Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dwight Sutherland has announced that five four-block units at Alleyne’s Court, Whitepark Road, will be completed by the end of October.

Sutherland said the rent-to-own units will address some of the housing challenges in the urban corridor. Ten per cent of the houses would be allocated to persons with disabilities.

The minister also indicated that an additional three ‘quads’ are to be built at Eden Lodge and construction has started on 11 metal homes from East-West Solutions (Barbados), at Sargeant’s Village, Christ Church.

“The design work has finished, Town and Country Planning and Development has approved it, and work has started there. This will provide another 10 to 12 houses at Sargeant’s,” Sutherland said, as he gave the House of Assembly an update on the Government’s 10 000 housing project. He was speaking on the Resolution: Section & Crown Lands (Vesting and Disposal) Act, Cap 225 relating to land at Brighton, St George.

He said: “Another six sites have received planning approval. Clifton in St Philip, that’s nine lots; Coconut Hall, in St Lucy, that’s another 22 lots. Then we go to River Crescent where we will be building some 62 houses.

“At River Crescent, the infrastructural works have been completed and I want to thank the private sector company who went in there and worked tirelessly day in and night to have this site ready for houses in this country.

“Grazettes Great House, another three quads we will be building, 12 houses. Branchbury East, St Joseph, we have some 13 lots; Concordia North, in St Philip, presently work has started there to do the necessary infrastructure on the land so we can build 144 houses there.”

Noting that the density challenges in the urban corridor must be addressed, Minister Sutherland said that one of the estates where there is difficulty is in the St Michael South East area.

He disclosed that the housing ministry recently signed off on developing 40 acres of land at Lower Burney, where the National Housing Corporation (NHC) and the commercial state-owned enterprise Hope Inc will build 280 houses. The remaining 20 acres will be developed in a joint venture partnership between the NHC and a private entity.

“We clearly see that this Government is focussed and it’s not all talk because we have started infrastructure works at most of these sites. Then we are going to Allen View. I have started discussion on Allen View, in St Thomas to address some of the challenges that we faced over the years from the last administration to make those residents comfortable. We have the land identified. The plans have started and hopefully within the next year and a half we should see some progress in St Thomas with respect to the Allen View residents,” he said.

Additionally, Sutherland explained that the vesting of land at Brighton will provide 42 houses in that area. He said that while Brighton is situated in an agricultural belt, it is not farm land.

“We are not taking away prime agricultural lands, we are utilising non agricultural lands in agricultural belts to provide housing solutions, not only for the people of St George South, but the people of St George South will get their fair share. And we are targeting low to medium to middle income brackets,” he said. (AH)

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Barbados and other Caribbean islands are being encouraged to focus on strategies that would promote sustainable tourism as the region continues to rebuild the sector post COVID-19.

One regional academic also says that the successes of the industry in the past had not come without a cost and it is time to consider balance in the industry.

Dr Acolla Cameron, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus told a Caribbean World Tourism Forum on Tuesday, “The region has had its fair share of drawbacks ranging from economic leakages to natural habitat loss, reduction in biodiversity, land and marine-based pollution, loss of access by locals to sites and attractions and disenfranchised residents due to limited access to the economic benefits of tourism,” she said.

Nonetheless, she said that as the region transitioned into a post-pandemic period, it was important to consider “a more balanced approach to tourism development” by minimising the disadvantages and maximising the benefits.

She was one of the opening speakers in the Zoom session which focussed on the theme Rethinking Tourism: Financing for Sustainable Tourism Development.

During the three-hour virtual event which marked World Tourism Day, Dr Cameron said that the industry had played a critical role in the socio-economic development of the Caribbean by creating job opportunities, paving the way for infrastructural projects and facilitating many foreign and local investments with trickle-down benefits to the wider society.

However, she said that in many instances, due to ineffective or inefficient management, the region paid the price.

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic globally turned the spotlight on sustainable tourism, Cameron said the time was ripe to look at ways in which the region could enhance its tourism product with little to no impact on the environment as climate change posed a significant problem to the development of tourism and the way of life in the Caribbean.

Acknowledging the efforts of the Caribbean islands over the past two years in leading the recovery of the tourism industry, Cameron said the region must now look to the future, continue to be creative and build resilience in the advent of another shock.

Meanwhile, chief executive officer of the CTO Neil Walters said financing was one of the most challenging issues the region’s tourism sector faced. He pointed to a great need for innovative models, new policy development and marketing objectives and a focus on exploring alternative fundraising opportunities and investments. (SZB)

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As officials broke ground on Tuesday to make way for the new Hotel Indigo on the south of the island, Prime Minister Mia Mottley gave the assurance that Barbados’ ageing tourism product is in line for a major transformation with new hotel construction and continued upgrading of old properties.

Mottley said her government was prepared to build on the $300 million Barbados Employment Sustainability and Transformation (BEST) programme, which propped up the tourism industry during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, by working closely with the private sector to refresh the industry.

“We have done reasonably well, but the government is now intent on building on that because the kind of tourism product we have cannot take us much further into the 21st century without new investment and without refurbishment of the existing plants,” she said.

“That is what the Government is focused on and shall be working with members of the private sector to be able to see how we can reposition this tourism sector we have in order to have that capacity to deliver,” she said.

The BEST scheme was introduced in September 2020 to keep some 60 per cent of tourism industry workers employed at 80 per cent of their 2019 salary for at least one year, as the pandemic virtually wiped out any business in the industry during 2020 and much of 2021.

It also allowed tourism-related operations to undertake renewable energy projects, start digitisation and forge deeper linkages with agriculture, manufacturing and the cultural industries.

On Tuesday, officials of the Crews Inn Group, who will be operating Hotel Indigo, broke ground for the construction for the plant, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Mottley said this project was just one of many which would be undertaken in coming months.

“I expect you will see others going forward. This is the first major groundbreaking of a tourism kind,” she said.

In addition to the off again, on again US$175 million Hyatt Ziva Barbados Resort, the Mia Mottley administration has been touting several hotel and tourism-related projects along the Bay Street to Holborn Circle, St Michael area that are to come on stream.

She declined to say exactly what other projects would soon get going. However she recalled the former Caribbee Hotel saying: “I spoke earlier about the maturing of Barbados’ tourism product, what is happening here is the exact thing that we want to happen.”

“When we talk about repurposing old and mature tourism product for a modern-day Barbados, this is the example of what we are speaking of, being able to have more density on this site, being able to therefore command more revenue for the hotel to make the hotel more competitive, and at the same time, ensuring that those sites that had literally brought earnings for the country and jobs for Bajans can do so again in this way,” she explained.

