The Chase Files Daily Newscap 7/1/2018
Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Sunday 1st July 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).
WORRELL: IMF ONLY PART OF SOLUTION - Former Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell is sticking to his guns. He is adamant that going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is only part of the solution to Barbados’ economic woes. With an IMF team due in Barbados this week, the economist yesterday insisted that Government also needed to send home public servants for the benefit of the economy. “The proposed retrenchment of public sector workers, which is a central element in my recommended strategy for economic prosperity in Barbados, would be funded by borrowing from international financial institutions,”he said. “A programme for reform of the public service would be among the conditions negotiated with the IMF and others. The local currency counterpart of some of the finance provided by the lenders could fund the retrenchment.” Worrell said the “retrenchment funds” could be used in various ways, including providing a cash grant, over and above other benefits they might be entitled to, to public servants who volunteer to leave”.Other uses were.
• to fund a top-up to full retirement benefits to anyone who retires early;
• to support funded retraining and further education for public workers who are retrenched;
• to provide grants and advisory services for all leaving officers who wish to start small enterprises;
• to provide personal and financial advisory services; and
• to provide a small fund and support services for any exceptional cases.
Worrell said public sector separations funded in this way would have economic benefits immediately and in the long run. “The immediate benefit would be to avoid any dampening effect of retrenchment on the economy. All departing public workers would have the means to maintain their livelihoods. In addition, some would undoubtedly use severance funds to do home extension and repair, and others might take up farming or other enterprise,” he said. “The longer term benefit comes from the increase of productivity in the public service. There should be no fall in the quality or delivery of public services; in fact both quality and delivery should increase, with fewer but better qualified public servants.” He added that with fewer numbers, “this produces an improvement in the productivity of each worker. In addition, with lower numbers, senior public servants could be better paid, providing an incentive to attract talent into the service.” “The result would be public services that are better managed, improved morale within the public sector, and the recovery of Barbados’ reputation for efficient public administration,” Worrell added. He believe this would lead to “a marked improvement in Barbados’ ranking in the Global Competitiveness Report, and in the Doing Business Report”. “In such an environment we could expect renewed investment interest by foreign, regional and local investors, and a sustained boost to growth and jobs,” he said. (SS)
BRA GIVES TAX EXTENSION UNTIL JULY 9 – The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) is granting a further extension until July 9 to corporate and business taxpayers for their June 2018 tax obligations. According to BRA Communications Officer, Erica Lazare, this move was made to afford more time to people, especially tax agents, in utilising the BRA’s recently launched online, integrated Tax Administration Management Information System (TAMIS). “Although the BRA is quite pleased with the over 8 000 registrations we received thus far in TAMIS, we made the decision to give an additional extension after engaging with our key stakeholders, the tax agents, who have the responsibility of registering, filing and making payments on behalf of thousands of their clients. They expressed the need for additional time to complete their clients' tax obligations in our new system,” she asserted. She added that employers, sole traders, corporations and business owners are therefore being urged by the Authority to ensure they take this opportunity to register in TAMIS in order to meet their tax deadlines. The tax returns and related payments due by July 9 are: Corporation Tax, PAYE, Withholding Tax, Premium Tax, Value Added Tax, National Social Responsibility Levy and Excise Tax. (SS)
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK, SAYS CO-OP – Outgoing president of the Barbados Workers’ Union Co-operative Credit Union, Dalton Medford, is charging that “what commercial banks are doing to poor people is almost criminal”. He was speaking to the media yesterday after the Co-op’s annual general meeting at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St Michael. “When you look around Barbados, and see what is happening with the commercial banks in terms of how they treat with poor people – paying almost next to nothing on deposits, while at the same time charging them fees for almost everything, I think it is almost – to use what the present Prime Minister has said about another thing – criminal for them to be doing that to us,” he charged. Medford, president for the last five years, said the 23 000-strong Co-op’s asset base currently stood at $138 million, a “great improvement”, and deposits were doing well. He described the rates as attractive and encouraged people to bring their loan business to the credit union. “Our average savings rate is 2.20 per cent, and we have term deposits as high as 4.5 per