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By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us).
Benefit of website linkage to Bermuda Online while traveling
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See at end of this file all our many History files |
The lack of wind was
not kind to kite flyers but residents got into the Easter spirit as they
gathered across the island to celebrate Good Friday. At Horseshoe Bay, Karla
Aitken and her friend Kirsten Bruun invited passers-by for fishcakes and a drink
at the sculpted sand “bar” they create every year to mark the festivities.
“I’ve made friends all over the world this way,” Ms Bruun said as guests
from countries as diverse as Jamaica and Denmark sat down for a free snack.
“Every time Good Friday comes around, they will call me if they can’t make
it.” It was a perfect day for the outdoors, with bright skies and lots of sun.
The two friends normally spend a few hours digging and shaping their cubby in
the sand for their traditional beach picnic. Over the years, their generosity
with food and beverages to the many who accept their hospitality has gradually
attracted the attention of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. “We had help from
friends this year,” Ms Bruun added, handing a fishcake to one of their
impromptu guests. Ms Aitken added: “It’s a donation in the Easter spirit.”
Their home-grown tradition was inspired by a creative Facebook post nearly ten
years ago. At Horseshoe Bay, hundreds of people were out for the traditional
kite-flying gathering — which many marked by taking to the ocean, when the
breeze failed to lift their kites. Hannah Emmerson and her boyfriend Mikal
Thomas, both champions of the Bermuda Sand Castle competition, got in the spirit
with an Easter bunny shaped from sand. “I was hoping there would be more
kites, but not in this wind,” Ms Emmerson said, helping 12-year-old Eliana
Pinardi with her sand creation. “I try to build something every weekend. Last
weekend at Elbow Beach it was two giant kites. This weekend we’re here.” The
long religious holiday has local traditions that have dwindled over the years: neighborhood
championships with marbles, for example. For Ms Emmerson, Good Friday is about
“kites and family”. “It’s a nostalgic Bermuda tradition from when
you’re little and flying kites is the best thing in the world,” she said.
“Your dad would help you make it; you get to see it going up, and the beach is
the best place for that.” Along the length of the island, in yards, parks,
clubs and beaches from St George’s to Dockyard, Good Friday parties and
community gatherings brought people out for a day of sunshine and, for some, the
first swim of the year — waters being just under 65F (18C). At St David’s
County Cricket Club, the festivities honoring the memory of longstanding
president Gilbert Lamb have grown over more than 20 years into one of the main
attractions of the day. Along with codfish cakes and hot cross buns, kites are
the quintessentially Bermudian commemoration of Good Friday — whether the
store-bought plastic variety, or the kaleidoscopic traditional models with colored
tissue paper and wooden frames.
Opinion. By Dr Edward
Harris, founding executive director emeritus of the National Museum of Bermuda.
"In recent pages of The Royal Gazette, the Mirrors charity
announced another field day at Paget Island, St George’s Parish, with the
intention of continuing the restoration of the magnificent and unique Fort
Cunningham, much neglected for the past 25 years since archaeological work in
the early 1990s. The fort is one of the military sites of Bermuda’s World
Heritage Site, so designated by Unesco, among only 800 others worldwide, so that
the Mirrors group is to be commended for their initiative in undertaking work
normally the responsibility of the Government. As noted in the newspaper,
Kimberley Jackson, programme manager for Mirrors, said: “We have started
discussions with the St George’s Foundation and are looking forward to
expanding the partnership for restoring the fort. It makes sense to have all the
key partners at the table to develop the long-term restoration plan.” Michael
Weeks, the Minister of Social Development and Sport, stated that the proposed
April 7 event was “a great opportunity to simultaneously support the
preservation of Bermuda’s heritage and culture and also learn about the
incredible history of this historic site. It’s a great event for families to
connect and also for young people to gain community service hours”. The
project is being sponsored or assisted by XL Catlin Bermuda, Outward Bound, the
National Trust, the National Museum, Keep Bermuda Beautiful and the
Government’s Departments of Parks, and Youth, Sports and Recreation. The job
is very large and all are to be congratulated, especially the Mirrors group, for
the coming efforts to save one of Bermuda’s finest military monuments and the
potential outstanding park that is Paget Island. The philistines among us will
doubtless complain about the project, failing to understand the value to our
essential tourism economy of such monuments, which, being unique, are one of the
main reasons why the discerning visitor wishes to visit Bermuda or any other
destination with cultural and heritage treasures. Most such visitors stay in
land-based accommodation, which remains the foundation of the tourism economy,
despite the numbers of arrivals by sea. It is the discerning hotel and
guesthouse visitor that has the spending power to continue to fund our
lifestyle, as they have done for over a century. Included in such visitors are
the British and United States military that, up until the end of the Cold War in
1995, pumped billions into Bermuda, leaving behind monuments like Fort
Cunningham that now allow us to make even more money off the military by
exploiting such sites for the cultural tourism trade. In that regard, the
publication of a new booklet, Defenses of Bermuda 1612–1995, is to be
welcomed as it is a comprehensive but inexpensive summary of the wonders of
Bermuda’s military history. The booklet would not have happened without the
passion that American Terry McGovern and his family have had for Bermuda over a
generation. Terry was heartened to hear during the recent launch of the volume
that the Mirrors group had formed a battalion of volunteers to assault the
invasion of Fort Cunningham, and indeed Paget Island, by invasive and
destructive trees. So as the old mariner would say at the start of a long
voyage: “Godspeed and following seas” — in this case to Mirrors and
everyone who is willing to do their bit to preserve an important aspect of the
long and honorable (and vitally economic) military history of this stationary
aircraft carrier, as it once was for a period."
Fort Cunningham from the air, artist impression of what it once looked like
A 24-year-old man has
appeared in court charged with the importation of almost $500,000 worth of
drugs. Edward Albuoy, from Southampton, appeared in Magistrates’ Court on
Thursday charged with six drug-related offences. They included the importation
of ecstasy, cannabis and cannabis resin. Mr Albuoy is alleged to have imported
2,956.8 grams of ecstasy, 1,643.4 grams of cannabis and 12,095 grams of cannabis
resin. He was also charged with two counts of conversion or transfer of criminal
property. The court heard that the total street value of the drugs was estimated
at $498,250. The offences are alleged to have been committed last September. Mr
Albuoy did not have to enter a plea because the case must be heard in Supreme
Court. He was released on bail of $150,000 for a further appearance on May 1.
Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo ordered the defendant to hand over his passport and
not to leave Bermuda without notifying the court. Mr Albuoy must also report to
Hamilton Police Station three times a week.
A 53-year-old man
appeared in court charged with sex offences against a minor two decades ago. The
Pembroke man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was charged with two
counts of sexual exploitation and one count of unlawful carnal knowledge of an
under-age girl. On Thursday, Magistrates’ Court heard that the alleged
offences occurred between June 15, 1997 and September 15, 1998. The defendant
was not required to enter a plea because the case must be heard in Supreme
Court. The man was released on bail of $10,000 for a further appearance on May
1. Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo also ordered the man to have no contact with the
alleged victim and to report to Hamilton police station every week.
Roadside breath tests
and speed camera regulations were highlighted in a public survey designed to
help steer a new-look transport policy. The transport ministry said both
were among areas “strongly brought to our attention” by road safety
campaigners as part of a survey that will be used to prepare a Green Paper on
the future of public transport, roads and safety standards. The ministry has
also interviewed roads experts and said their views “will most definitely be
addressed” in the transport blueprint. The 64-question survey also covers how
to improve driving standards, as well as canvassing opinion on increased
penalties for some motoring offences. The Royal Gazette’s Drive for Change
road safety campaign has called for roadside breath tests, speed cameras and a
graduated licensing programme for young drivers to better prepare young drivers
for the roads. The survey also covered electric minicars, road surface quality,
street lighting and bad behavior on the roads. Participants in the survey can
also make their own suggestions on ways to improve transport services and road
safety. Other questions were designed to gauge interest in increased payment
options on public transport, better traffic management and the use of electric
minicars. One question asked for opinions on whether some smaller bus routes
like Spanish Point and St David’s should be privatized. The survey can be
found at: www.gov.bm/transportsurvey
and views can also be sent by e-mail to transportgreenpaper@gov.bm.
The closing date for the survey is next Wednesday. More information on the Drive
for Change campaign and its objectives can be found at driveforchange.rg.bm
A community shift on
attitudes towards alcohol is needed in Bermuda, the Acting Minister of Social
Development and Sport said yesterday. And a focus must be placed on
educating youth on the dangers of drinking. Lovitta Foggo said: “We cannot
simply sit back and hope that our children will get through it.” She was
speaking at a press conference to highlight Alcohol Awareness Month, which will
run throughout April. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Changing
Attitudes is not a Rite of Passage.” Ms Foggo said that statistics from the
National School Survey 2015 showed that among middle and senior-level students
52 per cent had tried alcohol, with 18 per cent drinking alcohol in the previous
month. The survey also showed that 10 per cent of students said they had been in
a car driven by someone who had consumed alcohol. Ms Foggo said the figures were
of “grave concern” and that it was “imperative that we address them”.
She said the community must “pay close attention” to underage drinking.
“We can accomplish this by ensuring that young people in our lives receive the
necessary education and resources to make informed choices when it comes to
alcohol. We can be an advocate for change.” Anthony Santucci, chairman of the
Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, said the organisation had completed a report
on the best ways to deal with alcohol abuse and misuse in 2008. The report was
based on information collected over a ten-year period, beginning in 1997. Mr
Santucci said that more than 15,000 patients had been admitted to hospital in
the decade since the report was completed. He added: “Recommendations from the
report are still being discussed. Decades of discussion and inaction and still
the carnage continues on our roads.” Mr Santucci said the time had long passed
for a cultural change on alcohol in Bermuda and called for the adoption of all
the recommendations made by the group in its 2008 report. Recommendations
included roadside breath tests and the creation of an alcohol control bureau. He
added: “The question is simple: can we afford another two decades of
inaction?” Nandi Outerbridge, a One Bermuda Alliance senator, said that
parents must “change the narrative” on youth and alcohol. She added: “This
is not a dialogue about the good old days, but rather a call to the community to
come together to refocus and redefine the rites of passage for our young people.
If we do nothing, it’s simple: nothing happens.” Sarah Lagan, a senior
reporter at The Royal Gazette, said the paper’s Drive for Change campaign
backed alcohol awareness month. Ms Lagan said: “We are extremely encouraged to
see Cada drawing attention to the impact alcohol has on our high road death and
injury rates.” She said that at least 75 per cent of the island’s road
fatalities included either alcohol or drugs. Ms Lagan added that about another
200 people suffered injuries for every death. She said that since the Drive for
Change campaign launched in January it had been “inundated” with comments
and letters. Ms Lagan also encouraged people to fill out the Government survey
on public transport and road safety. Shari-Lynn Pringle, campaign manager for A
Piece of the Rock, said that it was her job to “sound like a broken record and
repeat hard facts”. Ms Pringle said that 16-year-old motorcycle riders were
the most likely to be involved in a crash. Riders between the ages of 21 and 25
years old were the most likely to be killed on the roads. She added: “Males
are seven times more likely to die in a road crash than females. Black males
have a 60 per cent higher risk than other males of death in a road crash. It’s
my job to sound alarms when something is impacting my community, the black
community, at a disproportionate rate than other communities.” She said the
campaign would continue to call for changes including roadside breath tests,
stricter enforcement of drink-driving penalties, and the introduction of
graduated licensing.
The $23 million
transformation of a failed housing complex in Warwick into a condo hotel was
welcomed by a business owner yesterday. Jay Correia, owner of the Swizzle
South Shore right across South Shore Road from the Grand Atlantic development
said: “It’s great for Bermuda, but especially for businesses in that area.
We’d welcome the opportunity to have more visitors on our doorstep.” Mr
Correia said he was “cautiously optimistic” but said that several hotel
developments slated for the area that had stalled in the past. He said the
conversion of Grand Atlantic to a condo hotel appeared to be “a good concept
for Bermuda, with family accommodation”. He was speaking after
Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the public works minister, announced plans to
repurpose the development into the Bermudiana Beach Resort, scheduled to open to
guests in two years. The resort team was led by Robert MacLellan of MacLellan
& Associates, which launched the Bermudiana concept in 2014 but struggled to
secure finance for the project. Mr MacLellan added that the revival of the plan
was delayed so Grand Atlantic could be used as accommodation for competitors in
the 2017 America’s Cup which he said was “a worthwhile one-year delay”.
Colonel Burch said the conversion work would start in May and provide about 70
construction jobs. He added the resort would employ about 100 people when up and
running. The minister said the site would include resort amenities and a “Hill
Hiker” lift to the beach below. Colonel Burch said there had been “extensive
negotiations over the past seven months” to modify the business plan with the
Bermuda Housing Corporation which owns the property. The minister said the new
arrangement included “more cost-efficient project financing”, which would
help the BHC to “clear the debt on the site” and focus on housing. Colonel
Burch added that the redevelopment would happen under a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the BHC with co-developers architects OBMI Bermuda and Bermuda Realty Company
Limited. Hotel operations and commercial management will be provided by
MacLellan & Associates, with 71 of the condos to be refurbished. The
remainder will be converted into a reception area, a bar and restaurant and an
operations centre. Mr MacLellan emphasized the high cost of building from
scratch in Bermuda and said Grand Atlantic was “a very sound structure and
well-built building”. He added: “The biggest challenge in all islands is the
low season. The high season looks after itself, but the off season is longer.”
Mr MacLellan admitted that “financing is a major challenge” but said that
the cash available for the Bermudiana was “absolutely adequate to carry the
project all the way through”. The Grand Atlantic development was criticized by
environmental groups and area residents over the stability of the cliff after it
was built by a previous Progressive Labour Party administration. But criticism
of the site as prone to erosion was dismissed as motivated by politics. Colonel
Burch said: “Certainly, we have maintained all along that all the
investigation and research into the cliff face supported our belief from the
very beginning, that the construction and the site was sound.” Grand Atlantic,
billed as affordable housing, featured 78 condos for sale when it opened in
2011, but only two homes were sold.
Grand Atlantic condo project, see above
A motorcyclist caught
on camera holding on to the national security minister’s official car as it
drove through Hamilton said yesterday that he was sorry for the embarrassment he
caused. Marvin Woolridge apologized for the bad publicity the video had
generated for Wayne Caines and put his actions down to a bad decision. “I am
very sorry that I even put minister Caines in that position,” Mr Woolridge
said. “I am very sorry for that and I apologize to Bermuda and I apologize to
the traveling public. It’s not something that I do every day. But in the
little defence in me, I rode motocross. I’m not saying I’m the best rider in
the world, but I can ride. I didn’t put anybody in danger. The conversation
that I was having, opposed to the law that I was breaking, doesn’t justify me
doing it, but definitely overrides that because the conversation — and he
didn’t mention that but I’ll mention that — was about the violence. I’ve
lived a street life and everybody that knows me knows I have lived a street
life. I have children that’s come up in that street life. It was a bad choice
of mine. And I live by that there — in life, you have choices. And out of
those choices you only get two things: you either reap the benefits or suffer
the consequences. It was a bad choice that I made and once again I apologise to
minister Caines and I apologise to the traveling public.” The video showed Mr
Caines’s official GP plate car driving through Hamilton, including Victoria
Street, with the bike beside the car. The bike rider leant into the driver’s
window several times while appearing to hold on to the door. The video attracted
hundreds of comments and Mr Caines defended his actions on his personal Facebook
page, posting that he had tried to stop the rider and told him his actions were
illegal. Mr Woolridge posted under the video using the name “Manga Duke”,
admitting he was the rider and apologizing to Mr Caines. He added yesterday that
Mr Caines told him several times to stop riding next to him. Mr Woolridge said:
“Caines didn’t do anything wrong. Stop trying to make it look like this man
was encouraging me to ride along and talk. He wasn’t. Caines is a good man, he
is a good politician and he means well for Bermuda. It was really just my bad
choice to continue riding and finishing my conversation. I just wanted to finish
what I was saying quickly and I just did not think that it would have caused
this much attention and blown up like this.” He added: “There’s a lot of
things I would have done different. I would ask him next time, ‘Let’s pull
over’ or call him. It was just the fact that I saw him. What country in the
world can you just roll up on your politician like that? What I do realize is
when you are a public figure, the little things are all that people [critics]
look for, especially when it’s party against party.” Mr Woolridge said he
still planned to follow up on the conversation. A Bermuda Police Service
spokesman said on Tuesday: “We will look at the evidence, with input from the
Department of Public Prosecutions, to determine whether any offences are
disclosed.” No update was provided by press time yesterday.
Bermuda Rentals is
under new ownership and is in the process of moving to a new home. Last
August, the 30-year-old company was bought and taken over by business man Ray
Beaulne. Mr Beaulne decided to buy the business when the previous owner was
about to retire as he saw great potential for an investment. “When I brought
the business I realised there was a need for significant capital investment,”
Mr Beaulne said. “The previous owner was looking to retire, so in buying it,
our mission was to invest capital and keep people employed, which we have done.
We had to replace a lot of equipment to bring back customers who were fed up,
because things kept breaking down when they rented under previous ownership.
People rent to have something that starts and does what it has to do. We have
been aggressively buying and forging relationships — people are coming
back.” In addition to event and party supplies, the company rents out items
such as tents, power tools, lawn care equipment, carpet cleaners and grills. The
items are sourced from Canada, Sweden, Germany and the US. Mr Beaulne admits
that the most popular items for rent are carpet cleaners. “We replaced all of
those three months ago,” he said. “The simplicity of delivering cleaning and
storage makes renting a very welcomed option for professional chefs and grilling
enthusiasts alike,” Mr Beaulne added. “We take pride in having the largest
and most diverse asset inventory for rent on the island.” Before becoming the
new owner of Bermuda Rentals, Mr Beaulne was the managing director at Universal
Electric where he spent over 20 years. He acquired Bermuda Interiors Ltd in 2012
and started Calabash Trucking and Crane Service in 2015. Calabash BAG-IT
Division will now be under the Bermuda Rentals offering of services, suited to
the project with space restrictions or extended time on the ground. Bermuda
Rentals has more changes within its senior team, including the promotion of
Phyllis Glasgow, who is the new manager. Ms Glasgow worked as an office clerk at
Bermuda Rentals from 1994 and when Mr Beaulne took over the company he
interviewed her to fill the management position. “When I bought the business,
I interviewed employees and I asked Phyllis what would she do if it was her
business to run. I liked what she said,” Mr Beaulne added. Bermuda Rentals has
an all-Bermudian staff of five full-time employees. The company is located on
Serpentine Road, Pembroke, but will move to 18 Bakery Lane, Pembroke on May 1.
“We look forward to our upcoming move, continuing to upgrade our assets and
starting a marketing and sales campaign to let people know we are here to
help,” Mr Beaulne said. He added: “We invite new and repeat customers to
experience our willing-to-please attitude and our investment in the asset
inventory.” For more information, visit bagit.bm and
bermudarentals.bm.
Barbara Cooper, known
as “Tuppy”, has died at the age of 84. Ms Cooper, a member of the
Bermuda Rose Society, edited Roses in Bermuda, the authoritative guide. She was
a key figure in the design of the society’s revamped garden for rare and
classic Bermuda roses at the Bermuda National Trust headquarters in Paget, which
opened in 2001. Born Barbara Hutchings, she married her late husband, Peter, in
1955 and joined one of the island’s iconic retailing families. The Coopers ran
the Hamilton department store AS Cooper and Sons, with Mr Cooper hailed as
“Front Street’s last man standing” when he died in 2016. Ms Cooper was
descended from one of the island’s prominent seafaring families, her
great-grandfather was master mariner Captain William Smith Hutchings. Ms Cooper
also played a role in the Tiny the Tree Frog book series by Elizabeth Mulderig.
She helped edit Tiny’s adventures and also helped shepherd the diminutive
cartoon character into print. Ms Mulderig said last year: “Tuppy Cooper was
the first one who taught me how to trust someone else with my work.” Mrs
Cooper’s memorial service will be held today at St Paul’s Church in Paget.
Bermuda has fallen
seven places in the world’s top financial centres rankings and been
leapfrogged by Cayman Islands, according to a report published by the City of
London. The 23rd Global Financial Centres Index which is compiled by the
Z/Yen Group and updated every six months, ranked Bermuda 36th out of 96 centres.
The list features a mixture of countries, jurisdictions and individual cities.
London, New York and Hong Kong remain the top three financial centres in the
rankings, while Cayman Islands, at 22, is now the highest placed centre in the
Latin America and Caribbean region, replacing Bermuda at the top of the pile.
The report revealed that all financial centres in the region ended with lower
GFCI ratings, except for Cayman Islands. An unnamed investment fund director
based in Miami is quoted in the report as saying: “The Caribbean is not a
great place to be at the moment. Hurricanes and now a loss of confidence.”
Bermuda is placed between Munich and Bangkok in the overall ratings, and is
ahead of many other offshore centres, including Jersey, Guernsey, Bahamas, Isle
of Man and the British Virgin Islands. The ratings are calculated taking into
account 103 instrumental factors measured by a variety of international bodies,
such as the ICT Development Index, and Telecommunication Infrastructure Index,
and the Government Effectiveness rating supplied by the World Bank. In addition,
thousands of financial centre assessments are factored in to the ratings, based
on continuously running online questionnaire. The report noted an overall
increase in confidence for the leading centres, and stated: “Signs of a bias
towards stronger and more established centres are evident with the top 25
centres all rising in the ratings. Ratings fell for all of the lowest 50
centres.”
A
new $300 million-plus power plant and cargo port could generate a fresh role for
Marginal Wharf in St David’s. The two schemes, expected to cost more than
$150 million each and take several years to complete were announced yesterday by
Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the public works minister. Colonel Burch said:
“Our island’s current energy infrastructure is nearing the end of its life
cycle and more energy resources are needed to improve stability and reliability,
especially during times of peak demand and energy situations. He added the new
power plant would provide at least 20 megawatts of power, compared with
Bermuda’s capacity of 160 megawatts in April last year. Colonel Burch said the
Marginal Wharf area, also known as Ships’ Wharf, was “the last commercial
port available for redevelopment and was “a great opportunity for all of
Bermuda”. He added that the Bermuda Land Development Company had launched two
requests for qualifications to help explore the redevelopment ideas. Colonel
Burch said: “Through these RFQs, BLDC will invite local and international
investors to submit their qualifications for the design, build and operation of
these two major infrastructure projects.” The announcement marks the end of a
3½-year “exploratory period” for the BLDC. The BLDC called in 2014 for
expressions of interest to develop the dock at Southside largely unused for
several years. Colonel Burch said redevelopment of the dock area, handed back to
Bermuda by the United States Navy in 1995, would boost shipping capacity and
“allow diversification into other services”. He added: “The location could
also accommodate bonded warehouses on site that would facilitate the breakdown
of containerized goods at the port, enabling the transporting of goods in
smaller vehicles on Bermuda’s roads.” Fish processing, suggested as another
possibility for Marginal Wharf, has been branded an eyesore by area MPs. The
minister was joined by Francis Mussenden, CEO of the BLDC, who said the request
for qualifications would be open until May 23. Mr Mussenden did not give details
on the type of fuel for the new power plant and said that financing would be
sought “locally and internationally”. Grant Gibbons, the Shadow Minister of
Economic Development, said the BLDC’s redevelopment plans went back several
years. He added: “Any proposal would have to be included in the overall
integrated resource plan.” Dr Gibbons said: “The size of the facility and
the cost of electricity would need to be included in that. Obviously there are
issues with the kind of fuel to be used.” Dr Gibbons said there was “nothing
new here” and called it “a continuation of the process”, other than the
request for qualifications. Marginal Wharf’s potential as an alternative to
Hamilton docks was suggested earlier this month after the island’s primary
port was forced to close for repairs. Mr Mussenden said the East End wharf may
need to be dredged to accommodate cargo vessels. A handful of businesses and
boatyards operate at Marginal Wharf and the BLDC said it planned to meet its
tenants tomorrow. The tenants’ meeting will be followed by a community meeting
at Clearwater Middle School at 6.30pm on April 5.
Large numbers of a
jellyfish-like marine animal have washed up on Bermuda’s beaches in the last
few days. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the
numbers of Velella velella had been boosted by stormy weather at sea over the
past month. A spokeswoman for the department said the creatures had been
mistaken for Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish. She added: “They are abundant
now because the ocean around us is experiencing its spring bloom. The stormy
weather of the past month has brought up nutrients from the deep water, which
stimulates the growth of plankton. “Consequently, the V. velella benefit from
having more food and begin to reproduce at a fast rate at this time of year.
High winds can blow the V. velella inshore.” The spokeswoman said: “We can
expect the small by-the-wind sailors to stick around for a while and we should
also see the number of Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish increase over the next
month or two, all dependent on the wind and its prevailing direction.” V.
velella are highly adapted to survive well by drifting around the open ocean.
They catch prey on the surface with their short tentacles. The are said to be
largely “benign” to humans, although people may respond in different ways to
contact with their toxin. People are advised to avoid touching their face or
eyes after handling V. velella. An itch may develop on parts of the skin that
have been exposed to V. velella nematocysts — or stingers on their tentacles.
A popular restaurant
and bar is closing down after 10 years in business. Victoria Grill
Restaurant and Rumbar Lounge, located on Victoria Street, will be closed for
business effective this Saturday. The restaurant and bar are part of the Island
Restaurant Group, one of Bermuda’s largest chains of restaurants. Philip
Barnett, president of group, said the business had completed its 10-year lease
at the location. “Having been open since 2008, we are at the end of our lease
and have decided not to renew. The directors have made the strategic decision to
discontinue full service restaurant and bar service,” he said. Other
restaurants in the group are Frog & Onion pub and Dockyard Brewery, Hog
Penny Pub, Barracuda Grill, and The Pickled Onion. The group also provides full
off-site catering services. “These operations will be getting our complete
attention and focus as we continue to build on our Bermuda and global reputation
of excellence in casual through fine dining restaurants outlets, and which will
ultimately allow us to deliver improved shareholder value and return on
investment,” said Mr Barnett. He also mentioned that the group is currently in
negotiations with the landlords of the Victoria Place building to re-lease the
space currently occupied by the Java Jive café. Mr Barnett added: “Java Jive
is very popular and well utilised by both tenants and visitors to the Victoria
Place complex, as well as the whole business and residential neighbourhood. We
are looking forward to servicing all our valued regulars and clients, and will
continue to operate under normal hours.” Mr Barnett said no jobs will be lost,
adding: “Our people are our number one asset.” All staff who are currently
at Victoria Grill and Rumbar will be transferred throughout the group’s
associated outlets. Whilst no one ever opens a restaurant with a plan to close
it, we are saddened that we have to do just that even if after ten long years of
continuous operation. Our sincere thanks and appreciation goes out to all our
past and present patrons, for whom it was our pleasure to come to work every day
to welcome and serve. The team can’t wait to welcome and serve you in their
new outlets.” said Mr Barnett. "This restaurant and bar may be closing
but The Pickled Onion, located on Front Street, has completed a front of house
renovations. Subcontractors, all Bermudian, did a brilliant job. Pickled Onion
has been there for 20 years and people expect a lot from us. We want to make
sure we are raising our bar to deliver value,” said Mr Barnett. The
renovations have cost $500,000. The menu will be the same, but with a few
additions such as introducing more vegetarian and vegan options. There will be a
soft opening although no date has been set.
The man suing the
Government over the axing of same-sex marriage has filmed a video designed to
attract financial backers for his legal fight. Rod Ferguson said the
Domestic Partnership Act 2017, which replaced same-sex marriage with domestic
partnerships, was a “legal booby prize” for gay couples in the one-minute
recording. Mr Ferguson said in the video: “Bermuda made headlines this
February when it passed a law that took away the right of same-sex couples to
marry, replacing it with domestic partnerships, the legal booby prize for
couples whose love for one another is just a little bit ... hmmm.” He added he
was “tormented” for most of the 18 years he grew up in Bermuda “on the
suspicion of my being gay”. Mr Ferguson said: “The reason this case is
important is that Bermuda already made same-sex marriage legal through a court
case less than a year ago, so this legislation, bowing to the homophobic will of
the majority, is actually a step backward. Many advocated a boycott of Bermuda
but the best way to help correct this injustice is to help fund the legal fight
to invalidate this discriminatory law. Please support the Crowd Justice campaign
with any amount that you can.” The video was produced by Crowd Justice, the
online crowdfunding platform for legal action where donations
can be made towards Mr Ferguson’s campaign. A total of 174 people had pledged
£34,287 — about $48,537 — towards the £50,000 target by yesterday
afternoon. Mr Ferguson’s effort came as marriage equality in Bermuda continued
to spark debate in the United Kingdom. Boris Johnson, the British Foreign
Secretary, was asked by Labour MP Chris Bryant last week why no British
government minister had told Bermuda not to abolish same-sex marriage. Mr
Johnson said during a session of the Foreign Affairs Committee that he had a
“long conversation” on the subject with David Burt, the Premier, last month.
Mr Johnson added: “I made the point to him — what I passionately believe —
that one of the reasons why this city of London, of which I used to be Mayor,
one of the reasons why it’s a fantastic place to live, is people feel like
they can live their lives in any way they want providing they do no harm to
others and that it is a great economic benefit to show that spirit. That was the
argument I made to him.” Mr Burt confirmed the phone conversation took place.
He said yesterday: “No new ground was covered. However, I reiterated the
Bermuda Government’s position on the matter, which was passed in both houses
of the Legislature and given the assent of the UK’s appointed Governor.” Mr
Bryant has raised the Domestic Partnership Act in the House of Commons several
times. He asked last month why Mr Johnson “allowed Her Majesty’s Governor of
Bermuda to assent to a bill that will abolish same-sex marriage in Bermuda”.
Harriet Baldwin, Minister for the Department of Development, said that the
foreign secretary decided “it would not be appropriate to use the power to
block legislation, which can only be used where there is a legal or
constitutional basis for doing so, and even then, only in exceptional
circumstances”. She added: “It is important to recognize that the regime for
domestic partnerships implemented by Bermuda in its Domestic Partnership Act can
also meet the European Court of Human Rights requirement for legal recognition
of same-sex relationships.” Ms Baldwin wrote in a March 1 letter to Mr Bryant,
which he later posted on Twitter: “We must ... recognize that major
attitudinal changes cannot be imposed from outside.” The BBC reported
on Monday that Carnival Corporation, the cruise firm that owns P&O and
Cunard, faced a boycott from LGBT travelers after gay weddings on its
Bermuda-registered ships were cancelled. Human rights lawyer Jamison Firestone wrote
an open letter to the company and accused Carnival of “colluding with a
homophobic government by continuing to register its 24 ships in Bermuda”.
P&O has said it is opposed to the new law.
Social media posts
made by members of the public are fair game for journalists, a representative
with the island’s media council has confirmed. Don Burgess, executive
officer of the Media Council of Bermuda, said that there was a misconception
that posts made on social media platforms — including Facebook and Twitter —
were private. Mr Burgess said that members of the public could have “no
reasonable expectation of privacy when you post to a Facebook group or push out
a tweet and hashtag a well-known celebrity in it. The news media don’t have to
ask for your permission to use what you posted, as it is already in the public
domain.” Mr Burgess said that most people had not read the service terms for
the social media sites they used. He explained: “The terms of service of most
social media platforms do allow you to retain rights to the content you create,
but it also stipulates that it can be used by the media.” The comments follow
complaints received from members of the public in the last few months about
their social media posts finding their way into multiple news stories. Mr
Burgess said one of the complaints investigated dealt with a Twitter post
directed at Ellen DeGeneres. The message also incorporated a hashtag. He said
the combination of using a public social media platform combined with the use of
the hashtag and addressing it to Ms DeGeneres — who has more than 70 million
Twitter followers — meant that the author “can’t really expect to have any
rights to privacy”. Mr Burgess added: “It would be like standing on the
street corner in Bermuda with a megaphone broadcasting it to everybody.” He
said that anything posted to a personal Facebook page, which has restricted
privacy settings, is generally safe. But Mr Burgess cautioned that if privacy
settings have not been restricted people were exposed to having their
information used. “Private citizens generally are given more leeway than
Bermudian public figures, which include but are not limited to politicians,
entertainers, sports figures and business people. But even private citizens
should be wary of having your ‘friends’ taking a screenshot of what you
posted and passing it around.” Mr Burgess said that people concerned about
social media musings finding their way into news articles should follow a simple
guideline. He explained: “If you don’t want it out in the public, you
probably shouldn’t have posted it on social media in the first place.”
Charity Age Concern is
to bring back free health checks for members for a second year. The charity
will host its first event today and there is still time to sign up. Anita
Furbert, a registered nurse and Age Concern’s education officer, said: “We
did three in total last year and this year we are taking the same route. “We
didn’t want to do a one-off. We wanted to make this a staple for the
community. We wanted to have health checks available at various points through
the year so that people who had difficulties could go to these health checks. We
found that a lot of members, a lot of participants, did not know their health
status because they did not go to the doctor just to check on that. The health
check was a way to give them information on their specific issues so that they
can go more specifically to their private providers to have those things
followed.” Age Concern members who attend will get a range of checks,
including blood pressure, blood sugars and weight. Ms Furbert said: “We have a
nutritionist or dietitian who will tell them about what those numbers mean.”
There will also be eye checks, as well as dental screenings. Ms Furbert added:
“And we have asthma and emphysema screening so, we have Open Airways with us.
That’s new this year.” She explained that health professionals will be able
to advise people on what steps to take at the end of their health check up. Ms
Furbert said: “That’s the step that we want people to be engaged and
involved in — making a difference for themselves. If they don’t have a
doctor, we can refer them to the health clinics for their blood pressures and
blood sugars and those kind of things and they can get referred from there.”
Ms Furbert said the checks were also used to compile statistics on Bermuda’s
senior population. But she emphasized that all information gathered is
confidential. The first screening last year saw about 80 people take part. Ms
Furbert said 40 people had signed up to this session, which will be held at
insurance firm Chubb on Hamilton’s Woodbourne Avenue. She added that the
deadline for registration is 2pm on Tuesday. The checks will run from 10am to
3pm. Shuttle services will run from Bulls Head and City Hall car parks from
9.30am to 2.30pm.
A new energy plant and
a cargo port are being planned for Ship’s Wharf in St David’s. The
energy facility will generate 20 megawatts for the island’s power grid, a
press conference heard this afternoon. Bermuda’s energy capacity as of April
2017 stood at 160 megawatts. Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of
Public Works, invited local companies to develop both the infrastructure
proposals. The Request for Qualifications goes out today and closes on May 23.
Francis Mussenden, CEO of the Bermuda Land Development Company, said the cost of
both projects will exceed $150 million. Colonel Burch described both schemes as
projects of national interest. “Since the current energy infrastructure is
nearing the end of its life cycle, an additional energy facility would help
improve stability and reliability, especially during times of peak demand and
emergency situations,” he added. A new cargo port could potentially allow for
two ships, paving the way for services such as trans-shipping, which would allow
the island to act as an intermediary to process cargo for other destinations.
Colonel Burch said: “The location could also accommodate bonded warehouses on
site that would facilitate the breakdown of containerized goods at the port,
enabling the transporting of goods in smaller vehicles on Bermuda’s roads.”
Adjoining Southside, the stretch of dock is also known as Marginal Wharf, and at
present hosts a few small businesses and boatyards.
The Minister of
National Security has come under fire after a video circulated showing him
driving his government car while a motorcyclist held on to it for more than two
minutes. Wayne Caines defended his actions, posting online that he had tried
to shake the rider who was talking to him through his car window. The footage
shows GP7 driving through Hamilton, including Victoria Street, with the bike
beside the car and the rider repeatedly leaning into the driver’s window while
appearing to hold on to the door. The video, which was seemingly taken from a
car behind Mr Caines, lasts two minutes 25 seconds. It has been shared on
Facebook, with commenters either criticizing or defending Mr Caines’s driving.
Responding on Facebook, Mr Caines said: “I drive GP7. Today I was driving on
Parliament Street, a man rode up to me and started to chat. “The man had a
significant concern and wanted my guidance. I pulled over on Victoria Street and
had a chat with him. I informed the rider I was late for a meeting and asked him
to come by my office later. I also asked him to call or e-mail me.” Mr Caines
said he drove on but the rider continued to ride beside him. He added: “I
asked him stop riding and chatting into my window as it was dangerous and
illegal. The rider continued to talk. At one point he held on to the car
passionately sharing his story.” Mr Caines said he again asked him to stop by
his office and added that the man eventually agreed. A man’s voice can be
heard on the video saying: “The whole stretch from stop light to this stop
light, this guy has been right there, where he is, behind this government
vehicle. That is what you call a serious conversation. I think that’s pretty
disgusting. I don’t know who is driving GP7 but you should be ashamed of
yourself.” At the Victoria Street junction with Cedar Avenue, the rider
continues to speak to the driver and drives off at the same time, still
alongside the car. Both vehicles then turn right onto Washington Street and the
video ends after they turn left on to Dundonald Street. Michael Dunkley, a
former premier and national security minister, also shared the post on his
Facebook timeline. One commenter under the name “Manga Duke” posted that he
was the rider of the bike. He wrote that Mr Caines told him not to ride next to
him and talk to him because it was illegal and he also told commenters to
“stop trying to make a good man look bad”. He also apologized to Mr Caines
for putting “him on blast” and said they were talking about how to stop gun
violence. A Bermuda Police Service spokesman said: “We will look at the
evidence, with input from the Department of Public Prosecutions, to determine
whether any offences are disclosed.” He urged witnesses to call 295-0011.
Dwayne Caines defended his twin brother’s driving and shared his explanation
on his Facebook timeline. Mr Caines, who stressed he was speaking in a personal
capacity and not as the public relations manager for the Bermuda Police Service,
wrote: “To the uninitiated it looks like Wayne is an active participant in the
blatant incident. I want to affirm you Wayne Michael Caines and let you know
your family and community support your commitment to Community. There are many
who will use any opportunity to discredit positive leadership and motion under
the guise of wanting accountability and transparency.” He added: “However,
they too have a voice in a democracy.” Mr Caines quoted Jesse Jackson: “When
you live in a glass house you should expect stones.”
The board of a stalled
hotel construction project at Morgan’s Point has been changed as Government
said it was in discussions with the developers over their need for more finance.
Craig Christensen and Nelson Hunt have quit the board of George’s Bay Ltd,
an arm of Morgan’s Point Ltd. Andy Burrows, chief investment officer of the
Bermuda Tourism Authority and Nancy Duperreault, wife of board chairman Brian
Duperreault, have replaced them as directors. David Burt, the Premier and
Minister of Finance, said: “This project is an important one for Bermuda and
the Government’s principal objective is to protect the taxpayers of this
country in light of the existing Government Loan Guarantee of $165m. We now
understand that George’s Bay Ltd have experienced difficulties with certain
requirements of the loan guarantee agreement since June 2017 and so some
restructuring of the Board and the approach to this project was suggested and
changes have been made to the Board of George’s Bay Ltd.” Mr Burt added that
Mr Burrows’ appointment would “ensure the Government’s interests are
safeguarded during this critical phase.” The news came after The Royal Gazette
exclusively reported on Tuesday that work on the hotel phase of the resort, due
to be run by Ritz-Carlton Reserve, had been suspended for financial reasons, a
move that affected about 150 workers on the site. A spokesman for George’s Bay
Ltd said: “First-phase construction activity at Caroline Bay has been reduced
... due to construction costs outpacing the existing financing of the
project.” He added: “George’s Bay Limited is working to strengthen and
extend the project financing so that construction can resume to prior levels as
soon as feasible, and is committed to resuming the prior pace of first-phase
construction once the necessary financing is in place. The resort and
residential project owner looks forward to the successful completion of this
unique Bermudian destination resort and residential project at Caroline Bay.”
The spokesman said the company appreciated the “engagement and ongoing
support” shown by the Government and that hotel giant Marriott International,
parent of Ritz-Carlton Reserve, that it remained committed to the development.
Mr Burt added: “There is a significant human element to our discussions also
and that surrounds the hardworking men and women whose hours may have been cut
or employment jeopardized by this reduced work stream. As a Government, we will
keep their livelihoods at the forefront of our discussions and we will do all
that we can to minimize the impact of this necessary action on them and by
extension their families. With a restructured board and more direct Government
coordination we will maintain strict oversight of the management of this project
as the new leadership team strengthens and extends the project’s financing.”
The first phase of the development, branded as Caroline Bay, includes 35
Ritz-Carlton Reserve residential units and a 79-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve hotel.
He added: “The hotel remains an important priority and will receive ongoing
work within current financial resources. Most construction will now focus
primarily on completion of the first residential building. Construction will
include that building plus the utility infrastructure for it, the road access
from Middle Road down to the residential site area, landscaping, parking, and
beach.” Jamahl Simmons, tourism minister, said: “This is a location of great
promise and we believe that a formula can be identified quickly to resume the
pace of work on the development. Ultimately, Bermuda’s product offering will
be enhanced by this development’s completion and our discussions with the
company are targeted on achieving that result.”
Work at a resort
development at Morgan’s Point ground to a halt yesterday after workers were
told the hotel construction phase was on hold “until further notice”.
About 150 construction staff were affected by the decision. The news came after
three different contractors contacted The Royal Gazette about the
decision, said to be driven by the need to “strengthen and extend” financing
for the development. Construction will, however, continue on residential units
at the resort, which is being built on the brownfield site of the old US Naval
Annex in Southampton. Charles Dunstan, president of the Construction Association
of Bermuda, said: “We have been told that the hotel portion is being suspended
for the time being.” He added that work will continue with only “limited
work to take place on the residences”. One contractor, who asked not to be
named, branded the sudden shutdown as “ludicrous”. He said: “I thought it
was a joke. We heard this morning that work needs to be suspended by the end of
the day. These people have families.” Another contractor claimed that the
managers of the project had “not sold enough residences to continue financing
the project”. Mr Dunstan said that the economic bubble generated by the 35th
America’s Cup may have led to unrealistic expectations. He added: “It’s
interesting that they’ve gotten so far down the line. Usually if they stall,
it happens in the initial phases.” Mr Dunstan said: “I can’t imagine they
could afford to leave it sitting there for any length of time — they need to
move it forward in some way.” He added that the workforce were taken by
surprise by the news. Mr Dunstan, who is also managing director of construction
firm Kaissa, said: “Yes, I would say so. Having been in this industry for 30
years, I’ve seen these things happen. The news has come as a blow to
construction staff — including some of his own workers. Mr Dunstan said:
“These are skilled guys for the most part. There isn’t going to be a lot of
work for them. This is a big project, a major deal — these sort of large
hospitality infrastructure projects are large scale for Bermuda and they absorb
a lot of resources. For one to stop like this is not good.” The hotel, with 79
suites, two of them presidential suites, is scheduled to be operated by the
upmarket Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand. The directors of Morgan’s Point Ltd,
including chief executive Craig Christensen, could not be contacted. The
Morgan’s Point development was hailed as a major boost for the island’s
struggling construction sector.
A pornographic film
star’s interview on American television provided an unlikely publicity boost
for Bermudian beverage firm Goslings. Stephanie Clifford, who struck a
$130,000 deal to keep her silence over an alleged affair with US President
Donald Trump, spoke with 60 Minutes on Sunday evening in the current-affairs
show’s best-watched edition in ten years. As the New York Times explained:
“Ms Clifford’s interview — which made for the most anticipated episode of
60 Minutes in recent memory — was something of a national event, one marked by
viewing parties and ‘Dark and Stormy’ cocktail specials at bars, a nod to
her professional name, Stormy Daniels.” The trademark Dark ‘n’ Stormy
cocktail is made with Goslings rum and ginger beer. USA Today also reported:
“As denizens of Donald Trump’s favorite swamp waited to watch Anderson
Cooper’s 60 Minutes interview with porn star Stormy Daniels, bartenders across
the District of Columbia prepared for a Dark and Stormy night.” Malcolm
Gosling, chief executive officer of Gosling-Castle Partners, said yesterday:
“I’ve been getting e-mails about this all day. We did not activate these
drink specials, that just happened in the bars in New York and DC and elsewhere.
There were also some private Dark ‘n’ Stormy parties that I heard about.”
He added that Ms Clifford’s interview was certainly not something the company
had strived to be associated with. “What it does show is how the Dark ‘n’
Stormy is front and centre in people’s minds,” Mr Gosling added. “So it
certainly does not do us any harm.”
A new diabetes centre
will offer affordable medication and education under one roof, the Bermuda
Diabetes Association said yesterday. Debbie Jones, executive director of the
association, said the organisation was “acutely aware of the urgent need to
improve our healthcare offerings and to make diabetes healthcare more accessible
and affordable”. She was speaking after a 2017 report into patients with
diabetes highlighted how chronically sick Bermudians fare worse in comparison
with British diabetes patients. Local residents and health IT specialists Sean
and Jenny Riddell commissioned the study, which they said “clearly shows
Bermudian diabetics are not receiving the effective preventive care they
should”. Ms Jones said “the first and foremost problem is that healthcare is
so expensive”. She added: “To this end we have embarked on an ambitious
project of purchasing and renovating a building which when completed will be the
Hilton Hill Diabetes Centre. It will house our enhanced pharmacy, which provides
medicine for those with diabetes at an affordable price, and our diabetes
education centre under one roof. Bermuda is a small island and it should be
possible to make this island of ours an example of what good affordable
accessible healthcare is all about.” Ms Jones also backed the call for an
island-wide electronic medical record system that would enable better monitoring
— and risk assessment methods to identify at-risk patients before they got
more ill. She said: “An electronic health record is so important in so many
ways. Ms Jones added: “In the UK there are guidelines called the Nice
guidelines. These guidelines dictate what standard care patients should expect
to receive and based on what is actually delivered to patients provides the
basis for what physicians will be paid. Physicians have to fill out records of
that visit in order to receive payment. However, that is the NHS and Bermuda is
private but there should be some reporting mechanism in place that indicates
whether the person with diabetes has received the standard of care.” Ms Jones
said standards of diabetes care were revised each year by organisations such as
the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes UK and Diabetes Canada. She added:
“For example if a patient smokes and we know that smoking and diabetes is a
‘double whammy’ that patient should be sent to smoking cessation classes.
That referral would be part of the electronic record. Similarly a newly
diagnosed patient with type 2 diabetes should be sent for diabetes education and
dietary advice. The electronic health record would provide the mechanism for
monitoring. An electronic record had been talked about for years but “certain
sectors” were reluctant to go ahead with it. The Bermuda Diabetes Association
tried to introduce a diabetes electronic record years ago and the cost of
implementation was given as the reason physicians’ offices were reluctant to
do it. Legislation could and should alleviate that burden.” Diabetes educator
Sara McKittrick added that the report raised the issue that current structure
does not reward GP practices for prevention and education which is grossly
undervalued. “This all becomes very relevant when we look at current
healthcare costs being so high while not achieving the desired health outcomes
that we could expect when it comes to diabetes management,” she said.
US Consulate staff
have been trained in child sexual abuse prevention. Nineteen employees took
part in the Darkness to Light Stewards of Children training run by charity
Scars. Mary Ellen Koenig, the US Consul, said: “I think all of us were
startled by some of the statistics shared by the Scars trainers. On some level,
we all know that abuse against children takes place regularly but when it is
quantified, it is truly sobering.” Ms Koenig said the training gave her staff
materials and tools to use, as well as contact information if they know or
suspect abuse. She added: “As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
churchgoers, coaches, we each have a responsibility to watch out for the
children — who simply don’t have the experience to deal with inappropriate
relationships or incidents. Our consulate staff, all of whom have various roles
throughout the community, are better equipped to be aware and know how best to
take action if needed, as a result of this training.” Ms Koenig added other
organisations should take advantage of the training, which she said was
“excellent. The need to protect those who are more vulnerable than ourselves
is not limited to the workplace While the US Consulate does not regularly deal
with children on a professional basis — and when we do, it is always in the
company of their parents or guardians — this training is designed for everyone
who lives in Bermuda.” Debi Ray-Rivers, Scars executive director, said: “We
are so grateful to the whole consulate team for providing us with the
opportunity and for taking part in the training. Even if you are an organisation
that is not entrusted with the care of children on a daily basis, it is still
important to be able to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual
abuse.” Ms Ray-Rivers, who led last week’s training, added: “This is a
great example of leading from the front. Scars is grateful beyond words to the
US Consul for training her staff.”
Car giant Honda has
warned the public of a potential killer defect in some airbag systems. The
company said the affected cars were all Fit, FR-V and CR-V models manufactured
between 2001 and 2016. Owners of cars which might be at risk of an airbag
malfunction should contact Honda dealership Auto Solutions to check their
vehicle identification number to see if their vehicle is affected. Repairs will
be done free of charge and will take about an hour. About 20 people worldwide
have died as a result of a fault in Takata-manufactured airbags fitted to
vehicles made by 19 carmakers mostly from 2002 to 2015. No known incidents have
happened in Bermuda as a result of the defect. Glen Smith, Auto Solutions
general manager, said most of the deaths have happened in humid countries like
Bermuda. A chemical inside the airbag inflator has been found to become unstable
after years of exposure to moisture and temperature changes. Takata used an
ammonium nitrate-based propellant without a chemical drying agent. The inflator
can blow apart in the event of a crash and shoot metal fragments into the
passenger cabin, which can cause serious injury or death. There are about 1,500
of the cars in Bermuda though some may no longer be on the road. Auto Solutions
said about 850 have been accounted for so far and that the firm was working with
the Transport Control Department to compile a full list including those off the
road. The recall has affected more than 37 million vehicles in the US — the
biggest single motor vehicle safety recall in the country’s history. Terry
Heilbron, service manager at Auto Solutions, said: “It doesn’t affect every
car — it depends on the Vin, better known as the chassis number. We have a
dedicated person in place with a dedicated telephone number and e-mail address.
Owners can either call or e-mail and they must include the Vin number so they
can tell exactly which recall is to take place on the car. Some of the vehicles
have one air bag to be replaced and some of the cars have two to be replaced —
on the driver’s and passenger’s side.” Mr Smith said every effort had been
made to alert owners to the recall. “Safety is our main concern at the end of
the day. We have gone out using social media, Facebook. We have done radio and
newspaper ads. TCD has been very helpful with this and will be getting us the
latest numbers. It is the largest recall ever in the automobile industry
worldwide — it is not just Honda that is affected there are other brands that
use the same airbag.” The problem was first detected in 2014 and recall
notices are regularly repeated. Owners of the Honda models at risk should
contact Auto Solutions with their Vin number to find out if work is needed.
Honda owners should call Janeen Daley on 295-5000 or e-mail hondarecall@autosolutions.bm.
A top engineer at US
space agency Nasa told island schoolchildren to reach for the stars. Sarah
Milkovich said youngsters should not let fear stand in the way of their dreams.