James Edghill, Director of Caribbean Consultants Limited, parent company of One Warrens Ltd, is leading the construction of the 131-room Hotel Indigo, which is a brand owned by InterContinentals Hotel Group (IHG), one of the largest hotel companies in the world.

“It is very prestigious that Barbados can attract such a brand . . . It will be seven storeys, it will have three food and beverage offerings and it represents approximately US$50 million investment by the investors,” said Edghill.

He said during the construction phase, 250 people are expected to be employed and when opened and in full operation, the hotel is to employ about 75 people.

The property is to be outfitted with photovoltaic systems, low-flow and low flush systems in the bathrooms and have a full recycling programme.

Prime Minister Mottley said the investment represented a vote of confidence in the economy, as she thanked the team from the Crews Inn Group for choosing to invest in Barbados.

“I want to encourage all those who are ready that we are ready for your investments and we are ready to be able to ensure that growth is the middle name of every Barbadian in terms of the quality of service that we give and in terms of the facilitation we must do. We understand people have choices and we need to make them choose Barbados first by reason of our performance and what we do,” she said.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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Students were among the young people who took advantage  of the second national Community Youth Open Day held at the Oistins Bay Gardens today.

Hosted by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, the showcase focussed on entrepreneurship and small business and formed part of a planned series of outreach programmes aimed at sharing the programmes offered to the youth segment by Government.

Ryan Moseley, Manager of the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES) and coordinator of the activity said, “We are in the process of spreading the programmes within the community. This is the second addition in a series of outreach programmes that we are conducting…the first was done in Freedom Park in Bridgetown.

“As part of National Youth Week, we decided to plan another one for Oistins Bay Gardens which is a hub of activity for business and for young people after 2 pm.

“We are expecting to use this opportunity to share the successes, the programme and the services that we offer.”

Programmes offered under the ministry including the National Sports Programme, Baje to the World and Youth Achieving Results (YAR), were well represented during the day.

Moseley said based on the first event, young people are seeking out new avenues for job opportunities.

“We saw a fairly good turn out in Bridgetown. The concept is to constantly have the programmes within the ministry being promoted sharing the evidence of what the programme has produced.

“It’s all about sharing the talent, allowing people to see the programmes that they can get involved in, so that they can increase their skill level, and their skill set and gather knowledge about entrepreneurship and about cultural programmes,” Moseley added. (SB)

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The brother of deceased Michael Yearwood and the cousin of the man accused of killing Yearwood on Wednesday described him as a loving, caring and friendly man.

Peter Yearwood and Daquan Pierre both spoke glowingly of the former tyre repair man when the murder trial of Raheim Ricardo O’Neil Hinds, continued in the No. 5A Supreme Court before Justice Christopher Birch.

Hinds, of Phillip’s Road, Pinelands, St Michael, is accused of murdering Yearwood on March 26, 2015.

When Peter Yearwood took to the witness stand, he was asked by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale to describe his brother.

“My brother was a caring and a loving person, that’s one thing for sure. He used to look after the fellas in the neighbourhood. As a matter of fact, I even used to ask him if he was the School Meals Service because he used to provide lunch and thing for them. My brother was a very loving fella, a caring fella. I can tell you that for sure,” he said.

While he admitted that he and his brother would “drink drinks” together, the witness denied suggestions that his brother was an alcoholic.

“Yes, he drank alcohol and I used to drink with him…. I wouldn’t say that he was an alcoholic, actually, because he more would control his drinks. He was doing better than me actually. He could control his drinks because some mornings when I come he would say that he ain’t drinking today,” he said.

Yearwood told the court he was not present in the Pine, St Michael on the day his brother was struck in the head with a stone, but later heard about it.

He recalled that on March 26, 2015, he received a call from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital informing him that his brother had died, and he went to the morgue on April 2 and identified the body.

Meanwhile, Pierre, the accused’s cousin, also took the witness stand and described the deceased as a “good fella”.

In fact, he said at the time of the incident he considered Yearwood and Hinds to be friends.

“He was a good fella. He was funny, troublesome and a little bit of an alcoholic. He would do anything for anybody,” Pierre told the court.

“He and my cousin were friends. They would socialise a little bit.”

Recounting the day of the incident, Pierre, who at the time resided in the Pine, said he was at home around 4 p.m. when he heard a dispute and was subsequently informed that his cousin and Yearwood had been in an argument.

He said when he “got up top” he did not see Hinds. However, he said he saw Yearwood with a bottle of rum in one hand and a sword in the other.

Pierre said Yearwood eventually crossed the road and walked toward Rashad Maynard, the accused’s younger brother, and pointed the sword in his face.

He said Hinds arrived and told Yearwood to leave his brother alone.

Pierre said his cousin then took up a rock and threw it at Yearwood, striking him in his head.

However, he contended that Yearwood had “ducked” into the rock.

Pierre said Hinds then fled the scene and Yearwood was “flat on the road”.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Arthur Holder, Pierre said he did not know what became of the cutlass that Yearwood was holding.

He also recounted that Yearwood told Maynard he would “cut him up”, while poking him in the face.

Another witness, Karen Nurse, testified seeing Yearwood holding an orange-coloured sword in his hand as he lay on the ground.

However, the Pine, St Michael resident said she did not know how he got there.

Nurse told the court that she saw Yearwood in the road with the sword in his hand while she was in her house, but by the time she got outside a large crowd had gathered and Yearwood lying in the road.

The witness said she did not see the accused, Hinds.

“[Yearwood] was lying down in the road and with the assistance of a man we lift him up and took him by the tyre shop. I was holding an umbrella over him and he was sitting up but then he dropped back down,” she recalled, adding that she subsequently called an ambulance.

Nurse said when the ambulance arrived, Yearwood got onto the stretcher but then got off while paramedics were trying to get him into the ambulance.

She said she then saw a man named Sylvester and asked him to take Yearwood to the hospital in his car and he obliged.

Also taking the witness stand was Shaunte Shorey, who told the court that she remembered very little of what happened.

“All I could remember is a commotion and Bishop [Michael Yearwood] was on the ground and Raheim was quarrelling,” she said.

She said she did not witness the incident but was told that Yearwood had been struck by a rock.

However, under cross-examination by Holder, Shorey admitted that she had told police in a statement that “Bishop was three feet away from Rashad with a sword in his hand”.

