Government is now actively considering the leasing of garbage trucks to replenish the badly depleted fleet at the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod has told Barbados TODAY.

The revelation comes as an original plan to buy 15 used garbage trucks was reduced to two trucks now held up in the United States because of tariff issues with Japan amid mounting piles of uncollected garbage across the island.

“We are looking at leasing trucks because we have a backlog of garbage, abandoned cars have not been moved off the road for the last ten years, and we recently started that programme in Brittons Hill. The problem that we continue to have is access to trucks. We had lots of challenges with the importation of trucks but as far as I know the trucks are on the way but we still have not receive the documentation. So although we have great hope, we cannot rely on hope alone,” said Prescod.

On average, the SSA is operating with 12 trucks a day, all of which are over a decade old. On most days there are more work crews than trucks to operate. The SSA has also decided not to renew its programme of outsourcing collection to private waste haulers programme.

“From the feedback coming from my chairman [Senator Rudy Grant] the idea of additional private waste haulers has been completely pushed off the table. Many days we have workers that can’t work because there are no vehicles. So the situation is complex. If this problem is not resolved soon every morning I wake up people are going to be showing garbage pile-ups all over the island, ” said Prescod.

But Prescod noted that the idea of leasing trucks was still in its exploratory stage as cost effectiveness details as well as maintenance logistics must first be worked out.

“The idea of leasing trucks is all part of the negotiations because at the end of the day the decision is not dependent on Government alone. The people we are talking to and the unions all have to agree. We have to consider the charges for the trucks as well as who will be responsible for maintaining the trucks. We would also like to get the unions on board because they all partners in this exercise and at the end of the day it is about the people. There is no top down decision being made, certainly not under me as Minister,” Prescod stressed.

In the June 11 Mini-Budget, Prime Minister Mottley announced plans to buy used trucks. The 15 used trucks were to come at a cost of about $15 million, as the delivery time for new trucks would be around eight months and Barbados could not wait that long, the Prime Minister said then.

But in August, Mottley told a St Michael South East constituency meeting that she ordered a group of Government officials sent to Europe to source the vehicles to return to Barbados after they reported the mysterious, simultaneous appearance of a vehicle importer’s representative.

The post Prescod: Govt may lease trucks appeared first on Barbados Today.

A move is afoot to have all police officers on the streets armed given the alarming level of gun-related crime plaguing the island and the seemingly easy access to weapons by a bolder type of criminal.

President of the Police Association of Barbados (PAB) Mervin Grace said today this is among the body's priorities for 2019.

“That is definitely a concern and it is being addressed. We will be looking at making sure that our members are all qualified to carry firearms. The senior command team is changing our firearms policy, but that is an internal matter. You would recognize that in recent times, a number of policemen are on the road actually wearing protective
gear,” Grace told Barbados TODAY.

“So that is one of the things they have been looking at. We have been pushing to get our members armed. In these times you see we have an increase in the firearm-related crime. Crime in Barbados might be down, but you are hearing a lot of firearm-related crime happening now. So we have to protect ourselves first before we could protect the public,” he added.

Grace explained that police officers have to be retrained every year in order to qualify to carry arms.

The PAB leader revealed that the association has already held discussions with the top brass of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) on the whole issue of protection for police.

Also at the top of the agenda for 2019 are conditions of service including pay.

“Basically the priorities for the New Year would be looking again at the conditions of service going forward; remuneration especially for the amount of work that is being done, as far as I am concerned for free at this point. Police are grossly under paid and that is one of the major things we would be looking at,” the police association spokesman told Barbados TODAY.

Grace said the organization's executive will also be pushing for allowances to be paid for “the different things they [police] are required to do, which are not being done by the regular public service.”

“What is being paid to police now is a slap in the face for the dangers that we have to face. And I think the senior command team and the Government of Barbados recognize that; but everything takes a little time,” he admitted.

Expressing grave worry about the physical facilities in which officers have to function, he disclosed that this matter would also be high on the list of matters to be discussed with the authorities.

“We will also be looking at police buildings, accommodation . . . some are very, very, dilapidated. All of them need rectifying. You are aware that they just built a new station at Cane Garden. The police never went in and it has been handed over the Supreme Court. The policemen who are supposed to be in there are in a building where they are inhaling smoke every single day,” he lamented.

Grace identified that accommodation as the police station at Holetown, St James.

“Holetown Police Station is a mess. Cane Garden was supposed to house District 'D' to get them out of the squalor that they are in and yet they are in squalor [while] a brand new building has been handed over to another entity. They are hoping the same thing does not happen to Hastings and Worthing,” the Police Association president declared.

He noted that the senior police command team was already onboard with them, but that it was now for the Government to follow suit.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

The post Arm the police! appeared first on Barbados Today.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) community has called on Jamaican dancehall recording artist Buju Banton, fresh from serving a prison sentence, to publicly denounce one of his most popular songs ahead of a performance scheduled here next year.

