THE 2017 CARIFESTA Secretariat has received over 62 applications from community groups interested in hosting events during the Festival, scheduled to be held in Barbados between August 17 and 27.

Speaking at a town hall meeting, at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed on Tuesday evening, Senior Cultural Officer at the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Andrea Wells, told the audience that the Foundation was surprised, but pleased with the overwhelming response from community groups opting to participate in the Festival, on which Government is spending about US$3 million.

“They have sent in applications for their events to be recognised as part of the Community Fringe. They will stage them themselves and they have production responsibility for them. But once approved on the calendar, we can then recommend and schedule some of the visiting CARICOM acts to join them on their stages.

“This means that during the season, you have that really dynamic hospitalisation and networking at the community level. Sometimes the most important and the strongest relationships are formed there because it is literally an artistes to artistes exchange,” Wells said.

Meanwhile, Wells said based on information from Haiti, the host country of the last festival, which was held in 2015, an estimated 3000 artists, artistes, artisans and supporters are expected to converge on Barbados during the Festival.

“Right now, based on registered interest from delegations, it is looking like we would have so far close to 2000. But we haven’t got numbers from every delegation, and along with them they are bringing friends and family who are not official delegates, but use the opportunity when their spouses or children are performing, to visit and vacation in the country,” she said.

Events to be held for CARIFESTA 13 includes Two Super Concerts; the opening and closing ceremonies; and three Signal Events, plus there will be space allocated for events staged by persons and organisations other than official delegations, providing room for private participation.

A new component has been added to the tradition of CARIFESTA, which will feature the exhibition and sale of cultural goods and services in a marketplace atmosphere, to which international buyers have been united. The Caribbean’s first Grand Market and Buyers Shopping Mall, featuring Caribbean products, will be a key element in the programme.

“While the host country has to invest in staging the Festival, the next big set of funds is spent by the participating states, because each state is responsible for covering the airfare of the artist, their accommodation cost and any professional fees,” the Senior Cultural Officer explained.

Kensington Oval has been chosen for the opening and closing ceremonies. (AH)

The volatile, complex and uncertain environment in which businesses currently operate, necessitates that there is greater focus placed on the risk management by these entities.

That’s according to Michael Bynoe, Territory Leader, PwC East Caribbean. He made the point while delivering opening remarks at the PwC’s Better Risk Management, Better Business Performance Seminar, held yesterday morning at the Radisson Aquatica.

“There are just so many things out there – whether it is the ransomware, cyberware attacks that we heard of over the weekend; or the fact that none of us can quite predict the impact that Brexit may have on our economies in the region. Or perhaps closer to home, we all operate businesses in an environment of poor economic growth and with ever further discussions about such things as IMF [International Monetary Fund] programmes or debt restructuring or devaluation,” he said.

The PwC Territory Leader added, “None of us really can predict the future and I think we do operate at present in very uncertain times.”

But, while pointing out that no company can operate without some risks, he maintained that to remain successful, companies need to maintain good risk management practices. With that in mind, he indicated that the seminar is designed to equip participants with the knowledge they need to identify the risks that their businesses may be facing on a daily basis, and to identify the connection between those risks and their companies’ performances.

“PwC can help you to manage risks, in some cases mitigate those risks and to help you to continue to manage risks while growing your businesses. Risks can be managed both proactively and defensively, and any strategy needs to be successful enough to anticipate changes in your current business environment,” he said.

To that end, he said that through the session, they would assist participants to assess their potential risks, develop appropriate strategies to address those risks and to create a framework to ensure success in their businesses going forward.
(JRT)

A Retired Chief Health Planner has made the call for two or three of this island’s polyclinics to operate on a 24-hour basis.

Samuel Deane explained that such a move would reduce the waiting time of individuals who go to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), as these persons could go to those polyclinics instead. He also suggested that these locations would handle the minor cases and this could assist with cutting the cost of providing health care at the QEH.

“They [the polyclinics] close off at a time when people who have emergencies or in some cases where non-emergencies do occur, but people turn up at Accident and Emergency for service and then they wait 10 to 12 or so hours and are not seen because of the protocols; they are not emergencies. They clog the system.”

He continued, “…the same way we have one private urgent care centre operating on a 24-hour basis, we can outfit two or three or so polyclinics – not all, it is not necessary to do all – and where the population once they know that the place is opened and available and that they will get quality care, they can go and get that care and that will take a considerable load off the acute hospital. You must remember too that the acute hospital is a place that is fairly expensive to run and when you put cases in a hospital that are not necessary to be there, you are fostering an inefficient use of resources, so that is my recommendation.”

