Lessons learnt from the breakdown of law of order and the outbreak of chaos in Dominica have led to changes to how the Royal Barbados Police Force will respond should disaster strike here, according to Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith.

[caption id="attachment_299428" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith[/caption]

The three months of assistance rendered by the Royal Barbados Police Force to Dominica after Hurricane Maria struck two years ago, are proving useful as the force prepares for next month’s start of hurricane season, Griffith said. 

The police chief said the force has gained valuable insight into what it takes to maintain law and order in the aftermath of a major hurricane and has therefore strengthened its response protocols to suit.

“We saw in the aftermath people breaking into a lot of buildings and doing a lot of looting. So, it was quite clear that coming out of that, although our plans speak to it already, we have beefed up our protocols as it relates to looting.

[caption id="attachment_299427" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The team who volunteered their services in Dominica in the aftermath of hurricane Maria received medals from the Regional Security Systems.[/caption]

“So, for example, from the time the all clear is given, there are teams that will be out in their numbers looking after looting in the areas that are more prone for this type of activity.

“We recognise from the experience in Dominica that it is critical that we have these types of things in place.

“We have to also prepare for scenarios such as the prison being damaged and prisoners escaping. That is something that happened in Dominica as well.

“So, we have to make sure that we have contingencies for all these things. As a result of that experience we were able adjust areas that we had not necessarily considered when it comes to our plans in Barbados.”

The Police Commissioner made the comments as the Regional Security System (RSS) awarded medals to 14 police officers, who provided outstanding service in Dominica in the months immediately after the category four hurricane had struck.

At a ceremony held this morning at Police Headquarters in Roebuck Street, the group, led by Assistant Superintendent Christine Stanford (an inspector at the time), gave of their service under harsh living conditions and tremendous personal sacrifice.

But in an interview with Barbados TODAY, Griffith said that aside from the joy of being their brothers’ keeper, additional, dependable, battle-hardened officers with experience in disaster response, was a valuable spinoff benefit. 

The Commissioner said: “The actual experience means a lot more to that group than the simulation exercises that the average officer has.

“So obviously, in the aftermath of a hurricane in Barbados, one would want to use this team upfront to lay the ground work for a response.

“They would also be able to better co-ordinate with teams coming from outside to help, having had the experience.” 

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Tears and tributes have been flowing for iconic doyen of journalism and Editor Emeritus of the Nation Newspapers, Harold Hoyte, whose final chapter in a storied life that mirrored the rise of a youthful independent nation ended on Sunday at age 77.

Hoyte's death Sunday morning, after a profound illness linked to a brain aneurysm a year earlier, catapulted the media fraternity at home and abroad into grief over the loss of a "colossus" in Barbadian and Caribbean journalism, society and democracy.

Journalists and prominent individuals rush to memorialise the man many have described as a first-class journalist who made a significant contribution to the growth and development of journalism in Barbados and the region.

Former Nation Executive Editor, Roxanne Brancker, told Barbados TODAY: "It still seems surreal. A world without Harold Hoyte. Years ago, such a notion was unthinkable! Although we both left the Nation some years ago, the memories of those “good old” days continue to be fresh.

“I keep hearing his voice, his laughter and his footsteps running up the corridor, that was when he had a bright idea or heard something juicy that would give us a scoop."

As she recounted precious memories of the many years she worked with Hoyte, Brancker described him as impulsive, fearless, creative, full of energy, fair and witty, with “generosity” as his middle name.

Whatever Hoyte touched “turned into gold” because of his vision, bright ideas, vivid imagination and passion for whatever he was working on, especially at election time, she said.

She added that Nation staff both present and past will remember him as the boss who insisted that they call him "Harold".

Brancker told Barbados TODAY: "He was not one for "airs and graces". He was as down to earth as they come - and they will remember him as the boss who cared for them, professionally and personally. Have a personal problem? Talk to Harold. He will advise. Have a financial problem? Talk to Harold. He will help!

“I need not go into his qualities as a newspaperman they have been flowing since the news of his death - but integrity, fairness, balance, professionalism and good judgement come easily to mind."

Brancker, who managed the Nation’s editorial department for many of the 31 years she spent there, thanked Hoyte for the opportunities he gave to her, the lessons he taught, and his support over the years.

Quoting Irene Sandiford Garner and other past Nation staffers who have paid tribute to him online, Brancker said he was the “best boss we ever had”.

Brancker said: “The Harold Hoyte era is over, but the memories will live on - the good ones and the bad. On behalf of my family - husband Rawle, my son, Sundiata (Harold's Godson) and my daughter, Zina, I offer condolences to the entire Hoyte Family, especially his wife Noreen, who kept us abreast at all times. The curtain has come down for Harold, but his soul will rise in glory."

Hoyte, who has a long distinguished career in journalism, started his profession as a copywriter at the Barbados Advocate in 1959. He later moved to Canada where he worked for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Telegram and editor of the Contrast. On his return to Barbados, Hoyte along with several other colleagues founded the Nation Newspaper in 1973 where he served as Editor-in-Chief for three decades.

Chairman of Capital Media HD 99.3, Vic Fernandes, described Hoyte as a special media practitioner, manager and visionary who made the brave step to challenge existing media houses to start The Nation, particularly when evidence showed that pervious attempts had failed.

Fernandes said it took a lot of courage and determination to be able to build an organisation that would ultimately become the biggest media organisation in Barbados, and then subsequently merge with the biggest in Trinidad to create the Caribbean’s largest media organisation.

Fernandes said: “I remember working with Harold not directly, but indirectly and sitting on the board of Nation Corporation with him. He was always very helpful to me when I was over at River Road. He helped me to come up with the name for the first FM Station that I created over there, and that became YESS FM.

“He was the one who said to me you want something positive. Subsequently, I remember sitting on the Board of Nation Corporation when we were merging with CCM, and it was Harold Hoyte who came up with the name OCM [One Caribbean Media] and everybody in the room went like, yeah, that’s it."

Fernandes also indicated that Hoyte wrote “beautifully”, and around election time, it was mandatory reading to follow his articles as he moved around the political scene.