Early Friday morning, music promoters Fas7Star Entertainment uploaded a poster with a picture of the artist, indicating he would headline an April 27 concert called Long Walk to Freedom at the 2019 Barbados Reggae Festival.

The news comes just two weeks after the artist - real name Mark Myrie - was released after serving seven years in a US prison for a major drug conviction.

While his release has prompted celebration from many fans across the Caribbean, it has also raised new questions about his popular song, Boom Bye Bye, which openly advocated the killing of gay people in 1988.

While spokesperson for the local LGBT community, Ro-Ann Mohammed, welcomed the news that Buju would be headlining next year’s reggae festival, she admitted that “there is some merit to how some people feel with regard to the rhetoric surrounding some of his early music, particularly the Boom Bye Bye song.

“And even today, it is a song that is used to advocate the literal death of LGBT people, based on sexual orientation, gender identity . . . and that is wrong; that is fundamentally wrong on every level. Even though Buju himself wrote that song as a teenager and he doesn’t perform the song anymore, the song is still used to discriminate against LGBT people and to cause harm and to perpetuate harm against LGBT people. So I think people are very valid in feeling unsafe considering it’s a time of uncertainty,” she said.

While Mohammed said she would be attending the concert, she still called on the artist to give more clarity on his position on Boom Bye Bye 30 years on.

“I think it would still be great if Buju himself was to make a statement against the song, even though he doesn’t perform it anymore and he signed that agreement with other dancehall artist not to promote hate or to promote violence against LGBT people. I think it would still be great if he would make some sort of statement, distancing himself from that song and that message because his portfolio after that song has been one of love and inclusion and tolerance and promoting acceptance and uplifting black people,” said Mohammed.

She said she was not aware of any protest being mounted against staging the concert.

“Personally, I will be at the concert, but also I don’t think there is any movement to prohibit him from performing. I don’t think there’s going to be a major community backlash or anything.”

The LGBT spokesperson, who identifies as queer, said she does not believe her decision to attend the concert should be viewed as a double standard, arguing that one song did not define Buju Banton.

“It’s a double-edged sword, but I think its something you see a lot within Caribbean culture. That dichotomy of loving the artist, although everything the artist promotes is not always a hundred per cent great.

“I am a queer person, but I am also a Caribbean person and this particular artist has been very instrumental to my development as a Caribbean person, and is somebody’s artistry I enjoy and I feel lack that one particular song is a small fraction of what he represents,” she said.

But she added: “I would have a problem, however, if I were to go to the concert and he did perform the song.”

Mohammed also called on key stakeholders in the music industry to be more mindful of the messages being sent in the songs they play, like Buju Banton’s Boom Bye Bye, which is still a hit at some events.

“I don’t think there’s any way to play that song and not support the message. The message of the song is clear; that LGBT people deserve death and that is by no means okay. That’s a complete violation of human rights on every basis. It’s not okay to play that song.

“I think the onus is on party promoters, deejays and radio announcers, not to play that song and to take a stand against the messages of violence against LGBT people. It is not just with that song, but with all homophobic songs because that is not an intrinsic part of our culture. I think the onus is on [Buju] as the artist to speak out against it when it is played and when people use that to bolster their arguments against LGBT people,” she said.

Barbados TODAY reached out to co-director of FAS7STAR entertainment, Al Gilkes, who said he was not yet in a position to comment, as he was still in the process of finalizing arrangements for the concert.

kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

The post ‘Don’t play that song’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

Barbados’ largest public sector union is telling Government its retrenchments have left a number of departments under too much strain and stress, and it wants to discuss a possible rehiring of some of those sent home.

Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Delcia Burke said today the union will be seeking to sit down at the negotiation table with Government early next year to discuss restoring some normalcy to the proper functioning of these departments.

Burke said the resulting shortage of staff is placing undue burden and stress on those workers left behind who now have to perform the duties of two and three people.

“We have a number of issues with persons who have lost their jobs. We are going to maintain that the Government sets up at the earliest possible time, the mitigation unit so that workers can be helped. We also want to see in areas where the departments are short staff, that something is done, so that the workers who are over-extending can go back to the normal work habit,” Burke told Barbados TODAY.

She identified the Statistical Department and Customs as two of those areas currently experiencing a level of chaos.

“We are having some issues in the Statistical Department where they have cut the clerical staff, leaving only about two out of 23. That department is having some challenges. In the Customs Department the same thing...they are short staffed. We have to represent on their behalf to ensure that those numbers come back up to manageable levels, so that the workers can work comfortably,” the acting union leader said.

Burke warned the Mia Mottley-led administration that the union cannot allow this state of affairs to continue to the disadvantage of the employees.

“We also have to go back and work on behalf of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) because there are a number of issues that they have to have resolved,” she added.

She noted that the New Year will also see the union fighting on behalf of the locally-based pilots of LIAT Airlines.