The 39-year-old science system engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory added
she knew first-hand that failure can be the best teacher and that “it is OK to
fail as long as you’ve been trying”. Dr Milkovich, who is on the island this
week to speak to Bermuda High School pupils about her work exploring the solar
system, said: “One thing I’ve talked to the girls about, which is something
I wish somebody had told me when I was their age, is if you have something that
interests you, but you think it’s going to be hard and that makes it kind of
scary, to ignore that little voice in the back of your head that might be
telling you, ‘oh that’s scary, you can’t do that, don’t do it’. Just
try it, just ignore that voice. Even if you make mistakes, that’s how you
learn.” Dr Milkovich said this was one of the lessons she learnt at the JPL,
where she is the science operations development lead for the Mars 2020 Rover,
which will look for signs of ancient life on the planet. She said: “We test
everything — we test the parachutes, we test the operations processes and we
learn more when the test goes wrong. It’s OK to fail as long as you’ve been
trying. If you stick with it and persevere, you can go on to have all these
great adventures and to do all these cool things. Don’t let yourself stand in
your own way.” Dr Milkovich has worked at the Mars Science Laboratory, on the
Mars Phoenix Lander, the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, and the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter. Her job was to bridge the gap between scientists and
engineers “to get the best possible science data within the engineering
constraints of the space craft. It’s about understanding the technical
challenges in both but also being able to communicate.” She added that a job
at Nasa was a childhood dream and she wanted to show pupils that they can
achieve their dreams as well. Dr Milkovich said: “Even if you don’t want to
do science or engineering but you have a vision in your mind of something that
you want to do or be, have the fortitude to stick with it and make it happen.”
Dr Malkovich was invited to speak at BHS by Jennifer Burland Adams, the director
of advancement, as part of a series of speakers recruited to introduce pupils to
lesser-known careers. Ms Burland Adams said: “Bermuda is such a small bubble
and you don’t know if you are going to be passionate about something or want
to study something or want to go into a career unless you’ve heard about
it.” Charlotte Esperon, a year six pupil, was in one of the classes that heard
about Dr Milkovich’s “amazing experience studying Mars with Nasa”.
Charlotte said: “This woman is definitely a role model for all girls around
the world due to her work with the Rovers that have experienced Mars’s
atmosphere and for following her dreams.” Pupils from all public and private
high schools have been invited to hear Dr Malkovich talk about her work at an
assembly today. Dr Milkovich will also give a free public presentation, “Is
there life on Mars?” — a question that she said had driven the exploration
of the planet.
The inflation rate fell
to 1.6 per cent in January, down from 1.9 per cent in December. However, food,
tobacco and liquor, and items in the education, recreation, entertainment and
reading sector all cost more. The food sector was up 1.2 per cent, with
condensed milk costing 8.5 per cent more, fresh and frozen pork loin was up 5.2
per cent, and rice was 5 per cent more expensive than in December. The tobacco
and liquor sector was up 0.3 per cent, while the education, recreation,
entertainment and reading sector edged 0.1 per cent higher. The fuel and power
sector fell by 1.5 per cent, with the fuel adjustment clause dropping by 4.7 per
cent. There was also a notable fall in the transport and foreign travel sector,
which was 1.9 per cent lower, mostly due to a fall in the average cost of air
fares of 11.5 per cent. Year-on-year figures showed the fuel and power sector
increased by 9.1 per cent, with the major driver being the introduction of a
Regulatory Authority of Bermuda recovery fee. The all-items index slipped to
103.8 in January, meaning that a basket of goods and services that cost $100 in
April 2015 now costs $103.80.The Consumer Price Index figures were produced by
the Bermuda Government’s Department of Statistics.
People seemed so
welcoming when David Garland arrived in Bermuda in 1961 he instantly fell in
love. He soon got to see the darker side of things. On February 2, 1965, he
had the dubious honour of being the first officer injured in the Belco riots. He
was working in the police garage that morning when an inspector came running in
and ordered him to put on riot gear. “I’d been in a car accident while on
vacation back in Britain,” said the 80-year-old who was born in Leven, East
Yorkshire. “When I came back to Bermuda, I was healing from two broken ribs. I
shouldn’t have gone because of my injury, but I did.” The unrest began after
Belco management refused electrical workers the right to hold a secret ballot
determining whether or not they would join the Bermuda Industrial Union. Police
were called in to break up picket lines. “We went to the entrance at the far
end of the Belco property,” Mr Garland said. “The inspector said to lock
your arms and close off the gate and if anyone wants to come in to work let them
in. Typical me, I said to this inspector, how do you think I’m going to
defend myself when that mob around there comes around the corner?” Police were
outnumbered by the crowd and had very little riot training. “We were very naïve,”
said Mr Garland. One of the protesters walked right up to him and punched him in
the side, breaking another rib. He was one of 18 people injured. One officer,
Ian Davies, received a traumatic brain injury and was never the same again.
“It’s unfortunate being a police officer,” Mr Garland said. “You’re
always the jam between two slices of bread. You can leave home in the morning
innocent as hell, kiss your children goodbye, then an hour later you’re
dealing with an angry mob coming around a corner. Most people are fortunate to
have no idea what it is like to be in the middle of such a violent disturbance.
People stamp on your feet, push you, spit in your face and kick you in the
ankles in an attempt to make you start the riot. It’s horrible.” Mr Garland
grew up on a farm and, as a young man, dreamt of becoming a building inspector.
Instead, he was called up for national service at 17. After two weeks with the
Royal Army Service Corps he switched over to the Royal Military Police when a
career officer told him his height of 6ft 1in made him ideal. After doing his
required 18 months of service, he started as a civilian officer in Bridlington,
on the Yorkshire coast. He applied for a job here because he “was tired of the
cold night shifts in Britain” and convinced a friend, Derek Jenkinson to join
him. They spent their early days investigating reports of stolen boat engines
and break-ins of homes on the islands around Bermuda. “I thought it was crazy
that there was no marine section in Bermuda,” Mr Garland said. “There were
6,000 to 8,000 boats. I put a report in to the Commissioner.” He and Mr
Jenkinson soon found themselves building the force’s first boat — with £120
pounds and plywood donated by the Corporation of Hamilton. “They made me
acting sergeant and I was promoted to sergeant six months later,” Mr Garland
said. “In those days, we’d go out to the banks. The fisherman called us the
porgies. I took down all the names of the people living out on the islands, and
we’d do regular walk abounds to make sure things were all right.” He worked
in a number of areas over the next 15 years and, in 1974, started teaching
piloting and navigation courses. Two years later he left the service. “I went
home one night and told my wife, Sue, I’m getting out,” he said. “I’d
done 22 years in uniform including the army, police in Britain and here. I had
another job within three days, as director of security at the Southampton
Princess.” For the past 40 years he has taught a pilot licensing course and
other marine-related subjects at the Bermuda College. “I have taught around
700 people,” he said. “In between, I have also taught a couple of courses
for the Royal Yachting Association of Offshore Skippers.” He met his Welsh
wife, Sue, when she came to visit friends in Bermuda. They married on May 1,
1969 and have two children, Chris and Caitlyn, and two granddaughters. “We
celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary this year,” Mr Garland said. In my life
I am most proud of my family, 100 per cent. There is no doubt about it. It gives
you great confidence to know you have good people behind you who love you.
Nothing can replace that.”
An artist’s journey
into his Bermuda roots is on display this month at the prestigious Whitney
Museum of American Art in Manhattan, New York City. American artist Cy Gavin
appears in the Whitney Museum’s Between the Waters exhibition alongside
several artists including Lena Henke and Demian DinéYazhi. The show explores
“the precarious state of the environment through a personal lens”, according
to a Whitney Museum statement. Mr Gavin delves into the Bermuda landscape and
his family roots on the island, into the experiences of his enslaved ancestors.
The painting The Future of Tucker’s Point references the slave cemetery
and black community that once thrived on the resort’s land, imagining the site
reclaimed by vegetation. Reflecting on the subtle use of incorporated materials
into his work, Mr Gavin told The Royal Gazette in 2016 that “the
painting is a kind of time capsule or at times, a reliquary”.
Spring Garden
Restaurant and Bar has closed after 20 years. The popular spot on Washington
Lane yesterday held its final closing out sale of items, including tables,
storage racks and other fittings. The Bajan restaurant and bar, named after an
area in Barbados, opened in February 1998, taking over the space that had been
occupied by the Beergarden until it closed in late 1997. Yesterday, a manager at
Spring Garden declined to comment to The Royal Gazette about the closure
of the business.
A book written by a
former teacher who claims she was inspired to put pen to paper after mould in
her school made her sick is now on sale. Wendy Robinson wrote God’s
Love Letter to Humanity as she recovered from major surgery and spent
thousands of dollars to have it self-published. The book, a summary of the Bible
which includes scenes of Bermuda and a chapter on good living, is available at
island stores for $25 a copy. Mrs Robinson, who retired from CedarBridge Academy
on medical grounds, has made a number of appearances at the Bermuda National
Library signing copies of the book. She will also be signing copies at Front
Street’s Brown & Co on Wednesday and Thursday between noon and 2pm.
CedarBridge was closed for a clean-up of mould in November 2006 and an inquiry
later found that one student almost died and at least 13 others suffered
sickness “very probably” caused by the environment, as well as an unknown
number of staff. Mrs Robinson’s personal injury lawsuit against the Ministry
of Education and the school’s board of governors continues.
Staff shortages in the
court system are slowing up justice, the Attorney-General has warned. Kathy
Lynn Simmons, the Government Senate leader, told the Upper Chamber of Parliament
“serious” shortages had led to a “constriction of the public’s
constitutional right of access to justice”. Ms Simmons, speaking on the budget
for the Ministry of Legal Affairs in the Senate on Friday, revealed that only 37
of the 70 posts in the department were filled. She added: “The current
staffing shortages throughout the department have reached very serious levels,
the repercussions being the constriction of the public’s constitutional right
of access to justice. The inability to retain post holders and attract new
recruits from the private sector, has inhibited the forming of and indeed the
preservation of an unshakeable foundation which the judiciary requires to
efficiently service the public.” She said 2017-18 had been another challenging
year for the judicial department “as reported by the Registrar and the Chief
Justice”. Ms Simmons added: “Those of you who actually tuned in to the
opening of the legal new year ceremony would have heard some of the concerns
articulated by the Chief Justice.” She said the pay for positions such as
court clerks, court associates and administrative officers could not compete
with the salaries and benefits offered by the private sector. Ms Simmons added
that this made it difficult “for us to recruit at times, thus losing quality
Bermudian workers, a position which is unsustainable given the need to boost the
development of the Bermudian workforce within the civil service. This is
basically the result of the structure we have.” Ms Simmons said department
managers had taken on an increased “administrative remit in managing the
judicial department administratively, while the registrar continues to make all
efforts to fully discharge her statutory and delegated judicial remit”. She
added: “Efforts are under way for the assistant registrar post to be
transformed into a quasi-judicial post. We hope these issues can be addressed
immediately in order to stabilize the current, untenable status quo.”
Stark new figures
reveal how chronically sick Bermudians fare worse in comparison with British
diabetes patients. However, the Bermuda Wellness Foundation sees hope
through tweaks to the island’s healthcare model. Two proposals emerging from a
“groundbreaking” report include ditching the outdated fee-for-service
billing model, and adopting an island-wide electronic medical record system.
Evidence in the QResearch study, commissioned by local residents and health IT
specialists Sean and Jenny Riddell, was “shocking”, according to Ms Riddell.
“We’ve known that there’s a problem, but this is evidence showing the
extent of the difference between how diabetes is managed in Bermuda and
elsewhere,” she said. Findings in the October 2017 report include:
The Riddells declared their interests to the Gazette: in 1989 the couple helped develop extensive electronic medical records in the UK. They have since retired, and commissioned the local report free of charge for the Bermuda Wellness Foundation. Although familiar with the island, the couple were “amazed that it was probably the most expensive place in the world to do healthcare”, Mr Riddell said. “We discovered a shocking health outcome for the amount of money spent.” The study used 2016 data, stripped of personal details, to compare British records with Bermudian patient data mined from insurance claims. Calling diabetes “a national crisis”, the Riddells said the report “clearly shows Bermudian diabetics are not receiving the effective preventive care they should”. Bermudians are considerably ahead of the UK when it comes to kidney failure: almost 10 per cent of locals over 75 show signs of renal failure. In addition, the cost of medication may deter Bermudian patients from obtaining treatment: the island’s patients lag significantly behind Britain in the use of prescribed insulin and oral hypoglycaemic drugs. Bermudian patients were eight times more likely to have an MRI or CT scan — but still trail behind the UK for much cheaper blood tests to spot early stage kidney disease. Mr Riddell noted: “What we’re finding is the fee-for-service model does not reward doctors for preventive care and education. It rewards them for more tests than necessary. It baffled us at first, but we have concluded that fee-for-service is a massive obstacle.” Bermuda needs a paradigm shift to a “fee-for-value” approach, the couple said: switching to a fee-for-value model based on health results and quality indicators. Mr Riddell added: “We also feel that diabetics should not have copay for diabetic primary care medication.” Insurers would likely embrace the shift, Ms Riddell said, predicting that “the biggest resistance will come from doctors ... doctors don’t like to be guided”. Acknowledging that it was “early days” in effecting change, Ms Riddell said they had shared their pro bono report with David Burt, the Premier, as well as the Ministry of Health. In addition, pooling the island’s patient records in an easy to access electronic system would enable better monitoring — and risk assessment tools to identify the patients most at risk, before they get sicker. Michael Richmond, chief of staff for Bermuda Hospitals Board, said that BHB supported adopting electronic health records. Dr Richmond said the benefits ranged from “improving the quality and co-ordination of care for patients, to improving available data on the health of Bermuda. Having an accurate understanding of who has diabetes, who might be pre-diabetic, and who also might be at risk will help us prevent and manage diabetes better with more focused care,” he said. Tackling chronic disease in Bermuda is challenged by the fact that “our knowledge of the population is a bit like an iceberg”. “We only know what we can see,” Dr Richmond said. “What is below the water is often not managed, or not managed well. This raises the increased risk of severe and sometimes life-limiting complications.” The benefits of electronic health records “also extend to patient experience and outcomes as it will help care to be co-ordinated across the system, reducing duplication and delays”. However, changing the system could be a tall order. Dr Richmond conceded it was “an expensive and complex project that will require involvement and support across the healthcare system to implement successfully”.
A television crew from
Germany yesterday filmed the island’s defence force going through their paces.
The team from Franco-German television company ZDF Arte toured Warwick Camp and
captured soldiers in action as part of a series on British islands. They were
invited by Governor John Rankin, the Commander-in-Chief of the RBR, who was also
interviewed by the crew about his role on the island. Arte producer Kristian
Kaehler said: “We’re making a portrait of the island and the different jobs
— bus driver, boat builder, the ocean sciences institute and even the
Governor.” Mr Kaehler added: “The soldiers seem to really like what they do.
They’re devoted to it and like their service. They are the people’s army.
It’s for the benefit of the country which is great. Their spirit is nice and
that’s quite nice to see.” The TV crew filmed soldiers on the firing range,
the RBR Band and Corps of Drums, first aid training and ceremonial duties. The
team has already produced films for the series, called the Queen’s Islands,
on places like Jersey, the Isle of Man and the Outer Hebrides off Scotland. Mr
Rankin said: “They are making a documentary film about Bermuda, essentially
showing the beauty of the island and what visitors might expect here. They also
wanted to find out about the work of the Governor and I thought it was important
that as part of what they did they came to Warwick Camp and learn a bit about
the RBR, its history and what they do to support the defence and security of the
island.” He added: “The documentary should help potential visitors to the
island to see what goes on here and to see a lot of the good things that happen
on the island — and hopefully boost tourism.” Mr Rankin told the Arte crew:
“This is a modern jurisdiction, a modern business place, but also a place
where the roots with the United Kingdom still run deep.” RBR Commanding
Officer Lieutenant-Colonel David Curley added: “Most of the soldiers they’ve
seen are our new recruits from January. We’re an open organisation and we
welcome visitors interested in the work we do to protect Bermuda. I’m pleased
our soldiers responded with so much enthusiasm and showed how much they enjoy
their service.” A Regiment career offers recruits opportunities to travel,
acquire skills useful in civilian life, test themselves to their limits and
competitive rates of pay, as well as a $500 bounty for new volunteers. For more
information, call 238-1045 or visit bermudaregiment.bm.
America’s Cup
Bermuda Ltd has begun final windup proceedings after completing a final audit. The
ACBDA, the administrative team for the showpiece sailing event that came to
Bermuda last summer, said it has completed all its objectives and come in under
budget. Chairman Peter Durhager, who noted many people predicted Bermuda would
not meet the required standards, said he took pride in a job well done. The
board met for the final time on March 14, when final reports were presented by
CEO Michael Winfield and CFO Andrew Cox. Mr Durhager: “They reported that all
goals were accomplished, significantly under budget and that the company could
now be placed into voluntary liquidation. “The board was unanimous in praising
both of the company’s senior officers for their performance throughout the
project and wished them well in the future. This was an exceptionally tough
project with demanding time frames, a wide group of stakeholders and a skeptical
marketplace. With help from many, the ACBDA assisted in creating nine acres of
new land on which the America’s Cup Village was constructed, it facilitated
the building of team bases, installed the necessary infrastructure, organized
transportation to the event, and managed security, utilities, created a unique
Wi-Fi structure, serviced significant demands to ensure a world-standard global
network broadcast and assisted with the delivery of all of the events both on
water and on-site in the event village.” Mr Durhager said: “When Bermuda was
announced as the host location for the 35th America’s Cup, many stated that
Bermuda would not be able to deliver to the required standards. Following the
event, praise was virtually universal with many saying that was the best
America’s Cup in its 160-plus year history. This was a significant
accomplishment and we take pride in a job well done.” Mr Durhager said the
board had “provided guidance, ensured effective and meaningful governance and
never hesitated in reminding us of our primary objective of engaging Bermudians
in the America’s Cup experience”. He said: “When we review the research
surveys and saw Bermudians praising the event, they also can be proud of our
shared accomplishments. Our board was exceptional, and I know Mike Winfield
joins me in thanking them for all their hard work and diligence. There were
many, many who contributed to the success of Bermuda’s America’s Cup. The
America’s Cup has shown what Bermuda can do with events on the international
stage, we hope those efforts will lead to continued success in the future.”
Caribbean Journal. Luxury hotel brand Rosewood is set to unveil the results of a dramatic re-imagination of the former Rosewood Tucker’s Point. The re-launched property, now known as Rosewood Bermuda, is in the final stages of a $25 million renovation project that includes a complete redesign of the hotel’s guest rooms. The renovation is also upgrading Rosewood Bermuda’s beach club, golf clubhouse and Sense spa, along with an enhanced meeting space and new food and beverage concepts. The property is slated to reopen in April, according to the Bermuda Tourism Authority. Rosewood Bermuda has long been one of the top Bermuda hotels.
The Senate approved
the purchase of the failed Sandys 360 sports centre for $1 million yesterday. The
Purchase and Sale Agreement Between the Trustees of Sandys Secondary Middle
School and the Government of Bermuda was passed with no objections. Andrew
Simons, of the One Bermuda Alliance, and James Jardine, an independent, did
raise questions about the future management of the centre and liability for
unpaid wages. Mr Simons said there had been a “sad legacy of mismanagement”.
He added that the building’s life span was also limited to as short as ten
years because it is made of metal. Mr Simons also pointed out Sandys 360, which
closed in 2013 after it was unable to pay its way, was within walking distance
of another community centre. Anthony Richardson, Progressive Labour Party, said
the Government had made no decision on who would manage or operate the centre.
He agreed that there were other community centres in the area and that
consolidation could be explored. Vance Campbell, also of the PLP, said a report
on the financial state of the centre by professional services firm KPMG was not
commissioned by the Government and therefore it did not have the authority to
release it. The education ministry provided $1 million towards the centre’s
construction costs and, according to disclosures made to The Royal Gazette
by the Ministry of Finance under public access to information legislation,
further payments from the public purse totaled $4.3 million.
The reopening of
Bermuda’s office in Washington DC has been delayed because of “increasing
threats” from the European Union, the Senate heard yesterday. Vance
Campbell, a senator for the Progressive Labour Party, said the island had to
increase its representation in Brussels and would be represented in Washington
by lobbyists in the meantime. His comments came after Senate president and
independent senator Joan Dillas- Wright asked why the opening was deferred and
how many staff would work at the Brussels office. David Burt, Premier and
Minister of Finance, announced in February that Bermuda would open an office in
Brussels to protect the island’s interests as Britain prepared to leave the
European Union. Mr Campbell, the Junior Minister of Public Works and Government
Reform, said: “With the increased pressure from the European Council through
the published list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, it is evident that
Bermuda needs to enhance its representation in Brussels.” He added: “With
the increasing threats coming out of the EU and the need to better represent
Bermuda in those areas and put our case forward, there is a focus on the EU.
Although we will still have our eye on Washington and the US, there is the need
to shift some of that focus to the EU. But we will have representation in
Washington during this transitional phase through lobbyists.” Mr Campbell was
speaking as he delivered the Budget brief for the Cabinet Office, He said:
“Initially there will be one full-time resource to get it started and they
will be supported by the team in the London office as well as consulting
resources. The office will, among other things, provide for a broad-based
dialogue on economic and trade co-operation between the European Council and
Bermuda. Steps will be taken to enhance knowledge and understanding between
Bermuda and the EC on issue of economic and social development.” Government
Senate leader Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General, added that the AG’s
chambers would be “providing a resource” to the Brussels office to make sure
“that knowledge remains in Bermuda and we build our knowledge base here.”
Public servants and
the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority have signed a three-year collective
bargaining agreement. The BPSU said the backdated agreement was signed on
February 27 and was effective from April 1 last year. It will expire at the end
of March 2020. The BCAA became a government quango by act of Parliament in 2016
and replaced the Department of Civil Aviation. BCAA staff voted to become a new
bargaining unit of the BPSU after it was hived off. Both parties entered into
negotiations with a recognition that the agreement needed to balance the remit
of the quango with the legislative requirement that the terms and conditions of
employment were no less favourable than those applied before the Act came into
force. The BPSU said: “The parties are pleased that the final agreement
successfully addressed the key issues facing employees and ensured the creation
of a working environment where officers can focus on providing exceptional
service that meets stringent international standards.”
The Bermuda National
Trust’s annual Palm Sunday Walk will take participants on a historic tour
through Hamilton Parish tomorrow. The five-mile walk will start at the
Wilkinson Memorial Park on Coney Island Road and take walkers to sites usually
closed to the public. A trust spokesman said: “While providing breathtaking
views throughout, this year’s walk will visit spectacular sites of national
significance, historic neighborhoods, a secluded nature reserve and pass several
historic houses and buildings. “As always, the route will take participants to
places that the public does not normally get to explore and a map will highlight
some points of cultural and natural interest along the way.” He added: “The
Trust encourages all locals and visitors to come and participate in this great
community event. All are welcome and there is no charge for participation,
although donations would be greatly appreciated.” The event is sponsored by
insurance firm Sompo International. A company spokesman said: “A supporter of
the Bermuda National Trust and their role in preserving the island’s open
spaces and rich heritage, Sompo International is proud to sponsor their 2018
Palm Sunday Walk. Sompo International supports numerous local services, projects
and events that benefit the broader Bermuda community and looks forward to the
annual spring walk as a way to promote both environmental awareness and physical
and mental health.” The event also marks the culmination of “March Through
March” with participants who have completed 25,000 steps this month eligible
for a free Trust membership. The walk will start at 2pm and take about
two-and-a-half hours to complete. The trust said the route is not suitable for
baby strollers or dogs and asked road users in Hamilton Parish “to exercise
care, as walkers will be on the road for most of the afternoon”. Refreshments
will be provided and walkers are encouraged bring drink containers.
The woman crowned Bermuda’s queen of fishcakes said she was shocked by her win. Valerie Pethen explained: “I consider myself a hit-and-miss cook at everything. Fishcakes are one of the few things that I do, and I enjoy doing.” The 72-year-old Paget resident claimed the title for best fishcakes from a female competitor at the annual Bermuda National Fishcake Competition held at the Leopards Club on Thursday night. Mujib Swan took the title for best entry by a male participant. Ms Pethen said she only cooked the island favorite once a year and that she never followed a recipe. She added: “I’m not one of these people who just get a charge out of cooking. I cook minimally.” Ms Pethen revealed her secret ingredient was sweet potatoes. She said: “It’s just ironic that in today’s paper there were two articles extolling the virtues of sweet potatoes.” She added the idea for the starch substitute was inspired by a friend more than two decades ago as they both began diets based on their blood types. Ms Pethen said: “One Good Friday she called and said ‘Val — we can make our fishcakes with sweet potatoes’.” She added: “I just hope I have started a trend for people to at least try it. The taste is different, but it is so lovely.” Ms Pethen added that almost everything in her fishcakes was Bermudian. She said the sweet potatoes were bought at the farmers market at Botanical Gardens. The parsley, thyme and onion came from her garden and lemon juice came from the tree in her yard. Ms Pethen added: “It’s not Bermuda fish, but it’s in a package called Bermuda’s best.” Nasturtiums from behind her garden and a friend’s loquat chutney were used as part of her plate presentation. Ms Pethen said she was inspired to enter this year’s competition after a chance meeting with Rodney Smith, one of the competition’s organizers, last week. Mr Smith was handing out fishcakes in the Court Street area to promote the competition. She said she admired both Mr Smith and Dale Butler for “trying to keep the tradition alive”. Ms Pethen said she decided to enter “to support the effort, but I never expected to win”. Mr Butler, the founder of the competition, described this year’s event as a smash. He added: “It was very well attended. I would say it was a successful evening.” Mr Butler said there were about a dozen entries in this year’s running. All entries were assessed on criteria including colour, taste and presentation by a panel of five judges. Mr Butler said that crowning two new champions this year was “very important” for the competition. He explained: “We want the legacy to continue.” Mr Butler and Mr Smith had won the National Fishcake Competition since it began in 1992, but both decided to step back from this year’s battle. Mr Butler explained: “If you don’t pass on an opportunity to others, they’ll lose interest.” He said that the island favorite food was something that had “removed barriers” and united the community. Mr Butler added: “If you want to get a group of people together, say you’re having a fishcake party and everyone comes.”
Hundreds of mourners
packed the island’s Catholic cathedral yesterday to remember tragic American
teenager Mark Dombroski. Mr Dombroski’s family joined the multi-faith
congregation to remember their son and brother, who was found dead on Monday
after he disappeared when on a night out with rugby team-mates last Saturday.
His brother, Kevin, said after the service: “It’s very, very emotional and
it will remain that way for a while, unfortunately. This is a very emotional
time. We could not be any more appreciative. We were blown away by the support
and care the entire community showed and the service was beautiful and very well
done.” His brother John, known as JJ, delivered a eulogy for university rugby
player Mark, 19. John said: “The police have been fantastic, the regiment came
out, the Governor and the whole community. It really means a lot.” He also
singled out Bermuda’s rugby community for its support. John said the family
had been inundated with phone calls, texts and e-mails from “friends, family
and strangers” since Mark’s body was discovered at the bottom of a 35ft drop
in the dry moat at Fort Prospect in Devonshire on Monday afternoon. He added
that one stood out from Mark’s middle school basketball coach, who Mark had
contacted when the coach suffered a health crisis. The coach said the message
had “warmed his heart” and that Mark was the only one of a few hundred
youngsters he had coached to send his best wishes. John choked back tears when
he remembered a “terrible” water-skiing accident where he almost lost an
arm. He said: “I came to, floating in the water. One of the first images I saw
was my brother Mark jumping in to try and get me out. That’s really the person
Mark is — really selfless and always trying to help out.” He added: “This
is still very much an active investigation, so if anyone knows anything we would
greatly appreciate any information they might have.” Mark, from Pennsylvania,
was in Bermuda to compete in a rugby tournament with his team from St Joseph’s
University in Philadelphia, which is run by priests from the Catholic church’s
elite Jesuit Order. Bishop Wieslaw Spiewak, leader of the island’s Catholic
church, said Mark’s “passion” for rugby had brought him to Bermuda. He
added the island was “the place of his last game” and “his stairway to
heaven”. Bishop Spiewak, who is originally from Warsaw in Poland, said the
Polish-descended Dombroski’s surname meant “oak man” in Polish. He added
the wood was prized for its strength and durability. Bishop Spiewak said:
“That’s not just a name — it’s a mission.” He told the congregation:
“What is amazing is we’re here and there is no difference in race, religion,
whatever. We are here because we want to be. We are able to go beyond divisions,
beyond races, beyond religions, beyond nations. It would be great if we could
remember this day.” A visibly moved Superintendent Sean Field-Lament of the
Bermuda Police Service, also a stalwart of the island’s rugby scene, said
after the service: “It’s sad that we have to have a moment like this to come
together, but I am proud of Bermuda, proud of the rugby community and my
thoughts are with the family.”
Bermuda’s economy
expanded at a healthy pace in the third quarter of last year — and revisions
to past data show the economy grew more than previously reported in the three
quarters before that. Gross domestic product rose 3.9 per cent in the July
through September period — or 2.4 per cent after inflation is taken into
account — according to a report released yesterday by the Department of
Statistics. This followed real GDP growth of 3.1 per cent in the second quarter
of 2017, during which the island hosted the America’s Cup, revised upward from
1.5 per cent. In last year’s first quarter, real GDP growth had previously
been reported as negative 0.1 per cent — but that was revised to positive 0.7
per cent in yesterday’s report. And real GDP growth in the fourth quarter of
2016 was also revised upwards from 0.7 per cent to 0.9 per cent. In its report,
the Department of Statistics stresses that data are temporary and subject to
revision as additional data becomes available for the latest quarters, which is
used to replace existing estimates. During the third quarter of 2017, quarterly
GDP at constant prices was estimated at $1,117.9 million. The main driver was a
$31.6 million increase in the external balance of goods and services. Household
final consumption increased by 0.3 per cent to $624.2 million. Increased
expenditure on accommodation and catering services were offset by lower
consumption of electricity and air transport services. Government consumption
decreased 0.2 per cent during the third quarter. Gross capital formation, or
investment in fixed assets, decreased $7.2 million, or 4.2 per cent, reflecting
lower investment in machinery and equipment such as boats and related equipment.
Capital formation related to construction also registered a small decline during
the period. The net surplus on trade in goods and services increased $31.6
million or 30.7 per cent, due to the combined effect of higher receipts for
exports of services and lower payments for imports of services, the report adds.
Receipts from the exports of goods and services rose $30 million due mostly to
increased tourist expenditure. Imports of goods and services, which have a
downward effect on GDP growth, fell 0.4 per cent reflecting lower payments for
air transport services and professional and management services.
From
this date, all Bermuda companies and limited liability companies, except those
that are expressly exempted from the requirement, must establish and maintain a
beneficial ownership register at their registered offices (or, with the
Registrar of Companies’ permission, a place in Bermuda convenient for
inspection by the Registrar of Companies). Similar obligations have been
placed on Bermuda partnerships, exempted partnerships and limited partnership as
of 23 March 2018. Again, the law provides for a transition period of six months,
meaning that such entities have until 23 September 2018 to comply. The law
provides for a transition period of six months, meaning that such entities have
until 23 September 2018 to comply. Entities that are exempted from the
requirement to establish and maintain a beneficial ownership register include
those whose shares are listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange, or other appointed
stock exchange; certain financial institutions (including those licensed under
Sections 4 or 10 of the Insurance Act 1978 (insurers, insurance managers and
intermediaries)); permit companies and certain entities operating close-ended
investment funds. The beneficial ownership register must include minimum
required information in respect of every registrable person. A registrable
person means a beneficial owner or relevant legal entity. A beneficial owner is
an individual (or individuals) who owns or controls more than 25% of the shares,
voting rights or interests in a company through direct or indirect ownership or,
failing that, an individual who has control over the company or LLC as
applicable by other means. Where neither applies, the individual who holds the
position of senior manager of the company or LLC as applicable is considered to
be the beneficial owner. The key is to note that the threshold of share
ownership is more than 25%, not at 25%. A relevant legal entity is any legal
entity or legal arrangement that would be a beneficial owner if it were an
individual. This information must also be filed with the Bermuda Monetary
Authority but is not publicly available.
The northbound lane of
Wesley Street between Park and Victoria Streets will be closed for the remainder
of today as asphalting takes place. The work is expected to be completed
tomorrow, weather permitting. Motorists are currently being directed to make a
left turn onto the southbound lane of Wesley Street from Victoria Street. A
spokesperson for the City of Hamilton said: “The City apologizes for any
inconvenience caused during this time and thanks the public for their continued
patience while these important upgrades to the MS Amlin World Triathlon race
course are carried out.”
The parents of tragic
American teenager Mark Dombroski were told last night that Bermuda had embraced
them in their grief. Stanley James, an elder at the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, said: “Mr Dombroski and Mrs Dombroski, you have lost a son, but today
we tell you that you have gained a nation. We cannot give you back your son, but
we can give you our family and we will stand and be the best as we can be as
Bermudians.” Dr James was speaking at a special vigil service to remember the
six people who have died on the island since last Friday. Dejon Simmons died on
Wednesday after he was assaulted in Hamilton in the early hours of last Sunday
morning. Roman Edwards Easton died at a daycare centre in a private home on
Monday at the age of just three months. Mr Dombroski’s body was found in the
moat at Fort Prospect in Devonshire on Monday after he went missing after a
night out with friends last Saturday. Demarcvjai Williams and Marco Salema died
in a double motorcycle crash last Friday and Anthony Easton was found dead in
his apartment later that night. About 200 people gathered at the vigil in
Hamilton’s Victoria Park, including David Burt, the Premier, John Rankin, the
Governor, members of the clergy and representatives of the Bermuda Rugby
Football Union. Mark’s father, John Dombroski, said his wife, Lisa, broke down
in tears when she heard Dr James’s words He said: “Bermuda is a loving
country. It is just a shame that we have this memory. Mark came here before and
his comment was ‘mom, dad, let’s come back here on a family vacation. It is
beautiful, I want to live here’.” Mr Burt honored those lost and said that
Bermuda showed its strength in the most difficult of times. He added: “These
were all sons, fathers, uncles and as our families are mourning, it is the
strength of our community to comfort those who need our comfort and be with
those who need our strength. The best of Bermuda can be seen when we come
together at times like this — times of tragedy.” Mr Rankin added: “As a
parent myself of three young adults, I can only begin to imagine the pain that
must be felt by the families and friends both here in Bermuda and overseas. I
therefore offer my condolences to family and friends both as Governor but also
on a personal basis. I also pledge my support to all those in government
uniformed services, the social services, the clergy and everyone here more
widely who are working in the community to help prevent such losses in the
future.”
Contributions by
island residents have helped a crowdfunding campaign set up in memory of tragic
American teenager Mark Dombroski to beat its $10,000 target. Christine
DeBraga said she wanted to be part of the fundraising drive to create a
foundation in Mr Dombroski’s memory “as a way of showing my support”. Mr
Dombroski, a 19-year-old student from Pennsylvania, was found dead on Monday
afternoon in the dry moat at Fort Prospect, Devonshire after he went missing in
the early hours of Sunday morning. Ms DeBraga, 42, from Devonshire, said she had
a 19-year-old son of her own who is also a student. She added: “My heart hurts
for his family as I can’t help but put myself in their shoes. I don’t think
I have cried this much over someone I have never met.” Another Devonshire
resident said she donated to the fundraising campaign to show Mr Dombroski’s
family and friends that “Bermuda was totally behind them”. The 54-year-old
woman, who asked not to be named, added she did not know Mark or his family. She
said: “I just felt very bad for the family and friends who would have been the
last to see him.” The woman added she also wanted to combat “negative
comments on social media about Bermuda on Monday” after Mr Dombroski’s death
was announced. Ms DeBraga said Bermudians had come together to show support for
Mr Dombroski’s family and friends “in many ways”. She added: “You can
feel the sadness and love all around us. We all come together at times like
this. It’s just what we do.” Pete D’Amico, an assistant coach for Mr
Dombroski’s university rugby team, created the crowdfunding page on March 19.
Mr D’Amico said that he wanted to help the Dombroski family through this
“awful time”. He added: “They’ve decided to use the money to start a
memorial fund for their son.” The campaign passed its $10,000 goal yesterday
afternoon.
There was no evidence
of foul play in the death of American teenager Mark Dombroski, a top forensic
pathologist said yesterday. Christopher Milroy said the 19-year-old
university rugby player died from a fall and that “I found no evidence of foul
play in my post-mortem examination”. Dr Milroy added he performed a “very
detailed analysis”. He said: “My conclusions from my examination are that
Mark died from a fall from a height.” Dr Milroy said a toxicology examination
would also be performed. He added: “Like a lot of things, that’s not
something you can do instantaneously. It will take a little while.” Dr Milroy
said it was “absolutely standard procedure” to do toxicology in these types
of cases. He added: “I’m hopeful that when the tests are done it will be
speedy and it will be expedited.” The Canadian pathologist said he performed
his examination of Mr Dombroski’s body on Wednesday. The 19-year-old was found
at about 4pm on Monday in the dry moat at Fort Prospect, Devonshire, a day and a
half after he disappeared after a night out with friends in Hamilton.
Superintendent Sean Field-Lament said yesterday that Mr Dombroski was found at
the bottom of a 35ft drop. Mr Field-Lament dismissed some media reports that
claimed Mr Dombroski could have been murdered. He said it was “unfortunate
that certain aspects of this case were taken out of context”. He added that Mr
Dombroski’s body was found by police accompanied by his brothers and an
account of the scene that circulated on social media had been “unguarded”
and based on “a very traumatic encounter. Those initial impressions were not
true. Investigation into the death continued. We are still open minded and
accept all evidence that can be gathered. As such, we will be exhausting all
avenues at the scene to try to determine, if we possibly can, what happened.
There may be questions that we’ll never be able to answer. There was no
indication that Mr Dombroski had been pushed. We don’t have evidence of that.
The truth is we may not ever find out how he came to fall. I cannot comment on
whether Mr Dombroski had climbed a fence around the moat or gone through a gap.
The matter is still under investigation. We will exhaust every avenue we
possibly can forensically at the scene. To guess at how or why he got there,
based on hypothesis and not on fact, would be a dangerous thing to do.” Mr
Field-Lament said he was not sure if Mr Dombroski had been to the Alexandra Road
area before the early hours of Sunday morning. He added that the US Federal
Bureau of Investigation, which sent agents to the island, had been “extremely
helpful. They are advancing certain aspects of this investigation. The FBI would
help to collect statements from overseas witnesses, as well as explore the very
challenging aspects of getting forensic information” from Mr Dombroski’s
mobile phone and speed up the toxicology report. Investigation by the Bermuda
Police Service was carried out in a thorough and professional manner. I think
that we dealt with this matter as per protocol, based on best practice.” He
added the BPS is more than capable of dealing with these types of
investigations. He said: “We are a professionally trained department. My men
and women that have been out there working around the clock are amazing and they
are all of the highest standard.” Mr Dombroski, from Pennsylvania, was
captured on CCTV as he walked alone along Alexandra Road at 1.30am on Sunday. He
was last seen by friends at the Dog House bar on Hamilton’s Front Street just
after midnight on Saturday. He was spotted on CCTV at the east end of Front
Street at about 1am and ten minutes later on Middle Road, Devonshire. Mr
Dombroski was in Bermuda with a team from St Joseph’s University in
Philadelphia to play in the Ariel Re Bermuda International Sevens tournament
last weekend.
Two food festivals will take
place in Hamilton this year. The City of Hamilton is pleased to announce that
2018 will see not one but two Food Festivals in Hamilton. The spring edition
will take place from April 12 — April 15. Events over the weekend will include
a chocolate and wine pairing, an Absolut Elyx Experience, a Chef’s Table event
and the ever popular Just Desserts, Cake Edition. Senior Event Coordinator,
Thomas Lightbourne, said of the Festival, “We are excited to host two
Festivals in the City this year that can respectively showcase the seasons they
fall in. We hope that the new format of the Festivals and the additional events
will continue to tempt the taste buds of our foodies out there.” The Chocolate
and Wine Pairing event speaks for itself — wine accentuates any meal and
chocolate is no exception. Some say it can’t be done, pairing wine with
chocolate, but if you choose the right wine to complement the right chocolate it
can be a remarkable pairing experience whether you are pairing the sometimes
subtle, creamy nuances of a delicate white chocolate or the lively bold tones of
dark chocolate with a favorite wine. However, with a bit of flexibility and
delicious experimentation, you are sure to find remarkable wine and chocolate
pairings that find the balance and seamless synergy of a well-paired union.
Absolut Elyx is the luxury expression of Absolut vodka, the spirit that carved
out a niche for itself by always doing things differently. By developing
relationships with fellow cultural pioneers, Absolut vodka grew in stature and
with its single-minded commitment to quality matched only by its passion for
hospitality, it wasn’t long before this little ‘water’ from Sweden became
the global icon it is today. Born out of a desire to create a truly luxurious
embodiment of this global icon, Elyx is forged from the same DNA as Absolut
vodka. The Festival has worked closely with the Hamilton Princess and the chefs
from Marcus’ to create the Ultimate Absolut Elyx Experience for ticket holders
— a tantalizing 5-course dinner with paired vodka cocktails. Tickets to the
dinner are $149, inclusive of gratuities. The Chef’s Table event will showcase
local chefs and their culinary skills as they prepare meals in an intimate
setting for their guests. Inspired by current and classic culinary trends from
around the world, the Chef’s Table menus are composed of seasonal ingredients
and exciting culinary techniques. Our professional chefs from island-wide
restaurants will provide hands-on instruction and support as groups work
together to craft delicious appetizers. Settle into the kitchen counter for a
communal dining experience while enjoying wine and spirits provided by Goslings.
Just Desserts is a fun-filled afternoon where you can sip wine, enjoy desserts,
listen to music, and socialize with friends. It is a showcase of over-the-top
desserts created by pastry artists from bakeries and restaurants throughout
Bermuda. The event will feature special guest, Your Cake Diva, seen on the
popular Cake Wars. She has made multiple celebrity cakes for rappers, actors and
actresses and more. She travels around the US sharing her story and teaching
other home bakers how to price, decorate and master the business aspect of
running a home-based business. She also speaks on how to increase business and
achieve much needed work/life balance as an entrepreneur. Just Desserts, Cake
Edition will feature plenty of sweet treats to sample. The City Food Festival is
thankful to once again partner with its longtime sponsor, Goslings. Or more
information, visit the City’s website at cityofhamilton.bm.
Lost in the
Triangle’s “never frozen” policy has helped it win two 2018 Restaurant
Weeks People’s Choice Awards: one for lunch and one for dinner. It is the
first restaurant to win both People’s Choice Awards in the same year. The
lunch category was added to Bermuda Restaurant Weeks for the first time in 2017
when LITT also took the top prize. Pat Phillip-Fairn, chief product and
experiences development officer at the Bermuda Tourism Authority, said: “The
objective for introducing a People’s Choice Award has always been about
incentivising and rewarding Bermuda inspiration and storytelling in the culinary
experience. It’s fitting LITT would come out on top as locally caught Bermuda
fish is what the restaurant and its owner Delvin Bean are best known for. When
locals endorse a place it carries a lot of credibility with visitors because
they want to eat where locals eat.” Mr Bean added: “At our restaurant we
pride ourselves on freshness — our seafood is freshly caught, our vegetables
are freshly harvested. In the kitchen we believe in never frozen. It takes
dedication to maintain that level of quality and I am very proud that the public
is responding well to the LITT team’s commitment to be the best at what we
do.” LITT, in Hamilton, offers a “sea to table experience” where visitors
can go fishing by day and eat what they caught by night. Bermuda Restaurant
Weeks 2018, which took place from January 11 to February 4, had a record 53
participating restaurants.
A former primary
schoolteacher at Saltus school carried out sexual assaults on pupils, it was
alleged yesterday. The school has launched an investigation after it was
said the unnamed male teacher “touched students in a sexual manner”. A
letter from the school to parents and alumni said the teacher was said to have
exhibited grooming behavior in the 1970s and 1980s. Deryn Lavell, the head teacher
at Saltus, wrote that the school had nothing on record to indicate complaints,
but that an investigation was under way. The letter added: “The teacher left
Saltus and Bermuda many decades ago.” The school has hired T&M Protection
Resources, an American-based investigation firm, and has asked anyone with
information or who were victims of sex abuse to come forward. T&M has set up
a hotline at (646) 445-7645 and people can also e-mail SaltusGrammar@tmprotection.com
with information. The letter added: “We are working with T&M because we
want to ensure that the investigation is handled professionally and
confidentially. Anyone who comes forward can be confident their privacy will be
protected.” The letter said: “We will share the results of their
investigation with the Saltus community as soon as they become available and
will remain in contact with Bermuda authorities throughout this process.” Ms
Lavell said yesterday it was “difficult to respond to allegations from so long
ago”, but that the school had no reason to doubt the people who had come
forward. She said it was “our intention to open our doors to this
conversation”. Ms Lavell added: “Society is transforming and there is
growing awareness that abuse, no matter when it occurred, should not remain in
the shadows. We are grateful to those who came forward and we have invited
anyone with information that may be helpful to the investigation, to contact
T&M in confidence. In order to protect the privacy of those involved, and as
we are at the beginning of our investigation, there are no further details that
can be shared at this time.” Ms Lavell emphasized that the safety of pupils
was the school’s main concern and that it planned to release the
investigation’s findings “as soon as they are available”. The school
declined to provide further details on the suspect teacher.
Businesses and
companies looking for ways to reach customers with details of discounts, sales
and special promotions can now do so through the Click n Save website. It is
a digital evolution of a coupon booklet, called Clip n Save, that was produced
seven years ago and distributed to households. The booklet was popular with
residents, who cut out the coupons to claim discounts at stores and business,
however it was discontinued due to the rising costs of printing and
distributing. “It went to every home. It went well, but in the end it was not
feasible due to the rising costs,” said Sharon Azab-Jones, communications
manager at Hamilton-based AdVantage Ltd. The Click n Save website platform
offers some new ways for businesses to present customers with special deals.
There is the option to have a printable coupon that can then be presented by the
customer. Alternatively, the website can be used as a landing spot to which
businesses can direct customers to discover details about a sale, discounts or
promotions. It can also be used to offer deals for tourists, such a promotions
on vacation activities. Ms Azab-Jones said: “People from the US and Britain
are quite used to using coupons [for special deals].” The website is now live
and it is being promoted as “the easiest way to build a loyal customer base,
entice new customers, or reward existing customers”. Click n Save only
features local businesses or organisations offering discounts, sales and
promotions. The new venture is open to suggestions and feedback from potential
advertisers. “Businesses can talk to us about their ideas and give input about
the site. They can let us know what would attract them to buy a spot,” said Ms
Azab-Jones. Companies and organisations can book a promotion slot through the
website at clicknsave.bm or call 295-6900.
A 30-year-old woman
was charged with causing the death with a vehicle of a mother of two while there
was a dangerous drug in her system. Collisha Burch did not enter a plea in
Magistrates’ Court as the case will be tried in Supreme Court. Magistrate
Khamisi Tokunbo released Ms Burch on $10,000 bail until a further court
appearance on May 1. Kerry Hollis, 38, died after a crash on Middle Road near
Five Star Island, in Southampton, last September. She left behind two daughters.
Small business owners
are encouraged to attend a public meeting with Cabinet ministers Lovitta Foggo
and Jamahl Simmons. The politicians will give information about the new
rules for doing businesses with the Bermuda Government at the session about the
Code of Practice for Project Management and Procurement. It will be hosted by
the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation at the Cathedral Hall, Church
Street, next Tuesday, from 8.30am to 10am. According to a press release, Ms
Foggo and Mr Simmons will “stress the importance of fair and equal job
opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses”. A similar meeting was
held last month for Chamber of Commerce members, and earlier this week for BEDC
contractors, suppliers, and vendors. Ms Foggo, who has the responsibility for
the Department of Procurement, said: “Government is committed to empowering
small and mid-sized businesses to gain access to public sector opportunities.
“The Code also sets out the requirements and procedures for the procurement of
goods and services for the Government that must be met and followed by all
public officers. So, during next week’s presentation, BEDC members will
receive information about key aspects of the code and their potential impact on
the commercial interests.” For more information call 292-5570, or register at info@bedc.bm.
Members of Parliament
were reminded last Friday that they must attend House of Assembly sittings and
committee meetings. Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, said it had
been brought to his attention that some politicians had not been attending
committees. Mr Lister asked members at the end of the session on Friday to
reflect on the House’s standing orders. He said: “Every member is bound to
attend the meetings of the House and its committees, unless notice of leave of
absence has been given, in advance and in writing, to the Speaker. It has been
brought to my attention that members have not had a good record of attendance on
committees. That is not acceptable, just like your non-attendance at this House
is not acceptable and I ask all members to reflect on that during the time they
are away from here.” Parliament will reconvene on April 13.
Walter Higgins, the
former chief executive officer of Ascendant Group Ltd, has taken on one of the
most challenging jobs in the power utility world. The utilities veteran was
this week named as CEO of Prepa, the Puerto Rico electricity firm — six months
to the day after Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean island leaving some
without power to this day. Mr Higgins, 72, served as CEO of Ascendant, parent
company of Belco, from 2012 to 2016 and has had more than 40 years’ experience
in energy industry management roles. He will now be tasked with overseeing
restoration of power to the remaining 7 per cent of customers — or about
100,000 people — who are still in the dark, as well as continuing repairs to
the distribution system after the devastation of last September’s category
four storm. In addition, he will be dealing with a tough corporate situation,
with Prepa having filed for bankruptcy in July last year and going through the
process of being sold off to the private sector. Prepa is also deeply unpopular
in the US territory of Puerto Rico, after all 3.4 million of its customers were
cut off after Maria, and nearly two-thirds of homes and businesses were still
without power as recently as January. “The Puerto Rico Electric Power
Authority has become a heavy burden on our people, who are now hostage to its
poor service and high cost,” Governor Ricardo Rossello said two months ago
when he announced the utility would be sold off. What we know today as the
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority does not work and cannot continue to
operate like this.” Mr Higgins, a retired US Navy captain and former nuclear
submarine officer, is not one to shy away from a challenge. A Forbes
report on one of his previous roles states: “Walter M. Higgins III thought he
had left Sierra Pacific Resources in great shape when he took off in early 1998
to run Atlanta Gas Light. But two years later its Las Vegas utility, Nevada
Power, called him back out of desperation. It was then the height of the western
power crisis. Anxious casino executives were pleading with Higgins to help fend
off the rolling blackouts that were hitting California: a dark half-hour on the
Strip could mean tens of millions of gaming dollars lost, not to mention a
security nightmare. To keep current flowing, Nevada Power had to buy juice from
companies like Enron.” Mr Higgins has replaced Justo Gonzalez, former interim
director for Prepa.
