A small group of protesters voiced their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for other matters on Saturday when they converged in front the United States Embassy in Barbados.

The peaceful protest at the Wildey, St. Michael location was organised by the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration. It came on the heels of last month’s march and rally in Bridgetown, which was also in support of the BLM movement.

The protest action, which was slated to run from 11am until 1:30pm, was supported by the Caribbean Against Apartheid in Palestine, whose representatives were in attendance.

David Denny, General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, said the date for the protest was strategically selected because it is the Independence Day for the United States of America. He stated the day’s action was not only staged to express continued solidarity with the BLM movement in the USA, but to “stand in solidarity with the government and the people of Venezuela and to fight against any military war against Venezuela”. He further said it was to stand in solidarity with “the people of Palestine who are going through some very tough times and periods and we also want to condemn the United States of America and Israel for its action against the Palestine people.”

Though the turnout was small, Denny said the event gave attendees “the opportunity to express their true feelings with the protest action”. 

One person making a speech during the event was Lalu Hanuman, Secretary of the Caribbean Against Apartheid in Palestine. He called “upon all Barbadians to stand in solidarity with Palestine and further, I call upon the government of Barbados to recognise the state of Palestine”.

“We in the Caribbean, with our history of slavery and our history of indentureship, we must be in the vanguard globally in fighting for human rights. We cannot stand idly by. We were in the vanguard fighting against apartheid in South Africa, we must be in the vanguard against apartheid in Palestine.”

The Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration will continue its protest action on July 26th with a march through The City.

“We are going to march from Kensington Oval to Golden Square and then what we will do, we will support the Clement Payne Movement with its programme that it normally has around Golden Square. Or if the government of Barbados has a programme, we will support the government of Barbados programme around Golden Square,” said Denny.(MG)

Capture the interest of young people in agriculture from early and keep them interested through the use of new technologies.

These were the main points panellists of the 13th FAO and CARICOM Secretariat’s regional COVID-19 webinar entitled “Private Sector Investment in Agriculture and Fisheries: The Preparation and the Pay-Off” expressed when questioned on what path was necessary to get youth involved in the sector.

Jose Apulche, CEO of the Ministry of Agriculture in Belize, highlighted that after going “back to the drawing board” with youth engagement, his country was looking at getting young people involved in non-traditional agricultural areas. 

“What we have decided to focus on is to reintroduce agriculture at the primary school level through covered structure, protected gardening et cetera, usually complementing school feeding programs so that out of that captive audience within the school environment, we can indeed attract new farmers with a business mindset to a large extent,” he stated.

He highlighted while it was not yet included as a core part of the curriculum, such farming was being used as training ground for science, mathematics and even basic business.

“I think that this is absolutely key, because if we wait too long to capture the mind of the youths they will be engaged in other things that distract them away from agriculture. That  has been our experience,” he said, adding “We also recognise our youth in awards with ‘Youth Farmer of the Year’ and ‘Female Farmers of the Year’ and others, because we try to diversify the base and open up both the business opportunities, but also the recognition at all levels, but I would want to think that by introducing a wider audience through the primary schools would be the best way to collect new farmers.”

Ralph Birkhoff, CEO of Alquimi Renewables in Anguilla expressed similar sentiments and said youth would be driven into agriculture through the use of technologies and greenhouse systems.

“Young people love new technology so if you are creating clean lab environment where you are growing using state of the art systems, we can drive that interest back and also certify them at a higher level of technical training so if they want to work somewhere else in the world they would have that ability as well,” Birkhoff explained. (JMB)

The Embassy of the United States of America to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean commemorated the 4th of July on Saturday with its first ever virtual celebration.

Usually the mission would have celebrated in grand style at their Wildey St. Michael Headquarters alongside government ministers, the diplomatic corps, prominent business people, clergy, and key Mission contacts. However, 2020, which marked the 244th anniversary of the US Independence, also emerged as the year with strict rules against social gatherings due to the coronavirus.

“Normally, we would celebrate this milestone together, but this has not been a normal year,” US Ambassador Linda Taglialatela said, reflecting on the pandemic which has not only claimed over 100 000 lives in the United States and over 400 000 lives across the globe, but has caused unprecedented economic damage with the loss of millions of jobs.

Ambassador Taglialatela also recalled the tragic death of George Floyd and the public outcry that followed in the United States, and throughout the world, indicating “this serves as a reminder that the Union created 244 years ago is a living project”.  

“Generations of Americans have fought to make our goals of justice and equality a reality, from abolitionists to suffragettes to civil rights activists. A democratic project is never fully finished. It is a work in progress. We citizens are called upon to defend and perfect it. We must ensure justice for all people, no matter the colour of their skin, their religious affiliation, political beliefs, gender or sexual orientation,” she insisted.  