“We have just taken on the Barbados-based pilots of LIAT . . . and they, too, have a number of grievances. So we are trying to set up a meeting early in the New Year with the CEO of LIAT to see if we can have these grievances resolved,” Burke told Barbados TODAY.

While declining to provide details of the grievances at this stage, Burke however said that they included the issue where some pilots who have retired and have still not received their pension.

“There are a number of issues and I don't really want to go into them until we receive correspondence from LIAT, but there are a number of issues that seem only to affect the Barbados-based pilots,” she added.

The post Over-burdened! appeared first on Barbados Today.

A National Botanical Garden at Codrington, St Michael, an idea left to lie fallow by two successive administrations, is finally to become a reality, Mia Mottley has said.

She was addressing the official opening  of the children’s play park in Welchman Hall, St Thomas, part of the Maria Holder Memorial Trust’s Eleven Play Parks project, in which the trust either refurbishes or builds a new park in all eleven parishes.

The first park opened at Wotton, Christ Church, the charity’s gift to nation for its 50th year of independence in 2016.

Addressing the audience, which included Minister of Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod, Mottley said it was critical that as her administration tried to stabilize the economy, it also gave equal attention to ensuring a safe and clean environment.

Mottley said she wanted to make sure that children were not “condemned to a past that [does] not suit either their passion or their inclination or capacity”, as she stressed that they stood to be affected most by climate change. “It is why we work hard every day to also make sure that we keep this country clean,” the Prime Minister said.

And as the country continues to grapple with spotty garbage collection, the Prime Minister disclosed that she has been putting pressure on ministers to tackle the issue.

“[Minister] Trevor [Prescod] will tell you that I am now probably accused by my Cabinet of being the chief complainer on Thursday mornings as to where the country needs cleaning up, because until such time as we have cleaned up Barbados, we cannot simply be satisfied by the gains we are making economically,” said Mottley.

“This process of cleaning our country and beautifying our country again has to be the one that engages not just the Government but each and every Barbadian, and we do it not for ourselves alone, but for these young children. We do it to give them an example apart from the protection of their public health,” she said.

During the function, which included entertainment from the children of the Maria Holder Nursery School at Sharon, the Prime Minister and the chairman and co-founder of the trust, Christopher Holder, were presented with portraits from students and teachers.

Expressing her wish to see more of the island’s gullies transformed into attractions for relaxation and enjoyment by both locals and tourists, Mottley indicated that she would be ensuring the development of the National Botanical Gardens at Codrington, the wide open space that lies due east of the National Stadium.

“Whether it is at Welchman Hall or whether it is at Hunte’s Gardens, we need to take more of our gullies and develop them as features, as enjoyment not just for people who visit, but for Barbadians who live here,” she said, adding that cleaning up of the island and development required everyone to play a part.

“It is for this reason that over the course of the last ten days or so I met with all of the landscape architects of Barbados for them to come up with a plan for the execution of the National Botanical Gardens, which must become a reality starting from [next] year,” she said.

“More than a decade ago, the Government sought to acquire the land and did nothing with it, and far from limiting it to the 250 acres where we have, Minister Prescod, we want to cross the road into your constituency as well on the other side of the road at the Belle and to be able to utilize as much as that land.... That entire corridor has now to come alive so that in the same way that people go to huge parks in North America and Europe and enjoy themselves . . . . It is about time that Barbadians be allowed to enjoyed the majesty of the beauty of our country,” said Mottley, who insisted that children should be taught to respect the environment and keep it clean.

In 2012, under the Freundel Stuart administration, then Environment Minister Dr Denis Lowe had promised to expand the fruit orchard, establish a palm and flower garden and woodland, a two-mile jogging track and a rain garden.

There were also plans to plant a variety of at least 50 trees for the island’s 50th anniversary celebrations. While some trees were planted it was not clear how many in total were cultivated.

A cost has not been given for the area’s development.

But the Maria Holder Memorial Trust is willing to assist, said Holder.

“Please engage with us on your horticultural issues, please,” he urged the Prime Minister.

The trust, which has partnered with Government to build several preschools across the nation, also indicated that it intends to open “a few more” schools, starting next year.

The philanthropic organisation has donated some $50 million towards development projects in Barbados “over the last few years”, said Holder.

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The people of Flagstaff Road, St Michael are breathing a sigh of relief now that area road works have picked back up.

When Barbados TODAY visited the project today, workmen were on the job, preparing a section of the road to be paved.

And some residents who recently complained that work was taking too long to be completed now say they feel assured that an effort was being made to provide them with a better road.

[caption id="attachment_285882" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This section of Flagstaff Road is being prepared to be paved.[/caption]

“I real happy to see the work going on now. Before, people were feeling like nothing ain’t going on because there was this long delay,” one man told Barbados TODAY. “It isn’t that residents just complaining because they want to, it is just that the dust getting to some people, and some people can’t get to their homes properly. But, we happy the work getting do, because this road was really bad for years, and everybody know that.”