The trial will continue on October 12 and the state is expected to call three more witnesses before closing its case.

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The adage that there are only two constants in life – death and taxes, is proving true in this post COVID-19 landscape. Managing a business, a household, or a country is an increasingly difficult task and riddled with a growing number of challenges.

At the micro level, many households were forced to tap into their rainy day savings as sudden and pervasive job losses became a feature of the period. For government, the pandemic resulted in significant, unplanned expenditure and borrowing.

Barbados, having experienced years of economic upheaval after the global financial collapse, experienced an unprecedented debt crisis. And in 2018 we entered a voluntary default arrangement with our creditors.

That move significantly reduced the debt-to-GDP ratio and paved the way for the country to finally borrow on the international market at reduced rates.

But as we indicated, the path is never smooth and seldom linear for countries and citizens of the developing world. Our open economy is tied to major trading partners such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

As a result, the news this week that Britain’s new Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, who is effectively that country’s chief minister of finance, had approved one of the biggest tax cuts in the country’s history sending the British pound sterling tumbling, was met with great concern.

It was supposed to be the freshly installed UK Prime Minister Liz Truss’ big gamble, designed to kick-start the flagging economy. However, pundits are clutching their pearls, fearing the move is backfiring in a traumatic way.

One of the implications for British citizens is the falling value of the pound sterling against the United States dollar which is resulting in increased prices of imported goods. This is on top of the surging price of energy as winter nears.

For us in Barbados, the falling pound further exposes the vulnerability of our economy at the time when our hopes are pinned on an extraordinary performance of the tourism sector, especially from the coming winter tourist season.

British visitors are highly prized by tourism markets because of the stability they engender. They usually book well in advance, they stay on longer holidays, and as a result, tend to spend much more money during those trips.

With the value of the pound falling, visitors’ spending power is greatly reduced, and travel becomes a much more expensive endeavour for them.

For our tourism sector, Britain is key to our expected recovery. The latest developments are seemingly also on the mind of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, as she called it a “cause for concern”.

In an attempt to calm nervous sections of the community,  the Prime Minister has sought to discourage panic over the issue. 

“It is of concern, and we are watching it. In the same token, we have to be nimble and respond to the market. Obviously, that is just one contributing factor to the cost of air travel. You would have had that because airlines are trying to recover from the absence of flying for a large part of the time in the pandemic. They are also trying to recover from increased fuel prices, and they are now having to deal with currency issues in the UK market,” she said this week at the ground breaking ceremony for a South Coast hotel development.

At the same time, members of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) are expectedly nervous. The group’s new chief executive officer Geoffrey Roach acknowledged that top-end luxury travellers from Britain may be insulated from the current turbulence, but uncertainty remains about other groups.

As we try to stabilize an economy that has been disrupted by so many events that have been outside of our control, the 22 per cent drop in the value of the pound over a six-month period is not the kind of development we want at this time.

This is but one of the many fires the country has to fight simultaneously. The threats of derisking and losing access to correspondent banking facilities is another pall hanging over our economy.

Getting the local economy firing on all cylinders is going to be a tough task due to the “attacks” that are coming from every direction. We are therefore relying on the good sense and expertise of our policymakers, as well as the resilience and creativity of  our people to weather the barrage of trials to our strength and stability as a nation.

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Representatives of the medical and Christian community are recommending a national consultation on the merits and demerits of legalising assisted suicide.

That consensus emerged on Monday night during another Man Talk discussion series on the topic, Should Euthanasia Be Legalised in Barbados?, organised by the Men’s Ministry of the Cave Hill Wesleyan Holiness Church.

Sitting on the panel were executive member of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) Dr Adrian Waterman, chairman of the Barbados Christian Council (BXC) Rev Dr Cicely Athill-Horsford, and former Attorney General and supporter of euthanasia, Adriel Brathwaite.

Rev Athill-Horsford said she will start a major discussion in the church on mercy killing and seek a common position among members of the Christian Council.

“I want us to continue the discussion on this topic, in every area of the country, in the church and outside of the church, to get the views of everyone so that we can be able to make a positive decision and have a positive outcome. The decisions we make have implications for us as a nation and citizens to live by,” the BXC leader declared.

She said while Barbadians pride themselves on living in a free society, the rights that are enjoyed must be protected.

“But we must balance this against responsibilities and restrictions if we are to be truly free,” the church leader contended.

Rev Athill-Horsford was adamant that she did not support euthanasia, just as she rejected the death penalty in which the state “kills” a person convicted of murder.

“If I visited someone who is terminally ill and that person asks for my assistance in dying, I know that I don’t have any right whatsoever to assist,” she said.

Dr Waterman, an anesthesiologist, said BAMP did not yet have a position on assisted suicide but one was forthcoming.

“They are still reviewing the policies and protocols. When it is prepared, [BAMP president] Dr [Lynda] Williams will release the consensus on that. But for right now, she believes we should have as much debate on it as possible,” he said.

“I hope I can offer some educational points and I am always open to being educated as well. I do believe in the importance of the church. More importantly, I do believe in a person’s right to choose appropriately. As you all have mentioned, I hope we definitely go forward and that we don’t only make this talk. We are fantastic as Barbadians giving talks…fantastic at forgetting the next two weeks. So, I hope we can action it.

“If we do action it… we don’t have to invent the wheel, but we can improve on the way forward,” added the doctor who also specialises in pain management.

Meanwhile, Brathwaite recounted his experience of visiting a friend who had been in a hospice in Trinidad for a couple of years.

“It was one of the saddest moments of my life. The family, of course, continued to visit her in hope. And I thought then, as I do now, that I truly would like the option if I ever reached that stage to determine whether or not I should continue to live, and the state should not take that right away from me,” he contended.

The former Attorney General argued that the same way Barbadians are guaranteed a right to life and property under the Constitution, “I think we should equally guarantee people the right to die with dignity if they so desire”.

“We need to have these kinds of discussions. I don’t believe as a country that we are starting to have the conversation but I am glad that you [Cave Hill Church] did because this is the kind of thing we need to have a chat about,” Brathwaite added.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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The heavily trafficked Fairchild Street Terminal will soon bear the name of the patriarch and founder of the Spiritual Baptist Faith in Barbados – the late Archbishop Granville Williams.

A ceremony to rename the terminal will be held on Saturday, October 1, at Golden Square, the City, starting at 3:00 p.m.

The honour is in recognition of the religious figure’s commitment to and love of Barbados’ African heritage and the empowerment of Barbadians through his assurance that black divinity was central to their practice of the Christian faith.