“We are grateful for all the Caribbean sisters and brothers who showed support for our American citizens struggling for justice. We do not take your support for granted nor do we take for granted the democratic values we share with the Caribbean, such as freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.”   

The Ambassador further expressed, “I look forward to the time when we can celebrate our bonds, our independence, and our shared commitment to fairer and more just societies not just in the United States and the Caribbean, but throughout the world.”

The entertaining event started off with the Embassy’s Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Leland Lazarus’ impressive rendition of the US national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” with the Marine Corps; followed by acapella group Freedom’s Boombox, and Juanita Clarke & her band – Clarke will represent Barbados at the US Musical Exchange Program ‘One Beat’. (TL)

Barbadians are being told that they need not worry about the accuracy of the tests currently being performed in this country to diagnose COVID-19.

In recent weeks there have been concerns raised internationally about the use of serology tests, commonly referred to as antibody tests, to determine the rate of infection in some countries. The major concerns have been that there are a number of fraudulent tests on the market and that these tests, which use blood samples to detect antibodies to the COVID-19 virus to see if a person previously been infected, are less accurate on those recently exposed to the virus.

But, Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Kenneth George says there is no cause for alarm in this country, as Barbados has been and continues to use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which directly detect the presence of the virus. This, he maintained, is considered the “gold standard”.

“We have followed the guidance of the WHO [World Health Organisation] and PAHO [Pan American Health Organisation] and that is why Barbados only recognises the PCR antigen test for COVID-19. It is the most reliable test, but there are several other tests on the market 

[including] tests for antibodies. But the antibody test we do not use,” he told The Barbados Advocate.

He explained that while such tests would show previous exposure, they do not indicate when that exposure was, which he explained, would prevent the health authorities from getting a clear picture of the situation. 

“We don’t know if it was a long standing thing or more recent infection. So for now we only use the PCR test, which remains the gold standard. Some jurisdictions have been using antibody tests but it has not been verified for use in large populations,” Dr. George stated.

The Acting CMO went on to explain that the antibody test itself will become more useful as more people get infected. 

“Antibody tests would tell you about herd immunity, but with this epidemic we haven’t started to move to herd immunity because with herd immunity we are speaking about 60 to 70 percent of the population being exposed to the virus. That tells you when large segments of your population have been exposed. The antibody test could indicate which of the small pockets haven’t been exposed to the virus. But it is not a useful test now,” he indicated. 

Additional, the Ministry of Health and Wellness official said that Barbados has also not given the green light to the use of any of at-home testing kits for COVID-19. In fact, he said such tests which use saliva or a small drop of blood to test for the virus, have not been approved as yet for large populations.

To date Barbados has performed in excess of 8100 PCR tests on both nationals and non-nationals, many of whom were tested on arrival into the country. With the country expected to welcome commercial air travel again in a few days’ time, Barbados is requiring those seeking to come into the island to have PCR tests done by labs, either International Organisation Standard (ISO), College of American Pathologists (CAP) , United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited or their equivalent, at least 72 hours prior to departure. (JRT)

Despite the COVID-19 situation, General Manager of Co-operators General Insurance Company Limited, Anton Lovell, explained that customers had still been paying their premiums, though some had asked for extension terms.

During a recent interview held at the Co-operators General Insurance headquarters in Upper Collymore Rock, Lovell spoke to the media about the effects of COVID-19 on the ability of customers to meet their insurance obligations. 

He highlighted that vehicle insurance policy holders had been making payments, but there were cases of some requiring extended payment terms.

“What we have been doing is extending the credit terms to them and we are doing so without any penalties or interest charged because we know how difficult this time could be for persons to settle their premiums,” said Lovell.

Lovell explained that previously customers would pay the premiums over a period of three or four months, but now were requesting longer timeframes to pay.

According to the General Manager, the main affected customers who have been requesting extensions had been taxi operators and hired car businesses as a result of the COVID-19 situation.

“These are the two most affected customers we are seeing from the fallout of COVID-19 and that is expected. We are hoping that come this month when borders reopen and people start to travel, things could go back to as normal as possible and they could earn some level of income,” stated Lovell.

Regarding property insurance, the manager highlighted that the company was happy to see that many people were still insuring homes.

“We are happy to see persons are in fact insuring properties and that is good as it is hurricane season. I believe that because of the disaster that occurred last year in the Bahamas, people are more conscious and we have not seen any fallout of the property side at all,” explain the general manager.

The outlook was mostly positive according to Lovell, however, he mentioned that during the shutdown and curfew months, there was a significant reduction in motor vehicle accidents and the company was hoping that it would continue.

“Quite honestly by the time we effectively opened back, we have been getting the same level of careless accidents. We are just asking persons to be patient and to drive with due care and attention and drive defensively,” urged Lovell.

