Barbados National Standards Institute (BNSI) Safe Business Verification Program has presented businesses and organisations with the opportunity to show their response to Covid-19 in Barbados.

The program, which presented its first Safe Business Verification Certificate last week, to Unicomer (Barbados) trading as Courts, was done in conjunction with international standards, safety principles and protocols. Ryan Brathwaite, Chairman of BNSI, congratulated the staff of BNSI for their hard work in bringing the program to a successful reality.

“The Safe Business Verification Program was developed by BMSI, to help businesses demonstrate their commitment to the health and safety culture in Barbados,” said the chairman.

Brathwaite also informed those present at the Courts store in St. George Street, Bridgetown that the program was developed to create an independent verification stamp, for we businesses and organisations as an indication that they have made the effort to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chairman stated that BNSI wanted to continue to build a strong culture which would return confidence to businesses.

“We want to continue to build a strong health and safety culture throughout Barbados as we seek to create an environment where business activity can be conducted as safely as possible, returning confidence to businesses and organisations as we seek to rebuild our economy together,” explained Brathwaite.

Lauding the effort of Courts, a newcomer to the BNSI, Brathwaite said that he hoped that the initiative would encourage other businesses to join with and become members of the BNSI. 

Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds also commended BNSI for the initiative and the ingenuity of developing the program which would address a deficiency within the business community. Symmonds explained that the stamp of approval was a stamp that was eligible for every business in Barbados but it was one which needed to be earned.

“You get the stamp of approval by demonstrating that you have the internal operational structure that allows you to meet with the international labour standards of safety, international best practices and maintain the standards set by your own ministry of health,” said the minister.

In the current environment of uncertainty regarding the future, many businesses need the added boost of confidence. Customers also need that peace of mind of a safe environment because of health and safety protocols being adhered to, as they shop or use various local services. (AS)

Barbados’ drainage issues must be addressed.

Minister in Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment and Member of Parliament for St. Michael South Central, Marsha Caddle stated this during an interview with local media at the Constitution River yesterday morning. She and representatives of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc.(BTI), C.O. Williams Construction and DLN Consultants Inc. launched the 18-month Constitution River: Phase Three Project. The cost of the initiative is 11 million dollars.

Caddle outlined that in the area, there has been an increase of mosquitoes and sanitation and cleanliness have been a challenge for residents. She highlighted that although the island is experiencing drought conditions, with recent heavy rainfall and flooding, drainage is an issue.

Hall’s Roads Commercial Village coming

During her remarks, Minister Caddle announced plans for Hall’s Road Commercial Village which will feature a series of kiosks along the embankment at the Constitution River. She explained that this will provide opportunities for entrepreneurs in the community.

As she pointed out the existing vendors on the main road, Caddle said the government aims to bring order and motivate residents to continue their commercial activities.

“(This project) is really about giving opportunities to entrepreneurs and when we talk about the private sector, we are not only talking about big business, ” said Caddle.

She also noted that over the next couple of months, the communication team will be disseminating notices about traffic changes or issues to the public. The Minister also encouraged Barbadians to be aware of their environment and asked that the public cooperates by not placing garbage and other debris into the waterways.

Earlier, she explained that the Constitution River: Phase Three project is a continuation of the first phases many years ago and the reason for the delay was due to a lack of fiscal space and management issues by the last administration. She added that the project will address water quality, channel capacity, and drainage issues. Caddle mentioned that a similar project at the salt pond in Speightstown will start soon. The project valued at $9 million will manage flooding issues in the north of the island.

Government is making good on its promise to provide jobs for Barbadians during this difficult period as COVID-19 affects the island.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley gave this assurance while addressing the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Mass Meeting at the Sheffield Pasture, Lower Estate on Sunday night.

She reported to the constituents of St. George North that work will commence this week on a new Senior Citizens Village at Boarded Hall by the private sector. As a result, up to 300 people are expected to be employed throughout the major construction project.

In addition, Harlequin Hotel which halted construction a few years ago in Hastings, Christ Church will soon resume, however, this time around with Barbadian investors.

“That project will start in the next two months or so, we have been told by the developers who have already received Town and Country Planning permission.”

Besides jobs coming in the area of construction in the private sector, Prime Minister Mottley highlighted that work will be available through various government projects which are pushing ahead.

For instance, the hiring of Monitors in primary schools to assist in ensuring that children practise physical distancing during breaks and lunch hour, as well as before and after school; and the hiring of about 500 persons to assist the National Assistance Board (NAB) to care for the elderly across communities. Also, several projects implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance (MTWM) and Barbados Water Authority (BWA) will create jobs.

“Work is about to start on Highway 1 to put all of the water mains and the cables underground… Also, the project from Vineyard up to St. John, there will be roads digging – men working again.

“We also have the wells and water courses that have to be cleaned and if we don’t clean them, it will result in flooding. And you can see that for the first time you have a government in this country that every time the rain sets up, we are singularly focused on removing the burden of flooding from communities in this country. The people in Murphy Pasture and Chapman Lane know that we are doing a major rehabilitation, and all of that work will require jobs.

“Those are jobs being created by your Government to ease the burden of COVID for many of you who have been made unemployed in this country,” Mottley further stressed. (TL)

Democratic Labour Party (DLP) President Verla De Peiza is resolute in her party’s decision to go forward with former Barbados and West Indies cricketer Floyd Reifer as they contest the November 11th by-election for the St. George North seat. Speaking during the Lift Up and Praise gospel concert and public meeting on Sunday night at the Glebe, De Peiza said that Reifer was made of the right stuff.