Muriel Archer, a
missionary who survived a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in the Second World War,
has died aged 96. Ms Archer smuggled bibles into countries where preaching
Christianity was forbidden and was dedicated to prison teaching and fellowship
in Bermuda. She revealed little of her experiences as a prisoner of war. A close
family friend, who asked not to be named, said Ms Archer was “treated very
badly, but survived” after being captured in Hong Kong. A member of St
John’s Church, Ms Archer belonged to the Christian-based group Educational
Services International, and taught English overseas, particularly in China. She
had extensive teaching experience in Russia at a time when the activities of
foreigners were strictly monitored. Ms Archer told The Royal Gazette in
1995: “We are not allowed to preach the gospel there. But I did find that
people wanted me to teach them how to pray.” Ms Archer worked with the
downtrodden in countries all over the world, particularly people addicted to
drugs. She traced her “second life” as a missionary and charity worker back
to the death of her only son, Christopher, to leukemia when he was 19, as well
as the early death of her husband William “Bill” Archer. Ms Archer decided
to “go where I am needed”, including Bermuda’s prison, as a member of the
Prison Fellowship. Born in Britain, she spent much of her childhood in China,
where her parents were missionaries. Her missionary work there was often
conducted undercover. Her friend said: “She was a very understanding, smart,
educated and worldly woman who had suffered and been around, and she was great
at getting on with people. Anyone in need here in Bermuda could come around to
her home and she would help them.”
A man who died
yesterday after sustaining injuries in a fight on Front Street at the weekend
has been named by police as Dejon Simmons. Mr Simmons, 30, was assaulted at
about 3.15am on Sunday. He was rushed by ambulance to the King Edward VII
Memorial Hospital, where he remained in critical condition in the intensive care
unit until he died yesterday morning. Chief Inspector Na’imah Astwood said the
Bermuda Police Service extended their condolences to his family and friends. Ms
Astwood said she could not comment on the cause of death. She added: “We are
going to be conducting an autopsy, so we can’t say at this time. An overseas
forensic pathologist is currently in Bermuda and will perform an autopsy.” She
added that a 25-year-old arrested in connection with the incident had been
released on police bail before Mr Simmons’s death and had not been charged.
“At that time we were unsure of how his injuries would play out. However, I
would like to mention that he has been on police bail and he has got an
electronic monitoring device so we are aware of his movements. I don’t want to
say what we are going to do but it is important that we have focus and direction
when we deal with investigations and we have all information at our hands before
we make decisions when it comes to charge approval, which ultimately lies with
the Department of Public Prosecutions.” Ms Astwood called on witnesses with
any footage or photographs of the incident, which took place near the
Cosmopolitan nightclub on Front Street to contact police or the Crimestoppers
hotline. She said: “We know that there were copious amounts of people in the
area at the time and we also know that typically in these types of situations
people often bring out their phones to take footage and to take images.”
A bank that has
allegedly lost more than $4,000 of a customer’s money has told him it will
take six to eight weeks to investigate where it went. Cleon Scotland, the
former St George’s Cup Match and Bermuda cricketer, said he was still without
his funds more than two weeks after a wire transfer from his HSBC Bermuda
account to his British HSBC account went awry. Mr Scotland described the
bank’s customer service as “unbelievable” after it initially told him it
would charge him $50 to recall the funds or launch an inquiry into the missing
money. The fee was eventually waived after a call to him from an HSBC
representative in Toronto, but he is still without his $4,175 and in the dark
about where his money has gone. HSBC Bermuda refused to comment on the case
yesterday because of customer confidentiality. It would not be drawn on why Mr
Scotland was initially asked to pay the $50 fee or why the inquiry was expected
to take so long. Mr Scotland told The Royal Gazette: “It’s like a
joke. The incompetence of HSBC is mind-blowing. It has been 17 days now and I am
still without my money. It’s just morally wrong.” The former cricket
commentator, who moved to Britain with his family four years ago and lives in
South London, initiated the wire transfer online on March 5. He regularly
transfers money between his HSBC account in Bermuda and his account in the UK,
using a saved transfer template and simply changing the amounts each time. The
transfer was accepted and a confirmation advice appeared on the screen, showing
his name and his British account number in the beneficiary fields. Mr Scotland
shared a screen grab of the confirmation, including the transaction reference
number. His money never appeared in his British account, so he complained via
the online HSBC Bermuda mail platform. He said he received two responses
explaining that if he wanted the bank to look into where the funds had gone, he
would have to pay a $50 fee. The call from HSBC in Toronto came after he
complained about the fee. “The lack of customer service is unbelievable,” he
said. “I received one call and that originated from Canada on Friday. That’s
when she [the representative] told me she would waive the $50. I wasn’t even
told how long it would take. It was only when I asked that I was told six to
eight weeks. She got an earful from me. The transfer was on March 5 and I have
got to wait six to eight weeks? It’s going to be May." On Sunday, an HSBC
customer service representative told Mr Scotland via e-mail: “We are sorry you
have yet to receive a response. We have escalated this further to advise to
treat this enquiry in urgency. We appreciate your patience and understanding.”
Yesterday afternoon, Mr Scotland said there was still no sign of the missing
money and no further word from the bank on its inquiry. Further messages from
him on the bank’s online platform and tweets to @HSBC_BDA had failed to prompt
a response. An HSBC spokeswoman said: “HSBC takes the issue of customer
confidentiality very seriously and as such is not able to discuss any matters
with respect to customers or purported customers. With respect to investigations
relating to wire transfers, from time to time fees will apply where additional
work is required. If in the course of an investigation we determine there was
bank error, we would not charge a customer for the research.”
A woman has blasted
the courts for a “catastrophic” failure to clamp down on the owner of a
dangerous dog. Amy Ponnampalam’s dachshund, Annie, was mauled to death in
2014 by a dog owned by the same family whose boxer killed Cole Simons’s King
Charles spaniel last week. Ms Ponnampalam said: “I am so incredibly sorry for
what the Simons family are going through, and it is tragic that this has been
allowed to happen a second time. “The failure of the DPP [Department of Public
Prosecutions] and courts in protecting the public interest has been absolutely
catastrophic in this case and the consequences will now be felt by another
bereft family for many years. I just hope that this time a fitting penalty is
issued so as to put an end to this degree of negligent dog ownership such that
this will never happen again.” Ms Ponnampalam’s comments came after
Simons’s 12-year-old spaniel, Venus, was killed in the attack last week. Mr
Simons, a One Bermuda Alliance MP, found the family pet dead in his backyard,
with blood visible and evidence of another dog in the area. Neighbours told The
Royal Gazette that the offending dog was owned by John Tomlinson, who lives
near by. His wife, Sarah Tomlinson, later confirmed that the dog was Mr
Tomlinson’s and had been put down. Ms Ponnampalam said she believed the same
dog that killed her dachshund and critically injured her other dog was
responsible. She said: “I spent three years pursuing a criminal case against
Mr Tomlinson following the attack on my two dogs in which one was killed;
charges which Mr Tomlinson pleaded guilty to yet was astonishingly allowed to
walk free by the courts last year.” Mr Tomlinson maintained not guilty pleas
to the charges relating to the fatal dog attack for more than two years and over
several hearings but changed his plea on the day he was to stand trial.
Magistrate Archibald Warner imposed an absolute discharge allowing Mr Tomlinson
to walk free from court and imposed no sanctions on the dog responsible for the
attack. Larry Mussenden, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said: “The
DPP’s office will not comment on a matter that may be under investigation.”
Mr Tomlinson could not be reached for comment.
Inmates have produced
items for the Ag Show. It came after exhibition director Antwon Albuoy
donated tools to Westgate Correctional Facility for its vocational workshop
programme. National security minister Wayne Caines said: “The Department of
Corrections is pleased to accept this kind donation which has come about as a
result of a positive private-public partnership. We are pleased that the
Department of Corrections can do its small part in ensuring that the 2018 Ag
Show is a success.”
A motorcyclist was
taken to hospital today after a crash involving a van and a car. The
incident happened on North Shore Road, Pembroke, near to the First Church of
God, at about noon. The van appeared to have struck the wall. At 12.30pm, the
road was blocked with diversions in place.
Government reallocated
$2.5 million to bolster four ministries in the 2017-18 financial year. The
funds moved were already appropriated so do not constitute an overspend. The
Ministry of Education received the biggest supplementary injection of $1 million
which went towards the operational grant to the Berkeley Institute. David Burt,
the Premier, said the government would spend less than originally allocated in
the budget, despite the move. The cash transfers were detailed in supplementary
estimates passed in the House of Assembly last week. Wayne Furbert, junior
finance minister, said funding by the former One Bermuda Alliance government was
“insufficient”. The extra funds bring the total contribution to Berkeley to
$13,240,000, which makes up 95 per cent of the school’s costs. Cole Simons,
shadow education minister, attempted to make a comparison with the spending
private schools require per pupil, but was shouted down. He also called on the
Government to demand more transparency on day-to-day spending. Mr Burt said it
was “rich” for Mr Simons to ask for transparency when his government had not
addressed the situation. He added that after the Progressive Labour Party won
last year’s election, a meeting was held with the Berkeley board of governors
to ask for more openness. About $400,000 went on cleaning up materials at the
airport finger, designated as the site of a solar farm, to make it more
attractive to bidders and $657,746 extra went on redundancy payments to
employees at the tourism and transport HQ. An extra 500,000 was spent on the
Bermuda Infrastructure Fund. The Supplementary Estimate No. 2 for Financial Year
2017-18 was passed in the House with no objections. Government overspent by $4.3
million in the financial year 2016-2017 largely because of a legal settlement to
a police officer exposed to toxic mould. A court awarded damages of $5.4 million
to Emmerson Donald after mould at Somerset and Hamilton police stations caused
chronic health problems. The extra funds, which came out of the budget for the
Ministry of Public Works, was $4,230,840 according to supplementary estimates
passed in the House of Assembly on Friday. An extra $71,000 was spent from the
Department of Tourism Development and Transport HQ’s budget for a Corporation
of St George grant, which brought the total overspend for the financial period
to $4,302,839.
Britain would have to
apply for regulatory equivalence — just as Bermuda has already successfully
managed — in order for its insurers to access European Union markets on a
level playing field with continental competitors, under the EU’s latest draft
Brexit proposal. Many insurers have already conceded that the UK would lose
“passporting” rights for financial services that enable Britain’s banks
and insurers to serve clients across the EU. But bodies representing them are
pushing for a system of mutual recognition as they want a set of rules that is
more durable and not subject to unilateral withdrawal. The EU will consider
offering the UK “improved equivalence” for its financial services, according
to the latest draft of the bloc’s negotiating position, obtained by wire news
services Bloomberg and Reuters. Under equivalence, the EU will only let UK
financial services firms access its market for as long as it considers British
rules to be equivalent to the bloc’s. Bloomberg reported yesterday that the
use of the word “improved” in the draft is intentionally vague, according to
an EU official who declined to be named. “Regarding financial services, the
aim should be reviewed and improved equivalence mechanisms, allowing appropriate
access to financial services markets, while preserving financial stability, the
integrity of the single market and the autonomy of decision making in the
European Union,” the draft reads. “Equivalence mechanisms and decisions
remain defined and implemented on a unilateral basis by the European Union.”
Britain’s impending departure from the EU was triggered by a referendum in
June 2016. Many Bermudian-based insurance groups have operations in London whose
ability to access European markets could be jeopardized by Brexit. Most have not
waited for the outcome of the complex negotiations to ensure they have a
European hub to continue to service EU clients, whatever happens.
Bermudian-headquartered Hiscox, for example, is setting up a base in Luxembourg
and XL Group has opted for Ireland. Sian Hill, a partner and Brexit insurance
lead with KPMG in the UK, said in an interview with The Royal Gazette last
November that Bermudian-based groups had an added option, thanks to the
island’s third-country equivalency with the EU’s Solvency II insurance
regulations. “It might be possible for some Bermuda-based groups to write
European business directly from Bermuda in the future, because the licences
already exist, even if they don’t do that currently,” Ms Hill said.
“It’s hard to say how that’s going to pan out, but Bermuda is a recognized
Solvency II-equivalent jurisdiction, which means that the Bermuda Monetary
Authority is regarded as a good group supervisor.” Bermuda won third-country
equivalence two years ago, the culmination of a six-year effort led by the BMA,
the island’s financial services regulator. Ms Hill added: “It’s not yet
clear whether the UK would be recognized as an equivalent jurisdiction. It’s
something that would have to be granted by the EU, as opposed to being
automatic.” Ms Hill added that Brexit would also have repercussions for groups
with an EU platform outside Britain looking to write business in the UK. A
Bermuda-based firm writing EU business out of Ireland, for example, may also
have a UK branch, but Ms Hill said an extra step may be needed in future. “The
current expectation is that they would need to get that UK branch separately authorized
in the UK,” she said. “So you wouldn’t necessarily need to change your
legal structure, but you would need to have a locally regulated branch.”
Bermuda’s shipwrecks
are to be featured on American television this week. PBS News Hour's art and
culture segment will highlight The Bermuda 100 Challenge — a joint project
between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Marine Heritage
Section, Look Bermuda and University of California San Diego’s Cultural
Heritage Engineering Initiative. Local project leader Philippe Rouja, the
Custodian of Historic Wrecks, said: “The aim of the Bermuda 100 project is to
document 100 or more historic shipwrecks and distinct natural habitats in the
waters surrounding Bermuda in order to enhance conservation efforts and open the
sites to both real and ‘virtual’ tourism from interested students,
researchers and travelers from around the world. “Local divers, scientists and
archaeologists are teaming with students and faculty from University of
California San Diego’s Cultural Heritage Engineering Initiative to document
and disseminate digital reconstructions of shipwreck sites and marine
conservation areas using modern technologies to collect, process, analyze, visualize
and disseminate 3D data and visualizations from known shipwrecks and still to be
located remains.” Dr Rouja added: “PBS News Hour has an average 1.1 million
viewers nightly and therefore this filming presents an incredible opportunity
for Bermuda to showcase this work to the world.” Jeffery Brown, PBS
NewsHour’s senior correspondent and chief arts correspondent, spent two days
in San Diego with lead professor Falko Kuester at the California Institute for
Telecommunications and Information Technology Virtual Engineering Labs and three
days in Bermuda in February with Dr Rouja. A government spokeswoman said: “Mr
Brown was able to view the shipwrecks and artifacts in super resolution via
virtual reality in San Diego and then experience them in person in Bermuda,
demonstrating the promise of this new and developing technology.” PBS NewsHour
can be seen on Cable Vision channel 5 and online at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/video.
For more information on the project, visit http://bermuda100.ucsd.edu/.
More than half a
million dollars was spent on salaries for permanent and contract staff at the
failed sports centre Sandys 360 in its final year of operation, the organization's
unaudited financial statement has revealed. The centre paid $404,928 in
wages to permanent employees, including “benefit expenses”, plus $111,968 to
non-permanent workers. The figures were detailed in documents
filed by Sandys 360 chairman Stanley Lee with the Registry-General in August
2016 and were the centre’s biggest expense. Its next biggest outlay was for
electricity — $111,705 between January 31 and December 31, 2013. The news came
as senators are expected to agree on Friday to a government scheme to bail out
the trustees of Sandys Secondary Middle School and buy the centre with $1
million of public money. The buyout bid was set up despite no plan being tabled
in Parliament for how much it will cost to run the centre in the future.
Taxpayers have already forked out at least $5.3 million on Sandys 360, according
to limited
disclosures made under public access to information. The trustees still owe
an unknown amount in unpaid land taxes, payroll taxes and social insurance, and
have yet to return an $807,000 government grant made by mistake. The financial
statements at the Registry-General cover the “closing period” of Sandys 360,
up to June 30, 2014. The centre on Broome Street was open from 2009 to October
2013, when it closed its doors because it was unable to afford its high
operational costs. In a letter accompanying the paperwork, Mr Lee said Sandys
360 paid rent to the trustees of Sandys Secondary Middle School, who held the
$9.5 million mortgage on the property. He added a downturn in the economy in
2011 led to “declining income” and an inability to pay the rent “which in
turn affected trustees’ ability to meet their mortgage requirements”. Mr Lee
said the charity accepted $2 million from the Government in April 2013, the
first installment of a promised $6 million grant to “assist the trustees with
their commitment”. He wrote: “During the ensuing year, because of low income
and high overhead, Sandys 360 was also challenged in meeting its obligations.
Belco had no choice but to shut off power to Sandys 360 because of inability in
paying its bills”. The letter detailed how another $500,000 was given to
Sandys 360 by the Government in December 2013, with the condition that it agreed
to an independent business review by the professional services firm KPMG. Mr Lee
wrote: “An early review of our status provided the obvious — we were
insolvent.” Successive governments have failed to make the KPMG report public
and the Information Commissioner, Gitanjali Gutierrez, is reviewing whether it
should be released. Sandys 360 had $1.3 million in liabilities by June 2014,
including more than $260,000 owed in staff wages, the financial statement
showed. Mr Lee and Sandys 360 managing director Melvyn Bassett, both trustees of
Sandys Secondary Middle School, have declined to answer questions from The
Royal Gazette. The Ministry of Public Works, which is spearheading the
purchase of Sandys 360, has stonewalled repeated questions on the centre. The
Royal Gazette asked for the total amount of public funds spent on Sandys 360
to date and for the release of the KPMG report last month. A government
spokeswoman said: “It is unlikely the ministry will offer comment.” She
later added that was because “it has yet to be debated in the House of
Assembly”. The purchase was debated and approved by MPs on March 2, but there
has still been no response from the ministry. A Belco spokeswoman said:
“Electricity service to Sandys 360 was disconnected in October 2013; however,
we cannot disclose information on individual customer accounts based on
Belco’s confidentiality policy.”
The American coauthor of a new
book on the military defences of Bermuda from 1612 to 1995 is to give a lecture
at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute tomorrow. Terry McGovern,
who helped develop the National Museum of Bermuda, had his interest sparked in
the island’s fortifications when he first visited the island in 1970. He has
co-written the book Defences of Bermuda, 1612-1995 with the museum’s
former executive director Ed Harris. Mr McGovern said the defensive works were
“some of the best in the world”. His lecture, The Coastal Defences of the
Western Atlantic during World War Two, will focus on the British, Canadian and
American efforts to build and man coastal defences during 1939 to 1945. He said
there will be a special focus on the defence line running from Newfoundland to
Puerto Rico, with an emphasis on Bermuda as the war effort transformed the
island. The defences were constructed to deal with German surface warships and
U-boats in the Battle for the Atlantic. Mr McGovern shares an interest in
military fortifications with Mr Harris, who he met in 1989 while organising a
tour in Bermuda. Mr McGovern said: “I have been studying modern
fortifications, especially American defences, since the 1980s, as a hobby. As
well as publishing and editing over a dozen books and journals, I have tended to
focus on American defences located outside the continental USA.” He has
studied defence networks in Panama, the Philippines, Newfoundland, Hawaii, and
Bermuda. During Mr McGovern’s time in Bermuda, he worked with Mr Harris and
then Curator of Forts Lance Furbert, who arranged for him to visit 90 forts and
batteries. Mr McGovern said: “It is through this tour that I became more
involved in studying Bermuda’s defences, including researching Bermuda’s
American Second World War and cold-war installations in the National Archives in
Washington DC.” Over the next ten years, Mr McGovern visited the island
several times to assist Mr Harris in researching Bermuda’s fortifications and
helped in the development of the National Museum of Bermuda. Mr McGovern said:
“I believed that a short, economical book on Bermuda’s defences would be of
value and help raise local interest in the preservation and interpretation of
these historical sites. I was able to convince Edward Harris to assist me in
creating this book and, more importantly, convince the publishers, Osprey, to
agree to add this title to the fortress series. I hope that both Bermudians and
tourists can use this book to explore these unique defences that provided the
primary economic well-being for the island from the 1790s to the 1990s. By
learning and visiting these sites, I believe that Bermudians will embrace the
200 years of their military heritage.” Mr McGovern will also visit some island
fortifications to confirm what defences were built and where, compare with
records in the archives and check the physical conditions of the structures. The
lecture at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute starts at 7.30pm and
costs $20 for members, $25 for non-members and $10 for students.
The residential area
where an American university rugby player was last captured on CCTV is more than
a mile from the bar where he had enjoyed a night out with friends. Mark
Dombroski was filmed by a CCTV camera on Alexandra Road, Devonshire, at 1.30am
on Sunday. It is the last known image of the 19-year-old Pennsylvania student,
who was in Bermuda for a rugby tournament as part of his university team.
Alexandra Road lies past the eastern boundary of the Arboretum and is accessible
to vehicles only from Fort Hill Road, off Middle Road. A handful of buildings on
the west side of the road back on to the dry moat where Mr Dombroski’s body
was found on Monday afternoon. Chain-link fencing could be seen yesterday along
the rear of some buildings that back on to the moat. Viewed from Fort Prospect
on the opposite side of the moat, police tape was visible across a stretch where
the fencing appeared to end. Superintendent Sean Field-Lament would not comment
yesterday on where Mr Dombroski’s body had been discovered in relation to the
fencing. Mr Field-Lament said: “Obviously that forms part of the
investigation. The facts will come out in the wash.”
Pirates of Bermuda
lived up to their tough reputation after they braved blustery conditions for
charity. More than $133,000 was raised for the Bermuda Sloop Foundation’s
education and character development programme on board its training ship the Spirit
of Bermuda. Pirates in full regalia seized their hostages and the public had
to commit to payment of a ransom to have them saved or sunk. Unfortunate
hostages were plunged into the frigid waters of Albuoy’s Point. One pirate
dressed as Napoleon Bonaparte ‘arrested’ John Rankin, the Governor, roped
him up and made sure he met a watery fate at the weekend. David Goodwin, chair
of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, said: “We were very happy that the event went
off despite the rain. We are delighted that so many people came and
participated. We are very thankful to the hostages who were going to get wet
anyway. A significant amount of money was raised and will go towards supporting
our youth development training.” Mr Goodwin added: “We are excited that the
event continues to grow from strength to strength.”
A man sentenced
to 25 years in jail had his conviction overturned yesterday. Trevone Saltus
was convicted in May last year of the murder of Lorenzo Stovell in Sandys in
2012. Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves sentenced Saltus to life with a minimum term
of 25 years. The Court of Appeal yesterday ordered that Saltus, 29, should be
retried. Saltus was remanded in custody pending a new trial date.
A grant paid to two
healthcare clinics in the wake of cuts in fees for MRI and CT medical scans was
funded through a vacant post, the Senate heard yesterday. Progressive Labour
Party senator Crystal Caesar said no extra money was paid to the health ministry
to fund the $778,000 payment to the Brown-Darrell Clinic and Bermuda Healthcare
Services. She said: “No projects were put on hold in order to give this grant
and the funding was from a vacant post, so the money was found within the health
budget elsewhere. I think we are trying to make a narrative which is not
correct. It’s not that these are additional monies that could have gone
somewhere else. These monies had been budgeted. They were moved from one area
that would not have been used otherwise to rectify this particular situation.”
Ms Caesar was not able to say which post the funds came from. She was speaking
after One Bermuda Alliance senators Andrew Simons and Justin Matthias raised
questions about the grant during the Budget debate on health. Mr Simons said:
“That number of $778,000 is larger than all of the other grants except for the
grant to the Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association. It is an enormous amount of
money to have been doled out.” He added: “Surely, $778,000 could have been
spent on nurses, dentists, technical officers — there is a cost to that grant
in services that were not rendered to enhance public health.” Ms Caesar
defended the Government’s decision and pointed out that $1.8 million was paid
to Bermuda Hospitals Board, which was also affected by the fee cuts. “The fact
of the matter is that both of these entities, the hospital and the Brown-Darrell
Clinic provide a very essential service for the Bermuda community as a whole. Because
the fees in a particular area were decreased, which did not make either entity
viable in those particular areas, a grant was determined and given, not through
a supplemental, to these entities so that they could continue to service the
Bermuda community.” She added: “The $778,000 is for June 1 to March 31 of
2018. There was no supplementary required for this.” The Government was asked
yesterday what post the cash came from, but there was no reply by the time of
press. Ms Caesar added that a $100,000 allocation in the grants for the fiscal
year 2018/19 was a “place holder” that had not been earmarked for the
Brown-Darrell Clinic. The Bermuda Health Council reduced the fees that could be
charged for MRI and CT scans last year. Ewart Brown, the former premier and
owner of the Brown-Darrell Clinic, said the cuts left the business unsustainable
and the CT unit was shut on January 31. Ms Caesar also announced that new health
insurance rates and medical fees would not be ready by April 1 and would instead
be implemented by June 1. She said: “This is due to the long-needed conversion
of the BHB fees to a rational methodology to standardize fee levels at an
internationally accepted standard, based on the relative value of procedures. We
are undertaking this initiative as we speak.” Ms Caesar added: “I can advise
at this time, however, that while the impact of the new relative value unit or
RVU fee structure, will be revenue neutral for BHB, we anticipate an increase to
the standard premium rate due to continued increases in utilization of hospital
services.” Mr Simons said: “That really undermines the argument that was
used earlier this year that we should have used that methodology, if it’s not
ready now.”
Specialists with a
track record of tackling failures in mathematics, English and science were taken
off the job, according to the Bermuda Union of Teachers. Secretary General
Mike Charles said teachers were “flabbergasted” that the education ministry
removed content specialists when they were beginning to make progress in areas
in which pupils in the public sector have struggled. Mr Charles was speaking
after Cambridge curriculum assessors highlighted poor practices in Bermuda’s
schools amid concern over examination results. Mr Charles told The Royal
Gazette the specialists were put in place more than three years ago and that
the concept was supported by former education commissioner Freddie Evans and
former acting commissioner Lou Matthews. Mr Charles said they were removed at
the start of this school year. He added: “These people were making significant
progress in these areas. They had identified the challenges and they were making
significant progress with teachers and students. However, those people no longer
exist in the ministry. They disappeared at the end of the last school year. They
were doing a fantastic job. There weren’t enough of them, but they were
beginning to see progress. These people were underground, going from school to
school every day. We have no one working with teachers, working with students.
Teachers were flabbergasted that these positions were being cut out.” The
Cambridge experts were brought to the island after poor results in checkpoint
exams last April. In maths, the Bermuda P6 national average score was 2.4,
compared with the international average of 3.8. The Bermuda M3 average was 2.1
compared with 4.2 internationally. English and science were also cause for
concern. Mr Charles argued the results were not a fair comparison because they
pitched Bermuda’s public schoolchildren against elite private schoolchildren
in Britain. He said: “We are really comparing apples and oranges. He added
assessments over many years, including the Hopkins Report in 2008, had shown
failures in the system. Mr Charles said: “Most of the stuff they identified,
we already knew.” Recommendations from the Cambridge assessors included an
increased pace of learning, ensuring pupils complete more work, and encouraging
teachers to do less and engage pupils more in talking, thinking and reflecting.
The education ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The owner of the bar
where Mark Dombroski was last seen alive said the teenager was not drunk when he
left. Frank Arnold, owner of the Dog House bar on Front Street, said: “He
was not sober, but he was not intoxicated. “That’s why we allowed him to
come back and forth. He was trying to co-ordinate his friends to get going back
to the barracks where they were staying.” Dombroski, 19, from Pennsylvania,
was found dead yesterday afternoon at Fort Prospect in Devonshire, close to
police headquarters. Mr Arnold was speaking before the grim discovery was made.
The St Joseph’s University student was in Bermuda to take part in the Ariel Re
Bermuda International Sevens rugby tournament. He was last seen at the Dog House
at about midnight on Saturday and caught on CCTV a little more than an hour
later on Middle Road. Mr Dombroski was reported missing by his family later on
Sunday morning after he failed to return to Warwick Camp, where he was staying
with team-mates. Mr Arnold said that he had a “personal interaction” with Mr
Dombroski shortly before he left. He explained: “He was going in and out of
the bar with his friends. Some were inside, some were outside.” Mr Arnold said
he and another manager spoke to Mr Dombroski. He added: “He was fine. He was
not incoherent in any way.” Mr Arnold said that Mr Dombroski had not been seen
drinking inside the bar and that he was with his friends the entire time. Mr
Arnold added: “He wasn’t talking to anyone else.” He said that Mr
Dombroski’s parents had been to the bar on Sunday to look through hours of
CCTV footage. Mr Arnold said: “He did look agitated in the video that we saw,
but we figured from the interaction it would seem like he was agitated because
he wanted to go back to the barracks — not because he was angry with anybody.
There were no altercations.” Mr Arnold added that he expected detectives to
record the bar’s CCTV footage from Saturday night. He explained: “We have
multiple cameras throughout inside and outside.” Mr Arnold confirmed that
photos of Mr Dombroski seen on social media were captured by the bar’s CCTV
system. He added: “Those photographs were taken maybe two minutes before he
was last seen.” Mr Arnold said that he had contacted other Front Street bar
owners to see if they had additional information about the missing man but had
no success.
A missing American
teenager was found dead at the bottom of a “significant drop”, police
revealed yesterday. However, Superintendent Sean Field-Lament dismissed
claims that 19-year-old university rugby player Mark Dombroski had been tied up.
Mr Field-Lament said: “Contrary to some social-media posts, Mark’s body was
not bound.” He said social media was a “double-edged sword” in police
investigations. Mr Field-Lament explained: “It can be a tool that assists us,
and it certainly assisted us in the early stage of this investigation, but what
can happen is that untruths are spread.” Mr Field-Lament added that Mr
Dombroski’s wallet and mobile phone were found with him, but he declined to
rule out foul play. Mr Field-Lament said: “We have an open mind. Nothing has
been ruled out. We work on facts and we are waiting for the forensic
pathologist, the highest level of pathologist that we can get, to give insight
on injuries that Mark has.” The overseas pathologist is due to arrive in
Bermuda today. Mr Field-Lament also confirmed that the Federal Bureau of
Investigation had joined the inquiry. He said the island’s police service were
in touch with the US law enforcement agency “very early on” in the
investigation. He said: “They reached out to us and that’s part of the
protocols that we have in place with US citizens.” Mr Field-Lament said FBI
agents were expected to “provide reassurance to the family”. Mr Dombroski,
from Pennsylvania, was captured on CCTV as he walked alone on Alexandra Road,
Devonshire, at 1.30am on Sunday. His body was discovered in the dry moat at
nearby Fort Prospect at about 4pm on Monday. Mr Field-Lament said police
believed Mr Dombroski ended up in the area after going for a walk. He added:
“I understand that he had gone for a walk the night before around the Warwick
Camp area, but we really just don’t know why he was walking up there. To say
anything otherwise would be speculative.” Mr Field-Lament said he could not
speculate if Mr Dombroski had intended to meet anyone. He added: “If people
have that information, the onus is on them to phone us.” A CCTV image of Mr
Dombroski just after 1am on Front Street appeared to show him making a telephone
call on his mobile phone. Mr Field-Lament also declined to say if they had
traced anyone he may have spoken to. “We are not going to release something
like that at this stage of the investigation. We’re trying to determine what
took place.” He said that detectives were keen to speak to residents in the
Alexandra Road area who “may have heard or seen anything” between 1am on
Sunday and 4pm on Monday. Mr Dombroski was last seen by friends at the Dog House
bar on Hamilton’s Front Street just after midnight on Saturday. It was
revealed yesterday that he was spotted on CCTV at the east end of Front Street
at about 1am and ten minutes later on Middle Road, Devonshire. Mr Dombroski was
in Bermuda with a team from St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia to play in
the Ariel Re Bermuda International Sevens tournament over the weekend. St
Joseph’s University Rugby posted on Facebook: “Terribly saddened by the loss
of our team-mate Mark Dombroski who was our friend, our team-mate, and our
brother. A true champion of the game. Our sincere condolences to the Dombroski
family and friends. A huge thanks to the many people of Bermuda for all their
help and support over the past couple of days. RIP #7.” The Philadelphia
Inquirer reported several hundred St Joseph’s students and staff learnt of Mr
Dombroski’s death at a vigil in the university’s chapel. Mary Brown, a Latin
professor, said: “There’s deep grief. Everyone’s very, very shaken by the
loss.”
A missing American
teenager was found dead yesterday. Mark Dombroski, 19, was found at Fort
Prospect, Devonshire, yesterday afternoon, a day and a half after he disappeared
in the wake of a night out in Hamilton with friends. Acting Assistant
Commissioner of Police James Howard said yesterday: “Foul play is not ruled
out.” Mr Howard added that an update on the inquiry into the circumstances of
the Pennsylvania student’s death would be issued today. He said: “The
Bermuda Police Service extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and
friends, and to the community.” Mr Howard said Mr Dombroski’s body was found
in the moat at Fort Prospect, near police headquarters. He added that the area
had been cordoned off and that investigators were examining the scene. “We
expect an autopsy to be carried out in due course.” Mr Howard declined to say
who found the body. He added: “I’d rather not say that at this particular
time, other than there were police officers there.” A police spokesman
confirmed that members of Mr Dombroski’s family and members of the Royal
Bermuda Regiment were part of the search team that made the grim find. Police
said earlier yesterday that Mr Dombroski had been captured on CCTV and appeared
to be using a mobile phone. Mr Howard said yesterday that details of the call
were not available “at this time”. Confirmation of Mr Dombroski’s death
came just hours after his mother, Lisa, made a heartfelt plea for the safe
return of her son. Mrs Dombroski told a press conference: “We deeply love our
son, we cherish our son. We love him dearly and want him back.” Mr Dombroski,
on the island for the Ariel Re Bermuda International Sevens tournament as part
of a team from St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, was last seen at the
Dog House bar on Front Street shortly after midnight on Saturday. He was spotted
on CCTV on East Broadway at about 1am and ten minutes later on Middle Road in
Devonshire. The Bermuda Police Service and the Royal Bermuda Regiment announced
yesterday afternoon that they would carry out a search in the area for Mr
Dombroski. Mrs Dombroski thanked Bermuda residents for their “shoulder to
shoulder” support at the press conference held just hours before her son’s
body was found. She added: “They’re helping us, they are with us.” Mrs
Dombroski said that Monday was the feast day of St Joseph. She explained: “My
son is a freshman at St Joseph’s University. It would be a wonderful thing if
on St Joseph’s feast day, God please would reunite us with our wonderful
son.” Mrs Dombroski was joined at the press conference by Mr Dombroski’s
father John, and brothers John and Kevin. Police said at the conference that Mr
Dombroski was filmed by a CCTV camera on Middle Road, near Shelton Road. He was
headed east — the opposite direction from where he was staying at Warwick
Camp. Officers also carried out searches in the Crow Lane and East Broadway
areas, while police from the marine unit scoured Hamilton Harbour. Mr Howard
said police were also conducting an “extensive review” of the island’s
CCTV network. Mr Dombroski was reported missing by his worried family early on
Sunday morning. He had been due to leave the island with his parents later that
day. Local rugby clubs launched a search of the Railway Trail and other areas
for Mr Dombroski. Mr Howard thanked members of the public for their efforts and
interest. Pictures showing Mr Dombroski in Hamilton on Saturday night had
circulated on social media. David Burt, the Premier, described the news
yesterday afternoon as the “saddest possible outcome”. Mr Burt added: “I
know that I speak for all of Bermuda in expressing our heartfelt condolences to
the Dombroski family at such a devastating loss. This young man was full of
promise and this tragic end to his life will be mourned by his team-mates and
friends in Pennsylvania. In the difficult days ahead, my hope is that his family
will draw strength from the memories of his life and comfort in knowing that the
people of Bermuda continue to extend their thoughts and prayers across the
seas.” Opposition leader Jeanne Atherden said: “The Bermuda community has
been greatly impacted by the number of tragic losses of life over the past few
days. The One Bermuda Alliance, like the rest of the community, are extremely
saddened by these unimaginable losses of life and would like to send our
heartfelt condolences to the families of these loved ones and all of those who
have been touched by these tragedies. We would like to also acknowledge with
appreciation those persons who worked tirelessly to respond to these
situations.” Anyone with photos, videos or any other information that could
assist the inquiry should contact police.
The final cost of
legal action against the US-based Lahey Clinic will top $1 million, the
Attorney-General said last week. Kathy Lynn Simmons added that the Bill
stood at just under $999,000, but about $100,000 in legal bills to the overseas
law firm hired by the Government to act in the case had yet to be settled.
Michael Scott, a former Progressive Labour Party attorney-general, told the
House of Assembly last week that the bill was “bound” to reach $4 million.
Ms Simmons said yesterday that costs would have risen to between $3 million and
$4.5 million if the matter had gone to a full hearing. She added: “However,
the matter did not proceed to full hearing as the case was dismissed.
Notwithstanding the dismissal, the cost to date of the litigation was still
substantial at $998,883.” Earlier this month, American federal Judge Indira
Talwani threw out the case that alleged Lahey conspired with Ewart Brown, a
former premier and a doctor, to defraud the island of millions of dollars in
healthcare charges. Judge Talwani said the case could not be considered because
Bermuda had suffered no loss in the US. But she added: “It may well be that
Bermuda’s allegations as to Lahey’s commission of various predicate acts
would suffice for criminal charges ... or civil enforcement proceedings brought
by the Attorney-General. However, the focus of this motion is whether Bermuda,
as a private party, may bring these charges.” Ms Simmons said the case was
part of the Government’s asset recovery programme, but that “Government is
yet to recover any assets from this scheme”. Ms Simmons has said the case
against Lahey will not be pursued.
Salaries paid to
members of the legislature are to remain unchanged, Parliament heard on Friday.
David Burt, the Premier, told MPs that the board appointed to review salaries
every two years had not met since 2011. Mr Burt said a new set of ex parte
members, drawing on the professional expertise of the community, had been
appointed, and that he looked forward to seeing its report as required by law.
Annual salaries include $30,367 a year for senators, while MPs are paid $56,023.
A government Bill was
passed in the House of Assembly on Friday night despite a drafting blunder that
had technical officers and members of the legislature scrambling to clarify.
Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health and spokeswoman for legal affairs, was
attempting to pass the Proceeds of Crime (Miscellaneous) Act 2018, which sets
out the island’s compliance with international financial reporting
requirements, when the confusion ensued. The Bill addresses Financial Action
Task Force and Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines for
transparency. Bermuda’s submission on this is due this week and is dependent
on the Bill passing. Friday’s House session was the last sitting before April
13. Ms Wilson admitted that some of the amendments had been finalized just that
morning, while pieces of paper were being handed to the minister so she could
complete her reading of the Bill. Deputy Opposition leader Leah Scott rose on
numerous occasions to say she felt uncomfortable passing a Bill that did not
appear to be fully prepared. Shadow Minister of Economic Development Grant
Gibbons said: “This is remarkably indulgent. In the 20 years I have been
coming to the House, I have never seen insertions for Companies Act amendments
when there is no reference to the Companies Act in the Bill.” At one point it
was even suggested that the House be forced to resit today in order for the Bill
to be properly dealt with but eventually it was worked through and passed with
no objections. It is still subject to Senate approval. The Proceeds of Crime
(Miscellaneous) Act 2018 made amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act 1997, the
Trustee Act 1975, the Proceeds of Crime (Anti-Money Laundering and
Anti-Terrorist Financing Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2008, the Proceeds of
Crime (Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing) Regulations 2008 and
Companies Act 1981. Ms Scott raised concerns about trustee obligations. She
raised the point that the average lay person may have difficulties in
understanding the stringent guidelines which could inadvertently put them in
breach of the law. Ms Wilson assured Ms Scott that a lawyer would be responsible
for making clear the laws on trustee obligations. “Some might find it
onerous,” Ms Wilson said, “but it is important to get through the mutual
valuation.”
The Premier has called
for an investigation into former attorney-general Trevor Moniz. David Burt
accused Mr Moniz of an abuse of power over his handling of the Bermuda
Government lawsuit against the US-based Lahey Clinic during Friday’s motion to
adjourn in Parliament. He also claimed that Mr Moniz broke the law by obtaining
information from government departments without a court order. Mr Moniz
repeatedly denied the allegations and accused the Premier of “misleading the
House”. Government MPs continued to demand answers from the Shadow
Attorney-General about the suit, which named Ewart Brown, a former premier and a
doctor, as a co-conspirator with Lahey to defraud the island’s healthcare
system of millions of dollars — a case that was dismissed by a US Federal
judge. Mr Burt said: “The facts are that the former attorney-general abused
his power. He abused his office and I sincerely hope that the members of the
Bermuda Police Service are listening, the members of the DPP that are listening
and the persons in Government House and our newly appointed Deputy Governor will
launch an investigation into the abuse of power of the former
attorney-general.” Mr Burt added: “He obtained government files unlawfully
because he did not obtain a court order before he got access to those government
files in a civil recovery investigation and he mishandled that information
because he did not have any rules by which that information could be held. He
also used the information of which he gained contrary to law because the only
way of which he could have done it was through a civil recovery proceeding and
that would have been here in Bermuda or he could have filed an external one
underneath our mutual legal assistance treaty. But he did not.” It came after
Mr Moniz, who was kicked out of Parliament on March 9 amid a row over files
relating to the lawsuit, gave a personal explanation in which he denied
shredding documents or using documents from a parallel criminal case to support
the civil case. The One Bermuda Alliance MP also dismissed claims that he had
breached the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the US and Bermuda. He
added: “Everything in the Lahey civil complaint was sourced from locally
available evidence owned or maintained by the Government of Bermuda.” But Mr
Burt said: “The only legal method for an attorney-general to obtain government
files in the pursuit of a civil recovery investigation is under section 40 of
the Proceeds of Crime Act. And the former attorney-general did not do that, he
has broken the law.” Mr Burt read a request for information from the former
attorney-general to the Information Technology Office, which he said showed that
Mr Moniz referred to a “transitional clause” that was not in the Proceeds of
Crime Act before he went “on to compel public officers to hand over terabytes
of data without a court order”. Mr Moniz repeatedly denied that he had done
anything unlawful and accused the government MPs of “misdirection”. He said
the MPs who asked him where he got the information should instead be
“concerned with the substance of the allegations”. His comments came after
national security minister Wayne Caines, Government Whip Lawrence Scott, and PLP
backbenchers Michael Scott and Zane DeSilva challenged him to explain where he
got the information used in the case.
Taxi drivers, people
with disabilities and new business owners will benefit from financial relief
after The Payroll Tax Amendment Act 2018 was passed in the House with no
objections. At the same time, payroll tax on notional salaries in
owner-managed businesses is set to be tightened up reaping in an estimated $10
million for the Government. There were congratulations from both sides of the
House with regards to the amendments outlined in the 2018-19 Budget by David
Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance. Notionals are applied to “deemed
employees” receiving an income partly or wholly through sharing the profits of
the business instead of only through salaried remuneration. The Payroll Tax Act
1995 is now to be amended to require them to declare all income received on a
cash basis. The second phase of the payroll-tax increase put forward by the
former One Bermuda Alliance government will not be implemented under the
amendment, while taxi drivers and those with disabilities and their employers
will also receive concessions. There will be a tax relief for lower-income
workers with a break for those earning less than $96,000 a year. Opposition
leader Jeanne Atherden said the measures were “very encouraging”. She made
special mention of how concessions for the disabled will help to boost the local
workforce. Regarding the exception of payroll tax for new entrepreneurs in the
first year of business, Ms Atherden advised that the employee should remain in
the position for that year in order for the exemption to be carried for the
period. Junior Minister of Disability Affairs Tinée Furbert was particularly
pleased with the incentive for those with disabilities. She said that attitudes
needed to change with regard to the value of disabled people in the workplace.
“I’m very excited and thankful for the leadership of the financial team.
There is a very low rate of employability,” she said. She said she wanted to
encourage employers to be comfortable with hiring people with different
abilities. The Premier said that in making the amendments, his party was
fulfilling its promise to “build a better and fairer Bermuda. We are doing the
work that needs to be done."
Business owners were
quick to pitch in as fire swept across Devonshire Marsh on Saturday, looming
precariously close to warehouses and shops. Winds fanned flames across the
reserve and a barrage of embers and sparks kept the fire going despite
firefighting efforts on several fronts. Alarm bells went off early for David
Frith, whose Middle Road home borders the marsh by Brighton Hill. The personal
trainer was one of the first to evacuate his home as flames threatened to engulf
the property. Mr Frith said he heard “nothing” when he drove his wife to the
airport at about 7.30am, then headed to work. By 9am he learnt that flames were
outside his house. “My neighbour was telling me play by play; it was getting
worse and worse.” Mr Frith rushed home and scrambled to get “as much
valuables as I could out of the house” — but his cat took fright and bolted.
Roadside palmettos burst into flames and firefighters rushed to put out
smouldering patches where the fire jumped Middle Road. The fire continued
eastward towards Bermuda Stripping & Refinishing where it became a race
against time to stop it igniting a yard full of wood and flammable materials.
Business owner Anthony Madeiros, who joined his staff in the fight, said it had
been a narrow escape. We just rushed in with forklifts and moved the pallets and
containers of wood,” Mr Madeiros said. “If it gets to the shipping container
with the paint, it’s game over.” Outside Noah’s Ark pet and feed store,
staff trained hoses on to vegetation as flames neared the verge of the business
park. The doors were locked and firefighters went up to the upper levels and
trained their hoses on to the blaze. One said: “This is going to burn all day.
The only good thing I can say is that it happened now, when it’s still green
and we’ve had all that rain. If it was summer, this whole place would have lit
up.” Fires are a common occurrence at the marsh, where forest long ago gave
way to saw grass, fern and cow cane. According to former conservation officer
David Wingate, the “great marsh fire of 1914” was the turning point,
converting it to “a fire climax habitat” accustomed to burns. The Bermuda
Audubon Society owns part of the reserve, and society president Andrew Dobson
said any fire there was cause for concern. “Devonshire Marsh is a hugely
valuable wetland area for the ecosystem services provided,” he said. “The
society has four nature reserves in Devonshire Marsh and the fire burnt much
vegetation in two of them — Freer Cox and Winifred Gibbons nature
reserves.” Bermuda’s highly limited wetlands are “vital” to the island,
Mr Dobson said, with only about 100 acres of peat marsh left. “The marsh will
take time to recover from the fire and recolonisation by wildlife.”
Police have identified
Demarcvjai Williams, 29, and Marco Salema, 34, as the two men killed last Friday
night after their motorcycles collided head-on at about 9.30pm on Marsh Folly
Road. Their deaths mark the second and third road fatalities of 2018. The
Royal Gazette understands that the last time there was a double road
fatality incident was in 1999 when Bermudians Damon Spencer, 19, and Graham
Steede, 20, who were both on the same motorcycle, died in a crash on Spanish
Point Road. According to a police spokesman, Mr Williams was riding a motorcycle
in the eastbound lane while Mr Salema, also on a motorcycle, was traveling in
the opposite direction. Apparently after the two motorcycles collided, one of
them hit a light truck in the westbound lane. Despite life-saving efforts at the
scene, which continued as they were rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital
in separate ambulances, the men were pronounced dead. The light truck driver,
believed to be a 55-year-old Devonshire man, was unhurt. A family liaison
officer has been assigned to assist the two men’s families. All three damaged
vehicles were impounded. Traffic was diverted away from the area for
approximately five hours while police processed the scene. Speaking in the House
of Assembly on Friday, David Burt, the Premier, said: “There are two families
that are mourning. So I would like to extend the condolences on behalf of all honorable
members to the families of the two persons that passed recently in a road
traffic accident. Recognizing the fact that we do have a lot of work to do on
that particular issue, we will be discussing that in our next session.” An
investigation continues and officers are keen to hear from anyone able to assist
in tracing the last two hours of Mr Williams and Mr Salema leading up to the
crash. Any witnesses are urged to contact Constable Derek Simmons on the main
police telephone number, 295-0011.
Seniors and children
will have free entry to the Ag Show for all three days this year. Sponsors
Axis Capital and HSBC have made the gesture to ensure as many people as possible
can enjoy the cultural and agricultural heritage on April 19 to 21. Axis Capital
Chief Operations Officer Richard Strachan said: “The Bermuda Ag Show plays an
important role in the Bermuda community, helping to bring together people from
all over the island to share in its rich cultural and agricultural heritage.”
HSBC Bermuda CEO Mark Watkinson said: “This is a very important event for
Bermuda, showcasing the talents of many of the people in our community and
educating us on the important historical and cultural aspects of the island.
Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to attend and enjoy this important
cultural exhibition, and we at HSBC are pleased to help in making that
happen.” The Exhibition Office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm. For
more details, call 236-4812 or visit www.theagshowbda.com.
A 19-year-old American
visitor, Mark Dombroski, is being sought after going missing on Saturday night
in Hamilton. The teenager, from Pennsylvania, came to the island on a rugby
tour with St Joseph’s University. He is 6ft tall and was last seen at the Dog
House on Front Street at about 1.05am. Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is
asked to contact police on 295-0011.
Tyler Butterfield and Flora
Duffy were crowned Male and Female Athlete of the Year for the fourth straight
year at the Fairmont Southampton as triathlon again took home the top prizes in
the Bermuda Government Sports Awards on Saturday. It was the seventh award
for Duffy, who was the overwhelming favorite after winning the ITU World
Triathlon Series for a second successive year last year as well as the Xterra
World Championship for a fourth time in a row. She was also won the award in
2006, 2007 and 2012. Sailor Paula Lewin is the next most successful female with
five titles between 1996 — the first year there were separate male and female
winners — and 2003. Butterfield has the most wins for a male with six,
followed by jumper Brian Wellman on five. Like Wellman, Butterfield has also now
won five years in a row. Butterfield beat out long jumper Tyrone Smith — a
two-times winner in 2011 and 2012 — and middle-distance runner Shaquille Dill
for the 2017 award. Both Butterfield and Duffy are overseas preparing for the
Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, next month. Also unable to
attend the ceremony was Delray Rawlins, who came away with the Junior Male
Athlete of the Year award, as well as an Achievement Award and the Minister’s
Award. Rawlins is in Barbados for a three game North-South Series at Kensington
Oval. Rawlins, who plays for Sussex, has also been chosen in the Marylebone
Cricket Club’s squad that will face Essex, the English County Championship
First Division champions, in the Champion County Match under floodlights at
Kensington Oval between March 27 and 30. His parents are in Barbados to watch
him play so his sister Kimmisha received his awards on his behalf. “I was told
Del was nominated for one award; I didn’t know I had to come up [on stage]
three times, but I’m thankful,” she joked. “I had to WhatsApp Del and say,
‘Yo, I think this is bigger than we thought’. He told me to thank everyone
once again, the BCB, also the sponsors and everyone who has supported him. He
told me he will continue to do everyone proud and will try his best to get into
Sussex’s first team this season.” Sakari Famous, who will represent Bermuda
at the Carifta Games in Bahamas next month, was named the Junior Female Athlete
of the Year after her outstanding year, which included a bronze medal at Carifta
Games in Curaçao 12 months ago. She was also third at the Youth Commonwealth
Games in Bahamas last summer. “I’m very excited about this award; it’s a
fantastic award,” said the Berkeley student, who will be a freshman at the
University of Georgia in September on a scholarship. “I can’t wait to go to
Carifta and compete in Bahamas again and I’m definitely looking forward to
getting another medal. I’ll be going to the University of Georgia and it’s
going to be so exciting, a new experience for me. Hopefully the coaches will
take me to another level. The future is going to be bright thanks to the support
of Bermuda, my family and my coaches. I’m 18 now and will have one more
[Carifta] next year, but I don’t know if I’ll be competing as I’ll be in
college.” Famous is co-captain of Bermuda’s Carifta team as she goes in
search of a sixth medal. “I’ll definitely carry the team and make sure they
all have the right attitude,” she said. The theme for this year’s Sports
Awards was women in sports, “Victorious: today’s Girls, Tomorrow’s
Future”, with female athletes from the past and present presenting awards
along with junior male and female athletes. The presenters included Olympic
diver Katura Horton-Perinchief, Sonya Smith, whose javelin record in Carifta
Games still stands from 1979, triathlete Karen Smith, former track and field
athletes Latroya Darrell, Allison Outerbridge, Debra Saltus, Takeisha Welch,
Donna Raynor, Mia Black, Nadine Henry, and Dominique Richardson, the Bermuda
netball captain. Also receiving Junior Achievement Awards were Matthew Oliviera
(cycling), Cecilia Wollmann (sailing), Erica Hawley (triathlon), Azhai Smith
(sailing) and triathlete Tyler Smith who, like Hawley, Butterfield and Duffy,
will represent Bermuda in triathlon at the Commonwealth Games. Senior
Achievement Award winners were Tyrone Smith, Rawlins, Wollmann, Dill and
parathlete Jessica Lewis. Appreciation Awards were presented to KPMG for their
sponsorship of the Front Street Mile, Bermuda Dressage Group and the Bank of
Bermuda Foundation for their sponsorship of youth cricket. Special Achievement
Awards went to Anthony Mouchette, a former football referee, Troy Harvey, also
for football, and James Michaelson, a veteran equestrian announcer. Stephen West
(cricket), the Somerset Trojans football team of the 1960s, Somerset cricketer
Joe Bailey and Ashton Thomas, a softball manager for the Devonshire Diamondettes
and the Big Blue Machine, received Citations. Special Recognition Awards went to
the Bermuda under-17 women’s football team and the Bermuda Red Bull sailing
team, which competed in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup on the Great Sound
last year. Other Minister’s Awards went to Brianna Ray for cricket and Danni
Watson and Ian Coke for football. Watson is the captain of the under-17 girls
team, while Coke was last season’s top scorer and MVP as a player for
Boulevard.