Known for his charismatic and unique approach to worship that incorporated African rhythms, he conducted weekend night-time services for his followers in public spaces in the City, near the Fairchild Street Terminal.

The event comes on the heels of a promise made by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, to rename the bus terminal after the former leader of the Sons of God Apostolic Church, while addressing the crowd at a ceremony to remove the statue of Lord Horatio Nelson in Heroes Square, in 2020.

Barbadians are encouraged to line the route, around the Fairchild Street Terminal, and witness the procession that begins outside the St Mary’s Anglican Church. It will travel along Milk Market Road, in front of City Centre Mall, and continue along Lower Broad Street, Upper Broad Street, Charles Duncan O’Neal Bridge and into Golden Square.

The travelling public is asked to note that there will be traffic delays along the route as a result of the procession between the hours of 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Likewise, pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be disrupted in the area surrounding the terminal between the hours of 4 and 4.30 p.m.

There will be an address by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources, Santia Bradshaw, and cultural presentations by the Israel Lovell Foundation and the Pinelands Creative Workshop followed by the unveiling of a new sign and plaque on the terminal building. Archbishop Williams died on April 6, 2014, at the age of 90. (JC/BGIS)

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The three female wards at the Government Industrial School (GIS) in Barrows, St Lucy will be transferred to the Dodds, St Philip location as early as next week.

With 95 per cent of the construction work to retrofit the GIS at Dodds to make provisions for the girls completed, interim principal Catherine Jordan said the wards currently housed at Barrows, should be joining their five male counterparts from Monday October 3.

“We are trying for Monday, but what we have to complete is to bring the equipment and supplies that are down there [at Barrows] that can be used here. So if there are some air-conditioned units that can be used here, instead of having to buy them, we will bring those.

“The kitchen furniture that the girls sit on, we will bring that. So it depends on the next couple of days. We are planning for Monday. We are hoping it works out,” Jordan said.

During a tour of the $1.5 million renovation project on Wednesday, chair of the Departmental Inquiry into the operations of the GIS, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Oral Williams said while the investigations were ongoing, his team made about seven visits to the Dodds facility. The buildings looked nothing like they do now, he said.

Williams, while delivering the findings of the inquiry last Monday, called for a total overhaul of the GIS. He said today that the retrofitted buildings are a clear indication that the Ministry of Home Affairs has been working hard to ensure that the facilities are fit-for-purpose.

“I am very much impressed by what I have seen in this short space of time,” Williams said, adding that he was looking forward to additional improvements to the structures.

Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams was also pleased with the progress of the work on the buildings, and commended the project team and contractors for their efforts.

Meanwhile, the interim principal said that while the girls and boys will remain separated, at times, they would come together to participate in certain activities. Jordan stressed that the wards will be taught how to get along with each other in a respectful manner.

“Of course we will bring them together sometimes. The boys and girls can’t operate in the world separately all the time. But, we will bring the boys and girls together in a controlled way especially for some interactions.

“As we know girls distract boys in the classroom so we will not put the boys and girls together in the classroom. They will be on the same compound but we are going to treat them in a way that each person feels a positive sense of self,” Jordan said.

Senior Technical Officer, Ministry of Home Affairs and Office of the Attorney General, Malcolm Mapp, who lead the officials and members of the media on the tour, explained that the retrofitting work included renovations and alterations to the dormitories, mess hall, educational block, house mistress and welfare offices, creation of a staff lounge, and expansion of the clinic.

“I would honestly say it is 95 per cent completed. There is not much more to be done. We would have encountered challenges because of the age of the building. These old buildings tend to have moisture in the walls and there were a lot of things that you would not have seen up front. When you go and you start doing the actual demolition work you realise that you are encountering other things that you have to deal with,” Mapp said. (AH)

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Professional fees paid by the Barbados Light and Power Company (BLPC) skyrocketed from less than $50 000 in 2015 to almost $500 000 last year.

The revelation came from BLPC Managing Director Roger Blackman as he was cross-examined on Wednesday by intervenor Ricky Went when the utility company’s rate increase hearing before the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) entered day six.

However, when asked to explain the massive increase, Blackman told the Commission the company’s Director of Finance Ricaido Jennings would be better placed to provide that answer.

Went had been seeking to reconcile the performance of the company’s investment income against the payout of professional fees.

“Why was that investment fund all along $2.3 million in 2015 and jumped to $8 million?

“What I am seeing is we are paying more for the professional fees but we are getting less value on the investment income,” he suggested to Blackman.

The witness responded by pointing out that professional fees were not only paid to the investment manager.

Earlier, Blackman gave a breakdown of the investment income. He disclosed that in 2016, the income fund stood at $8 million, $2.6 million in 2017, $1.2 million in 2018, $1.3 million in 2019, $1.3 million in 2020 and $1.2 million last year.

Went again pointed out to the managing director that the fund had jumped to $8 million in 2016 before the withdrawal of $100 million which was paid to BLPC’s new shareholder and parent company Emera Caribbean.

The intervenor contended that even if professionals could help the company earn more, he was concerned about the sum that was taken out.

“So, we have missed the opportunity then to actually bring the generation [plant] in as the Act allows [for insurance cover] and still find ourselves with this money loss, and ask the rate payers to pay $8 million, 50 per cent in the test year. Is that correct?” he queried.

But Blackman rebuffed the assertion by Went.

“That’s not correct. That’s a false premise,” he argued. “We haven’t missed the opportunity for generation. You would have to set aside for generation if you wanted to self-insure generation, and that was not being set aside. It is as simple as that,” the company boss told the FTC.

Went said he would leave this matter to Jennings who he suggested would help him get to the bottom of the matter.

He added that he could not understand paying more professional fees to make less income “at a time when the income was going to be coming through nicely in investment”.

Blackman followed up, stating: “We will provide that information to help you understand.”

When Jennings took the witness stand to give evidence jointly with the BLPC’s expert on depreciation, Peter Huck, he was asked by BLPC’s legal counsel Ramon Alleyne to provide the basis for the depreciation rates used by the power company for a rate review, specifically for the 2020 test year.

“The depreciation used in the application was based on the audited financial statements for December 31, 2020,” Jennings said.

“Those statements were prepared using international financial reporting standards. They included the depreciation rates approved by the Fair Trading Commission for general plant and for transmission and distribution,” the financial director added.

The commission also heard from the witness that the additional information requested by the FTC regarding the depreciation rates that were not approved has since been supplied.