Noting that the election was announced in the midst of their annual conference and that the party took the time and due process to select a candidate, De Peiza said that there was no mistake made in putting Reifer on their ticket. “Part of the exercise was to tap St. George North itself because the branch may not have it right. And as we walked across this constituency touching down at various points, we kept hearing the same two names. If it can’t be one, let it be the other,” she said.

Speaking highly of the professional coach and calling him a gem and a son of the soil, De Peiza told the moderately-sized crowd that he was committed to the cause of his people. “When you think about it, he has given up the possibility of an international career as a coach to represent you, the people of St. George North. When you weigh that alongside what, if anything, his opponent is giving up, then you have all of the ammunition that you need on the 11th of November to walk boldly and confidently into your polling box and mark your X for Floyd Reifer.”

With his loquacity brought into question several times, the party President said that Reifer had just what was needed to get the job done in droves.

“You don’t have to be boisterous and bombastic to lead people. You don’t have to be a bully to lead people. You don’t have to be constantly up front and pushing yourself and your name in everything to lead people. The hallmark of a good leader is to pick up a situation that is dire and make a hand of it. And I don’t have to tell you about that low period in West Indies cricket history when Floyd Reifer picked up what the media was calling a rag-tag team and carried it overseas and performed creditably. That is the hallmark of leadership. And you don’t have to shout down the place, you just get on with it,” she said.

With just about two years gone since the Barbados Labour Party seized power in a landslide victory, De Peiza had heavy criticism for the current administration.

“We are sick and tired of the talk. We want to see something being done. Because whilst all the talk is flowing, the bills are still adding up. All the pretty talk and the words, all we have is debt. Not a single proposal for revenue generation in this country has been brought to the fore, but every moment you’re looking and we are borrowing something and they are talking about ‘maybe we won’t pay them this time, we will ask them for an ease’. It is time, St. George North and Barbados, that we find a model that works for us instead of models that work for our creditors, and that starts with finding work for our people that develops our own country and our people.”

Going on to state that Reifer had plans in mind as it relates to education and entrepreneurship, De Peiza said that it was high time that a new attitude was taken towards education in Barbados.

“What we need in terms of our education is to make sure that whatever is the talent and the aptitude of our people, they have the space to develop it. That is what education needs to be in the 21st century. And for some people, it will be books, but for others it will be what they can do with their hands, what they can do with their feet if they are footballers and runners, what they can do constructively because I am satisfied that everybody has a productive place in society, they just have to be allowed to find it,” she said.

Stating that there was a lot at stake despite a possible change of government not being in the works for the upcoming election, De Peiza impressed the importance of the election on those listening in person and online.

“St. George North, you are the ones that the whole of Barbados will be watching as we examine the wisdom and the reasoning behind sending a senior citizen to Canada in the midst of COVID in the dead of winter when a spike is on and he had two more years to go. Why are we in this? St. George North, Barbados is watching you. You are the ones who get to signal the discontent that we feel in this country on a daily,” she said. (MP)

Over the coming months, local small businesses are expected to benefit from a closer look into international best practices to help refine their goods and services to make them exportation-ready.

Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds said his ministry will be doing this in conjunction with the Barbados National Standards Institute (BNSI) in a bid to earn the country much needed foreign exchange.

“Over the next weeks and months, we will be working with them to go over the architecture of standards awareness in Barbados to help all of you small business operators to get a better feel for what are the requirements and best practices in the international community.”

“It makes no sense just hoping we can return to a pre-Covid environment, we must now be able to lift all of these , not only onto Barbadian counter tops in their homes and so on but also into Europe and across Caricom and into the United States and that is the only way we can compensate for the shortfall in foreign exchange,” he said.

The minister, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Esworth Reid, Small Businesses Association head Senator Lynette Holder, Acting Director of Commerce Bertram Johnson and several officials from the ministry and Fund Access, was touring several Barbados Trust Fund Limited small business clients yesterday.

He emphasised the role standards played in not only quality of product but also in labelling and packaging.

“BNSI is a critical support pillar for commerce in Barbados. You cannot do business seriously in today’s world unless you are able to demonstrate to people that you are making an effort to reach a certain standard. It is important that everything we do be done to a level of excellence which not only allows Barbadian customers, who can be very discerning when they are ready, but the international community to know what is the quality that we are doing and be able to place reliance on it...”

“So what I am targeting is the architecture across this whole economy where in every sector in every type of service or good we produce, we are now looking at what we do, thinking it and trying to do it to the highest level so that we are ready for the export to compensate for the shortfall in foreign exchange,” he outlined. (JMB)

The Barbados Labour Party’s candidate for the upcoming by-election in St. George North, Toni Moore, has tendered her resignation as an independent senator.

Word of this has came from Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall. He made the disclosure during the meeting at Sheffield Pasture, Lower Estate as the party supporters came out in their numbers to offer support for the trade unionist and first time candidate. Marshall told a sizeable crowd that Moore had in fact resigned effective October 1, in correspondence that was sent to Governor General Dame Sandra Mason.

“Toni Moore has written the Governor General of Barbados and has resigned from the Senate of Barbados, with effect from the first of October. And I’ve been honoured to see the correspondence, I can’t share it with you because it is private correspondence between her and the Governor General, and if the Governor General gives me permission I will show it another day,” he said.

Marshall added, “This correspondence refers to a number of conversations Toni Moore had with the Governor General and then she said, ‘I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, but I feel I must now resign’. Toni Moore is a decent and honourable woman”.

His comments came as he acknowledged that since Moore’s candidacy was announced there has been much criticism about her continuing to serve as an independent senator. But, AG Marshall explained that contrary to what persons believe, the term independent senator does not exist in the Constitution of Barbados.

