A Government minister has expressed disappointment at Barbadians’ unpreparedness during the power and water outages that occurred last month, and is urging all to be better prepared should disaster strike.

The Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams spoke to the media about this on the sidelines of the commissioning ceremony of the 381 kilowatt system Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) Solar Photovoltaic System at the Engineering Department of the GAIA Inc., which is part of the Public Sector Smart Energy Programme (PSSEP).

“When the government tells you to store water, it is not sufficient to store a pet bottle or two pet bottles of water, when the BWA keeps telling you that you need on average five gallons of potable water per person, per day. We have been fortunate many times to have been spared the worse of the hurricane season, but odds are eventually something is going to hit us… We were in the hurricane season, if people had actually been paying attention to the messages that kept coming out from the Water Authority, then everybody would have had at least five gallons of water in their house, per person, to take them through in case the water went down for a day,” he said.

Abrahams added, “The amount of people who were caught completely unprepared in the middle of the hurricane season means that we are not taking our preparation seriously.”

He also noted that in addition to the messages of water storage, Barbadians also seem not to be heeding the call not to stock their refrigerators during that six months period, and instead to stock up on dry and canned foods.

“Yes the electricity went down, but the effects of the electricity going down and the water going down were the equivalent of let’s say having a bad storm where the electricity was disrupted for two days. The complaints from Barbadians say it all… The Government can do all it can, the Government can put all the measures in place, that the Government can respond quickly and provide relief … but if people themselves don’t take the necessary steps to ensure they’re protected from any eventuality, then most of what the Government is doing is in vain. People need to take some responsibility now for themselves and their families in the event of disaster,” he stated.

The energy and water resources minister said while his heart “hurt” for everyone that was affected by the outages and he “felt the pain of people”, he believes that as a people we need to truly heed the advisories and get prepared.

“This was a test run, it was a short disruption that caused a lot of inconvenience to Barbadians. I would like Barbadians now to take note of the inconvenience caused by that disruption and start to take the messaging seriously about protecting yourselves and protecting your families,” Abrahams added. (JRT)

As the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) continues to grapple with the issue of illegal connections, those culprits are being warned that the State utility will be cracking down on that practice and using the long arm of the law where necessary.

Word of this has come from Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams, as he spoke to members of the media yesterday afternoon following the commissioning ceremony of the 381 kilowatt system Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) Solar Photovoltaic System at the Engineering Department of the GAIA Inc., at Charnocks, Christ Church. According to the Minister, between 40 and 60 per cent of the water provided by the BWA cannot be accounted for and he said while some of that non-revenue water (NRW) is as a result of breakages in the distribution system, a fair amount is lost by way of illegal water connections. He said while he does hope the BWA does not have to resort to the law to put an end to the practice, they are willing to do so, to ensure the integrity of the water supply.

“We keep finding illegal water connections and we have been very decent with people so far… There has been no real prosecution taking place,” he said.

Minister Abrahams went on to say, that while in the past only persons who owned the land or had permission from the landlord could apply for a water connection, that policy has now been changed and he maintained people now have no excuse for having illegal connections. He disclosed that anyone can now apply for a water service, noting that measures have been put in place to protect the BWA and the owners of the land.

“Anybody now can apply for and be granted a water service. There is no reason now to have an illegal connection. So I expect the Water Authority to start cracking down in a major way on people who persists in this behaviour, who have had every chance now to regularise themselves and if it has to involve the police, because it is a criminal action, then it has to involve the police,” he maintained.

The water resources minister explained that people who take it upon themselves to connect illegally to the system are putting themselves and the country’s entire water supply at risk. He explained that such connections where they are not properly done, can result in contaminants infiltrating the system.

“In many instances where the illegal connection is done it is not servicing just one household, it is servicing a number of households, or a number of pieces of land; so even from the one source of that connection you might put numerous people at risk, in doing so. There is a reason you apply for a water service and there is a reason it is connected by the Water Authority,” he contended. (JRT)

The Breast Screening Programme (BSP) is providing 8 000 mammograms annually and this has doubled since the launch of the Programme in 1999 which originally anticipated the screening of 4000 women.

Medical Co-ordinator, Barbados Cancer Society, Dr. Shirley Jhagroo revealed this during her remarks at the BCS Breast Screening Programme CIBC First Caribbean Walk for the Cure Donation Ceremony at the Hilton Barbados yesterday.

Dr. Jhagroo also noted that an additional 2000 ultrasound tests have been done at the Breast Cancer Programme (BSP) Clinic. She said at the BSP in 2019, 52 new cases were diagnosed an average of one new case per week, with 16 of these patients being below age 40 years.

With increased screenings, she commented on the improved survival rate.

