The Moravian Church has declared it’s recommitting itself to the fight against crime and to increase its efforts to meet the needs of at-risk youth.

As the church’s Synod continued at the Sharon Moravian Church on Thursday, the over 100 delegates from across the Eastern Caribbean, examined a resolution to support, encourage and develop young people who have been affected by violence.

“We agreed to look in an intentional way at ‘at risk’ youth. Sometimes these are the ones that are shunned, labelled and very often, because of the difficulty they face in countering and engaging, persons tend to just throw their hands in the air and not respond,” said Reverend Dr Adrian Smith, the secretary of the Provincial Elders Council, which chaired this week’s conference,

“But as a Moravian Church, we made an intentional decision that we are committed, this is in our DNA and we are not running from the challenge.

“We are going to face it head-on, recognizing that we may not have all the resources and all the answers, but we are willing as a Moravian Church to work with other churches, the NGO’s and the Government and anyone out there willing to help our youth and share the resources as we bring them to the table.”

Barbados is in the midst of an unprecedented and troubling year for murders, which currently stand at 32.

The church leader told a media conference the church here would provide counselling services, character-building initiatives and closer links with organizations currently championing the fight against violence.

Said Reverend Dr Smith: “For example, Corey Layne has a good programme at the [Nature Fun] Ranch and so we are providing a framework that allows us to dialogue and partner with Corey.

“Where there are existing programmes that share in our philosophy and understanding of the human dignity and the value of the person and how to build them up and strengthen them, we will partner with them.”

He added that in many cases, young people simply needed to be given the necessary tools to cope with the ever-changing issues around them.

“Some of our young people just don’t know how to cope with what is happening and the rapid changes.

“Some of the changes are happening so quickly that after you develop one set of coping skills, you have to go again.  So creating a framework that allows for constant formation of the coping skills is important,” Reverend Dr Smith said.

Church leaders also disclosed they were doubling down on efforts to establish more church-based schools in the Eastern Caribbean.

They told reporters various primary and secondary schools already exist across the region and they are pushing for a tertiary-level college in Antigua - one of the earliest bases of the Moravian Church in the West Indies - in the “very near” future.

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Grand Kadooment bandleaders report a major decrease in costume sales, suggesting the climactic jumpup to end the Crop Over Festival may see fewer costumed revellers on the Mighty Grynner Highway.

With two weeks left to Crop Over carnival of costume bands, some bandleaders are holding on to a silver lining - a last-minute registration rush and influx of higher-spending visitors.

Jeremy Nicholls, bandleader of the “party band”, Xhosa Barbados, told Barbados TODAY sales were “significantly down”. He suggested that it was a reflection of the economic climate in Barbados as consumers sought to tighten their belts. But Nicholls said an influx of masqueraders and carnival visitors from North America and the United Kingdom possessed more spending power.

[caption id="attachment_305138" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Veteran bandleader Gwyneth Squires[/caption]

He said there would be a reassessment of the band’s Grand Kadooment product to ensure affordable prices for their masqueraders.

Nicholls said: “I think that one of the things that we need to sit down and do is relook the entire product and see how we can reduce the cost of the product to the public because there is a misconception that we are just putting any figure onto the costumes and somehow making this enormous  amount of money which is far from the truth.

“In some cases, you could end up with very low margins and if you’re not careful you can end up losing at the end of the season just because you are trying to keep the overall cost down to the patrons.”

Nicholls stressed that after the Crop Over Festival, bandleaders and promoters needed to regroup and assess how to reduce the cost of the festival so more locals could enjoy the activities.

“I am hoping within the next two weeks that even if people can’t afford to jump, that they still come out and support the overall event because that is going to be important when it is packaged to be sold overseas,” he added.

Bryan Worrell of Colourz Entertainment has also recorded more overseas participation in this year’s jump. The director of the Colourz Grand Kadooment band revealed that his band which was originally 500 masqueraders might be reduced to 400 because of the slow sales.

He said: “People want to participate but the funds just don’t support it so people have been calling and asking for a discount.

“Where you have loyalty members you can give a discount until things turn around but it is more a case of people not having that spending power or they are waiting to take care of their necessities in terms of their children for school,” he said.

Veteran bandleader Gwyneth Squires told Barbados TODAY of a decline in both the Kiddies and Grand Kadooment masqueraders. Squires, with 34 years of experience in Crop Over and masquerade, was not hopeful of a bright finale.

“We have to wait and see how things work out but I don’t think it will be a good festival like years ago,” she said.

With local participation at Grand Kadooment rapidly declining over the past five years, president of the Barbados Association of Masqueraders (BAM), Chetwyn Stewart argued that there needs to be an assessment of the Grand Kadooment overall.

Stewart revealed that for next year’s festival, BAM sought to engage the National Cultural Foundation in discussions on introducing a “wow factor” in the jump as to encourage more local participation. He noted that over the past five years,  there has been “a big decline” in the numbers of revellers passing through the National Stadium and locals on the road. 

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Police have been forced to depend on technology to make up for citizens’ unwillingness to share information on crimes they have witnessed, Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith has said, as the Police Force accepted a donation of new surveillance cameras.

Declaring that policing was far more complex now than it was  25 years ago, Griffith complained of a lack of people coming forward to support the Police by giving information on crimes committed.

Griffith said that even though people were seeing criminal activities, they were not reporting what they saw for various reasons, including fear of retribution, or a blank refusal to support law enforcement officers in their efforts.

[caption id="attachment_305137" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith (left) and ICBL’s Oliver Jordan during today’s presentation.[/caption]

The police chief today welcomed a donation of six closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras from the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) to help in the fight against crime, expressing the hope that the private sector would donate more electronic eyes to crimefighters.

The Commissioner said the cameras, which have been donated just in time for Crop Over, are to assist with surveillance of The City.

“The City is always a vulnerable place. We get much of our crime in The City and the suburbs. These are the areas that are more prone to crime than the rural areas.

“So where cameras are available, that would be good eyes for law enforcement to be able to capture some of the things that are happening around us.

“As I said before, not a lot of people are coming forward and giving information in relation to crime, and that clearly will assist us.