Deane added that the polyclinics which will be operating for 24-hours would need to have the necessary diagnostic equipment and necessary amount of doctors to provide care to the public.

Head of a regional agricultural body is highlighting the need to train wayside coconut vendors.

Executive Director of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Barton Clarke, made the call while delivering the feature address at the Barbados Coconut Stakeholders Forum, put on yesterday at the Savannah Hotel by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Barbados Society of Technologies in Agriculture and CARDI. Clarke, a former Chief Agricultural Officer here in Barbados, said that it is essential that the vendors receive training to ensure that they are meeting both the national and international health and food safety standards.

“[In] the vending and the processing of coconuts, are we absolutely certain that we are in keeping with the international and local health standards and food safety standards to which we subscribe? I have to assume we are going to do something about it. I’m not saying close down the vendors… because they are doing a very important business. Not only that, they are doing business and they are meeting their own financial objectives, so don’t close them,” he said.

Clarke added, “If you close them what are they going to do? Add to our social problems? No. But we train them, we establish the necessary standards and we ensure that they follow the standards in order to ensure that what is being offered to you and to your guests meets basic food safety standards.”

His comments came as he explained that if not properly processed, coconut water can contain bacteria that could be harmful to those consuming it. As such, he said that there is a need for a multi-stakeholder response, including the environmental health department and the national health standards institution, to put the necessary regulations in place to police the sector.

Moreover, he said that as efforts are made to mushroom the coconut industry here in Barbados and the wider region, in addition to training the vendors, it is also imperative that the farming community as well as those producing other by-products from coconuts are also exposed to training.

Clarke made the point as he said that as the region pushes to revitalise the coconut industry and promotes coconut farming, it is vital that steps are taken to come up with a plan to get rid of the coconut husks and shells. With that
in mind, the CARDI head said that in addition to the sale of coconuts and its by-products in the food, beverage and cosmetics sectors, there is also an investment opportunity as it relates to the coconut waste which should be explored.
(JRT)

Keep a close eye on your children’s online activity.

This is the advice that the Immediate Past President of the Barbados Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), Charles Walton, is sending out to parents.

Speaking to The Barbados Advocate after a session on Cyber Security held recently at a Parent- Teacher Association meeting of the Charles F. Broome Primary School, he said during sessions like these they have been advising parents to keep a close eye on what their children do online.

“We have been asking and encouraging parents to monitor their children. Look at the websites that they are visiting, look at their posting patterns, be there when they are online at times, see what they are doing, know what websites they are going to, note the programmes that they are using so that they know what is happening. Be aware of emails popping up or banners popping up all over the screens, the computer running slow. Those are the kinds of things that we want them [parents] to be aware of because they could be indications of untoward activity happening on their devices, which they need to be able to deal with appropriately very early to prevent problems further on down the road.”

Walton stated that this could even be the case for educational websites which the children would use to complete research for homework and other school projects. These websites can also contain links to other more dangerous websites or can have pop ups which the children would click onto, and which would expose them to illicit information such as pornography or violence.

He said that there are certain devices that parents could install on the computers whereby they can monitor the activities of their children online and he suggested that they get one of these devices.

“We know that kids use websites like for educational purposes, but it is very often easy to be able to mimic those websites and get them to be able to download inappropriate devices or apps or get them to go onto inappropriate websites where they can see things like pornography, where they can be exposed to violence.

“They [parents] can download applications and programmes that can run in the background that can again monitor their [children’s] activity; turn on their cameras, turn on the listening devices on those machines and be able to get a little bit more information on what is happening in the household.”

Government is pursuing discussions with the Barbados Light & Power (BL&P) about the possibility of using natural gas for power gener-ation, instead of using bunker fuel.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Energy, Senator Darcy Boyce, said it is believed that “if we can get Light and Power to go back to the plan to use natural gas, the volume at which we can import natural gas will be sufficiently large that we can bring down the cost of natural gas more towards what it would be if it were all local”.

Speaking in the Senate on the National Petroleum Corporation Amendment Bill 2017, yesterday, Senator Boyce said while natural gas is currently being bought in small quantities, “if we can buy a good bucketful, we would be able to get the price down”.

Senator Boyce said that while BL&P has been progressively moving forward in the area of renewable energy, it will take the company about 25 years to completely change to that platform.

“The issue is that they have got a plant that is there that has not yet been fully paid for. And if they were to change and do all renewable energy, they will have to pay for the new equipment for renewable energy, and they will also have to pay off for what is outstanding on the existing plant. So what you would have is what you would call ‘stranded assets’. So what you will do is you will try to bring in the renewable energy equipment and phase out the older equipment,” Senator Boyce said.