“The Government appoints its senators, the Opposition appoints its senators and the Governor General chooses people from various areas, the Church and others, and she chooses individuals of high repute to nominate. So the first reason you should vote for Toni Moore is because the Governor General of Barbados considered her to be an individual of such repute that she merited going to the Senate. If the Governor General felt she was good enough to go in the Senate, why should the people of St. George North feel that she is not good enough to go in the House of Assembly?”

He also defended her decision to remain as the General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, contending that anyone who thinks Moore is a “push over” does not know her. His comments came as he stated that there are pieces of legislation.brought to the Senate, including the Integrity Bill, which Moore did not support, as she was not afraid to stand up for what she believed.

“Those are the reasons we value her candidacy,” he maintained.

Marshall’s comments came as he said that the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), is a Party for workers, contending that it was the BLP, on coming to office that increased salaries and started the process of paying tax refunds.

“The DEMS can say whatever they like, but they had 10 years, not a salary increase [and] send home about 5000 people indiscriminately... They abandoned the job they were elected to do and the Barbados Labour Party came to rescue this country two years and four months ago,” he stated.

With that in mind, Marshall said that the BLP does not make decisions lightly, whether it be about policies or candidates. He insisted that a lot goes into every decision they make, as they recognise that at the centre of it all is the people.

“... And when you are dealing with people you have to get it right. We put a lot of energy into trying to determine what the candidate for St. George North would look like after Gline Clarke demitted office, we knew that we needed someone with integrity, we knew that we needed someone who had a strong working class background, we knew that we needed an individual who people could trust and who children could look up to. We knew that we needed someone of character and somebody with commitment and we chose Toni Moore,” he maintained. (JRT)

Pile Bay Fish Landing Facility is getting a $1 million overhaul.

Yesterday, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey broke ground at the popular fishing community located just off The Mighty Grynner Highway, as government pushes ahead with plans to upgrade fish markets across the island.

The refurbishment and expansion work which is being funded by the Barbados Port Inc. should be completed within six months.

However, as work gets underway the four vendors currently plying their trade from the outdated space will not be displaced, as they received the keys to a temporary facility adjacent to the market.

“Even though we are doing major repairs here, we felt that it was important to allow the vendors to continue to be able to ply their trade, that is why we constructed this temporary facility,” Minister Humphry revealed.

The major work will result in enough room for three more fisherfolk in the fish market which is being extended by an additional 10 feet, with added countertop and work spaces.

Moreover, there will be a designated area for boats; a slipway; two storage spaces; walk-in cold room; private and public bathrooms with access for persons with disabilities; comfortable seating area between the trees; a gazebo and more.   

“We are beginning construction of a facility that will be bigger than the current facility. This current facility is old, in many ways it does not contain the modern amenities that you would associate with a modern fish landing site or modern fish market,” Humphrey expressed, also revealing that Weston Fish Market will be the next facility in line for upgrades.

“We have already repaired several other markets and fish landing sites, and our next project in conjunction with the Barbados Port will be Weston Fish Market. And I want to take this opportunity to thank the Barbados Port Inc, because they came on as a partner and basically agreed to build this facility as part of their relationship with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy.”

Member of Parliament for St Michael North West, Neil Rowe handed over the keys to the temporary facility to fisherfolk at Pile Bay. He took the opportunity to commend the government for not leaving the men and women jobless while work is ongoing.

“Today is the beginning of a brighter future for the vendors of Pile Bay Landing Facility. I am very grateful for what is happening here this morning – the fact that this Government and the Minister of the Blue Economy did not take it upon himself to close this facility – to put the fish vendors out of work while the upgrades are taken place. But, instead created a temporary facility so they can continue earning a living within this community means a lot to me and the vendors,” Rowe said. (TL)

Barbadians are encouraged to identify vulnerable areas in their community and report it to their local District Emergency Organisation representatives.

Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams shared this message during the reactivation of Christ Church South District Emergency Organisation (DEO) event on Sunday.

In the hall at the St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church, the politician urged the audience of DEO volunteers to do the same. He explained that this information can assist the community by locating possible flooding areas.

“By keeping our drains clear and our wells clear, we can mitigate a lot of the flooding that happens in Barbados,” said Abrahams.

Need for a wider network of volunteers

Abrahams underlined that he was concern that the cohort of volunteers in DEOs are the same members in other local volunteer groups. He is calling for new persons to join these community organisation and for Barbadians to be their “brother’s keeper”.

The Minister also mentioned the specialised training that volunteers received through the Department of Emergency Management and suggested that volunteers should share the knowledge with their family members in their household. He also asked people to think of disaster beyond hurricanes and fires. He said that disaster can happen at anytime and it was necessary to participate in other areas of disaster preparedness training.

Earlier, Department of Emergency Management Consultant, Selwyn Brooks reported that in the past several DEOs were not functioning and others operated at varying levels of effectiveness. Today there are thirty DEOs, one in each constituency. He stressed the importance of DEO volunteers forming a relationship with their community and helping them to raise awareness of their responsibility to ensure that the environments are maintained.

Big on works and not words. Those were the sentiments of former Barbados and West Indies cricketer Floyd Reifer as he addressed patrons of the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) ‘Lift Up and Praise’ gospel concert and public meeting on Sunday night at the Glebe Playing Field. Reifer, who was born and raised in Parish Land and will be representing the DLP in their November 11thbid for the St. George North seat, said that he was humbled by opportunity and is ready for the task at hand.

Stating that for the two years the people of Barbados had been fed a dictionary of words and very little action, Reifer urged the people of the constituency to make the right choice or be subject to even more talk. Calling himself a proud son of the St. George North soil, he said that he knew how the people felt about the former parliamentary representative Gline Clarke after having presided over the constituency for 26 years. However, he cautioned the people to be wise with their decision this time around.