“I want to thank ICBL for that contribution. I think it opens a way for other entities from the private sector to come forward and support us. There are a lot of other areas we would like to cover,” he said.

Delivering remarks on behalf of ICBL, Chief Operations Officer Oliver Jordan said the insurance company came up with the idea for the project four months ago, and said he was impressed by the police force’s swift action to implement it.

“Everyday, the men and women of the Police Force are tasked with the responsibility of protecting residents and visitors in Barbados.

“The truth is, it is not an easy job, especially in today’s tough environment, where crime-fighting has become far more complex.

“It is for this reason that we at ICBL believe that the private sector should step up and play our part to aid the Police Force in the fight against crime in our country, wherever possible. This can only result in more efficient and successful policing, and a better Barbados.”

He continued: “We know that the Crop Over Season is upon us and will be a very busy time for the Force. It is our hope that the cameras donated today will assist the Police Force with their surveillance, and act as a deterrent to criminal activity during Crop Over and beyond.”

  Jordan presented a $24,000 cheque to Commissioner Griffith for the CCTV cameras at Police Headquarters in Bridgetown this morning.

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The Eastern West Indies’ Province of the Moravian Church may have found itself in a similar position in electing a new Bishop as the Anglican Diocese of Barbados did last year.

However, the Moravian Church will still be able to function efficiently, even if the position is left vacant.

During the Church’s Provincial Synod, which continued today at the Sharon Moravian Church, over 100 delegates from ten islands endured over a dozen rounds of voting for the Bishop, but none of the 25 eligible candidates secured the necessary two-thirds majority.

Secretary of the Provincial Elders Conference, Reverend Dr Adrian Smith told a press conference the delegates would continue voting as “the spirit leads” until late into the night. He said such a result was not peculiar.

“We have had situations where persons who have been leading in the voting process move downward and then someone who had low votes moves upward. So one is not able to truly gauge that process… a while ago there was a synod where someone was elected on the 44th ballot,” said Smith.

He explained there was no campaigning or canvassing in the process, which would see the 471st Moravian Bishop since the church’s 1467 establishment in the Eastern Caribbean.

All elders are eligible to become bishops and unlike the Anglican Church, the laity and clergy vote on the same ballot. The Moravian Bishop is more pastoral and upon appointment, becomes a Bishop of the church’s “worldwide unity”.

If no Bishop is chosen by the end of this year’s Synod, the current Bishops will continue to serve until the next one in three years in Tobago when the process will begin again.

Last November, after an extended and sometimes tumultuous process, 47-year-old Reverend Michael Maxwell was appointed Anglican Bishop of Barbados from the Provincial office of the House of Bishops.

The decision to select Barbados’ Bishop fell to the regional body after the local Synod failed after four attempts to elect either Dean of the Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels, Dr Jeffrey Gibson or Rector of St George Parish Church, John Rogers.

Among the 25 elders being considered for the top position among Moravians are ten women, one of whom has been leading in the voting process. The church has only appointed four female Bishops since it was established in the Eastern Caribbean.

The church also voted on approximately 15 resolutions covering finance, governance, rituals, doctrine, worship, Christian education, youth, theological education, social action and evangelism. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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The parents of Dario Lloyd who was gunned down five years ago want answers regarding the circumstances surrounding the 20-year-old’s death.

Mother Angela Lloyd and father Ricardo Phillips, told Barbados TODAY that they were praying and hoping to see the day when Lloyd’s killer was caught, and stand before the law courts to give the reason why Dario’s life was taken, execution style.

The parents made it clear that they were not looking for revenge, but just want to ask the killer why.

“I just want to know what was the reason my son get shoot that night. People saying it wasn’t meant for him, but if it wasn’t meant for him and they shoot the wrong person, it is me that still in pain. My child gone. For me, as his mother I wouldn’t want revenge. I wouldn’t want that on my hands.

[caption id="attachment_305145" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The parents of Dario Lloyd (inset), Angela Lloyd and Ricardo Phillips.[/caption]

“I am trying to get over the hurt, but I did not get closure because they never hold anybody for my son. Yes I know I have to move on, I know I have to find closure, but that is the part that got me.

“Sometimes you still hearing that this body do it, you still hearing things on the road. But I don’t have any proof so I don’t try to dwell on that part unless the police say otherwise,” an emotional Angela said during an interview at the Brittons Hill, St Michael, Restoration Ministries Church on Sunday, where a memorial service was held to mark the fifth anniversary of her son’s death.

Sitting next to Angela, Ricardo declared that though he knows his child could never be replaced, he would feel much better knowing who shot him, and what was the motive behind it.

“Not that I hate the person or I want revenge. But I just want to know the person who did it, and the reason why. Personally, I don’t think it was meant for Dario, not knowing the Dario that I know. I feel he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Ricardo said.

Dario was gunned down during an ambush attack in the Bonnetts Housing Area, Brittons Hill, St Michael, around 9:45 p.m. on July 14 2014 as he played dominoes with a group. He died while being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Two other persons were also injured during the incident.

According to lawmen, the three victims were in a group watching and playing dominoes when a number of persons approached and shot at them.

Not a day goes by that Angela does not miss the second of her three children.

She said the recent shootings that have claimed the lives of several young men, have not made the grieving process any easier.

Each time there is a shooting, Angela remembers that night she got the dreaded news that her only son died.

She often thinks about the traumatic experience other families must also be going through.

“The shootings that happen throughout the island really affect me. I try to keep busy, and be surrounded by friends, but I still have quiet times, which are hard and trying times. I miss Dario making me laugh. Despite he was a boy child he was one to come and help if I was sick.

“I relive the memory of losing him like if it was yesterday. I could tell you everything that happen the Monday night that Dario get shoot. It was not pleasant getting a call from my girlfriend telling me that he now get shoot. I was in disbelief,” she said, looking at her cellular phone where a picture of Dario was displayed as the screensaver.

Angela pointed out that she believes there has been a rise in crime and violence because too many people are angry. She said it was time for people to learn how to resolve issues in an appropriate manner, and not run to get a gun, as the first resort.

“When you kill somebody child it ain’t no coming back from that. Them just telling themselves they going up to prison for couple years and coming back down.

