Swimming coach, Adele Price has a big task this summer. She is one of the main instructors working with hundreds of children during the school break at the National Sports Council (NSC) summer camp.

The Barbados Advocate spoke briefly with Price on Wednesday before her training session with local lifeguards. She was one of eight lifeguards participating in a life saving course conducted by Royal Life Saving Society Canada member, Patrick D’Almada. Price is one of five female lifeguards in Barbados.

Encourage all to learn Although she is a proficient swimmer, the coach admitted that she did not learn to swim until she was a young adult and encouraged all Barbadians to learn. She added that the six week swimming camp at NSC is one of the most heavily subscribed programmes. With the NSC, Price noted that in addition to swimming, children have an opportunity to participate in other sports. These include body building, cricket, golf and road tennis. According to the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training webpage, registration for the NSC summer camps begin June 22.

Teaching young and old to swim
As a swimming coach, Price teaches not only young people but older individuals as well. She recalled swimming lessons with a student who was in her 70s. With Price’s patience and commitment, her student not only gained the ability to swim but encouraged her friends of a similar age to learn the life skill.

Years of training
At age 42, Price has worked with the NSC since 2008, and prior dedicated eleven years of her career to the lifeguard profession. Price added she was trained by Head of the Barbados Lifeguard Service, National Conservation Commis-sion (NCC), Dave Bascombe. For this swimming coach with a lifeguarding background, her focus was always different than other swimming coaches.

“My aim was never to get you to the other side of the pool, my aim was to make sure that if you have to stop in the middle of the pool, you will still be okay,” said Price.

The International Life Saving Federation reported that 1.2 million people die by drowning annually which is more than two people per minute. Additionally, of these numbers, more than half of the drowning cases are children. The organisation also noted that infants and toddlers are more likely to drown due to “inadequate supervision, an inability to swim, and lack of barriers separating toddlers from pools and other water”. With older people, the International Life Saving Federation highlighted that their reasons for drowning was related to health problems which cause a loss of consciousness and many not knowing how to swim. Also, the Federation stated that the “high drowning rate of older people may be related to difficulties managing emergency situations”.

With the hurricane season well under way, it is the responsibility of disaster preparedness agencies such as the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) to make sure that the citizens of this island, especially the most vulnerable in the population, are prepared for any impending disaster; and it is a responsibility that they are taking very seriously.

Yesterday, a training session was held for the members of the deaf and hearing impaired community on disaster management. It was conducted by Programme Officer, DEM, Danielle Skeete and included various guidelines, like steps to securing their houses; how to identify their particular neighbourhood’s susceptibility to certain phenomena like flooding or high winds for instance; and steps to better safeguard their property, for example placing more emphasis on securing windows.

They also learnt about the importance of putting together a hazard preparedness plan for their families and how they can involve the whole family in this plan; getting the right type of insurance for homes; the various items that they need to place in their hurricane preparedness kits; what items they can take with them if they have to go to a shelter and the different types of shelters that are in each parish, which includes 21 category one hurricane shelters and 51 category two shelters across the island.

With respect to the shelters, Skeete informed them that they do not need to live in a particular parish to be able to go and seek shelter there. She also let them know that the designations for the hurricanes are different from the designations for the shelters, so while there may be five categories of hurricanes, there are only two categories of shelters.

Furthermore, only the category one shelters can be used during an actual hurricane. The category two shelters are for persons to use after a hurricane has already passed the island, who still need shelter because of some damage to their homes.

In addition to the Government-instituted shelters, the Programme Officer stated that if there are any buildings in neighbourhoods that could serve as a hurricane shelter, people can call the DEM and give them the contact name and information of the owner of that property and a representative from DEM follow-up on whether that property can be made a hurricane shelter.

In this respect, she stated several churches across the country have already let DEM know that they would be willing to allow their places of worship be used as hurricane shelters, and for this she expressed thanks. (PJT)

The Barbados Crop Over Festival remains one of the main drivers for economic growth in the industry; it is with this in mind that the revamping of the festival was done to ensure that it gives Barbados a competitive advantage on the international market.

This comment was made by Minister of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports, John king, as he delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony of Crop Over X-plosion, which took place at King George V Memorial Park yesterday evening.

“Given the precarious state of the Barbadian economy, going forward it will prove increasingly mission critical for us to become less reliant and more self-sufficient, not only within the Festival, but also the sector,” he said.

“With greater reason, we will explore the consistent potential of this burgeoning Festival and the wider cultural creative industries to stimulate the economy and to accelerate revenue generation.”

As the Ministry and the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) strives to grow and redevelop this Festival, King noted that there is a need to innovate and strive to meet the demands of the public.

“In addition to the usual modifications to the concepts or venue changes that allow the NCF to diversify its product offerings from year to year, there are a few significant adjustments to the scope of the 2018 Festival beginning right here this evening with the welding of yesterday’s traditions, today’s technology and tomorrow’s aspirations,” he said.

King revealed that the NCF was poised to commemorate the 45th Anniversary of the Crop Over Festival in 2019, through partnering with the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, with the installation of a techno-interactive Pop-Up Museum.