A 24-year-old man who
shot himself in the hand by accident with a home-made gun has been jailed for
six years. Shayne James was earlier convicted by a jury of two charges —
handling a firearm and discharging it. Larry Mussenden, the Director of Public
Prosecutions, said that Crown counsel Karen King had requested a six to
eight-year prison sentence, while defence lawyer Elizabeth Christopher asked for
four to six years. Mr Mussenden added that Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves had
taken into account James’s age, character references and reports. Mr Justice
Greaves also considered “that there was a marked difference between the
home-made firearm and manufactured firearms that wreak havoc on the
community”. Mr Mussenden said the sentences of six years on each charge
imposed on Thursday would run concurrently. He added that time spent in custody
would be taken into account. James was remanded in custody in September last
year after a Supreme Court jury found him guilty of the offences, which happened
in August 2016. The court heard that James arrived at King Edward VII Memorial
Hospital at about 1.20pm with a single gunshot wound to his left hand. He
claimed he had been sitting on Fentons Drive in Pembroke when a man approached
him and pointed a gun in his face. Detectives from the Serious Crime Unit
launched an investigation but their findings cast doubt on James’s version of
events. Prosecutors said at the trial that James was evasive when asked about
the incident and unable to provide officers with a description of the alleged
shooter. A police canine unit was sent to the scene after James was questioned
in hospital and officers found a pool of blood on Fentons Drive and a spring
coil in the blood trail. Police followed the trail and found a home-made firearm
— a pipe gun — hidden in a banana tree near by. They also discovered a
bullet head in a wall, which appeared to have lodged there after it was fired.
James was arrested the day after the incident and questioned by police. Forensic
samples were also taken and an empty Winchester .357 cartridge was found inside
the weapon. Tests showed that samples found on the pipe gun matched James’s
DNA and he was charged with handling and discharging a firearm. James denied
both charges, but a jury found him guilty by a majority of 10-2.
A controlled burn on
Hinson's Island this morning has resulted in several calls to emergency
services. Lieutenant Russann Francis of the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service
said a number of calls had come in, but that the fire was horticultural waste
being burnt by residents. She added: “It is important that when anyone plans
to burn horticultural waste, which is the only waste that members of the public
are allowed to burn, that they contact the fire service’s dispatch centre at
296-7559, informing them when they intend to start, and when they intend to
finish. “That way the BFRS can know in advance, and know if the fire continues
beyond its allotted time to investigate it as a possible incident.”
A bus shelter by
Shelly Bay park was heavily damaged on Saturday after being struck by a car. According
to police, the crash occurred at about 1.25pm near the junction with Doctors
Lane, when a car in the eastbound lane of North Shore Road came off the road.
The driver, an 84-year-old Hamilton Parish woman, was apparently uninjured, but
taken to the hospital as a precaution. She was later discharged. The car and the
bus shelter took heavy damage, however, and the public are advised not to use
the shelter until it has been repaired. Works and Engineering staff attended,
installing temporary supports. Any witnesses to the crash that have not yet
spoken to police are asked to ring the main police number at 295-0011.
Bermuda’s
controversial contract to build a new airport has won an international “deal
of the year” award. The public-private partnership contract was awarded
2017 North American Deal of the Year at a ceremony in New York organized by
London-based IJGlobal Magazine, a top specialist publication in project
finance and construction. Bob Richards, the finance minister in the last One
Bermuda Alliance government, who spearheaded the project amid public protests,
said last night the news had “put a smile on my face”. Mr Richards, who lost
his Devonshire East seat in last July’s General Election, said: “I hope
Bermudians now understand the difference between facts and political spin. It
was so controversial here and I’m glad it’s got the recognition it
deserves.” The award was presented at the IJGlobal Awards gala at New York’s
Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Thursday. The airport deal will also now appear in
the spring edition of the magazine alongside other winners. Mr Richards said he
knew the deal with the Canadian Commercial Corporation and developers Aecon was
even in the running only when a friend in New York phoned him yesterday to tell
him the airport deal had won. Mr Richards said: “I’m extremely pleased.
I’m very proud and it’s an indication of the good work we did. It’s not
just vindication — it’s really good, it’s an international award, away
from Bermuda and Bermuda politics.” He added: “It’s a confirmation of the
good work we did and proof of what we’ve been saying all along.” The deal
was opposed by the Progressive Labour Party and sparked public protests. A
report by overseas consultant LeighFisher released last month said cancellation
of the deal only months into the start would have cost more than $100 million.
It added that the island’s struggling economy would have suffered even more
damage if the Government had pulled out of the contract, with job losses,
“economic damage and instability, international reputational risk, threat of
credit rating downgrades and negative impact on tourism”. The report found
that the terms and conditions of the contract were “broadly consistent” with
similar public-private deals and the interest rate for long-term debt and the
return on equity for Aecon were “within market range”. But the LeighFisher
report said the project was not competitively tendered, which could increase
negotiating leverage, maintain competition and lead to best value for money. But
Mr Richards said at the time that a competitive tender would not have worked for
such a small project because Bermuda could not have compensated unsuccessful
competitors for the work they put into a detailed bid. David Burt, the Premier,
announced the contract would not be cancelled because it would be “fiscally
irresponsible” and cost at least $196 million. The report identified about $15
million in “enhancements” that could be negotiated and Mr Burt said he would
work to get “the best possible outcomes from this situation”. An independent
Blue Ribbon Panel set up by the OBA last year to examine the deal found it was
“commercially sound and reasonable and likely to meet the Government’s
stated objectives of long-term sustainability and increased traffic volume and
revenue”. The panel was made up of five on-island financial experts chaired by
Malcolm Butterfield, a retired managing director at professional services firm
KPMG. Mr Butterfield said: “Overall, the panel’s view is that this is a good
deal. It’s not perfect.” A protest against the redevelopment in December
2016 turned violent when police officers clashed with demonstrators who blocked
entry to the House of Assembly. Officers used pepper spray on the crowd outside
Sessions House. Mr Burt, who was then Opposition leader, Derrick Burgess,
Lovitta Foggo and Lawrence Scott were among the PLP MPs who showed up to picket
Parliament. At least 26 complaints were made to the Police Complaints Authority
by members of the public in the wake of the demonstration. The Bermuda Police
Service said 14 of their officers were assaulted. The Premier did not respond to
a request for comment.
Former
attorney-general Trevor Moniz denied last night he had shredded documents
connected to the government lawsuit against the US-based Lahey Clinic. Mr
Moniz added that he had never used evidence from a parallel criminal case to
support the civil case, which named Ewart Brown, a former premier and a doctor,
as a co-conspirator with Lahey to fleece the island’s healthcare system of
millions of dollars — a case that was dismissed by a US Federal judge. The One
Bermuda Alliance shadow attorney-general also dismissed claims that he had
breached the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the US and Bermuda. Mr Moniz
said: “It was insinuated that I or others at my direction destroyed documents
relating to the Lahey lawsuit. Let me categorically state that this is false. No
documents of any value were shredded during my time as Attorney-General, by me
or at my direction. I have no idea why anyone would allege that I was shredding
documents in a case which I was supporting.” Mr Moniz said that documents were
forwarded to the overseas legal firm Cooley LLP for storage, most of them in
electronic form. "My own concerns for the safe custody of sensitive
material led me to the decision to entrust these files to Cooley. I acted in a
way that I felt would maintain the integrity of these investigations and to
protect the underlying evidence that supported them.” Mr Moniz told MPs that
there had been a leak of “highly sensitive correspondence” from the
Attorney-General’s Chambers last year He said: “It is alleged that I
breached the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between Bermuda and the USA. This is
false — there never was any breach of the treaty.” Mr Moniz added: “The US
Department of Justice did write to us on February 15, 2017. However, let me be
clear — when I was Attorney-General, neither I nor any lawyer on behalf of the
Government of Bermuda used material from a criminal investigation to support the
proceedings. Everything in the Lahey civil complaint was sourced from locally
available evidence owned or maintained by the Government of Bermuda.” Mr Moniz
said he had written back to the US Department of Justice the next day. He added
the Justice Department wrote back: “I am in receipt of the
Attorney-General’s letter. Please thank the Attorney-General for his prompt
response. Because of the letter, I don’t think we need to have a telephone
conference call. I have forwarded the letter to the Assistant US Attorney in
Boston and my supervisors here. I think this letter addresses the concerns
raised by the AUSA and our office.” Mr Moniz told Dennis Lister, Speaker of
the House, that he had seen “the full chain of correspondence”, and that he
was sure he would agree any treaty concerns were dealt with. He was speaking
after he apologized “unreservedly” to the Speaker in a row over the Lahey
case that led to Mr Moniz being ordered out of the House of Assembly last
Friday. Mr Moniz added: “Any suggestion that I somehow orchestrated my removal
from the House is ridiculous. I intend to confront the allegations made against
me head-on.” Mr Moniz said MPs were told last week that the cost of the Lahey
lawsuit could reach $4 million. He added: “It was stated that I approved the
payment of $3 million, insinuating that this was all earmarked for the Lahey
case, which is not true. I do not know what the final costs will be as I’ve
been out of office since July last year. However, before the 2017 General
Election, Cabinet had authorized up to $2 million for payment to Cooley in
support of a comprehensive programme of civil litigation and recovery of the
proceeds of crime. This programme involved 12 separate cases. The entire
programme was paid out of the Confiscated Assets Fund. This fund was set up as
part of Bermuda’s efforts to deprive criminals of their ill-gotten gains.
Monies from the Fund can be used for law enforcement purposes but cannot be used
for general government expenditure. Mr Moniz added that an attorney-general who
is a political appointment is not responsible for criminal prosecutions, which
are carried out by the Director of Public Prosecutions, but that the
Attorney-General did protect the legal interests of the Government. Mr Moniz
said: “Let me be as emphatic as I can about a specific point before it is even
raised. At no point was I ever involved in any operational or investigative
decision by the Bermuda Police Service or in any charging decision by the DPP.
In addition, the allegation that I have a former member’s bank accounts or
other personal files is absurd and untrue.”
Experts highlighted
poor practice in Bermuda’s schools and unchallenging assignments for pupils,
the education minister told MPs yesterday. Cambridge curriculum assessors
conducted a review of public schools after Cambridge Checkpoint results showed
island pupils were lagging behind their international peers. Diallo Rabain told
MPs: “A primary observation pointed out to the department was the missed
opportunities for our students to engage in deeper learning in many of the
classrooms. Some of the practices that we have been implementing have not been
the best practices. We recognize this, and now we endeavor to improve the
practices to do better. Thus the Cambridge representatives have put forward a
number of recommendations regarding teaching and learning at the primary and
middle school levels.” The assessors recommended:
Mr Rabain said teachers had been advised to focus their lesson plans to improve fluency, reasoning and problem solving, particularly in maths. The maths checkpoint, completed last April, found the Bermuda P6 national average score was 2.4, compared with the international average of 3.8. The Bermuda M3 average was 2.1 compared with 4.2 internationally. Results in English and science were also a cause for concern. Cambridge International representatives Abigail Barnett and Alison Borthwick spent last week on the island observing teachers and providing intervention training for selected maths teachers at primary and middle schools. They visited ten schools, and observed 500 pupils from P1 to M3 in their classrooms. Mr Rabain said the Cambridge report was not all bad news. He added: “It was pleasing to know that the first impression given to our Cambridge representatives as they reported, was that Bermuda has world-class public school students who are eager, intelligent, willing, keen, and who want to learn. They shared that our teachers are hardworking and that there was clear evidence of the Cambridge curriculum being taught in classrooms. This professional development training for our teachers in mathematics was needed. We will endeavor to ensure that this type of training is ongoing as we move ahead. It is recognized that providing our teachers with constant professional development will help to enhance and build on the standard of teaching and learning in the classroom; and, ultimately improve the Cambridge score results for our students.” Mr Rabain said the Department of Education expected to get a written report from the Cambridge representatives within three weeks. He said a comprehensive delivery plan based on the report would be developed that included action steps, timelines and accountability measures for the improvement of mathematics tuition. The department will report maths progress on a monthly basis.
Opinion, by Martha
Myron, Moneywise Now that all the pomp and circumstance, experienced pundit
reviews, and scrutiny by the public (in the papers, of course) is long gone, it
is now the turn of a lowly Bermudian financial planner — who writes for the
people — to opine on the Government’s Budget for fiscal year 2018-2019.
A budget is a mathematical exercise that includes a set of correlated
projections and estimates to define the amount of money that one will receive
and what one wants to spend in a year. At the end of the year whether calendar
or fiscal year (for the Bermuda Government of April 1 to March 31) the actual
income received and expenses incurred are compared to the estimated budget
numbers. It is always hoped that actual income is higher while actual monies
spent are cumulatively less than the budgeted amount. The most desired outcome
is that budget and actual are balanced, that is evenly matched, or heavens, if
we are blessed, there is a financial surplus. Individuals and their families who
decide to manage their finances within a budget have a significant incentive to
vigilantly track the results. Why? Because, there is little to no recourse if
they overspend. They may not be able to borrow a penny to cover a shortfall, or
in other troubling situations, may take to running up completely devastating
credit card debt. Under the Rule of 72 — with credit card repayment interest
rates as high as 20 per cent or more, original charges of $3,000 (with only
minimum monthly payments) can balloon to more than $6,000 in only four years!
Business for profit entities run even more rigorous budget controls. Revenue
down, operating costs up, numbers are slashed across the board to achieve
efficiencies with redundancies, capital investment pullbacks, tighter purchase
controls, employee buyouts and CEOs leaving with the proverbial excuse “to
spend more time with family”. This is commerce at its lowest, or at its
finest, depending where you are in the economic industrial cycle. But readers,
you know all this stuff. That is how budgets are supposed to work. While it is
not unusual for us ordinary folk to fall off the budget slope, we fully expect
our government, an entity that is loaded with finance people, actuarial people,
project managers and the like, to present a defined budget and stick to it. They
have the means and the authority to actualize this mandate. However,
governments, across the globe it seems, including our own very tiny government,
although ridiculously huge per capita of the Bermuda population, cannot seem to
stick to a budget. Not only is the budget not a balanced budget where revenues
match expenses, but more often the original budget estimates do not coincide
with the actual financial results. What do governments due to make up the
shortfall? Why, they issue more debt! Readers, I like facts, real (not fake, the
new buzz word) number facts that are truthful, verifiable, and supported by
third-party authentication. Fact verification is also a demanding process
undertaken by Bermuda’s Auditor-General, Heather Thomas, CPA, COMA, every
year. Her finance mission provides credibility (or not) to the entity that is
the Bermuda Government.
Illumination and education
The Government of Bermuda issued a 2018/2019 Pre-budget Report prior to the actual budget speech. Page 28, the Historical Economic and Fiscal Information, is the most illuminating snapshot of our Government’s fiscal condition for the ten years prior to fiscal year 2017/2018 — that is not included within this report (see this page attached to this web page under the heading, Related Media). The ten years, 2007 to 2017. Let’s take a look, shall we, at just a few very key numbers, otherwise you will be bored to tears. Many numbers on a page have a habit of doing that to people, particularly those that are math intolerant.
Hope is not a realistic, or mathematical fact. However, we hope that the most recent Budget, for fiscal year 2018/2019, while still projecting a deficit of $90 million and planned new borrowing of $135 million, will continue to eventually return the Bermuda Government Budget to a fiscally, strong, conservative surplus territory.
Sources
• Martha Harris Myron CPA, JSM: Masters of Law — International Tax and Financial Services, Pondstraddler Life™ Financial Perspectives for Bermuda islanders and their globally mobile connections on the Great Atlantic Pond. Contact: martha.myron@gmail.com
Alan Leigh, a
schoolteacher and former principal at Heron Bay and Port Royal primary schools,
has died, aged 84. Neville Tyrrell, Warwick South Central MP, offered
condolences to Mr Leigh’s family and his wife, Jennifer, yesterday in
Parliament. Mr Leigh, who lived in Warwick, was an avid rugby fan, and one of
the founding members of the Teachers Rugby Club in 1961. Along with Gabriel
Rodrigues, Alwyn McKittrick, Ted Pearson and Carey Maddern, he pulled together a
team at first made up of expatriate teachers. Mr Leigh refereed for many years
and became a major influence on the sport’s development on the island. He was
also a former president and general secretary for the Association of School
Principals. Mr Leigh was a strong supporter of parents, especially men, being
involved in the education of their children. Mr Leigh told The Royal Gazette
when he retired in 1998: “We as a society have gotten to thinking an awful lot
about the material things, like a TV in every room. That’s not as important as
sitting with a child and talking or reading to each other.” Mr Leigh,
originally from Britain, started teaching in 1957. His Bermuda career began in
1960 at the Gilbert Institute. Mr Leigh returned to the island after a stint
back home and at first worked at Northlands Primary School. But he had his
sights set on becoming a principal. He worked and trained in Kingston, Ontario,
and was appointed head teacher at Port Royal in 1979. He simultaneously headed
Heron Bay for two years before settling exclusively at Heron Bay, where he
remained until retirement. Daughter Jayne Leigh Kendall called him her
“full-time teacher, mentor, protector, caregiver and friend” in an online
tribute. She said her father was a disciplinarian who could put youngsters in
their place with “the look”, but proud of his pupils and the adults they
became.
Police have identified
Demarcvjai Williams, 29, and Marco Salema, 34, as the two men killed last night
after their motorcycles collided head-on at about 9.30pm on Marsh Folly Road.
Their deaths mark the second and third road fatalities of 2018. According to a
police spokesman, Mr Williams was riding a motorcycle in the eastbound lane
while Mr Salema, also on a motorcycle, was traveling in the opposite direction.
Apparently after the two struck, one of the motorcycles hit a light truck in the
westbound lane. Despite life saving efforts at the scene, which continued as
they were rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in separate ambulances,
each man was pronounced dead. The light truck driver, believed to be a
55-year-old Devonshire man, was not hurt. A family liaison officer has been
assigned to assist the two men’s families. All three damaged vehicles were
impounded. Traffic was diverted away from the area for approximately five hours
while police processed the scene. Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday,
David Burt said: “There are two families that are mourning. So I would like to
extend the condolences on behalf of all honorable members to the families of the
two persons that passed recently in a road traffic accident. Recognizing the
fact that we do have a lot of work to do on that particular issue, we will be
discussing that in our next session.” An investigation continues and any
witnesses are urged to contact Constable Derek Simmons on the main police
telephone number, 295-0011.
The Bermuda Monetary
Authority Amendment Act 2018 and the Cost of Living Commission Amendment Act
2018 were both passed without objection in the House of Assembly on Monday
night. David Burt, the Premier, provided the second and third readings of
both Bills. Mr Burt said The Bermuda Monetary Authority Amendment Act increased
the number of non-executive members of the BMA from ten to 11. He explained:
“The purpose of this increase is to provide the Minister of Finance the
capacity to appoint persons not only with experience in traditional finance
services, but also with experience in emerging technologies such as fintech and
distributive ledger technology.” He added that the BMA had been consulted and
had “no objection” to the Amendment. Mr Burt said the Cost of Living
Commission Amendment Act changed the number of commission members from three to
between seven and 12. He said the additional members would help “formulate
ideas and suggestions on how best to reduce the cost of living”. Jeanne
Atherden, Leader of the Opposition, questioned the size increase. Ms Atherden
said: “I just wonder why we have to go that high of a number.” A number of
Bills were also passed last week. The Financial Services Tax Amendment Act 2018
was approved and passed in the House on Friday, as was the Exchange Control
Amendment Act 2018. Wayne Furbert, the junior finance minister, said the former
clarified that money services businesses would no longer have to pay financial
services tax on incoming money transmissions. He said it also clarified the
definition of “gross premiums”. Mr Furbert said there had been questions
from “the financial service providers in the insurance sector” about what
this meant since the Financial Services Tax Act came into force last year. The
Regulatory Authority (Service Fees) Regulations 2018, Electricity (Regulatory
Authority Fees) Regulations 2018, and the Electronic Communications (Regulatory
Authority Fees) Regulations 2018 were also approved.
A Green Paper is being
drafted to seek ways to reduce drug abuse and increase rehabilitation. The
Department for National Drug Control is putting together the document in line
with a Throne Speech pledge by the Progressive Labour Party. It is expected to
be completed by July. Policymakers will be given information related to: drug
control infrastructure; the drug situation in Bermuda; public perception on
substance misuse and abuse; policy and legislative framework; and areas of
priority. Social development minister Michael Weeks said: “For an approach to
be effective and lead to a solution for drug-abuse-related problems, it needs to
be comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and well balanced. Such an approach must be
based on robust nationwide and inter-agency collaboration at all levels. This
Paper represents an important step forward in addressing the challenges
presented to us concerning substance misuse and abuse in Bermuda. The Green
Paper, along with other publications of the DNDC, will provide a clear body of
evidence that speaks to the way forward for drug control in Bermuda.” Mr Weeks
invited members of the public to be a part of the process, ask questions and
“support the DNDC”. Information-gathering on the public’s perception of
substance misuse and abuse has already begun and is expected to conclude on
April 20. The DNDC will hold one-on-one meetings with community and sports
groups, government officials and many other individuals. Focus groups will
engage young people, people who are in recovery from substance abuse, families
and friends of people that have experienced addiction, and people who are
battling substance abuse addiction. The department will launch a survey on
public perceptions towards substance misuse and abuse. Anyone wishing to share
their opinion on reducing substance abuse and increasing rehabilitation is
invited to e-mail the Department for National Drug Control at dndc@gov.bm
or call 292-3049 between now and April 20.
Trevor Moniz is
expected to be back in the House of Assembly today. The order paper for
today said the Shadow Attorney-General will give a personal explanation. The
news came after Mr Moniz was ordered to leave Parliament on Friday in the wake
of a row over files on the Bermuda Government’s lawsuit against the Lahey
Clinic. During the motion to adjourn, national security minister Wayne Caines
said the Attorney-General, Kathy Lynn Simmons, had to deal with not having all
the case files, as well as “allegations of documents being shredded”. Mr
Moniz, on a point of order, insisted that the files were all with the law firm
that handled the US case. When Mr Caines pressed him as to why files were being
kept out of the country, Mr Moniz said: “The case was in Massachusetts.
Wouldn’t the files be in Massachusetts? That’s where the case is.” Mr
Caines said that there should always be copies of files kept in the country. Mr
Moniz said the national security minister was “misleading the House” and
that the files were always available. Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House,
told Mr Moniz: “I think you’ve stretched your point.” Mr Moniz said:
“Let me finish, Mr Speaker.” Mr Lister warned: “Member, you continue your
game and that door is going to be yours.” Mr Moniz said: “Well, that’s
fine, Mr Speaker.” Mr Lister then told him to leave.
The public are to fork
out $1 million to pay off the mortgage on the failed Sandys 360 sports centre
and lender HSBC has agreed to write off more than $8 million.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, minister of public works, told MPs that HSBC was
prepared to take $1 million as “full and final settlement” of the $9.24
million still owed by the trustees of Sandys Secondary Middle School. The deal,
approved without objection in the House of Assembly and due to be rubber-stamped
by senators on Wednesday, will take the total amount of public money spent on
the now-shuttered Sandys 360 Sports, Aquatic and Enrichment Centre to at least
$6.3 million — but the real amount is likely to be higher. Those behind the
project still owe the Government $800,000 for a duplicate payment made by
mistake, plus an unknown amount in unpaid land taxes, payroll taxes and social
insurance contributions. The $6.3 million covers known payments from the public
purse and does not reflect how much money was received for and spent on the
centre by the trustees. The Government has refused to make public a report into
the finances of Sandys 360 carried out by professional services firm KPMG and
the Information Commissioner’s Office is reviewing that decision. As well as
grants and payments from the public purse and the original $9.5 million loan
from HSBC, hundreds of thousands of dollars were donated by corporate sponsors
and community members towards the construction of the Broome Street building,
which opened in 2009. Construction firm BCM McAlpine, which built the centre, is
still owed more than $1 million. Former Sandys 360 staff also claimed they were
not paid all they were owed before the centre became insolvent and closed its
doors in late 2013. Craig Cannonier, a former premier, said in the House of
Assembly there was “no argument” from the One Bermuda Alliance about the
purchase of the property by the Government. He added that the trustees had
“great intent” and some people “mortgaged their homes and the likes”. Mr
Cannonier, a One Bermuda Alliance backbencher, said when he was public works
minister in 2016 and the OBA government proposed buying the centre for $1
million, one of the “stumbling blocks” was that “the bank was looking for
the Government to pretty much finance the debt”. He added: “People have
tried to, in the past, bring up all kinds of things, double payments and the
like. You know what, we don’t even need to get into all of that stuff. This is
Sandys 360, who started out trying to do a good job and found themselves in
trouble. People were coming to me at the time saying ‘they are not giving up
their financials’ and the likes. Completely unnecessary for people to carry on
in that manner when we were seeking out an opportunity to save that area.”
Colonel Burch asked the House of Assembly on March 2 to approve the move to buy
the centre. He said the original mission for Sandys 360, which has a 25-metre
indoor pool, a basketball court, a gymnasium and gym classrooms, was to help
develop “healthy and positive young people” and provide the area with a
social centre. But he added the operating costs of the centre “exceeded the
revenue and donations received to support it”. Colonel Burch said successive
governments provided grants and other financial contributions to try to keep the
centre open until it was forced to shut its doors five years ago. He added:
“At that time, the trustees took advice and it was determined that to keep the
facility open and operating would incur an annual shortfall of between $500,000
to $1 million. Funding was not available to meet this shortfall going
forward.” Colonel Burch said the trustees owed $9.24 million to HSBC Bermuda
but were “unable to service the debt”. He added: “The bank had initially
offered the debt to Government, extension of the memorandum of a capital grant
to the trustees, and the offer of the bank to sell the debt secured against the
land for $6 million. All were declined. The Government considered options in
relation to the property and are of the view that the property is of such
operational significance to the school that Government should purchase it from
the trustees. The land used to secure the original $9.5 million loan from HSBC
Bank of Bermuda to build the centre includes part of the school playing field
and some school buildings. At present, Government owns the land on which the
majority of the school sits and the Government will be acquiring the remainder
through this purchase.” Colonel Burch said the 2.56 acres of land occupied by
the centre and school buildings would be conveyed to Government and the first
priority would be to give Sandys Secondary Middle School pupils access to it,
followed by the community. But he added there was no guarantee the pool would be
retained due to “significant” running costs. An HSBC spokeswoman said:
“HSBC takes the issue of customer confidentiality very seriously and as such
is not able to discuss any matters with respect of customers or purported
customers.” Gitanjali Gutierrez, the Information Commissioner, confirmed last
night that the Government’s denial of access to the Sandys 360 financial
report, as well as “decisions by the Ministry of Finance concerning additional
records related to Sandys 360’s finances”, were still under review.
More than half of
people support the plan for a sugar tax, health minister Kim Wilson revealed
today. Ms Wilson gave the House of Assembly details on feedback from the 345
members of the public who responded during consultation over the proposal. She
said an interim report showed:
Ms Wilson said the impact on the baking industry of a tax on raw sugar has been taken into account. She said: “This concern will be considered further as the consultation feedback is analyzed, and we refine the policy direction. Options may be available to help us advance the policy objective to reduce sugar consumption, without disadvantaging local businesses. I’m certain we will be able to find the right balance to promote healthier eating among our residents.”
A controversial
contract to redevelop Hamilton’s waterfront never got the needed approval from
the Corporation of Hamilton’s board, a source said yesterday. The news
came as Michael MacLean, whose Allied Development Partners Limited was later
stripped of the contract, threatened fresh legal action for compensation on
constitutional grounds. But an insider said the December 2012 development
agreement, which covered both the waterfront and into Hamilton Harbour, did not
get the needed approval to go ahead. An e-mail was sent by then mayor Graeme
Outerbridge to his administrative team just a month before the ADPL deal was
signed that emphasized any outside deals had to get board approval. Mr
Outerbridge’s e-mail written in November that year read: “Dear CoH managers,
please take note that all leases and contracts with third parties must go before
the CoH board for approval. The CoH passed a resolution to this effect some time
ago. If you have any questions concerning this resolution, please contact me for
clarification.” It added: “It is most important that this resolution is
followed as the board will not recognize any agreement made that ignores this
resolution.” The source said the ADPL contract had not followed the rules. The
source backed a hard-hitting report by Arlene Brock, then the Ombudsman,
published in 2013 that said there had been “dazzling, infinite, relentless”
maladministration at Hamilton’s City Hall. The former One Bermuda Alliance
administration stepped in that October and tore up the contract with ADPL. Mr
MacLean’s case went to an arbitration panel, but he later challenged the
process and withdrew. The Government made a successful petition to the courts in
November 2017 to have the arbitration dropped. Mr MacLean has since promised to
bring a fresh case on constitutional grounds.
A killer dog that
savaged a family’s pet spaniel to death has been put down, The Royal
Gazette can confirm. The news came after Cole Simons, a One Bermuda
Alliance MP, said his family were heartbroken after their little spaniel was
mauled by another dog. Mr Simons found Venus, his 12-year-old King Charles
spaniel, dead in his backyard — with blood visible and evidence of another dog
in the area. Mr Simons, who lives in Smith’s, said: “I didn’t see what
happened. When I arrived home that evening, I just found my dog mauled in the
back garden.” Mr Simons lodged a complaint with the dog warden service and the
environment department. He said he had no idea who was responsible for the stray
dog that carried out the attack. But neighbors told The Royal Gazette
that they believed a dog owned by John Tomlinson, who lives near by, was
responsible. Mr Tomlinson, who in 2014 admitted charges in connection with a
fatal dog attack, declined to comment on the mauling of Venus, which happened on
Tuesday. He said: “I have no comment on that. You might want to speak to dog
wardens or someone like that.” However, his wife, Sarah, later confirmed the
dog, believed to be a boxer, was her husband’s and added: “The dog will be
euthanised as soon as possible.” It is believed the offending dog was put down
this morning. The attack on Venus came after Mr Simons called for the island’s
dog legislation to be updated during the Budget debate on environment in the
House of Assembly on Friday. Mr Simons said Bermuda’s dog legislation needed
to be updated “to address these types of concerns and issues”. He told MPs:
“When I was in that seat I made that issue a priority. Legislation was drafted
… I am still confused as to why it has yet to come to this House, ten years
later. Is there a will to bring it to this House? We have to get this done as
quickly as possible because it’s causing anxiety for the staff in the
ministry, dog owners, and the animals themselves. We have an enforcement issue
with regulations being made and complaints that the inspectors are being
partial. And I’m saying this because if we had the regulations tied down,
there would be no discretion allowed. And everyone’s interests would be
protected, including the department’s. I am rising today to make sure that
this is a top priority.” Mr Simons added that it was “not good enough” to
be operating under a 40-year-old Act. He said: “We have taken advice from the
canine community, from vets, and other people in the industry. And yet we are
where we are today. This is not acceptable.” A spokeswoman for the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources confirmed yesterday that a formal complaint
had been received. She added that the incident was being investigated.
About 80 businesses
attended a meeting designed to create jobs for unemployed people last night. National
security minister Wayne Caines urged interested candidates to sign up at the
Department of Workforce Development before attending a jobs fair on March 26.
The Ministry of National Security has teamed up with the Department of Workforce
Development for the programme, which aims to find 100 jobs for 100 jobless
Bermudians.
Two leading police
officers have been honored at Buckingham Palace. Retired Assistant
Commissioner of Police Carlton Adams was awarded an MBE for outstanding service
to the community and Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva received the
Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service. The awards were presented by
Charles, the Prince of Wales at a ceremony in February. Mr Adams joined the
Bermuda Police Service in 1968 and retired in 2009. Mr DeSilva joined in 1985
and has been Commissioner since 2009.
Information from the
Paradise Papers is to be examined by a European Parliament committee. The
45-member special committee has been created to focus on financial crimes, tax
evasion and tax avoidance. Among areas it will examine is how European Union
value added tax rules “were circumvented in the framework of the Paradise
Papers and to evaluate in a more general way the impact of VAT fraud and
administrative co-operation rules in the Union”. Millions of documents stolen
from offshore law firm Appleby became known as the Paradise Papers and were
mined for stories of tax avoidance by global media last year. Beyond the
Paradise Papers, the European Parliament’s special, temporary committee will
also “analyse and assess the third-country dimension in tax avoidance
practices, including the impact on developing countries; to monitor improvements
and existing gaps in the exchange of information with third countries in this
respect, with particular attention to be given to the Crown Dependencies and
Overseas Territories”. In a statement released by the European Parliament, the
committee’s mandate is said to include examining “national schemes providing
tax privileges”, VAT fraud and the problems of ensuring tax compliance in the
digital economy. The special inquiry will hold its first gathering on March 22
when members are expected to select a chairperson and officers. The
committee’s 45 seats are distributed roughly in proportion to the political
representation within the European Parliament. The committee has a 12-month
mandate.
A decision to allow
Belco to replace ageing generators was necessary for safety and the security of
electricity supply for Bermuda, the Regulatory Authority of Bermuda has said.
Last week it was announced that the Authority had issued an order for the
replacement of aged generation assets permitting Belco to start installation of
four new dual-fuel generators, capable of a combined output of 56 megawatts. The
Authority also gave approval to a system for battery energy storage. Aaron
Smith, interim chief executive of the RA, said: “Much of Belco’s current
generation capacity has gone beyond its normal life expectancy and this had
become a critical issue in terms of safety as well as the security of supply for
Bermuda, which were major factors in our decision to approve this replacement
generation.” The RA is currently in the process of developing an Integrated
Resource Plan — a wide-ranging plan for the future of electricity supply in
Bermuda. The IRP will be ready for approval later this year. Mr Smith said:
“The decision to allow the new generators does not in any way pre-empt the
IRP, which will take a comprehensive view of Bermuda’s energy system taking
into account its needs and requirements. We expect a final plan to be ready
later this year, after public consultation.” The Authority has just embarked
on consultation on the methodology used to decide the retail tariff for
electricity — the formula for determining the rate that the consumer pays. Mr
Smith added: “Until we finalize the methodology, which must take into account
issues such as economic efficiency and affordable prices to end users, it would
be inappropriate to speculate on what the future tariff may be. The approval of
the replacement of assets was not an approval for an increase in rates. Despite
our approval for the new generators, there will be no decision on what the
tariff will be until the methodology is set and a retail tariff review using
that methodology has been completed." The retail tariff consultation document is
available on the Authority’s website, www.rab.bm.
Responses may be submitted by going to the “Consultations” drop down menu
and selecting “Submit Your Response”. Comments should be submitted before
5pm on March 29.
Constance Dierman will serve
as the next United States Consul General to Bermuda. Mrs Dierman, a senior
career diplomat, is currently Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human
Resources at the Department of State. She will arrive in Bermuda in mid-June to
replace Mary Ellen Koenig, who leaves on April 30. Mrs Dierman has served in
Kabul, Baghdad, Bridgetown, Canberra and Geneva. Her Washington, DC assignments
have included tours in the Bureaus of Human Resources, Near Eastern Affairs,
South and Central Asian Affairs, European and Eurasian Affairs, Overseas
Buildings Operations, Protocol and the Office of the Secretary. In her current
position, she manages global human resource services, the administration of the
Foreign Service retirement system, and employment policies for more than 56,000
locally employed staff at US missions overseas. According to a press release
from the US Consulate, she “cares deeply about public service, promoting
American interests, and building security, economic, educational, and cultural
ties abroad”. Mrs. Dierman was born raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and lives in
Delaware with her husband, Roger Dierman. They have five adult children. She
said: “I am honored to have been selected to serve as the next US Consul
General to Bermuda, as the United States and Bermuda share an important common
history and deep ties. I look forward to getting to know the people of Bermuda,
exploring the country’s rich and vibrant culture, and building on the great
efforts of Consul General Mary Ellen Koenig to strengthen and expand our special
relationship.”
Tourists have been
warned against drinking tap water in Bermuda by the United States Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention. The information was highlighted by Esme
Benjamin, wellness editor for online blog the Culture Trip, in her article
“Don’t Drink the Tap Water When You Visit These Countries”. She wrote:
“Growing up in the West, with its strict sanitation standards and streamlined
infrastructure, leaves you extra vulnerable once you step into an environment
that’s less meticulous about cleanliness. This is because your microbiome —
the bacteria, viruses and yeast that inhabit your body and lay the foundation
for your immunity — simply isn’t as diverse as that of the local people. In
other words, you are much more likely to get sick, even brushing your teeth or
eating salad rinsed in water that isn’t 100 per cent free from contaminates.
Your tummy might even take issue with water that is technically clean, but has a
high mineral content it isn’t used to.” Bermuda was included in the list of
countries in the Americas, which included Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras,
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and all the Caribbean islands. The
information was based on advice from the CDC. The CDC said under the “eat and
drink safely” section for Bermuda: “Unclean food and water can cause travelers’
diarrhea and other diseases. Reduce your risk by sticking to safe food and water
habits.” It urged visitors not to drink tap or well water, ice made with tap
or well water, drinks made with tap or well water and unpasteurised milk. Elaine
Watkinson, a senior public health analyst, said warnings had been issued before.
She told The Royal Gazette in 2016 that householders should treat
untreated or “raw” water like raw meat. The Department of Health’s
Guidance on safe tank water, revised last year, recommended disinfecting tank
water used for drinking and food preparation.
Almost 80 per cent of
the population of Bermuda wants to see improved motorcycle training, a survey
has revealed. The poll showed that 78 per cent of people were in favour of
better training and only 22 per cent said there was no need for improvements.
The Global Research poll also found that 77 per cent of people said they had
received sufficient training. Orthopaedic surgeon Joseph Froncioni has
campaigned for the introduction of a graduated licensing programme for almost 20
years. The measure is supported by the Bermuda Police Service, EMTs,
anti-alcohol abuse charity Cada and road safety campaigners. Project Ride which
is confined to a car park and is only mandatory for Bermuda’s young riders, is
the only extra programme available at present. Dr Froncioni, a former chairman
of the Bermuda Road Safety Council, said an internationally recognised
qualification through an extensive graduated licensing programme was needed. He
said: “It is a no-brainer. I am happy that people realise that riding a
motorbike is not an innate skill — it is a learnt skill. Other jurisdictions
make you jump through training hoops to give you a motorcycle licence. It is
irresponsible to put 16-year-olds on a bike without proper training and, as I
have said before, Project Ride is not proper training. Dr Froncioni added: “We
lobbied for years and years — the Government came out with the Bermuda youth
licence which went into effect on April 1, 2010. The problem is they took what
is a tried and tested method of dealing with new young road users and they
diluted it. We have it on paper but it is unlikely to be doing anything
significant because it doesn’t have the strength of the real intervention. The
recommendations that we had through the Bermuda Road Safety Council as a White
Paper was handed to the previous government and so all of the details of our
recommendations have now been put in the hands of the new government." Dr
Froncioni said it would be easy to change the Bermuda system for young and
inexperienced riders to a “tried and tested” graduated licensing scheme. He
added: “We have to fix the problems with our Bermuda youth licence and
introduce a real motorcycle-riding course run by professionals. We do have a
young Bermudian, Antoine Richards, who has taken the time and spent the money to
go away and be certified by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents as
a fully licensed professional motorcycle instructor. He has B-Moto — the
Bermuda Motorcycle Academy. If the Government doesn’t avail itself of the
necessary components that I and many road safety lobbyists have been asking for
for years, it would be criminal.”
A new deputy governor
will take over from Ginny Ferson, the Governor announced today. Alison
Crocket, an expert in anti-corruption work, will replace Ms Ferson in August. Ms
Crocket said: “I am very excited at the opportunity to serve Bermuda and its
people in the role of Deputy Governor. “I have already begun learning about
the issues that are important to Bermuda and familiarizing myself with my
constitutional responsibilities. “My family and I look forward to meeting new
friends from all backgrounds and across all walks of life in Bermuda.” Ms
Crocket joined the Diplomatic Service in 2001 after a career in local government
social services and the children’s charity Barnado’s. Her present post is
head of the anti-corruption unit in the Foreign Office. She played a leading
role in drafting international aspects of the British Government’s
anti-corruption strategy. She earlier served in Vienna, Austria, where she
worked on counter-narcotics programmes, justice reform and international organized
crime, as well as HIV prevention and public health programmes. Ms Crocket, who
has two adult daughters, will be accompanied by her long-term partner, Pete.
Dockyard welcomed its
first cruise ship of the year yesterday. The Cunard Line’s Queen
Victoria arrived at Heritage Wharf in the morning and departed in the
evening. Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre said the visit made up for a planned
call in January that was cancelled because of bad weather. The Queen Victoria
had been due to visit the island with sister ship Queen Elizabeth. They
were to be the first official cruise ship visits of the year, but storms in the
North Atlantic forced them to abandon the plan and bypass the island. It would
have been the inaugural visit for the Bermuda-registered Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen Victoria made her first visit to the island on April 2, 2011.
Visitors at the time ranked Bermuda as the best destination on their
transatlantic voyage. The ship’s arrival kicked off the cruise ship season in
the West End. The MSC Cruises’ Divina is expected to arrive at Heritage
Wharf this morning and leave this evening.
The MSC Divina has
cancelled its Bermuda visit today because of bad weather. The cruise ship
was scheduled to arrive at Heritage Wharf in Dockyard this morning and depart
this evening. The Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre duty officer said the ship
arrived at the pilot station on schedule at 7am. He added: “But the captain
assessed the weather conditions and with the winds at the time, not less than 35
kts, decided for the safety of the vessel to cancel the call into Bermuda. The
vessel continued its voyage onwards to the Azores.” It was to be the ship’s
first of two visits this year and Dockyard’s second cruise ship of the season.
The Bermuda Weather Service said strong southwesterly winds are expected to
increase to “occasional” gale force by Friday before easing on Saturday.
Bermuda is to find
safe homes for two endangered native species of snails bred in captivity in
Britain. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources wants to put
the snails on islands without major predators. A spokeswoman said: “In 2004,
and again in 2015, two species of endemic land snails were sent to the
Zoological Society of London. “The captive breeding efforts at the Zoological
Society of London has produced so many snails — thousands — that they gave
some to the Chester Zoo. Staff at the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources are now identifying locations, all near-shore islands without major
predators, to begin reintroducing those captive-bred land snails.” The number
of Poecilozonites circumfirmatus snails were believed to be in rapid
decline when some were sent to the Zoological Society of London. Poecilozonites
bermudensis was thought to be extinct until the species was rediscovered in
a Hamilton alley in 2014. The department has been sending some of the most
threatened endemic species — found only in Bermuda — overseas for several
years as part of the lifeboat programme. The spokeswoman said the move was
designed to “safeguard those species because they are either extinct in the
wild or are experiencing dramatic declines in the wild”. She added: “It’s
an insurance plan of sorts. If a species completely disappears from Bermuda, at
least there will be a few overseas that could be brought back to the island when
conditions are more favourable for them. Chester Zoo has become a major partner
by virtue of the fact that they are now caring for four of Bermuda’s endemics.
Other organisations have one or two.” The spokeswoman said the Governor
Laffan’s fern, which was extinct in the wild, was sent to the Henry Doorly Zoo
in Omaha in 2002. She added that “hundreds of young ferns have subsequently
been returned to Bermuda and are being reintroduced into the wild”. Bermuda
killifish were sent to the Vienna Zoological Gardens in 2008 and Chester Zoo
received some in 2016. The Bermuda Biodiversity Project said there are two types
of killifish in Bermuda that live in nine small, isolated ponds across the
island. The spokeswoman added that Chester Zoo also took on Bermuda skinks in
2013, which began breeding last year. She said: “Plans are currently being
made to send a shipment of Bermuda crickets to the Chester Zoo so that they can
be bred as a food source because we know that young skinks love to eat
crickets.” The spokeswoman added that all of the plants and animals involved
in the programme “have been very well cared for and all have successfully
reproduced in captivity”. She said: “Some of our partner organisations have
even created how-to guides which contain information that can be used to help
inform local captive breeding efforts.”
Opinion. By Steven L.
Hall, who retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of running and managing
Russian operations. "By now, it really should not come as much of a
surprise that yet another Russian has been attacked in Britain. Opponents of
Russian President Vladimir Putin have been showing up dead in and around London
for more than a decade. In some cases, the trail clearly leads back to Moscow
with the use of such gruesome chemical agents as polonium (Alexander Litvinenko
in 2006) or, in the most recent incident, a nerve agent (Sergei Skripal and his
daughter, who both survived the poisoning but remain in serious condition). In
other cases, the evidence is subtler (Boris Berezovsky, found dead under
suspicious circumstances in 2013). While Britain is not the only place where
those who have run afoul of Putin have died, a troublingly high number of such
deaths have happened there. We can quickly dispense with the blathering of
Russian officials about the latest case as just that: blathering. Putin’s
public policy plan for this type of thing can be summed up as, “Lie bigger,
lie harder; sooner or later, the West will forget.” It’s a plan that often
works. Why the Russian Government decided to make the attempt on Skripal is not
a difficult question. News reports have indicated that Skripal is a former
Russian intelligence officer who was sent to a Russian prison in 2006 for
selling state secrets to British intelligence. He was freed in 2010 in exchange
for Russian intelligence officers arrested in the United States. Putin
apparently decided to send a strong message to current and future members of the
Russian intelligence services: If you co-operate with the West, we will find you
and kill you even if you end up living outside Russia. The use of poisons in
attempted assassinations (most likely performed by the Russian external
intelligence service, the SVR, or possibly the military service, the GRU) has an
added psychological element. In effect, Putin is saying: Not only will we find
and kill you, we will do it in particularly gruesome fashion. Your family may
also be targeted. If you’d like a glimpse of the agony that Putin is trying to
impart to potential spies, take a look at the online photographs from the last
days in the life of Litvinenko. That so many of these attacks have occurred on
British soil puts Prime Minister Theresa May and her government in a difficult
position. They are now well past the standard diplomatic response: Call in the
Russian ambassador, express grave concerns and perhaps expel a number of Russian
personnel from the embassy in London (which would almost certainly prompt a
reciprocal expulsion of British diplomats from Moscow). London could also
consider unilateral financial sanctions, but the rub there is that, given the
amount of Russian business and investment in the United Kingdom, this could
significantly hurt British interests as well. Putin has shown himself to be
expert at understanding the difficulties that open Western societies have when
it comes to punishing Russia for illegal acts. Whether it is annexing part of
another country, as he did with Crimea, or having the Russian intelligence
services attempt assassinations on foreign soil, Putin has calculated that
Russia can weather any storm the West can come up with in response. Yes, Russia
paid something of a price in sanctions after the annexation of Crimea, but not
enough to really worry Putin and his oligarchs, who by and large simply pass the
suffering along to the Russian people. The Kremlin knows that eventually the
sanctions will be lifted. Putin also knows that the West is not eager for direct
military confrontation. That leaves him with plenty of room to maneuver. And yet
a significant response is required. This was a not only a Russian attack on
Skripal but, as May put it, “an illegal use of force” that endangered
scores, if not hundreds, of British citizens in their own country. And it is
clear that strongly worded messages are not the language Putin understands best:
Actions, in these situations, speak louder than words. So, what are the options?
If Britain acts unilaterally, its best response probably is economic. Finding a
way to freeze or otherwise immobilize Russian capital in the British financial
system would be effective, especially if a key group of Russian oligarchs were
targeted. Another measure could be to cancel British visas held by a list of
Russian oligarchs — which might not hurt the Russian economy that much but
would send a strong message by upending the lives of a group of people Putin
does pay attention to. Hopefully there are creative statesmen and economists in
London who can figure out methods to target the only real power group in Moscow
that could threaten Putin: his oligarchs. But the West should also rally behind
Britain — quickly, publicly and unequivocally. Putin has been clever by using
his intelligence services in this attack, thus robbing Nato and the United
Nations of a specific casus belli against Russia. Yes, using a military-grade
nerve agent that only Russia could have produced does have a military element to
it, but this was not a full-on military attack against Britain. It has the
deniability all Russian active measures have. Still, it’s not out of the
question for Nato to invoke Article 5, declaring that this attack didn’t
threaten just Britain but all Nato countries. Again, though, Putin has probably
already gamed this out. It would be difficult to get all Nato countries on board
with this plan, and, after all was said and done, what would it mean? Would Nato
launch a military attack? That is unlikely. There are other options the United
States and the international community should consider. They would be highly
controversial, but at some point, our global structures must be used to punish
horrific, illegal behaviors by those who want to participate in the
international system. The first would be to consider banning official Russian
use of the Swift international banking system. This would have an immediate
impact on Putin, his oligarchs and the Russian economy in a more significant way
than just economic sanctions. Russian officials have said in the past that such
a measure would be tantamount to war, an indicator of how seriously they would
take the threat. Another option would be to at least raise the issue of
suspending or removing Russia from the UN Security Council, under the premise
that a country that undertakes extraterritorial assassinations or illegally
annexes parts of neighboring countries has forfeited its right to be on the
council. All these approaches have one thing in common: They are fraught with
difficulties and would test the resolve of Western democracies, which are
currently divided along sociopolitical fissures the Russians have worked hard to
exacerbate. (President Trump, meanwhile, said on Tuesday morning that “as soon
as we get the facts straight, if we agree with [the British assessment], we will
condemn Russia or whoever it may be.”) But if the West cannot muster a serious
response to the use of chemical weapons on British soil to target someone
Russian officials apparently viewed as a traitor for his work with British
intelligence, what else will Putin try? If not now, under what circumstances
would the West engage in serious measures designed to push back at Putin? What
exactly would it take beyond international assassinations and illegal
annexations to trigger a serious response to which the Kremlin would pay
attention? Putin has already engaged in actions that should outrage the
international community. What more will that same community let him get away
with?"