During today’s proceedings, intervenors and attorney for BLPC argued over whether the utility company was seeking to apply for new rates in a manner that was not acceptable.

In a related development, the parties involved in the hearing were ordered to “cease and desist” from their “disrespectful” conduct before the commissioners hearing the case.

Minutes before the FTC was scheduled to adjourn the proceedings, the tribunal issued a strongly-worded statement which was read by commissioner Ruan Martinez expressing “grave” concern over the conduct of intervenors and attorneys for the company.

“The panel is gravely concerned with the manner in which the proceedings are currently being conducted by all parties involved,” commissioner Martinez stated. She declared that the tribunal had taken offence at “the lack of respect” for the panel, its rulings, and continued arguing with the panel. She said the manner in which the panel is addressed, was a cause for concern.

“We would therefore like to request that from this point forward, all such behaviour shall cease and desist,” the FTC told the hearing.

The position taken by the commission came on the heels of a series of verbal exchanges, some heated, which occurred between both sides and between parties and the panel.

Most of the exchanges involved intervenor, attorney-at-law Tricia Watson, her colleague Ricky Went and lead counsel for the BLPC Ramon Alleyne, King’s Counsel.

The nature of the exchanges largely surrounded issues of procedure and the production of documents or information requested from the BL&P by the Watson-David Simpson team.

The reminders by Watson to commission chairman Dr Donley Carrington of the laws governing aspects of the proceedings and interventions by Alleyne who objected to some requests or expressed concern about how the chairman’s rulings were treated, featured in some of the most robust exchanges during the session.

The hearing resumes at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa on Thursday at 9 a.m. when Jennings and Huck will be subjected to further interrogation.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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Minister of Energy Kerrie Symmonds has defended Government’s push towards hydrocarbon exploration noting that oil and natural gas finds could mean significant foreign exchange earnings for the economy.

What is more, he said an oil find would put the country in a position to fund its energy transition, which will require several components and could cost well over $1 billion for battery storage and billions more for the renewable energy mix needed.

“You have to have a combination of things, You have to have wind – offshore more than likely – but an offshore small wind farm by the world standards, maybe 150 megawatts or 200 megatwatts, will cost this country $2 billion and it has to be financed,” said Symmonds.

“Therefore we say to you, if we were to find the hydrocarbon resources, and we know there is a demand for the resources, we are quite prepared to sell to meet that demand to finance the way forward for this country’s purposes in so far as clean energy is concerned,” he said.

Government is pushing ahead with plans to make Barbados 100 per cent reliant on renewable energy sources by 2030. At the same time, the administration has announced that by the end of this year the bidding process for licences to drill for oil and natural gas within some 22 blocks in Barbados’ waters will begin.

This follows a seismic study which was carried out by oil giant BHP, which was taken over by Woodside Energy this year.

Addressing a Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) business luncheon on Wednesday at the Savannah Beach Club, Symmonds responded to critics, whom he said were taking Government to task for going after hydrocarbon finds when the country should be focused on building out its renewable energy sector.

He told the luncheon, which had as its theme The Road Ahead for Global Business in Barbados, that it was Government’s intention to form closer linkages between the energy sector and the global business sector “in a more decisive and fundamental way”.

“The fact of the matter is that there has been a lot of recent seismic data that convinces us that there is good hydrocarbon prospectivity in the deep and ultra deep waters of Barbados,” said Symmonds, who pointed to a number of oil discoveries in the neighbouring waters of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname.

“Based on the seismic data, the final results of which we should receive next month, there is every good reason to believe that Barbados may be a missing piece in what is becoming a red zone of gas discoveries in the Caribbean and quite frankly, in the world,” he said.

Symmonds said some people were “making the error” of thinking that hydrocarbon exploration and renewable energy expansion could not co-exist.

“The Barbados National Energy Policy was passed in the Parliament of Barbados in 2019. That energy policy makes it unequivocally and abundantly clear that on the basis and the fact that we have for almost a century been finding oil or gas around Barbados . . . makes it clear that those hydrocarbons that we can find we would use for export purposes,” said Symmonds.

“The world is not going to stop using hydrocarbons in 2030 or 2040 or, quite frankly, in 2050. People are making commitments and some of them are already walking back from the commitments. The fact of the matter is yes, we want to get to a hydrogen-driven world, and that would perhaps be the ideal, but that is going to be a long journey, many miles to go before we can get there. And during that period of time, this country has to be able to finance the plan that we have to move from where we are today to be entirely fossil fuel free in our domestic space,” he explained.

Pointing to the recent Nord Stream pipeline explosion, Symmonds said this was another reason for an increase in global demand for natural gas and current suppliers would not be able to satisfy those demands.

He said “It would be a foolhardy thing for Barbados, given all of the financial realities that we confront, to decide that we are going to find or have the resource but choose not to exploit the resource for export purposes or even in the context of gas, using it as a bridging fuel to get us to where we need to be.

“Therefore, I say to you, if we were to find oil offshore then that is put into the international marketplace because aeroplanes are still flying on gas and aeroplanes are still going to be requiring hydrocarbons. The ships that are sailing on the sea may move to a natural gas technology because that is seen as the bridging fuel, but again if we can find gas, we are supplying the globe’s demand for bridging fuel,” he said.

He also pointed out that experienced oil producers, despite many of them talking about climate adaptation, were not ready to put an end to their oil production and would not be coming to Barbados’ aid to help fund the renewable energy transition.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has partnered with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the CARICOM Secretariat to develop a recovery programme to assist more than one million Caribbean students who experienced learning challenges due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The programme Let’s REAP (Learning Recovery and Enhancement Programme) includes a developmental certification training exercise for teachers to give them the requisite tools to help students overcome learning challenges. Three thousand teachers are expected to start training next month.

During a Zoom launch on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary General for human and social development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Alison Drayton, described Let’s REAP as an important initiative following the experience of COVID-19 during which many students across the region were disenfranchised.

“Gaps in educational access equity, quality and relevance were exposed significantly as the students and families struggled to gain and maintain access through technological connections. Teachers were challenged to secure equitable relevant and quality educational learning outcomes through technology-mediated pedagogical interventions,” she said.

“At no point was the diagnostic and pedagogical divide between teachers and students greater than during the pandemic for the region.

“The gains made in the provision of universal access to basic education and strides in literacy and numeracy achievements, along with increases to access to pre primary education were eroded. It is indeed a tragedy.”

However, Drayton said Let’s REAP would put student success levels back on track in the Caribbean.