Finally the general manager highlighted that Co-operators General Insurance Company Limited had programs to educate people on the dangers of careless driving, but believed more could be done to educate the public, showing them that too many lives were being lost as a result of road accidents. (AS)

It is hoped that over the next two months, the requisite protocols can be agreed on to get the regional cruise industry going again.

So says Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who on Friday during the 20th Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, revealed that she has accepted the responsibility of co-chairing a task force for the Americas on cruise tourism, along with the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean Michael Bayley. 

Mottley told those in the virtual meeting and tuning in online, that the ultimate goal is to ensure that the region can prepare to reopen the borders for cruise tourism in a safe way.

“... That allows those people within our community to be able to see economic activity again, from vendors, to taxi drivers, to tourism attractions, etc. But they will not benefit if the cruise ships are not coming in, and the cruise ships cannot come unless there are safe protocols that we are satisfied on and that they are too, as owners of companies are satisfied can work for us,” she stated.

PM Mottley continued, “We hope within the next two months therefore, to be able to settle those protocols, but we will also use the opportunity to be able to see how best we can deepen our partnerships.”

Her comments came as she explained that the Caribbean commands as much as 40 to 50 per cent of cruise tourism, which she said makes the region “an inevitable partner” of anyone who is involved in the cruise business across the world. That, she said, was the impetus for a meeting that was scheduled between the CARICOM Heads of Government, and the leaders of the cruise ship industry earlier this year at the Intersessional Meeting. 

“That meeting, regrettably, could not come off because of the difficulties with respect to COVID and as a result, we then had a meeting focused purely on protocols that led us also to determine how we are going to literally be able to repatriate the many thousands of persons who [are] some of our citizens, of course... and others from the other parts of the world who were working within our region,” she added. 

Mottley said that she Hope’s that the region will “deeply collaborate and partner” to not only see how best the countries can speak with one voice on the future of the cruise industry, but how best as a region we can extract even greater benefits from the sector. Especially so, she said, for those citizens who, though small players within our economy, depend heavily on that cruise ship business. (JRT)

Fisherfolk within the Oistins community are extending a helping hand
to needy families within that constituency.

Yesterday the group handed over numerous packages of fish to Member of
Parliament for Christ Church South, Ralph Thorne, as a way of giving
back to the country, which allowed them to continue to ply their trade
during the Covid-19 national shutdown.

Speaking to the media yesterday at the Berinda Cox Fish Market,
captain of fishing vessel ‘Uncle Doc’, Ryan Bourne, one of several
contributors to the venture, expressed his hopes the donation would
help the vulnerable in the same way that a similar donation made by
the Bridgetown fisherfolk a few weeks back had done.

“We in Oistins would love to follow our comrades from town by donating
some fish to the people of Barbados. We recognise that because of the
pandemic, people’s lives have been affected in a powerful way and
government has allowed us to ply our trade while other people have to
close down theirs, so we want to give back to the country of Barbados
by donating some fish. We know that the country has opened back, but
there are still a lot of people who are home and not working and those
who have gone back still have to catch back with what they would have
lost when they were home,” he stated.

Calling the fisherfolk “essential workers”, Linda Harris, Chairperson
of the Oistins Fisherfolk Committee,  thanked the major donors to the
effort as well as the market’s patrons for their business throughout
the years.

Commending the group, Thorne said the gift was being given on behalf
of fish vendor Rita Hunte, who tragically lost her life at the market
less than two weeks ago.

“This is a fine gesture and I could not think of a better way to meet
the biblical injunction of loving your neighbour, and the fisherfolk
here are showing that love for their neighbour. They spend a lot of
time fishing; they do it for a living, but today they are doing it for
a loving of their community,” he said, noting that a team from his
constituency office would be making the distributions to the various
families throughout the day.
(JMB)
 

Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and Vice-Chancellor of
The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles,
is laying the blame of the widespread prevalence of chronic
non-communicable diseases in this region squarely at the feet of the
former European colonisers.

Speaking yesterday morning during an online session hosted by the
Reparatory Commission, along with UWI TV, titled ‘From Apology to
Action: CARICOM’s Call for Reparatory Justice’, Sir Hilary said,
“Britain left behind a pandemic of chronic diseases” in this region.

“The hypertension, the diabetic pandemic collectively has constituted
a threat to the existence of Caribbean societies. Over 60 per cent of
all of the people in the Caribbean today over the age of 60  have
either hypertension or diabetes or both,” he said.

He added, “The Caribbean is the diabetic hypertensive centre of the
world. Barbados and Jamaica constitute the amputation capital of the
world, as a result of complications arising from diabetes. More
amputations are committed in the Caribbean per capita than any other
part of the world. This is because for 300 years the people of this
region were forced to consume a diet based on what they produced –
sugar.”