cent, which is about the best in the market. When you look around Barbados and see the amount of profits that commercial banks register, somebody has to tell them what they are doing to poor people is not good enough. So, at this stage, I want Barbadians to understand that the credit union movement is where they belong,” he said. Commercial bank rates on savings are as low as 0.01 per cent. The president also said it would cost just over $6 million to refurbish the headquarters on Fairchild Street, The City, a measure that could see the wealth of the members increased. “We hope the headquarters would represent to our members what working-class people can achieve once they work together,” he said. “The other big dream we have is to ensure that the headquarters is members-owned. We want to be able to do a perspective on it where . . . . we will set up a management company, which would be the credit union, and own 40 per cent, while the other 60 per cent would be sold to the members,” he said. (SS)
EDEY VILLAGE BUS BLUES – Views are mixed in Edey Village, Christ Church, regarding the cancellation of the Transport Authority Service Integration (TASI) programme. But overall, residents are pleased. They said when the programme was working, they found themselves at a severe disadvantage. “It’s good the schoolchildren and old people will have to pay now because they used to crowd the van and we couldn’t get in. They had people from all around getting in we van and we in turn couldn’t even depend on the Transport Board bus as sometimes we had to wait hours for one,” said Valencia Small. TASI was an experimental project implemented two years ago by the then Democratic Labour Party Administration, allowing a small number of Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators to work routes such as Edey Village, Christ Church and Sturges, St Thomas, from the Fairchild Street Terminal. Government subsidised fares for schoolchildren and the elderly, just as with Transport Board buses, but with the culmination of the project, the PSVs will be going back to normal service, which means everyone boarding them will be charged and the vans will be departing from the Constitution River Terminal. Residents were already aware of this because they had been called to attend a meeting last Saturday at which it was all explained. Hortenze Small-Burton said she didn’t mind children paying fares again as she was against free bus fare for schoolchildren. Her only wish was that the vans could still operate from close to the bus terminal. Small-Burton also spoke of some of the horrors she went through trying to get home when the vans were off road for servicing. “One morning the van break down and we had to walk to Boarded Hall in St George and the other evening the van had to get new numbers from the Licensing Authority and I had to catch a different bus, get off at the old BET in Wildey and walk home because my bus like it wasn’t running,” she said. Shanta Gibson said she did not travel by public transport that often but knew how full the vans got, especially when the bus did not come, which was often. She said at least the vans were on time but added she heard they would soon be pulled altogether. “I was told the Government would be getting rid of the vans and replacing them with buses that ran out St George. I’m not sure how that will work because St George got problems too,” she said. Victor Gibson said he hoped TASI would have continued as moving between the bus terminal and the Constitution River Terminal could be a hassle for some, especially when it rained. Many residents said the vans were a godsend on mornings for those who had to get to work early. Samantha Small told the Saturday Sun the people of Edey Village had formed a bond with the drivers but she, too, lamented how difficult it was for them to catch the vans on evenings. She hoped it would be easier on them. The other suggestions included allowing the Yorkshire bus to travel to the Edey Village route and letting the vans run later than 8 p.m. (SS)
CEO SEES BETTER DAYS FOR QEH – Health care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH)should show some improvement if the measures in Government’s Mini-Budget are realised, says that institution’s chief executive officer Dr Dexter James. “This Government . . . has articulated policies that we have been advocating for the last seven or eight years [such as] the need for a new model of health care financing that has become a reality,” said James, referring to the new health service contribution (HSC). In her Mini-Budget, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced that a HSC of 2.5 per cent would be levied on insurable earnings effective October 1, with 1.5 per cent of it to be paid by employers and one per cent by employees. This tax is projected to raise $45 million in a full fiscal year to support the operations of the cash-starved QEH. Mottley also announced that the Randall Phillips Polyclinic in Oistins, Christ Church, and Winston Scott Polyclinic in Jemmotts Lane, The City, will be upgraded for about $3 million and will function on a 24-hour basis. This, the Prime Minister said, would take the burden off the QEH’s Accident & Emergency Department (A&E), which will receive an $11 million upgrade to raise its standards to deliver the highest quality of health care Barbados can provide. James intimated these measures were a move in the right direction. He said the additional $45 million funding would reduce the QEH’s reliance on the Government’s