Guests of Crystal Cove Hotel had the opportunity to learn a little about Barbadian culture yesterday.

Under the theme “Celebrating Life and our Heritage” they enjoyed a Bajan buffet, were entertained by former Pic –O–De–Crop monarch Ian ‘iWeb’ Webster; danced with a Mother Sally and Dance Machine as well as shopped for local craft.

Crystal Cove’s General Manager, Sophia Babb said that the annual lunchtime event held at Drifters Restaurant on the St James property, brings to an end their Easter programme.

“We like to host events for every season because we think it is important for the guests to experience what we do on the island, as well as at the hotel. We have repeat guests, so every year they like to return for the festivities and interact with our staff. So, it brings us joy to put on these events for them,” she expressed.

The staff at Crystal Cove also made the stay of their young visitors enjoyable.

Kids Club Manager, Stephanie Mayers said that activities included puppetry which gave the children an introduction to a Barbadian Easter; a kite making workshop; and an Easter Extravaganza featuring a petting zoo as well as Crystal’s Fugitive and Egg Hunt.

“The kids embraced the activities and they all had lots of fun, including the parents,” she stated. (TL)

MINISTER of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, said that Government has had to make some alternative arrangements in stabilising the country’s foreign reserves, given the delays with completing the sale of the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL).

Government is banking on $200 million in inflows from that sale to boost the reserves, which had dipped to just under $700 million at the end of December, and to lower the fiscal deficit.

However, the proposed sale of the BNTCL is a matter before the Fair Trading Commission (FTC). Sinckler said the situation as it now stands has delayed the inflows, which Government had been expecting from the sale. “But the process is the process, the law is the law, and you have to wait until those matters are properly resolved,” he said, noting that as such they have had to make alternative arrangements, which were done.

He stated that the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Cleviston Haynes, will shortly be reviewing the economy for the first quarter of 2017.

“Then you will see what is happening with economic growth, what is happening with the reserves. I can say we have seen a stabilisation in the reserves, so we are feeling a little better where that is going, but there is still a lot more work to be done,” he said.

Sinckler spoke to The Barbados Advocate yesterday at the Desmond Haynes Oval where his St. Michael North West Constituency branch hosted a Kite Flying competition.

Sinckler said that given the nature of the issues involved, it is reasonable for the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) to take its time in making a decision on the proposed sale of the BNTCL.

The Commission, which is the regulatory body in Barbados, is currently assessing the proposed sale of the Government-owned entity. Sol and Rubis have shown an interest in acquiring the facility.

The Minister stated that energy is a critical part of the economy.

He pointed out further that because of the structure of the petroleum industry in Barbados, both parties are linked to the proposed sale, and the Commission has to take its time and try to get the best arrangement.

That arrangement, he explained, will allow for investors to achieve a rate of return and for consumers to get the best deal possible, while ensuring that there is competition in the sector.

Sinckler said that the process has been going on for more than 18 months.

“I don’t think it is unreasonable for the process to take this long, because the FTC is reviewing everything, after two months since it was formally presented to them at the beginning of March this year, for a review,” Sinckler told the media.

“It takes time, and my understanding is that the FTC has asked for some clarifications on issues,” he said, adding that it won’t be able to execute until the Court has dealt with the matter. (JB)

IT is being suggested that business activity could rebound and development increase in Speightstown if greater use is made of the Special Development Areas Act.

That’s the view of this country’s Chief Town Planner, Mark Cummins, who says the opportunities set out in the Act have not been taken advantage of in Speightstown as had been anticipated. He explained that the Special Development Areas Act makes provision for various concessions to be approved for developers wishing to carry out activities such as hotels including conference areas, residential complexes, commercial buildings as well as tourism projects highlighting heritage and the natural environment in the earmarked areas of Carlisle Bay, St. Lawrence Gap, the Scotland District and Speightstown.

However, he said while there is a need to improve amenities in the Speightstown area, any applications for new development must be “sensitive” to what currently exists and the “architectural language” must continue to represent elements of the town’s historical character. Cummins said this has been the case to date, but referring to the boardwalk built a few years back, he lamented that it remains under-utilised. Nonetheless, he said the pending Physical Development Plan for the country is expected to outline a number of other projects that could be carried out to revitalise the northern town.

“We are looking to remediate the mangrove swamp, this is the area to the west of Almond; we want to promote that as a storm water retention area, because as you know Speightstown has flooding challenges. We are looking at maintaining the playing field between that swamp area and where the buses are garaged. We are looking to preserve all the existing access points to the beach; and we want to connect Fort Denmark to the esplanade and that would be by way of a boardwalk,” he said.