“I think people just think that they could shoot and go to jail and get bail three, four years from now and come back on the road. I could deal with a man that got to defend himself rightfully. But I can’t deal with the senseless shooting,” Angela said.

Ricardo said he tries to remember the good times he had with his beloved son before he met his sudden and tragic death.

The father recalled that they had a good relationship.

“I think about the happy times that me and Dario had. I think about him smiling and talking. When sadness comes, I think about happiness. We talked about the Bible a lot. He was on his way to becoming a real Christian. He would call me and say daddy so and so with the Bible, and I would try to help him out. But he was really into going to church,” Ricardo said.

The mother said she organised the memorial service and invited other parents who also lost their children tragically “for us to get together to pray and be a comfort for each other”.

“Yes I does got my dark days. But when I go in my dark days I remember that I got the two girls and I got my two grandchildren and I got good friends that keep on talking to me. You have to be surrounded by positive people.

“But my big daughter, sometimes when I tell her there was a shooting she would say ‘mummy I ain’t care, that may be somebody that kill my brother’. My two girls still going through the hurt,” Angela said.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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The newly-elected president of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) Marilyn Rice-Bowen has declared her intention to create spaces islandwide to ensure that members have easy access to BARP programmes and activities.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Rice-Bowen said not all members have access to transport and noted that there was a need to meet them where they were.

BARP would be partnering with relevant government agencies to gain access to the community centres.

“My priority would be to make the organisation mobile, taking the programmes and activities to our members, because we do recognise that a lot of our members don’t have access to transportation.

“Don’t forget we are dealing with the senior members of our society. A lot of people don’t have access to transportation, many people don’t like to drive, and some people have to take the bus.

“So it is more effective if we take the programmes to them so that they don’t have to move from where they are.”

The women’s activist,  insurance advisor, former politician who is the past president of the Young Women Christian’s Association (YWCA) also said that as BARP was a repository of knowledge, its board must ensure that the association’s membership was tapped on a continuous basis to empower and build the nation.

She told Barbados TODAY: “Any policy that affects seniors locally must be researched and findings shared with wider membership. We must be viewed as more than a source of discounts and much more than a source for life and health insurance.

“Information secured from the Barbados Demographics Profile 2018 revealed that there are 65,000 persons between the ages of 55 plus in this country as of March 31, 2019, but only 26,785 are members of BARP. We need to increase our reach and over the next two years we will attempt to increase our membership base.”

The BARP leader noted that during her two-year term BARP will continue to educate the public about elderly abuse.

She told Barbados TODAY: “People tend to view abuse only as physical, but there is also financial abuse, which is equally as harming to the elders of our society. So elder abuse would be addressed, but BARP has been addressing that for quite a while as well.

“It is for us to show people what are the signs of abuse. We were doing some radio spots helping persons to identify elderly abuse, and we will be continuing it. We take elderly abuse of all forms seriously.”

Rice-Bowen and three other members, Treasurer Monica Hinds, and Directors Clorinda Alleyne and Eric Smith were elected at the association’s 24th Annual General Meeting held last Saturday.

They join current board members, Vice President Dame Billie Miller, Secretary Henry Barrow and Director K.H.L. “Tony” Marshall.

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A University of the West Indies (UWI) lecturer wants to see greater investment from Government and the private sector to assist research on the economic potential of Sargassum seaweed.

Professor Hazel Oxenford told Barbados TODAY, while tremendous research was done since 2011 on the odorous seaweed’s movements, its location and factors that cause it to grow, there is still little knowledge on its value, when used to create other products.

“I think we’ve been very slow in this region in looking at these things but that’s in a sense explained by the fact that there is no research funding available in the region,” explained the professor.

“It wasn’t considered an important regional and international issue until recently. We didn’t know it was going to keep coming and consequently, private investment into innovation did not seem worth it because you might spend a couple of years and a lot of money developing something and then the Sargassum disappears. There are lots of reasons why we’ve been slow in innovation and then there are lots of questions to be answered and initial research in the development of new uses.”

Recently, Prime Minister Mia Mottley made reference to an unprecedented amount of seaweed approaching the region, which could be devastating to the economies of Eastern Caribbean states.

Of the UWI’s role in responding to the challenges, Professor Oxenford said: “There’s a lot to fix here at the UWI in terms of communicating new knowledge and writing, best practice guidelines for fishermen and people involved in cleaning up Sargassum on the beaches to avoid environmental and other damage and to help countries integrate the management of Sargassum into other disaster risk and management activity.

“We need to know if it contains dangerous heavy metals and other chemicals it is picking up in the water; whether it’s actually a fantastic resource and we have to figure out whether or how to use Sargassum as a fertiliser without ruining the soil. We have to experiment with the correct biomass and microbes. If we want to turn it into biofuel, we can’t just put it into a furnace and hope for the best. These things take a lot of time and money,” she said. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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Should Government grant permission for the construction of the Blue Horizon hotel as currently proposed, its developers would have to contend with Barbados’ strongest advocate of beach access.

Dr Anthony Mighty Gabby Carter, who has championed unrestricted beach access for all Barbadians for decades and has even written “Jack”, the unofficial anthem for this cause, threatened to lead a protest against the ten-storey hotel’s construction at Worthing, Christ Church.

Speaking at a highly animated and jam-packed town hall meeting at Accra Beach Hotel on Thursday night, Gabby warned that the proposed project will be built over his “dead body”.

[caption id="attachment_305167" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A section of the large crowd at last night’s town hall meeting.[/caption]

“That monstrosity that we saw just now has a lot of things that I could say about it that are not exactly positive… I want to make it clear, nothing at all must be built on that beach and if even Government gives you permission to build, I Gabby will personally go there every day and stop it,” said the popular calypsonian, to rousing applause from persons who also shouted their pledge to join him.

He added, “You will have to run over me to get it done, because I will get lockup, beat up, but I will go and stop it physically and personally. You will not be able to get the work done,”

The cultural ambassador and revered calypsonian contended the windows to the sea across the island were fast closing as a result of development and he was certainly not going to stand by and watch as one of the more popular ones, fall victims to this trend.