During the ceremony, Minister of Education Kay McConney, who is also the chairman of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development, said this was a much needed initiative and the training would build the capacity of teachers.

“It is a fitting response. It examines leadership and accountability, management and communication, regional and national partnerships, teacher support and collaboration, inclusion and social development, formative assessment, wellbeing of parents, family and community. The collaborative effort of REAP embraces key players within the educational sphere, education management at the national and institutional levels, parents, caregivers and the wider community. In addition, it aims to engage all educational partners to work together towards the success of our most important constituents, that’s our students,” she said. (SZB)

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Some stakeholders in the agriculture sector are reporting a shortage of lettuce and tomatoes.

And they are blaming heavy rainfall for the scarcity.

Chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul and president of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) Alister Alexander told Barbados TODAY that farmers were experiencing challenges during the wet season as the rain was destroying their crops and saturating their fields.

“Yes they are scarce and it is because of the climatic conditions,” said Alexander. “At this time of year you will have scarcity of most crops, it is a norm and it is not a sign that farmers are not planting as some people may think. In Barbados we experience scarcity and glut and they are associated with the seasons.

“In the dry season we get glut and in the wet season we get scarcity. How do we solve this problem? BARVEN has put forward a suggestion to Government that we look at a planned planting regime for the nation to prevent everybody planting the same thing at the same time. We suggested that more farmers needed greenhouses, which would allow them to plant crops during the wet season that wouldn’t be damaged by the rain . . .”

Paul said the current shortage was nothing to be alarmed about, noting that farmers would restart planting tomatoes and lettuce in abundance as soon as the rain eases.

“Since the rains have come in it knocks the blossoms off of the plants and causes some crops to spoil. But we should be getting back supplies of lettuce and tomatoes in a few weeks as farmers are putting them back in the fields, so it is not a big issue at this time,” he said.

Barbados TODAY understands that the shortage has been affecting one of the island’s major fast food entities. Though a spokesman for the company declined to comment, that business placed signage at its Warren’s branch indicating that meals, which usually come with tomatoes and lettuce had been impacted.

Meanwhile, president of the Spring Hall Farmers’ Association Hamilton Corbin also confirmed that tomatoes and lettuce were scarce.

Corbin, who operates on the largest land lease programme on the island at Spring Hall, St Lucy, said he did not have any in the ground and he was aware that a number of farmers did not have any planted either.

“They are scarce because of the climatic conditions and the fact that some farmers have limited available resources,” he said. “A lot of farmers are not in the position to jump up and prepare their fields as they used to because of the risk factors.

“A farmer will put most of his energy into things that are more manageable at this time. For instance root crops such as pumpkins that are resilient and okras because they are easy to plant.

“But when it comes to more perishable things like tomatoes, sweet peppers and lettuce they may be hesitant to plant because the cost of seeds and fertiliser have gone up and these things need optimal levels of care. And when the rain is in they need to use more things like fungicide so farmers may not want to take the risk to plant and then lose their crops.”

However, Corbin said this was a great opportunity for farmers to consider setting up water harvesting systems to catch water so that in times of drought, they would have a backup system.

Vendors who ply their trade at Cheapside in the City also reported that they had challenges sourcing the commodities.

Keren Watson said she had to buy a 60-pound box of imported tomatoes and though they were small, customers were “grabbing them up fast, fast”.  She said she purchased the box on Saturday and she only had eight pounds remaining today.

Despite the shortage, she said she sold the product at $5 per pound instead of raising the price to $8, which is the current selling price.

Angela Greene said she also could not source any local tomatoes and noted that other crops such as beans, sweet peppers and parsley were in limited supply. The scarcity of parsley has led to a doubling of the price from $5/$6 per pound to $15 per pound, she pointed out.

She said sweet peppers were now as much as $7 per pound and beans were going at $8 per pound. (SZB)

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The Ministry of Health and Wellness is establishing a national climate change and health focal point unit.

Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill made the announcement on Tuesday while delivering remarks at the 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference in Washington on the topic, Leveraging Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic to address the Region’s Mental Health Challenges for the Future.

He indicated that one of the unit’s first tasks will be to develop and implement a framework for comprehensive vulnerability assessment.

Noting that Barbados has been fortunate to benefit from several Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) train-the-trainer workshops that addressed mental health in the immediate and long-term aftermath of a natural disaster, Gooding-Edghill said similar activities can be extended to all first responders in the post-disaster period.

He, therefore, encouraged PAHO to continue to offer the training and awareness programme to the Barbados Defence Force, Barbados Police Service, and public health service providers.

“As Barbados develops a National Mental Health Policy and Action Plan, I would strongly support the broader use of mental health and psychological training in climate and disaster management.

“There is also a need for collaboration with PAHO and other agencies such as the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre at the University of the West Indies, on their research agenda. The more we understand about the current and expected impacts and the measures that we can take . . . we will be able to make more informed decisions,” Gooding-Edghill said.

The Health Minister proposed that each country provide a safe space for communities and individuals to assemble and talk about how climate change and health affect their lives.

He said such a programme would provide an opportunity for communities to take action through small steps, by engaging public health and environmental leadership.

“This can also be initially achieved by personal efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and advocating governments to achieve more evidence-based results. An example of such is the beach clean-up activities sponsored by many like-minded non-governmental health organisations, which have the benefits of increased physical activity and exercise while contributing to cleaner, greener, and safer environments,” he said.

Gooding-Edghill reminded that in September 2019, Prime Minister Mia Mottley made it clear to the United Nations that beyond the science and evidence the impact of natural disasters is real, threatening the physical and mental health of people who have been directly affected.

He insisted that if countries do not act swiftly and appropriately, everyone will eventually be impacted, with the most vulnerable, children, the elderly, the sick, and the poor being most severely affected.

“We live in very uncertain times but we are aware climate change is real, not only affecting our fragile agro-based and tourism-based economies of the region but affecting individuals, their families, and communities on a very personal level. Every hurricane season for the last ten years was active or more active than the previous years. Heat waves are becoming more common and flash floods and droughts are very commonplace,” Minister Gooding-Edghill pointed out. (AH)

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Eleven years after being accused of having an unlicensed gun and ammunition, Renee Ricardo Hope told jurors that he placed his initials on a confession statement written by police officers because he felt his life was in danger.

As he tearfully delivered an unsworn statement from the dock, Hope maintained his innocence, saying that he knew nothing about the illegal firearm and bullets.