“The Pop-Up Museum is also expected to anchor the Festival over a three-day period from August 3rd to 5th at Bridgetown Market,” he said.

“The intention is to merge the combined collections of footage, image narratives, sound samples and edited clips from the archival repository of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society onto interpretive panels, bringing them to life.”

Yesterday was the start of the Crop Over Festival Season 2018 and even though some persons were disappointed by the late start, the excitement was still high as several turned out for the season’s first major event, Crop Over X-Plosion.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, CEO of the National Cultural Foundation, Cranston Browne, stated that they chose once again to “lift off” the start of the season in the East of the island as the decentralisation of their events allowed them to spread the spirit of the Festival across the rural communities.

“[It is] a decision that was taken in response to previous stakeholder/public consultations and is something we hope to continue as we extend these celebrations of our cultural heritage into other parishes and rural communities across the island,” he said.

“Indeed, Crop Over is never stagnant or static, it is always dynamic, and growing, and changing, much like the move to rebrand this year’s opening as the First Citizens Crop Over X-plosion.”

Browne noted that this change was not just in the name but in the entire approach.

“It is about accepting the challenge to revisit the concept, embracing the millennial generation with activities that balance our entire edict of preserving our rich cultural heritage, while we draft our new stories and create new traditions,” he said.

“It is about the creation of an event that provides a look back, revering our past, while looking to the present, offering a tantalising glimpse of tomorrow.”

Indeed, even though there were some mild changes to the event, some old favourites such as rewarding and recognising the hard work of the male and female sugar workers remain.

“This year we will honour the outstanding contributions of two workers in the field,” he said.

“The Foundation worked closely with the Barbados Sugar Industries Limited and The Barbados Workers’ Union on the selection process of these two persons.”

This year, the Crop Over 2018 Award for the Most Outstanding Sugar Worker went to Neville Cato and Ernesta Williams. Williams and Cato took home many prizes including $1000 each from the NCF, $250 each from PAS Shipping Barbados, as well as staycations for two at Divi Southwinds, trips for two on LIAT to any of the LIAT destinations and trips to New York for two.

The evening ended with a Big Bang Concert, which included performances from some of the industry’s best performers, such as Nikita, Stiffy, Marzville, Edwin and Lil Rick.

Efforts are on to ensure that the Best-Dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, which officially opened in January of this year, achieves accreditation within its first two years of operation.

That’s the assurance from Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, who said his ministry is working to make that goal a reality. Equally, Minister Bostic said through the laboratory, which is an amalgamation of the Public Health Laboratory, the Ladymeade Reference Unit and the Leptospira Laboratory, Barbados will also continue to offer a wide range of public health laboratory services to neighbouring countries in the Eastern Caribbean.

His comments came as he delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony of a five-day workshop to strengthen antimicrobial resistance surveillance in the Caribbean at the Hilton Hotel yesterday, during which he noted that the laboratory is intended to help Barbados enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of laboratory services.

He spoke to this as he highlighted the important role public health laboratories play in the development of robust antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems.

Minister Bostic made the remarks as he indicated that Barbados is not immune to antimicrobial resistance in the healthcare setting, having experienced a cluster of cases of resistant bacteria at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in 2013. He stated that coming out of that crisis, an institutional antibiotic stewardship policy, surveillance of at-risk patients for resistance bacteria and enhanced infection control were established at the QEH and other public health care facilities in the country.

“The April 2014, World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Report on the Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, showed high rates of resistance in all World Health Organisation Regions to common bacteria that cause healthcare associated and community-acquired infections. The Report also found that many gaps existed in information on pathogens of major public health importance, in addition to significant gaps in surveillance. The World Health Assembly reacted to this latest report by adopting a Global Action Plan on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance in May 2015. Since then, many National Action Plans against Antimicrobial Resistance now exist, including a plan for Barbados, completed in 2017,” he said.

Pointing out that antimicrobial resistance is a serious and growing public health threat world-wide, he lamented that the emerging lack of effectiveness of existing antimicrobials will reduce the ability to help vulnerable persons recover from infectious diseases. Bostic’s remarks came as he said that with only a few new antimicrobial agents being created, the healthcare system can seldom keep pace with the changing resistance profiles of bacteria, viruses and fungi.

“Modern medical and veterinary practice depends on the widespread availability of effective medications to prevent and treat infections in humans, plants and animals. Without them, the ability to fight infectious disease is significantly hindered, resulting in increased cost to the health sector, prolonged sickness and even premature death. This is a critical situation for human, animal and plant health and moreso for open island economies such as ours, that import most of their food and rely on human recreational travel for income generation. Thus, unchecked antimicrobial resistance will have severe negative impacts on individuals and healthcare systems, as well as global trade, agriculture and the environment,” he added.

Given that reality, he said governments as well as regional and international health organisations around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the significant danger that such a problem can pose to modern medicine and by extension the health and welfare of people. With that in mind, he said his Ministry, recognising the necessity for effective multi-sectoral action among all stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, welcomed wide input in the finalised National Action Plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. (JRT)

THE University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, has designed a number of new programmes of study that will blend with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a subject discussed recently at the campus.