“All of the west coast, there are no more windows to the sea. Look at the west coast carefully and see the destruction that occurred. I used to work on that beach so when I speak, I speak with authority. I used to swim on that beach because I loved it,” he said, reminding developers of a line from “Jack” - “the beach belong to we” .

He further pointed out, “They are saying now that is a proposal but when we first came here it seemed as if it was a done deal. It was only after the people started to speak that we heard that it was a proposal. So, I want it to remain a proposal because that proposal is not environmentally-friendly.”

Along with the height of the hotel, Gabby expressed concern about the beach club component of the project, which is to be developed to coincide with the coastal infrastructure at Accra beach such as the south coast boardwalk. Even though the developers promise that this aspect of the project would be tastefully done and would not impede access to the beach, it did little to appease Gabby and the majority of persons in the audience. In fact, the engineers and architects present could not satisfy the property owners and beach users who turned out for the meeting.

During the meeting, engineer Ralph Adams revealed that the hotel is expected to produce 32 thousand gallons of sewage, which is expected to be accommodated at the already problematic south coast sewage treatment plant.

“The wastewater would be connected to the south coast sewage treatment plant. The waste would be pre-treated before it goes into the sewage system and restaurant and bars will be grease trapped and these traps will be maintained regularly,” he said noting that Government has already indicated that it has plans to upgrade the sewage treatment facility.

However, with the memory of raw sewage flowing on the streets of the south coast for close to three years after the treatment facility broke down in 2015, residents were up in arms at the very mention of increasing the burden on the plant.

They demanded that the hotel build its own sewage treatment facility and not place the burden of waste disposal on the taxpayer. On hand to weigh in on the issue was community activist, Adrian Donovan, who was quite vocal during the months when the sewage spills were at its worse.

“What he had in the last three years was beyond a national crisis and the people in the south coast suffered and are still suffering. If this plan has to go ahead then the Town and Country Planning department must give the developers an F [grade] for not having their own sewage system in place,” Donovan said.

Another contributor to the discussion, who referred to herself only as Joy, chided the developers for what she deemed a lack of corporate social responsibility, by failing to factor in the sewage crisis from which the south coast is just recovering.

“Do not as a corporate body expect capital welfarism from our Government. Build a proper sewage plant within your hotel. Go back and re-design it,” she stressed

Also voicing strong objection on the night were the residents of Cot Road, who were represented by their legal advisor Derrick Oderson at the meeting. Oderson revealed that he has submitted formal objections to the project on behalf of his clients.

He argued that the residents, many of whom have lived as part of the community since 1934, are concerned that their view would be destroyed by the height of the structure.

“The group is totally against the proposed height of the structure. The group is proposing a height of five-storeys. In addition, there are some homes that are very close to the property and developers must factor in those residents in the back,” he lamented.

He contended that their residential road is going to be converted into a high-traffic road.

“We need to know what is going to be the direct impact on Cot Road and every person is objecting to the loss of this road to development,” he stressed.

However developers gave the assurance that the hotel would not be much higher than the existing hotels in the area, They also noted that the area has multiple accesses and guaranteed that construction would be done with minimal disruption using the latest construction techniques.

colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb

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The United States Department of Justice has sent correspondence to the legal representative of former Government Minister Donville Inniss which cast doubt on the strength of bribery charges brought against him by authorities there.

In mandated disclosure correspondence sent by United States Attorney Richard Donoghue to Inniss’ lead attorney Anthony Ricco on June 24, Donoghue revealed that following an internal investigation of the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL), both former employees Alex Tasker and Ingrid Innes had  “generally denied” paying bribes to Inniss.

Donoghue also revealed in his letter that the principal of the New York Dental Company through whose bank account ICBL was alleged to have routed approximately $36 000 in bribes, had stated that Inniss’ political rivals “were trying to frame him”. Donoghue did not specify who those rivals were.

But despite his revelations, the United States Attorney indicated that the American government was not conceding that the disclosure was material information to the case, in keeping with Brady V Maryland (1963). In that case it was held that the government’s withholding of evidence that was material to the determination of either guilt or punishment of a criminal defendant violated the defendant’s constitutional right to due process. In his correspondence to Inniss’ lawyer, Donoghue had indicated that the denials of Innes and Tasker might be helpful to the defence.

Meanwhile Ricco has filed a declaration to United States District Court in New York opposing the government’s attempts to preclude evidence or argument that might be helpful to Inniss during his trial which is about three months away. The United States government has sought to preclude admission of evidence of personal information of the embattled former St James South MP, inclusive of family, education, good character and previous good deeds.

Ricco charged that the United States government was stripping Inniss of information upon which a jury could make a meaningful assessment of his role in the offence, and his relationship with other witnesses who shall be called by the government.

“This is yet another case wherein the government seeks to limit a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to present a defence through affirmative evidence about his background and history,” Ricco asserted.

The US government had argued that Inniss’ life history and work record should be excluded from the trial since it would present a risk of confusing a jury and that jurors might lose sight of the issues they were being asked to decide. Among the other suggestions made by the US government was that basically putting a human face to Inniss could lead to jurors having sympathetic feelings for the defendant and thus interfere with their duty to apply the law to facts.

“Should Donville Inniss decide to exercise his Sixth Amendment right to testify at his upcoming trial, the jurors will have the opportunity [to] hear his individual history, which includes both his triumphs and failures. The jurors will also have an opportunity to hear from Donville Inniss, who will explain his interaction, if any, with the individuals whom the government will be calling as their witnesses,” Ricco wrote.

He cited United States V Blackwell to show that the US government’s attempt to preclude testimony of Inniss’ good conduct was contrary to established case law. He also argued that Inniss was a defendant who had the considerable forces of the US government arrayed against him and had little more than his good name to defend himself and “should not [be] prevented
from presenting such minimal probative evidence.

“There is nothing about the individual life history of Donville Inniss, which can possibly serve to confuse jurors, or cause jurors to lose sight of their function. To the contrary, listening to witnesses and assessing their creditability is precisely what jurors are sworn to do. The government’s view that somehow jurors will be distracted from their function, is a conclusion which has no basis in fact,” Ricco argued in his declaration.