The 48-year-old of Ashdeane Village, Black Rock, St Michael, was back in the No. 4 Supreme Court on Thursday as his trial continued. He is charged with possession of a .32 automatic pistol and eight rounds of ammunition on May 21, 2011.

After Senior State Counsel Rudolph Burnett informed the court that the prosecution had closed its case, Hope delivered his statement in the dock and broke down in tears as he recounted the events that unfolded on the day in question.

“I was in my bed sleeping when I get wake up. When I woke up, I see six big men over me with guns asking me bout Brandon Taylor. Then a man tell me to get up while another man tell me, ‘Look the window dey. Go through it and give me a reason to shoot you’.

“I went in the hallway and one of the men tell me that he hear I got a gun in hey and I say I ain’t know nothing bout no gun. Then another man tell me that I got a gun and I got drugs and I told him I don’t know nothing bout no guns and no drugs,” Hope said.

The accused man said he was taken to Oistins Police Station where he was denied his right to a lawyer and threatened by police officers.

“Quick so, I get carry into an interview room where there were two big policemen with guns on them telling me that I have to give them a statement about something I don’t know nothing about. I told them again that I don’t know nothing about no guns and no drugs,” he told the court.

“The man told me I had to give him a statement and I told him I can’t give him a statement because I don’t know anything about no guns and no drugs. Then the man get vex and say that I got to give him a f****** statement or he gine beat me and gun butt me. They had already threatened my life in the house and now I in dey with two big men and one man got he hand on he gun. I get frighten . . . so where he tell me sign, I sign. I ain’t write nothing nor I aint correct nothing.”

Hope added that the incident had taken a toll on him and his family.

“I have two little girls now that I love dearly, plus I now get promote as a supervisor at my job…. This is hurting me. I love my little girls so much and I would never do nothing to offset them. I swear on my little girls’ lives that I never had no gun nor I never walk with a gun. This is hurting me,” Hope said as he fought back tears.

Burnett along with defence counsel Shadia Simpson will deliver their closing arguments on Friday and Madame Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell is scheduled to deliver the summation in the case next Tuesday.

Brathwaite admits to having guns, ammo

A St Philip man has admitted that he had two illegal firearms and ammunition in his possession more than three years ago.

When Jamel Orlando Brathwaite appeared in the No. 4 Supreme Court before Madame Justice Laurie-Ann Smith Bovell on Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to having a .45 semi-automatic pistol as well as a 9mm semi-automatic pistol on March 9, 2019.

Brathwaite, of Kirtons #3, St Philip, also pleaded guilty to having 43 rounds of 9 mm ammunition on the same date.

He will reappear in court for sentencing on November 28.

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Barbados concluded an air services agreement with the government of Qatar on Wednesday, in the margins of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) 41st General Assembly.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, formalised the agreement while attending the ICAO General Assembly, which took place in Montreal, Canada from September 25 to 28.

Minister Cummins revealed that as part of the efforts to deepen and strengthen Barbados’ relations with Qatar, the two countries also signed a joint Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in addition to the air services
agreement.

She noted that the agreements would allow Barbados and Qatar to begin discussions on commercial carriers flying to this island. It was also disclosed that Barbados was in the process of finalising and approving code-sharing arrangements for Qatar Airways, and in the coming months “dedicated engagements” would occur with the government of Qatar regarding airlift between that country and the
region.

The Minister with responsibility for the Civil Aviation Department further noted that specific to the MoC, Qatar agreed that they would support Barbados in capacity building for the creation and development of its
new aviation authority. This would include the training of Barbadian nationals and the provision of scholarships in the area of aviation.

“One of the critical elements of work at the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport is in the area of aviation and aviation development. It has been an aspiration of Barbados, for over 40 years,
to establish a civil aviation authority and we are just about to do that,” Senator Cummins stated.

She added that over the last two years, a considerable amount of work had gone into developing the aviation sector, including the drafting of an aviation strategy. In addition, she noted that for the first time in Barbados’ history a Civil Aviation Authority Bill would be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks.

While pointing out that the Bill, once passed, would establish a Civil Aviation Authority, Minister Cummins said: “It will also have with it two additional items of legislation on air navigation services and accident investigation services, and those things together will allow for Barbados to emerge into a new era of aviation development.”

The tourism minister stressed that the efforts at creating a new era in aviation development represented Barbados’ efforts to become the southern logistics hub within the Caribbean. (SFC/BGIS)

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Organisers of the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Walk for the Cure say the event could attract as many as 20 000 participants this year.

Walk Manager for the Breast Screening Programme Michelle Straughn explained during a site visit on Thursday at the National Botanical Gardens ahead of Sunday’s event, that the support so far indicated that after two years of having the event virtually, people were ready to get back on the road.

“At this stage, most of the shirts we had for this year are out. We are trying to fulfil as many orders as possible but this year the support has been tremendous,” she said.

“The official numbers in 2019 were 15 000-plus. We suspect that from the buzz that is out there – and people have been telling me this – that we expect that it will be more than that this year, that it will be close to 20 000 that we think that we will get.”

FirstCaribbean International Bank Walk Manager Shakida Grant also told Barbados TODAY that Barbadians have been purchasing Breast Cancer Awareness shirts at a rapid rate.

“We’re very hopeful . . . . Shirts right now are going like hotcakes and people want to ensure they can get their shirts. We have shirts available in both pink and white and we want to ensure that people have their shirts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Straughn said sponsorship had not been hard to come by this year, with many interested partners volunteering to contribute to the important cause.

“This year we have such a tremendous outpouring from companies in Barbados. A number of companies who [did not get logos] on the back of the shirts have been asking,” she said.

Straughn explained that the National Botanical Gardens was chosen as the assembly and after-walk activity location this year as it was felt the space in the car park at Warrens, the usual spot, would be insufficient.

“When you start to get up to those numbers it is very hard to keep it in the car park, so with the National Botanical Gardens being the national gardens for the people of Barbados, we felt that it was good to bring it here [as] persons can come here to relax. We felt with the space we have here that it would be best,” she added. (MR)

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Some questions have to be asked, and in this right-thinking, democratic and engaging governance system, answers should be forthcoming.

It was two years ago, September 2020, that the Government, in true public relations style, announced a major multi-million-dollar road rehabilitation project for Highway 1.

At the time, then Minister of Transport and Works and Water Resources, Ian Gooding-Edghill, said Phase 1 of the project, scheduled to start in the coming weeks and completed by December, would cover 6 500 metres between the Frank Walcott Roundabout to Seaview Road, St James. The price tag was $15 281 656.00.