He told Barbados TODAY: "I had the privilege of chairing the election night broadcast over Starcom Network and he would be part of the panel. And when you had the panel that consisted of him and Peter Wickham, you really didn’t need anybody else. He was fearless, that is one of the things I admired about him as a journalist.

“In a small community, people say a lot of things that they expect to media people. But to be fearless in a media environment where a society is small is really a challenging thing. Harold Hoyte did not fear anyone.

“No Prime Minister, no minister could intimidate him, he was absolutely fearless. He was also absolutely fair and unbiased. But he was also a wonderful person to be around, because his sense of humour was amazing. I could hear his laughter now peeling through a room.

“I never thought when I saw him... just before Christmas two years ago, when he was preparing for that fateful trip, that that would be the last time that I would see him. Harold Hoyte was truly an outstanding Caribbean man. He had a vision not for Barbados, but for our region. He will be sorely missed and his place is one that can never be replaced."

Chief Executive Officer of The Nation Group, Anthony Shaw described Hoyte as the emotional and intellectual vision of the Nation Newspaper.

Shaw said: "As the ultimate journalist Harold was unbiased and always committed to holding all accountable. Even though retired, Harold willingly offered his guidance to all across the Nation Group. Rest in Peace, Harold. You will be remembered as a builder of the country and to the Nation Group."

In recognition of his outstanding career, the Government rewarded Hoyte with the Gold Crown of Merit in 2003 and in 2005 he was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of the West Indies.

On May 2, the building which houses the Nation Publishing Company Limited was renamed the Harold Hotye and Fred Gollop Media Complex.

A statement from the RJRGLEANER Communications Group described Hoyte as a first class journalist, an excellent media manager, a patriotic Barbadian, who was also a true regionalist.

The statement also noted that Hoyte demonstrated his support for democracy through his commitment to a free press and his support to journalism development through training and uplifting media workers.

The statement said: "His friendship with the Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper and Radio Jamaica was strong through relationship with the Hon. Olliver Clarke and the late J. A. Lester Spaulding of those two respective media organisations.

“His support for the establishment of the Caribbean School of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), at the University of the West Indies, Mona has been hailed for many years.

“We are all-better off for Harold, and will honour him with unbridled support for the things he stood for in our industry. We share our loyal support to his family at this time of personal loss."

Hoyte is survived by widow Noreen, son Robert and daughter Tracy. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The compulsory acquisition of land on Bay Street for the construction of a new and improved Hyatt Centric Hotel has hit another snag.

Barbados TODAY understands there is disagreement between government and at least one landowner over the value of the real estate and the necessary price for acquisition to occur.

Attorney General, Dale Marshall disclosed that at the center of the disagreement is the land owned by businesswoman, Asha Ms Ram Mirchandani on the spot which currently houses the Liquidation Center.

[caption id="attachment_299456" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Attorney General Dale Marshall and Asha ‘Ms Ram’ Mirchandani[/caption]

“The owners have told the Government of Barbados that they have no difficulty acquiring the property, but they want a certain amount of money and the valuations we have don’t support that. So it is a process that we’re going through, but at this point I don’t know if there’s any sense elevating it beyond what it is,” said Marshall.

“Every time the government seeks to acquire property, it exercises its right of eminent domain and an owner would have his right to a view as to whether it is worth X or Y and as far as I am concerned that is the only issue between the Government of Barbados and the owners of the property.”

While Ms Ram refused to comment on the disagreement, she directed Barbados TODAY to her son, Rabi Mirchandani, a director of the family business. He indicated that after contracting a “reputable” real estate company to provide a valuation of the property and providing a copy to the government, the company was yet to receive a response.

During a March 13 sitting of Parliament, Prime Minister Mia Mottley revealed that Government was against the previous plan of having the Hyatt built on two spots in Bridgetown. She said it would now be constructed on three lots after Government’s compulsory acquisition of land, which includes the nearby Mirchandani-owned property.

At the time, she expressed hope that “we can reach an amicable agreement on the quantum of price”.

In his response however, Mirchandani said: “The Government of Barbados expressed an interest to purchase our land on Bay Street on which the Liquidation Center operates. We were informed the purpose of purchase is to facilitate the Hyatt project, which we recently became aware, is to increase from 189 rooms and 19 residences to 350 rooms.”

“Conversations led to negotiations where each party was to provide a current market valuation of the land using the land acquisition rules,” said Mirchandani in a statement.

The acquisition process still requires parliamentary approval, after which “it shall be lawful for the Governor General…to declare the land to have been acquired…” according to section 5 of the Land Acquisition Act, Cap. 228.

By that time however, the Mirchandani family is hoping to have the matter settled on good terms.

“We have been operating the business, the Liquidation Center since 1993 and quite a number of employees and customers who have supported us over 25 years all depend on us as we do on them. The cost for relocation of our business was calculated by a reputable real estate company and while we recognize the keen interest of the government to see the Hyatt hotel become a reality, we too would like the opportunity to continue our family business even if it is at an alternate location,” said Rabi.

The project, which was first announced in October 2014 by then Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy under a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration has been fraught with controversy. Ms Ram at the time placed her full support behind the project, indicating in February 2017 that she intended to take full advantage of the development.

The following month, social activist David Comissiong filed an injunction for a judicial review of the permissions granted by then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to Hyatt developer Mark Maloney for construction of the hotel. This was based on a perceived failure by Maloney to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) at the construction site. At the time, he also questioned the impact the proposed 15-storey hotel would have on the area, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Following a change of government, Comissiong, now Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM expressed his willingness to withdraw the legal challenge if Government agreed to his key demands.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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Government’s Transportation Augmentation Programme (TAP) is finally beginning to gain some traction.

And at least three more vehicles will soon be added to its fleet, following a decision by two former Transport Board workers to use their severance to purchase minibuses for the programme. A third employee will join them when his severance is finalised at the end of May.

Chairman of the Transport Authority Ian Estwick this afternoon disclosed that as of last Friday 28 public service vehicles (PSVs) had signed up to TAP, while close to another 50 applications were being processed.