“For many of us he has become like our Uncle Gline. Few can deny that he is well liked in St. George North. After all, he is one of us – a home-town boy. But because I have known Gline for so long, I genuinely believe that his heart is in the right place and that he tried very hard to serve the people of St. George North but the sad truth is he failed. And we know he failed because at the end of the day, the Barbados Labour Party doesn’t think much of him or the people he represented in St. George North. In fact, it is clear that they believe that no matter how badly they treat us and how much they ignore our concerns, we will still vote for Gline,” Reifer said.

Drawing reference to Barbados Labour Party candidate Senator Toni Moore and calling her a bad fit for the seat, Reifer took time out tocriticisea number of the policies put in place by the government.

“All these programmes that are designed to ensure that poor people remain poor begin with ‘B’. They would have us believe that ‘B’ is for Barbados, but I feel ‘B’ is for BLP and whether it is BERT, BOSS or BEST, it is bad for Bim. Friends, family and neighbours, I am telling you tonight for your own sakes, you need to reject Moore because you will only get less.”

Noting that politics in Barbados has been partisan for as long as we all can remember, Reifer sent the strong message that he intended to take care of everyone in his community.

“I say to you tonight it is time that we put a stop to the ongoing disrespect of the people in St. George North by the Barbados Labour Party. It is time to send a strong message that St. George North lives matter too, and it should not matter what colourshirt you have on. I will be representing all. I don’t see colour, I see people. The old woman with the medical issue can only get help if she is wearing red? And the man who walks St. George North and cannot afford shoes because his t-shirt is not red. What about the fatherless child that only gets supplies if his mother is wearing a red t-shirt. No way! Every man, woman and child in St. George North will be my priority,” he said.

Going on to reveal that he had a vision for serious community empowerment and community inclusion and that every contribution would be cherished on its merit, Reifer said that he was ready to bring his constituency to the future.

“Why is it in 2020 that with all the technology and skills available in St. George North our young men and women can’t get help to pursue a business or even a community project? I am going to change that. We will set up a community resource bank and we will match people who have experience in various aspects of business with those who need advice and guidance to bring their ideas to life. That same community resource bank will serve as a directory of businesses and services available in St. George North. Home drums will beat first! Imagine in 2020, our farmers still struggle to sell their produce when we have community centres and other spaces that can serve as the location for weekly farmers’ markets. I have plans, big plans. Big works too. And I am listening to you, the people of St. George North. I hear you and in the coming weeks and beyond we will continue to have these conversations. I am in this for the long haul. Time for big works, not words!” (MP)

This weekend, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for St George North, Floyd Reifer received an endorsement from another son of the soil, DLP representative Colin Spencer.

Speaking during the DLP Mega Weekend Concert and Public Meeting at the Glebe, St George on Sunday evening, Spencer gave a heart-warming public endorsement of the candidacy of Reifer, saying that the people of Barbados were in a different and difficult time and there was no need to be fancy but is a time to be thoughtful, reasonable, truthful and honest.

The DLP St George North Branch member also reminded the crowd on hand that it takes an enormous amount of courage to step into politics and he had never met anyone with as much courage as Reifer.

“For him to enter politics at this time, given all that that he and the Democratic Labour Party is up against is true testament to his character, his loyalty to the people of St George North who he wants to serve and the understanding of his need to want to safeguard our democracy, says all you need to know about this man,” said Spencer

Despite the possible push back from the current administration, should Reifer win the seat, Spencer stated that the candidate was smart and intelligent and would have the support of the myriad of professionals within St George North.

“We are fully aware that we are representing all of the opposition forces on the island, all of those people who are dissatisfied and uncomfortable with the goings on in our country,” highlighted Spencer.

The DLP St. George North member highlighted that the by-election was not a time for grandstanding and political gimmicks but it was time for good leadership which would take care of the people of Barbados, to help the workers, those laid off or those under financial pressure, to put food on their tables. He spoke directly to Reifer, saying that he was in good company as a born and bred resident of St George, entering politics, following behind men such as Jack Odle, Cyril Walker and Gline Clarke.

Spencer also thanked the constituents of St George North for their support of Reifer and stated that the candidate was not just worthy but capable of representing the residents.

“He is a decent man, a true professional, a loyal son of this constituency of St George North.

He is full of new and refreshing ideas for the further development of this constituency,” said the DLP representative.

He finally urged the residents of St George North not to take anything for granted but to go to the polls on November 11th, 2020 to vote for Reifer, an honest candidate for the Democratic Labour Party. (AS)

While the Covid-19 pandemic is heavily impacting small businesses, several owners remain optimistic that by making several adjustments, they will survive.

Saying his business has fallen by a staggering 80 percent since the onset of the pandemic, Owner of Barbados Rum Cakes John Bayne remained optimistic that “over time we will build back to where we have come from.”

With tourists making up the majority of the company’s clientele, he disclosed that currently it was working on exporting to its major source market and building a greater e-commerce and door to door platform for the product.

He was speaking as Small Business and Entrepreneurship Minister Kerrie Symmonds, Permanent Secretary Esworth Reid and several senior officials from the ministry toured the No. 4 Balls Plantation facility yesterday morning.

It was the first of four tours slated of Barbados Trust Fund Limited small business clients.

Extending his thanks to Fund Access, which he stressed has been “integral” in the success of Barbados Rum Cakes, Bayne said the company would continue to make the best out of the current situation.

Symmonds highlighted while financing was still a challenge for some small businesses, changing business models were a greater need at this time for others.

“The challenge now is changing the business model to get on to an e-commerce platform, because if the client base that you would have depended on, which would have been the tourists are not getting to you, you now have to find a way of getting to them and to the overseas market. There are technical assistance issues where government must find a way to step in and partner with the small business community.”