Yesterday, residents received a letter from the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, dated December 19, stating that the Ministry regrets the length of time taken for the road improvement at Flagstaff to be completed and the inconvenience it has caused.

“Brathwaite Construction who is the contractor assigned to undertake the project, has indicated that paving of the section between Highway 6 and Ifill Road, will be done on December 21.

“The remainder of work on Flagstaff Road will be completed by March 31. The Ministry thanks you for your continued patience and co-operation as we seek to improve the condition of Flagstaff Road,” the letter read.

Resident Juliette Amos who initially complained that the dust from road works was invading her home said she has noticed that workmen were making the effort to push the work.

“I could see them trying. But some people want to know how come only part [of] the road [is] getting done now,” Amos said.

On December 4, in a Barbados TODAY article on the troubled project, Minister of Works, Transport and Maintenance Dr William Duguid apologized to residents of Flagstaff Road, but blamed the delay on the former Democratic Labour Party.

Duguid at the time explained that the work was started under the wrong head of Government’s budget in the annual Estimates which guides Government spending.

The post Dust beginning to settle on Flagstaff works appeared first on Barbados Today.

The issue of overtime payment to Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) workers, which threatened to derail much needed garbage collection this weekend, has been temporarily settled.

This afternoon Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers, (NUPW) Delcia Burke, told Barbados TODAY that following a meeting this afternoon between her union, Minister of Labour Colin Jordan and the SSA board, the decision was taken to pay the workers overtime for the next three weekends. It was also revealed that another meeting would take place on January 3, 2019 to determine the way forward.

“The SSA had said that they were not going to pay any overtime but they have now agreed that for this weekend and the next two weekends over time will be paid at the usual rate,” said Burke, who noted that decision was prompted by the urgency to have the streets cleaned for the Christmas holidays as well as the start of the tourist season.

“We don’t want a situation where tourists come and see garbage on the streets. So we have reached an agreement and the workers are extremely happy,” said Burke.

It was a happy ending to a day, which started out looking as if the issue was coming to a head. Following a meeting with the NUPW this morning SSA workers said they got the sense that were being threatened with retrenchment unless they surrender their current overtime arrangement.

Workers told Barbados TODAY that what was supposed to be an update on the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) plan from NUPW President Akanni McDowall, felt like they were being “bullied” by SSA management into caving on the overtime issue.

“The meeting this morning was suppose to be an update on the measures that Government intends to put in place for the SSA under the BERT programme. But to us that message came across as if we had to give up claims for overtime for Saturday and Sunday and have those days counted as part of the normal work week or face retrenchment,” one irate worker told Barbados TODAY.

McDowell however denied that there was any bullying at the meeting. He said if workers continued to insist on the status quo remaining then they would have to recognize that retrenchment would be a possibility.

“My concern was that if workers fight for overtime the possibility exists that it could be to the detriment of other workers. Therefore I urged workers to consider all possibilities before coming to a decision. As president of the union I am prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that every single SSA worker remains employed,” the union president stressed.

Under the current arrangement a work week spans from Monday to Friday and therefore workers are paid overtime for working on the weekends. The proposal was for the work week to be made up of any  five days out of seven days.

This morning workers complained that it was clear from the messaging that Government “had no respect for SSA workers” as none of the other essential services were being “threatened” in a similar manner.

However McDowall told Barbados TODAY that this was not the spirit of the discussion this morning. The NUPW president said that at the early morning meeting at the NUPW headquarters which was attended by over 100 workers, the SSA staff took the decision not to shift from the status quo.

Meanwhile, Minister of Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod was adamant it was never the intention of the SSA board to threaten workers. In fact, Prescod stressed that he would not preside over an entity where workers were being disadvantaged.

“We discussed a number of policies because the Government’s programme through the BERT plan is geared at reducing some of the expenditure because of the state that we are in. We are cognizant that we have to also take the public’s interest into consideration but I am very pro-worker in my attitude so I am not going to do anything to the detriment of the workers of Barbados,” said Prescod.

He told Barbados TODAY that no positions were cast in stone but instead the SSA was seeking to negotiate with the workers on the best way forward.
colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb

The post SSA workers get interim overtime settlement appeared first on Barbados Today.

Chaos broke out as City Christmas shoppers were sent scampering for their lives in bustling Marhill Street - in the shadow of Parliament and within earshot of the Home Affairs Minister - around 6:35 p.m. on Friday after a round of gunshots rang out in the area.

Those stray bullets found pensioner Oscar Hamblin - shot in the head while drinking a beer and liming with friends during a game of dominoes. A nearby doctor rushed to resuscitate Hamblin but he died on the scene.