“As of Friday May 10 we were at 28 active and we had 42 pending. Those 42 that are pending are at various stages of the process and we had another three today, so I think it’s moving along nicely,” Estwick said during a press briefing at the authority’s Constitution River Terminal.

[caption id="attachment_299460" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid (left) congratulates Adrian Gibbs, Fabian Thorne and Ryan Daniel who will be joining the Government’s Transporation Augmentation Programme.[/caption]

At that briefing, Adrian Gibbs, Fabian Thorne and Ryan Daniel who have spent a combined 59 years at the state-owned Transport Board were lauded by Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid for their decision to enter TAP.

The 52-year-old Gibbs and 49-year-old Daniel both accepted voluntary separation packages in the last phase of layoffs at the Transport Board in March, while Thorne, 44, has accepted a package in the upcoming wave of retrenchments set to take place this month.

“Essentially what they are doing is that all three are joining onto the TAP and the benefit is that the severance that they are accessing by virtue of having worked some 20 years at the Transport Board, they’re leveraging that severance to be able to purchase a vehicle and put that vehicle into TAP,” Dr Duguid said.

“So this is the perfect model of empowering our people who were drivers at the Transport Board for years and encouraging them to become entrepreneurs, to use and leverage not only the opportunity from the severance but also their experience and knowledge from working in the Transport Board to now come and offer their services. I want to use these three men as a model…”

Duguid said the three men would be given the opportunity to purchase duty-free vehicles.

Both Thorne and Daniel described their decision as “a dream come true”.

The three men said they would be encouraging other workers at the Transport Board to follow in their footsteps.

Gibbs, who worked as a driver for 20 years, told members of the media he had confidence in the programme.

“As a young man I still have to work. If I took the severance and don’t work it would go along and I would have nothing, so the reality is that you have to be focused as to what you do with the money.

“I have confidence in the TAP programme,” Gibbs said.

With the severance payment expected this week, Daniel said he was looking to purchase a vehicle as soon as the funds were received.

He admitted he had been working towards this goal.

“I had been working towards this for a good little while and I was only too happy to hear that the minister was ready to meet with us and I wasted no time in getting here,” Daniel said.

Thorne will be leaving his post as acting supervisor at monthend for what he described as  a viable business venture.

“I think this is an excellent opportunity for me personally and for anyone to take their severance package and leave the Transport Board to start their own business.

“It’s an excellent business opportunity and I will encourage my comrades back at work to take the opportunity right now to use the severance and come onboard with the TAP programme,” Thorne said.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has advised that all public schools will be closed at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 15.

This is to facilitate a meeting called by the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) to discuss the issue of violence in schools.

This meeting precedes a wider dialogue on the state of education with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Minister of Education, Santia Bradshaw, as well as other senior government and union officials on Saturday, May 18.

Persons are asked to note that tomorrow’s early closure of public schools will not affect Caribbean Examinations Council’s CSEC and CAPE exams, which will proceed as scheduled.

Additionally, teachers marking Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination papers are expected to continue with the marking process. And, all primary school football tournaments will continue as scheduled. (BGIS)

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Alarming reports of armed students, violence against teachers and a general air of lawlessness in some secondary schools have prompted at least one trade union to intensify its action.

President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), Mary-anne Redman has called on its more than 600-strong membership and teachers across the country to take a stand in the interest of their safety.

Redman’s rallying cry was made in an interview with Barbados TODAY ahead of Wednesday’s “mass meeting” scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Barbados Workers’ Union’s Solidarity House headquarters. The meeting is intended to address and provide solutions to the worrying trend of violence, which is reaching “disturbing proportions”.

A memo addressed to the union’s general membership indicated that the BSTU’s officers have devised a protocol to guide teachers who feel “threatened or attacked in any way”.

“As members of the BSTU, we must be proactive in safeguarding ourselves and those over whom we have duty of care,” said the release signed by the union’s PRO, Carseen Greenidge, President, Redman and General Secretary, Dawn Grosvenor.

Revealing that over five incidents of violence towards teachers had been recorded for the year, Ms. Redman indicated that the union was forced to respond. One of the recent incidents, which reached the Magistrates’ court, involved a 14-year-old third form boy who attacked a teacher over a cell phone battery. He was remanded to the Government Industrial School after receiving a tongue-lashing from Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch.

“We decided as a union that we had to speak to our members in this regard. The protocol will give teachers insight on what they should do when certain things happen and so on,” said Redman, who added that teachers are very enthusiastic about the meeting.

“Many of them feel very threatened in the school environment. We heard of another incident today. A shop steward from another school called me just today to inform me about another incident. It is very scary, so people are looking forward to being able to voice their concerns.

“But the meeting is not only to voice concerns. We are interested in coming up with possible recommendations to make at the level of the ministry and the schools. If we get our collective heads together, we can see how best we can untangle this problem, which requires short, medium and long-term action,” she added.

The union’s stance has garnered support from the Ministry of Education, Technology and Vocational Training. In a statement released this afternoon, the ministry confirmed that all schools would be closed at 1 p.m. to facilitate the exercise. In addition, Minister of Education, Santia Bradshaw has announced that she will be arriving later this week to address numerous pressing issues relating to education.

Under the previous Democratic Labour Party (DLP) government, teachers were often discouraged from holding such meetings during school hours and on some occasions had their salaries docked for taking such action.

Minister of Education, Santia Bradshaw however revealed that she was in discussion with the Prime Minister over a number of “lingering issues” relating to education and welcomed the union’s initiative.

“They would have indicated to us that they wanted to meet with their membership. This is a serious issue that is affecting teachers and affecting society and I would not want to take the approach taken in the past in terms of trying to obstruct the unions from meeting on issues like this,” she said, while giving some insight on her meeting with PM Mottley.

“I believe that if we leave them unaddressed, it will be catastrophic for the educational system and amongst those are the issues relating to the schools’ plants and the violence in schools, whether that is student-on-student violence, student-on-teacher violence and even teacher-on-student violence.