The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) teamed up to present the panel discussion at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, on the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Entrepreneurship and Digital Technologies.

Professor Clive Landis, Deputy Principal of the UWI Cave Hill campus, said that the panel discussion fits with the stated vision of the UWI, which is to be a smart campus for the 21st century.

The UWI official said that some of the new suite of courses in Science and Technology being offered by the campus, mesh with the subject at hand.

He pointed, for example, to a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering for Mobile Technologies, noting it is a unique joint venture involving the Global Institute of Software Technologies (GIST) in China. This is a four-year undergraduate programme where students will spend two years at Cave Hill and the other two in China, he explained.

“Our pioneering first year cohort of students will be flying out to China this September, having completed their two years of work at Cave Hill and now embarking on the opportunity to put all that course work in practice in Suzhou, which is China’s Silicon Valley and home to many Fortune 500 companies,” noted the UWI Deputy Principal.

He said that although the language of computer programming is English, instruction in Suzhou is also in English. “Our students have been taught conversational Chinese up to the stage two level by the Confucius Institute, situated at the UWI, Cave Hill,” according to him.

He remarked too that last September the Institute (at Cave Hill) won the Confucius Institute of the Year award in China. “That is out of more than 500 similar institutes around the world,” Professor Landis said.

The official remarked further that if the Bachelor degree programmes in Software Engineering and Computer Programming are not enough, then the UWI has launched a Master’s programme in Information Technology, which covers many areas like Big data, Internet, web development, and information systems, among other areas of study. He has also pointed to research being done in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a virtual patient that uses an AI algorithm to learn and to match the ideal weight loss strategy of an individual’s unique personality.

This AI project is a 10 million-dollar competition opened to any university or any technological company.

Professor Landis said that Cave Hill is still going strong in the competition, since it is now the only representative from the entire Global South including the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. (JB)

AS the sargassum continues to congest the East and South shorelines, the National Conservation Commis-sion has deployed their teams at many of the island’s key beaches seven days a week.

General Manager of the National Conservation Commission (NCC), Keith Neblett, gave this recent update on the beach clean-up programme last week at Folkestone Beach and Marine Park. During the press conference, the General Manager explained that the programme started in 2014 when there was a large influx of sargassum along Barbadian coastlines. He added that every year since it has been going on, with this year being just as bad as four years ago. Highlighting the recent comments of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley about setting a clear mandate on cleaning the affected beaches, Neblett said that NCC is part of the programme along with the Barbados Defence Force and corporate Barbados.

Commenting on its progress, Neblett noted that Long Bay had a lot of seaweed two weeks ago, however, the Ministry of Transport and Works moved quite a bit including in the River Bay area. He added that every day there are people cleaning the beaches located along the South Coast and within the hotel zone. Despite their clean-up efforts, Neblett pointed out that the seaweed returns, citing the Long Beach and River Bay areas. However, he stressed the importance of removing the sargassum from the beaches.

“It’s an ongoing process. The good thing about it is that the mere fact that we have cleaned it, if we leave it on the shore, it will end up down on the South Coast and we would prefer if it comes in at particular points. We will continue to clean it, otherwise it can really have a serious impact in terms of our tourism product... When it stays in the surf, the water gets kind of brown and discoloured and then it also breaks down, and if there are fish or anything in it, it starts to smell, it then impacts in terms of persons who live pretty close to that,” said Neblett.

The NCC official admitted that the efforts to clean up are always challenging as access to the beach with equipment can be difficult. However, with support from the private sector, schools and churches, Neblett said that if they get more “hands on deck” it would help the process.

He added that the organisation’s first focus is to get the sargassum off the beach. He also said if they could find a way to trap it in the water before it reaches the beach, it would be most helpful. In his remarks, Neblett emphasised that the NCC is making efforts to avoid removing too much sand and not send any equipment in areas that are turtle nesting areas.

The Wheelchair Foundation of Barbados Inc. has secured funding to assist with acquiring its fifth shipment of wheelchairs.

Last Friday, The Massy Foundation stepped up to the plate donating$21 000, recognising the urgent need for the mobility aids.

According to President of the Wheelchair Foundation of Barbados, Lionel Weekes, the number of requests for wheelchairs has increased.

He revealed that since the establishment of the Wheelchair Foundation in 2005, approximately 1 140 wheelchairs have been imported. This year alone, 60 have been distributed to Barbadians who have no means to acquire one on their own.

Weekes said that among the ailments for which wheelchairs are being donated are amputations, paralysis, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, Cerebra-vascular disease and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

The Barbados Foundation provides one half of the cost of the wheelchairs while the other half is secured by the Wheelchair Foundation of America. A shipment of wheelchairs contains 280 chairs and spare parts and cost US$42 000 of which the Barbados Foundation is expected to provide US$21 000. The Barbados Foundation raises its portion of the cost through donations from the Government of Barbados, Corporate Barbados and individual donors.