[caption id="attachment_285896" align="aligncenter" width="700"] A large crowd gathered at the scene where Oscar Hamblin was shot dead in The City.[/caption]

Hamblin’s is the 28th murder of the year - equalling last year’s death toll, with still another week left in 2018.

A large crowd gathered at the scene as police and ambulance attendants arrrived within minutes to join the doctor in a futile bid to revive the retiree.  Gut-wrenching cries echoed throughout the popular liming spot as Hamblin’s family arrived on the scene.

“Them come and deprive people of a father” sobbed one of Hamblin’s daughters as she saw her slain father’s bloodied body on the street.

Hamblin, nicknamed Nard, a member of the dominoes team of cleaning company RM General Services, was playing a game. Team captain David Alleyne, his friend of 42 years, was a mere five steps away from him when the shooting started.

“ I didn’t know where the shooting come from, how it come; all I hear is pax, pax and everybody [started] to scamper.

They say that ‘young boy down ‘pon the ground, somebody like he down ‘pon the ground and shoot that young boy. I say, ‘shoot that young boy?’ I know them sandals and then I realized it was my friend Nard ‘pon the ground with a gunshot to his head,” said Alleyne.

“When I realized the person on the ground was Nard, my immediate reaction was ‘ . . . you mean young boys gone and kill an old man?’,” he added.

Alleyne told reporters Marhill Street was a hive of activity with Christmas shoppers passing to and fro and no one knew where the shots came from or who was responsible.

He described the 83-year-old as a man who wasn’t involved in mischief. Hamblin, who was a staunch supporter of the Democratic Labour Party enjoyed talking politics and playing dominoes.

“I don’t see no 83-year-old man doing nobody nothing. All he does live to do is talk politics and collect his pension,” he said.

Hamblin’s death drew an emotional response from Alleyne who argued that it was time to bring back the ‘cat’o nines’ whip. He strongly suggested that authorities needed to find a solution to curb the gun-related crimes and deaths in the island.

“The criminals now got bigger guns than the police and then a man shoot you today and then next week he back on the streets and before his time is over he shoot somebody else.

“Everybody sitting up there [in prison] sweet and nice and saying [they’re] young - ‘I would go jail spend 20 years and when I come back I’m still a young man’. They got to do something about it, I’m not saying a life for a life... but you got to make a start to make it cool down. Bring back the cat,” he said.

“It don’t make sense you walking the streets of Barbados at this time of your life and you’re frightened,” Alleyne declared.

Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson was a stone’s throw away in the Parliament Building when the fatal shots were fired. The law enforcement minister described the act of violence amid a throng of Christmas shoppers as “appalling” and “disturbing”.

“The notion that someone could come into Bridgetown at peak hours just before Christmas time, the most merry season and time of year, and shoot someone cannot be accepted. You are putting other people’s lives at risk by doing this. This shows a callous disregard for human life,” Hinkson said.

Hinkson assured that the Government will get to the bottom of the importation of  illegal weapons and pleaded for citizens to put down the guns.

“This must not happen in our country. Lay down the guns! We as a Government have all intentions of getting to the source of the importation of guns in this country whether it is through the main ports of entry, whether it is through our other borders, the sea boundaries of our country. We have all intentions of accepting the challenge of bringing . . . the perpetrators to a Christian understanding. Whether these crimes are gang-related, whether they are drug-related . . . we have to have a halt to it,” he said.

“We appeal to all Barbadians to cease and settle and to lay down the guns, to lay down the weapons. We call on all Barbados to have zero tolerance for this kind of action. It can’t be excusable because it maybe your close relative who is involved in this criminal activity. You have to cooperate with the police . . . in bringing resolution to this sad situation,” Hinkson urged.

Police Superintendent for the Bridgetown Division, Margaret Stephen, told the media that the investigation was at a “critical” stage and asked the public’s assistance in solving the case. An appeal was made to citizens with any information on the shooting to contact the police hotline 429-8787 or the Criminal Investigations Department at
430-7190/430-7189.
katrinaking@barbadostoday.bb

The post Death in The City appeared first on Barbados Today.

Police were on the scene of a road fatality in St Philip in the wee hours of this morning.

The body of an unidentified elderly man was discovered lying on the pedestrian crossing at Ruby Junction around midnight, police said.

More details as they come to hand...

The post Elderly man is latest road fatality appeared first on Barbados Today.

Police have identified the man killed in a collision in St Philip in the wee hours of this morning.

He is Frederick Jules of Sandford, St Philip.

The body was discovered lying on the pedestrian crossing at Ruby Junction around midnight, police said.

Investigations are ongoing.

The post UPDATE: Elderly man is latest road fatality appeared first on Barbados Today.

Police are investigating the death of a woman in St Michael.

Nicole Hinds, 59, of Oldbury, St Philip, collapsed and died at the Esso Service Station at Tweedside Road, police said.

The incident happened just after noon on Saturday.

Investigation are continuing.

The post Woman collapses, dies at Tweedside Road appeared first on Barbados Today.