“I believe the Prime Minister, as chair of the Cabinet and Minister of Finance understands the serious nature of these issues and we wanted to discuss education generally, so she has set aside the time on Saturday for ministry officials, representatives of the unions and the principals of both primary and secondary schools to be able to join us to discuss a meaningful way forward as it relates to a number of issues facing the education system,” said Bradshaw.

Tomorrow’s early closure of public schools will not affect Caribbean Examinations Council CSEC and CAPE exams, which will proceed as scheduled.

The ministry’s press release however indicated that teachers are expected to continue with the marking of Barbados Secondary Entrance Examination papers and gave the assurance that all primary school football tournaments will continue as scheduled.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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A leading figure in Jamaica’s cannabis industry has warned authorities here and elsewhere in the Caribbean they could lose out on lucrative opportunities while they mull over whether to get involved.

Founder and Event Director of CanEx Jamaica, Douglas Gordon, said tremendous opportunities are just waiting to be harvested but won’t be around forever.

[caption id="attachment_299509" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Founder and Event Director of CanEx Jamaica Douglas Gordon[/caption]

Gordon, who was addressing a cannabis investment summit, “Capital Meets Cannabis” at the Courtyard by Marriot hotel on Tuesday, said Barbados and the rest of the region had the chance to become a primary source for products from cannabis.

He said: “We can make our own original products and solutions. We can grow from the ground up and command premium prices instead of just being second-tier operators in the global space reselling other people’s IP (intellectual property). That is what we have to grasp hold of. That is really and truly where our opportunity is.

“We need to move, we need to understand what this opportunity is and grab it by the reins and don’t let go because this is not something we can afford [to lose out on]. We have very small populations... but I know the opportunity is here in front of us.”

Canex Jamaica, a conference and events company, is a subsidiary of Zimmer and Company, a health and wellness distribution firm which focuses on hemp-based products.

Warning that the Caribbean should not “sit here and languish” in the next five to seven years over missed opportunities, Gordon said now was the time to put systems in place and get involved in the cannabis industry.

For several months, Government has been indicating its desire to develop a medical cannabis industry, while cautioning that any move towards legalising marijuana for recreational use would have to come through a referendum.

Gordon declared: “This is an opportunity to help our regions to have better economies, better health, better education, better lives for the next set of generation of people and we need to grab hold of it as best as we possibly can.”

But he warned authorities and potential investors not to get caught up in the economic benefits, pointing out that while there was tremendous revenue to be gained from the industry there would be some challenges.

He cautioned: “Below the surface that we don’t talk about is all the work and pitfalls and different stresses that come along with the industry and if you don’t have the conviction of why you are doing this, it is very easy to get disillusioned and distracted or just completely abandoned the process.”

Barbados did not have to get involved in marijuana cultivation, he suggested, but consider other areas such as branding, selling finished products, distribution, extraction and offering related services.

Pointing out that the country was heavily dependent on tourism, he said areas such as medical, health and wellness and palliative care could also reap benefits for the country and its citizens.

He warned Barbados not to make the mistake of under-educating the population on cannabis.

“Some of the other jurisdictions have not done an effective job of outlining some of the economic benefits to the population,” he said.

The cannabis industry executive said there was still a need overcome the stigma associated with marijuana in the region, the development of export mechanisms, faster implementation of processes and measures to fully comply with international banking laws.

“I encourage you today to take full advantage. Too much of the cannabis industry is lost time because we speculate,” Gordon said, while pointing out that Jamaica was “a good model” for Barbados and other markets still waiting to get invovled.

During the panel discussions, officials also warned of the need to be wary of self-proclaimed experts on ganja as some who will pop up just as they learn of efforts to develop the cannabis industry here.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey is warning ship operators that Barbados will not tolerate any littering within its marine space.

Humphrey was addressing the christening ceremony of the Tropical Island vessel at the Bridgetown Port on Tuesday. The Tropical Island is one of several vessels operated by Tropical Shipping.

“I understand the port has recently shaped for itself a new vision that speaks to innovation, it speaks to becoming a green place to do business and it speaks to being the best by the year 2030. That is where we intend to take ourselves,” said Humphrey.

However, he said: “I also feel that in the context of that there is a responsibility now being placed on the people with whom we do business.”

“I have read and I have seen in circumstances where countries allow ships to operate in their territorial waters . . . and some ships engage in behaviours in the water that they should not in relation to pollution, some in relation to dumping. Some are still having to be dragged before courts and be fined. That is not who we are,” said Humphrey, adding that Barbados was committed to protecting the ocean as it develops a blue economy.

Over the years various cruise lines have been found guilty of dumping waste in some territorial waters.

Early last month the Bahamas government announced that it was investigating Carnival Corporation after that cruise operator was accused of illegally discharging more than half-million gallons of treated sewage, oil and food waste in its waters.

Calling on officials of Tropical Shipping to partner with Barbados in protecting the ocean, Humphrey said: “I know of examples where there are paints that are allowed on some ships in Barbados and it is not allowed in other countries. It is banned in other countries. I hope Tropical is not guilty of it.”

“It is one thing to do business but to be the best, the most innovative green hub blue space in the world it means we must do everything we can to protect the ocean,” he stressed.

He said Tropical Shipping’s investment in Barbados was a show of commitment in the economy by the company.

“We have a commitment to law and to order and we thrive on being excellent in our conduct and our endeavours, but for us, relationships remain extremely important and therefore, we wish to build on the nature of this relationship,” said Humphrey, while pointing out that government was investing “significantly” in the training of people as it improves efficiency.

Tropical Island is the first of two ships for the Windward region. The second is the Tropic Jewel to be introduced in about a month.

These are part of a build-out of a total of six vessels, which represent the biggest single investment by the company to date at approximately US$150 million. This will bring the total number of vessels to 16 for the company’s operations in the Caribbean.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the company Jeff Fiser said he remained committed to establishing Barbados as “a transshipment hub”.

The vessel will leave Barbados every week with cargo to several Caribbean destinations and will return to the island every Monday.