So massive was the undertaking that the minister stated that five major companies were to be contracted.

He explained that in order to complete the rehabilitation works within the prescribed timeframe, the Ministry was engaging five contractors who have previously carried out trenching operations for utility companies. He announced that these were Ajax Construction, Arthur Construction, C.O. Williams Construction, Infra Incorporated and Jose y Jose.

It was noted that it had been over 30 years since any major rehabilitative work was done on this stretch of the highway. It was touted that at completion: “There will be the replacement of six culverts with larger ones and improvements of the drainage systems; improved sidewalks making good existing footpaths; manhole covers will be level with the road; in addition to the milling and paving of the highway.”

One of the biggest planks was a better drainage system which would “mitigate” flooding on the West Coast especially in Holetown.

While addressing the House of Assembly on July 6, 2021, Minister Gooding-Edghill told the Lower Chamber that his Ministry had undertaken flood mitigation initiatives despite having limited resources. He said the Drainage Division had cleared water courses and constructed detention and retention ponds, which resulted in significant improvement in areas where flooding is usually a problem.

In November 2021, speaking on the reopening of the Highway 1 he again reiterated that the works carried out would ease the flooding menace.

A month prior, October 2021, his Government colleague then Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde, declared that residents of Holetown and Trents, St James were now seeing some relief from flooding due to project: Adaptation Measures to Counter Effects of Climate Change.

“When we could have this amount of rainfall … and then have, for the first time probably, an area which was prone to flooding before, which is now seeing water being removed in its natural course to the sea, this is nothing short of amazing,” Forde said then.

Ironically, as the ministers were mouthing off in true politician style the reality for residents and businesses in the area did not line with what they had promised or hoped for.

It would appear that neither the mega roadworks project nor the beautification initiative produced the fruit the ministers were bargaining for.

Weeks after Government officials were boasting of the completion of Phase 1 of the Highway 1 road rehabilitation project, some praised the work done while others voiced their dissatisfaction with the resurfacing of the road.

The naysayers were justified since heavy rains fell and the road was not only badly flooded but there was damage done to it as well. That was in 2021, weeks after the “new” road, which was Phase 1 of the $15.2 million dollar project, was completed.

Then Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources, Charles Griffith, along with Deputy Chief Technical Officer Philip Tudor and Deputy Chief Technical Officer, Design, Jason Bowen, fielded calls on VOB’s Down to Brass Tacks call-in programme and revealed that the five contractors involved in the project were instructed to rectify the flaws. Government gave the assurance that the work would be done at no extra cost.

Fast forward to a year later: Today, September 29, 2022. There has been rain on the island since weekend. The past few days alone the rain has been incessant especially in the west and north of the country. We now have photos and videos of severe flooding in Holetown and while some of us may want to comfort or fool ourselves into believing the footage is old, sadly it is not. The flooding not only has affected residents and businesses, but it has disrupted school at St James Primary and Frederick Smith Secondary.

Therefore, the entire saga begs the questions: Did the five contracted companies ever correct the road works as instructed by the Ministry? Has any maintenance or follow-up work been done at the start of the hurricane season in June 2022? How much will it now cost to rectify the flooding issue that both ministers boasted was fixed? Will heads roll since we were told the flooding issue was fixed, now only to realise that it wasn’t? Given our current debt-restructuring, can we afford to spend $15.2 million on roadworks that do not fix the major issue of flooding? Will the good people of St James finally get real relief from the flooding menace that has plagued them for decades? We are confident that answers will be forthcoming.

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Barbados is in a serious debt trap and the sooner government is willing to admit this and come up with a strategic development plan, the better.

This is the view of retired university Professor of Economics Michael Howard who laments that while borrowing is necessary for economies like Barbados, the country is facing a major problem because government’s present borrowing is unsustainable.

“There is a danger of borrowing too much and this is what [Prime Minister Mia] Mottley seems not to understand,” he told Barbados TODAY.

Howard’s comments came on the heels of Government’s announcement on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a fresh Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement to support the new three-year Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme. Under the EFF, which is to become available as early as November, the island will get access to about US$110 million over the three years, an equivalent of $85.05 million of Special Drawing Rights (SDR).

Professor Howard acknowledged that the Mottley administration had to borrow money in its attempt to get the economy back up and running and to build infrastructure and get people to work, since as he noted, Barbados’ largest foreign exchange earner, the tourism industry, was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic at a sluggish pace.

He contended that if there is not enough foreign exchange the island’s ability to import certain goods and materials, intended to increase the level of economic growth, could be hampered. But Howard’s main grouse was Government’s plan to repay the borrowed millions, of which more than $900 million is expected to be repaid by as early as 2029.

Painting an alarming picture of the island’s future prospects, Howard maintained that Barbados’ continued borrowing from overseas entities was “scary” as it means that in order

to repay, Barbadians will be caught up in a revolving cycle of “borrowing from Peter in order to pay Paul”.

“You find you might be in the hands of the IMF all the time because you can’t pay back this money. . . . Borrowing places a heavy debt on the future generations and this is where we find ourselves right now.

“We are in a debt trap. People don’t like to say it and I don’t think that the government wants to admit that,” he said.

“I think the government needs an operational plan, what we call a development plan in Economics. We need to outline, not just this thing about we are going to build 10,000

houses and we are going to build these hotels.

“What is their development plan? That is, how much money they are going to spend on certain areas of the plan, where you are going to get this money from, how it is going to impact on jobs and that sort of thing. They’ve got to do that work. Right now, they are just scatter shooting little projects. I have not seen any firm development plan outlined in order to carry Barbados forward, no current strategy of growth.

You only hearing a lot of talk,” Howard stated.

The retired lecturer, author of The Fiscal System of Barbados (1946-1965), Howard called attention to what he

deemed a lack of transparency relating to the funds being borrowed, and how they were being spent and the conditions that were attached since “borrowing money is not free”.

He queried if in the promised pension reform Barbados would move to make contributory pensions mandatory, what the reform of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) would look like and the future of government footing the bill for tertiary education.

He contended: “What I find difficult is that with this government you don’t . . . have any details in terms of their development plan, in terms of the sources and usage of funds. It is difficult to advise them to do anything because . . . you only get pieces of information now and again.

“I know nothing about the details of how the funds are spent and a lot of other people don’t know either. You don’t get the impression that they are volunteering information. The

government would come and say, ‘we are borrowing $200 million’ and you don’t know exactly sometimes where it is going to be spent, the cost of it, how it will impact the economy – you don’t get the overall picture.” (KC)

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