“One of them is market intelligence so that you learn more about the overseas markets and the rules of governing trade and accessing those markets, so you are better able to penetrate the market and do what you have to do in accordance with their requirements in terms of standards and so on and that is an area where the Barbados National Standards Institute has pledged its ongoing assistance,” the minister noted.

During the group’s visit to Golden Touch Spa in Maxwell, Owner Tiffanie Nurse highlighted how the facility was now producing its own line of body butters and scrubs for its clientele.

She also spoke on the impact Covid-19 had on the business, especially in terms of getting stock.

“Post-Covid things have gotten a little more difficult as buying stock and getting stock has been a lot harder. We had to import things that once we would have been able to travel to get so the cost of doing business is a lot more, but with good local clients and structure we have been able to make it through to the next round and hopefully we will be able to fight and continue to get there,” she stated.

Later in the afternoon, the minister also toured R.T’s Brewing Company and Crumbz Bakery both in the Pine Industrial Estate.

A number of local businesses have stepped up to the plate to assist the Harrison Point Isolation Centre in St. Lucy with efforts to help COVID-19 patients, especially children, pass the time by keeping them busy.

Tablets, board games, puzzles and sports equipment were among the items donated yesterday by Steinbok Management Services; BCQS International (Barbados); TMR Sales and Service Ltd.; Spring Homes Ltd.; and Connoisseur Improve-ment Services Inc.

Dr. Corey Forde, Isolation Facilities Manager and Head of the Infection Prevention and Control Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), accepted the generous donation, which he described as “timely” given that Harrison Point will soon introduce an Activity Co-ordinator.

“We are extremely thankful to all the donors for providing these strategic things. So, just providing a tablet to assist a child in maintaining their education is strategically important; providing colouring books, toys, sports items… These are strategically important for patients at the facility who sometimes stay up to 14 days, so it keeps that recreational part in place and it also plays an important part in maintaining the mental stability of patients.

“Again, I want to thank you so much for assisting in a time where things are difficult, and I think you will set the example for many to come. We would ask many of you out there, I know everything is difficult – to help us to do this. It could be any single one of us in this room at that facility at any point. And I think that by giving towards the facility that you may be giving towards yourself at one particular point,” Dr. Forde said, further revealing that many of the COVID patients currently at the facility are non-nationals.

Managing Director of Steinbok Management Services, Joseph Steinbok, said that the donors were pleased to come to the assistance of the facility at Harrison Point.

“All of the donors involved in this contribution had partake in the Harrison Point Redevelopment Project, and so among us we have a special bond but more importantly, we have a special bond with Harrison Point itself,” he expressed.

“So, when I received the call about what was needed, I must admit that within ten minutes we got contributions of everything, and I think that is testament to how all of us that worked at Harrison Point feel about that facility, and feel about the work the staff do at Harrison Point… And so it is a great pleasure to make this contribution – the tablets so that the kids could be able to continue their school work and those not at school would have some way of passing the time – lots of games to keep busy.” (TL)

MINISTER in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, has given the assurance that the Government is continuing to closely monitor the performance of the country’s revenue and expenditure.

His comments came yesterday as he led off the debate on the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill 2020 in the Lower Chamber where he further assured that there is financing available to take the country to the end of the financial year “comfortably” with respect to the predicted shortfall in revenue.

According to Minister Straughn, “I must say to you that having gone through this exercise, it is incumbent upon Barbados that when we presented to the Social Partnership the context in which we will be operating this financial year, I am pleased to report that up until now, we are on track to, and this is all things equal, to do better than what we would have initially anticipated.”

He explained that the changes in the Bill reflect the recent reorganisation of Ministries. “But as we have done over the last six months, we suspended some of the sub-programmes and focused more on what we needed to do to keep people safe.

“We will continue to ensure that we put Barbados in a position that we can cover as quickly as possible going forward and therefore, these amendments to the Appropriation Bill reflect some of the more immediate needs that are required at this particular time and therefore in that vein the Government continues to monitor on a daily basis, with respect to our fiscal performance.

“We are still very much committed to ensuring that the Government fundamental response to people, that that is as strong as we can deliver in this environment and that too will continue to be monitored and where resources are required to ramp up, then we will ramp up those resources to ensure that nobody is left behind in this country.”

Straughn noted that the Ministry of Health and Wellness has been responding to the changes that were required as the country continues to deal with the public health threat of COVID-19. “Therefore, as a result, we continue to make additional resources available to the Ministry of Health with respect to the ongoing management of the pandemic and to ensure that we can first and foremost keep Barbadians safe as we go ahead and reopen the economy with respect to the imposition of certain protocols.”

He urged Barbadians to take a sense of personal responsibility for their actions. “Because if we all do what we are supposed to do, then we will be able to keep the economy open. We will be able to maintain livelihoods in this environment and reduce in a sense the pressure of the Government to respond more directly in terms of the intervention for social protection,” he said.

“...It is critical that every Barbadian plays their part. So that the Government can focus on ensuring that we can keep families in this country whole, that we can have as many businesses stay open, and that we can employ people and equally to maintain a level of social and economic activity in this country in this important time.”

He stressed that this has not been an easy exercise. “There are challenges every day, Sir, that we have to respond to and there are challenges domestically, internationally, given a number of negative references that we have received in recent time from namely the EU (European Union), but we are not deterred by that because we have given the commitment to Barbadians that we will fight for them and we will continue to ensure that we defend the in-terest of Barbados.

“It is important especially now in this pandemic that we understand that a government has to respond on multiple fronts and that the response is multifaceted and therefore, whilst this is a Bill about dollars and cents, the reality, Sir, is that the allocation and reallocation of any expenditure as we had sought to do and you would have heard in the Throne Speech, a number of initiatives which were designed to respond to the people of Barbados in terms of the immediate short-term needs. But equally as we continue with some of the transformational efforts to turn Barbados around.