Sir Hilary – a noted historian – explained that in the Caribbean sugar
was consumed not as a sweetener, but as a meal, as a part of the
dietary plan of the enslaved. This, he lamented, has resulted in the
“enormous pandemic” of diabetes that is sweeping through the region.

“Billions of dollars are spent in this region each year dealing with
the consequences and legacies of an enforced diet of sugar and salt,
to which the people of the region are now addicted. If we take the
marker of chronic diseases, the Black people in the Caribbean are the
sickest people in the world on a per capita basis. This is a direct
consequence of slavery and colonisation,” he charged.
(JRT)

It was a contentious evening at the Gall Hill Community Centre in St.
John, but when the dust settled, the residents of St. John
experiencing no water from their pipes for five months or more had
fully expressed themselves at the long awaited Barbados Water
Authority (BWA) Town Hall meeting.

Those living in Sherbourne, Coach Hill, Glebe Land and surrounding
areas gave the panel on hand, which included Member of Parliament
Charles Griffith; Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred
Abrahams; Acting General Manager of the BWA Dr John Mwansa; and Chair
of the Board Leodean Worrell, quite a lot to ponder on Sunday evening.

Griffith explained that despite popular belief, he still resides in
Edgecliff, St. John and has felt the same hurt and frustrations of
residents.

“This is a vexing issue and it is one that I have been trying to
address, contrary to belief that I have not been fighting the cause…”
said Griffith.

He also highlighted a meeting he was invited to in Gall Hill Terrace
to address the water issues the community was having, and stated that
it was proof of his effort in working towards a solution.

Griffith mentioned the videos which had circulated around the island
via social media of the desperate situation in St. John, and also the
lack of respect which some of the BWA workers had shown towards
residents.

Members of the community were allowed to express their feelings and
grievances on the microphone, and many complained of what seemed to
them as being overlooked because of lack of social status.

It was also pointed out by some residents that though the water
tankers did indeed service the areas, there were individuals who
seemed to have been given preference, including homes that were being
built or certain business establishments.

Minister Abrahams made the request for any video evidence to be
provided to the ministry and BWA officials, so any breach could be
addressed.

Tahira Hurdle of Gall Hill, St. John lamented the treatment she
received from the BWA after receiving a water bill of over $4,000 for
a third consecutive month. She questioned how residents were paying
for a service they were not receiving, and yet were getting notices of
pending disconnection.

“To my knowledge, the Barbados Water Authority is providing a service,
the service of providing water to the island. I am a cosmetologist, if
I am advertising that I am providing a service – hair, nails or
whatever – and I am taking money from clients and I fail to provide
that service, it would be a problem. You have to think of it that way,
whether it is a private entity or a government entity,” said Hurdle.

The young lady also suggested that residents would welcome the
establishment of  a minimum fee, which would go towards the purchase
of tanks and pumps, so they could have access to water. She contended
that it was indeed frustrating to be in the COVID-19 environment and
not be able to have access to running water to bathe, noting that hand
sanitiser was only good for hands.

Another idea which has been long suggested was that of constructing
desalination plants, which would cater to the needs of those in the
hardest hit parishes of St. John, St. Andrew and St. Joseph. The
consensus was that the situation of no water, whether due to drought
conditions or poor management from the BWA, needed to be addressed in
the short term and long term.

One resident also made the suggestion for Minister Abrahams and the
management of the Barbados Water Authority to be more hands-on. She
proposed that they should spend a day driving in the water tankers and
get out to help fill and lift buckets, to see what those who live in
St. John and other parts of the island had experienced over the past
five to seven months.
(AS)
 

Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia
Bradshaw, accepted a donation yesterday from The United Nations
Childrens’ Fund (UNICEF) of over 120 tablets and Personal Protective
Equipment. The presentation was made at the headquarters of the
ministry on Constitution Road, St. Michael.

The tablets were presented yesterday while most of the Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) had already been distributed to 60 of the
schools in Barbados.

Dr Aloys Kamuragiye, representative of the UNICEF Office of the
Eastern Caribbean Area, made the presentation to Minister Bradshaw,
explaining that UNICEF is aware of the need across the Caribbean for
such items and is pleased to offer aid to the children in the present
situation.

Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw thanked UNICEF for the donation
and for their support of schools in Barbados, stating that on every
occasion that the ministry has called on Dr Aloys and his team, they
responded positively and have gone beyond the call of duty to assist
the students of Barbados.

“COVID-19, while it was affecting everyone across the world, Barbados
was no different, and when we reached out to UNICEF and indicated the
challenges we were having, before we even got to devices or PPE, we
also sat with them to discuss the protocols that were necessary for
the schools – both them and the Pan American Health Organisation.”
said Bradshaw.

The minister pointed out that the assistance given allowed them to
meet the international standards without having to reinvent the
proverbial wheel, but look at best practices across the world. She
said the ministry was able to tailor-make protocols which worked best
for students and teachers of Barbados, in their own environment.