Cummins added, “The jetty right now is in a state of disrepair, so we are recommending that it should be done; and something that we are looking to recommend also for locals and tourists, is to have a link from Speightstown to The Whim through a pedestrian route going along the Salt Pond, around the town and The Whim, to get people moving, and so certainly the walking conditions in Speightstown need to be addressed, because accessibility is imperative.”

Not to be left out, he said is the cultural heritage aspect of the town, which at the time of the island’s settlement by the British was the busiest port. He said it is being recommended that the cultural heritage assets, inclusive of the buildings and the landscape, also be preserved and marketed as attractions. In fact, Cummins admitted in the interview that it is not farfetched that the area could be an ideal candidate for Barbados to attain another UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.

“Culturally, Speightstown is very rich. The museum at Arlington is one of the better pieces of restoration that has been done in Barbados along with the Masonic lodge by the Central Bank, but very few people know about it.”

With that in mind, he said that perhaps one of Speightstown’s challenges is marketing, but he made it clear that is not a problem his office can solve.

“We can put the policies in place to create the enabling environment, but something has to be done, even if it is the Chamber of Commerce working in collaboration with the Speightstown businesspeople, to ensure that Speightstown realises the potential that it has,” he insisted.

While some Easter holiday traditions may be dying, kite flying is not one of them. This was evident by the number of persons who turned up at various venues across the island yesterday to fly kites of various shapes and sizes.

At Wanstead Ridge Park yesterday afternoon for the Annual Family Fun Day and Kite Flying Event, hosted by Member of Parliament (MP) for St. James South, Donville Inniss, this still favourite pastime attracted persons of varying ages who had all kinds of kites, from the store bought to the homemade.

Speaking with The Barbados Advocate, Inniss said he was pleased with the turnout for the event which he said started in 2010 and has been growing ever since. The MP’s comments came as he explained that the family oriented occasion was born out of a desire to keep Barbadian traditions alive and he was heartened that year after year persons were continuing to make the effort to attend.

“We’ve always felt that too many of our traditions are not being carried on from one generation to the next and kite- flying and kite-making would be one of those integral traditions. Growing up years ago, young people got joy from making a kite, whether it was a trash-bone kite made from newspaper and flour or something more elaborate, but in those days nobody thought about going and buying a kite,” he said.

He added, “It was an art that we had, and it was a lot of fun to do and built camaraderie, and I have felt as parliamentary representative it was important to carry on some of these traditions. And I must thank the Youth Commissioner Peter Skeete, who is a great kite maker for his assistance in passing on the techniques to the youth,” he said.

When The Barbados Advocate visited the area yesterday, in addition to kite flying, several persons could be seen engaging in dominoes and lively conversation; while other relaxed and enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze. The popular calypso tunes blaring from the speakers and the performances of the Tuk Band from the Haynesville Youth Group also helped to make the afternoon an enjoyable one. (JRT)

BARBADOS’ capability to fight the scourge of illegal drugs, firearms and human trafficking, is set to be boosted when the upcoming Exercise TRADEWINDS hits the island’s shores in a matter of weeks.

The anticipated training exercise also seeks to develop techniques and procedures to combat unfamiliar threats to Barbados, such as the use of Improvised Explosive Devices, threats to key government infrastructure and kidnapping, to name a few.

Exercise TRADEWINDS is the largest regional multiagency, multinational security and disaster management exercise held in the Caribbean, in partnership with the United States of America.

This year’s Exercise is a Barbados Government approved, Chairman of the Joint Chief of staff-directed, US Southern Command sponsored, annual exercise. It is designed to improve co-operation and interoperability of partner nations in responding to the broad spectrum of Caribbean threats.

Speaking at yesterday’s launch of Exercise TRADEWINDS at the Barbados Defence Force, St Ann’s Fort, Garrison, St. Michael, Host Nation Co-Director for Phase one of the project, Major Carlos Lovell, said the purpose of the Exercise is to assemble a multinational CARICOM Task Force under the aegis of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, to exercise, and to evaluate, regional response to significant Transnational Organised Criminal activity, and the effects of a sudden impact hazards.

“Some members of the public may question the need for this Exercise to be held in Barbados at this time. I wish to remind those persons that Exercise TRADEWINDS will not only serve to further strengthen our relations with our regional and international partners, but, it will also allow us the opportunity to strengthen the skills and capabilities of the local military, law enforcement and disaster response agencies, as they endeavour to deliver the highest quality to the people of Barbados,” he said.

This year’s exercise will officially begin in Barbados on Tuesday, June 6, and end on Saturday, June 17, in Trinidad and Tobago. Exercise TRADEWINDS participation will involve personnel from 21 different countries, including the membership of the Regional Security System, CARICOM and countries external to the region, such as Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Major Lovell said the CARICOM Task Force is the name given to the multinational force which will assemble in Barbados, and will comprise participants from across the region, with support from international partners.

