HER stories are heartbreaking, but her resolve is limitless.

Sophia Pereira is one of a unique group of people in Barbados who wants to make a difference in her community.

The Barbados Advocate caught up with Pereira in a Wildey warehouse as she assisted organisations – the Living Room Church, TRL Haiti Development and United Caribbean Trust – with their relief efforts for Dominica. In March of this year, the young woman started The Limitless Care Charity, which is devoted to helping less fortunate children in Barbados. In her charity, she along with eight to ten volunteers provide food hampers, school supplies and toiletries. She said she has always helped people on her own, but she decided one day to make it official by starting the charity.

Over the past couple of months, they have helped about 20 families across the island. The head of the charity explained that many of these families, in some cases, are only covering their utilities and they are unable to afford the basic need of food. Also, the children in these families often do not have the necessary school supplies and shoes.

Pereira said the charity depends on donations from the general public and she highlighted aid from corporate entities and their staff members as well as religious organisations like St. Paul’s Church. Presently, through herself and the charity’s Facebook page, they are asking for a donation of non-perishable food items, toiletries or financial aid. She is also seeking volunteers to come on board to assist them in anyway possible.

Pereira can be reached via Facebook page, The Limitless Care Charity or via phone 832-2624 or 549-0820.

Barbados needs a new indigenous business sector.

This is the belief of Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, who delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony of the National Youth Consultation yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).

“I always say that Barbados needs a new indigenous business sector. The only way that we are going to be able to solve some of our economic challenges – the major ones – is for a revitalisation of the indigenous business sector in Barbados.

“We have to create more indigenous businesses that have a regional and global reach. We can’t do that without the brilliance of you the young people of Barbados. We have got to have dynamic thinkers, persons who are willing to risk investment or to get investment to propel their development in Barbados and beyond,” Lashley stated.
This is especially important considering that this country is a small island developing state with limited natural resources, and therefore, the importance of human resources takes on even greater significance.

“You have a role in our economy and you have a role in how Barbados fits into the global arena. Barbados is indeed a very small, open economy. We have not over the years – not only over the last ten years only – we have not over the years done enough to restructure our economy. Many of the challenges that we have [include] challenges of productivity, challenges of making Barbados work, being business savvy. Barbados has vastly got to become a country where things happen quicker and there is a much more efficient utilisation of our time and resources,” he told those present.

He added, “Communities have now become the bedrock of creativity. Entrepreneurial activity must now be led by young people. We need to have more entrepreneurs who are young people, but who are not [just] satisfied at opening up a shop and doing nails and having a few customers from your gap.

“Why can’t you be a global nail technician? Why can’t your market be the Caribbean? Why don’t you think of using mobile technology to get into other markets? There is no longer a restriction on markets as we have had in the past. Global technology and digital platforms have created virtual markets’ entry and therefore, tonight, you can talk to your counterparts in Germany, in Japan, in Russia, in United States.”

President of the Clement Payne Movement, David Comissiong, says Barbados should be a society in which disabled citizens take first priority.

However, he lamented that “far too often in Barbados citizens who are most in need tend to get the least assistance.

“We should make the effort to make sure that these citizens get what they need to enable them to function as efficiently as possible in our society. And economic hard times should never, never be a reason for cutting back on assistance or provision for citizens in need.

“We must always insist on Barbados being a humane and civilised society and therefore when things get hard and sacrifices have to be made, you find other areas in which to make sacrifices, but you never sacrifice the welfare of citizens who are vulnerable or who are most in need of the society’s assistance,” he stressed.

Comissiong’s comments came as he addressed yesterday’s press conference where he and attorney-at-law Edmund Hinkson jointly presented a cheque in the sum of $2 500 to the Barbados Association for the Blind and Deaf at the Clement Payne Cultural Centre, Crumpton Street in The City.

Hinkson was Comissiong’s lawyer in the case which he brought against the Minister of Immigration, the Attorney General and the Chief Immigration Officer last year whereby preventing government from imposing the Immigration (Biometrics) Regulations 2015, also known as the fingerprinting regulations.

Hinkson explained that the money given during the press conference was a portion of the legal costs awarded when the case was won. He said the day’s presentation was a fulfilment of a decision taken that any legal cost awarded would be given to charitable organisations.

The Director of the Council for the Disabled further said that prior to Wednesday, some of the funds awarded were presented to the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society (BVHS) by the President of the Clement Payne Movement.

President of the Barbados Association for the Blind and Deaf, Elviston Maloney, who was on hand at the Clement Payne Cultural Centre, thanked Comissiong and Hinkson for their generosity. He pointed out that money will be used for the Association’s educational programme, which was started back in 2011.

Has the role of public health inspectors in Barbados changed?