Vice President of Commercial Trade Tim Martin said the company was committed to keeping the waters of Barbados safe and to do things “ethically and honestly”.

“I know exactly what he is saying in reference to dumping or dumping waste. That is something we do not do. I know that for a fact. It is just something you have to stay on top of,” Martin told Barbados TODAY, adding that the new vessels were “eco-friendly”.

Chairperson of the Bridgetown Port Inc. Senator Lisa Cummins welcomed the decision by Tropical Shipping to make Barbados a hub for shipping cargo to other Caribbean countries.

She said it supported the island’s vision of building out the port facilities and improving efficiencies.

“We have emphasized building the port, expanding our revenue base by investing in new business lines, and that includes forging new business lines. We are hoping that by these improvements in efficiency, cost and performance overall, that we are able to have far more business being hubbed here out of Barbados,” she added.

Cummins said a strategy committee had been set up and in coming days new trade facilitation measures would be developed, as well as new partnerships and collaboration with other ports in the region.

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Barbados is now one step closer to taking a big chunk out of its almost $700 million food import bill.

This was signalled yesterday evening with the launch of the Farmer’s Empowerment and Enfranchisement Drive (FEED), when Prime Minister Mia Mottley again raised concerns about the eating habits of Barbadians.

Acknowledging the presence of almost her entire Cabinet at the event held at the picturesque Sunbury Plantation Great House in St Philip, the Prime Minister said it was extremely important for the country to reduce its mammoth food import bill.

In her brief featured address, she said for this to occur there also needed to be a change in the way people ate.

“We need to reduce the amount of foreign exchange that this country spends and we cannot afford to have a food import bill of $685 million to be precise for 2018, of which vegetables and fruits account for just under 10 per cent at $66 million roughly.

“It is simply not good enough and Barbadians can do better if we pull together and work together…,” Mottley told the gathering.

“But that’s not the only part of it. The second part of it is that we need to change how people eat and I think we all know that how we eat determines how we feed our bodies.”

PM Mottley said she was not satisfied with the progress pointing out that even with much healthier options available to them, most Barbadians were still choosing to consume unhealty foods.

“There are too many people eating English potato chips on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in this country. There are too many people who can eat baked sweet potato instead or can eat eddoes or eddoe chips.

“There are so many things that we can do and it hurts my heart to see that we are not making sufficient progress family by family, individual by individual…,” Mottley pointed out.

While pledging Government’s commitment and support to the initiative, she said the time had come for Barbadians to take control of their health as a healthy country would translate into a wealthy country.

“We believe we have the elements to make that change and it is up to the rest of Barbados to join us on this journey. Let this now be the mission of a country to take control of its health, take control of its prosperity and take control of its economic ability at the same time and in so doing make a better society and a stronger people by giving them options,” she said.

The FEED is a three-year programme conceptualised by Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security which focusses on boosting primary agricultural production through the combination of traditional and contemporary farming methods. Among its objectives is to facilitating improved access to land and increasing foreign exchange earnings from agricultural exports.

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Prime Minister Mia Mottley today hailed former cabinet minister, parliamentarian, diplomat and trade union stalwart Edward Evelyn Greaves as a “good and decent” public servant and exceptional human being who was able to work across the political divide.

As the House Assembly paid tribute to Greaves with relatives sitting in the public gallery, Mottley said: “It is impossible to speak about Evelyn Greaves without speaking about his honour, and his integrity and his conscience. The Evelyn I knew was a good and decent man.”

The Prime Minister recalled that only last week she visited a road in disrepair which was to have been fixed 11 years ago in Jackson, St Michael. She drew on this as an example of something that “would never happen” under an Evelyn Greaves.

She told fellow MPs: “Evelyn understood his duty not just to party but to country and to other MPs no matter which party they served.

“That would never have happened under an Edward Evelyn Greaves because he understood that Government was a continuum and that we have a responsibility to Barbadians whether they voted for us or not to serve the needs of Barbadians.

“That was the man that I knew.  That is the man I pay tribute to today and that is the legacy I want forever captured in this Honourable Chamber.”

Mottley said that the legacy of Greaves and so many others, was to carry out the duties of Government irrespective of political alliances. She said it is a legacy she intends to uphold.

“The bottomline is that is why we take decisions that may not always be immediately popular but which ultimately will be committed to putting this country on the right path.

“That is the tradition of Grantley Adams, that is the tradition of Errol Barrow, that is the tradition of Tom Adams and Bree St John and Erskine Sandiford and Owen Arthur and David Thompson.

“And it is the tradition I chose to stand under. Barbadians will appreciate in the long run, that while they maybe some difficulty in fixing a situation that what matters is the sustainable progress we make.”

The Prime Minister said a unique friendship developed with Greaves back in 1994 when, as a young Senator, she sat in the gallery of the House of Assembly.

She recalled the historic events of the 1994 No Confidence Motion against then Prime Minister Erskine (now Sir Lloyd) Sandiford and how Greaves had confided in her during that time. She also disclosed that she was with the  Democratic Labour Party parliamentarian when elections were called that year.

Mottley told the House: “What is little known is that I was also with him the morning the elections were also called. [It was] a Saturday morning about 10 or 11 o’ clock and he turned to me and he said with his usual - and anybody who talked about Evelyn without talking about his smile did not know the man - with his usual smile that literally lit up an entire room  he said: ‘This is your turn. Take it and run with it and I wish you all the very best’.”

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A key economic advisor to the Prime Minister has come out fiercely defending the country’s relationship with two-man advisory firm White Oak, whose unprecedented fee for negotiating Barbados’ sovereign debt has gained international scrutiny.

In an article published by the London-based Financial Times (FT) last week, Barbados external creditors were reportedly fuming at what they called “absurd” $27 million advisory fees for a boutique firm.

Special Envoy to the Prime Minister on Investment and Financial Services, Professor Avinash Persaud declared that he was “disturbed” by the article, written by New York-based reporter, Colby Smith.

Professor Persaud defended FT’s classification of White Oak as a “little known firm” against other questions raised about Government’s decision to enlist its services.