“The good news is 70 per cent were stages 0 to 1 giving these survivors an almost 99 per cent to 100 per cent five year survival,” said Dr. Jhagroo.

The medical professional mentioned that the first awareness walk by the Breast Screening Programme was on Sunday October 19, 1999 with 80 persons attending, today after 20 years about 25 000 participants took part in the walk in 2019.

“The education and awareness of saving lives by early detection has certainly made a difference to the attendance at the clinic as evidenced by the number of self referred patients increasing from 15 per cent ten years ago to 50 per cent in 2019, thanks to CIBC for their contribution by helping in the promotion of ‘walk for the cure,’” said Dr. Jhagroo.

Concern about cost of T-shirts and buying 3D equipment

Dr. Jhagroo explained that the Programme has been “self-sufficient” as funds raised from the walk and donations go towards purchasing and maintenance of equipment, and in subsidising investigations such as biopsies sometimes mammograms and ultrasounds, ensuring all patients have available to them whatever is necessary for early detection. However, with the BSP having to purchase T-Shirts at $180 000, this affected their profit and funding towards acquiring new testing equipment.

“Unfortunately, I am concerned that our vision for acquiring the 3D mammogram unit over the next few months will be a greater challenge than anticipated. However, moving forward the subcommittee can only hope that sponsorship of T-shirts will be more forthcoming, I have already started negotiations to make this a reality for 2020 and beyond,” said Dr. Jhagroo.

Major changes have to be made to the way in which power is generated and distributed in this country to help ensure this country’s resilience to disasters.

That’s according to Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams. He made the comments yesterday morning during the commissioning ceremony of the 381-kilowatt Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) Solar Photovoltaic System at the Engineering Department of the GAIA Inc., which has been facilitated under the Public Sector Smart Energy Programme (PSSEP).

“We need to shift thinking about electricity away from the current business model with a utility producing electricity from large fossil fuel generators, to a sector that is decentralised and supporting an energy mix of renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass or ocean technology,” he said.

He made the point while reflecting on the two-day power outage this country experienced last month, contending that that model no longer works for us.

“That was the closest that we could’ve come to a test run of what would happen in a natural disaster and it shows that the model is not working for us. However, the vision of the Ministry in its diversification of energy generation from different sources and also its liberalisation of the grid and distributed generation, is aimed not just at increasing renewable energy capacity in Barbados, but also allowing us to bounce back in the event of an unfortunate situation like what happened before and minimising the disruption to the lives of the average Barbadian,” he said.

Minister Abrahams’ remarks came as he noted that in the case of Dominica and The Bahamas, which were both affected by major hurricanes in 2017 and 2019 respectively, there are still some communities that remain without power.

“We in Barbados had no electricity for two days and in some instances no water for a week to ten days and we suffered. We need to understand that we have to change the way we do things because we are not prepared and not equipped to deal with a natural disaster,” he contended.

Speaking specifically to the project at the GAIA Engineering Building, he explained that this system is the latest aspect of the US$24.664 million PSSEP, which is intended to promote the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the public sector. This project, which he said is well under way, is intended to retrofit government buildings with solar PV and energy-efficient technologies, retrofit public street lights, execute an electric vehicle pilot project and ocean energy studies, as well as work to institute capacity building, institutional strengthening, public education and awareness throughout the public service.

Success of the project, Minister Abrahams indicated, has exceeded expectations. Among the accomplishments, the minister said, has been the installation of solar PV of 2.4 megawatts; the putting in of more than 11 000 new LED street lights, and another 16 000 to go; as well as the provision of a number of electric vehicles and charging stations for use by Government. He said too that education in the field of renewable energy is important and as such, his Ministry is engaging with the Ministry of Education and other key high-level stakeholders to overhaul the syllabus in schools in relation to that subject area at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. (JRT)

Christmas Day is weeks away, however the children in the Paediatric Ward of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) were recipients of Christmas presents yesterday when Barbados’ Governor General, Dame Sandra Mason, visited that department.

Her official visit to the Ward brought big bright smiles to the faces of the 16 little ones there. As she went from bed to bed, she greeted each youngster and wished them a speedy recovery. She also took time to speak to the nurses and doctors on the Ward and commended them on the good work they have been doing.

Dame Sandra was joined for this occasion by the hospital’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Louise Bobb; Executive Chairman of the QEH’s Board of Management, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland; and Acting Chief Medical Officer with the Ministry of Health, Anton Best.

Adding a Christmas feel to the morning’s proceedings were the students of the Workman’s Primary School. The 25-member group led by Class 1 teacher, Kimberley DeMendonca, performed a variety of Christmas songs for the Governor General and all in the Ward.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines, Bynoe-Sutherland said the “Governor General’s visit is usually the high point of calendar events for the year. The staff look forward to it, the children and the Department of Paediatrics in particular look forward to it. She takes a personal interest in the hospital generally, but she makes sure she is here with us since she has been Governor General… We look forward to her visit and she makes it very special”. (MG)

WITH the holiday season upon us, homeless persons in Barbados have a beacon of light to look forward to. Just about a week away from operating at their new maximum capacity, the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness, formerly known as the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society, will be ready to swing the doors at their new facility open.