This question was posed by Barbados Labour Party representative for St. James Central, Kerrie Symmonds, as he joined the debate on the $4.6 million supplementary which will go towards the government’s debushing programme.

Acknowledging the vexing challenge of landowners not keeping their lots clean, Symmonds stated that the answers to this problem have already been outlined last year, noting that the cost to clear these properties by government can be affixed to the delinquent owners land tax bill.

However, he stated that there is also the challenge of enforcement.

“If we accept that all of the negatives can flow from these overgrown lots and if we accept that we are not going to look for millions every year in order to maintain Barbados in a satisfactory state, then we have to be doing some enforcement along the way and some preventative medicine will have to be applied.”

He recalled the days of public health officers coming around from house to house, ladle in hand, and noted that while he is unsure of officers traversing his own neighbourhood, he has not been made aware of any large scale work in the constituency which he represents.

“That is not to say they are there and not doing work.

The question I want to ask is how many do we have? How are they employed across Barbados, in each constituency; how many are at working on any given day, attached to whatever polyclinic or where their base is? Has there been a change from how the public health inspectors would have operated 20 years ago and how they are operating now?” he queried.

“These are things we have to talk through. If there is that there has been a shift in thinking and policy...if it is that changes took place, let us not cast aspersions at who made the change, but let us look and see whether those changes were sensible and whether they fit for the purpose that faces us today.”

He lamented that the challenge of overgrown lots are not being solved out of the pockets of private landowners but on the backs of taxpayers, who are saddled with the bill.
(JH)

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dr. Denis Lowe believes that just as landowners are being urged to keep their lots clean, so too should Government as it relates to lands owned by the Crown.

He was speaking in the Lower Chamber on Tuesday on a supplementary for $4.6 million to meet the cost of government’s debushing programme. Dr. Lowe agreed that the penalties should be stringent enough to cause discomfort to those delinquent landowners

“I am calling on the relevant ministries to go and clear the lots. Because you can’t have one rule for the Medes and one for the Persians. And if poor people are being asked to clear their lots, I believe the government should be asked to clear theirs too and perhaps the debushing programme will assist in that regard,” he said.

Minister Lowe conceded that the Drainage Division is need of more manpower, but does not subscribe to the view that Barbados is a flood prone country because of poor sanitation.

“That is not really the case. Barbados is a low-lying State. It is part of the small island developing states that is plagued by low-lying conditions, that when you have an appreciable amount of rain you can expect some level of water settlement.”

He said there is a big difference between water settling in areas and flooding. “It is not accurate to say that Barbados has become a flood state because of poor sanitation and the lack of clearing drains. That is not a reflection of reality. Because we had about 60-plus cases of water settlement in Barbados in the last rainfall as a result of Harvey... and in some cases before the Drainage Division could get to the complaint the water dissipates. Obviously the drainage systems that Barbados has are systems from the 60s and 70s and were not designed to accommodate the kind of pressures that they feel now,” he said.

Minister Lowe noted that a study was laid in parliament and identifies the realities about the volume of waste in the country, which is linked to consumption patterns and associated packaging.

“Yes it is true to say that many residents are not careful enough to make sure that they appropriately discard their waste, but a lot of the things that affect communities in terms of illegal dumping are not happening by the communities themselves. It is happening by individuals who are coming through and pelting off stuff and there is dumping up the elevations and that dumping comes down the draining system... to create problems for communities.

“So let’s not blame the SSA – the SSA is doing an exceptional job in keeping this country clean in spite of the pressures it has gone through,” he said.

He also added that commercial entities are currently getting free garbage collection which may soon become a thing of the past. (JH)

Young people must play an active role in helping to find solutions to the various social, economic and political issues that Barbados is currently faced with.

This is according to Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, who delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony of the National Youth Consultation yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).

He said that they do not have the same time period that those who went before them would have had to find these solutions.

“The current issues that we face whether they relate to climate change issues, whether they relate to economic, social, political sustainability, these issues are real and we don’t have the luxury of time as our predecessors would have had to solve current-day issues. The current problems that we face, whether it is a problem of crime and violence in our communities, can be tackled by using alternatives to solving challenges that people have.”

Lashley therefore told them that rather than complain about how bad things are, they must advocate for change and bring some of their ideas to the table on how these matters can be resolved.

The Youth Minister said that these include how the Government can more equitably distribute its resources, so that the citizens of this country are on a more even playing field socially and economically, which is all part of fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals.

“These are the issues of you, the young people of Barbados; the issues of the public service – how we can better channel scarce resources to persons in need. Your goal would be not just observing what is going on, you have got to step up and be a part of solutions and while young people are agitating for change and I embrace that. It is very important to agitate for change, (or) as people say complain.”