In a letter to FT, he said: “You refer to White Oak Advisory as a little-known firm, but neglect to point out that of the 14 sovereign restructurings in the world since 2005, White Oak has advised seven of them.”

Persaud declared White Oak “an obvious choice for Barbdos”.

The economist questioned the timing of the potentially damaging report, in which external creditors complained that the fees were at the same level as those paid to Greece, a country restructuring a debt 40 times larger than Barbados’.

Professor Persaud argued: “We weighed costs with benefits. Following the domestic part of the debt restructuring, Barbados’ debt has fallen from 175 per cent of gross domestic product including arrears, the third highest in the world, to 125 per cent of GDP and is on track for less than 100 per cent. Greece’s debt remains the second highest in the world.”

Instead, he credited the advisory firm with playing a key role in stabilising the country’s financial system, allowing Government to increase welfare and pension payments and “ringfence” public health and education, “in the most shared economic adjustment in history”.

Last Friday, the Prime Minister’s
Press Secretary, Roy Morris, said the article’s intention was to “distract and distort in order to put pressure on the Government to cave in during the negotiations to restructure the foreign debt”.

Democratic Labour Party leader Verla Depeiza, who said the questions raised in FT’s article were consistent with concerns raised by the party almost a year ago.

Economist Jeremy Stephen also described the article as concerning, arguing that disgruntled external creditors through the international media, could damage Barbados’ perception as a hub for international investment and urged Government to speedily reach agreement.

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Two separate arms of Government have come forward to defend a controversial decision to send a top civil servant on leave.

But it appears there is no chance of former permanent secretary Seibert Frederick returning to the public service after being given notice of compulsory retirement at the end of his leave.

In separate statements, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Roy Morris and Head of the Public Service Dr. Louis Woodroffe sought to explain the circumstances surrounding the decision to send Frederick on leave.

The statements released by both Morris and Louis took aim at an article published Monday in the Daily Nation which, according to Morris, could lead Barbadians to believe that the decision was intended to punish Frederick, “for some breach of rules of the public service”.

Instead, Morris said: “PS Frederick, a veteran of the public service, had accumulated 198 days (approximately six months) of vacation leave that was still to be taken, having not taken any holiday for the past three years. Additionally, the Ministry of the Public Service has no record of Mr Frederick having applied for a deferment of leave as required.

“In any event, since he will reach the age of 67 years on September 30, 2019, when compulsory retirement will kick in, the ministry had no choice but to ask Mr Frederick to take the outstanding leave from Monday May 13, 2019, in order that all time owed would be exhausted by the effective date of his retirement.”

Government’s decision to place Frederick on leave became controversial, when a memo to staff was circulated on social media in which he indicated he felt disrespected by the manner in which the matter was handled.

Frederick’s memo read in part: “The information was a real shocker to me as permanent secretary, since it did not give me time to tell my fellow workers or attend to any matters on my desk.

“The manner in which it was done was downright disrespectful.”

Morris responded by saying that prior to being placed on leave, the Director General in the Ministry of the Public Service Gail Atkins discussed the issue by telephone with Frederick.

The Press Secretary said: “Additionally, last Friday, prior to dispatching the letter directly to Mr Frederick by messenger, out of respect, the next most senior officer in the Ministry of the Public Service in the absence of the Director General also discussed the issue with Mr Frederick on the telephone, explaining that based on instructions, deferment at this stage was not an option.

“Every effort was made by officials at Ministry to honor the exemplary service and seniority of Mr. Frederick as a public officer for the past four decades, and to ensure that as an individual he was shown the respect that should be accorded every officer in the Public Service.

“In the final analysis though, it has to be recognized that for the Public Service to function effectively and fairly, order has to be a hallmark of the way each officer performs his or her duties, regardless of that person’s status.”

In a separate statement, Head of the Public Service Dr Louis Woodrooffe argued that Frederick had in fact submitted an application for retiring awards on April 26 this year.

Frederick later proceeded on leave, which is due to him until September 29 this year, the statement said.

“This period of leave will be followed by his compulsory retirement from the Public Service” on September 30,” the statement added.

“Mr. Frederick is therefore on pre-retirement leave.”

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Eighty-three retrenched workers of the Ministry of Transport and Works are now set to receive their gratuity payments.

The workers who were severed from their positions under the Barbados Economic Recovery Transformation Programme, commonly referred to as BERT, went home without receiving the expected payment because they had not reached the pensionable age.

Today, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn piloted the Public Service Retrenched Workers Bill 2019 in Parliament making provision for the Accountant General to begin making payments to the affected workers from Government’s Consolidated Fund.

“This particular bill relates to those employees for whom their service would have exceeded ten years in that particular ministry which is different from the set of persons who would have been retrenched otherwise. Therefore, there was some pension consideration with respect to packages.

“This bill is seeking to make available to those persons the gratuity as it relates to the service they would have provided to Government within that ministry. So therefore Clause 2 speaks to the Accountant General being authorized to make the payments of gratuity and pensions out of the Consolidated Fund,” he said.

Straughn related that in normal circumstances public officers would only receive their gratuity at retirement. He however pointed out that in light of the October 2018 restructuring of the public service the Mia Mottley administration decided it was necessary that this category of workers receive their payments post haste.

“The Government of Barbados has taken a decision that those persons whom the retrenchment exercise impacted who have served more than ten years that they be given their gratuity as part of the compensation.”

The Member of Parliament for Christ Church East Central however made it clear that the retrenched workers would have to wait until 60 to be able to receive their pension.

“Persons will still have to wait until 60 for when they will receive the reduced pension but this bill is seeking Parliamentary approval to pay the gratuity part of that now so as to make sure that they [Government] are consistent with good industrial relations. It is clear Sir that while it is unfortunate that persons would have had to lose their jobs under the BERT programme, Government cares about the wellbeing of those persons and we feel quite strongly that these gratuities should be paid now,” he said.

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Tensions ran high among students at Barbados Community College (BCC) when the CORE 101 Ethics and Citizenship examination was halted at the last minute owing to an apparent leak of the paper, Barbados TODAY has learned.

