepreneurial activities, and five per cent from its alumni.

In relation to its global online academic content to help with revenue generation, Sir Hilary said the UWI was currently in the process of seeking donations from its international donor organisations to roll out those systems, and the response has so far been encouraging.

“We believe we have finally found a coherent solution to the financial problems of this university. We believe we have finally reached that moment where we have a strategy, a vision and we will bring that proposal to this council for approval when we are ready,” said Sir Hilary.

He said the university, which has campuses across the region, has been forming several local and international partnerships with the private sector, engaging in digital transformation, increasing its external funding for research and advancing the reparation discussions.

Sir Hilary also disclosed that he planned to use the university’s ranking as a marketing tool in an effort to attract financing towards its programmes aimed at tackling the issue of climate change.

Stating that the UWI was not a reactor to disruption, Sir Hilary said the 2020/2021 financial year has been “one of the finest” for the university, which he said has been seeing “extraordinary success” in its transformation process.

“So here we are at the top of our game,” said Sir Hilary.

Among the university’s achievements has been attaining global university rankings to the top 1.5 per cent; offering classes to students during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic; providing assistance to regional governments in their fight against the pandemic and completing the first part of the UWI’s strategic plan, which he said called for a “reputation revolution” within the UWI.

However, he indicated that the focus would now be shifted to the 2022-2027 “revenue revolution plan”, which makes up phase two of the university’s strategic plan.

Stating that the institution was entering the second phase “aggressively”, Sir Hilary said the plan was intended to transform the internal financial health of the institution by containing costs and generating more revenues.

“We are looking at efficiencies. We are putting the entire structure of the UWI’s financial system into view for careful and critical action,” he said.

However, he pointed to rising Government debt, a resulting decrease in net asset value and an unfunded pension liability scheme despite promised public funding, that he said were affecting the UWI’s balance sheet from time to time.

Sir Hilary said he was satisfied that several plans under phase two of the university’s strategic plan have already started, including that of pension reform, which is being led by Chief Executive Officer of Sagicor Dodridge Miller. (MM)

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Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Sandra Husbands is raising concerns that a plan by the European Union (EU) to impose a new carbon dioxide (CO2) emission tariff on some products entering that market could one day affect the region’s competitiveness.

She said while it would not immediately affect Barbados and some other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, she feared this tax, a variation of which was also being considered by two of Barbados’ main trading partners – the US and Canada – could one day be expanded to include products that are exported by this country.

As such, Husbands told a forum on Friday that Barbados was already exploring financial and technical support in order to be proactive in transitioning its industries to more environmentally friendly practices.

Starting in 2026, the EU is planning to introduce a yet-to-be-determined tax on imports of cement, steel, fertilisers, aluminum and electricity from countries not using environmentally processes to produce those goods. There will be a three-year transition phase for the levy, starting in January next year.

The EU has indicated that the move, which received the backing of EU member states last month, was aimed at helping to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change while protecting its industry from being destabilised by cheaper goods made in countries that had weaker environmental rules.

The details of the plan are to be ironed out in upcoming negotiations, before a decision is made later this year.

Husbands expressed concern that several requirements and standards related to trade over the years have served as barriers to small countries as they tried to get products in overseas markets. As such, she said Barbados was not about to take any chances.

“This has been claiming the attention of not only the Barbados Government but CARICOM governments as well,” said Husbands.

She was speaking as a panelist during a Barbados Trek hosted event at the Hilton on Friday, which was designed to have graduate students of the Wharton School out of Pennsylvania interact with Government and other officials on issues relating to tourism and trade.

Husbands noted that while Barbados was engaged in a two-pronged strategy to meet changing quality and standard needs and to build capacity for export, she feared the new tax could one day become a challenge.

“We don’t have any guarantee as far as we can see right now that goods that we export to them are not likely to be affected,” Husbands later told Barbados TODAY, as she gave the assurance that the island was being proactive.

“When we first heard about the carbon tax we alerted the Ministry of Business Development that this is going to be coming down the pipeline and we have to start a programme to transition,” said Husbands.