Consolidated Fund and provide the financial resources necessary to sustain services at the Martindales Road institution, which annually needs approximately $200 million to provide its services. Secondly, the longer hours for the polyclinics should see fewer non-urgent cases going to the A&E, which should allow the department to deal with emergencies and very serious cases, as it was intended to do. That would mean shorter waiting times for the critically ill. “The Budget measures will have significant implications for the public health system, and the transformation that will occur will see a shift in access to primary care services from the hospital to the polyclinics. This is what extending the existing hours of the polyclinic will achieve, once there are diagnostics and dispensing capabilities,” said James. He said though Barbados was going through tough times, “from where I sit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, we have been able to maintain the level and quality of services to the public even in these times of austerity”. In response to widespread concerns that he is set to leave Barbados’ lone tertiary health facility, James said he continued to discharge his responsibilities as CEO and was exceedingly pleased at the changes announced in the recent Budget and relished the challenges ahead. “As such, I have not resigned from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital,” James said. (SS)
BRANDED DRUGS TO REMAIN ON FORMULARY UNTIL GENERICS ARRIVE - The Ministry of Health has assured the public that, although the grace period for patients to receive certain branded pharmaceuticals under the Barbados Drug Service’s Special Benefit Scheme ends today, these pharmaceuticals will continue to be available under the Scheme until the replacement generic drugs arrive in the island. Minister of Health and Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, gave this commitment today in a statement which addressed the issue. “The Cabinet of Barbados, after reviewing all the information related to changes in the Barbados Drug Formulary, has agreed that the grace period would come to an end as agreed on June 30. However, in the event that the Barbados Drug Service is unable to source quality generics from July 1, the Barbados Drug Service will continue to ensure an uninterrupted supply by providing the appropriate branded drugs under the Special Benefit Scheme,” he said. He added that Government will continue to reimburse the cost of these branded drugs to the private sector until a secure supply of generics could be established. Lt Col Bostic revealed that he had met yesterday with all the stakeholders, namely the Barbados Association of Pharmacy Owners, the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners and the Barbados Pharmaceutical Society, to update them and also to apologise for any misunderstandings that may have arisen in respect of this issue. The parties, he revealed, committed to another meeting on July 20 to review progress and decide on any specific changes that may need to be made. “It was further agreed that primary focus must be on providing quality patient care to all residents of Barbados. To ensure that we are able to achieve this, I have committed to open and regular dialogue with all the parties involved, “ he stated. He also promised a review of the process within the next few months to determine the effectiveness of the roll out. “Our objective is to ensure that no citizen is left behind. To this end, the Government of Barbados will continue to work with all stakeholders to address the challenges and to deliver the highest quality service to the people of Barbados,” the Health and Wellness Minister concluded. (BT)
MINISTER SHARES PLAN FOR OISTINS - Barbadian fishermen stand to reap real rewards from the influx of the Sargassum seaweed plaguing the beaches. As the brown macroalgae continues to litter shores, Minister of Maritime Affairs Kirk Humphrey said there was money to be made in the collection of seaweed. “We have to find a way to use the Sargassum and the fish that it brings, but we also have to stop the Sargassum because fishermen said that some of the seaweed is getting into their boats and affecting their fishing. “But there are some people who are prepared to pay fishermen, to ‘fish’ the Sargassum out of the water. So if that is something the fishing industry is interested in we can develop a relationship where we can start using the fishermen to help us . . . and then we would use that to help us make methanol, methane gas, and fertiliser,” Humphrey said. He did not disclose who would be buying the seaweed, but said more details would follow. The Minister made these disclosures yesterday at the Berinda Cox Fish Market as the Oistins Fisherfolk Association celebrated Fisherman’s Day. Humphrey also promised to do what he could to expedite repairs to the crane at the market so the cost of hauling in boats could be reduced. He said it was vital to improve working conditions there and provide necessary funds so people could invest more in the sector and transform the town. “If Oistins looks the same in five years after we’ve been in office for five years, then we have failed the people in this area. We have to make sure that Oistins looks and reflects the importance that Oistins has in Barbados,” he said. The annual event was also attended by Stella Lady St John, widow of late Prime Minister Sir Harold St John, and Member of Parliament for Christ Church South, Ralph Thorne. They presented several fisherfolk with awards for their service to the industry. Debra Gibbons received an award for Best Market Worker, Wellington Rowe Best Fish Vendor and the Careful Crew Most Productive Vessel. (SS)