The examination which was set to be completed today was postponed after a breach in the examination regulations.

The breach came from an assistant tutor who sent the examination as well as the responses to students via social media, Barbados TODAY understands.

In a circular from president of the BCC Student Guild Kobie Broomes he stressed the way in which the examination breach was communicated led to general misinformation.

The memo read: “The cause of the examination being compromised does not rest with the students and we ask that the college take the necessary steps to ensure this breach does not happen again.”

Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Principal of the ‘Eyrie’, Howell’s Cross Road, St Michael institution Annette Alleyne said the school was investigating the breach.

She said: “We started the investigations today and that is ongoing. I will be having another meeting with all the parties involved - the critical ones between today and Thursday.

“Once we get to the bottom of it then we would be able to speak more clearly about what happened.

“But at this stage, it would be inappropriate to cast aspersions on anybody without due process, but we do have procedures in place.”

Alleyne told Barbados TODAY that the cancellation did affect the study body and she apologised on behalf of the college for the inconvenience. The exam will now be sat on Thursday morning at nine.

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Despite failing to reach an agreement with owner of Liquidation Centre Asha Ms Ram Mirchandani on a suitable price, the compulsory acquisition of the property by Government will continue.

That is the word from Attorney General Dale Marshall, who said it will be left to the Supreme Court to decide what amount will be paid for the sale of the beachfront property.

Marshall made the revelation today as he sought to dispel a notion by Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley that Mirchandani had opposed the acquisition of the land to facilitate the construction of the 350-room Hyatt Centric Hotel at Bay Street, St Michael.

[caption id="attachment_299456" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Attorney General Dale Marshall and Asha ‘Ms Ram’ Mirchandani[/caption]

During debate on Section 5 of the Land Acquisition Act Cap. 228 related to the land at Lower Bay Street, St Michael this afternoon, Atherley told Parliament he had been informed that while the owner of the property had given a price in the range of $30 million, Government had countered by offering $12 million.

He called on Government to reveal details of the proposed transaction.

“I have not heard what the Government’s view or what after Government’s findings is a fair market value attached to the property...what I do hear is that Government has attached a value based on land tax assessment to the property despite the fact that the current owners obtained a valuation from a prominent private valuer that is three times the value of that which Government seeks to pay the current owners,” Atherley contended.

“Did the current private owners obtain a valuation suggesting a valuation in the 30s of millions and is Government offering a $12 million purchase price?” he further questioned.

The Opposition Leader charged that the property was beachfront and “of high value” and that the acquisition meant the Liquidation Centre would have to relocate after operating on that spot for almost three decades.

But in his rebuttal, the Attorney General who neither confirmed nor denied the figures put forward by Atherley, maintained that such information was not made public.

He admitted that the two parties had failed to reach an agreement on the price of the land and said the matter would now be placed in the hands of the Supreme Court.

“You cannot agree on the value and you approach the court and ask the court to settle the dispute between the parties and I don’t think the Leader of the Opposition would argue that a court is not a good place to settle disputes between parties,” Marshall said.

“So if you’re going to settle a dispute between major corporations in Barbados...be it small or large, I'm sure the Supreme Court of Judicature is well able to discharge its lawfully-conferred powers to settle the matter of acquisition.”

The Attorney General also argued that the owners of the land had no issues with the acquisition, but were merely seeking a fair deal.

Pending a decision from the court, Marshall said the acquisition would continue, as Barbados badly needed investments such as the Hyatt to help turn around the economy.

“In the meantime, the acquisition will go ahead because the business of rebuilding Barbados stops for no man.

“Let us focus the minds of the Barbadian people on what our real issues are. This is the first acquisition that this administration has done and I’m happy that we’re doing it at the cusp of our first year in office because it is being done as part and parcel of a truly important developmental imperative,” the Attorney General insisted.

“We need to get this country building again, we need to get this country working again. We need hotels on our finest beaches and not carparks. We need investment in our country and more from the private sector than from the Government.”

However, both Atherley and Mirchandani received a tongue-lashing from Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development George Payne.

In what became a heated back and forth at times with the Opposition Leader, resulting in the Speaker of the House Arthur Holder making many interjections, Payne claimed Atherley had made several damning comments.

Additionally, he said the owner had disputed the land tax charges from the Barbados Revenue Authority although it had valued the land considerably lower than what they were now asking Government to pay.

“Sometimes you have to put people in their place and he came in here making several accusations. They were not just accusations against this Cabinet, the accusations were against the Government and the entire people of Barbados,” Payne said.

He revealed that Mirchandani had disputed charges from BRA which had valued the property at $2 and $3 million, but was now asking Government to pay in excess of $30 million for the same land.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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The two organisations at polar opposites of the labour spectrum are not on the same page as to which of the nation’s laws need reform, even as they agree on an overhaul.

One day after the Barbados Employers Confederation (BEC) complained that a number of the labour laws were in fact counter-productive and skewed against the employer, General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU), Senator Toni Moore is arguing that it is the workers who are being disadvantaged by the laws.

Senator Moore told Barbados TODAY that laws such as the new Employment Rights Act contain too many loopholes and grey areas that put workers at a disadvantage.

“What we recognise from the BWU is that there are a number of labour laws that need to be revised, starting with the most recent one, the Employment Rights Act.

[caption id="attachment_299555" align="aligncenter" width="500"] BWU General Secretary Senator Toni Moore (second from left) during today’s 11th International Labour Organisation meeting.[/caption]

“This is a piece of legislation that has been designed to bring greater rights to the workers, but in the implementation, we have recognised that there are so many gaps where workers are not being protected, even though this was not the intent. So, in that area we would certainly like to see some changes.”

Moore made the comments on the sidelines of the 11th International Labour Organisation (ILO) meeting of Caribbean Ministers of Labour, which was held at the Accra Beach Hotel this morning.

Among the gaps in the Employment Rights Act Moore identified the lack of protection for workers with under a year on the job, issues with the separation pay process and the lack of fluidity in the labour dispute process.