Since relaunching and renaming their organisation on their 10th anniversary back in October, the Alliance has been busy retrofitting their new home at Gooding House in Spry Street, the City and can now house up to 90 persons each night. With men, women and children welcome to use the facility each day once it opens, President of the Alliance Kemar Saffrey explained during a media conference held yesterday at their new home that they had come a long way and would be ready to open once one final piece of infrastructure was put in place.

“The shelter will also provide daily showers, breakfast, mentorship programmes, counselling programmes and training programmes of every sort to be able to rehabilitate and re-integrate one back into society. And also with the partnership of various organisations that we have partnered with such as the Welfare, the Psychiatric Hospital, Verdun House and the prison and some of our consulates on the outside of Barbados shores to make sure that anyone that is affected by homelessness can be able to be assisted in this shelter,” he said, going on to say that a timeline of one week had been placed on the completion.

Although the Alliance continues to run its programmes in lieu of the shelter, Operations and Programmes Manager Kimberly Hinds-Harewood said that the demand for the shelter had in fact spiked with an increase across the board. She did state that more non-nationals and women – especially those with children – had been coming forward and she reported that she had encountered at least ten new cases within the past week alone.

With Christmas around the corner, Saffrey said that his organisation had launched a new appeal as there was a constant need for continuous support from Barbadians. “While many persons may want to always donate food and clothing, the organisation will need to also be assisted with financial donations. And with that we put out a way that we believe that every Barbadian can take part and it is called the ‘Adopt a Bed’ campaign, where we are asking Barbadians to give a contribution of $20 to go towards a bed and that would go toward a person being able to receive a bed for the night, counselling, breakfast in the morning, cleaning of the linens, taking care of the dorms. And we are asking for as low as $20 to be donated to the organisation,” he said.

Going on to say that the drive was aiming at a projected $800 000 to get the new facility through the year, Saffrey said that was just a ballpark figure and that he would only know the true cost of running the new shelter for a year. He also spoke to two new partnerships that would now make donations easier. Outside of making donations directly to the Alliance or through their accounts at CIBC FirstCaribbean, Republic Bank or Scotiabank, Saffrey revealed that things were soon in place to make donations via the Cave Shepherd Credit Card and at SurePay locations islandwide.

The Alliance’s new home will be able to house their new capacity in the three-storey facility, which is in use on a lease-to-own contract. With a price tag of $1 million, Saffrey is hoping that at the end of three years they could call it home for good and is also asking the public to help make this a reality. (MP)

Going forward, community organiser and former Cabinet Minister Hamilton Lashley wants Barbadians to take the initiative to honour those persons within their own communities who continue to make a positive impact.

“We in Barbados have now to really honour our true heroes,” he declared.

His comments came as he revealed the inaugural Hamilton Lashley Human Development Foundation Trade Unions Hall of Fame inductees last Friday evening.

Honoured were Ronald Jones, a former Cabinet Minister, educator, a founding member of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) and a president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT); as well as Undene Whittaker, long-standing community activist, former educator, DLP candidate, a past vice-president, general secretary and president of the BUT and a general secretary of CTUSAB.

“ Saturday is a very historic day of serious significance. What I would like to see going forward in this country is that every single community whenever Independence Day comes, that they honour their own community leaders. Do not let it be a political award. But, more so, those persons who deserve to be awarded based upon the work and their worth.”

Lashley gave the assurance that the induction ceremony was by no way political in nature, signalling: “This evening we will be inducting these two persons into the first ever Trade Unions Hall of Fame. We didn’t come up with this whimsically or politically, it wasn’t that. This year, we decided to look at two persons that worked hard across all spectrums and emerged into politics – emerged as leaders in their respective fields of endeavour.”

“Next year we will be going to the Barbados Workers’ Union, the following year we will go to NUPW. Every year we will be inducting persons into this Hall of Fame,” he said.

Furthermore, the Founder of the Foundation described the Hall of Fame as “the opening of a very significant chapter in the annals of our history, in the annals of our development, in the annals of our independence”.

In addition to receiving a plaque for outstanding contribution to Trade Unionism and the Social Development of Barbados, the two inductees’ photographs were hung at the Bayville, St. Michael office of Henderson Williams, former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for the City of Bridgetown.

Joycelyn Jones J.P., sister of the former Education Minister, collected the plaque on his behalf, and shared with the small gathering that her brother has three heroes – “our parents and The Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow. He said that the late Errol Barrow was his hero and he has emulated throughout his entire life Barrow and the things that he stood for”.

