Co-ordinator of the NUPW Education Outreach School (NEOS), Jeffery Broomes, has expressed his gratitude to the NUPW for their continued support.

His comment came as he delivered a few remarks at this year’s graduation ceremony of the NEOS that took place at the NUPW headquarters on Saturday evening. He noted that in a time like this, when there is so much industrial conflict, the NUPW was showing the heart of the Union.

“We’re not just here keeping noises, but we’re doing things for people and there is nothing you can do better for anyone but do some good for the children; and to my mind the NUPW is doing an exceptional job,” he said.

Broomes went on to say that they had a wonderful year at NEOS, with approximately 22 children attending their lessons on a weekly basis. He explained that the lessons were not an expense to any of the children and highlighted that the only thing they told parents was to make sure the children were on time and had a pencil and eraser and they provided everything else.

Broomes noted that this year’s graduating class gave of their best and worked hard. He expressed that he was proud to have had a student, Ayanna St. Hill from the Hindsbury Primary School, receive 100 per cent in English and explained that he was proud of her because this was the first time in his 24 years of teaching that he had a student receive 100 per cent in English.

The co-ordinator added that he planned to start restructuring the lessons for next year’s group to ensure that the students receive as much help as they need and are able to understand what is being taught.

He also revealed that he spent the past few years working on a teaching book that was designed to further assist students in their studies. He expressed that he was grateful for NUPW as they assisted in the publications of the book and revealed that upon publication of the book, the students of NEOS will be able to receive a free copy.

The president of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) and past president of National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Cedric Murrell has made an appeal to retired teachers.

Murrell’s appeal came as he delivered a keynote address during the graduation ceremony of the NUPW Education Outreach School (NEOS), which was held at NUPW’d headquarters. He urged the retired teachers to follow the example of Jeff Broomes, a retired teacher who dedicated his time to teaching young students on Saturday mornings.

The president’s address was appropriately themed “You are the Potential World class Opinion Shapers and Leaders” as he spent 30 minutes delivering words of encouragement to the graduating class.

“I think that it is important for us in these challenging times for young people, to provide them to some extent with our advice and council as to what they can be in life,” he said.

He told the young persons that even though they were young, they had the power to be opinion shapers.

“You exist in a society and I’m sure that you are influencing your peers and the people in your schools. Influencing in terms of the example that you set and the outcome that you desire. So don’t ever feel that your opinions and what you do does not matter,” he said.

He lamented that as they set foot in their new schools in September, they had the power to do the best that they could and encouraged them to put their best foot forward.

Murrell congratulated the graduands for their achievements and the grades that they achieved in the 2017 BSSEE and commended them for dedicating their Saturday mornings to be able to learn and gain knowledge.

“After going to school from Monday to Friday and coming here on Saturdays, that shows me that you are interested in your own development and at the same time that you understand and appreciate the benefit of finding yourself in a position that you can improve your knowledge and understanding,” he said. (CLF)

The Bridgetown Port’s Main Gate was demolished yesterday to make way for a new modern gate facility. The Main Gate was officially commissioned at the opening of the Bridgetown Port May 1961, and yesterday morning’s activity represents the passing of an architectural baton from one era to another.

According to Captain Karl Branch, Divisional Manager Corporate Development and Strategy (BPI), the 56-year-old gate represented a piece of engineering mastery at the time. “The grand old Main Gate was the largest covered concrete free standing gate facility on the island. Its design was grand as it was to be the face of Barbados welcoming millions of visitors and it has served us well over the last half century.”

Branch said that the gate had to be replaced in the interest of safety and operational advancement. “An upgrade was necessary due to the increased volume of taxi and pedestrian traffic traversing the port. The old gate accommodated one main road for entry, one for exit and an emergency exit road. The new main gate, estimated to cost approximate BDS$1.1m will retain these roads, but will also have dedicated pedestrian and taxi lanes,” he said.

The new gate will be a two-story facility as opposed to the current one story and will be covered by a canopy that offers protection from the elements. This affords officers the ability to conduct their duties outside irrespective of the weather conditions.

The ground floor will offer an open foyer to facilitate direct interaction between the public and cruise passengers and port security, police and customs. The upper floor will contain operational sections for all agencies supported by technologies for information systems, communications, monitoring and surveillance of the environs and approaches to the gate.

ADC Building and Maintenance Ltd is carrying out the construction work which is expected to be completed in 18 weeks.

Public access to the terminal will now be via the Cargo Gate. The Cargo Gate is accessible from Harbour Road via the road leading to BICO Limited. It is expected that with the increased flow of passengers and visitors added to cargo traffic that there might be short delays at the gate. However, BPI has put measures in place to mitigate these delays. A map of the new traffic flow with directions for persons using the port will be available on BPI’s website.