“But that old equipment can run, with some relatively minor modifications, on crude oil, or diesel, or it can run off natural gas.

“Now, we prefer to use natural gas because it is cleaner and if it helps us to bring down the cost of gas to the country, we would want to do that,” he added.

The Minister said that Government was waiting to sign off on an Inter-American Development Bank loan, which will substantially improve the natural gas network and expand the Micro LNG plant for industrial and commercial use in Barbados.

“That is what we are going to do for the future of the gas supply in the country. We will use it as a transition fuel for the Light and Power until they get to renewable energy 100 per cent, and also to bring down the cost of fuel,” he said.

Senator Boyce also stated that the possibility of the transportation sector using natural gas is also being looked at.

“The transportation sector uses gasoline and diesel and we believe that we can get some additional benefits by having some of them transition to using the natural gas, which is cleaner than the diesel and which usually gives the same kind of power.

“So we have to do some work on that now, so that we are able to look and see how feasible transitioning them to natural gas would be over a 15-year period,” he explained. (AH)

THE project to aid Barbados in transitioning to a cleaner energy future, meet its current natural gas demands and contribute to the creation of a regional Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply chain is on its way.

Yesterday, while speaking in the Senate on the National Petroleum Corporation Amendment Bill 2017, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, who holds responsibility for Energy, Senator Darcy Boyce, said Government should be signing off on the US$34 million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan, at least by the end of June.

The loan will enable the country to enhance its energy security and sustainability by diversifying its energy mix through promoting the use of cleaner fuels for power generation, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, and increasing energy efficient applications by Barbados’ Government and private sector.

“I have taken the approach that if in a year’s time we were not to have any supply of natural gas, I would want us still to be able, very quickly, to get the gas to supply those 21 000 customers.

“So I have said to the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) and Barbados National Terminal Company Limited, let us have a facility which enables us to supply the current customer base.

“And we have got a loan from the IDB to be able to do that and we expect we should try and get that loan signed before the end of May, certainly before the end of June, so that we can start the work,” he said.

Meanwhile, a release from the IDB on the multimillion-dollar loan, which is for a 24-year term, states that Government’s priorities in the electricity sector include reducing electricity prices, increasing energy security, using cleaner fuels, and reducing negative environmental impacts.

It states that Barbados aims to have renewable energy contribute 65 per cent of total peak electrical demand by 2030 and to achieve a 22 per cent reduction in electricity consumption by 2029. Barbados intends to achieve a 30 per cent economy-wide reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2030 compared with 2008.

The project will finance improvements to Barbados’ existing natural gas infrastructure to ensure natural gas service continuity. The loan will increase energy efficiency and renewable energy applications within the NPC and the Barbados National Oil Company Limited’s (BNOCL) operations to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. It will also enable the implementation of a Public-Private Partnership project to import and supply Liquefied Natural Gas for power generation as well as to provide technical support to NPC/BNOCL to foster greater operational efficiency. (AH)

Erwin Edwards, Head of the Regional Project Team of the Energy Efficiency Labelling Standards, believes that having standards on appliances are a necessity.

His comments came during a brief interview with the media following the Regional Policy Roadmap Workshop that was held at Divi Southwinds Hotel yesterday morning.

“The reality is that you need standards for development because we need to develop in a structured way and in a way that we can reproduce what we have achieved,” he said.

Edwards believes that it is time for different countries to tap into the various technologies and technical expertise that are available, so that they could develop and implement standards for various appliances.

CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) Technical Officer, Fulgence St. Prix, revealed that they planned to spend the first day of the three-day conference discussing and planning energy efficiency standards and labelling standards, which are to be part of CROSQ’s Implemented Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project (R3E).

“On the second day of the workshop, energy
experts will sit together and plan a Roadmap to determine the steps to the development and implementation of a labelling scheme for refrigerators, lighting and room air conditioners,” he said.

Meanwhile, Edwards is of the opinion that persons do not truly understand the importance of standards and expressed that when a person spends Bds$3 000 on a piece of equipment, they expect it to work and to last for an appropriate length of time. He noted that buying the cheapest piece of equipment is not beneficial if you have to pay every day for it to be serviced or replace something in the equipment that has broken down.

He believes that this could be avoided if persons were aware of the standards attached to these different pieces of equipment. Edwards said that some standards were not easily understood by the public and that implementing standards that sought to encourage making the labelling reader-friendly, would help them to understand the standards that come with the piece of the equipment they are purchasing.