“The other concern is that Canada and the United States want to do different types of carbon taxes. So there seems to be a growing trend of people looking at carbon taxes which, if we are not careful, can become a way of shutting out goods that you think will compete with you.

“Our best countermeasure is to ensure that we do environmentally-friendly production. We have got to prioritise transitioning our enterprises to environmentally-friendly practices, environmentally-friendly inputs, and work closely with the BNSI [Barbados National Standards Institution) on standards and make sure we have a good monitoring programme, and at the level of the foreign trade division we are responsive and agile when enterprises indicate that they are experiencing problems even though they meet the standard

“So it is that proactive ‘press on it’ type of approach that we are going to need to ensure that the carbon taxes don’t come and further push us back,” she explained.

Husbands said in addition to the Ministry of Business Development helping firms to find more environmentally-friendly ways of producing items, Export Barbados has started to court an international funding consortium to secure low interest financing for the transition required by the manufacturing sector.

She also disclosed that CARICOM countries were exploring opportunities for increasing export through free-trade agreements, pointing out that while most countries trade between 48 per cent and 60 per cent under such agreements, CARICOM was doing only between 12 and 18 per cent. (MM)

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The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is working on a new policy that will more effectively address future school disruptions caused by events similar to the COVID-19
pandemic.

The announcement was made Wednesday by CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Dr Wayne Wesley during a virtual press conference to discuss the administration of the 2022 exams which had been negatively impacted by the pandemic over the past two years.

“We took cognisance of the challenges that now exist in the region. Part of the solution going forward would be to make sure we articulate a policy that allows for the continual assessment and flexibility required in the system,” Dr Wesley said.

He pointed out that there are many components to the delivery of examinations and those will have to be considered when formulating the new policy.

“So yes, consideration is being given to how the decision arrived at for the administration of regional examinations and how we will treat to this situation,” the Registrar told the virtual press conference with journalists from across the region.

Dr Wesley announced that the policy will involve building capacity for digital testing.

“So that in events of this nature, one would be in a position to offer an alternate paper and be in a position to provide comparative examinations in a short window, given the challenges of this region,” he pointed out.

“So the policy is going to look at examination structure, the process used for the delivery of examinations and how safely you will be able to respond to the glaring needs across the region at the same time,” the council’s CEO stated.

He said that if and when it becomes necessary to shift dates of exams in the future, that decision will be taken as a regional collective by the various stakeholders.

“We can’t say definitely February or March because the circumstance might just happen far later. I think what we need to have is an active review of the situation and a policy that allows us to make the adjustment within that particular period,” he said.

“One of the challenges that we have to be mindful of is that the existential reality across the region is different for many member-states and what might be suitable at this time, at a later date it might not be suitable and may require a reconsideration of what we do,” the Registrar noted.

He said CXC therefore aims to be more flexible with regards to the scheduling of examinations.

“Once we build sufficient capacity and be able to offer multiple versions of an examination, the issue of rescheduling might become less of a challenge within that context. Hence we are pushing forward for the electronic testing to be adopted more widely across the region because that provides a solution that would help us in times like these,” Dr Wesley assured.

He also announced that the council’s new approach would also respond effectively to situations where a student may contract the COVID virus close to, or during exams period.

He stressed that the local registrars are allowed to work with their respective national protocols to ensure the safety of all students and invigilators. (EJ)

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Families need to have discussions surrounding not only saving money but also financial literacy, which would help family members, especially the youth, understand key financial concepts that would assist in the building and continuity of generational wealth among Barbadian families.

Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Ryan Straughn, made those comments as he delivered the feature address at A Book Celebration ceremony for authors, Kaye Williams and Vivian Anne Gittens, whose books address the issue of financial literacy and empowerment, in terms of building generational wealth.

“It is important for us to understand that both at the macro and micro levels, that the decisions that we make as families, within communities [and] within our businesses, impact obviously the extent to which the exercise and the building of wealth [and] how that is passed on.

“And the reality is, that we all are in this really to make sure that the opportunities that we’re creating today, not for ourselves, but it’s really for our grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to leave them a better Barbados than we found,” Minister Straughn emphasised.