CALL TO JOIN CLEAN-UP BANDWAGON – Minister of the Environment Trevor Prescod has issued a “clarion call” to Barbadians and members of the private sector to get on board with the National Clean-Up And Beautification Programme. His call came yesterday as he addressed the start of the programme at The Whim Gully, St Peter. The programme, which saw soldiers from the Barbados Defence Force joining crews from the Sanitation Service Authority and the National Conservation Commission to clean a number of sites from River Bay, St Lucy, to Long Beach, Christ Church, and The Whim Gully, will include watercourse clean-ups, tree trimming, debushing and the removal of Sargassum seaweed from beaches. In addition, there will be bulky waste clean-ups, derelict vehicle removals, clean-ups of illegal dump sites, an anti-litter drive, a vacant lot clean-up and other forms of beautification. Prescod explained to his audience of Government officials and members of private sector organisations that yesterday’s around-the-island clean-up was the beginning of the overall programme. “The economy, the society and the environment must be seen as key parts of a whole if we are to succeed in our endeavours to address this mission critical. “This programme speaks to the links between solid and liquid waste management, particularly of our water courses, biodiversity management, stormwater management and flooding, near-shore water quality and coral reefs,” he said. Prescod added that an important part of the national clean-up campaign would be education to break Barbadians of their littering and illegal dumping habits. Meanwhile, St James North Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson, whose constituency includes The Whim, and who is also Minister of Home Affairs, which has responsibility for emergency management, said The Whim and its gully were problem areas and were the reason behind last year’s flooding in Gills Terrace, Speightstown. In urging Barbadians to join in the clean-up, Hinkson advised them to be “more thoughtful and caring and not to be so selfish” because when they took their garbage and put it somewhere else, they were only “transferring the problem”. (SS)
DOUBT ABOUT SARGASSUM FERTILIZER – While one of the possible uses for the influx of Sargassum seaweed is in agriculture, at least one farming leader is raising strong objections. Deborah Hunte is the president of the non-profit organisation Farmers Association of Barbados, and she thinks it may be best to burn the seaweed rather than use it widely in agriculture. She said more research needed to be done on the properties of the seaweed before she would feel comfortable using it in the soil. “I am very timid when it comes to that. It is something that has broken away and is free-floating, dead in the water. Why aren’t the fish eating it? What if there are marine diseases inside it? If the sea itself is rejecting this seaweed, why should we introduce it to the land?” she said, adding it would be prudent to have soil tests done to see how the seaweed affected soil over a period of time. Hunte said farmers in St Lucy had recorded initial success using the Sargassum in their fields during a yearlong trial but things eventually turned sour – or salty, to be precise. “Any and everything can’t grow in that seaweed and eventually the salt adversely affected the soil and the produce started to become scorched. That was as far as the trial went – it had pretty good results at first, but it ended badly,” she said. Hunte said she planned to look into the matter further but asked that she already had serious concerns about introducing marine material to terrain environments. “I remember there was a push to introduce fish offal into fertiliser, but remember there are people who are severely allergic to seafood and there are others who are vegans. I have a problem with crossing certain things – the sea and land should be kept separate – and I don’t want it to be a case where something from the sea gets into the produce and ends up actually causing someone to get sick,” she said, also raising concerns about salt getting into the water table. Until she has more information on the issue, Hunte suggested the relevant authorities should burn the seaweed and then see if the ash could be useful. (SS)
WESLEY HALL JUNIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL RENEWS CALL FOR BUILDING TO BE REPAIRED – Principal of the Wesley Hall Junior School, Herbert Gittens is making another call for the promised reconstruction of the St Michael school that has been in a state of disrepair for a number of years. He made the appeal as he delivered his report at the school’s graduation at the Sanctuary Empowerment Centre on Friday. The principal said the school was part of a programme commonly referred to as ‘EduTech 2’ project that was being financed by the Caribbean Development Bank, which started in 2012. He explained that as part of the project, one secondary and eight primary schools would be repaired or rebuilt and his school had been earmarked for reconstruction. “They have promised Wesley Hall a new school and I want it . . . the conditions at Wesley Hall really are not the best and we really could do with the new construction,” Gittens said. He requested that Government move swiftly to address their woes. “Our plant continues to deteriorate and