Policymakers, energy experts and other major stakeholders gathered together yesterday morning to discuss energy efficient policies.

CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) Technical Officer, Fulgence St. Prix, revealed that the three-day conference, which was held at the Divi Southwinds Hotel, was aimed at discussing and finding ways to implement energy efficient policies in the region.

“We talk a lot in the Caribbean about energy efficiency and introduction of renewable energies, but there isn’t the understanding at the national levels sometimes about how this actually benefits the countries, in terms of dollars and cents. This is what this workshop is aimed at helping policymakers more effectively do,” he said.

St. Prix revealed that they were in the process of developing Energy Efficiency Building Codes for the region and noted that the “saving” factor is crucial to getting Member States in the Caribbean understand how being energy efficient benefits the economies at the end of the day.

Anthea Ishmael, the Acting Director of the Barbadian National Standards Institute (BNSI), said that there was great potential within CARICOM to discover more efficient uses of existing energy resources and for the development and utilisation of renewable energy sources. She noted that these strategies can have a positive impact on the competitiveness of CARICOM products and services.

“In this context, CARICOM has already drafted goals and strategies to make greater use of these potentials with the clear intention to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.

However, Ishmael noted that in order to implement these goals and strategies, Quality Infrastructure (QI) requirements must be met.

She revealed that CROSQ, in collaboration with Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the National Metrology Institute of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Standards Bureau of the Dominican Republic (INDOCAL), will seek to implement the project “Strengthening of the Regional Quality Infrastructure in the Caribbean in the Areas of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies” (R3E project).

“This project seeks to increase regionally available services of quality infrastructure in the Caribbean for the use of energy efficient electrical appliances and renewable energy technologies through the
development of regional labelling and minimum energy performance standards for lighting and for air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers,” she noted. (CLF)

THE Government Minister who holds responsibility for the nation’s children is urging young people to stay away from the dangerous act of cyberbullying.

Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steve Blackett, told a group of future leaders at a Child Care Board (CCB) organised Adolescents and Cyber Abuse Youth Seminar, that they should be using electronic gadgets for positive use to move them towards their future goals, instead of bullying their peers.

“Cyber abuse and cyberbullying affects your self-worth, which is so vital to your happiness. If you don’t feel good about yourself, then it is going to be somewhat hard to feel good about anything else…

“Electronic gadgets are trending, the Internet is trending, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram are all trending. In addition, what society or persons who are deemed influential in your sphere of life deem as worthwhile or a failure, also impacts on your self-worth,” Blackett said.

The Minister encouraged the students gathered at the St Peter Almond Beach Resort on Wednesday to remember that their bodies and minds are worthwhile and that they should make informed choices about their total health. He told them not to be pressured into negative experimentation, including early sexual activities, violence, the misuse of illegal substances and other negative trends being seen on social media.

“Stand firm and have a positive self-worth. Ensure that whatever you do is for the betterment of others,” Blackett advised.

The Minister also reminded that their teachers also play a pivotal role in assisting students to develop their self-worth, through encouraging them to visualise their future of lifetime goals and achievements.

“Your self-worth is connected to your self-esteem and your self-concept. Your self-esteem – which may be high or low – involves a personal judgement of worthiness that indicates the extent to which you the individual believe yourself to be capable, significant, successful and worthy.

“Your self-worth therefore involve respecting others along with feeling a sense of peace with yourself about whom you are. Each of you gathered here this morning is unique and special.

“Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Students, all of you have the potential to become a leader in your sphere of life, but you need to want it,” he said.

In delivering remarks, Director of the CCB Joan Crawford explained that while the month of May is used to bring to focus issues that affect the nation’s children, adolescents’ use of technology was chosen to be discussed this year, with the view of imparting knowledge to students on the responsible use of social media.

Students from secondary schools across the country attended the workshop facilitated by UNICEF.

Crawford said that the CCB, its parent Ministry, and by extension the Government of Barbados, believe that keeping children safe and protected should always be the first goal in every family, community, and the country as a whole.

“It is on this premise that the work of the Child Care Board in the months ahead will focus on adolescents and technology, but more specifically on adolescents and cyber abuse or cyber bullying, as technology impacts all of our lives.

“We, who are in leadership positions, wherever and whenever possible, should offer appropriate and sound advice to our children who use technology in the various forms. Our purpose today is to start this discussion with our young people,” Crawford said.

Entertainer Carl Alf Padmore and his team delivered a dramatic presentation to the students on the effects of cyberbullying.
(AH)

With the beginning of the 2017 hurricane season just weeks away, the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is appealing to Barbadians to become volunteers in their communities to assist in the event of a natural disaster.