He noted that understanding ownership, understanding management, understanding the difference between how much debt, how much equity and investment persons take on, is part of how they and by extension families can build and maintain generational wealth, and the Financial Literacy Bureau was set up to provide the necessary information and advice on how to improve decision making from a financial perspective.

Straughn gave the assurance that Government would continue to do its part to assist persons in being able to build not only for their benefit but also to have a financially resilient Barbados.

He stated: “You can be assured that the Government of Barbados will remain absolutely committed to working within our schools, within our community colleges, the skills training even, within the context of the social system, to be able to build and connect where people are, because in being able to move persons away from a state of vulnerability, you need the specific interventions appropriately presented, well-crafted and supported in order to help people get on their feet and remain on their feet.”

Speaking about her publication, 7 Legacy Steps to Building Generational Wealth, Mrs. Williams, who is an Attorney-at-law and a Commonwealth Professional Fellow, highlighted that in it she explains that wealth is all-encompassing “360 degrees”.   

“It’s not only about money; wealth is in our culture, our values, our societal impact, in our community.  It’s not about accumulating or hoarding money that you don’t see the benefits of; it’s about enjoying what we’ve built to date and enjoying it now,” she stated.  Mrs. Williams also added that building generational wealth involves taking care of what you have now and planning for your future, for example, estate planning.

Retired publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the Nation Publishing Company Limited, Mrs. Gittens, who is also a Chartered Accountant and a trained Financial Management Consultant, explained that her upcoming book, Every Cent Counts: Your Money – Start Right, targets and advises recent tertiary graduates, who are starting in the world of work, to set goals for their life ahead and make choices about their planned future.

She pointed out that “good personal finances underpin the choices and opportunities for success and happiness in most areas of life”.

Minister Straughn, who thanked both authors for their publications, received a signed copy of 7 Legacy Steps to Building Generational Wealth, from its author, Kaye Williams.
(BGIS)

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Two Barbadian entrepreneurs, Angelina Sinckler of Angelina Affiliate and Bryan Cummings, owner of In Phi HD, are partnering to ensure that this Mothers’
Day Barbadian mothers can have a crate of fresh produce at their door in their latest Mothers’ Day Promotion.

Sinckler said that the beauty of Mothers’ Day is that the act of giving was not limited to just your own mother but any other woman you know and love like a sister, aunt, niece, or grandmother.

The collaboration is intended to showcase the local business owners involved while subtly promoting health, wellness and proper nutrition.

Cummings said he decided to collaborate with Angelina Affiliate on Mothers’ Day as he aims to integrate contractors into his permaculture projects.

“I figured that Mothers’ Day would be a great place to start our collaboration as partnerships are at the forefront of this vision, as we aim to functionally integrate agripreneurs, freelancers and independent contractors into permaculture projects, thereby actively strengthening our local agricultural community,” Cummings said.

To this end the businesses owners have jointly decided to have a promotion where the winner receives locally grown Barbadian produce. Cummings said he decided to have this promotion with Angelina Affiliate in order to ensure mothers have access to fresh food as that was something his business prided itself on.

“My passion was built from my own desire to have access to fresh, healthy, and nutrient rich food, that I could afford on a limited budget. The journey to that goal led me to permaculture and starting my own food garden.

“There are two things required for healthy personal development which are information and access – it is one thing to have information, but it is another to have access and the means to utilise the information.

“Fresh food that is locally grown or farm to table must be accessible as well as affordable and once it is then it achieves the goal towards promoting healthier eating habits. Healthy habits start with the slightest shift in lifestyle, reconnecting with our food, the land, and the soil. Food connects us and having access to healthy food will foster healthier connections,” he said.

Sinckler echoed Cummings’ sentiments as she believes that persons should be able to access fresh and nutritious food, to this end they are having their promotion from April 28th- May 4th 2022 where she will be giving away two free fruit and vegetable crates to two lucky winners. Of great significance, though, is the message about proper eating that they want to convey and sensitise Barbadians on the link between their diet and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“I believe persons should nourish their body. Fresh is always better. Today we have become accustomed to package foods that have been frozen or canned for months.