we are really in need of those faculties, so when you [Shamin Ally, District Educational Officer] go back and you are walking the corridors and you run into Ms [Santia] Bradshaw, let her know to pass on the message to the new Prime Minister that we want them to give priority to the project.” The principal also reported that the school was also suffering from behavioural challenges. “Too much teaching is lost when we have to deal with that type of student because we have some challenges all year with one or two students,” he said. “We also see more students entering with serious behaviour issues and challenges. It is extremely difficult for a teacher of 20-25 students of various learning abilities to adequately cater to five or six students who have to severe behavioural challenges.” Gittens made the call for more resources to be provide and additional assistance for those students. (BT)
COLIN CARTER DONATES LIBRARY BEARING HIS NAME TO ST GILES PRIMARY SCHOOL – A new library was officially opened on Friday at the St Giles Primary School. The library was sponsored by former student of the St Giles Boys School, Colin Carter. Speaking at the launch, Carter who is a United Kingdom-based author who has published his autobiography entitled Walk With Me, said that children in societies today are being taught fiction but they do not know the history of the countries in which they live. “I do not have a problem with fiction, but I think that our children should be exposed to serious reading. They don’t know our story. I am sure that very few here, if any at all, could tell me what was the name of this island before the white man came,” he said “I am saying that we need these type of books here to pull our children out of the morass that black people did not make a contribution to human civilization and we need to tell them about the great things that we have done and give them a sense of pride in their blackness,” he said. Education Officer Janelle Little charged the pupils of the Ivy, St Michael learning institution to become authors as they all have a story to tell. “I want to make a call for those in front of me and even the children to become authors. Just like Mr Carter has written about his life, each of us has a story to tell and each of us should be willing to write that story,” she said. “Often times we see so much work done by Trinidadian authors and Jamaican authors especially in the educational context but I really want to encourage our Barbadian teachers and our Barbadian students to write. Let the world hear your story.” Principal Sandra Anderson thanked Carter for ensuring that he maintained the promise he made to the school last year that he would outfit it with a library. “At his book launch, he made a promise that St Giles Primary School would get a library and Mr Carter I am so proud of you and you kept your word.” (BT)
RILEY CALLING FOR GIRLS – Conde Riley wants to keep a good thing going. The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) is all on board with the women’s game, having called for each primary school to have two girls on their Herman Griffith team to provide a nursery for the country’s senior side. Riley said this was all part of a development initiative during yesterday’s celebratory lunch for the women’s Super50 champs at Kensington Oval. “As we go forward this year we’re about to unveil a cricket development plan from 2018 to 2022 and in that plan we’re going to have a special development system for women’s cricket. We’re looking at women’s cricket with a view to having a holistic development for the game,” Riley revealed. “I know at present we have about six or seven players on the West Indies team and I also know we have some players on contract with Cricket West Indies, but I would like to see the performances of the ladies in our tournaments continue, so I believe a lot has to be done to get it going. “As such we’re looking at a programme with the Ministry of Education, where through the Herman Griffith tournament, each primary school has two ladies per school playing in those competitions until we can get probably a base of 400 or 500 young ladies playing cricket,” he added. Riley’s comments came as part of a congratulatory message to the senior women’s team, who won the regional Super50 title after falling just short as runners-up in the T20 tournament. It was the third such cup for the star-studded squad, who entered as heavy favourites with West Indies veterans Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews, Shakera Selman, Shamilia Connell and Knight twin sisters Kycia and Kyshona. “I want to give a special thank you to the BCA for investing in the girls. It was a well-fought tournament but unfortunately we did not win the T20 but I thought we had some really good performances,” said Kycia. “The senior players had some good performances in the 50-over tournament where we were successful and that was good to see. So I just want to thank the BCA for investing in us again and we look forward to that support in the future.” (SS)
BRIDAL SHOWCASE A HIT – This takes the cake! The Cave Shepherd Bridal Showcase was the perfect marriage of decorations, cakes and other treats that would make the big day oh, so sweet. The “one-stop shop” for the wedding was a hit yesterday with customers who visited the top floor of the retail store’s main branch on Broad Street. The display was a collaboration between Aurora’s Delights, Sage-B Events and DER Cakes Supplies Inc. (SS)
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