Speaking to the media following the second town hall meeting for Exercise Tradewinds 2017, held at the Princess Margaret School, on Wednesday evening, Director of the DEM, Kerry Hinds, encouraged all Barbadians to consider joining District Emergency Organisations (DEO) as community volunteers.

Hinds said it is important that people within communities build the capacity to be able to support each other in the event a disaster, reminding that residents are always the first responders to emergencies in their neighbourhoods.

“You note that there will be a case where the emergency services will not be able to respond as quickly as you would wish.

“And of course, it is important that persons in the community be their brother’s keeper and they train, they volunteer, so that they would be the first responders to support the community as a whole,” she said.

She informed that while there are 30 DEOs across the island, there has been a falloff in the number of people joining them, noting that many of the volunteers are aging.

On that note, the Director said it is important young people show interest in forming part of the volunteer effort.

“Yes, we have a committed cadre of persons, but of course some of them are aging. And in order to sustain the whole community, disaster management volunteer effort, it is important that we attract younger volunteers, to the District Emergency Organisation.

“What we are looking to in the future is the possibility of going on a parish basis, but still encouraging persons to have their various groups within the communities,” she said.

“At the end of the day, the individual groups will add to the total of the effort. We would like to boast ten years from now, that we have at least 50 000 trained volunteers.”

“It may seem like a utopia, but it is important that we strive to encourage persons to volunteer because at the end of the day, it is the persons within the community that will benefit,” Hinds added. (AH)

REACHING over 1 300 of the nation’s youth through its Breakfast Programme, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is seeking to touch more even more lives.

Next Saturday May 27, the YWCA will be hosting Fun Fest at the Queen’s College, St. James and Barbadians of all ages and walks of life are being encouraged to attend this fun-filled event for this worthy cause.

Fun Fest will feature a number of attractions including amusement rides, haunted house, lucky dips, face painting, magicians, pet zone, variety stall. A farmers’ market will also be on site and all items will be donated by the BADMC, with the funds
generated to be donated to the breakfast programme. There will also be live entertainment.

Yesterday YWCA President Tamita Griffith highlighted plans for the family event, noting that all proceeds will go towards the YWCA’s Summer Take Away Breakfast package and the general YWCA Breakfast programme, the latter of which is now in its tenth year.

Speaking to the media during a press launch at Queen’s College yesterday, Griffith gave a report card of the YWCA’s accomplishments, saying that there are continuous reports that many beneficiaries of the breakfast programme have shown improvement in their classroom behaviour and school work.

“Studies show that those who have access to breakfast perform better on standardised tests than those who skip breakfast. Others have confirmed that the positive effects on academic performance and reduced rates of absenteeism and tardiness due to children not being able to access breakfast have also impacted on these children.”

The president revealed that the programme currently caters to 15 schools, both primary and secondary school, with another school in the north recently being added. “In addition to our Deacons Road headquarters, breakfast is prepared at seven centres across the island all of which we supply stock. At present we incur in excess of $6 000 in expenses per month to sustain this programme. This figure is lower than in the past, since we now receive great in-kind support from businesses and individuals.”

She explained that the highest expenses tend to the purchasing of stock and utilities. “With only three support staff employed at our Deacons Road headquarters we are extremely grateful or the assistance given to persons who volunteer daily to serve and transport breakfast across the island.”

Griffith thanked the partners who came on board, all of whom stated that assisting the Breakfast programme was a “no brainer,” since the cause was so important to the nation’s youth and their development. Represented were Category Manager Banks Holdings Ltd Shari Boyce, Head of Capital Media HD 99.3 Vic Fernandes, Chairman of Queen’s College George Pilgrim as well as principals and other sponsors and entertainers and volunteers who have generiously donated of their time and services to make the event a success.

The YWCA president also revealed that Fun fest will predominately feature female vendors and service providers. “When we help women, the YWCA believes we also help families, as women are the majority of the heads of households in Barbados.”

She told the media that the breakfast programme has been selected by the local franchise owner of Miss World Barbados as their charity of choice. “So all the participants will be assisting not only the breakfast programme but also other events throughout the year,” she said. (JH)

Barbados must be ready to deal with any threat to its security.

This is according to Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Celia Pollard-Jones.

“As relatively small tourism dependent destinations, and in Barbados’ case, bearing a brand that boasts security and safety as one of its elements, we should leave no stone unturned to provide the kind of information that equips us to respond when threats to our security arise,” she stated.