Ricco concluded by asking the court to deny the government’s motion to preclude the introduction of evidence related to Inniss’ service to the community, employment history, among other personal information.

Last month, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigations visited Barbados seeking to collect evidence in the case but reportedly left empty-handed.

Barbados TODAY tonight made an unsuccessful attempt to reach the principal of New York Dental Company, as well as attorney-at-law Ronald DeWaard who is representing Innes in the matter.
wadegibbons@barbadostoday.bb

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The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is battling with a shortage of nurses that is affecting the scheduling of some operations.

This was revealed to Barbados TODAY by the hospital’s Acting chief executive officer (CEO) Louise Bobb.

While Bobb acknowledged that the island’s major health institution was hoping to have those vacancies filled, she gave her assurance that emergency surgeries would continue to be carried out.

Responding to several questions posed by Barbados TODAY, Bobb admitted that while there was a nurse shortage it was untrue the QEH was only catering to pregnant women and gunshot emergencies.

“The QEH currently has seven fully functioning operating theatres, one of which is reserved for trauma cases. Reserving an operating theatre for trauma cases allows for all emergent and urgent cases to be facilitated without delay.

“However, due to the relative nursing shortage, the time allotted for elective surgeries has been reduced. The reduction in operating time may delay the wait time for elective surgeries, but we are utilizing an element of triage to ensure that pressing elective surgeries are prioritized,” Bobb said.

“It is anticipated that when these nursing vacancies are filled, we will be able to revert to the standard hours for conducting elective surgical procedures.”

Last month Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that she had asked Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo to provide 400 nurses to help address the acute shortage in Barbados.

While Bobb disclosed that the QEH was also battling with a shortage of anesthesiologists, she dismissed reports there was a scarcity of doctors.

In fact, she said all the available posts for physicians had been filled.

“Allegations of a shortage of doctors at the QEH are unfounded. Currently the posts allocated for physicians are filled, and in cases where doctors are on leave, these positions continue to be filled by locums to ensure the service offered to the public is not disrupted,” the acting CEO said.

“With reference to anesthesiologists, a few vacancies do exist at the junior and senior levels. However, the Human Resources Department is working to recruit suitably qualified individuals to fill these positions. In the interim, locum anesthesiologists are being engaged to provide anesthetic cover as and when required,” Bobb added.

She also denied reports that the QEH was also short on medication.

Bobb said while “from time to time” some medication would be out of stock that was not the current situation.

“The QEH is not aware of any acute shortage of medications. Periodically, all hospitals experience stock-outs. Stock-outs occur due to the unavailability of drugs by overseas manufacturers due to substantial international demands; delays in the procurement and delivery of stocks by the local supply chain, and in the past, we have had challenges due to limitations of our own cash-flows,” she admitted.

“However, the past five years have seen the QEH significantly improve its mitigation of the stock-out of essential medications.”

Her comments came one day after the Ministry of Health issued a release stating that diabetes and hypertension medication would be again available at Government pharmacies within the next few days.

It came after patients seeking this medication reported they had been unable to fill some prescriptions at the polyclinic pharmacies.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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Over 100 delegates from the Eastern West Indies Province of the Moravian Church will return home having failed to elect a new Bishop.

And they will have to wait another three years at the next Provincial Synod in Tobago, before getting the opportunity again.

Chairman of this year’s Synod, Reverend Dr Adrian Smith told Barbados TODAY that just before 11 p.m. on Thursday, voting was suspended after four unsuccessful attempts to appoint a new Bishop.

The field was reportedly narrowed down to two frontrunners, but neither was able to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to lead the church.

“Voting has been suspended for the next three years. What happens is that a Moravian Bishop is not a Bishop of a region but of the entire worldwide Moravian Church and the two current Bishops in the Eastern Caribbean [Bishop Right Reverend Conrad Spencer and Right Reverend Kingsley Lewis] will continue to function as Bishops,” reported Reverend Smith.

“Our Bishop is not administrative and just because you are a Bishop in unity, you can function in any geographic region. So, any Moravian Bishop can come and perform the ordination….They are considered to be the pastor of pastors.”

He added that while the reaction to suspension of the vote was mixed, the delegates from 10 countries left with a sense of peace.

“We ultimately believe that, at this time, God does not want us to elect a third Bishop, and so we will continue to function and serve until the next Synod and hear from God again,” said Reverend Smith.

Despite not electing a Bishop, the delegates successfully chose a new Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Lay Members to sit on the Provincial Elders Conference (PEC).

Late last year, the Anglican Diocese found itself in a similar position when the local Synod failed to elect a new Bishop after four attempts, causing the decision to fall at the feet of the Provincial Office of the House of Bishops, which eventually selected Reverend Michael Maxwell.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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Officials from the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) have reached out to Government to provide training assistance, in the fight against crime, to members of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF).

It is an offer that has been welcomed by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Dale Marshall, who also requested that training assistance be extended to the RBPF’s Financial Intelligence Crime Unit (FICU) and the Fraud Investigations Unit (FIU), where possible.

Marshall made the request during a courtesy call at his office earlier this week with US Ambassador, Linda Taglialatela; Legal Attaché from the US Department of Justice FBI, James Dempsey; Director of the Narcotics and Law Enforcement section of the US Embassy, Jeannette Juricic; and Economic/Commercial Officer at the US Embassy, Rachel Meyers.

Marshall admitted that the 32 murders committed so far this year were a “tremendous concern” for Government, as some of the cases were quite “horrific”.

“I welcome your offer, and encourage you to pursue it,” he said, noting that the police were best suited to indicate what tools they needed.

The Attorney General said the Government was equally concerned about corrupt practices in the country. He added that if there were opportunities for training in stemming corruption that could be offered to police, it would help to root out “sophisticated” cases.

Marshall acknowledged that the investigative capacity at the FICU and the FIU needed to be enhanced.

Dempsey noted that discussions with the Commissioner of Police included seeing how FBI agents could work with and teach members of the RBPF new practices, which they could employ in the crime fight.

“We live here, so we have a vested interest, so we are happy to provide the training,” he said, noting that some police officers had already benefited from training through the FBI National Academy.