UNICEF also provided the schools with posters and paraphernalia which
gave instructions on how to maintain the health protocols such as the
washing of hands and maintaining physical distancing.

Minister Bradshaw thanked not only UNICEF but also USAID, which had
worked alongside UNICEF with the donation.

Clinton White, USAID Regional Representative for the Eastern and
Southern Caribbean was in attendance. White explained that he was
happy to be part of the presentation which would benefit the students
of Barbados.

“I am very pleased to be here for this turning over of this vital
equipment and supplies…Also to support the Ministry of Education and
to continue to collaborate with our partner UNICEF to see that things
begin to prosper and grow as we go back to a new normal.” stated
White.

(AS)
 

Safety barriers will soon be erected to protect fisherfolk and vendors
plying their trade at the Berinda Cox Fish Market in Oistins.

Member of Parliament for Christ Church South, Ralph Thorne, gave the
assurance authorities will be moving to better safeguard this group,
following the tragic circumstances which led to the death of
74-year-old fish vendor Rita “Sissy” Hunte  of Upper Carter’s Gap,
Christ Church on June 24.

In a freak accident, a vehicle jumped the sidewalk, striking and
injuring fish vendor Dorothy Hall before pinning Hunte onto a pole in
front of the number three stall where she worked for decades. She
passed away en route to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The incident left many shaken and upset fisherfolk demanding better
safeguards from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy,
which holds responsibility for the fish markets.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Thorne stated, “I have had
discussions with the Ministry of Transport and Works and with
(Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy) Kirk Humphrey and
we are hoping that in a very short time the barriers will be erected.”

However, he insisted that patrons would be able to do their shopping as before.

“In a sense there will be no barrier between the people of this market
and the people who shop here,” he said.

Thorne made the comments yesterday as Oistins fisherfolk donated a
significant number of fish packages to be distributed to the needy
within the constituency, on behalf of the ‘mother of the market’
Hunte, who would have celebrated her birthday on Wednesday.

“We will celebrate her birthday and today marks the beginning of the
celebration of Sissy Hunte’s birthday and we are using this event to
give a gift on behalf of Sissy Hunte back to the community of Christ
Church,” he expressed.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, while supporting the call for the
Caribbean to receive reparations from the United Kingdom and Europe,
is contending that it is not only about financial compensation.

Mottley, who is the Chair of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on
Reparations, made the comments while delivering remarks yesterday
morning during a virtual session hosted by the CARICOM Reparatory
Commission along with UWI TV, under the theme ‘From Apology to Action:
CARICOM’s Call for Reparatory Justice’.

“...For us reparations is not just simply about money, but it is also
about justice and evening the space that allows us to have the policy
flexibility to be able to deal with a lot of what we are dealing
with... The reality is we were not given a development compact that
allowed us to be able to move off. We were given political
independence, we were given the power to make laws,” she said.

She added, “And make laws we did to reverse the legal trappings of
discriminations and bigotry for the most part. But the trappings were
not just legal, the trappings were psychological, the trappings were
sociological in terms of the breaking up of our families.”

Mottley went further, emphasising the need for an apology for the
region, for countries to be able to move forward.

“I don’t know how we can go further unless there is a reckoning first
and foremost that places an apology and an acknowledgement that wrong
was done; and that successive centuries saw the extraction of wealth
and the destruction of people in a way that must never happen to any
society, to any race, in any part of this world again. And for that to
happen, you must first admit that you are wrong,” she contended.

PM Motley said that there has been an “unbelievable failure” by those
countries that engaged in slavery to say that they were wrong and that
they would not do it again and that they must make recompense for what
was done.

“That is the first step to what people want,” she said.

She also spoke of the poor economic state in which Caribbean countries
were left at the time of independence. She explained that the
extraction of wealth from the region over the centuries, which left
the Caribbean with dire socio-economic circumstances and thrust them
into independence without a development plan, was also wrong.
(JRT)
 

The Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) is taking steps to provide
Barbadians interested in getting into farming with more information on
how to do so.

BAS’ Chief Executive Officer, James Paul, revealed this while noting
that coming out of the COVID-19 lockdown more Barbadians have been
getting involved in agriculture.

“We are seeing an increasing number of members of the public
indicating that they do want to get involved in agriculture. So that
is something of course that we are encouraging, and I am sure that at
the end of the day, that it would help to stimulate economic
activities throughout the country because these people are consumers
too.”

Paul pointed out that the BAS is trying to develop its website to make
sure that the farmers do have tips  on varying areas. Using the
example of persons who want to get involved in sheep farming, he said
the BAS has posted on its site the sheep farmers’ manual to provide
individuals with useful information.

He also spoke about other helpful info that can be found on the site.