He added that the important role of the youth has also been mentioned by the UN. “In wishing you every success in your deliberation today, let me remind you that sustainable development benefits all people now and in the future. In fact, young people have been described by the United Nations as the ‘torch bearers’ who have a central role to play in the successful implementation of the sustainable development goals. Today, as you seek to explore some of the conditions of our development in light of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is important that you do so against the background of our National Youth Policy, and against a framework that reflects our cultural heritage and our economic realities, and one that provides a strategic framework for youth development in Barbados.”

Staff of the state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corpora-tion (CBC) are off the job, with no indication given as to when they will return.

This was confirmed in a statement released to the media yesterday evening by trade union representatives of the workers, the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU). According to the Executive Assistant in the BWU’s Marketing Department, Sindy Green, the workers are on strike and the Executive Council is expected to meet soon to give full endorsement to and support for the strike action. At that time, the Council is also expected to decide whether the strike action is to be escalated.

At the root of the matter is the issue of pay increases. The BWU representative says that CBC, which operates several radio stations and the island’s lone television station, agreed to pay increases in a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, but has subsequently reneged on the deal. Reportedly, only some workers received their increments.

“This is the second occasion in recent times where a statutory board, having agreed at ministerial level to pay increments to workers who have not had their performance appraisal system put in place, refused to pay those increments or has decided that it will only pay the part that it finds convenient; the other board, being a neighbour to the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, the Barbados Water Authority,” Green said.

Both of these matters are under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour. In the latter matter, workers of the BWA were off the job for a week early last year, protesting over increments owed since 2006. At that time, they garnered support from other divisions of the Union including the Barbados Port Authority Inc. and the Grantley Adams International Airport.

Eddy Abed, President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), has made a call for regional governments to enforce their building codes or that all properties are insured.

This is coming against the backdrop of the recent hurricanes that have devastated the islands of Barbuda and Dominica with property loss in the range of 90 per cent.

In his opening remarks at the BCCI luncheon at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, he indicated, “In the recent hurricanes, building were no match for nature’s fury. It is incumbent on regional governments to ensure that the quality of structures meets a mandated building code. Equally if there is not an enforced building code, then there should be a national requirement that all properties are insured to mitigate the downside risk when major hurricanes strike.

“As of today in Barbados, we have been lucky to avoid any major hurricanes for over 60 years, but meteorologist tell us it will only be a matter of time, and with the level of destruction so austere, it is time for our governments to enforce the building code and or mandatory company insurance.”

The President added, “In a national disaster, our main foreign exchange earner tourism would most definitely be negatively affected if a hurricane strikes, but there are other influences now that can impact tourism as well such as crime… Some persons in Barbados are fearful of attending events where there are crowds.

“Crime is affecting the way of life of some of our citizens, it will only be a matter of time before our visitors are affected… What has taken us decades to build could be destroyed in months.”

Abed acknowledged that solutions are not simple or not one dimensional, and as such he suggested an introduction of a two-year mandatory youth service for school leavers not attending a tertiary institution where they can learn skills that can make them more employable.

He also indicated that it is the responsibility of parents, guardians and the state to provide direction and guidance. However he added, “Businesses have a role to play in growing the economy to ensure there are employment opportunities for the next generation of Barbadians.”

The President also observed that the last decade has seen the collapse of economies in the West, and noted that the economies in Barbados and the Caribbean have lagged, but he warned that we need to improve the ease of doing business, work ethic, and competitiveness, etc.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the Chamber, Abed expressed condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the recent hurricanes that have severely impacted our brothers and sisters in the region. (NB)

It’s hypocritical!

This is what Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite had to say about those members of the legal fraternity who have publicly spoken out about accused Acting Senior Superintendent of Police, John Mark Annel, being able to secure bail in a matter of hours after being remanded to jail.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday night, Brathwaite said the only way the police officer would have gotten into Court, was because an attorney-at-law made the representation.

“There is nothing wrong with that,” Brathwaite declared.

“It has happened on many occasions. Urgent applications happen on many occasions in this country. So if what you are saying is true, then it is hypocrisy. They all know, like I do, that in fact urgent applications are done to judges in chambers continuously,” Brathwaite added.

On Monday, Annel, a veteran police officer with 37 years’ experience, appeared in the District A Magistrate Court to answer to six charges in relation to the possession of ammunition between August 3 and September 20.

The 56-year-old Kenrick Hutson Drive, Lucas Street, St Philip resident, was granted $150 000 bail in the No 1 Supreme Court on Monday evening, hours after Magistrate Graveney Bannister remanded him to HMP Dodds until October 23.

Yesterday, President of the Barbados BAR Association, Liesel Weekes, issued a press statement which indicated that the highly publicised bail application on behalf of Annel to the High Court, and the public interest it generated, requires an explanation from the Association.