She was addressing yesterday’s opening of the two-day Tourism Security Assessment put on by the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, the Barbados Tourism Product Authority, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and the Canadian Government at the Barbados Defence Force’s headquarters.

She highlighted that the ministry was convinced of the ongoing need to sensitize persons in both private and public sectors of the urgent dispatch required in addressing security concerns in the tourism sector.

“In recognition of this, the ministry has continued to engage the cooperation of the Department of Emergency Management, the Barbados Defense Force, the Ministry of Health, our own BTA and other stakeholders to underline the importance of a common approach to dealing with disaster related issues which of themselves have implications for tourism. The ministry has also taken steps to upgrade its telecommunications equipment to ensure rapid recovery after a disaster. We continue through our community emergency operations centre to be a part of the national disaster response system with the DEM. In fact, it is expected that the ministry will test its readiness when it takes part in the upcoming Exercise Tradewinds,” Pollard Jones stated.

The Deputy PS also admitted that there was still much more to be done in terms of security preparation and disaster mitigation in the island. (JMB)

RANDALL Rouse, the politician who fought for the St Joseph seat for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) three times, will be contesting the next General Election as an independent candidate.

Rouse, who lost each time he represented the DLP, made the announcement yesterday morning at his Airy Hill, St Joseph, constituency office, where he declared that he was taking this route out of frustration with the Government, as it relates to its lack of communication with the public on public matters, lack of leadership and lack of clear explanations for some of the policy decisions taken.

He said he was disappointed in the apparent anti-worker stances taken and Government’s “total refusal to accept positive economic advice even from its own economic advisors on the economy”.

“But my primary reason is because of the totally poor representation given to this constituency by the parliamentary representative, whose representation is no less than providing alcoholic beverages and giving a broad smile.

“Representation to me means providing opportunities and solutions so persons can develop themselves socially and economically. It means lobbying to have services not available but needed taken care of,” he said.

The independent candidate said if elected, his work in the constituency would include lobbying to have a fully functional health care clinic in St Joseph, the functioning of what is called a clinic at Horse Hill is not satisfactory, the building housing the clinic does not reflect its purpose and there are no guaranties for doctor’s appointments because of shared responsibilities assigned to doctors at the clinic, causing cancellation of appointments of patients.

“A fully functional clinic was originally part of design of the design of Eric Holder Complex, that part of the project was taken out and a library added in its place, even though education is essential, my view is that the review to take the clinic out of the project was a backward decision, but after looking at all the social services that was provided to this constituency. I find that they are gradually being relocated out of the constituency and yet our parliamentary representative finds it difficult to speak on these matters,” Rouse said.

Rouse said he also intends to promote economic activities to exploit the economic value, develop an elderly care programme which would provide medical monitoring to the elderly and day programs catering to them, facilitate a volunteer and mentorship programme to assist the youth, along with reinforcing community spirit through the formation of active community groups in the constituency.

“The dangerous threat posed by the condition of the bridge at Melvins Hill,” is also a concern to the independent candidate. (AH)

Violence in this nation’s schools is continuing to grab the concern of teachers’ unions.

President of the Barbados Union of Teachers, Pedro Shepherd, described the situation as “out of hand”, while speaking on the most recent incident where a female Lester Vaughan student was beaten by a group of other students.

The incident was captured on cell phone, and the video circulated via social media, prompting an outcry from the public and a demand for measures to be taken to put an end to the fighting.

Shepherd said that it was worrying the level of violence that students were now meting out to one another, but of special concern was the fact that girls were now being seen as aggressors in fights, and he questioned why this was happening, as it was “not normal for girls to show the type of aggression that they have been showing in recent times”.

“Something has to be done. Teachers cannot continue to function in schools where they are supposed to function with the level of indiscipline and violence… There is too much of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is demanding a report from the principal of the school on the matter.

Chief Education Officer, Karen Best, insists that the ministry has a no tolerance policy on violence, and that an investigation was underway with actions to follow.

She said that a subculture was growing in the island where violence was seen as the main option to settle disputes, and that persons were moving away from considering the process of alternative resolutions.

PERSONS volunteering for Exercise TRADEWINDS 2017 will get an inside look at what happens and how victims are treated during a real emergency.

This is according to Consultant with the Department of Emergency Management, Major David Bink, who told potential volunteers attending a town hall meeting at the Princess Margaret Secondary School on Thursday night ,how they could be a part of the process.

“Once you sign that form… we will get you into a side of things that you probably never saw before. We will put make-up on you; we will cut you; we will make you bleed; we will make you scream, [though] not literally.