Nine-year-old Ashcher Bynoe-Chewitt is the winner of the 2018 Hilton Barbados Resort’s Christmas Card Drawing Competition, which took place recently.

The Bay Primary School student took the top position from among 11 other students, winning himself a trophy, a day pass for a family of four, including lunch at the resort, and the use by Hilton Barbados Resort of his winning piece as the cover of the resort’s Christmas card for 2018.

Second place in the competition titled Preserving Our World this Christmas went to Mark Holder and third to Cashkiey Mars, both also of Bay Primary.

Hilton Barbados Resort’s Senior Sales Manager, Teresa Nicholls explained that the event was the climax to the brand’s annual Global Week of Sales. The theme for the week was Travel with a Purpose, which comprised various activities focused on the company’s corporate social responsibility, community involvement and environmental preservation efforts.

At the Hilton Barbados Resort, the Sales and Marketing Team ended the week with the Christmas Card Drawing competition for students of the Bay Primary School and the Albert Cecil Graham Development Centre, formerly The Children’s Development Centre focusing on preserving our world.

Nicholls said, “It was an absolute delight for us to host this event for the students and to observe the unique style and creativity each brought to the competition, which was judged by Dawn Lisa Callender-Smith and two of our guests, Janie and Mike Prior. In addition to the competition, they also participated in a sing-along session, played games, interacted with members of our team and were treated to lunch in our Lighthouse Restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed every moment.”

She added that as Hilton Worldwide prepares for its centennial anniversary, the company is taking a bold step by launching its 2030 Travel with Purpose Goals, committing to doubling its investment in social impact and cutting our environmental footprint in half through responsible hospitality across our value chain.

“We believe the success of our business is directly linked to the success of our communities – from the local owners who build our hotels, to the local talent who operate them, to the local businesses we support through the products we source and the guests we serve,” Nicholls said.

Teacher at Bay Primary, Nicola Jones, described it as a wonderful experience. She said: “We cannot measure the positive impact this type of activity has on our students. Art is not the subject that gets a lot of attention, but it really does help with the development of our students.

“They totally enjoyed the opportunity to get their creative juices flowing and we say thanks to Hilton Barbados for providing this opportunity. A special thanks also to Hilton’s Julian Boyce, who took time out to interact with the boys, which was one of the highlights for us.”

Amelia Samuel, Teacher in Charge of the Educational Unit of the Albert Cecil Graham Development Centre, also termed the event an ideal one for her students, saying, “I believe it is very important for them to be involved in a day like this because it harnesses their skills, allows them to have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and imagination, and also assists with developing their social skills.

“This is the type of activity we would love to see more of for our students, where they are invited not only to attend as spectators, but to participate as well. This was a great day out for them, which they really enjoyed and we thank Hilton Barbados for organizing this contest and allowing us the opportunity to participate.”

The post Boy, 9, wins Hilton Barbados Resort’s Christmas Card Drawing Competition appeared first on Barbados Today.

Local Pan-Africanists are calling for Government to strengthen ties with the African continent through the creation of a direct flight.

Public relations officer of the Pan African Coalition of Organizations, John Tifase Howell, was speaking this morning at a press launch for the celebration of Kwanzaa when he revealed that members of the Pan African Coalition believe that economic and social ties need to be fostered between the Caribbean and Africa.

“Africa is the richest continent in the world, you cannot have a major economic system unless you deal with the continent of Africa because the resources are there  . . . We in the Caribbean are neglecting our legacy that we have with the continent of Africa and therefore we need to have this direct flight so we do trade and have cultural exchanges,” suggested Howell.

He said celebrations such as Kwanzaa, which commences on December 26, could only be continued if citizens, especially the youth, explore their African roots and heritage.

“It is the youth who have to continue the programme. It is about building communities and ultimately building the nation,” Howell said.

The Kwanzaa celebrations will kick off with cultural activities at Pelican Village.

Members from the Israel Lovell Foundation Pan African Coalition of Organizations, Caribbean Movement of Peace and Integration and the Haynesville Community Group are spearheading the programme.

The week will conclude  on January 1 with a parade dedicated  to the Haitian Independence and the 1959 Cuban Revolution in Haynesville St James.

David Denny, general secretary for the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration explained that the virtues of Kwanzaa were unity, creativity, faith and philanthropy. He pointed that the festival sought to encourage people to learn about themselves.

“It is a festival to help our entire family to better understand themselves, to look at the seven principles of Kwanzaa and to reflect on what they would happened during the year so it would help them to move forward in a more positive way,” Denny commented.

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A family of four will be looking for a place to sleep this Christmas after their home was destroyed home by fire.

Susan Lovell, of Halls Road, St Michael, was finishing her grocery shopping when she got a call that her timber and concrete home for past five years was in flames.