He explained that while some of these countries will be directly participating in the Exercise, others will be providing assistance with training, committing significant resources to the event and the sponsorship. Approximately 800 soldiers, sailors, police and disaster management practitioners will arrive on our shores to participate in Exercise TRADEWINDS.

He said they will arrive with aircraft, maritime vessels and resources which have not been utilised in Barbados since the last large scale exercise deployment in 2003.

“Based on the nature of this years’ Exercise, there is much scope for participation from the general public, especially in the Disaster Management phase. I encourage all Barbadians to volunteer their services as role players for the Exercise, as it offers an opportunity for our citizens to deepen their understanding of the National Emergency Management System and to appreciate the capabilities of our local disaster management practitioners,” he said, noting that the volunteers who are required to sign up will also be thoroughly screened before being approved.

The Host Nation Co-Director also informed that as in previous exercises, a realistic scenario, based on real world threats, will be conduit through which the participants will attempt to achieve the training objectives.

Major Lovell said the exercise scenario will attempt to achieve the exercise participants in three operational domains, namely land, air and sea, with special overarching emphasis on interagency co-operation. The scenario this year will be based on the familiar threats of Transnational Organised Crime, Terrorism and Natural Hazards causing national and regional crises. (AH)

The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) is making it clear that the restoration of the monies of members whose salaries were docked last year, after they attended two union meetings, remains one of its priorities, and its president has even hinted at possible strike action in an effort to have the matter resolved.

President of the Union, Pedro Shepherd, speaking yesterday at the opening of the Union’s 43rd Annual General Conference at Almond Bay Conference Centre, said the meetings which were called to address pertinent issues regarding teachers, including student on teacher violence as well as health and safety in the workplace, saw teachers being penalised for exercising their right to freedom of assembly and association – principles, which he contends, are at the foundation of the trade union movement.

He further suggested to the audience, which included Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Senator Harcourt Husbands, that the action taken by the Ministry to dock the pay of teachers was not only provocative, discriminatory, unfair and unjustifiable, but illegal. Furthermore, the teacher contended that what is even worse, is that to date the Ministry has failed to provide a sound reason for its decision.

“It is now seemingly resting in the fact that it is awaiting the Solicitor’s [General] advice on the legality of its actions, after having made teachers’ mortgage payments and car loans go into arrears…

“We did not threaten to shutdown our schools; instead we took the high road and wrote the Permanent Secretary several letters on the matter seeking restoration. We met with the Ministry of Education once on the matter… We then met with the Prime Minister together with the Permanent Secretary and the Chief Education Officer,” he said.
Furthermore, “We’ve sought several legal opinions, both pro bono and paid, regarding the legality of the abatement of the salaries. Would the BUT be unjustified in calling out its members on this matter after 11 months of making a case for common sense to prevail? Stay tuned,” he promised.

Shepherd is adamant that the Union is not letting the issue die, even though he said this may have been the want of the Ministry.

“Clearly when the Ministry told us that they sent off the information to the Solicitor General for her advice, and all the subsequent pronouncements by the Minister of Education and some of his Cabinet colleagues, we were supposed to forget the issue and pronounce it dead, never to be resurrected and thus see it as our blood, shed for our sins of wanting a hearing, due process, respect, fairness and justice from the employer,” he said.

Relating the issue to the Easter story, Shepherd said even though the matter spent several months “lying in the tomb”, either at the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s office, like Jesus Christ, it is not dead.
“In fact, it has arisen, and it is as alive today as it was in May last year, and forever and forever will be fought to the bitter end,” he maintained. (JRT)

President of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), Sir Trevor Hassell, is of the view that the ten per cent tax imposed on sugar-sweetened beverages needs to be increased.
While acknowledging that it is a useful first step in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs), he expressed that the levy implemented by Government, two years ago, was not “a significant one”.

In his 2015 budget speech, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler cited Barbados as being “on the verge of a national crisis with regards to persistent health problems associated with NCDs”, as the impetus for the tax. It was applied to local and imported beverages that contain high calorie sweeteners, such as soft drinks, juice drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices.

“Because the tax was not a significant one, only ten per cent, the retailers – the private sector absorbed the tax and so the unhealthy sugar-sweetened beverages are not more expensive than the healthy beverages. Therefore, we have to put the tax at a level where they cannot afford to do that,” he explained.

Sir Trevor, who was at the time fielding questions about the “Sweet Tax” after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the University of the West Indies Open Campus and the HCC, said that the tax should be increased to at least 20 per cent.

“There is now a lot of good international evidence that says that one needs to impose a tax of at least 20 per cent on sugar-sweetened beverages, to achieve the objective that we are looking for,” he explained.

“We at the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and in public health in general, in Barbados, see the tax as an important public health measure that needs to be applied together with informing the public of the adverse effects of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages,” Sir Trevor stressed.