Senato Moore said: “Early on in the legislation we see that there is no cushioning for workers with a year or less. So as a worker with nine months in a contract, we may not be able to defend you using application of the Employments Rights Act.

“There are still some grey areas when it comes to separation pay. In addition, the process of seeking redress for employment infractions is not seamless.

“As it exists right now, if you go to the Labour Department and you have a meeting and then that matter is referred to the Employment Rights Tribunal, nothing that was discussed at the level of the Labour Department bears any value. So, the process is started all over.”

Speaking to reporters at the BEC’s “Braemer Court” , St Michael office on Monday, confederation president Marguerite Estwick said she believed it was time for a “modern labour code” to be developed for Barbados.

“It will bring order, it will identify some areas where there are significant gaps . . . and modernize how we treat with labour legislation in Barbados.

“We urge the current Minister of Labour to bring good order to the industrial relations environment and to provide the legislative requirement to guide the process for all stakeholders,” Estwick said.

She contended that while the industrial relations environment remained relatively stable in 2018, the BEC remained concerned that the demands made by trade unions were not in keeping with the economic reality facing the country.

But the BWU General Secretary made it clear that just as the BEC was prepared to push for change in the best interest of employers, the BWU, too, was prepared to do the same for workers.

“There needs to be modification in a number of other areas, we have come a long way in occupational health and safety, but we still have a way to go.

“The BEC and other organisation have their own constituency base where they may recognise the need for change in certain areas, but as a workers’ organisation, we too have a number of concerns.”

Moore revealed that the union has already engaged the Ministry of Labour as well as the Social Partnership to have their concerns addressed.

“I don’t know what the specific concerns of the BEC are but I know certainly we have and we have a number of these issues before the Ministry and the Social Partnership and hopefully through tripartite efforts we will see improvements,” she added.

colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb

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Teachers are gathering at Solidarity House, the headquarters of the Barbados Workers’ Union,  to find solutions to violence in schools.

President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union Mary-Ann Redman says the union will also present a new protocol it has developed to guide teachers who feel “threatened or attacked” on the job.

“The protocol will give teachers insight on what they should do when certain things happen and so on,” said Redman.

She told Barbados TODAY that teachers are very enthusiastic about the meeting.

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Police have confirmed that a 13-year-old student  drowned at Pierhead Beach, Bay Street, St Michael around 1:45 p.m.

Police have identified the victim as Christina Reid of Gemwick, St Philip. She was a student of the Springer Memorial School.

Reid was in the company of two friends when she got into difficulty. She was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police are asking anyone with information related to the incident to contact the Central Police Station at 430-7676, Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers 1-800-8477 or any police station.

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A vendor was among two people injured when a car ran off the road at the corner of St Michael Row, Bridgetown around 2:45 this afternoon.

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Teachers are calling for more deviant youth to feel the heavy hand of the law as they demand an end to potentially life-threatening cases of violence against them.

This was revealed as teachers from learning institutions across the country assembled at the Barbados Workers’ Union’s Harmony Hall headquarters to boldly expose the dangerous realities now associated with their job, while discussing solutions to the problem.

Unified in the fight against student-on-teacher violence, members of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) were reportedly joined by others in the profession, demanding an end to the madness.

In an impassioned address lasting nearly an hour, BSTU president Mary-Ann Redman provided alarming insight into potentially life-threatening experiences, which have affected teachers as recently as this week.

Citing intelligence gathered by the union, she revealed that in some cases, there was an organized system within some schools, in which students are rewarded by their peers for unleashing acts of terror on their teachers.

“There’s this points challenge now, circulating in schools, and if you attack a teacher, you get points,” she said as teachers reacted with horror.

She continued: “Yes, student-on-teacher attacks to score points.”

The union boss then turned her attention to a potentially lethal situation, which was foiled by the swift action of a security guard earlier this week. It surrounded reports of a young man arriving at a secondary school armed.

“The guard took him to the office and on searching the bag, the boy had two machetes and some kind of specialized hammer with a pick on the other side. What was also found on the school premises yesterday [Tuesday] behind a white board were two knives. The day before, there had been a fight in a nearby town and our belief was that there was some type of reprisal action planned,” she explained.

Noting that the last of these [violent incidents] got full national attention with the very encouraging words and progressive actions of Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch, Redman declared “We need more like him.”

She was referring to the tough stance taken by Birch in response to a recent incident, in which a 14-year-old, third form student attacked a female teacher over a cell phone battery. He was remanded to the Government Industrial School for 28 days.

Redman further revealed that a female student involved in a recent attack, signaled her intention in a post on Facebook, months before unleashing the assault.

This chilling account was preceded by stories of teachers attacked with pieces of wood bearing nails, a physical education teacher who narrowly escaped being slashed with a shovel and police cars being pelted with stones on school premises.

“When students can beat police and pelt a police car with rocks, how can the school system as it presently is organised function effectively and address those problems. What are we doing as a society to lift our heads from the sand to grapple with these problems in a meaningful and realistic way if they are to be remedied? This problem now has to be faced headon and we have to be a part of it, because we are on the front lines.

“Since the beginning of this school term there have been five instances of student-on-teacher violence against our members and we are here today to say ‘not one more,’” she said to loud applause.

Ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister, Mia Mottley and Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, Redman armed teachers with 13 recommendations as part of a protocol for student-on-teacher violence.

Among the recommendations is a directive for teachers to seek police intervention if the principal refuses to do so after being notified that a teacher has been attacked.

The BSTU president also highlighted an environment in which teachers are subjected to “psychological violence” from some manipulative and vindictive behaviors exhibited by principals.

“Some of them display unfair and prejudicial behavior and frustrate, demean and belittle teachers in their workplace and too often in the presence of their students and other colleagues. That has to stop,” said Redman.

“Teachers fear punitive transfers when they seek to have their rights represented. They fear inequitable interdiction and suspensions done often without transparency and consistency and only on accusations, which aren’t often properly substantiated… That has to stop.

Redman also praised government for adapting a more receptive approach so far to issues affecting the vital profession. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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