Weekes said the fact that Annel was able to secure a bail application before the High Court on the same day he was charged is permitted by the Bail Act, is proper, and should be the norm rather than the exception.

The statement read that by section 4, of the Bail Act Cap 122A of the laws of Barbados, everyone charged with an offence is entitled to bail. That entitlement is subject to certain other conditions set out in the said Act.

The starting point is the entitlement. Implicit in that entitlement is that a person charged with an offence is entitled to be brought before a Court properly empowered to hear an application for bail, as soon as reasonable after being charged.

Section 5 (4) (d) of the Bail Act states that only a High Court Judge can hear and determine an application for bail made by a person accused of an offence under the Firearms Act. Magistrates are therefore not empowered to grant bail for those offences. Consequently, when a person accused of committing an offence under the Firearms Act is brought before a Magistrate that Magistrate advises the accused that he has no power to grant bail and remands the accused.

She said there is no automatic transfer or scheduling of a bail application before the High Court. Weekes explained that the better course to be taken should be that when the person is charged under the Firearms Act, they should be taken immediately before the High Court to have their Bail Application dealt with instead of the wasted step of
appearing before the Magistrate.

“What can potentially happen is that a person without the resources to apply to the High Court may be on remand immediately for firearms charge without appearing as of right before a court of competent jurisdiction to consider an application for bail.

“This is a situation that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency as it concerns the liberty of the individual and affects their constitutional rights.

“This is a matter that is capable of being resolved easily, either by restoring jurisdiction to the magistrates to hear bail applications for persons charged with firearms offences; or alternatively making it mandatory that the persons once charged, is taken before a High Court Judge instead of a Magistrate,” Weekes said.
(AH)

Youth interested in knowing more about the tourism industry, as well as those seeking out various career options in the sector, had the opportunity to meet with industry
experts who could ably assist them during the recently held Tourism Career Showcase.

Held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre by the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA) as part of the activities for Tourism and Maritime Week 2017, the Tourism Career Showcase was well attended, as students from secondary and tertiary level institutions and youth in general explored the various booths set up, to highlight such areas as culinary tourism, agro-tourism, adventure and leisure tourism, cultural heritage tourism, community tourism and business tourism, to name a few.

BTPA Guest Experience Manager, Marsha Alleyne, told The Barbados Advocate that the showcase was designed to be a unique one, where persons would witness firsthand what the tourism industry offers.

“This showcase really and truly is an initiative that came out of the BTPA. One of our admin assistants, Chanique Morris, came up with the idea of doing a showcase, but not just a regular showcase where it is a talk shop, but an actual physical, very interactive showcase where people can actually touch, taste, feel, and understand from a completely different (view) what the tourism industry actually brings,” Alleyne stated.

“We have been saying over and over again that tourism is a very inclusive industry, and I think in this showcase we are demonstrating the inclusivity of it .You will see education, you will see the agricultural sector, you will see the entertainment, the culinary sector. Of course the hotels and attractions are also here as well, but tourism is a very diverse and very dynamic industry and we really and truly wanted to showcase it from a completely different perspective, and that’s what you are seeing,” she added.

Admin Assistant with the National Tourism Host Programme, Chanique Morris, meanwhile noted that her vision was to create a direct linkage between the present generation and the tourism industry.

“Tourism is our industry and I wanted really to get the school children aware, to get them educated about what the Barbados tourism industry has to offer and what careers are available to them. So in my mind, I wanted to create a centre for networking so that they can speak to the experts in the industry, to get the path on which to go down, to get to that particular career in which they are actually interested,” she commented.

She further added that there were various human resource managers on hand to point youth in the right direction about various jobs available at present within the tourism industry.

Chairman of the Men’s Educational Support Association (MESA), Grantley Osbourne, is lamenting that there are certain “pillars” in society that are broken and need to be fixed.

His comments came during a recent open discussion put on by his association at the St. Michael School.

Osbourne revealed that the meeting, which was held under the topic “Restoring the Broken Pillars in Society”, was meant to address the issues currently plaguing this island. He highlighted that the pillars which were broken included the school, religion, family, independence, love and the justice system.

“MESA is somewhat concerned about the issues prevailing the society and therefore we decided to have a discussion and see if we can come up with any solutions because there are some broken pillars in society. These pillars are important because they stand for support and they must be strong in order to hold together a building or society,” he said.

He revealed that they plan to document certain issues that were highlighted during the meeting and use them as guidelines when they submit their findings to the various governmental agencies.

The session was conducted by Tony Cave; and he addressed what the pillars of society are, why these pillars were broken, who caused them to be broken and what could be done to restore these broken pillars.

For Cave, one of the major broken pillars was the educational system.

“I think we are faced with a very brutal irony in Barbados. Over the past 45 years perhaps, we have collectively devoted enormous resources to the education of Barbadians,” he said.