“To this end I have teamed up with In Phi HD to offer this social media promotion where two lucky persons would receive $50 value of produce in their crate. The crates will contain a variety of local fruit and vegetables,” she said.

Mothers’ Day is Sunday, May 8.

To enter the social media promotion interested persons must like the giveaway post on In Phi HD, tag two persons in the comments, share the post to their story and follow @lewin2017, @thehomebody246 @inphihd @angelina.affilate and @zencreationsbb on Instagram. The lucky winners will receive their crate on May 6 -7 via delivery or collection.

(Write Right PR Services)

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Caribbean students are being encouraged to invest in the green energy sector.  Associate Director, Sales and Business Development at CIBC FirstCaribbean International, Gregory Blackman, gave this advice to economics and accounting students of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, during an interactive webinar on Financial Literacy hosted by the bank in association with the Young Economists Association.

Blackman noted that Caribbean countries, including Barbados, had become green energy conscious, and governments were introducing favourable renewable energy investment policies.

“This may be an opportunity for you to not only help the environment; it is a source of passive income, saves the outflow of foreign exchange from our countries, … reduces the level of CO2 emissions and can be a source of intragenerational wealth,” Blackman said.

“In the case of Barbados, where there is a fixed rate of return for licences for 20 years based on the date of approval and the actual return is also fixed, it means that anybody that has a roof, should take advantage of this unique investment opportunity,” he suggested.

Blackman urged students from other countries to be vigilant for the emergence of similar opportunities or opportunities in a similar industry.

He also gave them pointers to consider concerning the structure of their investment portfolio. Diversification, he said, was important and he recommended limiting the size of their investment in a single entity to around ten per cent; and diversifying if an industry was taking up the lion’s share of their investment portfolio. This approach, he explained, would help to restrain their downside risk.

In addition to green energy, the webinar touched on other assets such as stocks and bonds and land. Regarding bonds, Blackman said that both corporate and government paid a fixed income, but he noted that not all governments were low risk nor were all governments no risk.

He said they were some solid corporate bond issuers; and mutual funds that were professionally managed with several years of performance data and stocks that could be considered.

Overall, Blackman advised students to be aware of the economic circumstances and the history of default when making investment decisions. He told them to read beyond the headlines and do exhaustive research particularly when new investment options were tabled.

“You have to understand the underlining intrinsic value of an asset and consider all the factors that impact that asset before you hand over your hard-earned cash (if not, it could) shift from being an investment to being more of a gamble  or speculative venture. Do your research, don’t follow fads and ask a lot of the important questions before jumping into an investment.”

On the issue of land, it was noted that some people considered land as an asset whose values always grew, but Blackman debunked that myth stressing that like with any asset, land prices fluctuated.

He explained that in most instances, residential land was based on comparable sales and when there were market events or economic downturns, similarly market prices shifted. Using Barbados as an example, he said there were instances where people bought land at $20 a square foot and a few years later it was trading barely at $14 or $15 a square foot.

During the webinar, the bank official and students also discussed pensions and retirement plans, insurance, credit card use, personal emergency funds as well as issues related to embarking on careers.  (PR)

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There will be no Barbados Reggae Festival in 2022, producers, FAS7STAR announced Saturday.  

Having already been placed on an indefinite hiatus since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, producers were initially hopeful of having a 2022 restart given the lifting of several COVID restrictions.

However, during their update on the situation, producers cited the lack of availability with artists as the main issue for this year, which left them no choice but to focus on 2023.

“FAS7STAR was looking to produce a scaled down version of the festival at the beginning of June, following the recent relaxation of the COVID 19 protocols. Unfortunately, that plan had to be abandoned when it proved all but impossible to secure the caliber performers, for which the festival is renowned locally, regionally and internationally,” the producers wrote in a statement. 

The statement continued: “FAS7STAR, therefore, thanks Barbadians and the regional and international communities for their continued support throughout the years for all of its events since 2005 when the Festival was conceptualized and launched with the ground-breaking Reggae on the Hill. The Directors are looking forward to returning to our new normal and the staging of the BARBADOS REGGAE FESTIVAL 2023.” (SB)

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