“We will give you fake blood; we will put things on you that look as though you were cut in half; we will give you puncture wounds. It is called moulage,” he explained.

Major Binks said that the process gave first responders the chance to see the injuries that could be incurred in the type of scenarios that would be staged during the exercise.

He stressed that volunteers played a critical part in the process of training first responders to a level where they would be able to respond to a real emergency.

In response to questions from the public about the psychological impact the exercise may have on participants, Exercise TRADEWINDS 2017 Host Nation Co-Director, Major Carlos Lovell, gave the assurance that trained counsellors would be present.

“During the course of the exercise, we will have all of the infrastructure in place that we would normally have for an actual disaster. Part of that apparatus would involve counsellor services provided by trained personnel.

“We have a pastoral team from the Barbados Defence Force which would be augmented by other members of the clergy from around the region and the United States. In addition, [we have] some trained counsellors who are required in the aftermath of a disaster to provide counsellor services to victims, and also for some of the members of the emergency response agencies, who themselves may be traumatised by what they see in the impact zone,” he pointed out.

Station Officer with the Barbados Fire Service, Henderson Patrick, stressed that volunteers would not be placed in a position where their health or safety would be compromised.

He was supported in this view by Assistant Commissioner of Police, William Yearwood, who noted that police would be present to ensure that volunteers operated within a safe environment.

Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite is adamant that the closure of the Weston Fire Station is not putting the safety of the people living in the north of this island in jeopardy.

He made this clear yesterday evening as he delivered the feature address at the reopening of the Arch Hall Fire Station, St. Thomas and the opening of the Barbados Fire Academy. Minister Brathwaite told the audience – which included Member of Parliament for St. Thomas, Cynthia Forde and Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard – that the reopened Arch Hall Fire Station will address any issues caused by the closure of the Weston office.

“Yes we had to close Weston, but it is unfair and uncharitable for anyone to suggest that in fact that people in the north are more at risk because of the closure at Weston. In fact, two tenders will be here continuously [and] with the Academy you would actually have personnel here on a continuous basis, so I can assure my friends on the other side, and I can assure Barbados generally that the safety of the persons in the north of the island will be in no way compromised as a result of the closure of the Weston Station,” he said.

Given that, he indicated if all goes to plan, it is likely that the level of service in that part of the island will be enhanced.

“I just want to make that point because I do not wish anyone to be of the opinion that we took a reckless decision in terms of the closing of Weston, or that we would compromise the health and safety of Barbadians,” the Attorney General stated.

His comments came just moments after he disclosed that in a matter of weeks, the Barbados Fire Service should be in possession of three additional fire tenders to help in the execution of its duties. He said that this was achieved even in the face of the fiscal challenges being experienced in this country, as Government was not prepared to renege on its responsibility to keep the Service functioning efficiently and effectively.

The Home Affairs Minister noted that the vehicles, part of a $5 million upgrade of equipment for the Fire Service should in place by the end of the June. With that in mind, he said if financing permits, he hopes with the new equipment, to have a new mechanical workshop at Seawell, starting within the next year, to undertake maintenance of the equipment.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that the equipment is well maintained. Yes we have a relationship with Angloco who comes in from time to time to service the equipment but we want to take over more of that responsibility ourselves,” he said. (JRT)

SOME of the $3 billion sitting idle at commercial banks in Barbados will soon be better utilised so as to earn higher returns for depositors and to help grow this country’s economy.

Those funds will be utilised under a new facility known as Peer-to-Peer lending, which was officially launched by finance company Carilend on Thursday night, at the Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, Holetown, St. James.

Peer-to-Peer lending is the newest form of financing, connecting people who want to borrow and those who want to lend, said the CEO of Carilend, Mark Young.

He told those present at the launching ceremony that individuals can take some of their funds – including commercial bank deposits which are fetching minimum rates close to zero – and invest them with Carilend, which will then lend the money to those seeking loans.

“Our approach uses technology to cut out the costs of the middleman and brings the parties directly together in a safe and secure manner,” the CEO said.

“This means that you can earn ten to 15 times more than what you earn today on your savings,” he told the audience that included several businessmen and commercial bankers.

Young said that they are excited to bring the global phenomena of Peer-to-Peer lending to the Caribbean, and to launch first in Barbados, which is the company’s home and headquarters.

According to him, “We think this product is the right product, at the right time, at the right place. We all know that there are billions of dollars sitting down idly in savings accounts that are not working for either the investors or for the wider economy.”

As such, Young further stated, “We are excited that by bringing even a small portion of these idle funds back into circulation, we can help drive new economic activity and play some part in getting our economy working again.”