As a result, he believes that this has bred a sense of entitlement in this generation, who are now not willing to fight for their own aspirations and goals.

The Chairman went on to note that MESA is currently trying to get a building to teach boys skills, such as how to repair simple household items, but the association has not yet been able to get a building from the government.

Kiwanis South President, Zelma Daisley, proudly announced that she was able to accomplish the goals she set out to undertake during her presidency of the year 2016-2017.

Her comment came as she addressed the club during the President’s Awards ceremony, which took place at Southern Palms Beach Club on Tuesday night.

“As I stand at the podium this evening, I remember the words that I said October 1st, 2016, at the Installation ceremony and October 4th at the President’s Conference and I am proud to say that I was able to live up to the meaning of the acronym – PRESIDENT, that I shared with you at the Installation ceremony, and I did fulfil three of my goals for the year 2016-2017,” she said.

Daisley commended her members for being extra supportive during her presidency and for allowing her job to feel less like a job, as she was able to have fun leading the club and interacting with all committee members and chairpersons.

She revealed that the South Club had an extremely busy year as they “hit the ground running” on October 22 with a project at a day nursery for the Kiwanis One Day Project. She noted that they attained their success to the 20 Ks that were on the job that day.

Additionally, she believed that the annual Independence hampers was the project with the best preparation as they were able to pack all of the hampers in two hours and get them distributed in a timely and efficient manner.

“The Blood Drive in January 2017, a new project front by us, was also successful and took about five hours. Thank you fellow Ks, the public and the Caribbean Broadcasting Co-operation for making this blood drive a success. We were able to donate over 40 pints of blood this year,” she beamed.

Daisley also commended the dedication of the drivers of the YWCA Breakfast and the YWCA Thursday and Sunday feedings through the hotels. She noted that because of their efficiency and consistency, they were able to continuously provide this service to those in need; and for that, she was extremely grateful.

The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), along with the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), has issued a warning of action that would be taken if the issue surrounding the “unfair dismissal” of a Clerk-Typist at the St. Leonard’s Boy’s School is not resolved soon.

While not going into detail on the exact action that would be taken, BSTU President Mary Ann Redman told the media yesterday at that union’s headquarters that they would be giving the Board until the end of this business day to respond to the concerns that they would have raised before deciding on the specifics of the action to be taken.

She stated that the matter surrounded the Clerk-Typist, who was employed at that secondary school in that position as a temporary worker for three years until she was “unfairly dismissed” on the 31 of August, 2017.

She would have filled the position that was left by the former Clerk-Typist, who would have left that role to take up a teaching position and she would have performed well in that position, which was demonstrated in the verbal praise and letters of recommendation that was attributed to her by former members of staff and Board members.

During a meeting with the Board on the 11th of September, they had three former Board members who were a part of the BSTU delegation that would have spoken on her behalf.

Redman said that the position remains vacant and there is work that needs to be carried out and the terminated employee is capable of carrying out those duties.

However, what concerns them the most was that no legitimate reason was given for her termination and that the process involved was in itself “illegitimate”.

“Her position was ended, her job was terminated with no reason given to her. She received a letter on the 29th of August by the new Secretary Treasurer. That Secretary Treasurer did not comply with the legal and accepted process in seeking the approval of the full Board to discontinue the contract. So not all of the full Board members were made aware of or gave their consent to terminate the contract. This makes the letter of termination in itself illegitimate because the process used was not correct, it was not legitimate, it was not what forms a custom procedure.”

She also made it clear that they have gone through all of the proper channels to get this matter resolved and to no avail, hence the need for action to be taken by their unions.

“Now we pointed this out to the Board in our meeting, which I referred to on the 11th of September; we told them that the process did not conform with what was legitimate, what was required. When we wrote to the Board on the 13th of September, we pointed that fact out and again in our last letter of the 22nd of September, for the third time we pointed that out to the Board; that the process that they used was incorrect and therefore, it made their letter of termination null and void. At our meeting on the 11th, we also indicated that their action was wrong because it amounted to unfair dismissal and that is in keeping with the definition of unfair dismissal as outlined in the Employment Rights Act.” (PJT)

SCORES of people who attended a consultation to discuss the decriminalisation of marijuana in Barbados made clear their belief that it is time for Barbadians to be able to use the substance without fear of running afoul of the law.

Many, including members of the disabled community suffering from various health issues, declared that they were tired of the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs and called on local authorities to make the move to legalise the use of the marijuana plant for medicinal purposes.

However, Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, who delivered remarks at the opening of the consultation, made it clear that he was still holding the position that any move towards decriminalization should be made from an informed position. He said Barbados must know exactly what is being decriminalised and that must be followed also with serious educational content.