In addition, Juricic noted that the team would be able to engage more with local law enforcement personnel with the passage of the new financial crimes legislation.

Ambassador Taglialatela also acknowledged that there was a need for more training in the area of financial investigations.

“It would be good to have your investigators work with our IRS [Inland Revenue Service[ people because the cases would go much quicker,” she suggested.

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The Nature Fun Ranch (NFR) is embarking on a new initiative to reduce the island’s climbing murder rate.

Founder and ranch chief, Corey Lane announced that the farm charity for at-risk youth will be implementing the Direct Intervention Programme (DIP), for those seeking to be first responders in cases where individuals seek revenge on those who had hurt them physically.

“A lot of people estimate the murder rate in Barbados [will] reach upward to 60 by the end of the year. We are going to do what we can do in our very small way to make sure it doesn’t get past 45. We may not have any total control over that, but we are going to get directly involved,” Lane said.

He was speaking to the media at the presentation of $17, 700 from the Barbados Cultural Organization UK.

Lane revealed that the NFR had reached out to victims of violence as well as gang members who wanted to retaliate against those responsible for inflicting injury on them.

“We had two cases this month where a guy was chopped up, and we know once they recover they are going to go back with people and they are not going to stop until they kill the other side.

“One of the things these guys don’t do – we recognized this from prison – is think of the consequences and the ‘after’. I work with a lot of them in prison who say ‘I should have, I could have, but I can’t’ because they are incarcerated or their life has gone down the drain. So what we want to do is show them these consequences, bring them up to the ranch which is therapeutic in itself,” he emphasized.

The participants of the programme will be taught, by ex-gang members, conflict resolution and how to create harmony between feuding gangs.

Lane reiterated that gun-related violence needed to be promptly addressed, and he said it was the responsibility of not only the Government but also civil society organizations.

“We have to roll up our sleeves if we really want to tackle this problem. It has to be tackled in the short term, in terms of the court system, the bail and the other things the Attorney General is working on; in the medium term, in terms of programmes like the ranch and the Scouts and the Church; and also in the long term when we are looking at working with the schools and the parents. . . . We can’t do it alone but we will do the part we can do.”

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With five months still left in the year, Barbados has already recorded over 1 400 fires. And Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson is urging Barbadians to insure their homes.

Speaking at the launch of the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) Community Risk Reduction Programme in Bush Hall, St Michael this afternoon, Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard disclosed that from January 1 to July 15, 2019, fire officers responded to 1 778 incidents, including 1 473 fires. In 2018, there were 1 850 incidents, including 1 687 fires.

[caption id="attachment_305192" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson (centre), Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard (left), and member of the Roving Response Team Ricardo Patrick (right) during today’s launch.[/caption]

He said although he was pleased with the overall decrease in incidents, he was worried there were still too many fires in a country so small.

“I will bring the statistics closer to home and inform you that the parish of St Michael continues to be the frontrunner with reference to having the most residential fires. In 2016, out of the 80 residential fires, St Michael accounted for 40; in 2017, [there were] 30 out of 78; and in 2018, 30 out of 72. Thus far for 2019, we have recorded 40 residential fires, out of which 14 were in the parish of St Michael.

“I truly hope that 2019 is a turnaround year, not just for this parish, but Barbados as a whole,” he said.

Maynard noted that, unfortunately, three people lost their lives to fires in Bush Hall in 2019 – one in Kew Road earlier in the year and more recently, a mother and her son in Alleyne’s Land.

He reminded householders that items and practices in the home were responsible for fires, including fans, extension cords, leaving computers charging, cooking when tired, and even having a cigarette in bed.

“There are tragedies such as these that reinforce the importance for us to be here in the community with you today, spreading the message of fire safety and community resilience as we continue to bridge the gap between residents and First Responders,” the Chief Fire Officer said.

“We can no longer have you, the residents, ignore the magnitude of the dangers that are not only within the confines of your homes but also that surround you, such as overgrown grass, old wood, mattresses and other disposable refuse that persons accumulate around the home; many of these things, once ignited, can easily spread to your home and the homes of your neighbours.”

Minister Hinkson, while delivering the featured address at the launch, made the call for householders to ensure their residences have insurance coverage.

He said his investigations revealed that some insurance companies offered coverage for a chattel house, for example, for just over BDS $300 per year.

“As human beings, we do not have the full capacity within ourselves to stop a tragedy from occurring. We can, however, put the necessary measures in place to reduce the likelihood of such tragedies taking place. We can create a level of resilience among our people, a resilience that is needed within our communities as we seek to make ourselves fire-smart and disaster-ready.

“Each individual member of the community is duty-bound to be disaster ready through early preparation and stocking of essential supplies. We cannot and must not await the imminent arrival of a disaster to prepare,” Hinkson said.

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This country’s Town and Country Planning  Department has come in for scathing criticism from social activist and Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong who is charging that the integrity of that organisation is in question.

According to Comissiong, the manner in which the Town and Country Planning Department handled the permission process for the proposed Hyatt Hotel project in Bay Street and more recently the Blue Horizon Project in Worthing, Christ Church, shows glaring discrepancies that the organisation should be made to explain.

Comissiong was referring to the decision to award permission to the then proposed 15-storey Hyatt Hotel without requiring town hall meetings, something that is now required for the Blue Horizon Hotel, which is five storeys less. Comissiong still has a legal challenge lodged in the High Court to the permission signed off on by the then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart.

Speaking at the town hall meeting at Accra Beach Hotel on Thursday night called to discuss the construction of the Blue Horizon Hotel, Comissiong made it clear that he was no fan of beachfront development, while noting his concerns with the perceived inconsistencies with the Town and Country Planning’s application process.

“My position should mean something for the Town and Country Planning Department. But I have to say that I have serious concerns about the integrity of a Town and Country Department that can come here tonight and say that a town hall meeting, such as this, is a necessary component for processing this application for planning permission for this hotel on the landside of the beach that is ten storeys high, when three years ago they gave permission to build a hotel on the beach of Barbados 15-storeys high without having a single town hall meeting,” said Comissiong.