“And therefore it is not simply dollars and cents, but equally it is to ensure that people in this country and that a number of businesses, small businesses, medium businesses and even some large businesses, that they too can stay afloat and continue to employ people because that is required now to ensure that we can maintain a stable economic environment in the context of the pandemic,” he said.

Contrary to popular belief, everyone who is homeless is not suffering from mental health challenges.

Kemar Saffrey, President of the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness, said too often this is the perception that the public has and it prevents those homeless persons from getting the mental health treatment or care that they require. He made the comments while taking part in a recently held virtual panel discussion to mark World Mental Health Day 2020, under the theme ‘Your Mental Health Matters, Let’s End the Stigma’.

“If they go to the QEH and they may look a certain way, while they may not have a mental health challenge, they still are stigmatised in that way because they may not dress appropriately and they may smell a certain way. It also affects them going into certain stores... We have seen that over the years and we have tried to address it and we have made headway in that,” he said.

Saffrey also touched on what he believes needs to be done to help ensure that the homeless who have mental health concerns can get the treatment that they require. The president of the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness is advocating for a taskforce to be established to address the matter, explaining that he has put the proposal to successive governments.

“Many times we have a lot of homeless persons; they are not generally assisted in the way they should ... and while we may offer shelter, and offering counselling and certain services, there is the Psychiatric [Hospital] that has one component; maybe the Welfare [Department] that has one component; Ministry of Health – I think there needs to be greater collaboration between agencies in order to deal with each and every homeless person and each and every person actually that suffers from mental health [challenges]. I find that too many times we are isolated in how we approach it and then we don’t have the impact we need to,” he lamented.

He added, “So we have asked for a national taskforce. We would have written all of the agencies that we think that should be involved, and the door is open to others to be able to come up with strategies, come up with approaches as it relates to helping homeless persons and also helping those with mental health challenges.”

Saffrey said this would prevent duplication of effort and wastage of resources. He made the point while indicating that the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness’ shelter is big enough that there can be a room allocated for mental health professionals to administer medication to homeless patients.

“We have psychologists and counsellors and all of those that we can provide to keep the person stable and keep their minds a little bit sharp, so that they would know they have to take medication at this particular time... The Psychiatric [Hospital] can come and administer the medication there [and] you have better support for that person. But, as I said, it is too much of each of us doing our own and then we are really affecting the clients more so because we are not working hand in hand,” he stated. (JRT)

MINISTER in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, yesterday sought to clear the air on what he says is some level of misunderstanding in the wider public as it relates to Government’s debt suspension request.

His comments came during the debate on the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill 2020, where he stated: “You would recall that under the BERT programme, we committed ourselves to a 60 per cent debt-to-GDP ratio by 2033 and successfully restructured both our domestic and external commercial debt to ensure that we move from 171 per cent when we came into office to just about 118 per cent just prior to COVID.

“Since the onset of COVID, Barbados like the rest of the world we have had to borrow, to finance in a sense what the shortfall in revenue would be given the commitments we have made.”

He revealed that this week and in the course of earlier weeks, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has been engaged in a number of multilateral discussions with the IMF, World Bank, the various institutional lenders about how to treat to the debt incurred as it relates to COVID and with respect to how debt sustainability is managed and assessed going forward.

“Because we have been advocating quite strongly, and there is consensus with respect to that that is building, it is now to ensure we have the political will of those who are richer financially, to get them to agree to the principle of it.

“In the same way the Great Britain would have benefited from the War bonds which they only just finished repaying for the rebuilding after World War II, we have been advocating very strongly that the debt that is incurred with respect to COVID, that ... the payback of that debt should be done over a much longer period than the existing debt that persons would have already had on their books.”

He said this would have been done, recognising that the pandemic has evolved. “You have a situation where households and many businesses are under stress and therefore if the economy was to recover within two years, the debt burden that we now hold as a country ... that you would find yourself where the economy is back at the same level that it was at the beginning of this year.

“But your debt level and potential debt service would be over and above that which the potential carrying capacity could be, which then triggers potentially some level of financial implosion not just in Barbados, but there are a number of countries who are not as fiscally strong a position as Barbados and certainly we have to be concerned equally with respect to that.”

He said it is against this backdrop that the Government has been advocating for the redefining of debt sustainability. “Or find a way to ring-fence or treat very differently the debt that has been incurred with respect to COVID-19, such that over the course of the longest possible period that that debt could be serviced without necessarily creating a debt overhang for economies such as Barbados.”

Minister Straughn said that it was misinterpreted somehow that the Government was contemplating a new debt restructuring, but reiterated that this is not the case.

“...Because if there was no COVID this year, we would not have needed to borrow any of the monies that we borrowed already and equally a number of the countries – small, medium and large globally – have had to respond in ways that nobody anticipated they needed this year and therefore this is a global issue.

“Barbados is leading in these very important discussions because that will make a difference to the quality of life that Barbadians can expect because as you can appreciate, if after this recovery we have to expend more resources than anticipated servicing that additional debt that means we cannot allocate those resources to dealing with some of the more structural issues which we were committed to when we entered the BERT programme.

“And therefore, we will continue those discussions within that space and therefore I want to give the public the confidence that ... the Government is not contemplating a debt restructuring in the nature that would have taken place with respect to the domestic and external debt, but more importantly, understanding that we were not going to borrow these monies this year, but we had to given the shortfall of revenue and the response the Government has had to respond to and that this is a global issue and therefore we are leading within that context to be able to bring about or avoid very uncomfortable discussions and potentially a significantly global debt problem, which we have the ability to respond to.