Weekes therefore expressed his gratitude to the Massy Foundation for agreeing to pay for a half of the shipment, or 140 wheelchairs, to meet the immediate and increasing demand.

“We approached the Massy Foundation and they have been very kind to us, offering to pay $21 000 which will mean importing 140 wheelchairs. We salute Massy for this generous contribution. Massy is an extremely responsible corporate citizen of Barbados because I am sure ours is only one of the organisations to which they make contributions.”

Director of the Massy Foundation, David Neilands recalled that when the Foundation was approached by the local arm for funds to assist with support of its fifth shipment, the directors felt that they ought to make a more meaningful contribution to this humanitarian effort, thereby making it easier for the Wheelchair Foundation to realise its financial target.

“The Massy Foundation is responding to this circumstance because we firmly believe that all persons should be able to operate at their optimum capacity, even if unforeseen circumstances challenge this possibility,” he stressed.

“To this end, we recognise that some people might need some support in dealing with their unexpected immobility and it is from this perspective that the Massy Foundation is pleased to help these persons regain some level of independence to allow them to remain active and creative members of our society.” (TL)

Government has moved to correct a clerical error that prevented contractors carrying out road rehabilitation works funded through a loan from the Development Bank of Latin America from being paid.

Leading off the debate on a supplementary to the tune of $7 million in the House of Assembly yesterday, Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid said that while some of the work was at an advanced stage, none of the contractors had been paid as yet.

“What essentially happened Madam Chair is when this $7 million was first granted, it was first granted under a particular number in the Estimates SAC 785 Assets under Construction. However the Treasury Department instructed that this was not the correct number at the time and in fact the number should have been Structures rather than Assets under Construction. So rather than SAC 785, it should really be SAC 223,” he said.

Duguid added, “So in order to facilitate the payment of the contractors and in order to facilitate Government being able to make payments on this, the Treasury has asked and by extension the Ministry of Finance has asked that this be under this particular number, rather than under the previous number. So it is actually not a cost to the Consolidated Fund because it is balanced by $7 million being allocated under a previous number,” it was explained.

This hiccup, the Minister stated, prevented monies from being paid out for work that had been completed under the programme. He made the comments while revealing the extent of the work on the roads namely Flagstaff, Rolling’s Road and King’s Village in St. Michael; Lowthers, Christ Church; Harrismith Road, Long Bay Road and Padmore Village, St. Philip and Little Bay in St. Lucy. Minister Duguid said that works at Harrismith Road and Little Bay are 65 per cent complete; Padmore Village is 60 per cent complete; Lowthers is at 40 per cent; while Flagstaff Road and Long Bay are at ten per cent and King’s Village is at five per cent. He added that no work has started at Rolling’s Road to date because there is very little work to be done. His comments came as he gave the assurance that any road works started under the previous administration will be completed. However, he said those on which work has not started, like Rolling’s Road, may not be done as there are other roads which are in a much worse condition.

“These contractors have expended their own money to take some of these roads 65 per cent of the way; can you imagine that not one contractor has received a cent from this project as yet? Some of them would have expended almost a million dollars and they have not received a cent. Some of them, I understand, have been brought to the brink of bankruptcy because the Government did not see it fit to pay them for the work that they had done,” he said.

Duguid said that this scenario is a clear indication of the “mischief” that can occur when Parliament comes to an end, but the Executive continues to function as was the case under the previous Administration. He maintained that if they had taken care of the mistake before Parliament stood dissolved, they would have been able to pay the contractors on time.

“We must be very cognisant and very aware that Parliament serves an extremely important function and cannot be dismissed because it goes to the fundamental ability of the country and Barbados to be able to meet its commitments as it relates to the contractors and the people of Barbados that do work for this country,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition, Bishop Joseph Atherley making his contribution, picked up on the point raised by Duguid about the manner in which the Parliament was allowed to dissolve prior to the May 24, poll, and contended that a fixed date for elections must be the order of the day. Atherley in a short presentation, raised the matter of a fixed date, promising to support such a position if it is brought to the House of Assembly for approval. Such, he maintained, would go a long way in preventing untidiness of this nature again.
(JRT)

It is the role of the adults to guide the young people on the path of dreams.

This is the belief of Director of the Nature Fun Ranch, Corey Lane, as he gave his featured address to the graduating class of Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School yesterday morning. During his passionate speech, Lane noted that it was important for children to have big dreams and not only dreams, but a plan.

“A dream without a timeline is a dream, a dream with a timeline is a goal, a goal with some details is called a plan, a plan with action brings reality and that is the plan that I want to leave with each and everyone of you, ...the graduating class and those out of the graduating class, that it is our role to guide our young people in dreaming,” he said.

Throughout his life, through working with the people in the prison system, through working with the Youth Parliament and Youth Council, one of the greatest blinders he found is the lack of dreams, passion and goals in the youth that causes them to ‘act out.’
“I tell people when I move around that one of the things common among those people giving trouble is that they do not know where they are going and there is a saying that a man that does not know where there are going, any road takes them there,” he said.