“It has been over 42 years that my brother has been involved in community development, unionism – in the overall development of this country that he loves… My brother is, what he was from birth – a man of the people; a man for the people. I feel extremely proud as his sister to receive this award on his behalf. Thank you for honouring him,” she said.

Whittaker also expressed her appreciation to the Hamilton Lashley Human Development Foundation. “ I want to say long live the Foundation,” she said.

“It is here for Barbadians who have given of themselves to our country and it is that recognition that is important. It is the sharing of the information of the space and encouraging participation in our Barbados to make it a better place.”

The United Kingdom (UK) is expanding its presence in the Eastern Caribbean.

Word of this comes from British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Her Excellency Janet Douglas.

In addition to British High Commission Offices in Barbados and St. Lucia, soon to be reopened are High Commission Offices in Antigua and Barbuda; St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

“When those three offices are up and running, which they will be very soon, as we have resident commissioners already in the islands, then the UK will have the largest diplomatic network in any country in the Caribbean,” she pointed out.

“So, I am very pleased and proud about that because it is a sign that we are re-engaging with the Caribbean. And there is a very longstanding relationship as you all know between the UK and the Caribbean – we have a great relationship, but we are also very supportive of Caribbean countries in all aspects of what they are trying to do to build their societies and develop.”

High Commissioner Douglas made the announcement at Accra Beach Hotel & Spa earlier this week, while opening the high-level conference for Child Protection Officers and Probation Officers from Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, under the theme: “Building Bridges through Outreach & Training: Enhancing the professional knowledge and skills of child protection officers aimed at improving a coordinated approach to child safeguarding”.

No one should be selling foods to the public without getting the appropriate licence from the Ministry of Health. 

 Retired Chief Environmental Officer and present Technical Director of the Barbados Association of Retired Environmental Health Officers, Tyrone Applewhaite gave this reminder to the public during an Environmental Health Fair held in Jubilee Gardens yesterday. 

 He explained that under the Health Services Hygiene and Restaurant Regulations, persons who wish to sell food to the public should have a licence and he noted that if a person is buying food or drink from someone, he or she can request that this seller show his or her licence if it is not displayed. 

“I am saying people should not walk around and buy food from people with unlabeled products and foods kept at room temperature, it is a (health) risk you are taking,” said Applewhaite.

He said that obtaining the licence from the Ministry of Health is an easy process and the Health officer will come and perform the necessary inspection which will allow them to sell food. Applewhaite added that if you eat or drink a product, you become ill and the individual does not have a licence, it can be difficult to trace the business or seller. 

 The former health official was responding to a question from The Barbados Advocate about possible advice to individuals selling fruit juices and other food items along the roadside.

Yesterday morning in Jubilee Gardens, Applewhaite said that the fair’s objectives are to highlight critical health issues, control of mosquito and rodents and food safety along with the importance of personal hygiene.

 He reminded Barbadians that they should buy foods from good sources, store their foods under their appropriate temperatures (cold foods cold, hot foods under heat). He also said that persons who are handling foods should have short nails, no rings, clean clothes and he emphasised that persons should wash their hands after using the washroom and before handling foods.

He shared several tips on preparing foods in a hygienic way to avoid cross-contamination.

“We want people to understand how to thaw their foods. Make sure when you thaw your foods, do not allow your food to be thawed at room temperature. Put your foods from the freezer into the fridge….if you are in a hurry…put it in a pot or pan and have it under running water consistently for about twenty minutes to a half an hour,” said Applewhaite.

He also recommended that persons have a thermometer in their kitchen to monitor the cooking temperature of foods, specifically ham and turkey. During the holidays when people are likely to prepare a lot of foods for various social events, Applewhaite suggested it is critical to prepare foods as close to eating time as possible.

Both locals and visitors to the Barbados Hilton were treated to a spectacle on Wednesday evening as the resort hosted their annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

With several acts on the evening giving those on hand a taste of local talent to whip them into the spirit of the season, the light show got under way just after 5 P.M. With the switch being thrown by little two-year-old Madisyn Walker and three-year-old Luise Viebranz, staff, guests and visitors to the hotel stood in awe as the 12-foot tree lit up the lobby at the historic hotel.

After being reopened in March of 2005, this lighting ceremony remains a fixture in the calendar of events and General Manager Tammy LeBlanc told members of the media that there are no plans to change things.

“This is a tradition that we have been doing for the last 15 years at the Hilton Barbados Resort and we are really happy to be able to include our customers, our team members and the community to be able to join in on our festivities. There is nothing more special than to have Bay Primary and also some of our team members participate in the evening’s proceedings, so it is a great time,” she said.