As it relates to applying a tax to the fast food industry, the HCC President told reporters that there is a connection between chronic diseases and the over-consumption of unhealthy fast foods.

“The challenge that I threw out to the fast food industry is to use their tremendous resources to create healthy fast foods. If you can do that, then I think we would all be able to agree that this a direction that we can go in to support the fast food industry,” he stated.

“Should a tax be applied to the unhealthy fast food industry. My answer to that from a public health perspective is ‘yes’, if it is in the best interest of the health of the people of the nation,” he said. (TL)

Whilst a number of tertiary-level institutions have already been presented with copies of the recently launched book on sugar cane farming in Barbados, a number of secondary schools will benefit from the book as well.

The Barbados Society of Technologists in Agriculture (BSTA), along with the Agronomy Research and Variety Testing Unit of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company Ltd. (BAMC), teamed up to launch the book. The book, which is titled “Sugar Cane Farming in Barbados”, is authored by Dr. Sandra Bellamy, who serves as Head of the Agronomy Research and Variety Testing Unit (ARVTU), along with co-author Gerald Proverbs.

Speaking during the book launch, which was held at the ARVTU in Groves in St. George recently, Proverbs presented copies of the book to industry leaders, as well as representatives of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus Library and its Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences. Copies were also presented to representatives of the Barbados Community College and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic.

He meanwhile noted that the BSTA will be visiting secondary schools which have a Department of Agriculture, to present a copy to each principal.

“Now to continue the effort of having produced this manual, the next step is the distribution, both within the sugar industry and to secondary schools in Barbados as well. So we will be visiting the schools and distributing one copy to (each) school, in the coming weeks,” Proverbs indicated.

Dr. Bellamy meanwhile noted that the publication was funded by the Sugar Industry Research and Development Fund, to provide the sugar cane farming community with a colourful and comprehensive reference handbook on sugar cane agronomy, field/farm management and sugar processing.

The book also provides an insight into the history of the industry and pays tribute to past technologists through quotations from their publications and speeches. The manual has 24 chapters of practical and technical information authored by members of the BSTA and staff of the BAMC.

This book, she said, outlines all of the agronomic requirements and best practices for successfully growing sugar cane in Barbados. (RSM)

THE Barbados Society of Technologists in Agriculture (BSTA) is hoping that the recently published book on farming sugar cane will assist in the redevelopment and rebirth of a strong, vibrant and economically viable sugar cane industry in Barbados.

Jacklyn Broomes, Vice President of the BSTA, expressed this wish recently, as the Society and the Agronomy Research and Variety Testing Unit (ARVTU) of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company Ltd., teamed up to launch the book entitled ‘Sugar Cane Farming in Barbados’, at the ARVTU at Groves in St. George.

The book is authored by Dr. Sandra Bellamy, who serves as Head of the ARVTU, along with co-author Gerald Proverbs.

Speaking during the book launch, Broomes noted that by having a strong, vibrant sugar cane industry, the industry would then be capable of providing support to the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors of Barbados. She also expressed her hope that the same could be done for other crops.

In giving a brief history of the BSTA, Broomes noted that the Society arose out of the Barbados Sugar Technologists Association, which was founded in 1939. The mandate of that Association, she said, was to share technical information on all aspects of the sugar industry, from field to factory. With the name change to the BSTA in 1990, the focus was widened to include non-sugar crops like food crops, vegetables and cotton.

“Some of the major objectives of the BSTA are to discuss matters concerning agriculture, to disseminate information to its members and to offer advice to the Government and other interested agencies,” Broomes explained.

“Many years ago the BSTA, recognising that the sugar industry was in decline, publicly indicated the need to shift the sugar industry away from the export of raw sugar and to reduce the production costs of sugar, by improving efficiency, in both the factory and field operations,” she added.

“BSTA proposed a series of Think Tanks on the field aspect of the industry, in an effort to improve yields through improved agronomic practices… The Think Tanks brought together growers, as well as professionals in a number of areas, to discuss experiences and to suggest improvements which could be implemented,” she continued.

“The information from the Think Tanks formed the basis of the book being launched … but it was expanded to include some history of the industry and so produce a more comprehensive documentary to the local industry,” Broomes said of the book’s origins. (RSM)

MINISTER of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler is looking for two senior economists to complete the make up of his Economic Advisory Council.

To date five persons have been selected comprising Economists and at least one Business Executive.

However, Sinckler said that shortly he would be making known to the public the names of the Council the creation of which he first announced at a news conference in February at Government Headquarters.Former Prime
Minister, Owen Arthur is expected to be part of the Council which is to advise the Minister on economic matters and policy- making.

On Monday Sinckler said that the two additional economists were necessary to complete the process.

However, he said that Arthur has been very helpful in his commentaries and there clearly is a role forhim to play, and the most appropriate role will be found,” said Sinckler.