The mother of three first question was “where are my children?” Lovell’s three daughters were home sleeping when the eldest 18-year-old Rashida Brewster realized the house was on fire and jumped through the window with her two siblings five-year-old Naomi Charles and two-year-old Niara Charles.

When Barbados TODAY visited the scene, Lovell was in shock and reeling from the reality that all was lost.

“My head is not together so I’m just trying to grasp myself,” she said.

Lovell said her eldest, who is a Type 2 diabetic, was traumatized by the event and in shock that she could have been burnt to death. The mother of three said she's extremely thankful that her family escaped unscathed.

Two houses owned by Yvonne Clarke and Marilyn Payne received extensive damages as well.

Clarke described the experience as “nerve wrecking” and “frightening”. The 75-year-old was in her living room when she smelled the smoke and heard the cracking of the wood burning. Two of her bedrooms received significant damages.

Clarke’s daughter, Susan Alleyne told Barbados TODAY that she was thankful the fire happened during the day when the road was accessible and fire officials were able to successfully tend to the blaze.

“It was daytime, everybody was able to help. Nobody was sleeping. This gap is really tight, almost everybody owns a car and some houses more than one so if it was night everybody would have been asleep and no fire truck could have gotten up in here and it would have been horrible,” said Alleyne

“How many times do you find a neighborhood where all the houses are in such close proximity and only one house burns? You talk about Christmas magic, this must have been Christmas magic,” she added.

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Don’t dictate to us.

That's the message from the Barbados Council for the Disabled to government and all other decision-makers in society as that organisation ends the year with an appeal for more efforts at inclusiveness to accommodate in the mainstream of life on this island.

Delivering brief remarks at the BCD’s annual dinner and awards ceremony, President, Maria Holder-Small said “we have seen strides made towards a more inclusive society which embraces  people with disabilities, but sadly not enough or in many cases nothing has been done to address critical areas that continue to impede the inclusion and independence of persons with disabilities”.

Addressing a packed ballroom at Mahogany Ridge, she said there is still a lot more to be done, and “we must not let persons dictate and tell us what we are able to do but rather show them what we can do”.

“Persons with disabilities are important and should be treated in the same manner you would like to be treated,” she added.

This year the Council recognised its outstanding members for their work, and honoured organisations and individuals for sterling contributions in meeting various needs of the disabled on the island.

In thanking the contributors for their efforts at enabling Council members, Holder-Small said that despite the good work, “an inclusive Barbados seems at times to elude us”.

The BCD president made clear that all of Barbados will hear a lot more from members of this organisation in their quest for more inclusiveness in society as they, “continue to advocate as much as we can on behalf of persons with disabilities and will seek to foster new partnerships which will assist the Council in reaching new heights to break down even more barriers”.

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Financial services giant Sagicor Financial Corporation is reassuring Barbadians and other residents throughout the region and the United States that the company remains committed and its recently proposed deal with Canadian-based Alignvest will not impact on its operations.

This assurance comes a month after the company announced that it had agreed to sell its shares, valued at US$536 million, to the special purpose acquisition firm Alignvest Acquisition II Corporation.

Once this deal is approved, Sagicor will delist from the stock exchanges of Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and London and list on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

In what seems to be a move to quell concerns, Sagicor said in a news release that it remained committed to creating value for is customers and shareholders.

“While this (transaction) is an important step for Sagicor, it has no impact on any of our operations either in the Caribbean or the United States. Your local executive team will continue to lead the company and your Sagicor policies, contracts, customer service representatives and financial advisors will remain unchanged,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of Sagicor Financial Corporation Ltd Dodridge Miller.

“This transaction will make our already strong competitive position even stronger, as we continue to focus on our objective of being the ‘insurer of choice’ in the regions where we operate. Sagicor remains fully committed to the region and having been your financial partner for over 175 years, we are looking forward to continuing this journey with you,” he added.

His comments comes two days after a breakfast meeting, which was initially set up for officials of Sagicor and Alignvest to meet with members of the media, did not materialize and instead turned into a press conference about Sagicor’s performance and plans for the Barbados economy.

In the news release Miller said the proposed arrangement between Sagicor and Alignvest would give Sagicor the ability to explore new opportunities and solutions, which would allow the company to provide even greater value to its customers.

“We have already begun to demonstrate this ability, through our recently announced, exclusive partnership with Bank of Nova Scotia, which will allow Scotia’s customers in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago to access an enhanced suite of Sagicor products,” said Miller.

We appreciate that these announcements and transactions are often complex, and we are committed to providing as much information as possible to inform you of the merits of our decision. Further to the information available on our website, and subject to judicial approval under the Laws of Bermuda, we currently plan to provide Sagicor shareholders with an Explanatory Statement, in the course of February and we anticipate that a shareholders meeting will be convened by the end of March. Subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close by the second quarter (Q2) of 2019,” he added.