“And parents I can tell you this as I turn to you, do not interfere with the dreaming of your children. Your life and your generation are fundamentally different from them. I can tell you the rate of change of life has sped up so fast that your generation and your parents’ generation is a lot closer.”

While sharing his life story, and the failures and successes he experienced in life while trying to open the Nature Fun Ranch, he urged the graduates to persevere.

“Perseverance is not only when you are able to, but is the ability to be able to. It’s not only when you’re able to get up, it’s that you make yourself get up, that self-discipline to continue to grow,” he said.

“The jet fuel, as I like to call it, comes from your dream, which creates your passion, which creates your jet fuel to get up and to persevere.”

MINISTER in the Ministry of Transport Works and Mainte-nance Peter Phillips has criticised the former administration for “tricks” played against the Barbadian public as it relates to its last road works programme.

Speaking in the Lower Chamber yesterday on a supplementary for $7 million, Phillips stated that the CAF loan agreement was signed on November 30 2015. “And as I review in the Ministry the report on the works we recognise that 70 percent of the roads were listed, started in January 2018, mere weeks before the dissolution of parliament in this country before a general election.”

“It probably gets even worse, one of the roads, was started on April 16 just a mere 11 days before the general election date was called. And it goes down even further, that on April30 three days after the general election was announced, another one started.”

“And I say that simply to say this, we cannot as a government, and we have set the pace bright and early...we cannot bring any tricks and so on to the people to this country. Because what we see demonstrated in this report that we reviewed ... is that people in Barbados were taken for a ride. Taken for granted. Because you believed that having done nothing, for some two years or more that at the last minute within a couple of weeks, you could come and fool people by starting various roads.”

Phillips who is the Member of Parliament for St. Lucy said he is happy that the roads have been started and gave the assurance that the roads will be completed. “We want Barbados to know that we mean business within this administration.”

The Minister also committed that efforts will be made to visit, wherever possible, as many of the roads that were highlighted in the Lower Chamber.

“When the last administration came to office, one of the first measures they took in the first budget was to increase road tax tremendously. With persons paying more road tax, the roads got worse. We will abolish the road tax and fix the roads.”

“It is very important that we have safe roads to travel on. We are a tourist oriented country. I am appalled that when tourists come to Barbados and they travel as far north to my constituency ... the worst network.”

He agreed that if the depots had the necessary equipment more road works could be undertaken across the island. (JH)

Member of Parliament for St. John, Charles Griffith is making an appeal for the roads in St. John to be fixed as a matter of urgency.

Describing the road network in the rural parish as the worst in the country, Griffith called on his Cabinet colleague, Minister of Works, Transport and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid to remember St. John when allocating finances to undertake
road rehabilitation programmes. He was speaking yesterday evening during the debate in the Lower House on a supplementary for road repairs, as he lamented that the roads in St. John are in a state of disrepair.

“From canvassing the constituency, from living in the constituency I can say without fear that some of the roads have not been repaired for more than 50 years and it is unfortunate that the type of MPs [Members of Parliament]… would allow the roads in St. John to be in the state that they currently exist in,” he said.

He was alluding to the fact that the constituency had been represented by two late Prime Ministers. With that in mind, Griffith, the Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Rural Development, listed a number of the roads he considered to be the worst including Ashford Tenantry, Stewart Hill, Foster Hall, Cherry Grove, Sherbourne, College Savannah and Martin’s Bay.

“We have potholes in potholes in Stewart Hill, St. John and I am asking the Honourable Member to probably do a visit to St. John to see what I’m talking about. The road at Foster Hill is one of the main roads used by the tour buses on this island on a daily basis, going towards St. John Parish Church and when you travel on the road in Foster Hall it is almost as if you are on a rollercoaster, it is really quite bad. In Martin’s Bay we have one the main or one of two main eateries in St. John that is frequented on a weekly by residents from throughout the country including tourists and the road in Martin’s Bay again is absolutely horrible,” he said.

Referring to Welch Village, he said that it has been at least 50 years since the road in that area was done, and he is fearful that the rains likely to come at this time of the year, could cut residents in that area off from the rest of the parish. He warned of the possibility, while explaining that it is currently on the verge of collapsing.

“In Sealy Hall in St. John a similar thing obtains. We have a situation where the road turns into a river. So you could understand like I said that I believe my constituency is absolutely the worst as it relates to the road network in this country. Cherry Grove, another community that is really, really in a state of disrepair… the previous Government would have cut off a portion of the road and it is just unfinished,” he lamented.

Minister Griffith added, “College Savannah [is] another area that the road network is so horrible. It is a good thing that we’ve decided to get rid of the road tax, because you really feel as if you’re being penalised when you drive on the roads in St. John.”

Griffith, who hails from the constituency, is adamant that the road network in the area is so bad that remedial work can do little to remedy the problem. What is required, he believes, are new roads. (JRT)

The late Sir Fred Winlyn Gollop, a former President of the Senate of Barbados, was yesterday laid to rest at Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens, The Ridge, Christ Church.

Sir Fred, who passed away on Wednesday, June 20th practised as an attorney-at-law for 47 years, including 12 years as a partner of the law firm Yearwood & Boyce. He was also a Queens Counsel. He not only had a passion for law, but journalism as well.