Founder of the brand, Conrad Hilton, opened his first hotel, the Mobley, in Cisco, Texas back in May 1919 and since then the franchise has opened 5500 hotels around the world. With 100 years being celebrated in 2019, LeBlanc said that the belief that Hilton opened his first hotel on still holds strong today.

“He opened the hotel on one premise and one premise only. He believed that travel could make the world a better place and we want to live his dream every single day and improve and participate in our communities. So one of the big things that we have done this year is really work with different organisations. Whether it's working with Bay Primary or whether it’s thanking or doing random acts of kindness for our firefighters or even working with the Geriatric Hospital. We have just done so many things since May and we do this all year, not just this year. But this year we amped it up a little in celebration of our 100 years and celebrating our light and warmth and hospitality.” (MP)

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) and the Financial Services Commission (FSC), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), intended to speed up the decision-making process – especially with respect to mergers, acquisitions and competition cases and encourage greater cooperation between the two entities.

The signing was performed yesterday by the FTC’s Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Sealy and the FSC’s Chief Executive Officer Kester Guy, in a brief ceremony held at the FTC’s Green Hill office. Addressing the media, Sealy said that the MOU, which has been in the works since June this year, should help to bring about greater efficiencies for both entities.

“We have found that when we have to do our merger cases and our competition cases, many times we do have to contact the Financial Services Commission… Outside of the Financial Services Commission there are other entities within Barbados and we started talking about signing Memorandums of Understanding,” she said.

Sealy disclosed that the FTC has also been having discussions about cooperation with the Royal Barbados Police Force, as they look more at enforcement of the various pieces of legislation under their purview and in dealing with some of the merger cases that come before them. Sealy said that given that they may have to take some of those matters to court, it is important that they ensure that their processes are sound so that they are not challenged on their position. Additionally, she said they are seeking to establish relationships and cooperation with their regional counterparts.

To date, the FTC’s CEO revealed that they have been engaging their counterparts in both Trinidad and Guyana.

“Setting memorandums of understanding and establishing relationships with our stakeholders, that was one of our goals in our strategic plan for this year and we are very pleased to know we are meeting it and we hope that by the end of March that they would have established some more memorandums of understanding with other entities,” she stated.

Adding to her comments, the FSC’s head highlighted the importance of the timely sharing of information between the two entities and described the MOU as a step in the right direction.

“As far as we have activities that affect each other, or where there is overlap, or where there is reliance on each other for decision-making – this code, this memorandum that establishes the working relationship and the provisions for sharing information, allows us to do that in a very seamless way that would redound to the benefit of a good experience for all the stakeholders that we engage with. And we certainly support it and we were quick to respond to the request to facilitate that,” Guy affirmed.

He made the remarks while zeroing in on the role the MOU can play in respect of mergers and acquisitions. He explained that while mergers and acquisitions are a normal part of business, concerns can arise from both the FSC and the FTC. He explained that from the FSC’s standpoint, they are concerned primarily about two things – whether there are issues of consumer protection or if there are any issues of systemic
risks that they need to act on.

Meanwhile, the FTC’s Director of Fair Competition, Antonio Thompson, said their concern would be the concentration levels within the market.

“That is why as Mr. Guy said that it is very important that we work together. At the end of the day, we want to ensure that the markets continue to provide some measure of options for consumers and we still want to make sure that there is as much competition in the market as possible… At the end of the day, the goal is to ensure that consumers are well served and we know that once that happens, we can keep the economy ticking over,” he said. (JRT)

Barbados was represented at the Young Leaders in Diabetes Training Summit, which took place in Busan, South Korea from December 2nd to 6th.

Diabetes Ambassador Mellissa Goodman attended the annual Summit, where she received Diabetes Awareness training on behalf of the Diabetes Association of Barbados.
President of the Diabetes Association, Trudy Griffith, said the trip was funded by the Association with assistance from sponsor, Republic Bank. Griffith said it serves as part of Melissa’s preparation for her ongoing role as a youth ambassador for diabetes awareness in Barbados.

Goodman left Barbados for Busan on Independence Day, Saturday November 30th, and was given a rousing send-off by members of her family, as well as the Executive, staff and members of the Association and representatives of Republic Bank.

“Mellissa has been selected to serve as a local Diabetes Ambassador to be the face and voice of a diabetes awareness campaign. The Association recognises the impact that a diagnosis such as diabetes has on persons, particularly those under the age of 25. We consider Mellissa to be capable of relating to and interacting with such persons as she herself is living with type 1 Diabetes. Her project proposal, to be executed in the 2020 calendar year, encapsulates the critical elements of support which are necessary immediately after diagnosis and the months following,” Griffith said.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) Programme is the key driver in enhancing the lives of young people living with diabetes.