He urged shareholders and customers to share their feedback and queries at SFC_GroupCommunications@Sagicor.com. (PR/MM)

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Despite taking several hits over the years, including a fall off in sales due to economic conditions and the introduction of similar type retail shops, Chairman and Managing Director of Shopsmart Wallace Griffith said he remained committed to Barbados.

Shopsmart started out as the first membership only warehouse type shopping on the island 18 years ago with its headquarters in Holders Hill, St James.

Another location was introduced in 2003 in Fairchild Street, The City, and was subsequently relocated to Cheapside, also in the capital.

Speaking to reporters following a tour of the Cheapside location by Minister of Entrepreneurship and Commerce Dwight Sutherland and other ministry officials, Griffith promised to do what he could to keep commodity prices down in light of the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme.

“I think that the entire retail trade has been impacted the last few months as the country has undergone its challenges and I think that we all have to work together to ensure that we can keep the cost of living down so that all those persons who are already disadvantaged by being laid off, we don’t want to make life harder for them. We all have to play our part and we are certainly trying to do our best to source new products and to try to keep the average prices down. That is our aim,” explained Griffith.

Close to four years ago Shopsmart changed its model, allowing non-members to shop with a small upcharge on items, while members continued to benefit from a discount. Over the years the company also added six express locations across the country.

Griffith said the opening of those locations was a strategic move, in order to allow people in those locations to have access to various items they otherwise would have to travel for.

He said considering the current economic conditions, he had no immediate plans for further expansion.

“I think as the country goes through this difficult period, we certainly will be holding strain and trying to maintain our position, and certainly try to keep all of our employees occupied,” he said.

Shopsmart currently employs some 130 people.

Approximately seven years ago Barbados welcomed the membership warehouse club retailer PriceSmart, and in 2013 the country welcomed the presence of North-American-based retailer Cost-U-Less.

Griffith said since the introduction of similar stores his company has taken a hit.

“We have the same number of consumers that we had a year ago. So obviously the introduction of any new player in the market will have some effect on your numbers because we are all drawing from the same pool,” he said.

“So certainly, we would have been affected over the years by the introduction of new companies. But at the end of the day we are Barbadians and we live here, and we are not going anywhere, and what we do is in the interest of our country and our employees, families and friends and our focus remains on that,” assured Griffith.

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Four people, including two elderly women and two children, were injured in accident this morning.

Police said the accident occurred around 8 a.m. along Stepney Road near Watts Village, St George.

One vehicle was being driven by Merlene Chase, 69, of Durrants, Christ Church, while the other was being driven by Lois Harvey-Reid, 77, of Frederick Pilgrim, Christ Church.

Harvey-Reid was the lone occupant of the car she was driving, while Chase had two minor children with her.

Two fire tenders and five fire officers attended the scene, using the 'jaws of life' to rescue the injured.

All four complained of injuries to various parts of their bodies and were transported to the QEH by ambulance.

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“Proceed at your own risk.” This word of caution to Hyatt developer, Mark Maloney, comes from social activist and Ambassador to CARICOM David Commissiong, who is warning that any plans to construct the 15-storey hotel could very well result in major losses.

Following the reports surfacing this last week that construction could begin in 2019; Comissiong told Barbados TODAY this morning that he has no intention of backing off from his legal challenge to the planning permission for the US $100-million project, which was filed in 2017.

The attorney-at-law explained that while there was nothing legally preventing the hotel from being built as permission was granted by then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, the pending court ruling on whether that permission was lawful, could result in the forced abandonment of the project midway.

“If the developer starts building then most definitely I will approach the courts to have the matter brought forward because obviously I will not sit back and allow the developer to complete the construction without the case being concluded,” Comissiong stressed.

Back in March 2017, Comissiong filed for a Judicial Review of the permissions granted by Stuart to Maloney for the construction of the hotel based on a perceived failure by Maloney to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) at the construction site.

Stuart responded by filing a counter-claim, questioning whether Comissiong, as an ordinary citizen had the right to bring a judicial review application against the government. In December, Justice Sonia Richards ruled that Comissiong did in fact have the right to challenge Stuart’s decision, a decision that was immediately appealed by Stuart’s legal team.

Following the ousting of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration in May this year, Comissiong revealed that if the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Government wanted to see the end of this case they would need to discontinue the appeal against ruling and concede that PM Stuart went against the rule of law by granting permission to Maloney.

This morning Comissiong revealed that to date Government has not acceded to his demands and therefore the legal challenge is still hanging over the project.

“Mr Maloney has always had the power to commence the construction. I have questioned that grant of permission and I have questioned its legitimacy and I have asked the court to determine if the application was properly processed and if not that permission should be squashed. In the meantime the permission exist and Mr Maloney has the power to start construction.

“However if it subsequently turns out that the grant of permission was not properly processed then Mr Maloney could very well end up losing monies expended to that point,” said Comissiong, noting that he is not backing down from his original call for the EIA and for town hall meetings to be held before building permission is granted.

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