Bus services ground to
a halt yesterday in what was said to be a show of support for mechanics who had
earlier downed tools. The problem, which began at lunchtime, was resolved
before 3pm, when vehicles headed back out with school runs the priority. Drivers
waited outside the bus depot in Devonshire while talks were held with
management. One driver talked about “difficult conditions” endured by garage
staff. Transport minister Walter Roban said in October that 14 maintenance
positions had been left vacant — “almost half” the required staff. He
spoke out after a rash of bus cancellations disrupted travel across the island.
The reasons for the dispute could not be confirmed by unions or management
yesterday. A department spokeswoman apologized to the public and said there had
been an “agreed commitment to work on the issues”.
The Chief Justice has
revealed why he barred the media and public from a court hearing involving an
attempt by the island’s gaming commission to silence its former executive
director. The chambers session on March 7 in the matter of Bermuda Casino
Gaming Commission versus Richard Schuetz was held behind closed doors, despite a
request from The Royal Gazette to attend and report on the civil
proceedings. Chief Justice Ian Kawaley said in a decision released on Monday
that Richard Horseman, the lawyer representing the publicly funded commission,
convinced him there was a “sufficient risk of damage to the plaintiff” if
the regulatory body’s application for an injunction against Mr Schuetz was
held in open court and if Mr Schuetz himself was aware of it. A temporary
injunction was later granted and Mr Schuetz is now barred from talking about
his time at the commission on the grounds that he breaches his contract by doing
so. The gagging order obtained by the commission, in the absence of any counsel
representing Mr Schuetz, bars the former executive director from any disclosure
“whether directly or indirectly, and/or to further use the confidential
information that is either in his custody, or care or possession or control or
he has access to, or at all”. It states Mr Schuetz could be jailed, fined or
have his assets seized if he breaches the order, as could “any other person
who knows of the order” who helps or permits him to breach it. In his decision
on the need for a secret hearing, Mr Justice Kawaley said: “Excluding the
press from the ... hearing was, in my judgment, justifiable on the facts of this
particular case. The private hearing was reasonably required both to support a
claim designed to protect confidential information and to protect the authority
of the court. “Whether the right balance has been struck will not always be a
straightforward question and this is par excellence the difficult sort of
issue upon which reasonable judges and reasonable journalists are likely to
differ.” The Chief Justice added: “The plaintiff adduced what was on its
face credible and cogent evidence that the defendant had in recent months
flagrantly breached [his] contractual obligations and had embarked upon a
concerted campaign to undermine the plaintiff’s operations. In part because of
this evidence, it was not obvious to me what further contractual breaches might
be triggered by giving the defendant notice of the injunction application.
However, Mr Horseman eventually persuaded me that a sufficient risk of damage to
the plaintiff flowing from further disclosures and/or disparaging remarks was
made out to justify proceeding with the merits of the application in private.”
The writ filed by the commission against Mr Schuetz was available to the public
last week, according to lawyer Jordan Knight, of MJM law firm, who obtained a
copy from the Supreme Court. The Royal Gazette has applied for a copy but
has yet to receive it. Mr Schuetz resigned from the commission in July and left
Bermuda in December to return to the United States. He was an outspoken figure
while here and has commented since his departure on the potentially bleak
outlook for the island’s fledgling casino industry. In his resignation letter,
he said the island lacked the “political will” to address the “glaring
deficiencies in the anti-money-laundering regime of this island’s betting
sector. From my experience on this island over the last 22 months, I believe
that Bermuda should seriously consider not having casinos and other forms of
gaming,” he wrote. Neither the commission nor Mr Schuetz responded to requests
for comment.
Dockyard has proven
itself as a viable alternative port to Hamilton’s docks — although strong
winds hampered the offloading of containers yesterday for safety reasons. The
West End prepared at short notice for the MV Oleander, which was able to
unload bulk and flatbed items. Fifty-knot gusts from the west limited further
unloading until conditions improved. Meanwhile, imports are expected to resume
at the Hamilton docks tomorrow, after critical repairs to the port’s surface
were fast-tracked. Hamilton had been originally slated for a full week’s
refurbishment by Stevedoring Services because of health and safety concerns for
staff. An accelerated work schedule was on course to have the fresh dock ready
for shipping tomorrow, when the MV Bermuda Islander arrives. The Dockyard
relocation marked a collaboration between Stevedoring Services, West End
Development Corporation and Bermuda Container Lines. Thanking the Stevedoring
Services staff and their stakeholder, Warren Jones, the chief executive of
Polaris Holding Company, said that while it would not be “a normal week in
terms of imports”, the contingency plan allowed critical goods to be docked.
Mr Jones added: “Bringing this to fruition also allows us to document the
steps and timeframe for the creation of a contingency port for Bermuda in any
emergency where Hamilton would not be an option.”
Hamilton mayor Charles
Gosling has held his fire on the option of a protest resignation over impending
legislation that would defer city elections and confer extra powers on the
Bermuda Government. According to electoral rules, this May would mark the
end of three-year terms for Mr Gosling and Quinell Francis, the Mayor of St
George, who were chosen by voters on May 7, 2015. However, the Municipalities
Amendment Act, tabled last Friday, would extend that term by 12 months to allow
“an extensive consultation period on the municipal reform process” on a new
deal in which Walton Brown, the Minister of Home Affairs, would receive added
say in the affairs of both corporations. “It would have been nice to have the
decency of being asked,” Mr Gosling told The Royal Gazette yesterday.
The mayor said he had spoken with the minister, and was prepared to await the
results of this Friday’s parliamentary debate, when MPs decide whether to
approve the amendments. Asked if the surprise one-year extension would prove
cumbersome for Hamilton’s team, Mr Gosling said it “depends on the amount of
commitments you have”. “There might be one or two people where this will
have no impact. There are others who put in considerable time making sure they
do a good job.” The mayor called it “infuriating” to get blindsided with
“nothing about wanting to extend your term by a year and appreciating what
this means in terms of your professional life and family”. The pace of the
legislation raised questions for Opposition MPs, with shadow economic
development minister Grant Gibbons questioning “the Government’s intent to
bulldoze these amendments through in one week." Friday marks the last
session of the House until Parliament returns in May. We queried the ministry
last night on the timing of the municipalities debate, but received no comment
by press time. The present mayoral term marks the first under a voting system in
which rate-paying businesses were granted representation along with municipality
residents, but Mr Gosling called it “disheartening” that few eligible
businesses within the city had registered. “Just over 300” out of a pool of
roughly 1,200 qualifying businesses had signed up, he said. “While it might be
a slightly onerous process to register, you’re probably talking about an
hour’s worth of paperwork and maybe 20 minutes to exercise your right to
determine the future of the city. If you’re not going to bother to
register, you don’t have the right to complain.”
After 25 years, the
self-proclaimed kings of fishcakes will step down to make way for a new king or
queen. Dale Butler and Rodney Smith have won the National Fishcake
Competition title since its inception in 1992. Mr Butler, who created the
competition a quarter of a century ago, said: “I started a small little
fishcake competition and really didn’t think much of it until Mr Smith heard
about it some years later. “What we decided this year, on the 25th
anniversary, was to step out of it and to organize the whole thing, which will
allow someone else to step forward and either be crowned the king or the
queen.” Mr Smith, who has won the title 14 times and is reigning champion,
said: “We are convinced that there are a number of very good chefs in Bermuda.
Unknown individuals who just make delicious food and we want to challenge them
to come, participate and be a part of the competition. We look forward to giving
the honour to other Bermudians.” The event is set to take place on March 22 at
the Leopards Club from 6pm to 9pm. There is a youth category, for people aged 16
and under, with $15 entrance fee, and an adult amateur and professional
category, with $25 entrance fee. All entrants get a supper. Entries will be
judged by panel of five and must be submitted by 7pm for judging. There will be
more than just bragging rights up for grabs for this year’s champion. Mr Smith
said: “This year the winner will have the opportunity to make their fishcakes
at La Trattoria and to serve them at a Four Ways Inn brunch as well." The
event will also honour two Bermudians who “perpetuate Bermuda heritage”. Mr
Butler said: “We’re pleased Eugene O’Connor will be honored; he’s kite
master of Bermuda. We’re also honoring a prolific historian who has
perpetuated Bermudian heritage in the North Village area, written plays,
produced books, and is in charge of the Bermuda Heritage Museum in St
George’s. Her name is Joy Wilson-Tucker.” Admission is free, vendors will be
present selling goods and there will be a performance by The Brothers in Music
from CedarBridge Academy.
A flying taxi is being
developed by a company led by Bermuda’s John Narraway. Design details have
been revealed and work is under way to create a scaled, working prototype to
take to the sky, possibly as early as this summer. Airis Aerospace has designed
an all-electric, five-seat aircraft that takes off and lands vertically. The
company hopes that with sufficient funding from investors its AirisOne vehicle
can reach the market by 2025. Mr Narraway has a background in new technologies,
and is consultant for emerging technologies at the Bermuda Business Development
Agency. AirisOne has been in development since the second half of last year
after peer-to-peer ride-sharing company Uber announced its Elevate flying car
programme. Uber plans to have an aerial taxi service by 2020. Around the world
there are about 20 companies developing flying car plans, including Boeing,
Airbus, and a number of small start-ups. In Bermuda, Airis Aerospace has an
office on Cedar Avenue, while its design centre is in Duluth, Minnesota. It is
designing the AirisOne with a view to participating in ride-sharing air taxi
programmes. “For the first time in the history of aviation, the various
technologies required to make eVTOL [electric vertical take-off and landing] a
reality are converging into a safe, viable and efficient combination,” said Mr
Narraway, co-founder and chief executive officer of Airis. “The industry is
poised to accelerate exponentially from here and we are pleased to be at the
pioneering stage for this new and exciting mode of urban transportation.” The
AirisOne is designed for short distance flights in urban environments. The
production model will be capable of transporting five passengers up to 200 miles
at a top speed of 175 miles per hour. It will have zero-emissions and will use
dual coaxial lift fans for take-off and eight articulating thrusters for winged
flight. The vehicle will have a high level of autonomous operation, utilizing
autonomous avionics systems. The level of flight autonomy will be customizable
based on individual jurisdiction’s airspace regulations. Airis Aerospace said
its aircraft will feature “real-time emergency landing routing, ballistic
parachutes and fully redundant systems to ensure safety for the passengers and
communities it operates in”. Ray Mattison, an aviation designer, is the
co-founder of Aris Aerospace and chief design officer. He said: “A unique
feature of the AirisOne design is that it would be one of the world’s only
fully wheelchair accessible aircraft. This is a design feature we think is
critical in providing transport solutions in urban settings. Having an aircraft
design that is customer experience focused from day one is a philosophy we will
take into future products we design.” Mr Mattison is also the founder of
US-based Design Eye-Q, an industrial design firm focused on the future of
automotive and aviation. Meanwhile, Mr Narraway said: “We are building out our
engineering team and to date have been self-funded. Now that we have achieved
our first milestone, we are beginning the process of raising capital to build
our flying demonstrator models and invest into the artificial intelligence
systems for autonomous avionics.” He said that based on funding “we should
be in the air with a scaled prototype by the summer. This would allow us to
conduct the test flights required to collect massive amounts of flight data to
make a full size test aircraft.” Mr Narraway said there has been a lot of
interest from investors in the development of air taxis, and in the AirisOne
project. “We are beginning our seed round in a few weeks, and we have
tremendous interest all ready for the Series A round [of fundraising] later this
year.” He added: “With the amount of successful funding and acquisitions
already taking place, we have a high level of confidence in our ability to
execute on our strategy, and plan to be in market by 2025 with a major
ride-sharing provider.”
A new enterprise
called Bermuda Food Tours has launched and is offering the opportunity to eat,
drink and explore restaurants in Hamilton. The three-hour walking food tour
includes tastings at seven establishments in Hamilton. Stops include Devil’s
Isle, Little Venice, Bulli Social, L’Oriental, Beluga Bar, La Trattoria,
Flanagan’s, Hog Penny pub, Ruby Murrys, Milan Milan, and The Astwood Arms.
Guests on the small group tours can sample food and drink at all seven venues,
while also learning about historical, cultural and architectural points of
interest along the way. Cheri Davenport and Heather Lamb are the team behind
Bermuda Food Tours. Ms Lamb is a local who has a background in hospitality,
having worked in the hotel industry for many years. She said: “This food tour
is for anybody who is seeking out a new and personal experience, because the
tour sizes are so small, it’s an intimate setting. It’s great for corporate
team building, family reunions, guest visiting for destination weddings, and
locals love to eat and for people who haven’t been to the restaurants listed.
We highlight diversity.” Bermuda Food Tours are certified tourism ambassadors
working with the Bermuda Tourism Authority, and the business prides itself in
hiring local tour guides. Mrs Davenport and her husband Mark are fractional
owners of the Newstead Belmont Hills Hotel. They bought into Newstead to have a
place in Bermuda they could stay throughout the year. Mrs Davenport is from
Rochester, New York, and fell in love with the island the first time she
visited. She mentioned the idea for the food tours came to her during a visit to
California. She said: “My husband and I were looking for things to do and
stumbled upon a walking tour. We thought this would be a great business idea for
Bermuda.” She believes Bermuda has a challenge in showing people, especially
tourists, that there are other restaurants besides Front Street and she wanted
to highlight this through the food tour business. “When I visited the island
initially, I never knew there was anything off of Front Street. We wanted to do
something that included food, taking people in many different walkways and
seeing neat things and places to explore.” The food tour agency launched last
week. Mrs Davenport and Ms Lamb said the feedback has be great and everyone is
enjoying the experience. They are currently marketing by word of mouth, social
media and flyers in different locations and hotels. The food tours accommodate
dietary issues. The website offers booking options for those with food allergies
or restrictions. All ticketing is done through the website, and each tour is
limited to 12 guests. Currently the tour dates are Thursdays to Saturdays from
11am to 2pm.
A witness has
described the “carnage” as she helped in the aftermath of a crash in which
six people were injured on Monday night. The woman recalled seeing an
overturned car, a man stumbling in the road and several bodies, including a
young woman lying near the centre of the road with a severe injury to an arm.
She told The Royal Gazette’s Drive for Change campaign: “Because it
was dark and raining I didn’t see it until I was right on it. It was so
surreal — the only way I can describe it is carnage. It was horrific.” The
crash happened on Middle Road, Smith’s, near Whitney Institute, when the car
hit a wall and flipped over at about 10.20pm. The driver, a 25-year-old Warwick
man, was arrested under suspicion of impaired driving. He remained in police
custody yesterday after being treated for injuries, but was released on bail
today, pending further inquiries. One 18-year-old female passenger was in a
stable condition in the intensive care unit of King Edward VII Memorial
Hospital, and another 18-year-old female passenger was stable and expected to be
admitted to a general ward. A 19-year-old male passenger, described as stable,
was being moved to a general ward, and two male passengers, aged 25 and 27, were
treated and discharged from the hospital. The witness, a mother of two who asked
not to be named, was driving her car east along Middle Road when she was one of
the first on the scene. She said: “The first thing I saw was a vision of a
male who was kind of staggering around, and I could see blood on his arm and
face. It started to connect that there had been a severe automobile accident.
The car was upside down and I could see bodies — I saw the young lady in the
middle of the road. I spent a lot of time with her. She had been thrown a couple
of feet from the car and was lying in the centre of the road. There was another
young lady who was trapped in the back. I could see her through the back window
because it was gone. The other two gentlemen were in the car as I parked and ran
to the car and do my best to survey the scene.” As she could not use her
mobile phone, the witness asked local residents to call an ambulance. She said
her main focus was the injured girl in the road. “The young lady in the road
was just saying ‘please help me, please help me’. There was blood everywhere
— it was mixing with the rain and the oil. We had some towels and I put my
jacket on her to keep her warm.” She said she was “truly relieved” when
first responders arrived. “I was worried that this poor child was going to
bleed to death. You sort of go into autopilot and I think being a mother really
helped me. Somebody had got an umbrella — one lady was literally praying over
her because her injuries were so horrific. I was trying to get her to stabilize
her breathing and keep her eyes open and stay focused. You have to stay calm.
Myself and two other ladies worked as a team.” The crash left both lanes
blocked and littered with debris near Flatts Post Office, as police processed
the scene for several hours. The overturned car was badly damaged and has been
impounded by police. A section of wall was knocked down along the southern verge
of Middle Road and a light pole at the pedestrian crossing was also damaged.
Witnesses should call police on 295-0011.
Workplace policies are
more successful than legislation when it comes to stopping sexual harassment, a
union leader has said. Jason Hayward, president of the Bermuda Public
Services Union, said employers must commit to zero tolerance of sexual
harassment at work. It came after home affairs minister Walton Brown announced a
forum on sexual harassment and sensitivity towards sexual orientation at work,
saying tough new rules were needed to crack down on harassment. Mr Hayward, who
is also a Progressive Labour Party senator, said: “Legislation is good.
However, I believe that workplace polices are far more effective in supporting
victims and changing negative organizational cultures which support and
encourage the negative behaviors. Employers must commit to a zero tolerance of
sexual harassment in the workplace.” Mr Hayward said the BPSU recognized that
bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment, remained a “major
concern in many workplaces throughout the island. Many incidents went unreported
and the negative behavior became organizational cultural norms, with sexual
harassment the least reported form of harassment." Mr Hayward said the
union had dealt with a small number of cases but that he could not say how
common the problem was because of a lack of data. He added: “However, I am
clear that it does exist throughout the island. There were also very little”
reports of people being harassed based on sexual orientation. This could be
because people were not willing to make complaints because the “process can be
very uncomfortable for victims”. Mr Hayward hoped the talks would lead to more
awareness of the issues, support for victims and the promotion of workplaces
free from sexual harassment and discrimination. A series of talks on the topics
will be held this week, with government officials, trade union leaders, business
leaders and human rights groups invited to take part. The events will finish
with a public forum tomorrow at CedarBridge Academy. Minna Salami, a
Nigerian-Finnish writer, blogger, speaker and founder of the feminist blog,
MsAfropolitan, was invited as the guest speaker. Ms Salami, who has been
researching, writing and speaking about sexual politics and related topics for a
decade, said the law should reflect “no tolerance to sexual harassment and
discrimination against women and LGBT people in the workplace”. She added:
“It should require that employers take all reasonable steps to prevent
harassment and workplace discrimination.” Ms Salami said her knowledge of the
situation on Bermuda was “limited in a historical context”. She added that
“sexual harassment against women and LGBT people in the workplace are problems
that have not been solved anywhere in the world, there is a long way to go. The
starting point in eliminating discrimination and harassment is fostering a
deeper understanding of the issues. And so enabling these conversations in
public discourse are an important step in the right direction.” John Wight,
president of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, said there had been much focus
globally on the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace. He added: “We
would be naive to think that this does not occur here in Bermuda. It is every
employer’s duty to ensure that employees work in a safe and trusting
environment. Any behavior in the workforce that causes employees to feel
pressure to tolerate sexual harassment is morally and legally wrong.
Well-respected organisations foster strong and respectful values, and tolerance
for anything less ultimately threatens the core culture of a company.”
A top-level shake-up
of the Civil Service is to cost taxpayers an extra $40,000, Lovitta Foggo
told Parliament yesterday. The government reform minister said the increase was
because the post of Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service had been
split. Derrick Binns stepped down as Cabinet Secretary in January to be Head of
the Civil Service and Marc Telemaque was sworn in as Cabinet Secretary last
month. Ms Foggo said the salary estimate for Cabinet Office for the new
financial year was about $3.6 million, an increase of $40,000 compared with
2017-18. She added: “This increase is owing to the restructuring of the
Cabinet Office at the senior level — that is the combined post of Secretary to
the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service has now been separated and two posts
have been re-established.” The two roles were combined in 2010 until Dr
Binns’s appointment in 2013. The Government announced in January that the
posts would be split in line with a recommendation from the 2013 Sage Commission
on spending and efficiency and that funding for the post would be allocated in
the next Budget. Michael Dunkley, then a One Bermuda Alliance backbencher,
warned that the move would cost taxpayers more money and Leah Scott, the deputy
Opposition leader, called on the Government to clarify whether it intended to
create an extra $200,000-plus post. Ms Scott said at the time: “The Government
has not indicated whether Ms Cherie Whitter, who currently serves as the Deputy
Head of the Civil Service, will remain in that role. With Dr Binns assuming the
role of the Head of the Civil Service, will the role of the Deputy Head of the
Civil Service be redundant or will we now have three six-figure posts?” Ms
Foggo told MPs yesterday: “The deputy head post remains in the structure and
this post holder will continue to serve a dual role in fulfilling the
obligations of the permanent secretary post for the Cabinet Office ministry.”
Ms Foggo also revealed that the manpower estimates for the Cabinet Office
included an extra eight employees compared with last year. But she said the two
posts in the Washington Office were not expected to be filled because “a
decision has been taken to defer the reopening of that office at this time”.
Ms Foggo added: “The additional posts include the reintroduction of support
posts for the office of the Premier, as well as administrative support services
for the Ageing Well Office.” She also announced an increase of $767,000 in the
professional services budget. Ms Foggo said: “This increase represents shifts
in funding from the Ministry of Finance to the Cabinet Office to support UK and
European public relations efforts as well as representation in Brussels. Funding
for this activity was formerly included in the Ministry of Finance budget. There
is also an increased allocation for the Washington DC lobbyist, as well as
funding to support specialist consulting services by the policy and strategy
unit for project management and implementation teams. With the increased
pressure from the European Council with the published list of non-cooperative
tax jurisdictions, it is evident that Bermuda needs to enhance its
representation with Brussels. We have already heard that a representative office
in Brussels is planned. The office will, among other things, provide for a
broad-based dialogue on economic and trade co-operation between the European
Council and Bermuda.”
Premier David Burt
wants to run “a government of action and not of talking” to tackle
Bermuda’s epidemic of road deaths and injuries. To back up those words,
the Premier said he intends to introduce roadside breath tests and increased
penalties for impaired drivers “before Cup Match”. He said: “We have an
epidemic and if we are not going to be serious about taking measures that are
going to attempt to change destructive behavior inside of our communities then
we are going to continue to have those particular challenges. Government has
responsibility to make sure that our environments are as safe as possible so
from that perspective we look forward to implementing that before Cup Match and
putting it into effect shortly thereafter.” Mr Burt was speaking to The
Royal Gazette’s Drive for Change campaign, which backs roadside breath
tests, speed cameras and a graduated licensing programme. He said the island’s
drink-drive rate was “not an easy culture to break. Culture is what is
accepted, it is what people do and it is without question a challenge that we
have to change. I think there are very few Bermudians who have not been affected
by losing someone close on the road. It is a constant experience whether it is
your constituents, whether it’s your friends, whether it is your family and it
is not just death because there is also serious injury.” Mr Burt added: “I
know there are members of my family who have had serious injury and their life
has been impacted for ever. They are technically disabled for ever and those are
the type of things that we see. Clearly we have to take steps to address that
and roadside sobriety is one of our pledges and I believe that it will have a
positive effect on attempting to change behavior. We have to make sure that we
are vigilant with enforcement.” Bermuda’s roads are treacherous for new
motorcycle users and 16-year-olds have one of the highest crash rates of all age
groups. Motorcycles are also one of the highest risk vehicles in the world and
the most common vehicle used in Bermuda. Road safety campaigners, including the
Bermuda Police Service and EMT services agreed with Drive for Change and its
partners at A Piece of the Rock that the Project Ride programme for young bikers
needed improvement. The former One Bermuda Alliance government was presented
with a white paper by the Bermuda Road Safety Council last summer that backed a
Bermudian-tailored graduated licensing programme, including on-road training,
for new riders. But Mr Burt said: “The first mention that I know about this
graduated licensing is what you are telling me now. Certainly, we can look into
further enhancing our graduated licensing programme now — the last time the
PLP was in government there was a graduated licensing regime put in place with
the Bermuda youth licence. If you say there are recommendations to enhance that,
I am sure that the Minister of Transport if prompted will, if he feels it is
necessary, bring it forth.” Mr Burt added: “We have identified road safety
as something that we want to improve — you have one of my Cabinet ministers,
Walter Roban, with an interview on how it affects all of us and we want to takes
steps so that fewer families have to go through pain and trauma that many
families have already experienced.” Mr Burt admitted that he does not ride a
motorcycle in Bermuda. He said: “I try my best not to.” Mr Burt was asked if
he would be confident putting his children on a bike with existing levels of
training. He said: “Responsibility cannot just be from the Government —
responsibility can also be for parents. But if there are thoughts and ways for
improvements to be made and if there are suggestions that come and if there are
things that need to be done, we will want to be a government of action not of
talking." Speed cameras were not budgeted for this financial year but he
did not rule out their introduction before the next Budget. He said: “One of
the mistakes that governments get into is over promising and not delivering and
I’m not trying to give unrealistic expectations. At this point in time, our
only commitment when it comes to road safety as it was spelled out inside of our
Throne Speech is roadside sobriety testing and increasing penalties for persons
who may be driving while impaired. The issue of speed cameras is something that
we are not going to rule out but the fact is that it is not budgeted for
currently and it has to be balanced against all other priorities inside of our
budget.”
Ewart Brown, a doctor
and former premier, said last night that he was “very pleased, but not at all
surprised” by a United States court’s decision to throw out a civil case
against the American-based Lahey Clinic in which he was alleged to be a
co-conspirator. The suit was brought by the Bermuda Government under Trevor
Moniz, the former One Bermuda Alliance attorney-general, and filed against
Lahey. But Dr Brown, a Progressive Labour Party premier, said the complaint and
subsequent statements to the media included “defamatory lies” about him. He
added that Mr Moniz had been ordered out of Friday’s sitting of Parliament
after a clash with Wayne Caines, the Minister of National Security, over the
handling of the case. Dr Brown said the now Shadow Attorney-General had
“intentionally provoked his own ejection from the House so that he would not
have to face the music of his own mendacious making”. He accused Mr Moniz of
“frittering away $4 million of the people’s money” on the case and of
causing damage to the Lahey Clinic. Dr Brown added that the cost of the case was
footed without Cabinet approval or attention to financial instructions. He said
it was a constitutional requirement that when the Attorney-General’s post was
held by a member of the House of Assembly that all criminal matters “shall
exclusively fall under the control of the Director of Public Prosecutions”. Dr
Brown has also been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Bermuda
Police Service. He said: “No information — like my personal e-mails and bank
balances that can only be derived from a criminal investigation — should have
ended up being included in a civil complaint the former AG takes credit for
filing.” Dr Brown called for an investigation into the conduct of the case. He
claimed that the former attorney-general had “colluded” with members of the
police service in police raids on his two medical clinics. Dr Brown said it was
not “mere coincidence” that his clinics were searched on February 12 and 13,
2016 and the Lahey suit was filed on February 14 that year. He added: “Only
last week did I hear that, recently — over seven years after I left office —
two Bermuda police officers traveled to Washington DC still in pursuit of a
criminal prosecution of me.” Dr Brown said there had been a “wilful
transgression of the Bermuda Constitution” as well as abuse of process. He
added that the US case and police investigation were part of an “unrelenting
vendetta” based on racism. Dr Brown said that “it cannot be right that we
live in a country where only black and PLP politicians, members and sympathizers
are pursued, investigated and criminally prosecuted”.
The end of conscription will
be “a death knell” for the island’s defence force, a group of former
commanding officers warned yesterday. The Nine Colonels, who battled against
plans to end conscription into the Royal Bermuda Regiment, said it had predicted
not enough volunteers would be found to maintain numbers at Warwick Camp.
Lieutenant-Colonel Allan Rance, speaking on behalf of the group, said: “We
argued that it was unlikely that sufficient volunteers could be attracted from
our small and shrinking population to maintain the numbers needed for the
Regiment to fulfil its responsibilities. We warned that the regiment had a
critical mass and that if manning fell significantly below the accepted optimum
strength of 420 at all ranks, a process of collapse would begin which, in a few
years, would result in the collapse and disappearance of the Royal Bermuda
Regiment altogether.” But John Rankin, the Governor, said that the RBR planned
to enhance its capabilities and recruitment would continue to maintain an
effective force. Wayne Caines, the national security minister, dismissed the
group as “relics from another era”. Mr Caines, a former regiment officer,
added: “We must look at the battalion with a clinical eye. It is myopic and
bereft of creativity to simply rely on conscription. This is proof positive that
the Nine Colonels have a very limited understanding of what will make Bermuda
better, and the Regiment stronger.” Mr Caines said that some might suggest
from the last Recruit Camp that the RBR might have problems in the future, but
that was not the case. He added: “This is where the opportunity lies. We must
look at the constituent parts of the Regiment, at what is working and what is
not. The regiment has been given an opportunity to revamp and re-organize and
come back as a stronger, more focused battalion.” Colonel Rance said the group
had backed the idea that Bermuda should try to keep up its numbers by recruiting
volunteers. He explained: “We felt it was an experiment that needed to be
tried to establish once and for all whether it could work.” But Colonel Rance
said the group thought it would be a mistake to legally abolish conscription. He
added: “We thought that we should try volunteerism by simply changing to a
recruitment policy while leaving a possible resort to conscription in our laws.
If not, conscription would be there as a back-up option.” Colonel Rance said
the group was “delighted” when former premier Michael Dunkley suspended
conscription for 2015 recruitment but left it on the law books. He added: “We
have now been through three recruitment cycles since that debate. The numbers
have unfortunately got worse every year.” Colonel Rance said the regiment
needed 120 new soldiers every year to maintain its strength, although that would
vary depending on the numbers who leave each year. He added that the RBR
attracted 65 recruits in 2015, 60 in 2016 and 40 this year. Colonel Rance said:
“The regiment intends to have another drive for recruits for a summer intake
but it is unlikely that many more volunteers will come forth.” He added that
the regiment numbers stood at 344 across its ranks, but that it needed 420
soldiers and the organisation was already unable to fulfil all its roles.
Colonel Rance said the Progressive Labour Party government had promised to
remove conscription from the island’s legislation — against the advice of a
National Security and Defence Review panel in 2014. He said the review panel,
appointed by George Fergusson, the former governor, “recommended in the
strongest terms” that conscription should be retained “to preserve the now
Royal Bermuda Regiment and thereby the safety and security of all Bermudians”.
Mr Rankin said: “As Governor and Commander-In-Chief, I remain fully committed
to maintaining the capacity of the Royal Bermuda Regiment to perform its duties
in supporting the defence and security of Bermuda in line with modern
requirements. In 2017, the Regiment played a key role in supporting the security
arrangements for Bermuda’s successful hosting of the 35th America’s Cup and
in deploying to the Turks and Caicos islands to assist in hurricane relief
operations. Planning is now under way for the Regiment to undertake Inshore
Coast Guard functions and to further enhance its humanitarian and disaster
relief capability. Active recruitment to the Regiment will continue in support
of these goals, providing a well-trained and professional force to meet this
island’s security needs.” Mr Caines added: “Trying to keep up with a
regiment of 400 people is now a nonsense. We have a very clear mandate to allow
our young men and women to see the Regiment as a legitimate opportunity for
employment, like the Bermuda Fire Service, to create clear opportunities for
leadership roles and to provide for their families. The Regiment’s
Lieutenant-Colonel David Curley has realised this.”
Opinion, by Michael
Fahy, a former Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Tourism, Transport and
Municipalities, and Junior Minister of Finance under the One Bermuda Alliance
government. "A Bill to provide greater supervision of the
corporations of Hamilton and St George was debated in the House of Assembly on
July 10, 2015. You may recall I brought forward that legislation as Minister
of Home Affairs during my tenure as steward of the Corporation of Hamilton. This
was brought as a direct result of certain matters I uncovered with regard to
standards of good governance at the corporation. During the ensuing debate of
the Bill I tabled, Walton Brown said: “If we pass this Act, we will be
making a mockery of democracy because we will create a sham of structure.”
He went on and said: “We will have members elected to the Corporation of
Hamilton ... through a process which involves expenditure of public funds. They
will sit and deliberate, but their decisions will never be valid unless, and
until, it has the approval of the Government. So why really have the
corporation? Why have it ... if their decisions are not their own?” He
continued saying that people will “be elected and hold office, but be
completely neutered when it comes to the possession of any power to do anything.
It renders the time, the effort of the Corporation of Hamilton ... completely
useless.” All in all, it was clear that Brown wished both to preserve the
absolute, independent decision-making of the corporation and keep at arm’s
length the control that government could have over the operations of the
corporation in certain defined circumstances. Fast forward almost three years to
March 9, 2018 and the full hypocrisy of Brown — and the Progressive Labour
Party — is yet again exposed. On Friday, he tabled further amendments to the
Municipalities Act 1923 by way of the Municipalities Amendment Act 2018 to
further increase the supervision of the Bermuda Government over the Corporation
of Hamilton and, by extension, St George. The complete about-face should be
surprising if it were not so absolutely terrifying and predictable given
Brown’s absolute disregard for his previous positions, for example with
respect to same-sex marriage. I honestly don’t know how, given all the things
Brown said against the One Bermuda Alliance, he is able to look at himself in
the mirror in the mornings. The Bill is in fact yet another example of the PLP
magic show of “look at my right hand while I do tricks with my left”. I say
this since the Bill was tabled on Friday to be debated in one week — highly
unusual for a controversial move such as this — at the same time as the Lahey
judgment was being debated. This was presumably done to bury the true reasons
for introducing the Bill. The Bill was introduced without any consultation
whatsoever with the corporation — giving less than 24 hours’ notice of a
Bill does not qualify (even my criticized record was better than that). Without
even asking if the present members of the corporation wish to continue in
office; and under the guise of consulting to reform the corporation completely
during the next year. Brown explained that his very short Bill is being brought
essentially because the Government feels disrespected and offended by a
Taiwanese mayor making a “courtesy mayor to mayor” visit in Bermuda. How
dare the Government say direct contact was not made with it first. The
Government is also, we are told, fed up with the alleged, and as yet
unsubstantiated, failings of the corporation to consult with “relevant”
government departments before commencing major infrastructure projects. The
latter is a joke when one realizes that major infrastructure projects need
Department of Planning approval — in circumstances where the Department of
Planning has on its board an ex officio member from the corporation. In
addition, for example, major road closures necessitate the Police being notified
first. The Bill seeks to postpone the next Hamilton municipal election from 2018
to 2019 and changes the test for interference by the minister from one of
“public interest” to that of “in the interests of Bermuda”. While the
Bill is short, it is not short on irony or danger. I, for one, find it very hard
to believe that elections need to be postponed to permit consultation necessary
for municipal reform. In fact, you may recall that even while the Corporation of
Hamilton was under my stewardship, elections were still held. The biggest issue
with the minister’s approach is that it is totally undemocratic for the
electorate to be told that those they voted in for a three-year term are now
given four years. Even if you like the incumbents, this just is not right. It
seems to me that as a result, the incumbents should resign at the end of their
three-year term. So what is the real reason for this amendment? Is it because
Brown is not satisfied that enough people he is desirous of serving on the
corporations are available or ready to run? Is the minister desirous of
appointing his own board to ensure that the corporation is merely an extension
of the Government and that he can take control of its coffers? Is the minister
really so obtuse that he believes this action will not add further fuel to the
fire that the Government is incompetent? Is this the grab for the waterfront?
Only time will tell. Reform of the respective corporations can happen without
postponing elections and without changing the legal tests regarding ministerial
interference. I suspect that anyone who tries to fight these changes will be
accused of attempting to be un-Bermudian or trying to protect the
“oligarchy” — notwithstanding that previous changes protected the vote of
the residents of the respective municipal areas. Brown has yet again
demonstrated his absolute ability in practising convenient amnesia, his
willingness to rewrite history and his tendency to easily forget why things were
done. Nothing that the minister cited in his explanation for tabling the Bill
justifies this ill-considered foray into these anti-democratic measures. There
have been no allegations of mismanagement, theft or any other nefarious activity
at the corporation. It simply makes no sense. It appears there were no meetings
or conversations with the incumbent councillors and mayors. This is indeed a
pity and a demonstration of a failure to manage matters effectively. The
mayors’ teams and I had many meetings, and while we did not always see eye to
eye, we always discussed matters. The present administrations have made great
strides in managing their respective corporations, and should not be
disrespected in this manner. They don’t deserve that. American political
journalist Michael Gerson has said that political hypocrisy is the “conscious
use of a mask to fool the public and gain political benefit”. He is not
wrong."
The Supreme Court has
ruled that Mission Road is a public road in a long-running dispute over a
garage. Mark Sousa, who operates Cardoza’s Limited on the road, argued the
Paget road is private because the order making the road public was not properly
gazetted. But Chief Justice Ian Kawaley said: “In my judgment it would be an
absurd result to hold the 1963 order is invalid for a failure to publish in an
appointed paper first raised over 50 years after the statutory instrument was
made otherwise validly, and published as part of Bermuda’s laws.” The
question of the road’s status came as part of a dispute between the garage and
neighbors. Mr Justice Kawaley said: “The parking of cars on the roadside in
the environs of the garage, combined with emissions from garage operations, has
provoked the ire of neighbors for several years. This ire has, in turn,
stimulated regulatory action by various government authorities resulting in
satellite court proceedings.” The Minister of Public Works in 2015 served an
abatement notice on Mr Sousa under the Public Lands Act, enforceable in the
Magistrates’ Court. Cameron Hill, who represented Mr Sousa, argued that the
road was private and as a result the Crown had no right to regulate it. A 1963
order was intended to make the road public, but Mr Sousa said the order was not
properly gazetted, as it did not appear in an appointed newspaper as required by
the law at that time. Mr Justice Kawaley said the application, if successful,
would remove “at least one legal basis” for the Government’s abatement
notice. He said that neither party were able to produce a copy of the order
printed in the appointed newspaper. His judgment, dated February 23, said:
“The failure of the defendant to adduce positive evidence of publication to
contradict the bare assertion that no publication occurred would, on the face
it, support an inference that it was more likely than not that no publication
occurred. The position might be otherwise if it was not possible to search the
relevant newspapers because the records had been damaged or lost.” The Chief
Justice ruled in Mr Sousa’s favour that the order had not been properly
gazetted. But he said it had appeared in the official gazette, in Bermuda Laws
online and in the Revised Laws of Bermuda in 1965. Mr Justice Kawaley said:
“As attractively as these submissions were put, in my judgment such general
notions cannot trump the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty.” He ruled that
the entire length of Mission Road is a public highway.
Bermuda-based insurer
and reinsurer Argo Group has acquired Italian speciality insurer Ariscom.
Last year Argo acquired reinsurer Ariel Re and added a new team of property
underwriters from Ironshore. Mark Watson, chief executive officer of Argo Group,
said: “Ariscom provides an established platform that we can use to efficiently
expand our presence in continental Europe. “Italy is one of Europe’s largest
and best-performing P&C insurance markets. We’re also eager to tap into
Ariscom’s existing broker and client network throughout Italy, with
longer-term opportunities to develop capabilities across Europe — particularly
in Spain and Portugal.” Matt Harris, head of ArgoGlobal’s European and Asian
operations, has assumed the role of Ariscom managing director. ArgoGlobal will re-brand
Ariscom to highlight “the strength of the new combined organisation”. Jose
Hernandez, head of Argo Group’s international segment, said: “We are
planning an aggressive re-launch strategy and intend to deploy some of the
company’s proven digital solutions to enhance the value we provide to
clients.”
Real estate brokers
and agents are invited to attend an outreach session tomorrow afternoon. It
is being hosted by the Bermuda Government’s Superintendent of Real Estate at
the Cathedral Church Hall on Church Street, starting at 2pm. Topics of
discussion will include summary findings of the national risk assessment
impacting the real estate sector; an update on implementation of AML/ATF
supervisory framework in real estate; international typologies and indicators
for real estate; and suspicious activity reporting obligations and how to report
to the Financial Intelligence Agency. There will also be a question-and-answer
session on implementation of AML/ATF obligations for real estate brokers.
The cost of the
Bermuda Government’s lawsuit against American-based medical group Lahey could
reach $4 million, a former attorney-general has warned. Progressive Labour
Party MP Michael Scott, a lawyer with legal practice Browne, Scott, told
Parliament on Friday that costs had already topped $3 million. He was speaking
after Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General, announced that the lawsuit,
which alleged that Lahey conspired with Ewart Brown, a former premier, to
defraud the island of millions of dollars in healthcare charges, had been
dismissed by a United States judge. Ms Simmons, who signaled the Government
would not pursue the case any further, said that although the cost of the case
had not been assessed, it had run up a bill of “well over $1 million”. But
Mr Scott said: “I have taken time to research and ask questions of my
colleagues as to what we have paid to a law firm called Cooley LLP.” He added
that Trevor Moniz, then One Bermuda Alliance Attorney-General, approved more
than $3 million for the Boston law firm. Mr Scott said: “It is bound to reach
$4 million. How much could we have done with $4 million?” He added that the
dismissal confirmed the view that the case was “a strategically and
politically motivated suit aimed at harming black leadership in this country in
general, and in particular aimed at harming the Progressive Labour Party pre the
General Election”. During Friday’s motion to adjourn, Moniz, the Shadow
Attorney-General, was kicked out of the House of Assembly amid a row over the
files connected to the case as the dismissal on technical grounds of the
Government’s legal action against the Boston clinic in a US court dominated
proceedings. Zane DeSilva, a PLP backbencher, said the lawsuit was a
“personal, racist vendetta against Dr Brown”. He added that the OBA had an
“endless pocket of money for witch-hunts” and that “today, we saw where a
lot of that money went — down the drain”. PLP backbencher Derrick Burgess
said: “These guys really want to kill this man. That’s the objective of it.
This country needs to leave Dr Ewart Brown alone. He’s done a lot for this
country.” Jamahl Simmons, economic development and tourism minister, added
that the people of Bermuda had to pay for this “cockamamie revenge scheme”.
Shadow government reform minister Michael Dunkley, who was the Premier at the
time the case was filed, said he would not “run from decisions or actions that
were taken”. He added: “As the Premier at the time, I’m willing to take
all the flak from members on that side and the people of Bermuda for decisions
we made. But, Mr Speaker, I can assure you, that we made decisions which at the
time we thought in the best interest of moving this country forward.” OBA MP
Patricia Gordon-Pamplin added: “I take responsibility for actions for which I
am responsible. Because I take responsibility, I don’t just read one excerpt
from something and assume that it is the whole. If we get to a stage in which
there is full disclosure, and that disclosure dictates something that would
indicate that I have made a decision collectively with my colleagues which was
wrong, I am woman enough to stand and say so.” But David Burt, the Premier,
said: “The former government could not find it within them to put the
country’s interests ahead of their own narrow political self-interests.”
The airport deal was
the best Bermuda could hope for, the former finance minister and a prime mover
behind the controversial contract has said. Bob Richards said competitive
bidding would not have worked for such a small project and the island’s
inability to compensate unsuccessful competitors for the work they did on their
bids would have doomed the process before it got off the ground. Mr Richards
added: “There had been no successful procurements for revenue-based,
public-private partnership projects for airports of similar small size to
Bermuda’s by way of a bidding process. None.” He explained: “This ‘loss
of pursuit costs for unsuccessful bidders’ means that in larger countries,
governments would be required to refund unsuccessful bidders for some or all of
the money they spent in making the detailed bid. The questionable financial
condition of the Bermuda Government at the time would have made prospective
bidders hesitant to spend a lot of money making a substantial bid in such
circumstances. This is one of the reasons the bidding process for P3s for small
countries had never worked.” Mr Richards was speaking after the Progressive
Labour Party government, which fought the deal in opposition, revealed the
25-page $187,000 review of the contract by international consultants
LeighFisher. He added: “In being so specific about the narrowness of the remit
provided by the Government, LeighFisher has provided the reasons why the OBA
government proceeded along the sole source route as opposed to the competitive
bid process, which is the main bone of contention of the present government.”
Mr Richards said: “The findings of the report were in no way a surprise to
me.” David Burt, the Premier, said last month that the controversial deal to
redevelop LF Wade International Airport would not be cancelled. The LeighFisher
report put the cost of scrapping the deal at more than $100 million. Mr Richards
said that much was made by Mr Burt about the “inability to cheaply terminate
the deal” and the “lack of ability to do major tinkering”. He said: “To
state the obvious, a deal is a deal.” Mr Richards added: “It should also be
remembered that there is $284 million being loaned to this project, without a
government guarantee. The deal stands on its own. If it depended on a government
guarantee, the Government would have more flexibility to alter it, but this deal
does not encumber the government balance sheet.” He said the lenders must have
“reasonable assurance” that their money would be repaid and that their
investment would remain safe despite possible political changes. Mr Richards
explained: “Without that assurance, in a small market whose air traffic
numbers have been in decline for 30 years, the risks would have been
unacceptable and the deal would not have been able to be financed.” The
LeighFisher report said that “the majority of P3 deals in mature P3 markets
are competitively procured by government agencies or sponsoring authorities for
the purpose of securing the best value for money”. But Mr Richards said
Bermuda was not a mature market in terms of P3s. He explained: “Since there
have been no P3 deals similar in size to Bermuda’s, the ‘majority’
reference would not include the size of deals like Bermuda. It’s comparing
apples to oranges. Bermuda is not a mature P3 market. If we were, this deal
would not have been controversial.” Steve Nackan, president of developer
Aecon, said the company would continue to “work collaboratively” on concerns
raised by Mr Burt. Mr Nackan added: “However, we are pleased to see that
global independent P3 experts, LeighFisher, has found that the agreement is
balanced and consistent with industry norms, that all key financial metrics are
well within market range and that airport revenues are being appropriately
managed and used strictly to pay for airport construction, operations and
maintenance as well as the servicing of investments. With regard to the noted
absence of a variation procedure, as LeighFisher finds, the inherent difficulty
in privately financing an airport with fewer than 1 million passengers and a
history of traffic decline resulted in a complex financing structure which
inhibited changes to the agreement. In any event, variation procedures in P3
contracts only exist to enable small, technical improvements that are paid for
by the client. There have now been numerous independent reviews of the
agreement, by multiple independent global experts and by the well-respected
members of the Blue Ribbon Panel and they have all concluded that the agreement
is balanced and consistent with industry norms. The airport agreement provides a
solid platform for us to continue making great progress in delivering a
world-class airport Bermuda can be proud of — on time, on budget and without
increasing Bermuda’s debt or impacting its credit rating.” Denis Pitcher, an
independent political commentator, said that the report did not provide a
“compelling argument” that competition in the bidding process would have
netted Bermuda a better deal. Mr Pitcher added: “It does note that ‘the
majority of P3 projects in mature P3 markets’ benefit from competition.
However, we clearly aren’t a mature market for public-private partnerships.”
The LeighFisher report said that after talks with the Bermuda Airport Authority
and airport operators Skyport, it had identified about $15 million in
“enhancements for Bermuda and Bermudians” that could be negotiated. Mr
Pitcher said that the “incremental improvements” were not what the people
were promised. He explained: “Incrementally improving the OBA’s deal
doesn’t suggest it was bad to begin with.” Mr Pitcher said that the success
of the America’s Cup and the review into the airport deal put against the
“heavy rhetoric” that was used to oppose them by the now government
“erodes some of the trust and confidence that the PLP puts Bermudians first
versus party first”. He added: “The PLP cannot keep riding on the OBA’s
failures and kicking a frankly very dead horse. The PLP needs to recognize that
they will be judged by their own successes.” Mr Richards said that the
America’s Cup and airport deal, as well as new hotels, were the legacy of OBA
policies to boost the economy. He added: “They have put many Bermudians back
to work.”
Three drug treatment
programmes have been awarded international accreditation, the Minister of Social
Development and Sports said today. Michael Weeks told Parliament that the
Women’s Treatment Centre, the Men’s Treatment Centre and Turning Point
Substance Abuse Treatment Centre had all received a three-year award from the
Commission in Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities International. Mr Weeks
said this was “the highest level of achievement”. He explained: “In 2009,
the Women’s Treatment Centre was the first facility in Bermuda to meet the
standards of CARF International. In 2011, the Turning Point Substance Abuse
Treatment Programme earned their international accreditation and in 2015, the
Men’s Treatment programme earned theirs. All these programmes were awarded the
gold-star, three-year award, which speaks to the high quality of care being
provided locally.” Mr Weeks said the Women’s Treatment Centre was awarded
for community housing and residential treatment, while the Men’s Treatment
Centre was awarded accreditation for residential treatment. Both are operated by
the Bermuda Government through the Department of National Drug Control and are
based at the Nelson Bascome Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Sandys. Mr
Weeks said the Turning Point, run by Bermuda Hospitals Board as part of the Mid
Atlantic Wellness Institute, was recognized for detoxification/withdrawal
management, intensive outpatient treatment and outpatient treatment. He added:
“CARF not only assesses treatment programming but also assesses the physical
environment, governance, leadership, strategic planning and outcome evaluation
systems. Service providers, such as ours, earn accreditation by demonstrating
conformance to Carf’s standards through documented policies and procedures, as
well as by providing proof of processes via a rigorous on-site survey, which
includes interviews with persons served and external partners.” Mr Weeks
explained that the National Drug Control Act requires government treatment
facilities be subject to international accreditation. He added: “These
achievements show Government’s commitment to providing quality rehabilitation
services to those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse and to returning health
and productive citizens back to our community. This achievement also supports
one of the action plans of the National Drug Control Master Plan 2013-2017.”
Mr Weeks said ensuring high quality treatment services also went a “long
way” towards meeting the 2017 Throne Speech goal that the “Government has a
duty to seek ways to reduce drug abuse and increase rehabilitation”.
ATN International, the
telecoms company that has a controlling interest in One Communications Ltd, has
reported full-year revenue from its Bermuda operations of $127.2m, that is up
from $83m in 2016. The figures are in a year-end report filed with the US
Securities and Exchange Commission. The US-based company took a controlling
stake in One Communications in 2016. Last month ATN reported full-year revenue
of $481.2 million, or $2.71 per share, an increase of five per cent
year-on-year. ATN said the net revenue increases were mostly due to the
full-year impact of its acquisitions in Bermuda and US Virgin Islands during
2016. However, for the fourth quarter ATN’s revenue was $107.7 million, down
16 per cent on the same period in 2016, after hurricane damage to Caribbean
networks. One Communications intends to issue its annual report on or before
April 30.