The annual summer camp for children in Barbados living with Type 1 diabetes – Camp Pride kicked off yesterday at the Springer Memorial Secondary School.

Speaking to The Barbados Advocate ahead of the Camp recently, after the church service to mark the start of their annual Camp Pride week at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the President of the Diabetes Association of Barbados (DAB), Trudy Griffith, said that the Camp is geared towards explaining the condition that they have to them and educating them on the steps that they can take to protect themselves – from a dietary, exercise and medication point of view.

“Camp Pride is in its 15th year this year and it is really geared towards children who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and you want them to appreciate as they grow up, how to take care of themselves because one of the concerns when the child has been diagnosed with diabetes is... Yes, the parents are going to do what they have to do but when that child is at school, that child is now essentially on their own, only with support from parents remotely and from teachers on site. So the child needs to be a bit more involved then and they have to be aware of what is going on with their bodies so that they can articulate to their teachers, their classmates and their friends ‘this is what is going on with me and this is where I need help’”.

Here these youngsters will learn about meal planning, where the children actually get involved in preparing their own meals in accordance with what their dieticians have recommended and conversational maps, which is an interactive tool where the participants learn about what diabetes is, how it is managed, what happens if things go wrong, what treatments are available in terms of managing diabetes among other things.

Catering to children from four to 14 years old, it is a one week whole day camp that culminates with a cook off on Saturday where the children showcase what they have learnt.

This year they will be catering to 20 children.

Approximately 15 to 20 per cent of the adult population here is known to be living with diabetes.

This is according to President of the Diabetes Association of Barbados (DAB), Trudy Griffith, who spoke to The Barbados Advocate last Sunday after the church service to mark the start of their annual Camp Pride week at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church.

“The official statistics show that approximately 15 to 20 per cent of our adult population are known to be living with diabetes. That is one-fifth, so that gives us maybe approximately fifty thousand people,” she stated.

Furthermore, the statistics on the number of children in Barbados living with diabetes is not as forthcoming. However, what they do know is that presently, there are 75 children registered in one of the programmes that they conduct for children living with Type 1 diabetes.

“Our statistics are not as accurate as it relates to children, but we do have a sponsored child with diabetes programme where we offer support and advice to children who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and currently we have somewhere around 75 children registered in this programme. Those are known cases and known to us,” she explained.

One of the risk factors for diabetes is obesity and being overweight. Griffith stated that she cannot provide statistics on the percentage of children in this island who are obese, but stated that there is a clear sign that some of these young people are not getting the daily recommended exercise of 60 minutes per day as can be seen in their body size.

Furthermore, if no action is taken in this regard, this country could be facing some serious issues.

“No they are not. I think that our rates of obesity are the highest that they have been ever … and it is really quite frightening because we are looking at an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes in children if we do not reverse the trend. There is a link between obesity and Type 2 diabetes,” it was further noted.

Answering a question from this newspaper with respect to a recent article where the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joy St. John, spoke about the high percentage of persons drinking fizzy drinks, the DAB president stated that she is not in a position to confirm or deny these statistics, but what their association does recommend is that people read the labels on foods and drinks before they purchase them, so that they do not exceed the recommended amount.

“We do recommend that people read the food labels of their packages before they buy them or consume them because you need to know how many carbohydrates is in your meal, so that you can make sure that you are not exceeding the recommended amount.”

Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones is making a call for children not to misuse their cellphones and other electronic devices.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony over the weekend for the students who were part of the St. Philip Primary Schools Lessons Assistance Programme run by the Democratic Labour Party’s constituency branch, Minister Jones, pointing to the proliferation of such devices among young people nowadays, maintained that it is imperative that they utilise them for good and not for bad.

“These [devices] can be used to get on to the Internet to help you do your school work, to communicate with your teachers, your peers etc, they are not to be used out there taking pictures of students involved in bad behaviour or fighting. They are not to be used, as some adults use them now, to take accidents and place on Facebook or Instagram or things like that. They are to be used for positive development of yourselves and of your family,” he said.

Jones added, “And don’t show off either because your mummy may be able to afford a more sleek looking tablet or laptop than someone else. You have to be magnanimous, selfless in your approach to the vulnerabilities, the weaknesses, the imperfections of others. It is understanding the kind of circumstances that affect others and how you can demonstrate sympathy and empathy to those persons, that really tests who you are and what you are.”

His comments came as he reminded the students that to whom much is given, much is expected, and he therefore urged them to give of their best as they embark on their secondary school lives. Moreover, he told them to disabuse their minds of any ideas that they are to be undisciplined in secondary school, contending that nothing could be further from the truth.

“They somehow believe ‘man we grow up or we are going up, I am a big boy or a big girl now so we can do as we like’; that is not true. If you are a decent, well disciplined, mannerly, well behaved, learned student at the primary level, you should carry that right through your educational journey particularly at the secondary school level where you are now meeting so many different persons from all walks of life in the same classroom and the school,” he said.