Carilend boasts a platform that provides transparent and granular access to account information in real time 24/7, 365 days a year.

“For lenders at Carilend, we like to say it is as simple as CLICK, LEND, EARN,” declared Young.

For Carilend it also about convenience. One can apply online in minutes, get an answer on the request within one working day and money in the applicant’s account the day after accepting a loan offer.

“Gone are the days of filling in 20-page application forms, supplying pages and pages of certified copies of your personal documents, going for an interview and then waiting days or weeks for an answer,” Young added.

THE Outgoing Chairman of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) says there is need for modification and transformation of the region’s modus operandi, considering the current circumstances regionally and globally.

According to the Hon. Sir Louis Straker, islands are already challenged by a plethora of issues that hinder development such as high indebtedness, natural disasters partly due to climate change, youth unemployment, crime, high rates of adolescent pregnancy, non-communicable diseases, scarcity of concessionary financing and decreasing overseas development assistance.

He said these issues threaten citizens’ well-being and are further aggravated by transnational organised crime, due to the availability of small arms and light weapons manufactured aboard and the illicit trafficking of drugs across the region’s borders.

Sir Louis, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was at the time addressing the opening of the 20th Meeting of COFCOR, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Thursday.

He stressed that serious consideration must be given to reviewing the revised strategy for the co-ordination of the Foreign policies of CARICOM States, which were agreed to 15 years ago.

“While the guiding principles of the Community’s foreign policy still hold, new international developments warrant the revision of the strategy,” he pointed out.

“Consideration should be given to the following when forging our new path – the US foreign policy thrust; the increasing anti-regionalism sentiment that has led to Brexit; challenges with accessing development assistance and the move to graduate the region and the classification of our Member States to middle-income countries without consideration of our vulnerabilities; challenges for CARICOM to implement the regional integration agenda.”

He also urged the Foreign Ministers to create an atmosphere that enables collaboration, co-operation and strategic partnerships with all sectors; civil society; national, regional and international partners.

“Our focus should be on re-visiting and strengthening our relations with traditional partners, reaching out to new allies with an aim towards regional and national developments. We must utilise effectively our existing membership and organisations such as the Organisation of American States, United Nations, CARIFORUM, Association of Caribbean States, even the Commonwealth – for the achievement of a common goal in exploring new avenues of development.

“We must tap into the potential of our diaspora using their remittances for economic development of our countries. The current threat of Correspondent Banking facilities negatively affects these remittances that go to us... Last year, St. Vincent and the Grenadines received approximately $32 million in remittances based on a World Bank Report. This clearly demonstrates the significant impact it has on our economy, therefore we must employ greater effort in harnessing the diaspora for development,” he said.

Handing over Chairmanship to Senator the Hon. Maxine McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, Sir Louis reiterated and emphasised the importance of CARICOM unity.

“We are cognisant that the road that lies ahead will require much from us, hence let us work together and perform to obtain further development of our region, to new strategic foreign policy focus which addresses the challenges of the paradigm shift of the new international order,” he said. (TL)

Barbados must adopt a policy where instead of spending so much time highlighting the negative, we choose to focus on the many positive things that this island can boast about and then build upon these attributes.

So states Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, who delivered the feature address on Wednesday afternoon at the Graduation Ceremony of the Small Business Association (SBA) at the Grand Salle, Central Bank of Barbados.

She said that this country is mentioned by the World Economic Forum for its strong developments.

“Our country has embarked on a path of growth that is smart, sustainable and inclusive. While it may be true that recently we have been spending a lot of time – and maybe too much time – highlighting all the things we need to improve, so much so that you may think there are no positives on which to build, let me remind you that Barbados has been recognised by the World Economic Forum no less, for its strong institutions and infrastructure, its quality health, education and training, its market efficiencies and technological readiness.”

The Labour Minister stated that when we focus on these key areas, we can move full steam ahead into creative thinking, research development and performance enhancement, which would then lead to the creation of more employment opportunities for its citizens.

“The path of growth on which we have embarked must take us in the direction where strengthening knowledge and innovation drives that growth. This means focusing our education and training to promote more creative thinking; strengthening our research and development performance; promoting knowledge sharing and transfer; making full use of information and communication technologies; and fostering the development of new products, services and technology that would create growth and quality jobs.

“This emphasis on developing human capital to drive Barbados’ competitiveness and overall economic development is the very core of Barbados’ labour policies, including the National Employment Policy and the Barbados Human Resource Development Policy. A major part of that human capital focus must be knowledge transfer and application, innovation and entrepreneurship.” (PJT)