The VW motor vehicle
franchise in Bermuda is moving from Auto Solutions, but it’s unclear who is
taking over the franchise. In a letter to customers, Auto Solutions said it
had been informed by VW that it intended to move the franchise to Ascendant
Group Ltd. However, this afternoon a spokeswoman for Ascendant, the parent of
Belco, said the company does not have an agreement with VW. Auto Solutions
announced the change as it welcomed the newest version of the electric Nissan
Leaf to the island. Nissan is one of seven car brands that are represented and
serviced by the company in Bermuda. Glen Smith, managing director of Auto
Solutions, said in a letter to customers that the company would do its best to
carry out repairs and immediate service requests for VW vehicles until the end
of May. Mr Smith said: “We have been informed by Volkswagen (Latin America)
that they intend to make The Ascendant Group of Companies (the owner of Belco)
their local representative in Bermuda. While we learnt of VW’s decision in
early February, they have yet to inform us what arrangements have been made with
Ascendant to service VW cars going forward. However, to ensure that your
immediate service and repair needs are met, we will do our best to service VW
vehicles until May 31, which is when our access to VW’s diagnostic equipment
is due to expire. Thereafter, it will be for VW Latin America or their new
representative to provide the necessary infrastructure and support to maintain
the VW brand. While we are sad to say farewell to the VW brand, we wish their
new representative well.” But a spokeswomen for Ascendant Group said: “We
cannot speak to Auto Solutions’ own relationship with Volkswagen; however, can
confirm that AGL does not have an agreement with Volkswagen, or any other
automotive manufacturer, to retail or service cars at this time. We regret that
customers of Auto Solutions are being advised otherwise.” Mr Smith, speaking
to The Royal Gazette late this afternoon, confirmed that his company had been
told on three occasions by VW about the intended switch of the franchise to
Ascendant, and said it had also been mentioned at the Transport Control
Department. Auto Solutions represents and services the brands Suzuki, Hyundai,
Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda and Daihatsu. Mr Smith, said “We are really
excited about with our 2018 line up of cars including the introduction of the
all-electric, zero-emission Nissan Leaf, named ‘Best Electric Car’ in
London’s 2018 What Car Awards. Our first shipment of Nissan Leafs arrived last
week and we are confident this spacious four door hatchback will be a hot ticket
item in the local car market. Many customers have already been in touch
requesting test drives and have expressed a keen interest in switching over to
Auto Solution’s Leaf. The EV market is upon us and we are happy to lead the
way. Our priority is to continue to be the leading car dealership in Bermuda. We
believe that our high level of customer care and attention, our great staff and
our exciting line-up of 2018 and 2019 cars, including award-winning electric
cars, will keep Bermudians and residents rolling with us.”
A message in a bottle
found on a beach at the weekend was set adrift more than a thousand miles off
the island almost four years ago. Joseph Vallis stumbled across the unusual
find as he helped to clean up mounds of trash at Bailey’s Bay on Saturday. The
12-year-old Warwick Academy pupil, from Sandys, now hopes to hear back from the
writers after he contacted them by e-mail. He said: “It was cool. We were just
picking up trash and it was there. It was a green bottle. There was a big
plastic bag inside that was rolled up.” With the help of his father, Boyd
Vallis, he uncorked the bottle and found the note inside, which contained e-mail
addresses and a message in several languages. The message explained that the
bottle was thrown overboard in April 2014 from a French sailing yacht crossing
the Atlantic Ocean. The authors asked anyone who found it to get in touch by
e-mail and added, “it could be fun”. Joseph said: “We did but they
haven’t responded yet. We sent it to them last night.” Joseph and his dad
took the letter home and looked at it under a black light because the writing
was so faded. They were able to make out enough of the co-ordinates to work out
that the bottle had been put in the water in the northeast Atlantic, more than
1,000 miles east of Bermuda. Mr Vallis said it must have gone south and the pair
drew up a map of the route it may have taken based on their knowledge of the
currents in the area. But they had no idea when the bottle made landfall in
Bermuda and how long it had been buried under trash at the bay. Joseph made the
discovery as about 12 school pupils, alumni and staff gathered at the small cove
for Saturday’s clean-up event. They picked up “buckets and buckets” of
trash and Mr Vallis said he had never seen such a thick layer of small plastic
pieces littering the beach. Jane Vickers, director of development at Warwick
Academy, appealed for volunteers on Friday after a friend highlighted the mounds
of garbage at the cove on Facebook. Ms Vickers said: “It was unbelievable. The
plastic and garbage was staggering. There was everything from milk crates, to
plastic buckets, to plastic cutlery, tooth brushes, combs — it was
frightening. Anything and everything you could imagine was down there.” Other
pieces appeared to have come from a boat and Ms Vickers said people in the area
told the group that debris was washing up from a vessel that had broken its
moorings. Local resident Jennifer Hind told The Royal Gazette in January
that the Trojan had been grounded west of the pedestrian bridge for a
“couple of months”. She said bits of the boat, including foam cushions and
sheets of plywood and plastic, had started to wash up on the beach. But Ms
Vickers said the most disturbing part was the amount of small bits of plastic.
Ms Vickers added: “There is literally feet of tiny pieces of plastic. At first
you think it’s our beautiful pink sand and as you look you realize it is tiny
bits of plastic.” They bagged up all the trash and will take it to the
incinerator today.
Police have issued another
warning about fraudsters getting personal information through phone calls and
e-mails. Residents have reported telephone calls from unknown persons
claiming to represent global technology companies such as Microsoft and Apple,
as well as local communications companies Logic and North Rock. The deceptive
calls are not genuine and are believed to come from overseas. A police spokesman
said: “The intent of the unknown callers is to convince contacted persons to
provide remote access to their computer — using the excuse that the computer
has some type of problem, which the caller states they will fix — in order to
log in to the unsuspecting resident’s electronic banking, where funds are
eventually stolen. In the event an unknown caller’s computer access request is
challenged or refused, the fraudster is known to make threats — including
suggesting that the contacted person could be sent to jail for not co-operating.
If you are unsure whether or not a local business is contacting you for
legitimate reasons, hang up on the unknown caller and then call the business in
question to verify. But in general, it is strongly recommended that such
unsolicited phone calls or e-mails be ignored.” The spokesman added personal
information, including access details of home computers, should never be relayed
over the internet or phone to unknown persons. Suspected internet fraud should
be reported to the Financial Crime Unit on 247-1757 or via fraud2@bps.bm.
March 11. Sunday
The Bermuda Government
was threatened with fresh legal action today over the axing of a contract to
redevelop Hamilton’s waterfront. Michael MacLean, head of developers
Allied Development Partners, said that he would bring a case on constitutional
grounds against the Government after it refused to take part in settlement
talks. Mr MacLean said: “Allied Development Partners Ltd appreciates that the
PLP government did not cause this debacle, however they were elected to lead and
address the issues they inherited. “ADPL have made several attempts to resolve
this matter swiftly and amicably to avoid further expense to the public purse
with further litigation. ADPL have sent over six formal pieces of written
correspondence to The Government of Bermuda — The Premier, The Attorney
General and the Minister of Home Affairs — in an attempt to arrange a meeting
with the purpose of amicably resolving this matter. “To date, there has been
absolutely no response forthcoming regarding the matter despite the Premier and
Minister of Home Affairs’ indication to the public that they ‘continue to
move the issue forward’ ‘in a way that addresses the legitimate concerns of
someone who had a contract voided along with maintaining proper and judicial
control over the public purse. As a result of this Government’s refusal to
engage in settlement discussions, ADPL have been left with no choice but to
launch our constitutional case against the Government of Bermuda regarding the
voiding of the waterfront lease. A summons will be filed in short order.” Mr
MacLean also said that he would also be taking legal action against Mr Brown. He
referred to comments made by Mr Brown on a radio show where he is alleged to
have said he would represent Mr MacLean in the matter, and a later statement in
Parliament, when he denied any dialogue or negotiations with Mr MacLean. Mr
MacLean said: “I have been duly informed by the Bermuda Police Service that a
complaint has been made by Minister Brown alleging extortion. It is noteworthy
that Minister Brown has not taken any civil legal action alleging slander or
libel in relation to my disclosures. However, I take great exception to my
character and reputation being attacked and I will be taking action against
Minister Brown. Mr MacLean added that a lawyer’s letter would be sent to Mr
Brown “shortly”. The Government has been contacted for comment. Full story
in tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette.
A Bermudian teenager stabbed
to death in England was honored by his family in his favorite park at the
weekend. His mother Keishaye Steede, 35, who lives in Bulwell, Nottingham,
and other family members went to Vernon Park in nearby Old Basford on Saturday
to release red balloons to remember 17-year-old student Lyrico Steede and “to
touch the ground where he used to be.” The memorial event happened as police
revealed more people may have been involved in the attack on February 13 than
the three teenagers charged with his murder. Detective Inspector Becky Hodgman,
of East Midlands Police Special Operations Unit, said investigators had not
ruled out that others took part in the attack and appealed for witnesses. Police
also want to trace Lyrico’s missing phone. Ms Steede said: “I want people to
come forward because if they do not, they are going to have to live with this
for the rest of their lives. He is not coming back but at least they can sleep
at night knowing they did something.” Lyrico, known as Rico, suffered multiple
stab wounds after was chased and attacked by a group of people on February 13 in
Bulwell and died in hospital six days later. Ms Steede, 35, of Bulwell,
Nottinghamshire, relived her horror when officers told her son had been
attacked. She said: “I found out when the police knocked on my door, it was
horrible. Everything was a blur. It was just like a dream. My brain started
burning immediately but I had to keep my composure. In hospital, his pupils were
dilated. They stuck tubes in him but he wasn’t responding.” She added: “I
thought he was going to wake up. I was never angry. I was just focused on him
waking. I just wanted him to hear my voice and feel my touch every step of the
way.” Ms Steede said: “I just want him to be remembered how he was. I
didn’t want people to see him in hospital even though he just looked
peaceful.” She added: “I’m just upset he could not live and become a
man.” Lyrico’s older sister, Lyric, 20, said: “The last few weeks have
been horrible. He was not a troublemaker, he did not deserve this at all. He was
an amazing person. He loved boxing, music and his family and he always stuck up
for the people he loved.” Lyrico, a college student in the Nottingham area,
moved to England aged 12 to stay with family. A family GoFundMe site set up to
raise funds to bring Lyrico home for burial said he had moved to be with Lyric
and his father Jermaine. His mother joined the family in the UK later. Kesharn
Campbell, 19 and two 17-year-olds who cannot be named for legal reasons, are
expected to be tried for Lyrico’s murder on October 2. A 17-year-old girl, who
also cannot be named, has been charged with assisting an offender and is
expected to appear at Nottingham Youth Court on April 3.
A JetBlue flight from
Mexico to New York tonight diverted to Bermuda after it was feared a fire
had broken out in the cargo area. Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service personnel and
fire trucks met the aircraft when it landed just after 6pm. The 207 passengers
and crew were evacuated and firefighters checked the hold for signs of fire. The
Airbus 321 landed on the island after it reported possible smoke in the cargo
hold.
The lawsuit undertaken
by the former One Bermuda Alliance government against the Lahey Clinic put
Bermuda’s treaty relationship with the United States at risk, the Speaker of
the House said last night. Dennis Lister said: “Our treaty relationship
was in threat based on what I have in front of me.” Mr Lister’s statement
came after reading an e-mail he was presented by David Burt, the Premier, during
the Motion to Adjourn in the House of Assembly. Mr Burt had sought to read the
e-mail during his address to Parliament. But Mr Lister warned Mr Burt against
reading the letter. He explained: “If it’s sensitive, I don’t think it
should be made public.” Mr Lister said he would read the last line from the
e-mail. He read: “This is a very important matter which can have an impact on
our treaty relationship. I am available to speak with you at your convenience.
And it’s singed by the individual.” Mr Lister said that he would not read
the full content of the e-mail nor identify the persons named. But Mr Lister
said: “It did come from a senior officer in the US Criminal Justice
Department.” He said the email was addressed to former Attorney-General Trevor
Moniz’s chambers.
Shadow
Attorney-General Trevor Moniz was kicked out of the House of Assembly last night
amid a row over files regarding the Bermuda Government’s lawsuit against the
Lahey Clinic. He was told to leave after he repeatedly accused national
security minister Wayne Caines of “misleading the House” and after Dennis
Lister, the Speaker of the House, warned him that he would have to leave if he
continued “his game”. Mr Moniz responded: “Well, that’s fine, Mr
Speaker.” Mr Lister then told him to walk. The dismissal of the Government’s
case against the Boston clinic in a US court on technical grounds dominated last
night’s Motion to Adjourn. The row broke out after Mr Caines said the
Attorney-General, Kathy Lynn Simmons, had to deal with not having all the case
files, as well as “allegations of documents being shredded”. Mr Moniz, on a
point of order, insisted that the files were all with the law firm. Mr Caines
responded: “Why would any government minister, why would anyone in charge of
justice have files outside of a government office? What type of country do we
live in when we do not have files where they can be checked, where they can be
managed, where they can be looked at?” But Mr Moniz said: “The case was in
Massachusetts. Wouldn’t the files be in Massachusetts — that’s where the
case is.” In response to Mr Caines stating that there should always be copies
of files kept in the country, Mr Moniz again insisted that he was “misleading
the house” and that the files were always available. Mr Lister said: “I
think you’ve stretched your point.” Mr Moniz responded: “Let me finish, Mr
Speaker.” Mr Lister said: “Member, you continue your game and that door is
going to be yours.” Mr Moniz said: “Well, that’s fine, Mr Speaker.”
After his ejection, PLP MP Michael Scott accused Mr Moniz of deliberately
getting himself thrown out of the Lower House. Mr Scott said: “That Member,
the chief law officer, has by calculation and device arranged for his
self-ejectment from the house so that he does not have to answer.” He added
that Mr Moniz’s actions told “a thousand tales of the absence of
accountability”. The heated debate came after Mr Moniz said in a statement
earlier last night that he was disappointed that the Government’s case was
thrown out on technical grounds. Mr Moniz defended his decision to launch the
case last year and said Judge Indira Talwani’s statement suggested criminal
acts may have been committed. Judge Talwani said in her ruling: “It may well
be that Bermuda’s allegations as to Lahey’s commission of various predicate
acts would suffice for criminal charges … or civil enforcement proceedings
brought by the US Attorney-General.” Mr Moniz added: “In other words, the
federal judge is saying that criminal acts may have been committed. She
pointedly noted that American institutions such as Johns Hopkins may have a
valid domestic injury claim against Lahey within the US.” Kathy Lynn Simmons,
the Attorney-General, said yesterday that the case would not be pursued in
Bermuda. The case was dropped because the judge found that Bermuda had suffered
no loss in the US. Mr Moniz said the US Supreme Court had narrowed its legal
test after the Lahey investigation had started. He added: “The dismissal of
the Government’s civil case against Lahey Clinic comes as a disappointment. As
Attorney-General, I made the decision to issue proceeding following an
exhaustive investigation. Throughout the entire process, I acted on the basis of
legal advice and in the best interests of the community. Ultimately, the case
was dismissed on a technical ground, namely that there is insufficient domestic
injury in the US to bring a case before the American courts. This is a
fast-moving area of the law, with the US Supreme Court only deciding to narrow
the relevant legal test in the summer of 2016, well after the investigation into
Lahey’s affairs began. A further appeal would be needed to clarify this point.
It is important to point out that the case was based on compelling evidence and
that the complaint was meticulously well-sourced — in many instances, with the
very words of those involved.”
New cash for the
island’s tourism quango will be earmarked to prepare Bermudians for the
hospitality workforce. Jamahl Simmons, Minister of Economic Development and
Tourism, said: “Tourism growth and success must include Bermudians at every
level of our tourism industry, and provide not just employment opportunities,
but career pathways as well.” Mr Simmons on Monday announced that the budget
for the Bermuda Tourism Authority would be increased by $1 million to $26
million. He said that $400,000 of the extra cash would be used to train
Bermudians for tourism-based employment opportunities. Mr Simmons added that
$500,000 would be used to match funds for marketing partnerships “to open up
new opportunities for Bermuda”. He added: “These initiatives may be
geographic, targeted at a specific visitor segment or event opportunity.” He
said the funds would give the BTA added “credibility as they pursue business
tourism development on behalf of Bermuda”. Mr Simmons added: “A separate
accounting of these funds will be given to government.” The remaining $100,000
will be used to back new businesses as part of the BTA’s attempt to boost
activities on the island’s beaches. Mr Simmons said a plan for improved
visitor services and environmentally conscious economic activity in a “limited
number” of Bermuda’s National Parks had received “broad buy in from
stakeholders”. Mr Simmons explained the cash would help get the initiative
“up and running”. He added: “Overall, our tourism industry contributes 23
per cent of total government revenue, 5 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product,
and 8 per cent of total jobs. Given this contribution, it’s encouraging to see
the tourism industry moving in a positive direction, because whether you are
part of the tourism economy or not, a good performance by this key pillar of our
economy stands to benefit all Bermudians.” Mr Simmons said staff at the BTA,
along with the Bermuda Business Development Agency and the Bermuda Economic
Development Corporation, were doing “phenomenal work” for the people of
Bermuda. He added: “We look forward to even bigger and greater things in the
years ahead.”
Legislation designed to regulate Airbnb-style vacation rental property is to be
introduced. Jamahl Simmons, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism,
said: “The regulatory framework is under review and being considered in
consultation with stakeholders as we work on the 2018 national tourism plan.”
He made the announcement during debate on the Budget for his ministry on Monday.
Mr Simmons said the legislation would be “light touch” and would allow
visitors to choose properties with confidence. Leah Scott, deputy Opposition
leader and shadow tourism minister, asked if a tax or licence fee would be
involved. She added: “Would there be any additional requirements that would
have to be met by those who have vacation rentals?” Mr Simmons did not provide
additional information on the legislation.
Three pieces of
legislation were passed without objection in the House of Assembly this week.
Members of Parliament approved the Companies and Partnerships (Fees) Act 2018,
the Motor Car Amendment Act 2018 and the Auxiliary Bicycles Amendment Act 2018.
Wayne Furbert, Junior Minister of Finance, introduced the second reading of the
Companies and Partnerships (Fees) Act 2018. The Bill increases certain fees
charged under the Companies Act 1981, the Limited Partnership Act 1883, the
Exempted Partnership Act 1992, and the Overseas Partnership Act 1995. Mr Furbert
said: “The Government believes a 5 per cent increase represents a sound
balance between the Government’s need for additional revenue and the ability
of companies to absorb.” He said the highest dollar fee increase was $1,647.
Mr Furbert said the fee increases were expected to raise $2 million in
additional revenue. Jeanne Atherden, Opposition leader, said: “We understand
the housekeeping element.” Grant Gibbons, Shadow Minister of Economic
Development, asked if there had been an impact from last year’s increase in
company permit fees. Mr Furbert said that six of about 260 permit companies in
Bermuda had “decided to move on”. The Motor Car Amendment Act 2018 raises
the cost of a number of permit fees by five per cent. Dr Gibbons asked:
“Essentially, this is raising all fees by 5 per cent straight through? The
reason I ask is because I was looking at livery mini cars and that licensing has
only been in place for nine months.” Mr Roban, Deputy Premier and Minister of
Transport and Regulatory Affairs, said “it made no sense” to increase fees
for the mini cars. The Auxiliary Bicycles Amendment Act 2018 increases the
annual licence fee for auxiliary cycles and livery cycles. Mr Roban said the
fees have historically been increased by five per cent every two years. He
added: “These fees have not been increased since 2012.” The fee for an
auxiliary cycle is increased from $58.40 to $61.32 and the livery cycle fee
moves from $83.95 to $88.20. Leah Scott, deputy Opposition leader and shadow
tourism minister, said: “Since it’s been six years since the fees increased,
and the fee increase is reasonable, we have no objections.”
Ruth Paynter, a
businesswoman and icon of Hamilton Parish known as Aunt Ruth, has died, aged 94.
Her sister, Eva Hodgson, a historian and social activist, said the owner of
Landfall restaurant and Clear View suites and villas was also a devout
Christian. Dr Hodgson added: “She was very strong-minded, very determined and
an extremely active person, always working on projects.” Ms Paynter, the
oldest of six children, acted as a mother for her younger siblings when their
mother died. Dr Hodgson called her “more or less mother” to former
Progressive Labour Party minister Arthur Hodgson. Jelani Hodgson, Ms Paynter’s
nephew, said she was “a matriarch and a legend — in my father Arthur’s
words, a great woman has died. She was a leader in the community, and thousands
knew her as I knew her — Aunt Ruth. She was generous and kind, loving and
forgiving, and devoted to Jesus. She is the main reason I am a committed
Christian.” He added that Ms Paynter was known for her style. Mr Hodgson said:
“At 94, the only shoes she had were high heels.” Progressive Labour Party MP
Derrick Burgess led tributes yesterday in Parliament. Mr Burgess said Ms Paynter
was “an icon in the Bible Belt of Hamilton Parish” who would be missed by
“the Crawl Gospel Hall family”. Kim Swan, a PLP MP, added that Ms Paynter
was “the epitome of elegance and grace”. Fellow PLP MP Wayne Furbert said Ms
Paynter had taught him at school. He added: “She was 94 and still driving and
she was always working. It’s going to be a huge service there at Crawl Gospel
Hall.” Opposition MPs Grant Gibbons and Michael Dunkley joined in the
tributes. Dr Gibbons said Ms Paynter was “a matriarch of her family”.
A taxi, a police car, an ambulance and a hearse parked outside City Hall
yesterday with a huge sign asking members of the public: “How are you
getting home tonight?” The stark message marked the launch of The Royal
Gazette’s Drive for Change Impaired Driving Awareness Month. Bermuda’s
main road safety campaigners were front and centre — the Bermuda Police
Service, the EMT services, the Ministry of Transport and Regulatory Affairs, the
Bermuda Road Safety Council, and anti-alcohol abuse organisation Cada. The
Pearman Funeral Home, which, along with the other funeral homes in Bermuda, is
well aware of the human cost of dangerous and careless driving in Bermuda, was
also represented. Campaign partners A Piece of the Rock were present as well as
the Bermuda Taxi Association, Cada’s Let Us Drive and the HomeSafe driver
service to share information about alternatives ways to travel if under the
influence. The DUI Education Programme was also on hand to highlight existing
counselling and education. Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs Walter
Roban spoke about the Government’s commitment to road safety and the imminent
introduction of roadside breath tests in Bermuda. Mr Roban said: “This is a
crisis that our country faces with road safety. It is the responsibility of
everyone to address this issue and take responsibility from the Government right
down to the average citizen.” Charles Gosling, Mayor of Hamilton, who
introduced the event, called on restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses
that profit from alcohol sales to support the movement for road safety. His own
family firm Gosling’s Rum sponsors Cada’s Let Us Drive free night transport
service along with drinks distributor Burrows Lightbourn and title sponsor
Bacardi. Mr Roban said in a past interview with Drive for Change that he would
consider joining forces with the private sector to help reduce a problem that
contributes to the majority of road injuries and fatalities in Bermuda. The best
estimate is that 75 per cent of road fatalities and injuries involve alcohol or
drugs. But orthopedic surgeon Joseph Froncioni, who surveyed medical colleagues,
said they thought the figure was probably much higher. Dr Froncioni said at the
event that the island would have a much better idea of the true figure if
existing laws to allow police doctors to demand blood, urine and other fluids
from patients were enforced. The event came the day after Howard Charles became
the first road fatality of 2018, although there was no indication that the
incident involved impairment.
A United States judge has
dismissed a case against American-based medical group Lahey that alleged it
conspired with Ewart Brown, the former premier, to defraud the island of
millions of dollars in healthcare charges. “From our perspective, the case
is closed, and we do not intend to pursue it any further,” Kathy Simmons, the
Attorney-General, said this afternoon. The Attorney-General’s remarks came in
the wake of the decision by Judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court in
Massachusetts allowing Lahey’s motion to dismiss. The ruling, made on
Thursday, was “exactly what I had anticipated from the beginning”, Ms
Simmons said. The Government opted to pursue the matter “given the politically
charged nature” of the case, she added, saying it had been important for the
decision to come from “an independent assessor”. No final cost for the case
has been tallied, but Ms Simmons said it had run up costs “well over $1
million”. The Lahey Clinic responded by issuing the following statement:
“Lahey Hospital & Medical Center has a 25 year track record of caring for
the people of Bermuda while maintaining the highest ethical standards for all
business relationships. We were confident that the claims made in the suit were
baseless and are pleased with this dismissal. Our team of physicians looks
forward to continuing to improve the health of Bermuda residents, create
programs to address significant public health issues and provide the care the
people of Bermuda need and deserve.” In her decision, Judge Talwani said that
a claim under the federal American Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organisations Act could not be considered because Bermuda had suffered no loss
in the US. Judge Talwani said in her ruling: “Bermuda has not shown that it
suffered any injuries in the United States as a result of the alleged scanning
scheme. Without such an injury, Bermuda’s RICO claims as to the scanning
scheme arise out of extraterritorial injuries and must be dismissed.” Another
claim for damages over the FutureCare insurance plan was also dismissed because
it was nothing to do with the US. Judge Talwani said: “The Kurron Bermuda
project involved developing the ‘FutureCare’ public insurance plan. Bermuda
alleges that ‘Brown used his influence and connections to ensure that Lahey
was favored over other potential US healthcare providers, including Johns
Hopkins, for lucrative contracts relating to ‘FutureCare’.” But she added:
“As FutureCare is a Bermudian public insurer which reimburses healthcare costs
of Bermudian residents, the court cannot, without more, find any injury from
these contracts to business or property in the United States. While entities
like Johns Hopkins, whose domestic profits were competitively injured by such
contracts, might have a valid domestic injury claim, Bermuda does not.” The
judge added: “The question presented in this case is whether Bermuda may bring
an action for the various injuries alleged under RICO’S private right of
action. It may well be that Bermuda’s allegations as to Lahey’s commission
of various predicate acts would suffice for criminal charges ... or civil
enforcement proceedings brought by the Attorney General ... however, the focus
of this motion is whether Bermuda, as a private party, may bring these charges.
That depends on whether Bermuda has alleged domestic injuries to business or
property caused by Lahey’s conduct. The injuries in this case are assessed in
turn.” Judge Talwani added: “Bermuda also brings claims under Massachusetts
General Laws c. 93A, § 11 for unfair business practices and common law claims
under theories of unjust enrichment, civil conspiracy, and fraud. Given the
early stage of this litigation and the fact that the parties have not yet begun
the arduous task of discovery, retaining jurisdiction over Bermuda’s pendent
state law claims would not serve such interests. Accordingly, Bermuda’s
state-law claims are dismissed without prejudice.” The case, started under the
former One Bermuda Alliance Government, claimed Dr Brown, the owner of Bermuda
Healthcare Services and the Brown-Darrell Clinic, used his position as a
Government minister to promote Lahey’s interests in Bermuda and the hospital
paid him “bribes disguised as consulting fees”. It was alleged the
arrangement led to Lahey gaining contracts with King Edward VII Memorial
Hospital and to it becoming the “service provider of choice for Bermudians,
both on the island and in the United States”. The civil suit also claimed Dr
Brown’s clinics in Paget and Smith’s conducted “excessive, medically
unnecessary and frankly dangerous scans” in order to increase payments
received from health insurers. The claim also alleged that Dr Brown paid Lahey a
portion of the reimbursement for reading each scan, making the hospital millions
of dollars and that Lahey “stayed silent” about the “extreme level of
unnecessary and possibly dangerous scans” because it was “blinded by its
desire to keep its ‘consulting’ relationship with Dr Brown intact”. Other
allegations included that Dr Brown and his “surrogates” successfully
pressured government officials to increase the remuneration paid for tests and
that he “offered and paid kickbacks” to island doctors, disguised as
commissions, to refer patients for scans to his clinics. The Government
submission to the court said that the level of testing conducted at Dr Brown’s
clinics led to Bermudians becoming “among the most scanned patients in the
world”. Reacting in a statement today, former Attorney-General Trevor Moniz
said: “The dismissal of the Government’s civil case against Lahey Clinic
comes as a disappointment. As Attorney-General, I made the decision to issue
proceeding following an exhaustive investigation. Throughout the entire process,
I acted on the basis of legal advice and in the best interests of the community.
Ultimately, the case was dismissed on a technical ground, namely that there is
insufficient domestic injury in the US to bring a case before the American
Courts. This is a fast-moving area of the law, with the US Supreme Court only
deciding to narrow the relevant legal test in the summer of 2016 – well after
the investigation into Lahey’s affairs began. A further appeal would be needed
to clarify this point. It is important to point out that the case was based on
compelling evidence, and that the complaint was meticulously well-sourced – in
many instances, with the very words of those involved.” He noted Judge Talwani
had not discounted the possibility criminal activity took place, adding: “The
federal judge is saying that criminal acts may have been committed. She
pointedly noted that American institutions such as Johns Hopkins may have a
valid domestic injury claim against Lahey within the US. Finally, it was a great
blow to the case that members of the former Opposition, including the present
Premier and Deputy Premier, filed objections to the case proceeding.”
Elections will be deferred for a year in Hamilton and St George’s amid
concerns over a lack of accountability. Home affairs minister Walton Brown said “proper due diligence” was not
carried out in the awarding of contracts and pointed to millions of dollars
going missing. Mr Brown told the House of Assembly consultation would now take place on
“the most appropriate way to strengthen and modernize municipal governance for
the benefit of Bermuda”. He said the Municipalities Amendment Act 2018 would allow the minister to
direct the corporations to undertake projects for the benefit of the island, and
intervene in cases such as the closure of the Hamilton docks. It will push back the next municipal elections by a year until May 2019.
Mr Brown said: “Further governance reform of the municipalities is now
necessary as a result of failures of accountability and proper due diligence and governance in the
awarding of contracts. Honourable members will recall that the proposed Hamilton
waterfront and Par-la-Ville hotel developments resulted in a highly critical
report by the Bermuda Ombudsman, legislative intervention by the Government of
Bermuda, the assumption of temporary stewardship, and an arbitration that has
cost many millions to the public purse. This saga continues in the case of the Mexico Infrastructure Finance vs
the Corporation of Hamilton [case] where, as you will recall, $12 million went
missing. The case is now headed to the Privy Council.” Mr Brown also said protocol was breached when the Corporation invited the
Taiwan government to contact the Bermuda Government to enter into a tax
information exchange agreement without first speaking to the Premier and
Minister of Finance. He spoke of a lack of adequate resources on infrastructure, including the
proposed upgrade to the sewerage system in Hamilton. He said policy and operations need to be aligned with Government policies and
legislation, and said there was a lack of consultation about infrastructure with
the relevant Government departments. In response to Opposition questions, Mr Brown said the corporations had been
informed of the bill “within the past 24 hours”. Mr Brown said that “impetus for changing this arrangement has never been
strong”, but that there would be extensive consultation going forward. One Bermuda Alliance MP Grant Gibbons queried the extent of consultation with
the municipalities. Mr Brown responded that there was “minimal consultation, precisely because
we were not clear on the direction we wanted to take — but we will now commit
ourselves to expensive consultation”. Dr Gibbons asked if the minister could comment “as to whether the
corporations are supportive of the amendments in this particular bill”. Mr Brown responded: “I have no comment on that.”
Any move to legalize cannabis
must be examined with care, the Minister of Social Development and Sport has
said. Michael Weeks said “great pains” must be taken as the island looks
at the use of cannabis. Mr Weeks told The Royal Gazette: “If we are to
go legal, it’s going to take a lot of study, research and dialogue." The
social development ministry has launched a public awareness campaign in the wake
of the Misuse of Drugs (Decriminalization of Cannabis) Amendment Act, which
passed in December. The Act removed criminal offences for simple possession of
seven grams or less of cannabis. Mr Weeks said that “a lot of the average men
you bump into” now believed the drug was legal. He added: “It’s still
illegal to smoke cannabis, in any amount.” A green paper now being prepared by
the National Drug Commission will include a study of the misuse of marijuana. Mr
Weeks told the House of Assembly that the awareness campaign running this month
“will likely be extended through April and May”. He said that cannabis
remained a controlled drug, and it is not legal to “consume, cultivate,
traffic or import” any quantity. Police officers still have legal authority to
seize cannabis of any amount from a member of the public. Mr Weeks said the law
change was designed “to prevent our young people, in particular young black
men, from being placed on the proverbial stop list, and having their lives
completely altered by virtue of not being able to travel to the United
States”. The Act does not guarantee that anyone attempting to travel to the
United States will not be stopped, including if they hold a prior conviction for
possession of cannabis. Mr Weeks was questioned on whether he had held talks
with the United States Consulate on the problem. He said he had not yet spoken
with the American Consul-General to discuss the “stop list”.
A solar farm could be up and
running at LF Wade International Airport before the end of this financial year.
Walter Roban, Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs, said work to prepare
the site was scheduled to start within weeks. Mr Roban added: “The Department
of Energy will work with the Ministry of Public Works to facilitate the
development of the six megawatt solar farm at the munitions pier of the LF Wade
International Airport. The site clearing and preparation will begin over the
next few weeks. This project is targeted for completion in this fiscal year, at
which time up to 13 per cent of peak demand will be met by clean solar power.”
A ministry spokesman said yesterday he could not identify the potential
developer because discussions were still ongoing. He said: “We are in final
stages of negotiations with the preferred bidder and cannot announce anything
further until final agreements are signed. We will make a press statement at the
appropriate time in the process.” Environmental charity Greenrock said that it
was delighted to hear the long-discussed project was moving forward. Jonathan
Starling, the charity’s executive director, said: “Renewable energy
technology, and particularly battery technology, are increasingly changing the
dynamic in favour of increased renewable energy integration into our power
system. With the impact of human-induced global climate change increasingly
affecting us, this development is a great first step for Bermuda in reducing its
fossil fuel dependence. Along with switching increasingly to renewable energy
sources, which battery technology is increasingly helping to smooth out supply
and demand issues, we also need to increase energy efficiency and
conservation.” He said the charity looks forward to the project being
completed and hopes to see a greater focus on renewable energy as the island
works to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. Plans to erect a solar
farm on the munitions pier, also known as “the finger”, have been discussed
for several years under both the One Bermuda Alliance and Progressive Labour
Party administrations. The former OBA government put out a Request For Proposal
for the site in December 2016, with the goal of selecting a developer by April,
2017. The RFP proposed the Government should fund site preparation, which would
be recovered from the rental income for the estimated 15 acres that will be
leased to the developer. There were 29 submissions, of which 19 met the
criteria, with potential bidders from Bermuda, Canada, Spain, the United States,
Germany, Britain and Australia.
It has been a busy
start to the year for mergers and acquisitions involving companies in
Bermuda’s insurance space. In January, American International Group
announced its $5.6 billion acquisition of Bermudian-based Validus. This was
followed on Monday by French multinational Axa’s move to buy XL Group for
$15.3 billion. There are several more Bermudian-based companies that could prove
attractive for mergers or buy-ups, and this year is shaping up to be a positive
environment for such deals, according to research by Deloitte. The company has
released its 2018 Insurance M&A Outlook report, which examines trends seen
during the past two years and identifies key expectations and challenges for
this year that may help insurance executives pinpoint M&A drivers and plan
their strategy accordingly. John Johnston, chief executive officer of Deloitte
Caribbean and Bermuda, said: “Bermuda companies continue to be highly sought
after in the ongoing consolidation of the global insurance and reinsurance
industries. The two headline deals announced this year — AIG’s acquisition
of Validus and Axa’s plan to purchase XL — are striking examples of this.
“There are several other Bermuda companies who would prove to be highly
attractive merger partners or outright acquisition targets based on the strong
businesses they’ve built, and there are buyers from different corners who
appear willing to fully recognize that value in pricing.” Mr Johnston said
there are also some Bermuda companies for whom a transaction might be more of a
strategic necessity, due to a desire for increased scale or need for
diversification. He added: “We expect more M&A activity globally in the
remainder of 2018 and we certainly expect the Bermuda market to feature
prominently in that.” The Deloitte report looks at the continuing evolution of
the deal landscape and identifies key drivers for insurance sector M&A
activity, including modernization of the value chain, tax reform and regulatory
policy, valuations, foreign investment in the US market and insurtech. The
outlook report is aimed at giving insights to insurance executives so they can
made confident decisions.
Belco has been given
approval to build four new generators. The Regulatory Authority approved the
company’s application to install four dual-fuel engines with a total power
output of 56 megawatts. The company will also build a battery energy storage
system with a ten megawatt output. The new machines will be built on Belco’s
existing site on Pembroke’s Serpentine Road. Sean Durfy, president and chief
executive of Belco, said: “I am extremely pleased the authority has recognized
the urgency of proceeding with the development of the replacement generation.
“Given that 50 per cent of our existing generation capacity will be retired
over the next two years, the order will allow Belco to continue to provide
Bermuda with a reliable electricity supply.” Mr Durfy added: “In addition to
the creation of new jobs during the construction phase of the North Power
Station, and the assurance of our employees’ ongoing safety, there are
numerous benefits that will be realized by our customers once the replacement
generation is commissioned.”
A billionaire venture
capitalist has been invited to join the global advisory board of the Bermuda
Digital Asset Exchange as the Bermuda Government drives forward its ambitions in
the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. Tim Draper met with a delegation
from Bermuda at the technology and innovation-focused Montgomery Summit in
California this week, and showed enthusiasm for Bermuda’s plans in the
blockchain technology space. Mr Draper comes from a family line of venture
capitalists. His father was an early investor in Skype. In addition, two start
up enterprises at the summit in Santa Monica have indicated a commitment to
coming to Bermuda. Wayne Caines, the Bermuda Government’s Minister of National
Security, spoke about the breakthroughs on the second day of the summit. He is
part of the island’s team that mixed with hundreds of venture capitalists and
representatives of tech-based start-ups. Blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and
artificial intelligence were among topics of discussion at the summit and in
meetings held in conjunction with the event. The Bermuda delegation was organized
by the Bermuda Business Development Agency, and took part in panel discussions,
presentations and on-on-one meetings during the two-day event. Yesterday there
was a Bermuda-sponsored breakfast meeting, followed by a mid-morning panel
discussion, titled Bermuda- The New Value Equation. Speaking to The Royal
Gazette, Mr Caines said: “We had a good discussion with Tim Draper and he was
enthusiastic about Bermuda’s plans in this sector. We’ve invited him to join
the global advisory board of our Bermuda Digital Asset Exchange as we work to
develop blockchain-based cryptocurrency initiatives for the island. “It was
one of several informative and productive discussions we held over both days of
the conference. We also had numerous opportunities to promote Bermuda as a
top-tier jurisdiction — and the sensible choice for both start-ups and
investors to consider for their global projects.” Mr Caines said he had used
an analogy of Bermuda’s innovation from the days when Bermuda’s sloops
pioneered new sailing techniques, to the evolution of insurance and reinsurance
on the island and onwards into the world of blockchain technologies. Among those
who have met with the Bermuda team was Brian C. Mulligan, former co-chairman of
Universal Pictures who has also previously worked as an executive with Deutsche
Bank Securities. Among the Bermuda group is Chris Garrod, partner, Conyers, who
has helped some of the first digital-token issuers launch a corporate presence
in Bermuda. He also serves on the Government’s Blockchain Legal and Regulatory
Working Group, and noted the high quality of the attendees at the event and the
interest in Bermuda’s collaborative approach towards attracting new business.
That was also commented on by John Narraway, who heads Bermuda Government’s
Blockchain Business Development Working Group. He said: “There is the start-up
community here; emerging technology companies that we are interested in. They
are looking to raise additional capital. There are 100 start-ups at difference
stages of growth who are looking at how they can operate globally. We are having
conversations. We talk about managing customers around the world and data
privacy. It’s about listening, it’s about what they are seeing and what they
are saying.” Aron Dutta, founder and chief executive officer of Vaphr, a
Bermudian-based blockchain accelerator that last year selected Bermuda as its
global platform hub, has given Bermuda a further boost with his presence at the
summit. He said: “Blockchain gives us a tool to reconstruct the economy. The
next generation are not going to care about banks.” He said he had come to
Bermuda with his business venture because of the island’s integrity, and said
his participation alongside Bermuda at events connected to the World Economic
Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January, and at the Montgomery Summit “shows
that there are enterprises who are here [in Bermuda] that are committed”. Also
flying the flag for the island was Bermudian Gina Pereira, of Dana Philanthropy.
She is based in Los Angeles and works with private clients to advise on
philanthropy. She is also a member of STEP Bermuda and works with the BDA on
policies that might affect the philanthropy sector. Ms Pereira said she was
attending the summit to support the BDA and Bermuda, and also to learn about
opportunities for investing in technologies to “help humanity’s
challenges” and the potential of artificial intelligence to be used in the
field of conservation. Meanwhile, Mr Caines said the summit had exceeded
expectations and been a phenomenal experience for Bermuda.
An invitation to interview
Cambridge curriculum assessors on a trip to the island was withdrawn at the
eleventh hour yesterday by the Department of Education. Llewellyn Simmons,
the Director of Academics at the education ministry, invited The Royal
Gazette to interview the Cambridge representatives, who were invited to
Bermuda after poor maths results were revealed last month. The invitation to
interview the experts was withdrawn yesterday by an education department
official. Dr Simmons said the visiting team were “conducting observations and
training with our math teachers”. He was sent a number of questions last month
on the poor Cambridge Checkpoint results for Primary 6 and Middle 3 students for
the 2016-17 school year. He said Cambridge representatives would be at
CedarBridge Academy yesterday from 8.30am to 4pm and today from 8.30am to
3.30pm. Dr Simmons said in his e-mail: “If you are interested in having your
questions answered, you may interview them during this time.” A time was set
to meet the Cambridge representatives in the school’s training room yesterday
afternoon, but Dr Simmons sent another e-mail yesterday morning to ask The
Royal Gazette to contact a spokeswoman with the Department of Education to
“make your request to interview”. An e-mail was sent to the spokeswoman to
request the interview, but the spokeswoman later sent an e-mail that the
interview had been cancelled — no reason was given for the change of heart.
Several questions were sent to the spokeswoman yesterday about the Cambridge
Assessment representatives and their work on the island. The spokeswoman said:
“The Department of Education and representatives from Cambridge International
are this week conducting training with teachers of core subjects in Bermuda’s
public school system. Prior to the arrival of the overseas facilitators, a full
schedule was mapped out for the week with the training sessions as a
priority.” The 2017 Bermuda public school system report released last month
showed that P6 and M3 students failed to meet a Department of Education target
set for maths of 3.0 — equivalent to a C grade. The results of the
International General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations sat by
senior-level students last year were also published. The results revealed that
only 18 per cent of the 445 students that took the maths examination scored a C
grade or better. Sergio Pitcher, founder of tutoring service Planet Math, said
the results of last month’s report were expected. Mr Pitcher said: “This is
not a new problem and will take dedication and hard work from everyone to make a
real change.” He said that student struggles with maths were not specific to
Bermuda. Mr Pitcher explained: “This has been a major issue for many
countries, including the United States.” He said that a number of factors had
led to problems in the subject, including the way maths is taught, which he
described as “counterproductive”. Mr Pitcher explained: “We teach students
several formulas they ‘need’ to memorize and introduce a litany of abstract
symbols, then we strive to find application of what we have taught with
meaningless word problems. What we should do is get real-world problems that
interest the students. Give them an opportunity to try to develop their own
strategies for solving the problem first.” Mr Pitcher said maths instruction
would also benefit from “dynamic maths specialists” who only taught the
subject. He added: “If from primary school, maths is made fun and useful, then
the attitude that students have will be more positive all the way through.” Mr
Pitcher said Bermuda’s public school system had a “wealth of experienced,
successful maths teachers. What can be done to help is utilize these exemplary
teachers to assist teachers that aren’t having as much success. By doing this,
we build up the system and make it better. Responsibility for the current maths
problem falls on everyone, including students, teachers and parents. Students
must be serious and focused. They have to behave properly in class and try
to learn as much as possible every day. Additionally, they need to get their
homework done and practice. Teachers must provide top-notch lessons every day by
being enthusiastic, clear and teaching the material in a way so that the
students understand”. Diallo Rabain, the education minister, said last month
that the Cambridge personnel would “conduct walk-through observations to gain
first-hand data about teaching and learning experiences in our primary, middle
and senior schools”. Mr Rabain said the information would be shared with
principals and teachers “and advise on the mathematics teaching strategies to
best address any observable deficits”.
An online row erupted after
comedian and TV star Ellen DeGeneres launched a Twitter broadside against
Bermuda. Ms DeGeneres who is married to a woman and has more than 77 million
Twitter followers, attacked the island’s Domestic Partnerships Act. She wrote:
“Bermuda just banned marriage equality, I guess I’m canceling my trip.
Anybody else?” Responses ranged from pleas against a tourism boycott to
condemnation of Ms DeGeneres, whose talk show attracts almost three million
viewers an episode. Some backers of same-sex marriage have asked for a Bermuda
boycott over the legislative removal of same-sex marriage, but others criticized
the call. The Royal Gazette understands that the Ministry of Economic
Development and Tourism, along with the Bermuda Tourism Authority, has liaised
with some global media organisations since the Act was passed by legislators in
December 2017. The BTA declined to comment yesterday. The tourism ministry
referred to a statement last week by tourism minister Jamahl Simmons on handling
“the international media coverage of the Domestic Partnership Act”. Mr
Simmons said work was in train to “formulate the proper response that ensures
travel consumers know Bermuda is a destination welcoming to everyone, including
the LGBT community”. The DeGeneres tweet linked to the CrowdJustice campaign
of Rod Ferguson, a gay Bermudian who has mounted a challenge in the Supreme
Court against the new law. Mr Ferguson said he did not support the attempt to
boycott the island. He added: “Neither can I ask LGBT foreigners to visit a
place that has made such a publicly hostile statement to the world on how the
majority, but not all, of its population feels about them.” Mr Ferguson said:
“Unfortunately, you reap what you sow. My focus is the legal challenge and
helping with fundraising for it. If the challenge succeeds, maybe we’ll have
some better PR.” He added Ms DeGeneres’s tweet raised awareness of the
island’s “ban of marriage equality”, but that the clicks had not
translated into support for his campaign. Mr Ferguson said: “It hasn’t had
much of an impact on the crowd funding. There was one very generous anonymous
donation today, from someone who thinks in Bermudian or US dollar amounts, but I
doubt if that donor was doing so in response to a tweet.” Attempts yesterday
by The Royal Gazette to reach Ms DeGeneres were unsuccessful. Mr Ferguson
said he had not heard from the TV host. He added: “If I did, I’d encourage
her to speak with representatives of organisations such as OutBermuda, the
Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda, and Same Love Bermuda, who are more informed of the
situation on the island, and have ideas of how to help make things better for
queer Bermudians and address the problem of homophobia in Bermuda. I disagree
with Bermudians who would blame any negative consequences to tourism and
Bermuda’s economy on those raising awareness of what the Bermuda Government
has done. Any blame rests squarely on the Bermuda Government and those who put
them in power. People are going to vote with their feet based on the information
they have and they’re probably not going to do a lot of research on how
Bermuda compares to other islands. That may not be fair, but that’s the world
we live in. Twitter isn’t built for nuance.” Leah Scott, the shadow tourism
minister said she had not supported the Domestic Partnership Act and
“wholeheartedly” disagreed with the reversal of the May 2017 court ruling
that paved the way for same-sex marriage, on the basis that “the intentional
deprivation of anyone’s rights is unjustifiably unfair”. She added: “I am
against the termination of the legal recognition that same-sex couples enjoyed;
it was wrong. The court made a ruling and notwithstanding my own personal
beliefs, I am of the view that the said ruling should stand.” Ms Scott said:
“Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation president Sarah Kate Ellis and
screenwriter Peter Paige are encouraging people to boycott Bermuda through their
tweets, using the hashtag #BoycottBermuda. Nowadays, consumers are making
personal consumption choices by how they feel about ethical issues. The cost of
a social issue and economic boycott on Bermuda’s tourism product, based on the
passage of the DPA, could be socially and economically devastating.” She said
that support for LGBT tourism could bring “positive impacts to Bermuda that go
way beyond the economic benefits. Bermuda is an inclusive jurisdiction; our
culture is one that embraces the differences in people. Collectively, we can
create a sustainable, quality tourism product that includes everyone”. In
response to Ms DeGeneres’s tweet, OBA MP Jeff Baron wrote that the Government,
rather than Bermuda, had overturned same-sex marriage, and that he was among
“thousands of Bermudians who will keep fighting for equality for all”.
Former World Wrestling Entertainment champion John Layfield called it
“disappointing the Government had decided to legalize discrimination. Welcome
to the dark ages.” Winton Brangman also replied to Ms DeGeneres’s tweet. Mr
Brangman said he was an “openly gay manager at Rosewood Bermuda” and offered
to be interviewed by Ms DeGeneres. He added: “I hope that you see this and we
can collectively fight for the small LGBT family in Bermuda.” Hannah Collins
called herself a fan as well as being a “queer Bermudian” and added that
“this really hurts”. She wrote: “Don’t #BoycottBermuda. Use your power
and privilege to help.” Another said: “Come and support us instead of hating
on us, The fight goes on.”
The former executive
director of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission was barred yesterday by a court
from any discussion of his time in charge of the regulatory body. Lawyers
acting for the BCGC won a temporary
order from Chief Justice Ian Kawaley in Supreme Court against Richard
Schuetz after a private hearing in chambers. The injunction forbids Mr Schuetz
from any disclosure “whether directly or indirectly, and/or to further use the
confidential information that is either in his custody, or care or possession or
control or he has access to, or at all”. The judgment quoted Mr Schuetz’s
2015 employment agreement. The injunction added that Mr Schuetz could not
“whether directly or indirectly, make publish or otherwise communicate any
disparaging or derogatory statements, whether in writing or otherwise,
concerning the commission or any person to whom powers and duties have been
delegated by the commission or government bodies, departments or ministries with
which the commission works”. The injunction also ordered Mr Schuetz to “make
full disclosure” of any confidential information “belonging to his former
employers” obtained during his time at the BCGC, and to return it to the
organisation. The injunction came after the BCGC launched a civil action against
Mr Schuetz, who quit his post last July and left the island in December to
return to the United States. An application by The Royal Gazette to
attend the hearing yesterday was denied by Mr Justice Kawaley. The Chief Justice
said the evidence presented to the court indicated there was sensitive material
involved and to hold the hearing in public could prejudice the plaintiff’s
case. Mr Schuetz, who was not represented in court, can apply to Supreme Court
to “vary or discharge this order”. Yesterday’s chambers hearing at the
Supreme Court was for the judge to hear an “ex-parte application”, which
usually involves a request for a temporary order by the plaintiff, often in the
absence of the respondent’s counsel. The civil case and the names of the
parties involved were listed on a court schedule issued on Tuesday afternoon.