With that in mind, Minister Jones encouraged those present to be leaders, not followers, and in those efforts to set high standards for others to emulate. (JRT)

The Music and Literacy Programme of the Erdiston Special School at Pine Hill, St. Michael, is well on the way to achieving enhanced literacy and learning for students following a donation of funds and equipment from Republic Bank.

The donation will also assist with curriculum development and the provision of a dedicated space for the development of reading skills at the school which presently serves 66 students, including 55 boys and 11 girls of primary school age.

Long serving Principal, Mrs. Cheryl Forde, said the School catered to a body of challenged but gifted students facing a variety of special needs conditions. She noted that as she approached retirement after 43 years in special education, she was thankful and encouraged that the School would be well cared for through its continuing partnership with Republic Bank.

The experienced School administrator said the Music and Literacy Programme was based on the principle of using music to deepen the learning environment in a literacy classroom. She said that the School reached out to Republic Bank for assistance in acquiring various pieces of equipment, including drums and percussion instruments, keyboards, steel pans, recorders, other wind and brass instruments, and twirling ribbons and batons. For the Speech Programme requirements included, augmentative and alternative communication devices; Lakeshore headphones with eight-station junction box; a listening centre, reading activity centre, and Sesame Street puppets.

Michelle Pounder, Republic Bank’s Senior Manager, Administration and Operations, made the presentations which were accepted on behalf of the School body by Principal Forde, and Head Boy, Wesley Linton.

Pounder said the donation and Republic Bank’s ongoing sponsorship of the Erdiston Special School was part of the Bank’s Power to Make a Difference programme – embodying four pillars including caring, helping, learning and succeeding.

“Republic Bank is pleased to partner with Erdiston Special School by providing equipment needed to support the education of these very special children, and we are delighted to see the progress that they are making. This is what our Power to Make a Difference programme is really about and we look forward to working with this dedicated group of teachers and caregivers to ensure that all our children can learn and succeed,” Pounder said.

It’s time for you to rise!

This was the message to the people of Eden Lodge from United Progressive Party’s (UPP) candidate for St. Michael North Maria Phillips during the launch of her campaign on Sunday evening.

Under the theme Empowering Families to Build a Nation, the attorney-at-law said it is her view that “when the tide comes in, everyone rises.”

She said her plan includes building communities to have more than tuck shops, but to implement community programmes to ensure small businesses can grow. She also outlined work being carried out in schools on conflict resolution. She said joblessness is a major challenge facing communities and lambasted Government for not creating opportunities, not just in skills training areas but in emerging areas of the economy.

Phillips also outlined the need to take justice from the Courts, saying justice needs to go back to the community. To this end she said Justices of the Peace would be trained to be peacemakers in the community.

The candidate also highlighted the need for ex-offenders to be given a second chance.

“We need programmes that would help ...so there are no second offenders in the community. These are all things that belong to the community. In order to build the nation, we need to build the communities,” she stressed.

Meanwhile UPP candidate for St. Michael West Central Herman Lowe believes that organising residents in communities into cooperative frameworks is one way of ensuring income revolves in those communities.
Lowe, a consultant at the economic and social council of the UN since 1998 says blocks are commercial areas and attempts must be made to build the entrepreneurial capacity. He said while school is preparatory, it is not sufficient to enhance the skills of persons in the community.

Lowe who is the spokesperson for agriculture stressed agriculture is the future of the country. To this end he suggested the establishment of green houses and the need to provide access to capital to assist entrepreneurs.

Young mother Neesa Reid made her way to the podium with her two-year old son Kellan Harris. Placed in the “not voting” category, she said through her interaction with the UPP she is considering running on a UPP ticket.

She urged the youth of Barbados to take greater control of their lives rather than Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. “If I’m not getting involved it means I am leaving my future up to other people and no matter what decision they make it affects me and my child in the long run.”

She also denounced the selling of votes. “Selling votes is like selling your child’s future.”

“This party about empowering people, especially young people..I want to thank UPP for giving this opportunity to show young people have a voice and understanding we just just need wisdom imparted on us, so we can make informed decisions and move forward in this country. The future I see in Barbados is a future of unity and progression.”

“I would like everybody to come on this journey of change. There is nothing greater than being a part of something great from the inception and that is why I am here today,” she said.

Meanwhile UPP candidate Paul Forte described the NSRL as the “National Starvation and Retardation Levy.” “A lot more persons are engaging in criminal activity because they cannot find work. And they can’t find work because people can’t employ them because people can’t get money because taxes are too high. You have businesses on the verge of bankruptcy,” he lamented. (JH)

POLITICAL leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Lynette Eastmond has spoken out against the contentious issue of vote buying in Barbados and says she wants no part of it when the bell is rung.