“It doesn’t have to be a Government committee, it may be a project, but wherever it is genuine, but I have no reason to doubt his genuine desire to assist Barbados,” Sinckler said.

Sinckler also said that as far as he knows all of his Cabinet colleagues have cordial relationships with the former Prime Minister.

“They may not share all of his views, I do not share all of his views either, we differ on many points, but I do not think there is any dislike of Mr. Arthur,” he added. (JB)

Barbadians are being encouraged to volunteer their time to participate in the upcoming Exercise TRADEWINDS 2017.

Director of the Department of Emergency Management Kerry Hinds said her department, as the coordinating entity of the National Emergency Management is pleased to be associated with TRADEWINDS 2017 from conceptual development to implementation.

However, Hinds stressed that in order for the Exercise, designed to improve cooperation and interoperability of partner nations in responding to the broad spectrum of Caribbean threats, to be fully effective, volunteers are needed to participate in simulation process.

According to Hinds, at least 200 volunteers are needed for just one scenario.

Exercise TRADEWINDS, will officially begin in Barbados on Tuesday June 6, and end on Saturday June 17, in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Of course, a part of that disaster management community is the volunteers and the public. We have our various community disaster management organisations out there and we would wish to encourage persons to be a part of the Exercise.

“At the end of the day, Exercise TRADEWINDS 2017 is useful in terms of sustaining our emergency management and building our community disaster volunteers,” Hinds said.

Hinds made the appeal as she delivered remarks at yesterday’s media launch of Exercise TRADEWINDS 2017 at the Barbados Defence Force, St Ann’s Fort, Garrison, St Michael.

Host Nation Co-Director for Phase one of Exercise TRADEWINDS Major Carlos Lovell, also added his voice to the call for volunteers, noting that based on the nature of this years’ Exercise, there is much scope for participation from the general public, especially in the Disaster Management phase.

Major Lovell explained that volunteering to be part of Exercise TRADEWINDS as a role player can be seen as a very exciting international duty, considering the equipment and resources brought in from the United Sates, which they will be exposed to.
“We are going to try to be as realistic as possible. So this will require some of the same role players to be up close and personal with some of the equipment, some of the personnel and some of the practices of the disaster management personnel from a security limit stand point.

“In terms of the limit of role players, we would not necessary put a cap on the limit. What we are trying to achieve to have as much participation as possible. So from one scenario to the next, we would not want a situation where the same role players are being recycled throughout the exercise.

“We want persons to get the opportunity to participate as much as possible, and when we actually calculated the number of participants, the numbers were in the region of about 2 500 persons, so I do not think that we would exhaust the amount of role players that we get,” he said.

Major Lovell said that role players are asked to complete application forms as those chosen are going to be thoroughly screened.

He noted that role players are also going to be briefed well in advance of the Exercise, and the particular scenario they will be chosen to participate in.

He said the participants will be enlightened as to what is supposed to happen from a role player standpoint, and what should happen when emergency services arrive on the ground.

“So technically they will be given an introduction to some of the training that persons from the fire service, Royal Barbados Police Force and other different emergency response and support agencies would have been exposed to.

“What we are hoping will happen after that, is that these persons will go out into communities and be ambassadors for the National Emergency Management System in Barbados, and also ambassadors for Exercise TRADEWINDS,” Major Lovell said. (AH)

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and the University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOC) have established a partnership aimed at contributing to chronic disease prevention and control in the Caribbean.
Yesterday, Sir Trevor Hassell, President of the HCC and Dr Luz Longsworth, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UWI Open Campus formalised that collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was described as very important for the people of the Caribbean.
During the signing ceremony held at the Open Learning Centre, Cave Hill Campus, Sir Trevor observed that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for considerable death and disability in the Caribbean and present a tremendous economic burden.
He said that 8 out of every 10 deaths are due to NCDs and that most countries in the region expend more that 60 % of their health budgets on this group of diseases.

“All sectors of society need to contribute if what has been described as the tsunami of NCDs is to be slowed, for this group of diseases is the leading cause of slowing and in some instances the reversal of socio-economic development in the Caribbean,” he stressed.

The HCC President therefore revealed that the three (3) year programme of collaboration with the Open Campus will undertake joint implementation of programmes and projects that focus on capacity building, organization development and technical assistance.

“The special relationship now being established between the HCC and the Open Campus – a non-health section of the UWI recognises that tackling the epidemic of NCDs goes well beyond health – requiring the empowerment of people, which the Open Campus seeks to do based on its Guiding principle that the high-quality university education, research and services available at the Open Campus should be open and available to all people who wish to reach their full potential inside and outside of the Caribbean region,” he said.

Dr Longsworth recalled that for decades the UWI has been on the forefront of research and practice in the areas of detection, treatment and prevention of non-communicable diseases.