He was Chairman of the Nation Group of Companies for over 30 years, having been one of the founders of the Nation newspaper in 1973 and he was instrumental in the group’s acquisition of Starcom Network and the formation of the One Caribbean Media Group.

Amongst the list of dignitaries in attendance at his official funeral were, Governor General of Barbados, Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason; Chief Justice of Barbados, Sir Marston Gibson; Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Members of Cabinet, Members of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition, Bishop Joseph Atherley.

His three daughters Renee Kowlessar, Robyn Gollop-Knight and Reissa Galt stood before the packed Coral Ridge Chapel, reminiscing on his life, his love of family and music, particularly singers such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, his tremendous sense of humour and his leadership capabilities. He was described as a God fearing man, the perfect husband to Yvonne Lady Gollop, the perfect father and provider and “a man of immense discipline” who thrived greatly on routine.

“He loved St. John and his alma mater The Lodge School, which he credited for the discipline which served him so well throughput his life and for the lifelong friendships that he made,” his daughter Renee pointed out.

“Just a few weeks ago in May, he expressed a desire to go for a drive through the country, as he called it. We went through St. John’s Church, passed the spot of his childhood home, down to Bath, Codrington College and finally through the Lodge School,” she revealed.

“Dad enjoyed every day of his working life and he guided us every day by his example and taught us the value of hard work,” Renee also stated, adding that he also stressed the value of a good education.

Some of the fondest memories she said, include thoughts of annual family holidays abroad, staycations in later years and time spent with his ten grandchildren.

“The essential elements of Dad’s character were his integrity, his humility, honesty, kindness and his love of family and he always encouraged us, to thine own self be true,” she told those gathered.

Delivering a sermon on “the Gift of Love”, based on 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, Reverend Guy Hewitt noted that Sir Fred displayed a love for family and friends, for his professions and for his country and the very tributes delivered after his passing by others in the community, suggest that he lived out the greatest virtue of love, as found in the Biblical passage mentioned. (RSM)

THIS year the Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School’s average score in the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examina-tions (BSSEE) was well above the national average.

This was revealed by Principal of the institution, Jennifer Phillips, as she delivered the Principal’s Report during the graduation ceremony, which took place at the Collymore Rock Church of the Nazarene yesterday morning.

“I am pleased to inform that all of our students received a place in one of the public secondary schools in Barbados. The girls’ average in English was 76.6 per cent, the boys’, 71.1 per cent.

The girls’ average in Mathematics was 69.2, the boys’ average 64 per cent. The school’s average in English 72.3, and in Mathematics 67, which puts us high above the national average,” she said.

“The school is thriving academically and non-academically.”

Phillips noted that while she was incredibly proud of the academics of the students, it was important to note that they were also heavily involved in, and performed extremely well in extra curricular and non-academic activities as well.

She believed that in order to hone positive attitudes, there must be a measure of practice brought out in non-academic activities. She revealed that the school continues to be actively involved in scouting and other activities such as Cub Scouts, Blossoms, Brownies, Inter-School Christian Fellowship and Beavers.

She revealed that these programmes were usually led by volunteers, teachers or parents and believed that this proved that volunteerism is alive and well at the school.

“It gives me great pleasure to report that the PTA plays a major role in fostering the relationships between school and community. The major focus this school year was to improve the infrastructure of the school,” she said.

“The perimeter of the school was de-bushed and there are other projects to be brought on-stream in the academic year 2018-2019. I wish to express my gratitude to them and pledge my support as we strive to make the school environment rich and safe for the students.”

She encouraged the students to make the most of their time at each of their secondary schools and to perform to the very best of their abilities.

The Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance is doing all within its power to repair the country’s road infrastructure and will ensure that their resources are shared equitably across the country.

The assurance has come from the Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid, as he spoke in the House of Assembly yesterday afternoon during the debate on a $7 million supplementary for road works. The Christ Church West Member of Parliament told the Lower House that their aim is to get the road infrastructure back to what it used to be.

“I remember Madam Chair, of a road that was started in 2007, before the Government changed, in Evelyn Terrace. And when the Government changed in 2008 that road just needed the final surface on it; this is now ten years later, 2018 and Evelyn Terrace has not yet been completed over a ten-year period, because Christ Church West was completely neglected by the previous Administration,” he told the Lower House.

His comments came as he gave the residents of that area the assurance that his ministry will be addressing that road as a matter of urgency. Duguid spoke to that as he indicated that his ministry intends to have better planning as it seeks to carry out road works in this country. The Transport, Works and Maintenance Minister said the intention is, wherever possible when it is conducting road repairs or rehabilitation, to put in the trenches for utilities such as natural gas.

“It is unconscionable that we go and complete a whole road and then a year or two years later come and dig that road back up to put in a trench for natural gas. So we are not only assessing the water supply, changing the water pipes under road before we do the final surface, but also I intend to get all the services such as natural gas put in before the final layer is done,” he stated.

Duguid, a former Chairman of the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC), said the NPC has advised him that they are ready, willing and able to lay natural gas pipes at Flagstaff Road, St. Michael which is currently under repair.