YLD members are committed to raising awareness of diabetes by being a powerful voice for prevention, education, access to quality care, improved quality of life and the end of discrimination worldwide. The IDF YLD Programme supports IDF and its Members in reaching their shared strategic goals.

The Programme aims to achieve the following goals:
Be a voice for young people affected by diabetes worldwide;
Identify and support the development of Young Leaders in the international diabetes community;
Empower and educate YLD Trainees to better support IDF and the IDF Members they collaborate with.

“We look forward to Mellissa’s return from this Training Summit with the necessary skills and competency to execute this project and extend its scope to the benefit of all who require the Association’s services,” Griffith said.

The Barbados Light & Power Company is pleased to announce that it has finalised negotiations with global energy company Wärtsilä to purchase a 33MW medium speed diesel power plant, which will be installed by mid-2020.

While the new power plant will be equipped to operate on heavy fuel oil, it will be capable of being retrofitted to burn natural gas.

The Company’s Managing Director Roger Blackman said, “We’re pleased that we have been able to reach this milestone in the project and, with the support of the Government of Barbados. This power plant, or Clean Energy Bridge project [CEB], will replace retiring generating capacity and reduce fuel imports and carbon emissions while supporting the transition to 100% renewables.

“Indeed, even after the island achieves the renewable energy targets, we believe that the CEB will be necessary as a back-up for grid reliability and resiliency,” Blackman said.

“Wärtsilä is pleased to be selected as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor for this project. Wärtsilä will also support Light & Power by way of a three-year Maintenance Contract for spare parts and maintenance services. This includes Wärtsilä Asset diagnostic services, which will provide Light & Power with continuous follow up and support to allow for operating the assets in an efficient and safe way.

“The power generating facility we are providing consists of four high efficiency Wärtsilä 32 generating sets, with fast starting and loading capabilities. These attributes will complement Light & Power’s strategy for increasing renewable penetration on the electrical grid while ensuring system stability,” commented Rodney George, Vice President, Wärtsilä Caribbean Inc.

Light & Power and Wärtsilä look forward to completing this 2020 project safely and efficiently.

THE Financial Services Commission (FSC) is shifting its operations from an analog to a digital platform in the not too distant future.

Chief Executive Officer of the FSC, Kester Guy, indicated that this move is in keeping with the Government’s overall intention to digitise the public sector, with the view of improving how things are done. He made the disclosure in a press briefing with the media yesterday morning. According to Guy, this move will ensure that interactions with their stakeholders is more seamless, accessible and quicker.

“In the early part of next year we will be reaching out to all our stakeholders and introducing them to our digital platform for which they would be able to do all their exchanges with us, whether it be applying for new licenses or even submitting their quarterly or annual regulatory data or regulatory filings to us. So we are moving significantly from this analog form to a more digital form, that would help us to provide the sector with the type of turnaround and the type of information that is key,” he stated.

Referring to the newly signed memorandum of understanding with the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), he said in those exchanges the digital platform would also allow for even faster turnaround times in providing data to the FTC. He went on to explain that the digital platform is intended to impact the way in which payments are made as well.

“The Government announced its intention to reduce its use of cheques and the FSC has also announced that. And so we have given ourselves about three months in which we intend to totally eliminate the use of cheques and engage with all our stakeholders via our payments platform. Those who have to pay fees to the FSC will do so via direct deposit and other digital platform and when we are making payments to our stakeholders, we will be doing that through a similar platform,” he indicated.

Speaking to other changes that are to come, Guy divulged that some changes were coming to the operations of the Securities Division. He told journalists that they have made a decision to eliminate the annual renewal process for entities that fall into that category, which he admitted took as much as 15 weeks to complete.

“In insurance once you are licensed, you had a license and we would regulate you on an ongoing basis. But in the Securities Division, firms under that division had to reapply every year for us to make a reassessment of them. We are now bringing our operations and efficiencies into seamless collaboration, such that entities would no longer have to reapply every year for their license,” he stated.

The FSC head indicated that from January 1, 2020, they will be issuing indefinite licenses and the firms will then be regulated accordingly.

“However, all entities will be required to notify us of material changes within specific timelines and we will be releasing soon our material change guidelines, which will indicate what things you have to give us notice of before you do it. In other words, there might be things you may require our prior approval before you can do it, and there are things that once it is done, the event occurs, you may have a timeline in which you have to update the FSC,” he stated.

He said all of this is being done to gain efficiencies and leverage technology to ensure the FSC is a robust and world-class regulator. (JRT)

AS Christmas draws near, the Cancer Support Services spread some Christmas cheer on Ward C12 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital recently.

Public Relations Officer of the Cancer Support Services (CSS), Antoine Williams, told media that this was an annual event for the CSS, as the ward was officially adopted by the organisation a little over two years ago.