“The HCC and the UWI Open Campus are aligned in the mission of educating and informing our people in the entire CARICOM and Commonwealth Caribbean and primarily to advocate for behavioural change to reduce the incidence of NCD’s in our region which is taking a toll on our economic development,” she pointed out.

“The regional and international reach of the Open Campus through its physical presence of 44 Sites in 17 Caribbean countries will enable the message that HCC, their partners individually and collectively to penetrate at the community level”.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal further revealed that some areas of collaboration will include: Development and delivery of educational programmes focused on NCDs in consultation with NCD health and non-health NGOs; The “insertion” of NCDs into relevant current academic programmes of The UWIOC; Hosting of joint regional NCD meetings; Hosting joint UWIOC/HCC regional virtual NCD lecture series and or webinars; and Contribution of administrative support on collaborative initiatives where feasible and possible.

“This relationship seeks to ensure that the message that reduction and elimination of NCD’s is crucial to our development is sent out throughout the region and penetrates the consciousness not only of medical practitioners and related health fields but of every man, woman and child in our communities across the region”.

“We feel that as the University moves towards its new Strategic Plan for 2017-2022 which speaks to “Revitalizing Caribbean Development”, there is no better way to Re-vitalize our people than through ensuring healthy lifestyles that will enable a productive, happy and energized work force,” she said. (TL)

THE new Sandals Royal Barbados, which is under construction and scheduled to be opened at the end of the year, is already receiving bookings.

This was revealed by General Manager of Sandals Barbados, Ferry Zievenger, who was delivering brief remarks at the hotel’s annual Reunion Week, an event to show appreciation to repeat guests for their continued patronage of the brand.

Giving an update on the property which is just next door to the Christ Church luxury hotel, Zievenger noted that construction, which started around July last year, is progressing and has reached the fifth and sixth floors.

He said that there are approximately 900-1000 workmen on the site.

Stressing the significance of the Sandals expansion in St. Lawrence gap, he said: “Our Chairman Mr. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart has all the faith in the destination Barbados and all the faith in us to make sure that Sandals Royal Barbados will also become a huge success. Besides the workmen, we will expand our family to almost 1 100 total team members working between both of the resorts.

“It is a huge opportunity to us working here at the resort and we are looking forward to welcoming our new team members towards the end of this year.”

It is against this backdrop that the general manager stressed the importance of the staff in making the resort a success. “Here at Sandals Barbados we are blessed with 570 team members, without their support, without their faith in the plans, without their everyday hustle and bustle to make sure that you have a fantastic experience on the island and on the resort this would not be possible.”

He told the guests that the new resort will include 222 rooms and feature beach-front infinity edge plunge pools or ‘sky pool’ suites directly facing the Caribbean Sea. It also includes stand-alone suites. The new property will also feature a state-of-the-art entertainment pavilion including a stage that can accommodate performances as well as new restaurants.

To this end, he acknowledging that guests have an option to go online and choose from several idyllic destinations, yet they still choose Sandals properties in the region. “We really appreciate that you travel all the way from home to the Caribbean islands to support us,” he said, urging them to remain loyal to the brand. (JH)

Developing an entrepreneurship community is something that The Entrepreneurial Network (TEN) Habitat is looking to do in order to help develop the entrepreneurial mindsets of persons.

Word of this came from the co-founder of TEN Habitat, Selwyn Cambridge, as he recently briefed the media at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC) about one of the TEN Habitat’s upcoming events. Cambridge revealed that their next event will be the Female Founders Boot Camp that will take place May 10-11. He explained that it will be a boot camp dedicated to female entrepreneurship and will also be staged in their soon-to-be launched innovation hub and co-working space. He added that they plan to launch this hub in Bridgetown and divulged that it is a part of TEN Habitat’s plan to thoroughly develop and build a community around entrepreneurship.

Cambridge noted that through the support of corporations like the Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union (BPWCCU) and CIBC FirstCaribbean, and a few others, they were able to develop investor-ready businesses that would be able to generate widespread employment and create foreign exchange even though they were a non-profit organisation.

The Co-Founder went on to say that it was important for potential entrepreneurs to understand that entrepreneurship is not generally about self-employment, rather it was about individuals seeking to create a difference, solve big problems and make a change. Though there is good reason to push self-employment and develop ideas for persons to create lifestyle businesses and substance-type businesses, Cambridge explained that what TEN Habitat sought to do was create early learning so that persons were able to understand the transition that needs to occur from self-employment to entrepreneurship to enterprise development.

He added that persons joining the programme will be able to be exposed to the different kinds of experiences that one will encounter when journeying to entrepreneurship and noted that it was to be viewed as a competitive arena. If you want to compete and succeed as an entrepreneur, Cambridge mentioned that your mindset must grow from a local one to global.

Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, is setting the record straight as it relates to speculations about whether or not the American University of Barbados (AUB) is operating legally.

Yesterday, Minister Jones made it clear that the five-year-old School of Medicine is fully registered by the Barbados Accreditation Council and other internationally acclaimed organisations.

He also revealed at a press conference and tour of the Wildey, St. Michael institution that AUB is progressing towards accreditation, having already met the eligibility requirement for institutional accreditation.

The Minister said he has written to both AUB and the Ministry of Finance, “notifying them that they have so far satisfied all that we have asked them to do as they move towards that institutional accreditation”.

He said in a few years, the School of Medicine should be fully accredited, taking into consideration that its first cohort will be graduating in September.

“I think sometimes persons don’t understand what they are talking about and that tend to incite and excite persons to talk things they don’t really know. This AUB, just like all others, first must be registered as tertiary providers of education by the Barbados Accreditation Council, which is the statutory body for the registration,” he said.

“The Barbados Accreditation Council does not accredit medical schools in Barbados. The Government of Barbados, by legislation, has appointed the Caribbean Association for Medicine and other health professionals as the accrediting body for medical institutions here in Barbados. They will work along with the Barbados Accreditation Council to bring that accreditation and that process has started.

Giving AUB his fullest support, Minister Jones noted that the institution’s purchase of the BET Building is a definitive commitment to excellence, making it a sought after medical school in the Caribbean and the world.

“The potential benefits to Barbados are in fact quite good. Not only do we have external persons in Barbados as part of the management and teaching structure of the American University, but we also have Barbadians as part of that management and teaching structure here at AUB.

“So, you should already be seeing the economic benefits. Obviously students rent, students buy food, students are involved in leisure activity; all the various things that any human being can do, has been done by the students here,” Jones said.

Meanwhile, the University’s Associate Dean Dr. Syed Kazmi said the directors of the institution where teaching is done through Structured Integration Methodology and Problem Based Learning using 3D-Animation, are committed to improving the standard of the institution.

“We are looking for like 2 000 students in five years,” Dr. Kazmi said. (AH)

Currently, dentists do not need to engage in continuing education in order to be registered, and Chairman of the Caribbean Dental Programme (CDP), Dr. Victor Eastmond, is calling for legislation to be enacted to rectify this state of affairs.

He quoted statements from both the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Senator Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, as well as Executive Director of the Barbados Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, Henderson Eastmond, to emphasise his point.

“I would like to add a few recent quotes from our local media. First, a statement in the print media on March 13, 2017 by our Minister of Labour, Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, where she stated, ‘People who left school 20, 30, 40 years ago need to continue to learn because the world is changing and the world of work is also changing. If we are not careful, as systems change in the workplace and become more automated and bring new processes and if we are not willing to learn and adapt, we will find ourselves on the breadline and can no longer fit into the organisation.’ And a quote from a front page article on March 19, 2017, which was made by Mr. Henderson Eastmond who heads TVET, stated: ‘A country is as good as its education and training provision and what has worked for us over the last 40 years will not work for us now.’”

Eastmond further pointed out that, “Those comments reinforce what I said at last year’s Opening Ceremony in relation to having continuing education as a pre-requisite for registration to practice within Barbados. Practitioners should attend a limited number of CE hours to maintain the profession’s highest standards and quality of work. I know from a recent meeting with our Minister of Health that he also is of like mind and like our Minister of Labour and the Head of TVET, I believe that continuing education should be a part of a lifelong continuum of learning within our profession.”

Delivering remarks at the CDP Opening Ceremony on Tuesday evening, he said that this would serve to ensure that the highest standards within the profession are maintained.

“This requirement is almost universal but I am disappointed that it is not yet legislated in my country...I have pushed for CE to be compulsory throughout the Caribbean with some positive results and again, I say CE must be a mandatory requirement for re-registration in the future if we are to ensure the very highest standard obtains within this continual dynamic profession to ensure public safety with modern treatment modalities and equipment to our general public,” he added.

THE green light has been given and plans are under way for the construction of a new secondary school to start within the first quarter of 2018.

This announcement came from Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, who told The Barbados Advocate during a recent interview that the home for the new secondary school is going to be at Searles, Christ Church.

“We had a lot of hiccups, a lot of issues with that new secondary school, because that was to help ease some of the pressure in schools that had gone over the size that they were actually built for. The closing of Louis Lynch would have compounded that situation,” he said.

Jones also noted that Cabinet has now approved the project, and architects have been notified and are expected to take about five months to produce their plans, to be submitted to the Town and Country Planning department for approval.

“We had bought acres of land, because you know we don’t want to squeeze people up, and that will be a sixth form. The way you position the buildings will be important. Then, you also have to have playing facilities and playing fields and all of that,” Jones said.