He added, “To compound the issue they were prepared to go to court to say that they had done nothing wrong. So, I have serious concerns about the integrity of such a Town and Country Planning Department.”

The attorney-at-law challenged the entity to be transparent in the current processing of the Blue Horizon Hotel application, warning them not to take the public for a ride on this occasion.

“The Town and Country Planning Department needs to really tell this audience this exercise is part and parcel of an Environmental Impact Assessment that they have ordered the developers to do. If that is the case, they need to be very clear what are the studies that they have instructed the developers to carry out and how and when the result of those studies are going to be shared with the public of Barbados,” he said.

The CARICOM ambassador further noted, “We need to be serious. Don’t take us through some mock sport exercise with public relations people to tell us a lot of foolishness. Come with facts.”

Earlier, owner of Cheffette, Asad John Haloute, whose Rockley branch is in close proximity to the proposed project, revealed that he was denied permission for a beachfront satellite to his restaurant and it is therefore a case of what is good for the goose being good for the gander.

He made it clear, “If they put one there, I want one too.” 

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A mother of three who is on the verge of being thrown into the streets is making an urgent appeal for assistance.

Late Thursday night, a tearful 41-year-old Germaine Felix told Barbados TODAY that coupled with struggling to feed and clothe her three children, aged 17, nine and eight, she has been asked to leave the house she has been renting at King Street, The City, by the alleged owner because she owes several months rent.

The St Lucian-born woman said she has visited the Welfare Department several times asking for financial  assistance to rent another home, but her efforts have not yet been successful. However, she indicated that the department has assisted her with foodstuff in the past.

[caption id="attachment_305203" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Germaine Felix has already started packing her belongings in boxes.[/caption]

Felix admitted that she was unable to pay her $800 monthly rent and other bills since the father of her two younger children, who signed the contract to rent the house, left days after they moved in on March 1, and had not been giving her any money to assist with running the household.

Felix explained that she worked for just over BDS$100 per week as a cleaner and that was simply not enough to meet the needs of her family.

She said that though she knew she was wrong for owing the rent, she asked the landlord for more time to allow her to find some place to go.

“I ain’t got no where to go. I would like a little help from the welfare. I just want to move out because I don’t want to see these people in my face every minute so. If I could have moved out by myself I would have moved out. But I am pleading with welfare to just give me a hand, but I getting a hard time. I just with my children and just sucking salt with them,” she said.

However, Felix said she felt as though she had been living a nightmare over the past few weeks, since two people claiming to be owners of the property had been visiting the house frequently asking her to leave.

She said their visit just after 6 a.m. on Thursday morning led to police having to respond to the location after they allegedly forced their way into the house when she opened the door and started to order her to leave immediately.

“They barged in the house and break the key out the door, I don’t have no keys for the door now,” she said.

She indicated that she was told she would have to leave the house that same day.

When Barbados TODAY visited the location on Thursday night, a woman who claimed that she was the owner of the house was sitting in a car with other individuals. The woman said she was the owner of the house and that she wanted Felix to leave since she was living there illegally.

Barbados TODAY contacted Francina Springer whose name is listed on the contract as the landlord and she indicated that the persons who went to the house “have no right there because the house belong to me”.

“But she has to get out because she is not paying rent. But I will speak with Cheryl concerning that because that is not Cheryl’s house. My husband give me that house. I give her a letter to leave and I drawing up another one with the lawyer to evict her because she is not paying any rent. I can’t have her in there living free like that all the time. She paid rent in April; she didn’t pay in
May, June and July. She and gentleman move in and she should have moved out with the gentlemen,” Springer said.

Felix said she has been trying all avenues to get help, including going to Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Neil Rowe, who wrote a letter to Chief Welfare Officer Deborah Norville.

In that letter, Rowe said Felix expressed concerns that she was denied assistance for her children from the department.

“Ms Felix stated that the welfare officer had agreed to grant temporary assistance for her two children. Ms Felix further stated that she received a telephone call from welfare officer Ms A King, stating that she cannot receive the assistance anymore because she is not a Barbadian citizen. I am kindly requesting your intervention to have her matter investigated,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Felix argued that she could not understand why she could no longer receive assistance from the department, since she has immigrant status since 1995, all her children were born here, and she was in the process of waiting for her application of citizenship to be processed by the Immigration Department.

Felix’s 17-year-old son said he was concerned that the situation was affecting him and his siblings. The teenager lamented that his mother was not refusing to leave the house; she needed to find somewhere to go first.

“I need this lady to understand that it is not a problem with quitting. We just need more time. We are in the process of leaving already. It ain’t like we putting up a fight. She keep coming here keeping noise. It is hard on my mother,” the teenager said.

A neighbour stated that he was fed up with the situation, especially because children were involved.

“She really needs the help,” the neighbour said.

When Barbados TODAY contacted the father of the two younger boys, he said he was unable to assist Felix financially since he was not working.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affair Cynthia Forde promised to contact the Chief Welfare Officer about the matter. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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Hundreds of retrenched public servants have received help from the Household Mitigation Unit established during the initial stages of the Barbados Economic Recovery Transformation (BERT) programme, as well as from churches and corporate Barbados, but many of them are still finding it hard to cope.

That admission has come from special advisor to the Prime Minister on poverty alleviation and sustainable development goals, Corey Lane.

Speaking at a press conference at his Letchworh House, Garrison, St Michael office, he noted that approximately 550 retrenched public servants had so far benefitted from the assistance offered by the Household Mitigation Unit, and some of the former government employees had secured employment in companies such as security firm G4S and Productive Business Solutions (PBS) which hired 40 individuals. Sixty-two workers were also employed in the Ministry of Transport and Works’ cleaning programme.

Lane pointed out that most of the 1 100 workers retrenched under the BERT programme were women and 62 per cent were breadwinners in their households.

And he expressed concern about the psychological effects the layoffs were having on some people.

According to him, over 100 people had received therapy from Network Counselling following the job cuts and several of those had extended their therapy sessions.

He said some of the retrenched workers were also unable to process their job losses.