“These are some of the complicated things that confronts Barbados because while we are responding to the public health crisis and responding to stimulate as much domestic activity as possible, we equally have to ensure that down the road we are putting the things in place today to ensure we can maintain sustainable debt trajectory and fiscal situation going forward,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition, People’s Party for Democracy and Development (PdP), Bishop Joseph Atherley, says that the matter of the State-backed financing for political parties still needs to be addressed.

Atherley, who formed the PdP after leaving the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) following its historic May 2018 win, becoming Leader of the Opposition and leaving the Government with 29 seats as opposed to 30, maintained that they have not accepted the position that the ruling party should receive the full subvention. He made the point in a press conference earlier this week at the Opposition’s Office, while noting that it has been said that given that the PdP did not contest the election, they do not qualify for the subvention.

“I think the matter of the subvention is something that has to be properly documented and framed such that it becomes an understood law, an understood regulatory basis around which the subvention is awarded. I also think that if you say the PdP did not participate in the last election and therefore does not qualify we have accepted that, but at the same time the Democratic Labour Party participated in the last election. So don’t they qualify? Oh yeah, you may say they didn’t win any seats and that the document says you must have at least one seat in Parliament, fine, but tell me where does the document say that one party should take all of the money?” he queried.

Framework needs to be examined

He explained that the subvention was created in anticipation that the political parties would need some funding from the State purse to keep them going and he maintained that if the intention is to preserve the viability of political parties and the democratic political party system, one party cannot be the recipient.

“Tell me where you understand that if you say the Dems don’t qualify and the PdP doesn’t qualify or Solutions or UPP, tell me on what basis you think that one party should get all the funding? Anytime you go down that road you are looking to marginalise all of the others, you are seeing about the viability of only one... So that framework needs to be looked at. If it does legitimately exist as being purported, then it needs to be changed,” he maintained.

Atherley said his party did not contemplate taking the matter to court to have it resolved, making it clear that contrary to what some people think, the PdP was not established to have access to the subvention.

“If we ever become the Government, which we will one day, we will change that, such that we have proper campaign financing in Barbados, proper political party financing in Barbados, so that we ... avoid the influence that comes from donors to parties in Barbados [and] over the government of the day, whichever party,” he stated.

Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerrie Symmonds, is insisting that a collateral registry be developed in this island.

Access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is a legitimate concern, he said, while pointing out that business facilitation for far too long has been treated in a bastardised way in Barbados, “being relevant to only those of lighter hue and complexion, coming from foreign climes and spending millions in investment”.

“Availability of insurance for those plying their trade legitimately and earning a living legitimately as a business, fishermen in Christ Church and in St. James where I represent are known not to have one vessel alone, but sometimes two to three. People have formed partnerships and sometimes have more than that, and then when you hear that they cannot get insurance for the boat that is nonsense, but it happens in Barbados. We as a gov-ernment must now confront the issue as to how we can make sure that we so transform and restructure the way in which financing is available to small businesses in this country,” he said.

Speaking in the Lower House yesterday as it debated an amendment to the Appropriation Bill 2020, he said Barbadians must be educated on the benefits of a collateral registry.

“We have to begin now to talk to Barbadians about secure transactions in the context of a collateral registry, understanding the need to monetise the process of secure transactions, having laws in this country which secure transactions, and develop a collateral registry so that you can have an appropriate level of impact on the quest for economic development. Collateral is the oxygen for the free flow of credit in an economy. It is foolishness to suggest that fishermen, small plumbers, small contractors and artisans who have a wealth of resources by way of assets, small farmers have their crops, small businesses have inventory and now in this COVID time have accounts receivable, but there is nowhere in this land where you [can] secure financial assistance and loans against your accounts receivable and the inventory you have,” Symmonds stressed. (JMB)

THE donation of five automated external defibrillators yesterday has been described as the beginning of transition for which the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) has been preparing.

The assessment was made by Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard as he thanked Sagicor Life Inc for the donation of the defibrillators, which he said in some ways is a historic occasion for the BFS.

He was speaking at the BFS’ Academy in Arch Hall St. Thomas yesterday where he noted that this transition may have been accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic but it was inevitable.

“In spite of the catalyst the Barbados Fire Service has been evolving and diversifying its product and service to the public of Barbados for a while.”

He said, “While fire is our primary focus, it is not our only concern.”

“As we have positioned ourselves to respond to search and rescue incidents of all sorts; inclusive of inland water rescue. We don’t have the equipment yet to do rescues at sea. We are also fortifying our hazmat capacity.”

The CFO said while the BFS is successfully fortifying its capability to assist in the response to pre-hospital medical incidents, the donation of defibrillators will result in a greater boost in our efforts to augment the Emergency Ambulance Service in their efforts to provide pre-hospital care to the public of Barbados.

Giving some insight into what the Fire Service will be doing in the near future, CFO Maynard revealed that over the next couple of weeks as a pilot project, computers and GPS systems will be installed in fire appliances.

“This will enhance our ability to dispatch the closest vehicle to an incident when there is a call for help, even a medical emergency. This will mimic the traditional 911 system while we await the implementation of such. It will also allow us to complete reports and access data while in the field.”

“We are currently working with the Emergency Ambulance Service and the Barbados Community College to develop a Dispatcher training programme, which we hope that this will be ready at the beginning 2021.”

Additionally, CFO Maynard opined that using highly trained fire officers in a control room or dispatch centre performing dispatching duties is a waste of resources. “Therefore representation has been made to the Ministry of Public Service to have civilian dispatchers appointed to the Barbados Fire Service. I am further of the view that the dispatchers can serve both the BFS and the EAS.”