“The health minister in Jamaica in April this year is quoted in one of their newspapers as saying that they have seen a 50 per cent increase of young persons attending public health institutions with health challenges since they decriminalised small quantities of marijuana.

“So it has to be, if we ever go in that direction, or when we go in that direction, that it has a very strong public health message…,” Braithwaite said.

The event, which was hosted by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Regional Marijuana Commission-Barbados National Commission at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Wednesday evening, saw members of the public, including lawyers, contributing to the enlightening debate. They spoke not only about the medicinal values of marijuana, but also about the economic benefits it can bring to Barbados’ struggling economy.
One such speaker, Colin Roach, stated that he has conducted research which has shown that at least 5 000 products can be created from the marijuana plant. Roach said while Barbados is evidently strapped for cash, “we need to return to something that can create some finance for us”.

“Cannabis would be a blessing to Barbados. We have farmers around, we have the African Heritage Foundation that is involved in agriculture. If you decriminalise it, it means that you are still going to have some level of control on it.

“Stop speaking about smoking because everybody doesn’t smoke. In the years when cannabis was rampant, it was about commerce and building homes, building ships, it had nothing to do with smoking,” Roach said.

“Don’t let us allow people to spread this propaganda and put it in our brains that it is as a result of smoking. It is about commerce and we need that commerce.

“I would suggest that Barbados become a little more educated, historically, about cannabis and let us try to advocate for the total legalisation of it so that the farmers and so on can get an opportunity to have an industry that they can make products,” Roach continued.

A household name in Barbados’ disabled community, Bonita Phillips said she has been a strong advocate for medical marijuana because she has multiple sclerosis and has learnt that the medication that is being offered to her is causing her “more damage” than good.

Phillips argued that the she is currently suffering from the side effects of prescribed drugs, and noted that “a lot of us have died because we were taking pharmaceutical drugs which they tell us can kill us and yet we have such fear in using God’s gift to us which man has made illegal”.
“I would like to advocate very strongly for medical marijuana. I would say that any drug we take can damage us, but I don’t know of anybody who can be damaged from marijuana.

“I have advocated, to both [political] parties, for medical marijuana because we are spending so much money in bringing pharmaceutical drugs which didn’t necessary help. I am going through, for the first time, a really bad patch where I could sometimes hardly manage my speech…,” Phillips said. (AH)

BARBADOS is set to get a spanking new four megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant.

The $24 million facility, for which permission has already been given, is to be located on 12 acres of land at Maynards, St. Peter. The project is to be undertaken by Enermax Limited, a 100 per cent fully-owned Barbadian company.

The plant will combine solar PV electricity production and agriculture, producing both solar electricity and agricultural products.

Hallam Edwards, Chairman of Enermax Limited, and his son Carlos Edwards, who is the Managing Director, told a news conference yesterday at the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, that the annual electricity output will be approximately 6.4 million kilowatt hours, saving over two million litres of fuel and will be enough to power over 2 000 homes.

Edwards, a professional engineer with extensive experience in power generation and energy, said that once in operation, the annual dollar value of
the kilowatt hours saved will amount to some $4.4 million.

Enermax is a power plant which has built solar PV installations for residential, commercial, and utilities customers, as they plan to do with the new project.

He said that the panels to be built will number 13 500.

“As far as the ownership is concerned, our company Enermax Limited is a 100 per cent Barbadian-owned company and we have discussions going on with some possible financiers at the moment, including two entities, both with substantial resources, who have expressed an interest in the project,” said Carlos Edwards.

“As far as the design installation is concerned, we will deal with the entire project which is design engineering and procurement installation and operation of the plant,” said Hallam Edwards.

Referring to the dual role of the facility where there will be electricity production as well as agricultural output, Edwards said that this was done to overcome a situation where space is limited and the usual reluctance by the authorities to give permission to put in a PV plant in an area used specifically for agricultural purposes.

“So therefore we have looked carefully at that and considered how we could satisfy both requirements,” he explained.

“Therefore the objective that we have now with this dual role is that the first thing that we do for any given area is to maximise the amount of electricity that can be produced in that area, and thereafter when that is defined, we will try to maximise the amount of vegetables and fruits that can be grown on the same area,” Edwards explained.

There will also be energy storage in the form of batteries which will be charged by the same solar panels.

“We are discussing this with the Barbados Light and Power. The stored energy will be used to smoothen the fluctuations in the electricity output due to the changing cloud cover,” he added.

“Barbados’ tourism industry is set to record a third consecutive record-breaking year with respect to long-stay visitors.”

So says Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, as he addressed yesterday’s Astor B. Watts Lunchtime Lecture Series at the DLP headquarters in George Street, St. Michael.