“We actually put up recently a guide in terms of dealing with the
monkeys on the website. Again, that was done by the Ministry of
Agriculture and we are going to put up more links that would provide
information to those persons who would want to get into agriculture.
Beyond that of course, one of the things as we move past COVID-19 and
if we can go back to meetings, we will be holding seminars for farmers
and to help people who are getting into farming.”

Waste-to-energy appears to be on the cards again as an option for the island’s energy mix, with word yesterday that a multimillion-dollar investment was going to be made into that technology.

Speaking yesterday morning as he introduced the Fair Trading Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Utilities Regulation (Amendment) Bill for debate in the Lower House, Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland, referred to the plant earmarked for Vaucluse, St. Thomas, as he disclosed that the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is currently “busy preparing” a rate for the energy that will be generated from biomass technology.

According to Minister Sutherland, the 25-megawatt waste-to-energy/biomass plant will be achieved through an investment of some $320 million. His comments came as he indicated that the waste-to-energy plant will address, among other things, this country’s garbage challenges and its energy needs.

“We are burning organic waste, disposing of organic waste and through the Minister of Agriculture, he will make available all the fallow land, all the idle land to be used for the production of biomass, and he has already identified that. Because when we start this plant, we are looking at 20 per cent local organic waste and we are importing 80 per cent. But that can’t deter us, because all the cost benefit analysis being done by Minister Caddle and her team, and all prospects look good in terms of the return on investment and in terms of what investment will come to this country next year and I think even before, and the creation of jobs,” he said.

Sutherland spoke to the new waste-to-energy idea, while reflecting on the previous attempt by the former administration to go a similar route. He described the 40-megawatt plasma gasification plant, which was to be built by Cahill Energy, a “fiasco”. That plant, he indicated, was to operate using unproven technology, burning 1,000 tonnes of waste per day and the agreement was to sell electricity to the Barbados Light and Power at 66 cents per kilowatt-hour, which he argued would have “raped this country and the taxpayers”. He made the point while noting that the FTC was excluded from the negotiations on that rate.

“When you set up this waste-to-energy plant, this plasma gasification plant, you were going to sell the electricity to Light and Power at 66 cents per kilowatt-hour. Mr. Speaker, members of this Chamber, members of the public, I challenge you to call Light and Power and ask them if this is not one of their gas turbine’s inefficient operations, if this is not the cost of running one of their old gas turbines efficiently... This is what we were going to put in modern Barbados, that rate, and in St. Thomas, in rural Barbados, with temperatures over 1,500 degrees Celsius,” he said.

Sutherland added, “That rate in my view was lotto, jackpot and interest all in one for somebody, and who would have to pay for that? Ordinary Barbadians, we would have to pay for that in our electricity bills! So I don’t know what cost benefit analysis was done with this Cahill plant at all.”

His comments came as he revealed that the proposal for the investor for the new waste-to-energy plant is “way less” than 66 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Marketing Manager of Rubis West Indies Limited, Andrea Gooding, through a donation of tablets, offered continued support for the students of the Ann Hill School as they reached for the stars.

After reaching out to the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Rubis West Indies made the move to donate 20 Apple iPad tablets to the Ann Hill School. Yesterday, Marketing Manager Gooding and other representatives of Rubis made the donation at the Ann Hill School to Principal Emelda Belle, along with teachers and students.

Gooding explained that Rubis had initially sought to meet some of the needs of the Eastern Caribbean countries by sourcing and providing Personal Protective Equipment to various ministries of health in the region. Donations so far are in excess of US$110,000, however in an effort to assist with other important social initiatives, Rubis answered the call of the Ministry of Education of Barbados, in providing devices for approximately 10,000 students who had no access to online learning.

“We saw this as an opportunity to support the long-time investment in our students and remote teaching, which we understand would become a more common feature in the school curriculum,” said Gooding.

Acknowledging the fact that iPad tablets were more expensive than regular tablets, Gooding explained that the Apple devices were better equipped to satisfy the requirements of the students at the special needs institution.

“Often special needs children are visual learners, so by using visual content to provide the learning to them, we are providing them with the option to learn by watching, listening or reading to help them develop their knowledge and skills,” explained Gooding.

The marketing manager thanked Digicel and The iShop for helping provide the devices and other online tools. Digicel played its part when Rubis sought to provide data for the students to connect to the teaching online. Twelve MiFi devices were presented, along with a package of 2 Gigabytes each for three months from Digicel.

Principal Belle thanked Rubis for their generous contribution to the school, along with all contributing corporate partners so far. She added that though the school had been working with the Ministry of Education to meet the needs of the students, there was still a lack in certain areas. One of those areas was the access to online learning for the students.