She was speaking in Eden Lodge on Sunday evening in support of UPP’s newest candidate Maria Phillips who will be coming up against Ronald Toppin for the St. Michael North constituency.

Eastmond in a fiery presentation told the modest crowd: “I have no intention of seeking to buy any vote in the next election. Buying votes is against the law. Receiving bribes is against the law. I have no intention of anybody seeing me jucking $200 at anybody and the next thing you see me with my hands behind my back going in a prison van.”

“It would happen to members of the UPP and for years people have been doing it and nothing ain’t happen to them. People have seen them committing the offence of bribing the elector and for some reason they have never been arrested and they have never been charged.”

“So at the beginning of every election in Barbados you have a crew of people who say that they want one person or another in Parliament and it starts out by breaking every single election law that you can think of. And they then look at young people and say that they are bad... But what is the example that is shown on the eve of the constitution of a new set of people who will govern Barbados? Every law is broken. Every single law,” she exhorted.

She pointed to the exorbitant cost of mounting a campaign which she says is another way of keeping certain people out of politics.

“Politics has now become the most expensive thing to engage in. That is the other way to keep Barbadians out of politics, you make it as expensive as possible. Everybody to stand a chance must plaster the whole country in posters and billboards... millions of dollars to put paper on a pole to ask you to vote. You should ask yourself why. By the time the posters start going up you know who the candidate is. So why spend all of that money? It is to keep people out,” she argued. (JH)

LAMENTING that some “ordinary” Barbadians are being rejected from political parties in order to reserve spaces for others in the political class, political leader Lynette Eastmond is giving the assurance that all are welcome at the United Progressive Party (UPP) as it fills its slate of candidates for the upcoming general election.

Speaking on Sunday evening the campaign launch for Maria Phillips who will be vying for the St. Michael North West constituency, Eastmond stated that there is a concerted effort to keep certain people out of politics.

“I know of individuals in Barbados, capable individuals, wanting to make a contribution to their country. They would go to these parties and speak to one of the leaders and they would say ‘... I would wish to be a candidate, and you know what they tell you? ‘I don’t really think this is for you.’

“Capable people. People that benefit form the education that you helped to pay for.”

“Because the whole idea is that they are supposed to be a political class and the people in that political class are to protect it for them, for people like them and for their children. The ordinary people of Barbados who under universal adult suffrage have the right to be a candidate are dissuaded from doing so. So when you ask when some of the best people are not coming forward. It is because they are discouraged by politicians from coming forward. Because it is a dirty game.”

“It is designed to keep the people who really care about the people of Barbados out of politics,” she lamented.

Eastmond, a former Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development in a Barbados Labour Party Cabinet also lambasted the state of politics at this time which she says is a deterrent for political hopefuls “because it has become a nasty game”.

Eastmond also told supporters bedecked in bright orange shirts that there are still persons that believe the UPP was started out of spite.

“Do you know how hard this is? Do you think it is easy setting up meetings all over Barbados. It is hard. Where do you get the money from to do it? You pull your own pocket to do it.”

“And you would have a set of ignorant people walking around trying to say you started a party to spite somebody. Well let me say, this song is not about you. This is something that a number of people have been thinking about for years. How do you make Barbados better? How do you get Barbadians to understand that a democracy is about the participation of all the people.”

“There is no way that I can come to Eden Lodge and tell you what is good for you in Eden Lodge without hearing from you. You have to hear from all the people in order to make policy decisions. But unfortunately a lot of Barbadians have been sold the notion that you vote for a couple of people and then you can’t ask or tell them anything, you can’t suggest anything for your community. We want to bring that to an end,” she said.

Eastmond also revealed that the UPP will be advancing a health and wellness policy to be linked with an agricultural policy. This she said would cut down the number of persons having to seek medical care at the hospital. (JH)

THE First Citizens Pan Fusion has become one of the highly anticipated events on the Crop Over calendar. The production, which took place at the picturesque Ilaro Court, was used to pay tribute to late musician Adrian ‘Boo’ Husbands. His wife Anthea and son Kyle were on hand to enjoy the festivities.

In the ‘Chimborazo – A Tribute to Boo’ section of the programme, highly regarded musician Nicholas Brancker was joined by his friends, which included vocal talents like Biggie Irie and Tamara Marshall. Former Coalishun band members Adrian Clarke and Terencia ‘TC’ Coward also delivered hits like ‘Who the Hell is Kim’ and ‘Ting Tong’ in this section. Brancker was reminiscent in his tone as he recapped fun moments with his school and band mate. The musician implored, “It is important that we as a nation make sure that all of those little cubicles of creativity are encouraged because we never know which one it is that is going to carry us forward. We can’t feel that we know, we have to let them do whatever they do and get to the point where they are actually manifesting their dreams.”