“This Ward is the ward that has been adopted by the Cancer Support Services. So in addition to the refurbishment of the wards, in addition to the supply of items for the patients and the nurses, this is our way of saying ‘Merry Christmas’ and spreading some Christmas cheer,” he said.

“I would think that anyone would want to be part of this feel-good moment and one would understand that in the moment of sickness and despair, Christmas brings a lot of pleasant memories, mind you also unpleasant memories, but we’re not focusing on that. So this is just our way of lifting their spirits, even if it is just for one hour; this really is a lifting of spirits.”

Administrative Assistant of the CSS, David Howard, belted out a powerful solo, much to the thrill and excitement of the patients and Reverend Paul Leacock, official counsellor at the CSS, led the charge as a choir sang Christmas
carols.

Following the serenade, Jan Linton, Executive Director of the CSS, with the help of many volunteers, gave out gifts to nurses and patients, and the patients and nurses were then treated to a delightful Christmas lunch.

Williams told media that much of what the CSS aimed to do was make sure the patients were comfortable.

“A lot of what we do is make sure there is comfort in terms of welfare and bed linens and that sense of support through counselling. One must understand that this is a journey that is unique to an individual, and counselling is one of the key areas in which we place our emphasis because there is a great need for counselling. So once we identify the specific need for it, then we provide the counselling accordingly,” he said.

EXECUTIVE Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland says there is no shortage of data being collected daily at the Martindale’s Road institution, however that data is not being put to good use.

Her comments came on Wednesday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Barbados through the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus and the QEH, reaffirming and strengthening the commitment of the entities.

Bynoe-Sutherland while emphasising the close relationship with the UWI, also highlighted discussions being held with Director of the Chronic Disease Research Centre Dr. Simon Anderson on how the entities can collaborate by utilising the data collected.

“The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has tons of data as you know. We collect data every single day. But data is not effectively used for decision-making and it is certainly not used to influence how we measure our performance. So we know that the Chronic Disease Research Centre... this is their area of expertise.”

She explained that the hospital is in need of documented clinical protocols and documented Standard Operating Procedures. “So that for basic areas of medicine you know what to do and it is really not so much dependenton the measure of individual expertise.”

“So we are really looking at how we can strengthen our operation by having a set of procedures well documented that we know where people go how beds are utilised. We are going to be looking at deepening our collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine to really begin to document and put some of these strategies in place,” the executive chairman assured.

She noted that Dr. Anderson of the CDRC is seeking to upgrade and build out and modernise approaches to stroke registries and the QEH will be benefiting from this information. This she noted will ultimately improve patient delivery in very practical and tangible ways. “We look forward to having those very concrete discussions so that we could in real time appreciate what is happening at the hospital, at least use that information more effectively.”

“We also recognise as we look to improve patient care that the Faculty of Medicine is very much integrated and the delivery of services at the hospital. And although we know they are a part of the firm, they are delivering services they are teaching students we think there are other opportunities to deepen the collaboration.”

The executive chairman while acknowledging the significance of the MOU, also told those in attendance that Principal and Pro Vice Chancellor of the UWI is critical member of the Board of Directors of the QEH, highlighting her experience with dealing with complex and complicated institutions such as the UWI and assured the Board will be benefitting from her expertise at the hospital. (JH)

The Caribbean must begin to exploit its maritime space instead of letting others do it for their own gain.

“We have more maritime space than land space and unfortunately, we are not taking advantage of it,” said Regional Intelligence Officer in Special Projects with the Regional Security System (RSS) Lt. Col. Jeffrey Forde.

“The environment is changing and so to become competitive in the RSS region it is very essential that we capitalise on the few opportunities that will present themselves and be innovative and forward-thinking in facilitating the challenges ahead,” he stated.

Identifying that several governments were now looking at the Blue Economy, and that the OECS was looking at ocean governance, he assured that the RSS was not falling behind as it had recently launched the development of a maritime security strategy for each member state.

Forde insisted that as international countries started producing larger cargo vessels and cruise liners, more pressure would be placed on the limited resources within the region and suggested that such could “overwhelm us” if plans were not put in place to handle these situations.

He made the comments as 16 members from police and military outfits from across the Caribbean received intense training over the last week at the Regional Security System Training Institute.

The first of its kind, the Restricted Operator Course 2019 gave the individuals guidance in several areas including Operational Procedures, Calling and Answering, Distress, Urgency and Safety Communications and Equipment Fundamentals to name a few.

Urging the individuals to understand their importance, in being the bridge in receiving and sending information to their respective units, he urged them to continue to use training opportunities do develop and hone their skills. (JMB)

Principal of Queen’s College, Dr. David Browne was proud to announce that the St. James institution had successfully intertwined technical, vocational and academic education for the benefit of the students.