“…We recognise that so many times we do roads and we could put in the infrastructure which would have reduced the costs to the Corporation or to the Government in general, and we lose an opportunity that we could have utilised at that time. And I am asking my technical people let us not miss these opportunities, let us take the bull by the horns, let us put the infrastructure in before we do the final roads,” he said. (JRT)

Work at the Bridgetown Sewage Treatment Plant (BSTP) is pressing ahead as planned.

In fact, the first step in returning the Emmerton, St Michael plant to optimum capacity has been completed with the recommissioning of one of two processing units there.
Yesterday, Processing Unit #1 (PU#1) was officially recommissioned after a press briefing held by Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams; General Manager of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), Keithroy Halliday and Head of the BWA’s Waste Water Division, Patricia Inniss.

PU#1, also known as the contact tank, was out of operation for two years. Furthermore, with additional sewage diverted from the South Coast Sewage Treatment Plant (SCSTP), the plant was on the verge of collapse.

Minister Abrahams therefore launched a $400,000 emergency fix at the plant, which included cleaning and repairing both processing units and cleaning the wet wells at the River Road Lift Station and the BSTP.

“We are at a happy stage of managing the repairs to the Bridgetown Sewage Treatment Plant … It is principally because of Minister Abrahams’ directive and support that he was able to immediately procure $400 000 for an emergency fix for this particular processing unit,” Halliday pointed out.

The BWA pushed aggressively to meet the two-week deadline, however the General Manager explained that the rains caused a delay, but only by a few days. He revealed that the project focused on activity including the removal of debris, bush and plants from PU#1; the repair and re-installation of the 35-foot, three-ton bridge, which usually sits over the unit; the cleaning, repair and replacement of pipes and diffusers, the clearing of valves and the repair of the 12-inch airline.

An estimated total of 758 m3 of sludge was removed from PU#1 and disposed in a specially created spot at the Mangrove Landfill, equipped with open trenches to accept the waste, which was spread and covered in layers using substances like fly-ash, organic substance and white lime.

“There were many negative comments about our staff and why is it that we are in the position that we are in today. And that is not necessarily an easy answer. It is not because our workers have been lazy. But, we now have the support; we have the funding in place; we now have that energy and drive to get what needs to be done completed,” Halliday expressed.

A pleased Minister Abrahams commended the private contractors Project Recycle/Jose & Jose, teams from the BWA, the Ministry of Environment and the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), who worked together and around the clock to meet the deadline.

“And this has been the general approach not just to the Bridgetown Plant, but also in respect to the South coast sewage issues as well … I want to thank the staff who put their heart into it, who bought into the whole plan to let us get this done in a record amount of time. And let’s show what we can do if we are committed and motivated.

“It wasn’t simply just a clean and a fix. In the last three weeks, we have managed to entirely rebuild this processing unit to a point where, unless something really unforeseen happens, we don’t think we have to look back at this unit for another 15 years, with the exception of routine maintenance. And we intend to maintain and upkeep it, so that what happened before that caused us to be here, never happens again,” Abrahams assured.

Now back in operation the unit carries about a million gallons of wastewater, which will be treated and disposed of as effluent. Work on PU#2 is expected to start shortly. (TL)

“Fat kids are not cute.”

According to Dr. Kenneth Connell, Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology at the UWI, Cave Hill Campus and President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, this is the message that needs to be driven home to persons in Barbados and across the region, who are holding on to such a myth, given cultural expectations.

Yesterday, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) hosted a Regional Media Sensitisation session at the Distance Learning Centre at the UWI, Cave Hill Campus.

During that session, the (HCC), represented by Francine Charles, Communications and Advocacy Officer – Childhood Obesity Prevention (COP), placed special emphasis on the growing challenge of childhood obesity facing the Caribbean and its link to non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, which are now responsible for six out of every ten deaths in the region.

Dr. Connell, who served as one of the panel members and who shared details on the HCC’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Campaign and its public call to action, stressed the need to break a number of cultural myths that perpetuate the problem of childhood obesity.

“That’s something as a region that we have to drive home, the cultural thing of fat kids. We’ve always focused on fat adults, but fat kids are also not cute and we should then start the conversation of saying what are the things that cause fat kids, the unhealthy meals, the portion sizes, the institution of certain diets as opposed to breast milk at an early stage,” Dr. Connell remarked.

“So first we have to identify NCDs (non-communicable diseases), the risks to us as a society and the trajectory that we are on; secondly the link between NCDs and childhood obesity; and thirdly, fat isn’t cute in childhood or at any other time and we need to implement measures to address it,” he stressed.

Professor Margaret Anne St. John, Consultant with the Department of Paediatrics at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, meanwhile pointed out that childhood overweight and obesity account for the most prevalent nutritional disorder in children and adolescents in the United States and in many developing countries. Adolescent obesity disproportionally affects girls in Barbados according to a 2005 study, she said, and may be associated with a social attitude which attaches a greater importance of sports for boys as opposed to girls.