Those who made up the band were the ‘who’s who’ of the Barbadian music scene. It comprised stalwarts like Ian Alleyne and Mikey Hulseimeir. It was augmented by the younger instrumentalist trio GP Horns. They delivered some of the tracks that the late tent manager had the privilege of playing on. This included a medley of soca tunes with some popular tracks like ‘Ragga Ragga’ and ‘Something’s Happening’ by RPB, also ‘Iron Bazodee’ by Square One. This piece also included some old school songs, which drew the crowd to the designated dance area.

The next segment saw David ‘ZigE’ Walcott and his band, Azúcar Orchestra, creating a Pan Yard vibe on the grounds. He too reflected on the times he spent with Boo. The pannist shared, “I have a lot of respect and love for Boo.” He credited him with being the catalyst for forging relationships between older and younger musicians.

In his set, the orchestra was joined by the extremely entertaining Dane Gulstone from the Neal and Massy All Stars out of Trinidad. He was dynamic as he moved around the stage and at one point even delivering a song selection with only one hand. Another highlight of this section was RPB joining the star-studded band, which included members of top bands Masala and Two Mile Hill. He had the audience rocking with ‘Boat Ride’.

Lil Rick was next and on his entrance to the stage, he sought to test the skills of the orchestra, challenging them to play some dub tracks, which they expertly did. This was the prelude of a DJ set where he kept the audience jamming in the after-party session, which closed out the event. (ST)

THE Barbados Water Authority (BWA) has done “all that is humanly possible” to avert the possibility of another sewage leak on the South Coast of this island.

However, Manager of the BWA’s Wastewater Division, Patricia Inniss, warned that in the case of unusually high amounts of rainfall, “there was only that much human beings can do”.

“If we have a case where there is not enough drainage of the sluice gate where there is excessive build up of water, which has been the problem, if the gates are not opened and there is not sufficient drainage and then we watch a rising of the levels over hours, that rising eventually will get into the sewage networks, even though we have cleared all the passages,” she told the media, during a conference at the BWA’s headquarters yesterday.

At the end of last year, South Coast businesses and residents were faced with overflows of effluence onto the streets as excessive rainfall damaged a pump and flowed into the collection system.

This pump has since then been fixed and with the regular cleaning of the outfalls and the Drainage Unit opening the sluice gates to reduce any rising levels of water in the swamp periodically, Inniss insisted that what could be done was being done to prevent a repeat of this occurrence and disclosed that a town hall meeting will soon be scheduled for residents.

She further said that in a move to address infiltration problems within the sewer networks, CCTV operators were currently being sent down to look at major areas where there were cracks, so these could be fixed.

“Even as we attempt to block perfectly our sewer network which is a closed and sanitary network, once there are excessive amounts of water on the surface, overtime it will get in the network and overtime the sewer system will act as a drainage system, and then there is the possibility of an overflow. What we have found is that in January this year, where in half an hour we had an overflow in the network, what we are seeing now in four and five hours of rain, our networks are still holding,” she said.

Inniss pointed out simply that as long as the networks became a drainage system and not a sewer system, overflows would be possible.

She therefore pointed out that drainage issues were being worked at in Graeme Hall, Peronne Village and in Bridgetown, noting that members of the public were creating additional headaches for her department and that of the Drainage Unit through indiscriminately dumping materials that blocked the outfall system.

“We have had mops, debris, pampers, needles, ... every considerable item in the sewer network that you can imagine,” she said.

Quick to say she was not assigning blame to anyone, Inniss nevertheless stressed that all Barbadians have the responsibility of maintaining the sewer system. (JMB)

Children who feel loved and cherished thrive.

This was the message Psychologist, Dr. Shirley Malone-Fenner, impressed upon the Barbados National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (BNCPTA) Stakeholders in Education seminar, held at the Infinity Hotel in St. Lawrence Gap, yesterday.

She explained that regardless of socio-economic status, “when children do not hear from their parents that they are loved or if they are never hugged – it is like they are ‘starving’; it is just like you are not feeding the child; they are starved for your affection”.

“Sometimes it is just as simple to start showing and telling the child how much you love them, how much you care about them, how you are so excited about what they are doing in school every day and you are excited for them. Most importantly, you must be honest and do it with sincerity because children will pick up when you are not being sincere.

“You also must be consistent as you don’t want to be a loving parent one day, but someone that is mean and non-responsive the next day… It is giving mixed messages to the child.”

Dr. Malone-Fenner, Director of the Center of Excellence for Military Children and Families, and Co-ordinator/Campus Champion of the Jumpstart at Wheelock Program in the United States, was speaking on the topic “Effects of Psychological Trauma/Toxic Stress on Children: Implications for Parents, Teachers, Counsellors and Policy-makers”.