The Education Minister informed that the project is being funded through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

“We also have Wesley Hall to completely rebuild, we have Belmont Primary to completely rebuild and St. Martin’s Mangrove to be completely rebuilt. We have a new one to be built in St. John to take over from Society. Then we have two wings to be built, one at Willkie Cumberbatch and one at St. Philip primary,” he said.

“There is one [wing] to be built at St. Elizabeth Primary, but we are looking at that because the numbers at St. Elizabeth have plummeted now to very small numbers, so the possibility exists, it is not clear in my mind yet, that we might have to do some adjusting in that area ... our task is not to close schools, but to ensure that quality teaching can take place at any kind of facility that we have,” he continued. (AH)

Donville Inniss, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development is pleased with the continued investment that Unicomer Limited makes in Barbados’ economy.

Inniss’ remarks came during the formal opening launch of Radioshack at Sheraton Mall recently. Radioshack is just one of the other brands that Unicomer has chosen to bring to Barbados and Inniss believes that their investment is a reflection of the continued faith the company has in Barbados.

“It is significant that at a time when many of the conversations is about the fiscal challenges and the state of the economy and the doom and gloom, that we still have those who quietly and steadfastly maintain that faith in Barbados as an economy and as a society,” he said.

Furthermore, he viewed Unicomer as an example of what many in the private sector ought to be doing in terms of uncovering their own space as well as finding and creating opportunities. He noted that having the fusion of the two brands, Unicomer Ltd and Radioshack, an international brand, meant that “this little island Barbados” is still able to attract the very best international brands.

Inniss revealed that in 2014, they spent $264 million importing electronic goods into the island but in 2016, this dropped to $223 million. He explained that due to this significant drop it was indeed their task to continue to find ways in which they can continue to earn the foreign exchange that the island needs.

Government is indeed committed to ensuring that Barbadians continue to have options or places to shop and buy goods. He wanted persons to recognise that there is a need to work harder to ensure that we are able to earn our own way in life and be able to exercise the options that Radioshack and Unicomer are bringing to Barbados.

Acknowledging that some persons were asking why bring a company into Barbados that will use foreign exchange, Inniss explained that this was an opportunity to provide options to visitors and Barbadians alike as they know and trust the brand so well. Additionally, Inniss noted that when visitors came to the island and realise that Barbados is a part of the international brand they will continue to visit and help generate that needed foreign exchange.

FORMER trade unionist and ambassador, Joseph Goddard, believes that the local economy will continue to register improved growth.

Goddard, who served for many years as President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), said yesterday that he is fortified by a projection coming from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Barbados should
see growth of about 1.7 per cent in 2017.

He told The Barbados Advocate that Government has to act with more haste in getting construction moving by having its big projects going to assure more growth.

The economy grew by 1.6 per cent last year, “so I think that Barbados will see more growth”, said Goddard who was also Barbados’ Ambassador to the United Nations.

Earlier this week the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, said he believes that economic growth this year will be better than last year. Like Goddard he had also said there was every chance that once the Sam Lords Castle project as well as the Hyatt get going, there is no reason why a three per cent growth rate cannot be achieved.

Goddard said that while the country gets a lot of the data and the numbers on the economy from the Government, the IMF indicators also complete the story.

According to him, “The IMF would be better placed to know what is possible with Barbados in the prevailing circumstances and the projection comes over as conservative.”

The forecast by the Fund is the latest on the narrative about Barbados economy hit hard by recession and which is taking time to ride out of the crisis it has experienced since 2008.

There has been speculation that given the low economic growth, declining foreign reserves, the high deficit, and rising debt that the country is a candidate for a Standby Arrangement with the IMF. However, Government while acknowledging the challenges, said there are no plans as yet to seek an agreement with the IMF.
(JB)

Give special needs persons a chance to live and work alongside you in mainstream society.

This is the advice that the Founder and Principal of The Schoolhouse for Special Needs, Yasmin Vlahakis, is sending out to Barbadians.

Speaking with The Barbados Advocate recently, she said that often times some people, including parents of these children, believe that they should sit down in a corner and be quiet, not recognising that these special children do have something special to offer the world.

“I think that when you actually meet them and see them, then you realise that they are special, but there are so many other things about them. People don’t realise that. They just say ‘you know, he or she is special and they need to go over there and sit down until they move onto the next world.’”

She added, “Parents and ultimately society need to recognise that a special needs child eventually becomes a special needs adult, and so you have to teach them for life. I don’t think people realise that. They think, ‘Oh look at little Johnny, he is so cute.’ Well, he is cute when he is three, four, five and not really talking. But then when he is eight and 10 and 16 and 24 and he has still not really done anything, then Johnny’s life has just been there and so people are really doing them an injury.”

However, these persons are capable of thriving in mainstream society once the school; parents/guardians and the country equips them with all of the tools that they would need to do just that.