“This afternoon’s presentation will go a long way in helping to give our students the opportunity to gain the skills and practice in using this form of technology as we build and go forward in the new school year,” said Belle. (AS)

THE buying power of Barbadians was flexed yesterday as a massive section of the population joined in supporting the Blackout Day. Borrowing from a similar initiative kicked off in the United States of America to encourage persons of colour to spend their money with black businesses in a bid to fight racial injustice and economic disparity, many persons in Barbados heeded the call as activity across white-owned businesses in Barbados contracted for one day.

With the organisers calling for persons to only spend their money with black-owned businesses and casting the nets to include supermarkets, delivery services, restaurants, bars and other food services, hair salons and other forms of commerce, the initiative had picked up some traction as it had been making the rounds on social media for the past few weeks ahead of yesterday.

In Bridgetown, there was a notable difference as a quieter atmosphere reigned. There were less persons going through the nation’s capital and establishments such

as Cave Shepherd and Colombian Emeralds bore witness to it with Cave Shepherd being very empty in the afternoon, while the latter was closed for the day. In Swan Street, business was bustling but there was still a lot less traffic than the busy corridor was known for.

On reaching out to the organisers for comment yesterday, The Barbados Advocate was informed that they were at that moment trying to assess the impact of the day’s activities and would speak to them at some point today.

THE cheap supply of energy through the use of renewables can help to cut this island’s food import bill.

In yesterday’s debate on the Fair Trading Commission (Amend-ment) Bill 2020 and the Utilities Regulations (Amendment) Bill 2020, Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Sandra Husbands, said the large-scale use of renewable energy will help build the island’s agro-processing industry.

“This will help to forge the way for new manufacturers in Barbados to be able to produce and be competitive. We won’t be able to do everything, but with the higher level production capabilities that our skills can manage and that our labour costs can carry with available energy at a reasonable cost, Barbados is going to be able to pursue production and pursue agro-processing.

“What will that mean? That we can participate fully without hesitation in the program that is being designed by the CARICOM private sector organization who had been tasked with how we can replace $450 million worth of food products into CARICOM, so that it can give our countries a fighting chance to save foreign exchange. But more importantly, generate investment and generate jobs for our people,” she outlined.

Husbands stated therefore Barbados could get involved in such a movement and in agro-processing to not only create a number of products to consume domestically in homes, but also in hotels when visitors return, as well as to export them across the region.

“If we can save $700 million in fuel imports, that is money we do not have to look for. If we can use the energy to start producing goods and reduce our own import bill and create jobs for people, that is 100 million dollars that we can generate right there by reducing imports into the Barbadian economy,” the MP for St. James South told the Lower House. (JMB)

Government has moved to “tidy up” the issue of the appointment of a second Deputy Commissioner of Police, which has been the subject of public debate over the past few months, regarding its legality.

Leading off the debate on the Police (Amendment) Bill and the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill in the House of Assembly yesterday evening, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, said that of note was that the arguments from those opposing the appointment, never addressed if such a post was needed. It came as the AG stated that Government, in creating the post, was answering a plea from the Commissioner of Police for help.

According to Marshall, in a letter dated November 7, 2018 written by the Commissioner of Police to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, a recommendation was made for an additional post of Deputy Commissioner of Police and setting out the rationale for such. Reading the correspondence to the Chamber, the AG quoted the top cop, as indicating that oversight for the various departments for which the deputy has, was becoming demanding and some areas were not being “as effectively monitored and managed as is desirable”. Moreover, the Commissioner in the letter said that the demands of law enforcement have grown exponentially over a five- to ten-year period, requiring the constant rethinking and reviewing of policing strategies and the need to pay greater detail to follow through.

“This Administration, in seeking to appoint a Deputy Commissioner, was not engaged in any act of wastefulness or dishonesty. This Administration was seeking to satisfy the earnest request of a Commissioner who felt that he needed an additional hand on the deck at that level,” he stated.

With that in mind, AG Marshall dismissed the idea put forward by the Opposition, that the person currently in that post should have to repay the salary he received while in the post prior to the legislation being changed.

“For them to even suggest that an individual who goes to work every day; carries the burden of his office; discharges his responsibility to the public, but because there is an inconsistency between two legal provisions, that the gentlemen should not get paid. You know who should not get paid, Sir? People who don’t work shouldn’t get paid,” he contended.

He added, “The point is that the gentleman went to work for months and worked hard and carried his weight, and the Opposition could be associated with the request that that gentleman return his pay. That is what politics has come to in Barbados.”

AG Marshall went on to say that based on the legal opinions on the matter that he sought and obtained, he is satisfied that “the gentleman is in an office”, but indicated that Government would still ensure that the legislation is tidied up.

“... What we have done by creating the post of an additional Deputy Commissioner of Police is to strengthen the hand of the Police Force and to enable them to do a better and more modern form of policing, Sir. It is a hell of a thing that you have a Force that has remained largely unchanged over the last decades, and that efforts to change them Sir, could have come to be so criticised, not because we have in any way done the wrong thing or done a dishonourable thing, but because the formula that was chosen might not have been correct,” he added. (JRT)

MINISTER of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir, is calling on Barbadians to stay focused as he lambasted critics of the current administration, many of whom he said have ulterior motives.