Looking at Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), the psychologist reminded the educators gathered that sometimes they are unaware of what a child is experiencing.

“Sometimes we make assumptions, but we really don’t know. It could be domestic violence, parental separation or divorce; it could a number of factors that are affecting the child,” she noted.

Dr. Malone-Fenner also pointed out, “Sometimes we as educators have a lot of baggage and our teaching style is often connected to our temperament. But, we have to remember that we are dealing with children and we can’t infer our baggage and our poor temperament onto them. This is very important.”

President of BNCPTA, Shone Gibbs, said there is overwhelming evidence, locally and internationally, that a school does best when there is strong parent-teacher relationship.

“Home and school are the main pillars within education, so it is high-time that educators, parents and society, tear down the artificial walls that exist between home and school, and do everything to promote the harmonious relationship,” he stressed.

“At the end of the day, the key success is really positive parental involvement and this must be embraced and facilitated by all. And I would hasten to say when not demonstrated by parents, agencies with the responsibility must move to hold parents accountable for their role.” (TL)

Any exploration of the waters off Barbados for oil and gas will not put this country’s blue economy at risk.

So says Prime Minister the Right Honourable Freundel Stuart, who noted that as a service economy, any “serious miscarriages” in the blue economy could impact negatively on what the country is doing onshore. He was at the time introducing the Offshore Petroleum (Amendment) Bill in the House of Assembly yesterday morning for debate, which he said is designed to protect the offshore acreage of Barbados.

“Let us not forget, Mr. Speaker, that Barbados is a service economy. We rely very heavily on our tourism and we rely on our international business and financial services sector predominantly to lead this economy. But tourism in particular has to be twined to what we do offshore because if anything goes wrong offshore, given the selling points Barbados has used over the years in its tourism thrust – the quality of our beaches, the sand and the sea and the sun – if anything goes wrong in our offshore resources that can impact on what happens to Barbados onshore,” he said.

PM Stuart made the point as he noted that small countries like Barbados have to be mindful that some things, like oil spills, that would be overlooked in respect of large countries are usually not overlooked in respect of small ones.

“We have had oil spills in large countries, United States of America for example, but when these oil spills have been discussed, they have not been discussed in terms of running away tourists or anything like that. They’ve been discussed in terms of how much the clean up contributed to the growth of output in the American economy… not in terms of the environmental damage, but the clean up, the jobs it created and so on, the circulation of money that resulted.”

He added, “If that happened in a small island in the Caribbean, Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada or whatever, the implications would be completely different.”

Prime Minister’s Stuart’s comments came as he maintained that in the management of the island’s offshore acreage and the management of the licences to those who will explore and exploit the resources therein for the benefit of Barbados, Government has been careful to ensure that all of the possible protective mechanisms are put in place to protect the country. He made the point while noting that to date licences have been awarded for three blocs – two to BHP Billiton and one to Repsol. He disclosed that an agreement has already been signed with the former and they are working towards finalising the other.

He added that as the work was done to get the agreement finalised, Government recognised that the legislation needed to be strengthened as well as made more user friendly and true to life. As such, he said after detailed and disciplined review, and in light of the experience gained in dealing with the first licensee of the first two blocs, the decision was taken that a few changes would have to be made to the legislation, including extending the period within which the licensee would have to provide an environmental plan and environmental impact assessment (EIA) from 90 days to nine months.

He said after the negotiations with BHP Billiton, the designated authority and the officials in the Ministry of Energy, the 90 day timeframe was thought to be too short a period, as to do such work, even onshore, can take longer sometimes more than a year to complete. In addition to the extension of the period within which the EIA is to be done and presented, he said that after each phase of an exploration licence, other than the final phase, the licensee would have to relinquish 25 per cent of the licence area, as opposed to 50 per cent in the original Act.

Meanwhile, he said the third amendment speaks to the change of control of the licensee, which stipulates that such cannot take place without the knowledge and permission of the designated authority. (JRT)

The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB) are not worried about the apparent competition the presence of Airbnb accommodations present.

In fact, speaking during a press conference that was held at the BHTA headquarters yesterday morning, Executive Director of IHB, Gayle Headley-Lowe, expressed that she welcomes the competition.

“In the tourism sector, you should not fear competition. Competition should actually drive you to improve and enhance your product and provide exceptional service to your guests. So we are not afraid of the competition,” she said.

Headley-Lowe noted that Airbnb is just one of the several entities that provided accommodation and noted that there will be several more in the future. She highlighted that their job was to enhance their services in order to remain on the cutting edge.

It was further explained that one of the ways in which you would see the hotels enhancing their services was to close for renovations during the slow period, which was usually during the summer months, so that they were able to work on the products and services that they offer in order to ensure that they were delivering only the best of their services and ac-commodations to prospective guests.