“We are socialized and cultured to get that good education, to get that good government job for security….We are reaching out to the retrenched workers and lots of these workers say ‘all I want is back my job’ . . . . So we have had to engage in career counselling to get people to understand that there is life outside of the public sector and there is life outside of a government job,” Lane said.

“I am extremely pleased, particularly with the churches who stepped forward for our high-priority cases.”

He also expressed concern about the hundreds of Barbadians he said were “slipping between the cracks” and living below the poverty line.

Lane noted that the average pensioner receives $4 500 a year, which puts them below the poverty line.

He further pointed out that given the increases in the cost of water service, food and transportation, some people were barely able to keep their heads above water.

The social activist added that the desperation of citizens was evident, as there has been an increase in people going to the social services seeking assistance.

“Barbadians are known to be a proud people…and that is why when I see more people coming and stepping up for assistance that I know it is really bad, but where we can help, let us help,” he said.

Lane stressed that the Government was doing its best to address the plight of these Barbadians, but also urged citizens to be their “brother’s and sister’s keeper”.

“What we are finding is that there are a lot of people slipping through the cracks….I have received priority cases and special cases where some people in Barbados are really living below the poverty line,” he said, adding that a study is needed to give a true assessment of citizens’ living conditions.

“The 2020 study on living conditions must be done and that must be used then to actually improve on the policies that we currently have,” Lane contended.

“People out there are suffering, people are going to bed hungry, people have floors that [are] falling in, there are still a lot of pit toilets . . . .I want Barbadians to send forward their experience, send forward the information and suggestions so that we get this not just right but we get the best policies at the best costs.”

Lane also noted that some citizens were not financially literate and strongly advocated for a financial literacy programme to be accessible to ordinary Barbadians, especially those living in poverty.

“Something like budgeting that we need every day, we don’t know anything about….A lot of us are financially illiterate. One of the things coming out of the Household Mitigation Unit that I learned, is that a number of persons were given gratuity and severance and within several weeks they were in trouble because they ran and paid off their loans and then they were scared because they had cash flow problems, and this speaks to financial literacy.”

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The establishment of too many hotels on the south coast could damage the country’s marine environment, a local advocate has warned.

Public Relations Officer of the Future Centre Trust Kammie Holder sounded the alarm and condemned developers of the Blue Horizon Project and others for failing to adequately engage members of the public before moving forward.

Delivering the weekly Astor B Watts Lecture at the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) George Street headquarters, he said Thursday night’s town hall meeting at the Accra Beach Hotel’s conference room did little to allay the fears of people living near the Worthing, Christ Church development.

“It is very disheartening that you would invite people to a meeting yesterday to hear on the news today that that project would be started in month’s time. It was a waste and a total insult to the people of this country and it is totally unacceptable,” said Holder who argued that ‘over-tourism’ could have a destructive impact on the cleanliness of the country’s oceans and the marine environment.

Numerous residents voiced their unhappiness over additional traffic, the removal of a key path to the sea and the proposed size of the structure and mounted an online petition on website change.org named “Keep the Sea Window at Accra/Rockley Open”.

Holder agrees with residents and is calling for Government to enhance opportunities for public participation in decisions that will affect their quality of life.

“We need effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings including redress and remedies with the aim of safeguarding rights and health and a sustainable environment for the current and future generations,” said Holder.

“We must take a stand in this country that we must preserve our beaches and access to our beaches for future generations. We will have a problem of ‘over tourism’ very shortly in Bay Street,” he added, making reference to the proposed construction of Hyatt.

In his address to DLP faithful at George Street, Holder suggested a greater tax burden be placed on cruise ship visitors to assist with the preservation of the environment.

“If you want to come and enjoy the sea and sand, pay for that,” he declared.

“It’s interesting that when the US Embassy increases the cost of a visa, we mumble and grumble but we pay, but when it comes to protecting our environment and coming together as a region to protect it we are divided.”

Holder also predicted that things would get worse as a result of pollution and over fishing and called for greater steps to curb the practices.

“People laughed at me when I said flying fish would become a scarce commodity, but dolphin is next. We have already lost sea eggs because of pollution from the land…Fishermen are also catching some very young dolphins and nobody seems to care.

“Other Caribbean countries have an ‘off-season’ where some species of fish cannot be caught for a year or so to replenish the stock. Nothing like that happens in Barbados. We are complacent and have too many people sitting in positions who have to be shaken up. The country needs to be shaken from top to bottom,” said the activist. 

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An environmental advocate who worked closely with Government on its ban on single-use plastics is pleading with the Barbados National Standards Institute (BNSI) and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy to also prohibit all harmful plastic alternatives.

Public Relations Officer of the Future Centre Trust, Kammie Holder made the call on Friday as he insisted that despite the challenges the current ban faces, it should not be derailed.

Policy makers have been silent ever since a report emerged that some alternatives to plastics contain high levels of fluorine which reportedly poses a threat to consumers’ health.

While the environmental advocate could not speak to the dangers of consuming fluorine, he said that amid the safety concerns, the country’s regulators should compile a list of safe plastic alternative products, and ban all others.

“The Barbados National Standards Institute should get involved and should get a list of acceptable alternatives. It is as simple as that,” he contended, as he also expressed concern that the agency, which is charged with regulating products for consumption, might not have the necessary staff or the technical know-how.

“They really need to step up to the mandate. They need to step up to the plate and be more visible in terms of educating the people on what is acceptable and what is not acceptable within the country.”

Holder suggested that, until Government gets its act together, Barbadians should use household containers to store purchased food.

“I remember many years ago, as a child growing up, we would normally take our own milk bottles to collect milk, and not so long after that people would have taken their own food containers for black pudding and souse. There are already establishments in this country giving a discount of 50 cents and even a dollar to bring your own containers, so we need to reinvent ourselves.

“If you go to the UK, today as we speak, you can bring your own container for your vegetable oil, peas, sugar and flour, because that is the way most supermarkets are going. You have to bring your own containers,” he highlighted.

Holder was also adamant that the ban on plastics, which came into effect at the start of July, should remain in place.

“Government has acted in the best interest of the country and I have full confidence in the Minister of Maritime Affairs because we are always in discussion on these issues,” he said. 

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