But an amended court schedule released yesterday morning had the names of the
parties removed. Mr Schuetz has been an outspoken figure in Bermuda’s emerging
casino industry. He recommended that the former One Bermuda Alliance government
ditch an agreement
it entered into to give local company MM&I Holdings a lucrative contract for
a cashless gaming system. Mr Schuetz criticized
a forum held by the Progressive Labour Party on gaming last year when in
Opposition, featuring MM&I’s American business partner, Banyan Gaming. He
also spoke
out against an amendment to gaming legislation to bring the commission under
ministerial control. Mr Schuetz suggested in his resignation
letter that Bermuda should “seriously consider” ditching gaming
altogether — or risk its reputation as a clean financial jurisdiction. He
wrote: “My primary reason for resigning is that I have lost confidence that
the Government of Bermuda and its legal system can provide the necessary
protections to offer well-regulated casino gaming on the island. I sincerely
believe that this island will prove incapable of keeping people with
questionable backgrounds and behaviors away from the industry.” Mr Schuetz
added: “The Bermuda I have come to know has indicated a lack of respect in
making a reasonable effort to adhere to generally accepted international
standards for anti- money-laundering activities within its existing betting
products, in particular the betting shops.” Lawyer Timothy Marshall
represented The Royal Gazette at the Supreme Court yesterday. He said:
“We made the arguments that the public should have access to this matter,
which is of considerable public interest. The Chief Justice said he had
considered the material filed and was satisfied that there was a prima facie
case to have an ex-parte hearing in the absence of the public. He disagreed with
our argument that the process of whether a hearing is going to be public or
private should be held in open court. He determined that that is not the correct
manner in which he determines these types of applications.” Jordan Knight, a
lawyer at MJM law firm, also spoke during the proceedings. He said he was not
there to represent anyone, but had obtained a copy of the writ filed by the
commission from the court. Mr Knight said that any member of the public could do
the same and that there could be no justification for holding the hearing in
private. A court official said: “The hearing is a private hearing not open to
the public. The plaintiff has requested a private hearing and the Chief Justice
has acceded to this request. The grounds on which he has made this decision are
themselves confidential and cannot be disclosed at this time.” Mr Justice
Kawaley has said in the past that “the basic legal premise is that the public
have a right of access to any hearing unless there is a good reason to exclude
them. The fact that it’s in chambers doesn’t limit that access”. The
publicly funded commission was represented yesterday by Richard Horseman of law
firm Wakefield Quin. The gaming commission has advertised
for a replacement for Mr Schuetz as executive director. Neither the BCGC nor Mr
Schuetz replied to a request for comment on the lawsuit by press time.
Hospital fees are to
be adjusted in a move that will raise some costs and lower others, the health
minister told the House of Assembly yesterday. Kim Wilson told MPs the
changes will be “revenue-neutral to the hospital” and said the relative
value method used was a “rational system” in line with reviews. Ms Wilson
said: “At present some BHB fees are priced higher than international
benchmarks, while others are priced much lower. “The intent is to remove this
discrepancy by applying a rational, internationally accepted standard to set
BHB’s [Bermuda Hospitals Board] fees. The purpose of this change is as a first
step to deliver on the Government’s promise to review healthcare costs, which,
in the long term, will allow us to contain insurance premiums. At present we
know how much we are spending overall — $701 million in total, or just over
$11 thousand per person, are the most recent figures. But we don’t know if we
are spending it wisely, or whether we are paying fairly. To enable us to
understand truly what we are spending on, measure whether we are spending it
properly, we need a rational fee system.” Ms Wilson added that the relative
value method would “move us in the right direction, and provide us a stronger
foundation for evaluating our services and programmes”. The same
relative-value scale has already been introduced for diagnostic imaging, where
fees for procedures like mammographies went up while others, like X-rays, went
down.
Alfred Augustus, a senior
member of the family who own Augustus Funeral Home, has died at the age of 95.
A former teacher and probation officer, Mr Augustus’s charitable roles
included heading the Bermuda Special Olympics committee and serving as secretary
for the Physical Abuse Centre. He was a panelist for the Family Court, chairman
of the Bermuda Family Council, served on the Injuries Compensation Board, and
was a prominent member of the Mount Zion AME Church in Southampton. Walter
Roban, the Deputy Premier, said in the House of Assembly yesterday that Mr
Augustus was “a wonderful gentleman”. Mr Augustus started out in the
newspaper business. His father David was one of the founders of the Bermuda
Recorder, the island’s only black-owned newspaper, which closed in 1975.
Mr Augustus was recruited at the Bermuda Recorder to sweep floors and
fold newspapers. He was skilled in shorthand, later graduated to Linotype, the
complex typesetting machines used in the pre-digital age, and was sent overseas
to train as a Linotype operator. He also obtained a bachelor’s degree in
physical education at Howard University in Washington, where he won a swimming
scholarship. Mr Augustus is said to have credited his father for his early
swimming ability because he threw him into the water at Devonshire Dock. Mr
Augustus graduated with a degree in physical education at Springfield College in
Massachusetts and qualified as a teacher at the District of Columbia Teachers
College. He met Juanita Taylor at Howard and the couple married in 1952. The
couple lived in Washington, where Mr Augustus worked at the US Government
Printing Office. Mr Augustus returned to Bermuda in 1973 and taught at Prospect
Primary School. He married for the second time to June Masters, a journalist and
managing editor at the Recorder, who went on to found her own magazine, Fame.
Ms Masters died in 2006. Mr Augustus worked in the probation service for eight
years and retired in 1987. He was also secretary to Devonshire Recreation Club.
Mr Augustus was given a government award in 1993 for his work with the Bermuda
Special Olympics. He told The Royal Gazette at the time: “Sometimes,
the person who finishes first goes back and helps the person coming in last.”
The introduction of multihulls
to the Newport Bermuda Race will help to enhance the event’s profile and boost
the number of participants, according to Bermudian Olympic sailor Glenn Astwood.
For the first time catamarans and trimarans will be allowed to compete in the
new Multihull Division during this year’s 51st edition of the biennial
635-mile classic. “It will be good having multihulls competing in the Newport
Bermuda Race,” said experienced offshore sailor Astwood, who has competed
numerous times in the ocean race and also raced in the former Olympic class
Tornado catamaran. “Multihulls seem to be doing a lot more racing now with the
big cruising multihulls and Gunboats instrumental in promoting large multihull
racing. It will be good to see a different class racing in the Newport Bermuda
Race. The multihulls are catering to a different breed of sailor; guys who want
to go fast. They just did the Caribbean 600 and more than likely a lot of the
boats that did that race are going to be now doing the Newport Bermuda Race. It
will be amazing to have more boats racing in the Newport Bermuda Race and the
more boats the merrier.” The Multihull Division will feature boats ranging in
size between 58 and 100 feet to be sailed by a crew new fewer than six. The new
division is the culmination of a collaboration between the Offshore Multihull
Association and the Bermuda Race Organising Committee. Multihulls are not the
only new feature to the race as the Open Division is now open to yachts with
vertical-lift foils. These appendages slide out horizontally from the hull and
provide the boat with considerable lift and power. Other foil arrangements are
allowed in the Open Division, but with some restrictions in place. The Gibbs
Hill Lighthouse division is also now allowing canting-keel and water-ballast
boats that were previously placed in the Open Division. It is anticipated that
this allowance will increase the number of entries in the division. The Newport
Bermuda Race starts June 15 in Newport, Rhode Island, and will see up to 220
yachts competing for honours among eight divisions. There is no overall winner,
although the winning boat in the St David’s Lighthouse Division featuring
amateur sailors is regarded as the race’s top boat. The Newport Bermuda Race
is part of the three-race Onion Patch Series, which also includes the New York
Yacht Club Annual Regatta and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta.
The Newport Bermuda Race was founded in 1906 and is organized by the Cruising
Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
It is unlikely that
there will be significant job losses in Bermuda’s insurance sector as a result
of US tax changes, however direct investment flows from the US could fall.
Those are among the thoughts presented by Moody’s Investors Service, part of
the ratings and research organisation, in its new report Sovereigns — Global:
US tax reform will have marginal impact on exposed low-tax sovereigns globally.
It said direct investment flows from the US into low-tax countries are likely to
fall, in some cases meaningfully, as a result of the US tax overhaul, which
generally disincentivises multinationals from keeping assets and operations in
low-tax jurisdictions. While the impact on the sovereign level would be
generally minimal due to governments’ limited reliance on taxes levied on US
multinationals and the importance of non-tax motives for maintaining local
presence, foreign direct investment flows from the US may decline markedly in
some cases. Moody’s assessed the general impact on Bermuda and eight other
sovereigns, including Cayman Islands, Ireland, Bahamas and Switzerland. It said
Bermuda is among the most exposed sovereigns, given the large cross-border asset
ownership and its notable level of service exports to the US. According to
Moody’s, the introduction of the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax in the US
will likely force Bermudian insurers to transfer capital to, or keep the capital
at, their US subsidiaries because the latter will no longer be able to cede
premiums to their affiliated reinsurers in Bermuda without incurring the
additional cost because of the new tax. Moody’s noted: “However, its
competitive human capital base and regulatory regime mean that Bermuda is
unlikely to experience a significant loss of jobs in the insurance sector.” As
in the case of Bermuda, the most likely impact of the tax reform for the Cayman
Islands will be on its insurance industry. Similar to Bermuda, Moody’s expect
the Cayman Islands’ insurance sector to remain competitive even after the
change in relative tax rates. FDI flows could materially decline for Ireland.
While annual investment inflows are a fraction of the outstanding stocks (at an
average of 16 per cent over the past five years), they are nevertheless
material, amounting to 20 to 30 per cent of Ireland’s GDP between 2012 and
2016 and around 25 per cent for the first three quarters of 2017. The report
goes on to show that in some cases, exposure to the US tax reform is within an
offshore sector that is not integrated into the sovereign’s local economy and
generates minimal revenue for the government. In other cases, US multinational
corporations are likely to maintain their activities to benefit from regulatory
regimes conducive to investment, competitive labour forces or favorable
geographic locations. The most exposed sovereigns without established non-tax
competitive advantages may resort to offering additional tax incentives to
prevent re-shoring. Moody’s research subscribers can access the report,
Sovereigns — Global: US tax reform will have marginal impact on exposed
low-tax sovereigns globally, at http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1113795.
A delegation from
Bermuda is meeting with investors, entrepreneurs and corporate executives at a
leading innovation conference in California. Technology-related topics such
as blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence are being featured
at the Montgomery Summit on Santa Monica. The Bermuda delegation, which has been
is taking part in organized by the Bermuda Business Development Agency is taking
part in two days of panel discussions, presentations and one-on-one meetings.
The event attracts an estimated 1,200 invited attendees. Wayne Caines, Minister
of National Security, is among the group. He said: “It’s been interesting to
meet people who already know a lot about Bermuda and our reputation in the
business community but want to learn about growing opportunities in our tech
space. We are encouraging them to look at Bermuda for any business need,
specifically some of the new initiatives related to cryptocurrencies and
blockchain. It is also a beneficial opportunity to meet thought leaders, to
understand the direction the world is headed in technology — and, importantly,
to see we are on the right track.” In an interview with Nasdaq at the event,
Mr Caines underscored Bermuda’s centuries-long history of innovation and
entrepreneurism — from sloops, shorts, and onions to pioneering insurance
products. Today, he said, that same spirit of ingenuity is driving solutions to
new ventures in the fast-developing digital economy. John Narraway, BDA
consultant for emerging technologies, in another video interview that was
distributed to summit attendees, said: “The big value we see here is the
ability to talk to early-stage start-ups, as well as those investing in them,
about what Bermuda can offer — particularly our respected regulatory
environment and the certainty our domicile can provide for ventures looking to
expand internationally. Mr Narraway, who also heads Bermuda Government’s
Blockchain Business Development Working Group, said: “A lot of the industries
we’re looking at are high-growth companies and they’re accelerating at a
speed for which they really do need to contemplate an international strategy.”
Chris Garrod, Partner, Conyers, who has helped some of the first digital token
issuers launch a corporate presence in Bermuda, and also serves on the
Government’s Blockchain Legal and Regulatory Working Group, said: “People
have been very responsive to the fact Bermuda is tech-friendly and pushing
things forward through the collaborative efforts of our public and private
sectors. Bermuda is being recognized here as a place that, through responsive,
nimble yet respected regulation, is ensuring it keeps its reputation intact as a
blue-chip jurisdiction — a place where quality is always going to trump
quantity.” The Bermuda delegation was due to host a breakfast meeting for
invited guests, including investors and start-up executives, to be followed by a
midday panel discussion open to all summit attendees, titled “Bermuda: The New
Value Equation.” The panel was to be moderated by Mr Narraway, and feature Mr
Caines, Mr Garrod, and Aron Dutta, founder and chief executive officer of Vaphr,
a Bermuda-based blockchain accelerator that last year selected Bermuda as its
global platform hub. Also representing Bermuda at the summits is Bermudian Gina
Pereira, CEO of private-client advisory firm Dana Philanthropy.
A serial sex offender
was jailed for 18 years yesterday after a sexual assault on a tourist in her
hotel room. Lonnie Trott, 56, climbed into the second-floor room at the
Grotto Bay Resort, stripped naked and assaulted a woman while she slept. The
attack came less than two hours after he broke into another room at the same
hotel and terrified a couple. Trott had previously been convicted in 1990 for
the rape of a tourist while awaiting trial for a previous rape. Puisne Judge
Carlisle Greaves said: “Trott is on the top shelf, in my opinion, among the
most dangerous sexual offenders in the country, and his sentence must be such
that society feels some comfort.” He called Trott a cunning, determined
predator focused on getting what he desired even after being stopped once. Mr
Justice Greaves ordered that Trott be placed on the sex offenders list and that
he serve a minimum of nine years before he is eligible for parole. He told
Trott: “This court considers you such a dangerous predator that really you
ought not be released until you serve the entire sentence, but I am bound by the
law and restrained by that.” The judge added he “shuddered” at the idea of
Trott being released while he is still young enough to climb. On the night of
the attack, Trott parked his motorcycle outside the resort and walked on to the
property. He then climbed the outside of a building and opened an unlocked door
to gain access to a room where a visiting couple were sleeping. The couple woke
and confronted Trott, who ran away, but he returned to the area a short while
later. He stashed his bike in some nearby bushes, re-entered the property and
climbed into another room occupied by a single woman. Once inside, he went to
the bathroom, took off his clothes, and assaulted the guest. He fled when the
victim fought back, but he left his underwear at the scene of the crime. Trott
admitted going into the woman’s room, but claimed he did so only to defecate.
He maintained his innocence throughout a Supreme Court trial, but was convicted
of one count of sexual assault and two counts of burglary with intent to commit
sexual assault. Prosecutor Larissa Burgess said Trott had shown absolutely no
remorse for his crimes and continued to maintain his “bewildering” version
of events. She detailed Trott’s previous convictions, both of which came after
he climbed up to a second-floor room at the Club Med resort in St George’s and
attacked the guests inside. Trott was sentenced to a total of 20 years for the
offences, but was released on December 18, 2007. Ms Burgess said Trott was at a
high risk of re-offending. She said: “The defendant knew what he was doing was
immoral because he has already been convicted on very similar circumstances.”
Trott himself told the court he was innocent of all charges and requested his
sentencing be adjourned so he could secure a new lawyer. Mr Justice Greaves
refused the application, labeling it an attempt to stall the process. He said:
“The evidence showed an extremely determined individual carrying out this
sexual assault and these burglaries that night. And a cunning one at that. He
has the presence of mind to hide his motorcycle along the highway and walk the
journey on foot to the hotel and changing around his clothes to alter his
appearance, turning his shirt inside out. Even after his first encounter, after
he had been unsuccessful in achieving that which he desired and after leaving
the property, he returned with even more determination.”
A Pembroke businessman pleaded guilty yesterday to failing to pay a
former employee $4,000. Robert Sousa, 64, owner of RJS Auto Marine Repair,
admitted he did not comply with an Employment Tribunal order. The company had
been ordered to pay a former employee cash owed to him. Magistrates’ Court
heard that the amount of $4,000 had been agreed to by Sousa and the former
employee. Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo adjourned sentence until May 8.
The Shadow Minister of
Sport and Youth Development has called on the Government to do more to help
Bermuda’s athletes reach their goals. Ben Smith told the House of Assembly
that a “small increase” in funds for national sports governing bodies was
“not enough” and questioned the amount allocated to the Bermuda Sports
Anti-Doping Agency. Speaking during Monday’s Budget debate on sport, Mr Smith
said: “We spend a lot of money on our police, we spend a lot of money on our
prisons. We need to spend equal amount of money for youth and sport so that we
can prevent some of those issues happening later on.” Derrick Burgess, Deputy
Speaker, pointed out that there was an increase of almost $160,000 in grants. Mr
Smith said: “I’m not saying there isn’t an increase — I’m saying
that’s not enough. I understand it’s a small increase but a small increase
isn’t really moving us in the direction that we need if our children are
important to us. There are a lot of initiatives within the Department of Youth
and Sport that are extremely important to the future of Bermuda. To continue to
have a lack of funding in this particular ministry is, in my opinion, as was
stated by then shadow minister, a travesty.” Michael Weeks, the Minister of
Social Development and Sport, said he stood by his comments as shadow minister
that more money should be put into development than enforcement. He told
Parliament that this was why they had tried to increase the budget overall. Mr
Weeks explained grants and contribution for the Department of Youth, Sport and
Recreation would total $2,775,000 in the next fiscal year — an increase of
$18,000. He said $1.3 million would be allocated among the 34 national sports
governing bodies, including $650,000 for the Bermuda Sports Anti-Doping
Authority. Mr Weeks said the BSADA was “one of the most important financial
items within the sports development section”. He added: “Without the
functional presence of this organisation in Bermuda, it would simply mean that
Bermuda would not be able to participate in any international sporting events
abroad or host any international sporting events locally.” While Mr Smith
agreed that the BSADA was “important”, he questioned why it was granted
“such a large number on the budget line. You have to start to wonder, are we
producing enough athletes to match that number? When we are not giving the
funding to our athletes but we are giving a lot of money to drug test those
athletes, it seems that we are missing the boat. There are way too many athletes
that need this help.” His comments were echoed by One Bermuda Alliance MP
Patricia Gordon-Pamplin who said: “I have a significant challenge with the
balance of where we are putting money when we look at the administrative
expenses for the BSADA versus the testing output. I am not going to say for one
second that BSADA is not important. But when we look at the grant to BSADA, as
against the overall grants and contribution for the ministry with the 34
national sports governing bodies and a minuscule amount being allocated to the
amount that is bringing the best results, I just question the allocation.” Mr
Weeks also revealed that $300,000 in grants would go to the Bermuda Football
Association, $25,000 to the department’s swim team, and that youth grants
would total $200,000. He added that $150,000 would go towards sports incentives
and awards, while the National Sports Centre trustees would receive $800,000. Mr
Smith asked how many public schoolchildren were using the National Sports
Centre, what programmes were run there and how the centre could be used better.
He said: “I can speak from personal interactions — renting the facility is
costly.” Mr Smith said it was cheaper for his swim team to attend camp
overseas than to stay in Bermuda. “I bring this up because for renting that
same facility, we bring in teams from overseas who actually get the cost of
using that centre supplemented by the Bermuda Tourism Authority. So, here our
young people don’t get the access because they have to pay, but we bring in
people from overseas and we pay.”
Home affairs minister
Walton Brown wants new labour laws to crack down on sexual harassment in the
workplace. Mr Brown is bringing London-based feminist Minna Salami to
Bermuda as he instigates debate on harassment, as well as the importance of
appropriately handling sexual orientation at work. The Ministry of Home Affairs
has invited government officials, trade union leaders, business leaders and
human rights groups to talks next week on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace:
Men in Power and Sensitivity Towards Sexual Orientation Within the Workplace.
The events will conclude with a public forum next Thursday at CedarBridge
Academy, where Ms Salami will be guest speaker. Mr Brown said: “Employees need
to be given the tools to decipher what harassment looks like and the confidence
to report it. “Likewise, employers and employees need to be educated on what
is acceptable and what will not be tolerated within the workplace. Ms Salami is
more than suited to conduct these vital talks as her knowledge of the main
issues, concepts and theories concerning sexual harassment and sexual
orientation is in-depth and up to date to the highest standard. “It is my
opinion that Bermuda’s labour legislation needs to be amended to target such
harassment and I welcome Ms Salami’s thoughts and insight in this regard.”
Ms Salami, a Nigerian-Finnish writer, blogger and speaker, is the founder of the
feminist blog, MsAfropolitan. She has spoken on international platforms
including Yale University, TEDx, the Oxford Union, the BBC, Channel 4, Deutsche
Welle, TV Ontario and SVT. The forum will take place at the Kalmar Richards
Conference Room next Thursday, at 5.30pm.
The man fighting the
repeal of same-sex marriage has described the intention of politicians to try to
increase LGBTQ tourism to Bermuda as “pretty ballsy”. Rod Ferguson
reacted after Jamahl Simmons, the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism,
told the House of Assembly on Monday of the importance of attracting the LGBTQ
community to the island only three months after MPs voted to stop same-sex
marriage by introducing the Domestic Partnership Act. Leah Scott, Deputy
Opposition Leader and shadow tourism minister also voiced her support for
targeting the demographic. Ferguson, 38, who has launched a legal challenge to
the new Act, said yesterday: “I think they really need to work on their
messaging if they want to say that a segment of the population is not quite
fully human, but that we would like to take their valuable dollars. It’s very
silly to say to the world that we would like to profit from LGBTQ tourists at
the same time as we are discriminating against them.” During the Budget debate
on Monday, Mr Simmons promised initiatives to attract LGBTQ visitors would be
“rolled out over the next couple of months”. Ms Scott said that while she
did not support same-sex marriage “the LGBTQ community spends money, and they
spend big money”. Mr Ferguson said the island had made a “damning statement
to the world” by enacting the legislation. He added: “I don’t think
anyone’s thought of the fact that it might be a boon to tourism. You might get
just a rush of bigots who want to support Bermuda.” He said Ms Scott’s
stance on not supporting same-sex marriage, while at the same time wanting to
attract LGBTQ visitors, was “the new playbook of the Right”. Mr Ferguson
explained: “Bigotry with compassion is the way that I describe it. It was used
in the Preserve Marriage campaign by one of my classmates from school, saying we
can love our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters but we don’t have to agree
with them. But they don’t recognize they are saying it’s a disagreement
about the value of a human being.” Winston Godwin, who won the right to marry
his partner Greg DeRoche after a legal battle last year, said the Domestic
Partnership Act was a “direct contradiction” to the calls made by Mr Simmons
and Ms Scott. Mr Godwin added: “You are essentially saying we don’t agree
with who you love, and we don’t believe you should have the right to marry,
but we recognize your worth as a community and we welcome you and want you to
spend money here.” Mr Godwin said that the aspects of the LGBTQ community that
Bermuda wanted to accept could not be cherry picked. He explained: “We are a
packaged deal; us, our rights and our money. Mr Godwin said that “little to
nothing” was done to make the local LGBTQ community feel welcome. He added:
“How can we possibly be targeting other demographics?” A spokesman for the
Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda said the group was “shocked by the contradictory
comments” made on Monday. He said: “If the Government seeks to make Bermuda
more hospitable for the LGBTQ community, it should start with its own citizens.
With the recent passage of the Domestic Partnership Act, the Government of
Bermuda has made it patently clear that it has little interest in the well-being
of LGBTQ individuals.” He described the exchange in the House of Assembly as
“disingenuous at best and hypocritical posturing at worst”. The spokesman
added: “The Domestic Partnership Act has created a stigma that Bermuda will
likely never be able to completely rid itself of. In an industry in which word
of mouth both makes and breaks success, the Bermuda Government has failed not
only Bermuda’s LGBTQ community first and foremost, but the Bermuda hospitality
industry as a whole.” Kevin Dallas, chief executive at the Bermuda Tourism
Authority, said that the organization's efforts were not about specifically
targeting LGBTQ tourism for Bermuda. Mr Dallas explained: “Our research
indicates many companies, consumers and travelers, including the overwhelming
majority of the younger visitors powering Bermuda’s growth, care about LGBTQ
equality. Our response to the Domestic Partnership Act is therefore designed to
reassure a much wider target audience that Bermuda’s tourism industry is
inclusive and committed to treating every visitor with respect.” Mr Dallas
said that Mr Simmons had been briefed in New York about “the actions the BTA
can take to make sure that all visitors, including LGBTQ visitors, feel safe and
welcome in Bermuda”. He said that the BTA’s decision to, last year, join the
International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association was part of the quangos
outreach. The Domestic Partnership Act was passed by Parliament in December and
given Royal Assent by John Rankin, the Governor, last month. It was created to
stop same-sex marriages and replace them with partnership arrangements open to
both gay and straight couples. The law is due to come into effect on June 1.
Tina Duke, the principal of Dellwood Middle School, has been placed on
administrative leave along with three members of staff. Mike Charles,
secretary-general of the Bermuda Union of Teachers, confirmed that the union had
been informed that “the principal has been put on administrative duty, as have
three staff”. Mr Charles said the three “indicated that they received
letters from the ministry placing them on administrative leave until [the
Department of] Child and Family Services can do their investigation at the
school”. Mr Charles was unable to give details of the suspensions, but said it
was standard procedure for teachers when the Department of Child and Family
Services got involved at a school. He added: “I just hope that the ministry
can shed some light on the situation before rumors start flying.” In response
to a query from The Royal Gazette, a spokeswoman said that it was the
education department’s policy that personnel matters were not discussed with
the media.
A non-dairy milk that is made
from vegetable ingredients will be launched in Bermuda today by Jared Dylan
Petty. The Bermudian discovered the product, called Veggemo, while living in
Canada and invested in the company that produces it, Global Garden Group. That
led to him speaking with the chief executive officer about bringing the item to
Bermuda. An agreement was made and Mr Petty now has the exclusive international
distribution rights for the product in Bermuda. Mr Petty, 27, told The Royal
Gazette how his business venture, Live Plus Bermuda, took shape. When he was 14,
he and his family moved to Canada. He said: “I finished high school I returned
to the island and worked in the construction industry, but I realized I didn’t
want to continue down that route so I went back to school in Canada.” Although
he did not complete the last year of a human services degree course, he was able
to land a job with the Canadian government working with at risk youth. “I
really enjoyed my job, and the money was good. I love working and being a
positive role model for people.” Mr Petty became friends with a colleague who
was a strict vegan and who told him about Global Gardens Group. He suggested
investing in the company while it was still young. Mr Petty said: “I started
to live a healthier lifestyle myself, and decided why not invest in a company
that I can benefit from. I put in a chunk of my money and watched the product,
Veggemo, grow [in popularity] in Canada, America and China.” Veggemo is a milk
made from yellow peas, tapioca from cassava and potatoes. It is dairy-free and
gluten-free, and contains no nuts, soy, or GMO ingredients. Mr Petty said the
milk is rich in calcium and vitamin D, with six grams of protein per serving. It
is also a source of vitamin B12. Being business-minded, and already having
shares in the company, Mr Petty met with the CEO of Global Garden Group and
expressed an interest in marketing the product in Bermuda. “I thought why not
speak with the CEO and ask about branching out. He agreed to take a chance on
me,” Mr Petty said. He returned to Bermuda in his new role as the rep for
Veggemo, and started to get the ball rolling by contacting a few grocery stores.
Lindo’s in Devonshire agreed to create a platform for Mr Petty to launch and
sell the product at the supermarket. This will be daily and starts today from
8am to 12pm. Mr Petty will give out samples and offer a ‘buy one, get one
free’ special promotion. For more information visit the Facebook page Live
Plus Bermuda or instagram @Live Plus Bermuda. There is also a website at
https//veggemo.com.
Herbert Tatem, who
chronicled his war experiences in the memoir As You Were, has died at the
age of 95 after suffering from dementia. He died in the Elder Home Care
nursing residence, according to Carol Everson, a caseworker with the Bermuda
Legion. Mr Tatem helped to defend the island during the Second World War after
he added an extra year to his age when signing up as a 16-year-old. He served in
the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers, on board HMS
Malabar and was the cipher officer at Admiralty House. Ms Everson said:
“Mr Tatem was a highly accomplished machine gunner who asked to be posted
overseas, but was kept on the island because of his proficiency as a signalman
at Admiralty House. Herbert was an absolute gentleman. He was very bright, very
kind, and very concerned for the welfare of his fellow war veterans.” Ms
Everson added: “He and his wife, Dorothy, were regulars at veterans’
functions and he helped us with our poppy appeal on many occasions. His book
shows the scope of his talents and wartime activities.” Mr Tatem’s memoirs
also depicted a prewar Bermuda where it was possible, at the age of 12, to
purchase ammunition for a new Buckhorn rifle out of a shop on Front Street. That
was in 1934, when Mr Tatem trained in the cadet corps. He went on to garner fame
among fellow soldiers for his accuracy with a machine gun. His autobiography,
published when he was 84, showed his power of recall. Mr Tatem told The Royal
Gazette in 2007: “When you live something, it should stick in your
brain,” he said. “I was very close with the chaps.” When war broke out in
1939, the soldiers used boiling water to strip off the packing grease from their
weapons. While the home guard was vigilant, Mr Tatem later said there would have
been little chance of local forces repelling an invasion. He was transferred to
the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers in 1943, moved on to Admiralty House followed by
a spell at the BVE station at Prospect. Among his duties was signaling and
telephone repair. He was discharged in March 1946, and returned to his prewar
job at H. A. & E Smith & Sons. Arthur Harriott, captain of the BVE,
officially commended him for “fine work” in the signal section, adding that
“those of us who had to sit the war out in Bermuda know the utter monotony of
keeping on the alert for an enemy that may have struck at any unknown moment and
I strongly commend your patience and high morale during these past years for it
was this spirit that kept our unit a going concern”. Mr Tatem remained close
with his old colleagues and proudly supported the Legion, Ms Everson said. In
later life, Mr Tatem advocated for veterans who were denied pensions. More
recently, as dementia took its toll, his wife Dorothy’s challenges supporting
him illustrated the plight of seniors struggling with dementia, and the
Legion’s efforts to secure them full-time residential care. Mr Tatem’s
memoirs joined other historic articles that were placed in a time capsule in
2013 at the War Memorial in the grounds of the Cabinet Office. “It’s an
honour to have my book among the troops, as it were,” Mr Tatem told the Gazette
as the capsule was put in place.
Ironshore Inc has expanded its
partnership between Bermuda-based Iron-Starr Excess Agency Ltd with Oil Casualty
Insurance Ltd to underwrite property lines. Iron-Starr has underwritten
coverages on behalf of Ocil, a subscribing insurer for financial lines since
2016. In a statement, Ironshore said the broadened relationship with Ocil will
enable Iron-Starr to deliver an increase in syndicated capacity for commercial
property risks, including natural catastrophe perils, within the Bermuda market.
Ian Smith, Ironshore senior vice-president and head of Bermuda Property, said:
“Iron-Starr’s newest agreement with Ocil strengthens our capabilities for
delivering greater capacity for commercial property lines, where we have seen
growing demand in the Bermuda marketplace. We are pleased to incorporate
property risk within Iron-Starr’s increasingly diverse product portfolio.”
Ocil’s expanded relationship with Iron-Starr will focus on further building
its presence in the direct & facultative property insurance sector.
Iron-Starr is authorized to underwrite D&F insurance with limits separate
and distinct from coverage offered directly by Ocil’s property team, led by
Rolf Fischer. Jerry Rivers, chief operating officer of Bermudian-based Ocil,
noted the longevity and strength of its relationship with both Ironshore and
Iron-Starr. He said: “Our partnership allows us to tap into Ironshore’s
underwriting expertise, technological efficiencies and production sources,
thereby extending our goal to diversify the Ocil business portfolio.”
Fierce winds and waves
battered Bermuda yesterday as a powerful winter storm swept past the north of
the island. Schools and government offices remained open, while the Causeway
was expected not to close, as it lies in the lee of powerful westerly winds.
Winds peaked last night with gusts intensifying to hurricane strength. The worst
of the winds coincided with last night’s high tide, although only a modest
surge was forecast. Strong to gale-force northwesterly winds were forecast to
continue today, gradually abating to moderate to strong by tonight. Ferry
services have been called off “until further notice”, while the storm also
affected power supplies, with hundreds of Belco customers without power at
9.30pm last night. Belco spokeswoman Kerry Judd said: “As of 9.05pm, Belco had
250 customers without power in various areas across the island. The largest
outage has been in the Collector’s Hill area. “Six crews are working to
restore power for the outages, with the exception of one where repairs were
deemed to be too dangerous to undertake in the conditions. The crews will
continue restoration efforts into the evening as long as it is safe to do so and
until they are stood down for the night later tonight.
Regulations for casino
gambling are to be introduced “without further delay”, tourism minister
Jamahl Simmons told the House of Assembly yesterday. Mr Simmons blamed past
members of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission for delays leading to a
“stumbling block” to finalizing regulations. Alan Dunch, the former
commission chairman, told The Royal Gazette that the “real stumbling
block in terms of moving matters forward was beyond the curtilage of the
commission itself”. Mr Dunch said the commission had completed its work a year
ago and that he was surprised it had taken the Government so long to proceed. Mr
Simmons told Parliament: “Under new leadership, the Bermuda Casino Gaming
Commission is working with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, via my ministry as
the instructing government body, to ensure that these regulations are enacted
without further delay.” He added: “In fact, the Attorney-General’s
Chambers and the commission have agreed that for expediency and without
sacrificing due diligence in the drafting process, the prudent way forward would
be to complete the drafting and enactment of the regulatory package, under the
negative resolution procedure, in three phases.” Grant Gibbons, the shadow
economic development minister, asked why it had taken so long to finalize the
regulations. Mr Simmons replied: “Part of the delay was the unwillingness of
members to work together to get a set of regulations that both the Gaming
Commission and the Attorney-General’s Chambers could agree on. Once we began
having a communication between those two bodies, things moved apace.” Mr Dunch
resigned as gaming commission chairman last November after Mr Simmons tabled
legislation to give himself the power to oust him. Mr Gibbons told MPs: “My
understanding was that the regulations that the former government had done were
pretty much finalized and were ready to go.” Mr Simmons said: “The
regulations that were sent over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, to the
previous government, were not legally acceptable based on their ruling at that
time. When we took office, the same position held under the new Attorney-General
and their group. There had to be co-operation between the two bodies to move
past that. At one point you had the Casino Gaming Commission saying, ‘the
regulations are fine, they are perfect’. You had the Attorney-General’s
Chambers saying, ‘hold on, these need to be adjusted’. And so that has been
adjusted.” Mr Dunch said he found the suggestion that progress had stalled
under his chairmanship “puzzling at best. With the exception of the phasing
suggestion, there is nothing new in the detail provided by the minister and,
indeed, one is left wondering why it has taken a further eight months to
progress work that was in effect completed almost a year ago.” Mr Dunch said
the commission submitted a draft memorandum with 19 sets of regulations to
Cabinet on May 31 last year, that the commission wanted to have “approved and
tabled before Parliament pursuant to the negative resolution procedure, as
provided for by the Act. The regulations, produced with the help of
international gaming experts, were “entirely in keeping with industry
standards. They were presented in a manner which should have enabled
immediate tabling before Parliament so as to have a comprehensive regulatory
process in place prior to the licence applications process being completed.”
He explained that the commission was later asked to prepare a policy document
for the Attorney-General’s Chambers that outlined policy considerations for
each of the proposed sets of regulations. Mr Dunch said this was completed on
June 29, by which time the General Election had been called and Parliament
dissolved. He added: “Between the date of the election and the date of my
relinquishment of the leadership of the commission, numerous efforts were made
to move the regulatory process forward, all to no avail. The last that I heard
was that the Attorney-General’s Chambers were reviewing the policy document
and that the draft Cabinet memorandum would not be processed pending the review.
On any basis, it would therefore seem that the real stumbling block in terms of
moving matter forward was beyond the curtilage of the commission itself.” Mr
Simmons said in a ministerial statement yesterday that the regulatory framework
designed for Bermuda was “in line with industry standards and with industry
expectations”. He added the first phase would include regulations that must be
completed immediately “for the commission to commence the suitability stage of
the licensing process”. The second phase will consist of regulations that must
be in force before casino construction can start and the final phase would need
to be enacted before construction was completed and the casino opened. Mr
Simmons and the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission did not respond to requests
from The Royal Gazette for more detailed information about which industry
standards were being used as a model for the regulations, what the regulations
would contain or when they were expected to be completed. The Royal Gazette
also asked when Bermuda’s first casino was expected to open and whether a bank
had agreed to back casinos on-island but got no response. Cheryl-Ann Mapp, the
new chairwoman of the BCGC, said last month that the BCGC had asked counterparts
abroad for advice on alternatives to the island’s three banks, none of which
have yet agreed to become involved in the industry.
Improved public transport could
be in the pipeline after the Government launched a consultation. Transport
minister Walter Roban told the House of Assembly a green paper on transport
would bring “forward-thinking solutions” by early June. He said more than 50
local and overseas groups had been consulted and a general consensus had emerged
on upgrades to public transport and the use of technology such as digital
tickets. A social media campaign and two surveys are shortly to be launched,
with the results to be published in June. The policy document is the first since
the National Transportation Management Report released in 2002. Mr Roban told
MPs: “The plan is to identify realistic and fiscally prudent recommendations
that will be presented to Cabinet.”
Criminal records are
to be stored electronically and shared with British police forces, the Minister
of National Security said last week. Wayne Caines said a member of the
Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Records Office, the criminal
records service for England and Wales, will be seconded to Bermuda for three
months to help to digitize priority records such as sex offenders, gang members
and “high-harm offenders” with Bermudian or UK passports. Mr Caines said:
“Acro will also be given remote electronic access to these records so they can
conduct their own searches. “The Commissioner of Police has confirmed that
this arrangement will reduce the demands on the staff, and speed up the
information-sharing process. The data contained within records management
systems will remain the property of the Bermuda Police Service at all times. ACRO
use will include searching, printing and exporting information, with users
subject to BPS auditing.” Mr Caines was speaking in the House of Assembly as
the debate on the Budget continued. Bermuda Police already has an information
sharing agreement with ACRO, but the island’s criminal records office has only
two staff and about 20,000 paper records, some dating back to the 1930s. Mr
Caines told MPs the cost of the secondment will be about $4,000 and digitized
records will mean officers will have access to offender information 24 hours a
day, rather than be limited by the police record office’s normal hours. He
added the digital records could also be shared with other authorities such as
the Department of Public Prosecutions and the court service. Mr Caines said:
“The BPS will now have the ability to research prolific priority offenders
based on criminal convictions.” He added that digital records would also cut
down the risk of important information being destroyed by accident. Mr Caines
said: “This positive use of an established international relationship will
assist in modernizing a significant feature of criminal justice administration
and improve the efficiency of the Bermuda Police Service in this critical area
of criminal record-keeping.”
Initiatives to attract
LGBTQ travelers to Bermuda are coming, the House of Assembly heard yesterday.
Jamahl Simmons, the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, said:
“Bermuda has to be a place that welcomes all. It has to be a place where all
can feel included and a part of a great experience.” Mr Simmons said that the
Bermuda Tourism Authority had held meetings in New York specifically focusing on
LGBTQ tourism. He added: “There will be some initiatives rolled out over the
next couple of months.” The comments came during a debate on the Budget for
Economic Development and Tourism. Leah Scott, deputy Opposition leader and
Shadow Minister of Tourism and Transport, said that the LGBTQ tourism market was
one that Bermuda needed to tap into. But she said: “I don’t know how we are
going to do this with the Domestic Partnership Act.” Ms Scott repeated that
she was not in support of same-sex marriage. She added: “However, what people
do with their lives and in their houses is their business. At the end of the
day, the LGBTQ community spends money, and they spend big money.” Ms Scott
said LGBTQ tourism was worth $211 billion per year worldwide. She added: “This
is an area that we need to get with the programme on. This is an area that we
actually need to pursue and investigate.” Mr Simmons said that Ms Scott “has
it right”. Referencing the controversial Domestic Partnership Act, Mr Simmons
said: “When you compare Bermuda to many of the destinations in the Caribbean,
Bermuda is far in advance of many of our competitors.” He added: “Bermuda
has now done something that many of our competitors have not done: guaranteed
statutory rights for same-sex couples. When I have somebody e-mail me and say
‘I’m canceling my trip and I’m going to Jamaica’, then clearly we have a
better message to deliver.” The Domestic Partnership Act was passed by
Parliament in December and given Royal Assent by John Rankin, the Governor, last
month. The law has yet to come into effect. It was created to stop same-sex
marriages and replace them with partnership arrangements open to both gay and
straight couples. A Supreme Court challenge on the law will be heard on May 21
and 22.
The impact on jobs at XL Group is expected to be limited after it is acquired by
French multinational insurance company Axa in a $15.3 billion deal. Although
no figures have been mentioned, Mike McGavick, chief executive officer of XL
Group, believes staff at both companies will be affected “less than ordinarily
expected in such advanced integration” because there is little overlap in
operations. Axa is buying Bermuda-based XL Group in a deal that will be
completed in the second half of the year, subject to shareholders’ and
regulatory approval. The XL Catlin brand is set to continue under the Axa
umbrella, however it is intended that XL Group will be de-listed from the New
York Stock Exchange. Axa is transitioning from being predominantly focused on
life insurance and savings to becoming the number one global property and
casualty commercial lines insurer based on gross written premiums. The
integration of XL into Axa will achieve that shift. Insurance accounts for
two-thirds of XL’s operations, with the remainder reinsurance. The transaction
will give Axa access to capital markets through the reinsurance sector, while XL
will have the opportunity to take its specialty products to a greater client
base through Axa’s extensive market reach. Gérald Harlin, deputy CEO and
group chief financial officer of Axa, at a press conference in Paris yesterday,
responded to a question about cost savings and the impact on jobs. Referencing
the intention to de-list the company, he said: “XL is a listed company, which
means a lot of [that] structure and infrastructure will be no more needed.” Mr
McGavick said XL has a staff of 7,400 globally, with more than 30 offices and a
presence in 50 countries. It writes $15 billion in premiums each year, and has
grown rapidly since the $4.1 billion merger with Catlin in 2015. He said: “In
terms of key business lines, we are a premier specialty platform. We think of
the specialty business as an important strategic element. The reality is that
change is coming to the insurance market, change is accelerating. Nothing in
life is standing still and our clients’ risks don’t stand still either.
Being a leader in specialty and a leader in reinsurance is precisely how you
drive that change forward.” Referring to the transaction, he said: “In terms
of immediate benefits, the ability to sell the products we have across the Axa
platform will be one of the quickest sources of growth and additional profit.”
Mr McGavick and Thomas Buberl, chief executive officer of Axa, have known each
other for a number of years having met through the Geneva Association, an
international think tank on insurance and risk management issues. In November,
they met at Mr Buberl’s office in New York and discussed the direction of the
industry. That meeting and follow up discussions paved the way for yesterday’s
announcement. Mr McGavick drew a parallel with the position XL Group and Bermuda-based
insurer Catlin found themselves in before they merged. He said: “It was the
recognition that scale matters more and more in insurance operations. Operating
globally is essential and that is a very expensive infrastructure to maintain.
And second, capital is made very dear by Solvency II and other regulatory pushes
around the world. If you think about those two things alone, you realize that
scale makes a huge difference in competitive position. We gained greater scale
through Catlin, but the reality was that we were not in the final group, the top
group in the world. While our board was not looking to sell, when Thomas came
forward and outlined a vision for maintaining the brand, maintaining the
strength and accelerating its progress from being part of this more powerful
group, it was a very compelling vision.” Mr McGavick said the deal was
exciting as it was a complementary fit between companies with similar approaches
to customer service, similar cultures and focus on innovation. “When you add
that together and realize that the overlaps are not that large, so the impact on
XL people and Axa people will be less than ordinarily in such an advanced
integration, this is incredibly exciting for all of us. That convinced our board
and management this was the right thing to do,” he said. The merger agreement
has been unanimously approved by the boards of Axa and XL Group. XL will be
combined with Axa Corporate Solutions, with Greg Hendrick, XL president and
chief operating officer, to be appointed CEO of the combined entity. Mr Hendrick
was also at the Paris press conference. He said there were a number of synergies
between the companies, such as the opportunity for XL’s specialty products,
such as those in professional, environment and cyber lines, to be “combined
with the power house that Axa is in the small commercial market space and sell
to a whole new customers and distribution that we have not had access to before
— particularly the smaller brokers in Europe and even some of the Axa agents.
Axa Corporate Solutions has a great franchise in Europe; the benefit from the US
underwriting expertise that we will bring to the table will only enhance the
positions that ACS has with its customers and really move forward to a lead
position.” Mr Hendrick expects opportunities to leverage XL’s footprint in
the US and bring AXA’s expertise to more potential clients. Regarding the
future of the XL Catlin brand, he said: “We are still working together on how
exactly the brand should go. We have said the XL name and the Catlin name will
move forward within the Axa organisation. We have to work out the specifics of
how we are going to do that best.” In an earlier statement, Mr Buberl said:
“The transaction offers significant long-term value creation for our
stakeholders with increased risk diversification, higher cash remittance
potential and reinforced growth prospects. The future Axa will see its profile
significantly rebalanced towards insurance risks and away from financial
risks.” At yesterday’s press conference, he said it was intended to de-list
XL Group “if possible” and create an internal advisory board. Mr McGavick
will become vice-chairman of the entity created by the combining of Axa
Corporate Solutions and XL Group, which will be a “sixth pillar” of the Axa
group. Mr McGavick will also be special adviser to Mr Buberl, with regard to
integration-related and other strategic matters. Commenting on the deal, Ross
Webber, CEO of the Bermuda Business Development Agency, said it “continues to
show how attractive the Bermuda market and its companies are. Bermuda has yet
again proven itself to be a domicile where companies can grow from the seeds of
necessity-driven innovation in the mid-1980s to highly desirable
multi-billion-dollar targets more than 30 years later. Larger, stronger
companies — in this case creating one of the world’s largest P&C
carriers — are beneficial for both the market and the industry. We continue to
see new companies launching in Bermuda, and we expect this to continue.” XL
shareholders will receive $57.60 per share under the terms of the transaction,
which represents a 33 per cent premium on Friday’s closing price.
Residents of St George’s are
happy with the progress being made on the St Regis hotel — and at being able
to reach the beach. Quinell Francis, the Mayor of St George, said that
despite early concerns, the public had embraced the project. She said: “Access
to the beach, which was a primary concern, has been clearly identified and
people are quite happy they can still reach the beach even with the construction
going on. Everyone is positive, everyone is anticipating a great project and we
are looking forward to the summer to see how the parking works when people come
to utilize the beach.” She added the Corporation of St George has been in
talks with the Government about ensuring quality public facilities at St
Catherine’s Beach. Ms Francis said: “Ideally, the facilities there will be
an upgrade from the porta-potties. If you have a five-star hotel, you should
have some good public facilities as well. They have assured us they will be
working on that as well. I’m hopeful that happens sooner rather than later.”
The hotel is not the only construction project taking place in the East End. Ms
Francis said the Corporation of St George is working on several projects and a
comprehensive town plan to improve the municipality. She said: “We are still
improving the infrastructure of the ferry terminal at Hunters Wharf. We are just
putting in a few parking bays for private cars as well as a drop-off for the
buses and taxis down there. We didn’t complete it last year due to the
construction of the seawall running over. We are also moving the stocks to
Ordnance Island. The idea is we will make Ordnance Island more of a recreational
spot and draw more people over there, with the Deliverance being at
centre stage.” As part of the plan, she said the corporation is looking to
pedestrianise Ordnance Island. Traffic flow in the town could be further altered
next year, with vehicles diverted farther from King’s Square. Ms Francis said:
“A longer-term plan we are considering is the pedestrianisation of King’s
Square. We are hoping to have that done for next season and we are doing a
traffic assessment looking into how we can move our taxes and minibuses through.
We like the idea of people coming down Water Street and flowing into a
pedestrian area rather than a highway. If we move the stocks, we can create a
roadway coming right over on to Bridge Street.” The mayor said the corporation
also planned to revitalize Somers Gardens to make it more “vibrant”. She
said the corporation is in discussions with the Ministry of Public Works to modernize
the wastewater system. Ms Francis said: “The recommendations have come in from
the overseas company contracted to do the study and we are waiting for Cabinet
papers so we can move forward. The whole waste water plan involves utilizing
BLDC [Bermuda Land Development Company], with their system expanded, so the
entire island of St George’s can be added to that.
A former Corporation
of Hamilton alderman was found not guilty of the attempted murder of an alleged
gang leader yesterday. A jury also cleared Carlton Simmons, 40, of wounding
Jahkeil Samuels with the intent of causing grievous bodily harm. Cheers, which
were silenced by Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons, broke out in Supreme Court
immediately after the unanimous verdict was announced. Mr Samuels, 32, who was
said in court to be a kingpin of the Parkside gang, was stabbed repeatedly in a
fight at Ambiance Lounge, a Hamilton club part-owned by Mr Simmons, on August 12
last year. Mr Simmons admitted attacking Mr Samuels but said he feared for his
life. The incident was captured by the club’s CCTV footage and was shown to
the jury several times during the trial. Prosecutor Nicole Smith told the jury
during the trial that the footage “clearly shows that the behavior and
circumstances surrounding the altercation were such that the accused either
intended to kill Jahkeil Samuels or, at the least, wounded him with the intent
to cause him serious harm”. Mr Simmons told the court he had met Mr Samuels
through his gang- intervention efforts and knew he was the leader of the
Parkside gang. He said Mr Samuels had approached him at the bar and said he was
the only one stopping people from killing Mr Simmons. He said he later saw
another man pass Mr Samuels an object, which he tucked in his pants. Mr Simmons
said he told Mr Samuels to leave, but as they reached the steps outside the
club, Mr Samuels turned and said: “F**k this. We are going to do this right
here.” He claimed Mr Samuels punched him in the face, threatened to shoot him
and then began to pull up his shirt as if he was reaching for something in his
pants. Mr Simmons told the court: “At that point, I panicked. Out of fear and
instinct to survive, I attacked him. My intention, the only intention I
remember, is to prevent him from getting the gun. That’s the only emotion I
remember having.” He said he could not recall much of the attack and that he
remembered stabbing Mr Samuels with an unknown object but little else. During
their deliberations, the jury asked to see again a section of CCTV footage that
showed Mr Samuels lifting his shirt moments before the stabbing began.
A trial date has been set in England for three teenagers charged with the
murder of 17-year-old Bermudian Lyrico Steede in Nottingham. Kesharn
Campbell, 19, and two 17-year-olds who cannot be named for legal reasons are
expected to go on trial on October 2. The three are charged with stabbing Mr
Steede in the Stock Well area of Bulwell on February 13. Mr Steede died in
hospital six days later. A 17-year-old girl, who also cannot be named, has been
charged with assisting an offender and is expected to appear at Nottingham Youth
Court on April 3. Mr Steede had moved to Nottingham five years ago to live with
family, and his Bermudian relatives have organized a GoFundMe campaign to bring
his body home for the funeral. The family’s appeal had broken the £10,000
mark
The Government has set
a target of 100 jobs for 100 unemployed Bermudians, Wayne Caines announced
yesterday. The Minister of National Security said a jobs fair would be held this
month in an attempt to match people with work. Mr Caines added: “Quite simply,
‘100 Jobs’ seeks to connect 100 unemployed and underemployed Bermudians with
100 employers. We see this as an excellent way for business people, corporate
entities and small and medium-sized businesses to help to employ their fellow
citizens.” Mr Caines said: “We are of the belief that if a person is able to
provide for their family and make a positive contribution to society they are
less likely to engage in antisocial behavior.” The Ministry of National
Security has teamed up with the Department of Workforce Development for the
programme. Diallo Rabain, the education minister, said jobseekers should add
their names to the department’s list. He added: “We cannot refer your name
unless you come to our department to sign up for the unemployment register.”
The two ministers were joined by Pastor Leroy Bean, gang violence reduction
co-ordinator, for the launch. Mr Bean said a meeting for employers would be held
at the Police Recreation Club in Prospect on March 15 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Mr
Bean added: “It is our goal to host a jobs fair on Monday, March 26, at the
Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Youth Centre from 4pm to 7pm.” Mr Caines emphasized
that “no specific demographic” was to be targeted. He added: “The
challenge is not getting people that need jobs. The challenge is to get
employers in the room.” The minister said the jobs programme was open to all
businesses, from professional companies to trades firms.