Stressing that in Barbados chronic non-communicable diseases are reaching epidemic proportions in children, Professor St. John maintained that avoidance of these diseases should be the aim. Noting that a multi-pronged approach is needed to tackle the issue, she however recommended that parents encourage children to make wise choices and adopt the 5-4-3-2-1 rule for eating.

“Five servings of fruits and vegetables, four cups or more of water a day and not sugary drinks, three servings of low fat, non-fat milk or dairy, two hours or less of screen time for TV or computer use, and one hour or more of physical activity,” Dr St. John recommended. (RSM)

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THE Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) stands ready to assist Barbados and other Caribbean Community countries looking to move to a new era of doing business by adopting a digital platform

This commitment was outlined by Ms. Therese Turner-Jones, General Manager of the Bank’s Caribbean Country Department, during a recent discussion which dealt with “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Entrepreneurship and Digital Technologies”.

“There are lots of things the Caribbean can do and will be doing with our help if we can convince our leaders this is the way to go, to get to that level of modernisation and the use of technology,” the IDB official told the function.

She said such an approach would allow regional countries to change they way they behave, the way people work, and the way things are done.

“But we just need to move to the modern era and do things differently because kids growing up today are not expected to walk into a classroom and with a blackboard and chalk, that’s not the way they are learning today and there is no reason for them to do that,” she maintained.

ONE of the men responsible for the Beaches Resort, which will replace the existing Almond Beach Resort in St. Peter, is saying that the massive, state-of-the-art property will rake in millions for Barbados’ economy annually.

Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart, told members of the local media recently that the Resort which is still a work in progress, is expected to generate around US$75 million in economic footprint.

“So all in quick mathematics, we are probably looking at about 130 plus million dollars a year, of economic impact, between all of our hotels [in Barbados],” he said.

In fact, Stewart revealed that on that same day, Sandals started conversations with Prime Minister the Right Honourable Mia Amor Mottley and members of her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Government, not only regarding the potential of the highly anticipated project which is expected to create 18 000 permanent jobs, but about Sandals plans to deepen its relationship with Barbados.

“Our company, between public relations and marketing, we are creating about a billion media impressions a year that say ‘Brand Barbados’. The Barbados marketing campaign has taken off at somewhere about 25 per cent of the total global spend of Sandals Resorts, to make sure that markets that may not have been coming here as frequently, or may have never even heard of Barbados, particularly in North America. Barbados is so unbelievably strong out of the United Kingdom, so from the marketing side, we are very happy with what we are doing,” Stewart said.

The Deputy Chairman said the construction phase should start in January, and is expected to be completed within 26 months, at a cost of US$400 million.
“Our company has never undertaken anything nearly that large before. It will be the best work that we have ever done; an unbelievable amount of creativity, new initiatives and programmes for families, and we think it is going to revolutionise family vacations in Barbados,” he said.

Speaking during the interview which took place at the Maxwell Coast Road, Christ Church-based Sandals Royal, where Sandals Resorts International hosted the Sandals Overdrive event, in response to a question regarding the controversial topic of concessions given to Sandals by the former Democratic Labour Party administration, Stewart remarked that “concessions are something that happen worldwide”.

“If we were to move our head office from Jamaica to New York, the City of New York would give us concessions to get there. So concessions are not a Caribbean phenomenon, and what we measure is total economic impact, including employment, the local linkages – starting with the taxi drivers, local entertainers, craft vendors, local Ministers that we hire that conduct our weddings... So the conversation that we are now having here is what are our consumptions, what is the industry ready for, and more importantly how can we work with our farmers to get them here in Barbados to prepare it for consumption patterns?” he said. (AH)

IF Caribbean nations are to solve the challenges the region is currently experiencing, all must come together as one.

One Government Minister believes that the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME) is an impactful way in which these challenges must be faced head on.
Minister in the Ministry of Financial Economic Affairs and Investment, Marsha Caddle, made this suggestion as she delivered the feature address at the official opening of the two-day workshop of the Caribbean Association of Audit Committee Members Inc., yesterday, at the Hilton Barbados Resort, Needham’s Point, St. Michael.

“There is a lot to be gained in having common approaches to all the challenges that face us in these sectors. And while I won’t go into too much this morning about what those potential opportunities are in the context of CSME, I will leave that for CARICOM heads to discuss in Jamaica next week.

“But, I want to flag that the CSME project is not over, it is not completed. The Government of Barbados maintains, and in fact, renews its commitment to making sure that it is vibrant particularly in the area of accountability and transparency, and making sure that we are adaptable to the changing economic environment,” Caddle.

The framework for the conference was designed to focus on strengthening internal controls across the region. Topics to be discussed during the packed two-day conference includes, risk assurance services, and internal controls to help with business disruptions through the use of technology.

In her remarks, Minister Caddle also reaffirmed Government’s commitment to the integrity legislation which will be going to Parliament soon.

“We are committed to integrity legislation, and we are committed to an integrity commission. The new Cabinet Ministers have all been through the declaration of our assets. We have done that because we think it is important to demonstrate real transparency,” Minister Caddle said. (AH)