Rudy Grant, CEO of the BHTA, went on to express that over the years, you would see hotels operating on a year-round basis. He explained that one of the things they have been doing is ensuring that even during those periods where you would not traditionally see high numbers in occupancy, they were still able to keep the hotels opened due to the kind of marketing campaign they adapted in order to bring more persons to the destination.

“If you compare our tourism industry to 20 years ago, you would find less hotels actually closed during this period. You would also find that those hotels which actually do close, many of them are undergoing major renovations and what they’re doing is upgrading the property,” he said.

This past weekend was filled with pan events and culminated with the massive “Pan Pun de Sand” on Sunday.

Thousands of people braved the high temperatures and trekked to Brandons Beach for the musical extravaganza. Beach chairs could be seen sprinkled throughout the audience by those who came prepared for the almost eight-hour long show. The Combermere School Steel Orchestra opened the Pan in De Yard segment. They were joined by Tuk Pan on the Move.

In the Bajan Gems section which followed Aceworx Community Steel Orchestra kept the momentum going. Cave Shepherd provided the beautiful designs which were showcased by the youthful models who strutted their stuff on the runway. Upfront were the recent winners of the “Face of Cave Shepherd” Competition.

Tribute was paid to late musician Adrian “Boo” Husbands by the award winning Daryll Jordan Secondary Steel Orchestra, led by Ryan Blackman. They upped the tempo playing hits from across the region. They were joined by Biggie Irie who was in fine voice.

Talented musician Dwight Callender made a solo pan presentation. He provided the musical accompaniment for the skilled Riddim Tribe dancers whose gyrations kept the audiences eyes glued centre stage. Sanctuary also joined him in his set with his extremely popular song “Somebody Pick Me Up”. Singer Nikita also kept the crowd moving as she too accompanied Callender.

The SKF band featuring hometown boy and sweet singing Mistah Dale were also among the line-up.

The highlight for the night was the Mosaic band which boasts of being Barbados’ largest steel orchestra. This band led by David “ZigE” Walcott , literally “upped de ting” when they hit the stage. They were bedecked in pristine white military garb and fittingly started their set with a salute to the crowd. The junior members of the team came to the forefront to showcase their skills during their dance filled presentation. Marzville complemented the set with his waistline movements. The entertaining show closed out just before ten pm. (ST)

Vintage vehicles and Crop Over proved to be a good mix last Sunday when the Barbados Association of Classic Cars held its latest event at Content, St. Thomas.

Hundreds, including several families, came out for the show, where more than 50 Classic vehicles were exhibited on a sunny and breezy afternoon in an event staged in the heart of the island’s biggest Crop Over Festival.

Car enthusiasts , motorsport fans and visitors were among those present and were taken back in time during an exhibition which provided history lessons, an opportunity for old friends to meet and chat, while also featuring a number of cars that were no longer in production.

Among the first-time visitors to such an event were the Belle family from St. Philip (which included mother, Katharine, daughter, Khalia and son, John) and they seemed thrilled to view the range of historic vehicles from close-up.

“We were planning for another event but then we opted for this one and we are glad we came. It is very educational and a good event for the whole family,” said Katharine.

Some of the stand-out vintage vehicles at the exhibition included MGB’s, some 1950’s British-made Morris Minors, a 1954 Ford Popular, a 1965 Ford Shelby Cobra, a 1960’s Triumph, French Citroens, a 1968 Morgan 4x4, and a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon.

Along with the range of vintage cars, the event, which was sponsored by Courtesy Garage and Sagicor General Insurance, also featured music, food and drinks, a jumping tent for children and some thrilling, lime and spoon races, that tested the balancing skills of excited children.

Sagicor General used the occasion to promote its Key Protector Classic & Retro Motor Policy, which Vice-President of Marketing Mark Blakeley, said, was specially created to protect the assets of classic car owners and potential collectors.

“We can say for a fact that our new policy has stimulated the market and there is greater interest in restoring cars and securing insurance for these prized possessions,” said Blakeley.

Courtesy Garage, one of the main sponsors of the show, also used the occasion to showcase a number of sleek-looking Hyundai, Nissan and ZNA vehicles, as well as GoodYear tyres and Tropical batteries.

General Manager, Nicholas Mackie, said his company was proud to continue its support for the show and partner
with Sagicor General, and coordinator George Ullyett, in staging such an event which has become a good educational outing for families. (BB)

Efforts remain in train to make Barbados the most advanced green economy in the Western Hemisphere.