“Visitors arrivals were 632 000 in 2016 – the first time the county has seen over 600 000 long-stay visitors on the island. The first eight months of the year has recorded an increase in arrivals of 8.5 per cent and there is nothing to suggest that we will not finish this year in that vicinity,” he said.

“The performance did not occur by accident,” Sealy highlighted, “but by deliberate programmes initiated by agencies falling under the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, in particular the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc., The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority.

“The Medium-Term Growth and Developmental Strategy 2013-2020 targeted a growth rate of between 3.0 by 2018 and to 4.0 per cent by 2020. These targets, as noted in the document, represent the minimum growth that the country would not want to fall below, but would want to surpass even if consideration is given to economic cycles. It is expected that if this growth is to increase and remain sustainable, then it will have to be private sector led with a major focus on investment and exports.”

He highlighted, “Tourism is perhaps the only industry in Barbados which has been competing on the world stage. The Tourism Industry serves as a major catalyst for the development of other economic sectors with a high economic multiplier effect, affecting industries such as construction, distribution, transportation, textile, agriculture, and fisheries sectors and other service industries insofar as they supply goods and services used in the Tourism Industry.

“In Barbados, in particular, the linkages are extremely important due to the current low performance of the industrial sectors. In addition, Tourism contributes to the cultural industries through the production of art and craft, which have high domestic cultural value, in addition to increasing job creation and foreign exchange earnings.

“In contrast to other industries, particularly the high-tech industries and related services, the number of potential work opportunities generated by the tourism industry – both direct and indirect – is enormous.” (NB)

ONE international hotel brand in Barbados is trying to create an awareness for team members, which will balance work and personal life in a holistic way.

According to General Manager of the Hilton Barbados Resort, George Stanfield, the initiative called “Thrive@Hilton” has been implemented over the last three months and focuses on “body, mind and soul”.

“A lot of times, our work takes a hold of our lives, our personal lives. No time to do things well like (creating) good physical energy, eating well, (spending) time with the family. What the company has done, one, be aware of how the world is headed, keep that in mind and allow hotels now to engage more with the team members and being aware what is happening with them, with their families, their health, time off, overtime, everything that may affect them due to work environment and a stress environment,” said Stanfield.

He added that as a General Manager, he and his colleague, Director of Human Resources, Cheryl Corbin, will play a more integral part in the health of their team members. He explained that they can make adjustments to their team members’ work schedule, assist with health management and promote better eating in the hotel.

Meanwhile, Corbin gave more details about the initiative, adding that “when our team members thrive, we as a company thrive as well”. She said that there is a focus on the family and the individual, and there will be activities which take care of the body, mind and spirit. On Thursday at the Hilton, some 18 team members were treated to a yoga session, which will help them holistically.

Additionally, she also revealed that staff can learn new skills and gain qualifications at the Hilton University. The university works with established and accredited universities to provide training. Other elements of the Thrive@Hilton initiative includes team members experiencing the hospitality as guests at other Hilton hotels globally through reduced rates. Corbin added that this week, team members from USA, Aruba, and The Bahamas are visiting Barbados for a management training programme called ‘Elevate Three’ and they were invited to join Barbados in their Thrive@Hilton activities. Four hundred and ten local staff members will participate in the programme, which was launched globally in July of 2017.

Blockchain technology, digital currencies are here to stay. So says Parliamentary Secretary in Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Senator Jepter Ince.

He delivered opening remarks to a large audience on Thursday at a Bitt seminar entitled, ‘Central Bank Meets Blockchain’ at the Hilton Resort, where he explained, “Blockchain technology and digital currencies are here to stay therefore at this juncture, we need to look at how best we are going to go forward in creating the type of financially viable economies that are necessary if we are going to go on the path of restructuring, diversifying and creating the type of economic growth that is necessary.”

The Senator added, “Blockchain technology and digital currency have created some conversations that are very positive and some that are negative. I’m on the side of the positive conversation, if we are going to have any economic impact as far as international business and asset management is concerned. Blockchain technology, at its bedrock, is digital currency and the way in which that is going to impact on our daily lives and the way we look at how best we are going to structure our businesses. I’m confident that today, just as what happened back in 1791 when 24 young men established what we know today as the New York Stock Exchange, that this occasion speaks to change.

“The reason why I say that is that coming out of this meeting, we can say that on the 28th of September, just as what happened in 1791, that we can say today a group of persons with like minds at this meeting came up with an accord to embrace not only Blockchain technology, but the bedrock of digital currencies … and coming out of that we can think about a digital currency. We should be able to put our thoughts together to what are the possibilities of establishing a CARICOM digital currency that can go parallel with the Barbados dollar as well as the Eastern Caribbean dollar.”