He was speaking in the Lower Chamber yesterday on the Fair Trading Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Utilities Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020, where he rubbished claims that there is corruption by any Member of Parliament.

“There are those people who will have their set agendas and based on that set agenda, they take advantage of the most naive. They simply do. You would imagine that we came to government and every single minister in this administration had to declare their assets. So that if you had to declare your assets, a process has begun, and that for anybody to assume, any modicum of corruption in this team is a person that has set an agenda over and beyond human imagination.”

He said it could only be attributed to envy. “It can only be because we have declared all of our assets, Mr. Deputy Speaker. All. So that, it is easy now to check to see if any Ministers are involved in corruption. Easy.”

Minister Weir said it is his wish that Barbadians begin to understand and embrace what is currently taking place in the country. “Because many times the narrative is changed, especially to distract the most vulnerable among us. And oftentimes it is difficult to get them to understand that what is being done is in their best interest. So you would find people come and try to change the narrative simply because there is another agenda. Oftentimes a political agenda and one that is designed ... to destroy the genuine and most sincere projects that are being brought here to this Honourable Chamber for the sole benefit of all Barbadians. Sometimes these acts are sinister.

“And I have seen a number of sinister acts within recent times, but I am not ready yet to address those because I do believe that when people resort to sinister behaviour, they must resort in a manner that they also must know that in the same way you seek to destroy somebody’s character, you note that you also need to look at yourself and make sure that there are not skeletons in your closet,” he cautioned.

The Agriculture Minister challenged that the criticism comes, even though the Government took Barbados through an economic transformation.

“From the time we became a government in 2018, we were ready to transform this economy. Our currency was on the brink of devaluation. Our economics team moved with alacrity to make sure that we protect the Barbados dollar and at the same time rebuild our foreign reserves. Sir, that is transformation. That is work that was done immediately after assuming office in this country. But would you believe the narrative today is such that you will think that nothing was ever done...

“And all the fingering that is going on in this country, with a very petty and silly narrative, making jokes Mr. Deputy Speaker at a time when we have just managed a COVID period where everybody was able to live so comfortably that they hardly recognised that we took them through three months of a country shut down. Because had they recognised this, they wouldn’t have time for idle gossip and simplicity in behaviour.

“I’m concerned about what has become of my beautiful Barbados. When we reach a stage in our development where all is being done to transform this country... you cannot tell me that at the end of this, all Barbadians don’t stand to benefit. They do,” he said. (JH)

Government has moved forward with plans to make changes to two pieces of legislation that would give the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) oversight as it relates to the regulation of the renewable energy (RE) sector and pave the way for major investments in the sector.

Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland, leading off the debate on the Fair Trading Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Utilities Regulation (Amendment) Bill in the House of Assembly yesterday, explained that placing the RE sector under the FTC would redound to the benefit of the country.

“Having a transparent and robust rate setting system, one that is devoid of uncertainty would serve this country well. Having a rate setting system, one that is devoid of uncertainty would serve the investors well. Having a transparent and robust rate setting system, one that is devoid of uncertainty would serve the consumers of this country well,” he stated.

His comments came as he indicated that the goal is to get the regulatory agenda right, in order to take the RE sector forward. He made the point while contending that under the former administration, the sector suffered from inertia and he argued that the former government tinkered with the sector. As such, Sutherland said this Government’s goal is to lay the foundation for a successful RE sector, noting that RE will be a key pillar in building out the local economy. In fact, he argued that RE offers small island developing states hope of enhanced energy security and reduction in foreign exchange reserves outflows. He made the point while noting that at the end of last year, fuel imports cost this country $728.1 million.

“What this Renewable Energy sector can offer us is a diverse energy mix of biogas and biomass and solar energy and also wind,” he said.

Minister Sutherland’s remarks came as he stated that over the next decade, the RE sector is anticipated to attract between 3.5 to 5.5 billion dollars in investments. To that end, he said that it is imperative that there is a regulator, “who is fully empowered by law to control and regulate the competing interest of the investors and indeed the interest of the rate paying consumers”.

Such investments, the Commerce Minister said, is good news for the country and also has the potential to create much-needed jobs for Barbadians. According to Sutherland, it has created employment opportunities in a number of areas.

“This sector has created a new category of work for existing artisans and tradesmen, electricians, roof installers and engineers. Rental of rooftops and lease of properties by landlords. All construction workers – small, large and medium-sized; as well as job seekers from the Barbados Community College and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institution. So we are developing a cadre of workers not only those persons who are within the field, but we are making sure that our institutions – the Community College and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institution, these guys and ladies understand the importance of getting into this sector,” he stated. (JRT)