That’s the assurance coming from Prime Minister the Right Honourable Freundel Stuart. Piloting the debate on the Offshore Petroleum (Amendment) Bill in the House of Assembly yesterday morning, the Prime Minister maintained that the Administration, which he leads, is committed to creating “a judicious mix” between the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy in pursuit of that goal. He made the point while reflecting on the several initiatives being undertaken to achieve that, among them the Smart Energy programmes in both the private and public sectors which, he said, are geared towards ensuring that renewable energy becomes the first port of call in creating the green economy in Barbados.

Stuart’s comments came as he noted that while many countries like ours may be tempted to relax their efforts relative to the pursuit of renewable energy initiatives, now that the price of oil has come down, the volatility of the oil market necessitates that they do not. As such, he told the Lower House that Barbados does not intend to drop the ball on developing its renewable energy sector and advancing its energy options.

“Barbados is not going to be caught like the five foolish virgins without oil in our lamps – oil no pun intended – if oil prices spiral upwards again and we have to go through what we went through in 2012 when in one year we had to spend nearly a billion, the equivalent of a billion Barbados dollars on the importation of fossil fuels. There are other things that we have to do with what revenues and what foreign exchange we earn and therefore we have to make sure that we use sensibly, thoughtfully and circumspectly the resources we have at our disposal; resources that are always scarce,” he said.

With that in mind, the PM maintained that Government’s energy policy is very clear. He said the aim is to conserve, practice energy efficiency methods and move “sure-footedly” to the use of renewable energy.

“We ask the House and ask the country to be cognisant of the connection, the organic and necessary connection, between the resources in our blue economy and our idea of creating a green economy here in Barbados… Households, businesses and the Government all should not relax making their contribution to the achievement of these very important objectives,” he stated. (JRT)

Opposition Member of Parliament for St. George South, Dwight Sutherland, is calling for consistency in how various projects are handled in the island.

Addressing the Lower House yesterday during the debate on the Offshore Petroleum Bill, he said that if an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done on one construction project, it should be done on all.

“My difficulty comes when we seek to implement certain projects that are critical to Barbados’ sustainable development, but yet we want to circumvent the EIA studies in certain critical projects. Let me speak to energy – the Cahill project. These are some of the issues that I have with the Government of today, because you cannot come on one hand and speak to EIA being important in one sector and then in another section of Government … seek to circumvent the EIA study,” he said.

He added it was a similar situation with regards to the Hyatt project.

Saying he had no problems with the amendments to the legislation, he did have a problem with the timing of it.

“If these projects are so critical to sustainable development in this country, why then we don’t be consistent in our thinking and in our views and our policies and our regulations as it relates to our sustainable development goals? That is what you ought to do,” he stressed.

Later in his presentation, Sutherland highlighted also said that it was time for Government to rethink the excise tax on gasoline and diesel, saying the prices of these were too high in this country and having an impact on businesses and on the pockets of Barbadians who were already struggling.

Sutherland said the debate must turn to energy in how to change the island into a green economy, focusing instead on reducing the island’s dependence on imported fuels rather than just on increasing these prices at the pump. (JMB)

THE Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB) have pooled together their resources to launch this year’s staycation programme.

Speaking during the launch, which was held at the BHTA headquarters yesterday morning, Gayle Headley-Lowe, Executive Director of IHB, expressed that they were trying to encourage and remind Barbadians to continue to take staycations.

“We know these are hard and stressful economic times, but we’re going to offer great packages for them to vacation in Barbados and enjoy what our visitors enjoy,” she said.

She revealed that their campaign this year was entitled “Staycation the 246 way” and is set to run from July to October 31. She noted that they had over 20 properties participating in the campaign and announced that the rates ranged from as low as Bds$100 to $130 a night.

“You can pay for two nights and stay for four nights, you can pay for four nights and stay up to six nights, or you can pay for two persons and up to four persons can stay in the room, or pay for four persons and six persons stay in the room,” she noted.

Headley-Lowe added that the two additional persons who were allowed to stay for free must be under the age of 16 and persons who were not travelling with children had the opportunity to earn resort credit. She added that the special was for a minimum of two nights stay and reminded that persons would not be able to combine this offer with other hotels at this time.

CEO of the BHTA, Rudy Grant, noted that in 2016, both the BHTA and the IHB offered a staycation programme, but decided to collaborate and pool their resources for 2017 given the fact that there were so many similarities between the two programmes to present a more effective campaign for “Staycation 246”.

“I constantly make the point that Barbados as a tourism destination is to be enjoyed by our visitors and locals. We want, through our staycation programme, to ensure that we encourage more Barbadians to enjoy our tourism industry and enjoy what Barbados has to offer as a tourism destination,” he said.

Additionally, Grant noted that they would also extend a hand to persons of the other Caribbean islands and revealed that they would be able to enjoy lower CARICOM rates as well. He expressed that the launching of ‘Staycation 246’ also complimented CARIFESTA as participants would be able to enjoy these low rates as well. (CLF)