Ince questioned, “What is the value of the Barbados dollar based on international trade? Looking at the five baskets of currencies, what is the value of the Barbados dollar within the basket of currencies? But when you look into that basket, you do not see a Barbados dollar, there has to be a conversion rate, that is you have to convert Barbados dollars to US dollars if you are going to carry out international trade like any other currency or you convert the Barbados dollar to the pound sterling or to the Japanese yen. So what does the Blockchain technology present? It presents an opportunity for us to now create an environment where we can say this is an EC dollar or this is the Barbados dollar running against a digital currency in the blockchain that is parallel and that can have positive implications... I am confident that it is here to stay and I want to publicly thank all of those that are involved with the technology.” (NB)

Leveraging Blockchain technology can lead to economic transformation in the region. This was the assessment made by Timothy Antoine, Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).

While speaking at a Bitt seminar entitled, ‘Central Bank Meets Blockchain’ at the Hilton Resort, he highlighted, “I do believe that Blockchain technology inclusive of Financial technology (FinTech) provides enormous opportunities for our region for economic transformation. Sure there are risks, but none of us lives in a risk-free world, so we need to identify those risks and manage them and that is what the conversation is about.

“I want to hail the pioneering efforts of Bitt in the area of FinTech and the initiative to organise this very timely conference. The fact that this conference is sold out speaks volumes to the public’s interest and the curiosity on this issue.

“My simple hope is that we broaden the conversation, strengthen our collaboration as we deepen our understanding of financial technology, in particular Blockchain and its powerful promise for our region... In advancing this conversation, we are confronting the tension of judging too soon and deciding too late.

Of course that is a perennial leadership challenge, however, given the economic conditions of this region at this time is a challenge, we need to change. The ECCB accepts this challenge, cognisant that our Bank can and must influence the adoption speed of FinTech innovation in the region and our disposition as a bank is to support and encourage innovation while keeping the financial system safe.”

The ECCB Governor indicated, “Several Central Banks have begun to experiment with Blockchain technology, for example in Canada and Singapore... To leverage Blockchain for economic growth and transformation in our region, the ECCB will support the development and deployment of all applications, but we are particularly interested at this time in the opportunities of issuing a digital currency, payment and transfers and KYC utilities. At present, the ECCB Central Bank is engaged in active discussions with Bitt for a pilot in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union… Like all technology adopted by the ECCB, this Blockchain platform will be subject to rigorous testing to determine its sustainability for broad-based implementation.”

He acknowledged, “One of the challenges with the adoption of FinTech, specifically Blockchain in the region, is regulatory support. Despite its benefits, FinTech poses considerable challenges to regulators. The rapid entrance of FinTech start-ups is expanding the amount of service providers that need oversight by financial sector regulators. Furthermore, existing financial institutions are increasingly partnering with FinTech… The Central Bank and other regulators have to figure out what exactly is that business and where it should be regulated. You don’t want to overregulate, but you don’t want to have such a light touch because we have the responsibility to protect the safety and soundness of the financial system.

“However, I am quite concerned that in 2017, a significant portion of payments in our region are paper based, on average 70 per cent – that is way too high.

“It is high time that the region uses smartphones smartly. If the penetration rate is over 100 per cent, then surely we need to make smarter decisions with our smartphones. We use foreign exchange to purchase them, it is time that we use them to make foreign exchange, by using them to sell services.” (NB)

THE Barbados Revenue Authority has issued the land tax bills for the financial year 2017-2018.

Director Shared Services (Ag.), Sonia Jones, explained that this year, property owners will be receiving a new-look mailer, which combines the Property Valuation Notice and Land Tax Bill.

“This new mailer looks a bit different, however, it features the combined information for both of the previous documents,” she noted.

“The front of the mailer contains details pertinent to the valuation inclusive of the owner information, details on the property which was valued and the improved values of the property, as well as billing information relating to that property such as the tax due, the discounted amounts and the discount deadline dates. The back of the mailer contains objection and payment information.”

Pointing out that there are four grounds for objection, Jones stressed that if a taxpayer was not in agreement with any of the details listed on the mailer, they should contact the Authority as soon as possible.

“All objections must be made in writing to the Revenue Commissioner within 30 days of the issue notice and those taxpayers who have objections will be entitled to their discounts,” she said.

“The areas for objection relate to the values shown being either too high or too low; the person named in the mailer is not the owner of the land; the land which had been valued separately should have been incorporated with other lands or the land which had been incorporated with other lands should have been valued separately.”

The issue date for this year’s bill was September 25, 2017. This means that taxpayers will benefit from a ten per cent discount if payment is made in full within 30 days of the issue date of the bill.

Payments can be made at the Authority’s Treasury Building, Weymouth Corporate Centre, Warrens Tower II, Oistins and Holetown locations. Cashier hours for the Treasury Building and Holetown are Monday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., while the other locations are 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.