Dr. Browne announced this as he delivered the Principal’s report during the institution’s Speech Day Wednesday evening.

Under the period of review, the principal noted that the roll out of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification proved successful.

“This is no coincidence but the result of a systematic approach involving a committed staff, interested students, industry partners and the drive of a CVQ coordinator who continues to push the benefits of a marriage of competency based and academic achievement,” he said.

“Rather than hinder achievement, the introduction of CVQs to Queen’s College has served to enhance the overall preparation of students by providing greater opportunities for them to participate in practical, industry standard applications related to the theory being delivered in class. Our approach therefore speaks to an integration of the CVQ into the established curriculum with creative ways being used to build and gather evidence of competency,” he added.

The Principal went on to note that the teachers of the institution took education seriously, and as such embarked on a Caribbean Ideal Person concept in 2011.

He explained that with this programme, they have identified more than 35 attributes that they hope to develop their graduates, among these are Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Analytical Engagement, Solutions Outlook, Self Confidence and Self Respect.

While he commended the hard work of the students, and was proud of their successes, he noted that their intention at QC was not to create perfect persons, but to help shape the Caribbean ideal person, which was conceptualised by the CARICOM Heads of Government.

“We are playing our part in producing citizens of the future who will create wealth, transmit our cherished values from generation to generation and hold our social fabric together, so that Barbados and the wider Caribbean region would remain a zone of peace largely free of crime, violence and lawlessness,” he said.

All charities are being encouraged to comply and complete the survey sent by the Corporate Affairs Department or risk being “struck off as a charity”.

This was announced by Attorney General of Barbados, Dale Marshall as he addressed media during a press conference yesterday evening. He revealed that Barbados had over 1400 charities, and while he did not see this as a bad thing because these charities revealed the altruistic nature of Barbadians, he noted that we were now living in a world where it was important to pay special attention to the scourge of money laundering and terrorism financing.

He explained that charities, by their very nature, were considered high risk vehicles for money laundering and terrorism financing.

“This is not the Barbados position, the Financial Action Task Force is the international standard setting body for these issues and Barbados participates actively in those forums through a Caribbean financial action task force in Trinidad, basically all of the countries across the world are expected to meet certain minimum standards to demonstrate that we are serious about fighting money laundering and terrorism,” he said

He noted that if a country did not meet those standards then they would be blacklisted in the international arena.

Marshall stressed that he did not consider that of the 1400 charities any of them would be used as a vehicle for money laundering, however he stated that the Government must be in a position to defend such statements.

As such, in an effort to understand how many charities were still functioning in Barbados, the Corporate Affairs Department embarked on an outreach programme.

“Now the first step was to write to every charity in Barbados in August asking them to comply and complete the survey; in that first round, less than 100 of the 1400 responded, another round of letters were sent out to the charities in September and in that second round of outreach a similarly small number responded,” he said.

“We are constantly under the scrutiny of the international financing organisations and it is therefore important for us to demonstrate an effective supervisory regime, as a result of that the Corporate Registry has had to reach out to all the charities in Barbados and say to them that we need them to comply.”

“We hope not to have to strike off any charities that do not reply in seven days, so the first thing I will say is that we want all the people that were written to respond to the survey.”

THE Cancer Support Services (CSS) hopes to partner with the Vision 2020 initiative and play their part in having a presence in the community.

This was revealed by Antoine Williams, Public Relations Officer, as he spoke to media on the sidelines of the annual Christmas party at Ward C12 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

“As we prepare for the new year, we know that it is going to be an exciting year, lots of initiatives and so on, and we at CSS would want to partner with the Vision 2020 initiative. And so we recognised the month of October where they celebrate Christ Church, and we would like to be playing our part and having a presence within that community, especially since the office of the CSS is in Christ Church,” he said.

“And if you look at the concept of Vision 2020, it’s not only about feting, it speaks of philanthropy, legacy and embracing what is Barbadian in every landscape and the CSS as a charity and one that lends support to many Barbadians, we would want to be there, both at a national level and also for the attraction of those coming in to celebrate.”

Additionally, the PRO noted that in 2020, the organisation plans to place a greater emphasis on education and membership drives.

He revealed that they would be continuing to focus on educating their members, and educating their visitation team who go out with the Orange Ribbon drive.

In addition to this, Williams stated that they would also look to uplift the brand of the CSS.

“The word ‘cancer’ is a dreadful word for many people and persons need to realise that there is life after diagnosis and there are opportunities for a better life, so we want to be able to push that message,” he said.

“Within Cancer Support Services we have two arms – the Victorious Ladies and Conquering Men, so those two arms will be heavily involved in the promotion of the Cancer Support Services as well as the promotion
of the individual arms.” (CLJ)