Maynard also revealed that the BFS has been working with the Media Resource Department (MRD) of the Ministry of Education to develop some educational tools to better serve the public and appeal to all audiences, especially children.

“The result of this consultation will be seen later this month with the relaunching of Benny the Fire Cat; in an animated form to be seen on all appropriate media.”

He expressed gratitude to the management of the Barbados Community College and the Emergency Ambulance Service who facilitated the training of our EMTs and Medical First Responders. “As we speak, a cohort of sixteen (16) are going through the second half of their 12-week EMT programme. Going forward, all new Fire Service recruits will be subject to this training.”

He also he revealed that the Fire Service is in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Understanding with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

“This will formalise our training and re-training programme and ensure that the highest standard of care is main-tained. When approached, the Executive Chair of the QEH was more than willing to work with us. We have also been working with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados to acquire and maintain our CPR and AED training and skills. While the affiliation here is not formalised in the form of a MOU, we have a good and productive working relationship,” he stated. (JH)

A draft Cabinet paper has been prepared regarding the proposed regulatory framework for the non-governmental organi-sation (NGO) sector, which is intended to result in the enactment of legislation to manage the sector.

That’s according to Minister of Labour, Social Partnership Relations and the Third Sector, Colin Jordan, who said that Government is making concerted efforts to better facilitate and recognise that sector. He made the point while indicating that the Cabinet paper also speaks to the creation of an NGO Commission, all of which, he said, is geared towards enhancing and facilitating the work of the Third Sector. At present Minister Jordan said, the document is in circulation within the public sector for comment.

Addressing the virtual opening ceremony of a Capacity Building Workshop for members of civil society organisations yesterday morning, he said the recommendation for legislation came in a White Paper that was developed by his ministry in conjunction with the Caribbean Policy Development Centre. He said that White Paper which was submitted to his office in April last year, also highlighted a number of issues impacting the NGO community, including the lack of a formal structure to regulate the operations of the organisations.

With that in mind, he gave the assurance that as progress is made with the creation of the draft legislation, stakeholders in the sector will not only be consulted, but invited to provide feedback on its contents.

“In other words, legislation will not be finalised for debate in Parliament without your involvement,” he said.

His comments came as he said that Government recognises the need to assist civil society to facilitate the growth and development of the sector. He made the point while noting that civil society organisations have not been afforded the opportunity to participate fully and meaningfully in the decision making of the country.

Jordan told those on the Zoom call that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of the sector. He noted that the organisations operating in that sector have been instrumental in the creation of employment, advocating for social and economic policies and programmes, facilitation of services and giving a voice to many whose voices are not being heard.

“As Minister with responsibility for the Third Sector, I am committed to ensuring that civil society organisations are part of the discussion and are part of the decision making process...”

This is particularly important at a time when the development of many countries is threatened and challenged by the ongoing effects of the pandemic,” he said.

Jordan indicated that they have already developed a tangible expression of that commitment in the form of the establishment of the Social Justice Committee, which comprises several organisations including those representing women, men, the youth, persons living with disabilities, faith based organisations, the LGBT community, journalists, social workers, the credit union movement among others. He said those interests come together to address matters that relate to such things as discrimination, poverty alleviation, the role of the family and access to education.

“This commitment, the commitment to involve and to include Third Sector organisations, civil society organisations is also visible more recently through the inclusion of third sector organisations in recent meetings of the Social Partnership and that cannot be understated either,” he indicated. (JRT)

In the next five years, there will be an eight per cent increase in the number of Barbadians diagnosed with a non-communicable disease (NCD).

Minister of Health and Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic gave this alarming statistic during the launch of the QEH Community Outreach Workers Programme in the hospital’s Boardroom yesterday.

The Health Minister also added that research shows in Barbados, eight out of ten leading causes of death are by NCDs, specifically heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.

“According to the Barbados National Registry, in 2013 there were 14 heart attacks and 53 NCD-related strokes per month,” said Minister of Health, Lt. Col. Bostic.

Lt.Col Bostic welcomes the new programme which will address this national health crisis.

Acting Director of Medical Services, Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Dr. Chaynie Williams indicated that the targeted patients of the QEH Community Outreach Workers Programme are the complex diabetics and patients with cardiovascular disease.

She noted that this represents over 2 000 patients that come to the hospital. The primary medical institution also accommodates a high volume of referrals. The medical director said that patients access the hospital when they can no longer be comfortably managed in the polyclinic setting due to medical complications.

“(These patients) do enter the hospital system through the Accident and Emergency Department and then go through the Outpatient Services and that is about 260 referrals every month whether it is from the private sector or the polyclinic service,” said Dr. Williams.

She also told the medical staff and media at the press conference that the objective of the programme is to reduce large numbers in the hospital and in the future other vulnerable groups will be included.

Executive Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland explained earlier that the hospital is recruiting ten Community Social Workers and collaborating with the University of the West Indies (UWI).

The team for the project includes Nurse Social Worker and Project coordinator, Wendy Lorde, diabetes nurse, Deborah Knight, and Dr. Russell Broome-Webster leading the medical aspect at a community level.

The newly launched programme is a community-based health management programme for outpatients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) which will increase treatment adherence for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes and prevent admissions and readmissions. This National Programme will significantly scale up actions to treat and prevent CVDs and diabetes, to increase workforce participation, productivity, and ultimately Gross Domestic Product. Earlier, Dr. Williams noted that the programme is for recently discharged specially identified clinically and socially vulnerable patients. Forty QEH Community Outreach workers would be deployed from the hospital to patients in their homes.  The Acting Director of Medical Servicea also noted that staff will ensure that patients are compliant with medications, dietary requirements and assessed early in the situation that there is a need for other specialist intervention.