A photography company
that has been featured in top magazines both locally and internationally has
expanded its services and offerings. Two & Quarter Photography Ltd was
established in 2012 by couple Ally and Mark Tatem and is located in the Town of
St George. “We have both been photographers for as long as we can remember,
but started Two & Quarter as a part time venture in 2012. In 2015 we both
took the leap by quitting our jobs, incorporated to a limited liability full
time operation, and opened our first brick and mortar location on Bridge
Street,” said Mr Tatem. The business has seen success and has continued to
grow and develop, which caused the Tatems to move to bigger locations due to
limited space. “We are strong believers in St George’s and have always been
based in there. We live there too. The Olde Towne is the perfect home base for
us offering all of the scenic backdrops we could ask for just out of our front
door. Being in St George’s also means that we enjoy the benefit of a close
knit and supportive small business community. We’re now at our third St
George’s location,” said Mr Tatem. Having opened on Bridge Street in 2015,
the Tatems moved in February 2016 to a larger premises on Duke of York Street.
They eventually outgrew that location as well. “This past August we completed
a full renovation of our third and hopefully final space at 16 Water Street. We
started as a small office and retail space so that we had a dedicated place to
base our operations out of and a reason to get out of our Pjs and found that we
quickly had the ‘Out on a Shoot’ sign on more than the doors were open. It
was apparent that we needed to bring on some help and our new 1,850 sq ft
waterfront location is now staffed 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and is home to
our studio space, client meeting lounge, offices, print lab, and framing
workshop.” The business specializes in offering photographic services such as
weddings, portraits, school portraiture, corporate portraiture and brand
identity projects, passport photos, photo printing and framing. “Our most
major expansion has been on the e-commerce side of our business and a strong
focus on our print services. Our various e-commerce platforms really suit our
retail component for gift certificates and ready-made frames making it possible
for us to offer a convenient solution to our customers while reducing the need
to take up square footage in the studio. Our print services also take advantage
of an e-commerce platform where customers can directly upload image files to us
from our website, and our dedicated ordering galleries have reinvented our
school photography packages doing away with the ‘blind ordering’ of the
past, and these are also utilized for our portraiture clients who are able to
order physical prints from their sofas.” Mr Tatem added: “We are such
staunch believers that photos should be printed. We wanted to find a way for
folks to produce prints easily. It’s really exciting for us to see a
resurgence in demand for physical photography products like prints and
custom-made albums.” Two & Quarter also offers luster paper and canvas
prints up to 44 inches wide. “Any image we create for clients can be printed
this large, and we’re always happy to advise customers on the best print size
for their supplied files. We also offer an instant photo print kiosk at our
location and at our industry partners Frameworks Ltd at their Paget Plaza
location for those of us wanting to stick closer to town, and likewise we offer
custom framing options out of our studio in St George’s for those customers
wanting to stay in the east.” The business has also extended its portrait
offerings. “Our new boudoir portraits, Allure, is a for-women-by-women series
captured by Ally that is designed to celebrate women by creating stunning
imagery that encapsulates their most beautiful self. While boudoir sessions are
commonly booked to create imagery for a spouse or wedding day gift, women have
also treated themselves to Allure sessions to celebrate milestones like
birthdays, reaching a fitness goal, or beating an illness.” Mr Tatem mentioned
that maternity and newborn portraits are a huge part of our business, and this
past year with his wife Ally’s pregnancy and the birth of their son, they have
been inspired to expand the offerings in that category. For more information
visit the website twoandquarter.bm or phone: 400-2140.
Parliament has approved
legislation to update the regulation of psychologists. The Psychological
Practitioners Amendment Act 2018 replaces 20-year-old legislation governing the
profession. Anyone not registered in Bermuda will now be prohibited from
practising as a psychologist. Practitioners also have to get indemnity insurance
against claims of negligence and malpractice. The updates were made in
consultation with the Bermuda Psychologists Registration Council, which will
become the Bermuda Psychologists Council. Jeanne Atherden, the Leader of the
Opposition, and shadow health minister Susan Jackson backed the legislation. Tinée
Furbert of the Progressive Labour Party said the updates were “succinct as
regards psychology”.
There is no money in
this year’s budget for a review of the Southlands estate management plan.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, said: “I
indicated in the brief that there’s no funding in this year’s budget for
it.” He was speaking after Sylvan Richards of the One Bermuda Alliance asked
about money earmarked for the National Park in Warwick. Colonel Burch added:
“It is a huge task that generates, just by the mere mention of those words,
considerable public interest.” He said that there had been “initial
discussions” in the Parks Department about the property but added
“Southlands has not had a high profile. I can honestly admit that”. Colonel
Burch said he routinely drove past the estate and was “a little discouraged by
the state of it”. He said a plan for Southlands, drawn up in 2014, would
“form the basis of some internal discussions” within the ministry “to see
how we can put some meat on that plan. It’s probably a bit of an exaggeration
to call it a plan. It’s probably better to call it an outline plan. Public
consultation will follow. I expect for that first and second phase of this
process to be completed by the end of summer.” He said that existing ministry
resources would “immediately” be utilized “to do some work up there
without having to incur additional costs”. The property on South Shore,
Warwick, was designated a National Park last December. Ewart Brown, a former PLP
premier, signed an agreement on behalf of the Government of Bermuda ten years
ago with Southlands Ltd to swap 80 acres of land at Morgan’s Point for 37
acres of land at Southlands. The property was handed over to the Government in
2012.
A “complete
reassessment” of the use of government vehicles will take place.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch told Parliament that the proliferation of
government vehicles had been a source of “significant irritation”. He said:
“I noted in the last couple of years that GP plates had sort of vanished and
you now have ‘M’ plates. I thought, ‘Well, that’s a trick shot to try to
camouflage the number of GP vehicles’.” Colonel Burch had previously said
the number of government vehicles in use could be gauged using the number on the
licence plate. Colonel Burch raised the subject during debate on the parks
department budget last Friday. He added: “We have just concluded and had the
approval of Cabinet, and there will be a public announcement shortly about new
space standards in government, and accommodation for civil servants. The next
item on the agenda is vehicles. So after you hear the squealing about space
standards, then you’re going to hear the squealing about vehicles.”
Legislation aimed at
removing drink-drivers from Bermuda’s roads is to be introduced. Walter
Roban, the Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs, told the House of
Assembly on Friday: “In the near future, I plan to introduce a Bill to support
the implementation of roadside sobriety checks.” Mr Roban said the move was
aimed at reducing road deaths and changing unsafe behavior. He added: “Road
safety is a fundamental human right. I know that accidents through human error
will always happen, but I am counting on all of our road users to share
responsibility for road safety. I encourage all members of our society to work
with us. Our mutual efforts will improve road safety for our citizens and
visitors. The Transport Control Department was committed to reviewing Project
Ride, which includes the test-taking process and procedures. The Road Safety
Council would work with stakeholders including Cada and A Piece of the Rock to
launch a “comprehensive road safety programme. The Government continued
to be interested in moving towards a cashless payment system for public transit
and that a new bus schedule had been created with the intention to bolster
service when and where it is needed. The schedule was still going through the
consultation process." On the water, Mr Roban said Bermuda was expecting 20
additional cruise ship calls in the coming year. The island will also host 11
inaugural cruises. “This means that Bermuda will receive an estimated 49,000
more cruise ship passengers compared with last season.” The minister also
mentioned the return of the solar-rebate programme. “The precise mechanism of
the rebate has yet to be finalized yet the fund has been created to allow for a
more inclusive programme to allow ordinary homeowners to avail themselves with
this technology.” Grant Gibbons, the Shadow Minister of Economic Development
and Tourism, sought clarity about the initiative, including the persons who
would be eligible, and the types of technologies included. Mr Gibbons said:
“The question is how’s it going to work.” He added that it would be
“nice to know” when the cashless payment system for public transit would be
introduced. Mr Gibbons said: “I think having the cashless system would make it
a lot easier on visitors and also local people as well.” He said that he was
concerned about the amount of money that was being spent on maintenance and
refurbishment of the island’s buses. Mr Gibbons also questioned why hybrid and
electric buses were not being considered for the fleet. He said: “Bermuda does
not have the same problem that other jurisdictions do with electric buses in the
sense that we don’t have to go very far here, so I think electric buses would
make a lot of sense here.” Mr Roban responded that the Government was not
“married to Mann”, the supplier of Bermuda’s buses.
HSBC Bermuda’s value to the
global banking group was underlined by a 38 per cent improvement in profits
during 2017. The full-year results also give an insight into Bermuda’s
economic activity and confidence levels. The bank’s non-performing loans
dropped from 17.8 per cent to 14.7 per cent of its book, residential mortgages
were steady, and personal loans for items such as boats, cars and bikes were up
24 per cent. “Small business loans were up about 40 per cent; that’s an
encouraging sign,” said Mark Watkinson, chief executive officer and director
of the bank. “We are seeing an uptick in international business and we are
growing our retail business.” He has been at the helm of the bank for two
years, and he described the 2017 results as strong, with all lines of business
up from prior years. Mr Watkinson said there has been a “nice recovery of the
business” with more resilience in the local market. HSBC Bermuda kept its
staffing levels stable, even as it reduced operating costs by about 5 per cent.
The bank reported full-year net income of $162 million, an increase of $45
million. Once the impact of notable and one-off items were deducted, the
adjusted net income was $140 million, up 22 per cent for the year. Loan
impairment charges fell from $19 million to $1 million, and this was attributed
to an improved economic environment and a number of recoveries. Phil Alvey,
chief financial officer, said the bank’s revenue had increased by 3 per cent.
When asked for thoughts on the Bermuda Government’s Budget, announced last
month, Mr Alvey welcomed the focus put on the tax base of the economy, while Mr
Watkinson described it as “balanced” and said things of particular interest
included the proposed raising of building height restrictions in the Hamilton
Economic Empowerment Zone, and changing the 60:40 rule that restricts the level
of overseas ownership allowed in many businesses. Mr Watkinson said: “If we
are to make the economy grow, we have to look where to start. Sixty-forty is a
somewhat contentious issue; when Bermuda was performing well, I could understand
the desire for some ring-fencing of businesses.” But he noted that times
change, and for some older business owners now looking to sell their business
because they had no family succession plan, a relaxing of the 60:40 rule could
be helpful. David Burt, the Premier, also announced in the Budget that there
would be consultation on expanding the types of banks that can operate in
Bermuda. Details are scant, however Mr Watkinson believes it would be positive
if it meant attracting quality banking sector brands to the island. “From my
perspective, I would welcome it. If we could persuade JP Morgan, Wells Fargo,
and Citigroup to open shop here that would be a good thing; they are strong
brands that would add credibility to our market,” he said. HSBC Bermuda’s
adjusted total operating income in 2017, before loan impairment charges, was
$280 million, a rise of $8 million due to higher net interest income. Its
consolidated operating expenses were $139 million, consistent with 2016. The
bank has issued credit card customers with cards that include an integrated
circuit on a chip, which is a card authentication security feature widely used
in many parts of the world. The bank is moving to introduce the same technology
to its debit cards. Another technology introduced is Touch ID, which uses
fingerprint or facial recognition to give customers access to mobile banking on
iPhone 5S and newer models. Beyond its core operations, the bank and its staff
engage with the local community, most significantly supporting The Eliza
DoLittle Society, which helps those in Bermuda who are “food-insecure and
hungry”. The partnership between HSBC Bermuda and Eliza DoLittle has been in
place for two years, and in the last three months of 2017, HSBC staff served
1,300 hot meals and distributed groceries to 9,000 families and individuals. Mr
Watkinson said the programme is open to all bank staff, and is conducted on the
bank’s time. He added: “We have a 93 per cent participation rate. People can
do cooking, serving or food distribution. Last year we served 10,500 meals. We
want the staff to feel they are playing a part. It is also a good opportunity
for team building and a time for people to relax.” Looking to the future of
the bank in Bermuda, Mr Watkinson said: “If you look at our record, we remain
an important part of the [HSBC] group. Our adjusted return on equity is 17 per
cent, which is above the 10 per cent target for the group.” He said the bank
was performing well and returning value to shareholders. He added: “For us,
Bermuda is a good market.”
XL Group is being bought by French multinational insurance company Axa in a
$15.3 billion deal.
The merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of Axa and Bermudian-based XL Group. XL shareholders will receive $57.60 per share under the terms of the transaction, which represents a 33 per cent premium on Friday’s closing price. Mike McGavick, chief executive officer of XL Group, said: “Today marks an unrivalled opportunity to accelerate our strategy with a new strength and dimension. With every confidence in how we have positioned XL Group for the future, it is a substantial testament to Axa’s leadership and commitment to maintaining the XL Group brand and culture that we have come to an alignment. We are excited at the opportunity to build the scale, geographical footprint, product portfolio, and the unmatched commitment to innovation that relevance in the global insurance industry requires. In Axa we have found like-minded partners committed to the absolute necessity to innovate and move this industry forward.” In a statement outlining the agreement, the companies said the combination of Axa and XL Group “will propel the group to the number one global position in property and casualty commercial lines with combined 2016 revenues of €30 billion and total P&C revenues of €48 billion”. Thomas Buberl, chief executive officer of Axa, said: “This transaction is a unique strategic opportunity for Axa to shift its business profile from predominantly L&S business to predominantly P&C business, and will enable the Group to become the number one global P&C commercial lines insurer based on gross written premiums. The transaction offers significant long-term value creation for our stakeholders with increased risk diversification, higher cash remittance potential and reinforced growth prospects. The future Axa will see its profile significantly rebalanced towards insurance risks and away from financial risks. “XL Group has the right geographical footprint, world-class teams with recognized expertise and is renowned for innovative client solutions. Our combined P&C commercial lines operations, will have a strong position in the large and upper mid-market space, including in specialty lines and reinsurance, and will complement and further enhance Axa’s already strong presence in the SME segment. The two companies share a common culture around people, risk management and innovation, positioning Axa uniquely for the evolving future of the P&C industry.” When the transaction is complete, the combined operations of XL Group, Axa Corporate Solutions, which is Axa’s large commercial P&C and specialty business, and Axa Art will be led by Greg Hendrick, currently president and chief operating officer of XL Group, who will be appointed CEO of the combined entity and join Axa Group’s management committee, reporting to Mr Buberl. Mr McGavick will become vice-chairman of the combined P&C commercial lines operations and special adviser to Mr Buberl, to advise on integration-related and other strategic matters. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by XL Group shareholders and other customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, and is expected to take place during the second half of the year.
Obituary. By Jonathan
Young. one of four children to Kim Young. She also had two stepchildren. "We
lost Kim Young today, a woman whose life was defined by love, dignity,
compassion, generosity and laughter. She had electric blue eyes and rainbow-colored
toenails and a laugh that filled the room. She had a rare integrity — at home
in any household with friends in every walk of life. She led by example in every
way and rarely spoke about herself and never advertised her many
accomplishments, a picture of humility. Through her actions, she showed us how
to treat others with respect and compassion and how to champion those who needed
it. Born in Australia to a schoolteacher, she traveled the world as a nurse —
a profession she was designed for — eventually finding a home on our little
island and leaving this world an undeniably better place than she found it. She
fell madly in love with our dad, Ward, and set a gorgeous template for marriage.
They had 52 years of rarefied love together and created a family that would
become her enduring passion. Her former students from Teen Services would stop
her on the street throughout her life and they would share a laugh like old
friends. She truly cared and gave her energy, her smarts, and her love to help
others, whether as a Human Rights commissioner, a member of the Family Court or
through the strangers who were given her name as someone who would listen. Her
public life was defined by her leadership on behalf of the rights of women and
children. At the Women’s Resource Centre, she counseled women in their worst
hour with effortless compassion. As president of the Women’s Advisory Council
to the Premier, she fought to create a world where we no longer needed a
women’s advisory council but had more women leaders of our own. She became one
of those leaders as an MP for Paget East and a Cabinet minister. In the House,
she fought for and won rights to equal pay for women and equality for the rights
of children of Bermudian women. She saved a woman’s life in front of me,
providing life-saving CPR to a tourist in a bike accident without a moment’s
hesitation. And without any hesitation (or even asking my dad), she appeared one
day with a foster child whom she loved as one of her own. She unofficially
adopted many women who had lost their mothers or who just needed someone who
would be there for them and accept them for who they were. She was a goofball,
too, who was herself no matter who the company. She would lip-sync Fats Domino
to my dad, get into a water fight with her grandchildren and teach countless
unwilling participants to loosen up and learn the Electric Slide. With many
others, she holds the world record for the most number of people performing the
Macarena. She would never see herself this way, but she was an intimidating
presence: a beautiful, classy, vivacious, stylish lady with perfect diction. But
after a moment with her, you felt safe and fully accepted. One of the many kind
notes we received today said “even though I am nobody, she always made me feel
I was someone”. We were fiercely proud to share Mum with so many other people
but it doesn’t mean we got less because the role that truly defined her was as
an impeccable wife, mother, and grandmother. Children were drawn to her. She
could sense who needed a hug, who needed to talk, who needed a tickle, and who
needed her first-class chocolate chip cookies. We are so very proud to be her
kids. She was the best listener in the world and a loyal Mama Bear to her cubs,
always in our corner. In her final days, she never showed anything but gratitude
and spent much of the time giving specific instructions on how to help those she
was leaving behind. Ever the mother, she asked for her final resting place to be
with her daughter, Jeness, who we lost too soon. The arc of her life was
ultimately a love story between two smart, funny, caring, and goofy people who
deeply appreciated and respected each other and worked each day to love one
another. She had an amazing life and was grateful for all of it. Every night
before she would go to sleep, she would kiss my dad and say: “Thank you for a
wonderful life.” If you wish to honour her memory, please give your time and
love to someone who needs it."
Kim Young, a former United Bermuda Party Cabinet minister, has died aged 75.
Mrs Young, a nurse and human rights activist, passed away in the Bahamas
yesterday after suffering a severe stroke while in hospital with a fractured
spine. Her son, Jonathan Young, said last night that her life was defined by
love, dignity, compassion, generosity and laughter. Mr Young said: “If you
wish to honour her memory, please give your time and love to someone who needs
it.” Mrs Young was MP for Paget East from May 1997 until her political
retirement at the General Election in July 2003. She was appointed Minister
without Portfolio in May 1998, a few months before the UBP’s tenure in
government came to an end. While in Opposition, she served as Shadow Minister
for Health and Family Services and spokeswoman for Environment and Women’s
Issues. She retired from politics so that she could travel with her husband,
Ward Young, after he sold family businesses The Phoenix Group and BGA. Mrs Young
was born in Australia and arrived in Bermuda in 1966, aged 22, to work as a
nurse at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. She served on the Human Rights
Commission for two years from 1995, as well as a host of government boards and
committees. These included the Sexual Assault Review Committee and the Women’s
Advisory Council, which she chaired, the Bermuda Hospitals Board, Fairhavens
Christian Care Centre, and the Task Force on Women’s Issues. In 1998, Mrs
Young said her time working at Teen Services had sparked her interest in social
conditions and encouraged her to enter politics, telling The Royal Gazette:
“There are a variety of issues involving single young women who have children.
It pricked my social conscience.” During her time in politics, Mrs Young was a
frequent voice for human rights and helped win equal pay for women and equality
for the rights of children of Bermudian women. She said in 2000: “Most people
feel all is right on the women’s front in Bermuda because our political
parties are headed by women and our Attorney-General is a woman. Many of our
women have reached great heights and deserve the highest accolades, but there
are still women suffering.” She also called for the Human Rights Act to be
amended to ban discrimination on the grounds of age and sexual orientation. Mrs
Young also spoke on the racial divide in Bermuda politics. Announcing her
impending retirement from politics in 2002, she said: “When I came in 1966, I
associated with people of both races and I never felt any discrimination until I
went into the House of Assembly. “That’s the first time I really felt that
people were prejudiced — they think because I’ve got blue eyes and white
skin, therefore you must think a certain way.” Mrs Young had four children,
Shannon, Jonathan, William and Jeness, who died in infancy, and was stepmother
to Ardleigh and Ward Jr. Paying tribute in a statement today, the Progressive
Labour Party said: “In her personal capacity, we thank her for her service to
Bermuda as a nurse at KEMH, and for her contributions to the Human Rights
Commission, Teen Services and the Bermuda Hospitals Board, among others. We
extend our condolences to the Young family during this time. May their memories
of her comfort them.”
Shelly Bay lost a
chunk of land as Storm Riley lashed Bermuda over the weekend. The Hamilton
Parish beach and playground was severely flooded by crashing waves and strong
winds. A retaining wall was smashed at Coney Island bridge, while hundreds of
people lost power as a result of fallen utility poles. As of 6.45pm yesterday,
72 Belco customers were out of power, down from 1,300 residences at 11.30am.
Ferry service has been suspended “until further notice” as high winds
continue to batter the island. The Bermuda Emissions Control Southside Testing
Facility in St David’s was damaged in the storm and will remain shut until
repairs can be carried out. Residents were urged to brace themselves for more
stormy weather this evening with gusts of 70mph expected. Wayne Furbert, the MP
for Hamilton West, said that Shelly Bay had taken “a beating”. He added:
“There is a lot of cleanup that has to be done.” Mr Furbert said he would
discuss those efforts with Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of
Public Works. Michael Dunkley, the former premier and MP for Smith’s North,
said that a fair amount of debris remained in the Shelly Bay playground last
night. Mr Dunkley said that he had been in touch with Colonel Burch about beach
erosion and other damage, and had requested assistance in cleaning up. Mr
Dunkley said he had checked in with his constituents throughout the weekend. He
said: “We weathered the storm well.” A spokeswoman for the Ministry of
Public Works said yesterday: “As is the normal process following a severe
storm, the Ministry of Public Works will assess any resulting damage and take
corrective action.” Ken Smith, meteorologist with the Bermuda Weather Service,
said that the main driver for the gale and storm-force winds was a “large,
deep, slow-moving low-pressure system moving by to our north”. Mr Smith said
the same system was responsible for bringing similar winds and snow to the
United States. He said a gale warning remained in effect through this afternoon.
Mr Smith added that winds between 51mph and 57mph, with gusts up to 74mph, are
expected this evening. He said there was also the chance of thunderstorms and
the potential for hail. Mr Smith added: “A storm warning has been issued for
late Monday afternoon through Monday evening. “A gale warning will then again
be in effect for Monday night through Tuesday morning.” Mr Smith said winds
were expected to gradually ease tomorrow and Wednesday, before building again on
Wednesday night. He added: “Despite the more ‘normal’ conditions with only
moderate winds on Wednesday, we expect a small-craft warning to be in effect for
the remainder of the week.” A damaged utility pole in Belmont, Warwick, was
responsible for more than 800 power outages yesterday, according to Belco
spokeswoman Kerry Judd. Meanwhile, residents in Hamilton Parish suffered loss of
power after a pole was damaged on Radnor Road at about 8am. Mr Furbert said:
“Belco was on the scene pretty fast and replaced the whole pole. So we’re
quite grateful.” According to the Windguru website, Bermuda suffered winds of
between 35mph and 38mph yesterday, with stronger gusts. Ms Judd said last night:
All overhead-related planned work for tomorrow will likely be cancelled and
crews will be assigned to storm response.” On Saturday, ferry routes were
suspended until further notice. The Bermuda Government urged the public to use
care and caution when traveling on the roads. The Emergency Measures
Organisation is monitoring the weather. This morning, the Transport Control
Department confirmed that the emissions testing facility in St David’s had
been damaged and was “unable to operate until repairs have been completed”.
A spokesman said: “It is unknown at this time when it will be safe to reopen
the East End facility.”
NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — Axa
SA is in advanced talks to buy Bermuda-based XL Group Ltd, people familiar with
the matter said. A deal could be announced in coming days, said the people,
who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. Property and
casualty insurer XL has also attracted interest from insurers including
Germany’s Allianz SE, Bloomberg reported last month. A final deal hasn’t
been reached and another bidder may yet emerge or talks may fall apart, the
people said. Representatives for XL Group and Axa didn’t respond to several
requests for comment. A spokesman for Allianz declined to comment. Buying XL,
which sells insurance to other insurers, would bolster Axa’s casualty coverage
business in the US, and mark the biggest insurance deal since 2015, according to
Bloomberg data. Such firms have become ripe takeover targets as policy prices
begin to increase after firms booked heavy losses last year due to a spate of
natural disasters. Some $17.5 billion in deals have been stitched together so
far this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The biggest of the
takeovers so far has been American International Group Inc’s January agreement
to buy Validus Holdings Ltd for more than $5 billion in cash. XL shares have
advanced 23 per cent this year in New York, giving the Hamilton, Bermuda-based
company a market value of about $11 billion. Axa has gained 1.3 per cent in
Paris so far this year, valuing the company at €61 billion ($75 billion).
XL’s chief executive officer Mike McGavick, who expanded the insurer in 2015
with the $3.9 billion deal to buy Catlin Group Ltd, last month said he was
optimistic about “where we are going” on the back of a solid capital
position and growth in premiums. Still, catastrophe losses might spur more
consolidation for Bermuda reinsurers this year, while the US tax overhaul has
diluted the pricing advantage the companies enjoyed with Bermuda’s low rate,
according to a Fitch Ratings report. Axa’s chief executive officer Thomas
Buberl, who took the post less than two years ago, has said one of his preferred
areas for growth is P&C commercial lines segments. Europe’s second-largest
insurer is shedding some assets as it plans to focus its expansion on fewer
countries, with scale being an important factor as he seeks to simplify the
business. The Paris-based insurer plans to list a minority stake in its US
businesses, including its Life & Savings unit and its 64 per cent stake in
AllianceBernstein, in the first half of this year. Proceeds from the initial
public offering will be used to fund acquisitions or returned to shareholders.
Hundreds of people
lost power as a result of strong winds this weekend. And a Storm Warning has
been issued for tomorrow afternoon and evening. Ken Smith, meteorologist with
the Bermuda Weather Service, added that a Gale Warning would again be in effect
for tomorrow night through to Tuesday morning. Mr Smith said winds would
increase to between 51mph and 57mph with gusts to 74mph later tomorrow afternoon
and into the evening. At 6.45pm today, 72 Belco customers remained out of power
as heavy waves from Winter Storm Riley lashed the island. That number was down
from 1,300 at 11.30am. A damaged utility pole in Belmont, Warwick, was
responsible for more than 800 of the outages, according to a Belco spokeswoman.
Meanwhile residents in Hamilton Parish suffered outages after a pole was damaged
on Radnor Road, Hamilton Parish, at about 8am. Workmen were at the scene this
morning. Further damage includes a retaining wall at Coney Island bridge, which
was smashed apart, and a chunk of land at Shelly Bay which vanished due to wave
action. According to the Windguru website, Bermuda can expect winds of between
35mph and 38mph today, with stronger gusts. They are forecast to peak at 52mph,
with gusts up to 62mph, by tomorrow evening. The Belco spokeswoman said repairs
were under way on the utility poles. She said: “All others are smaller
outages, mostly due to trees being in the lines. We have all available crews out
right now and they will continue restoration efforts throughout the day. We
anticipate continued outages throughout the day and all available crews are
working to restore the various outages across the island.” Yesterday, ferry
routes were suspended until further notice. The Bermuda Government urged the
public to use care and caution when traveling on the roads. The Emergency
Measures Organisation is monitoring the weather.
The Royal Bermuda
Regiment’s annual overseas training exercise has been cancelled in a
cost-cutting move. Wayne Caines, the Minister of National Security, said the
money saved would go towards the creation of a full-time coastguard-style
service and to boost disaster relief capability. Mr Caines told the House of
Assembly yesterday: “The cancellation of the overseas camp will realize a
saving of between $300,000 and $450,000 through the elimination of an aircraft
charter and camp operational costs.” He added: “The decision to cancel the
camp has been made as a result of identifying better value for money and the
need to invest in activities that are operationally focused — putting the
Royal Bermuda Regiment back on the map.” Mr Caines said the regiment would use
the savings to develop a “professional, credible, full-time, inshore
coastguard”. He added: “Additionally, the regiment seeks to enhance its
humanitarian and disaster relief and military aid to civil authorities
capability.” Mr Caines also revealed that the regiment had found a home-based
alternative for the overseas camp and two training sessions are to be held. He
said: “The first part will take place in May 2018, with the RBR remaining in
Bermuda to conduct a regimental six-day exercise that focuses on confirming
fundamental skills and fully preparing for the 2018 hurricane season. The second
part will take place in October 2018, and will be a five-day inter-agency
joint-venture exercise in Bermuda, which will focus on improving
interoperability with the other uniformed services.” Mr Caines said the
regiment remained committed to its mission “to support the civil authority
with the security of Bermuda, its people, property, livelihood and interests in
order to maintain normality”. He added: “The elimination of conscription has
presented the regiment with a golden opportunity to change how they recruit,
retain and invest in our people to better achieve its missions and roles. I am
confident that the cancellation of the 2018 overseas training camp will allow
the regiment to realign its focus and emerge better equipped to provide valuable
security and disaster relief services for Bermuda.”
About 20 MPs, including David Burt, the Premier, were evacuated from Sessions
House after a fire alarm at about 4pm yesterday. They returned to the
building about 20 minutes later, after Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service conducted
a search of the building.
Artists and designers presented the Bermuda story to potential clients in New
York as part of a marketing blitz. An evening style event was laid on at a
lower Manhattan hotel to give guests a feel for island life, tourism minister
Jamahl Simmons told the House of Assembly. He said Bermuda was “impeccably
represented” by artist Alshante Foggo, sculptor Stratton Hatfield, jewellery
maker Elissa Stubbs, fashion designers Rebecca Hanson, Cary Butterfield and
Patricia Borland, musician Raven Baksh, DJ Damon DeGraff and perfumery business
owner Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone. Mr Simmons said: “The destination event
planners that attended really had their imaginations opened and I know they’re
excited about bringing their wedding, corporate and other group clients to
Bermuda. This same model of event marketing moves next to Boston, then to
Philadelphia and then onto Washington, DC.” On the trip, Mr Simmons was
accompanied by Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Kevin Dallas and other marketing
professionals from his New York-based team. He said the campaign aimed to
inspire travel to Bermuda and attract media and trade partners who can help
share the Bermuda story. Mr Simmons added: “I also spent a great deal of time
in the Bermuda Tourism Authority New York office, getting up to speed with the
public relations and social media teams, particularly as it relates to the
international media coverage of the Domestic Partnership Act. Over the past
several months my Ministry has been working with the BTA to formulate the proper
response that ensures travel consumers know Bermuda is a destination welcoming
to everyone — including the LGBT community. The in-person meetings in New York
were valuable to take note of where we are to date on this issue from a tourism
perspective — and I will stay abreast of further developments in consultation
with our partners at the Bermuda Tourism Authority.”
Alternative docks
could become available in the West End as a back-up when Hamilton docks close
for a week of urgent repairs between March 11 and 18. Andrew Dias, the
general manager of West End Development Corporation, said that as the landlord
for Dockyard, the group was “keen to assist where we can”. Dockyard emerged
this week as a likely alternative for cargo to be unloaded while Hamilton’s
docks were off limits to shipping. Mr Dias said Wedco “should have a final
decision no later than Monday”. Barry Brewer, president and chief executive of
Neptune Group Management, said Bermuda Container Line Ltd is also seeking a
separate port to unload the Oleander that week. He added contingency
plans will be issued by the company early next week.
HSBC Bermuda made a
profit of $162 million last year, an increase of $45 million, or 38 per cent,
year-on-year.
Once the impact of notable and one-off items were deducted,
the adjusted net income was $140 million, up 22 per cent for the year. Adjusted
total operating income, before loan impairment charges, was $280 million, a rise
of $8 million due to higher net interest income. Loan impairment charges fell
from $19 million to $1 million, and this was attributed to an improved economic
environment and a number of recoveries. Non-performing loans decreased from 17.8
per cent to 14.7 per cent of the bank’s total portfolio. Consolidated
operating expenses were $139 million, consistent with 2016. Mark Watkinson,
chief executive officer and director, said: “All our core businesses delivered
revenue and profitability ahead of the prior year and the bank’s capital and
liquidity potions remain robust.” He added the strong US economy was likely to
have a positive spillover effect for Bermuda’s economy. Mr Watkinson said:
“The recent tax changes in the US have caused some initial uncertainty in the
international business sector and this is going to need close monitoring.” Mr
Watkinson added the fight against financial crime remained a top priority for
the financial sector in Bermuda. He said: “While banks across the local market
have sought to mitigate the customer impact, the importance of a strong review
by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force later this year to cement
Bermuda’s reputation as a top-quality financial centre cannot be over-emphasized.”
HSBC Bermuda’s total assets at the end of 2017 were $9,027 million, a drop of
7 per cent year-on-year, while total loans and advances to customers were in
line with the previous year at $2,281 million. One-off and notable items last
year, which the bank said were not reflective of its underlying performance,
included a $22 million gain on sale of an equity shareholding to another member
of the HSBC Group, a $55 million increase in legal provisions recorded in
operating expenses for last year and $23 million from four months of
contribution and the gain on sale of its private banking operations, included in
the profit for 2016.
Golf champion and veteran professional Frankie Rabain died on Thursday.
He was 85. Mr Rabain trained as a tiler in his youth and later became an
accomplished guitarist, performing with top musicians such as Lance Hayward. But
in adulthood, he was synonymous with golf and its development in Bermuda. Mr
Rabain became an ambassador for the sport at home and abroad and coached
countless golfers. A professional golfer for decades at Ocean View Golf and
Country Club and then Port Royal, Mr Rabain was made an honorary member of the
Professional Golfers Association in Britain in 2005. A former president of the
Bermuda Professional Golfers Association, he was also the first Bermudian to
qualify and play at the Open Championship. MPs across the House of Assembly paid
tribute to Mr Rabain yesterday. Kim Swan of the Progressive Labour Party said
Rabain was a “trailblazer among that great group of golfers, the first
generation that played in an integrated Bermuda”. He added that Ocean View in
Devonshire was the club that broke Bermuda’s colour barrier as “the only
course where anyone could play”, including black people and Portuguese people.
Mr Swan, himself a professional golfer, said Mr Rabain was a latecomer to the
sport and was coached by his late wife, Alora. He added: “Because he started
as a tradesman, which he learnt from someone else, he believed in upgrading
throughout his life. Frankie and his contemporaries worked hard and gave it
their all at whatever they did.” Mr Swan said Mr Rabain was a “traditional
golf pro, a concessionaire and businessman” who ran the books at the club. Mr
Rabain won the Bermuda Open twice, in 1973 and 1977. Mr Swan also recalled his
“award-winning smile” and humour. He said: “He couldn’t remember names,
so everyone was ‘Champ’, and he made you feel like a champ. And over the
last 20 years as I knew him, he liked to be called François.” Diallo Rabain,
the education minister, remembered golf lessons from his great-uncle and
Opposition leader Jeanne Atherden hailed the “musician and very patient
teacher” who became known as “Mr Port Royal”. She added: “Whenever he
went anywhere, he represented Bermuda more than himself.” PLP MP Rolfe
Commissiong said he had known Mr Rabain as a youngster through his family’s
musical roots during “the golden era of tourism” when local entertainment
thrived. Mr Rabain was remembered by Dexter Smith, Editor of The Royal
Gazette. Mr Smith said: “Frankie Rabain was a gentleman of the game of
golf and will be sorely missed. As a young boy looking for a hustle as a caddie
in the early Seventies, he was the first person at Ocean View to allow me to
carry his bag. What lives with me for ever whenever I think about ‘Pro’ is
him informing me at about age 10 when I was looking for my tip that a round of
golf is more than nine holes.” Opposition MP Michael Dunkley called Mr Rabain
“a true gentleman and a class act at all times”. He added: “He always had
a smile on his face and could put a smile on your face. He helped put golf and
Port Royal on the map and he nurtured so many young Bermudians. May he rest in
peace. He will never be forgotten.” Friend and Ocean View colleague Harrison
Simons said he had given Mr Rabain “the key to our pro shop” when he became
president of the club in 1972. Mr Simons added: “He was an excellent
professional who taught many young people the game. As a manager we could not
have asked for a better personality. Very firm, very strict, and positive. The
island’s golfing fraternity has lost a stalwart. He will be a very big
miss.” Mr Rabain kept active in retirement and earned top-level coaching
certifications in 2007 at the age of 75. He told The Royal Gazette at the
time: “I always try and keep the mind alive by challenging myself with new
things.” Cheryl-Lynne Thompson, president of Ocean View Golf and Country Club,
said Mr Rabain was a “magnificent trailblazer” who was schooled by another
Ocean View legend, Herman Bascome. She added: “He was encouraged to expand
upon his knowledge internationally and extended his experience to tourists,
visitors and young people in Bermuda while promoting the sport. When Mr Bascome
retired at Ocean View in 1964, Frankie became professional/manager, serving
until 1976. Many times he worked tirelessly with the members who would dedicate
themselves to improving every component of the golf facility. Frankie was the
first professional from Ocean View to play in the Goodwill tournament. That was
indeed an accomplishment for him but the members of Ocean View will never forget
the impact that Frankie had on establishing and dedicating his time and
attention to the junior programmes at the club. In closing, in Frankie’s own
words, ‘it was through perseverance and extraordinary commitment’ that he
was as successful as he was in golf. Mr Rabain was an amazing man who made an
invaluable impression and created lasting influence on many.”
A fresh attack on Britain’s
decision to stop passport printing in Bermuda has been launched by the Minister
of Home Affairs. Walton Brown said that the change, made two years ago, had
led to delays and travel confusion for Bermudians traveling to the United States
from outside the island because the new passports are coded with the British GBD
rather than the former Bermudian BMU. Mr Brown told MPs in the Budget debate on
Wednesday night that if the British authorities “were not so obstinate, we
would have that code back in place tomorrow”. He said he had met UK officials
on a recent trip to London and that they had been “sympathetic” but that
“to date there had been no concerted action”. Mr Brown added that, although
security concerns were the original reason for the change, there had been no
security issues with Bermudian-issued passports. The minister spoke after
Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, former One Bermuda Alliance home affairs minister,
asked what was being done to resolve the problem. Opposition MP Trevor Moniz
also noted a “bizarre” drop in budgeted passport revenues. Mr Brown told the
House that money had been budgeted for 2018-19 for the push to secure the right
code for island passports. He added: “There is a remedy to deal with the
British. The question is whether or not we have the fortitude.”
Criminal records are
to be stored electronically and shared with British police forces, the Minister
of National Security said today. Wayne Caines said a member of ACRO, the
crime records service for England and Wales, will be seconded to Bermuda for
three months to help digitize priority records like sex offenders, gang members
and “high harm offenders” with Bermudian or UK passports. Mr Caines said:
“ACRO will also be given remote electronic access to these records so they can
conduct their own searches. The Commissioner of Police has confirmed that this
arrangement will reduce the demands on the staff, and speed up the information
sharing process. Moreover, this proposal adheres to information management best
practices, enables proportionate access to law enforcement agencies and provides
clear lines of accountability. The data contained within RMS will remain the
property of the BPS at all times. ACRO use will include searching, printing and
exporting information, with users subject to BPS auditing.” Mr Caines was
speaking in the House of Assembly as the debate on the Budget continued. Bermuda
Police already has an information sharing agreement with ACRO. But the
island’s criminal records office has just two staff and about 20,000 paper
records, some dating back to the 1930s. Mr Caines told MPs the cost of the
secondment will be about $4000 and digitized records will mean officers will
have access to offender information 24 hours a day, rather than limited by the
police record office’s normal hours. He added the digital records could also
be shared with other authorities like the Department of Public Prosecutions and
the court service. Mr Caines said: “The BPS will now have the ability to
research prolific priority offenders based on criminal convictions.” He added
that digital records would also cut down the risk of important information being
destroyed by accident.Mr Caines said: “This positive use of an established
international relationship will assist in modernizing a significant feature of
criminal justice administration and improve the efficiency of the Bermuda Police
Service in this critical area of criminal record-keeping.”
Upgrades to public transport
could be in the pipeline after government launched a consultation. Transport
minister Walter Roban told the House of Assembly a Green Paper on transport
would bring “forward thinking solutions” to the public by early June. He
said more than 50 local and overseas stakeholders have been consulted so far,
and a general consensus has emerged on upgrades to public transport and the use
of new technology such as digital tickets. A social media campaign as well as
two surveys are shortly to be launched with the results tabulated around April
23. The policy document is the first undertaken since the National
Transportation Management Report released in January 2002. Mr Roban told MPs:
“The plan is to identify realistic and fiscally prudent recommendations that
will be presented to Cabinet. The publication of the transport Green Paper is to
include forward thinking solutions, and will be published in early June.”
Submissions can be sent in at transportgreenpaper@gov.bm.
Bermuda will face an
“unprecedented” week without a shipping service as Hamilton’s docks shut
down this month for urgent repairs. The decision to resurface the dock area
took distributors by surprise. Jim Butterfield, owner of food distributors
Butterfield & Vallis, said that a week’s shutdown at ten days’ notice
had “never happened in my lifetime”. The shutdown was said to be essential
for the safety of dock workers. However, Mr Butterfield warned it would have
“a significant impact” on imports of perishable goods like fresh produce. He
added that the island had coped with delays of two or three days because of
storms, but he had seen nothing like the planned shutdown in 40 years of
business. Warren Jones, chief executive of Stevedoring Services, said the
company faced “no alternative” to closure for resurfacing between March 11
and 18 Mr Jones added that the company’s concerns had been “consistently
expressed since March 2017”. He said that a combination of factors, ranging
from the extra demand for imports throughout the 2017 America’s Cup to budget
shortfalls with the Corporation of Hamilton, which owns the docks, meant the
infrastructure at the docks had “steadily decayed”. Mr Jones said
alternative docking at Marginal Wharf in the East End could be considered. He
added: “That would be a question for shipping lines. Certainly if there is a
decision to bring cargo in any other port, we are more than willing to work.”
Mr Jones emphasized that alternatives were “outside our control — but it’s
possible”. Other options were under review last night. Barry Brewer, head of
Neptune Group Management, which manages Bermuda Container Line, said the company
was busy “evaluating the best course of action”. The West End Development
Corporation, which manages Dockyard, confirmed that BCL had contacted them. A
spokeswoman for the Bermuda Land Development Corporation, which runs Marginal
Wharf in the East End, said the group was “open to any discussions”,
although it had not been contacted. The spokeswoman added that the wharf “has
been utilized to receive goods via cargo shipment in connection with the airport
construction and is currently a viable port facility”. Joe Simas,
vice-president of the Meyer Group of Companies, said that Penno’s Wharf and
Dockyard could offer alternatives, with stevedoring equipment or cranes from the
island’s major construction companies taken there by barge. He added: “It
would not be ideal, but it would work in a worst-case scenario.” He said
Penno’s Wharf was scheduled to host a cruise ship on March 16 — which made
Dockyard the best candidate if needed. The Corporation of Hamilton, landlord for
the Hamilton docks, has contracted East End Asphalt for the work, and Mr Jones
said Stevedoring Services would welcome another firm to join the firm if it
meant the work was finished faster. Mr Jones added: “We don’t care who does
it. We’re not the landlords. It’s the Corporation. We’re just looking to
get it done.” He described stevedoring as “consistently ranked among the
most dangerous industries for workers” and said wear and tear to the docks
presented potential life-threatening risks to staff. Mr Jones said: “It would
be contrary to everything that we have been trying to achieve to delay these
repairs any further.” He added that slow periods on the waterfront like
Christmas or January might have been a better option. Edward Benevides, chief
executive and secretary of the Corporation of Hamilton, said the city had lacked
the budget last year to tackle the issue when it had “started off small”. He
added that the Corporation had a 2018 budget for asphalting the docks which was
“established to address the work to be completed”. Mr Benevides said the
Corporation had been working with Stevedoring Services and shipping lines to
find the best time for the work to go ahead. He hoped that the work could be
completed quicker than the planned one week timeframe.
The construction firm that
built the failed Sandys 360 sports centre is still owed more than $1 million
almost nine years after work was completed. BCM McAlpine was never paid in
full after being hired for the $10 million job and its smaller subcontractors
also lost out as they struggled during tough financial times. Public records
held by the Registry-General revealed the contractor’s fight to get paid by
those behind the failed venture in Somerset. The documents also showed how high
running costs at the fitness centre and indoor heated swimming pool made it
unsustainable. The Government announced last week that it plans to buy the
now-shuttered Sandys 360 Sports, Aquatic and Enrichment Centre from the trustees
of Sandys Secondary Middle School for $1 million. The Ministry of Public Works
said it planned to carry out a survey and renovate the building for an
as-yet-unknown sum. If the deal goes through, it will mark the latest in a
string of payments from the public purse for Sandys 360, so far known to have totaled
at least $5.3 million, but which could be far more. Payments included one made
by mistake in August 2011 for $807,000, which was never paid back by the
trustees, who include former Sandys 360 managing director Melvyn Bassett,
Stanley Lee, Travis Gilbert Sr and Valerie Dill. Records released under public
access to information showed how taxpayers’ cash was used to bail out the
trustees after they struggled to pay bills and rent on the property. The last
Progressive Labour Party administration agreed in 2012 to provide a $6 million
capital grant from the Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services
to the directors and board of trustees. Only $1.5 million of it was handed over
before the PLP lost the General Election that year. The One Bermuda Alliance
government then paid another $1 million to the trustees and, according to
comments made in 2015 in the Senate by Michael Fahy, who was then home affairs
minister, continued to contribute towards keeping the pool water circulating
after Sandys 360 was forced to close its doors in November 2013. The OBA
administration refused, under Pati, to make public a report into the finances of
Sandys 360 carried out at the Government’s request by professional services
firm KPMG. The PLP government has also not released the document and a request
for its disclosure made to the Ministry of Public Works went unanswered this
week. The correspondence regarding payment for construction included letters to
Sandys 360 trustee Mr Lee from Michael Ewles, the chief executive of BCM
McAlpine. The first, in April 2011, revealed that the outstanding balance for
the building work stood at $1.2 million. Mr Ewles wrote: “We continue to be
supportive of Sandys 360/Sandys Secondary School Trustees and will actively help
to find a solution for the current financial shortfall.” He said that BCM
McAlpine would fund a new wood floor for the gym after it was damaged by water
at a cost of about $70,000 “in order to help the facility generate more
revenue”. That sum was to be added to the bill, with the total amount to be
paid back to BCM McAlpine once Sandys 360 received enough money from
“sponsors, government, additional borrowing or any other source”. Mr Ewles
wrote again in July 2012, and highlighted a “total indebtedness to BCM
McAlpine of $1.3 million”. He referred to an announcement by the Government in
February of that year to give Sandys 360 a $2 million grant and asked for “a
firm commitment on the timing and value of payments to clear our outstanding
balance in full”. Mr Ewles wrote: “We have maintained our support for your
efforts in trying to raise funds and have resisted adding interest that
contractually we could apply to the outstanding balance. However, we have now
reached a point whereby we can no longer rely on vague promises and discussions
that are reportedly taking place.” The final letter on file at the
Registry-General from Mr Ewles was dated September 2012. He wrote to Mr Lee to
say the $1.3 million balance was still outstanding and added: “We are coming
under increasing pressure from our subcontractors to settle their long overdue
accounts.” After the change in government, Mr Ewles contacted public works
minister Trevor Moniz the following April to ask for help. He said in an e-mail
that BCM McAlpine had received $100,000 from HSBC, on behalf of Sandys 360, in
November 2012 as a “gesture of good faith” but $1.2 million was still owed.
Mr Ewles added: “I field regular calls from subcontractors who desperately
need their funds in these difficult economic times. BCM McAlpine firmly believes
that Sandys 360 is a good resource for Bermuda and, accordingly, we have been
extremely patient in this matter. We have had no wish to resort to a legal
approach to recovering our funds but clearly our patience has a limit and we
must act responsibly in relation to our subcontractors.” The file held by the
Registry-General showed that the minister shared the email with his permanent
secretary Randy Rochester, who forwarded it to financial secretary Anthony
Manders and acting Registrar-General Thelma Trott. Mr Rochester wrote: “This
is a matter of some concern for the ministry. No telling what else might be out
there outstanding ...” Mr Moniz said yesterday he was sympathetic to BCM
McAlpine’s plight. But he said the Government ceased all payments to Sandys
360 after the KPMG report showed the state of its finances. “It was
unsustainable with the albatross of the mountain of debt and with no way to even
pay the monthly electricity bill,” said the Shadow Attorney-General. “There
came a point in time where it became clear that it was unsustainable and had to
be shut down in an orderly fashion. The trustees were irresponsible in
continuing to operate it in that fashion.” Mr Ewles told The Royal Gazette
this week: “While we do not wish to be interviewed for your piece, we can
confirm that the balance you note remains outstanding.” Attempts to get
comment from the trustees were unsuccessful. Dr Bassett, who became the salaried
managing director of Sandys 360 after retiring as principal of Sandys Secondary
Middle School, said in an e-mail: “Sorry, I do not speak for Sandys 360.” Mr
Lee, who was acting chairman of Sandys 360 when it closed its doors, said: “I
have no comment in regard to Sandys 360 — not until anything has been
discussed, nothing at this point. You can ask those questions later, when more
information comes out.” He then hung up on the telephone call. Mr Gilbert and
Ms Dill could not be contacted.
Where the money went
The Bermuda Government paid out millions of dollars to Sandys 360 between 2007 and 2013. Based on public access to information disclosures made by the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Public Lands and Buildings, the total sum is at least $5.3 million. But the true cost to taxpayers of the failed project is likely to be much higher. It is not yet clear if there were payments from the public purse made outside of the 2007 to 2013 timeframe and to entities other than Sandys 360, which went towards the now-defunct sports centre and swimming pool. What is known is that Sandys 360 is in debt to the Government in relation to payroll taxes, land taxes and social insurance contributions. The Ministry of Finance refused to reveal the amount in response to a Pati request. Those behind the Somerset facility were also given customs rebates by the Government for building materials, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. The $5.3 million figure is based on the following disclosed payments:
Enstar Group Limited has
reported consolidated net earnings of $311.5 million, or $15.95 per share, for
2017. That is up from $264.8 million, or $13.62 per share, for 2016. The
Bermuda-based insurance group said its shareholders’ equity at December 31,
was $3,136.7 million, which was up from $2,802.3 million year-on-year.
Ship Finance
International Ltd has reported fourth quarter earnings of $20.1 million, or 20
cents per share. The Bermuda-based company’s earnings, adjusted for
one-time gains and costs, were 24 cents per share. The results fell short of
Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by
Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 25 cents per share. The company
has 14 oil tankers, 22 dry bulk vessels, 24 container ships and nine offshore
vessels. It posted revenue of $96.1 million in the period. For the year, the
company reported profit of $101.2 million, or $1.06 per share. Revenue was
reported as $380.9 million. Ship Finance shares have dropped 3.5 per cent since
the beginning of the year. The stock has climbed slightly more than 2 per cent
in the last 12 months.
Bentley Friendly Society has
lobbied David Burt, in his capacity as finance minister, to allow it to sell
motor insurance policies covering third-party liability. The organisation is
encouraged by the Progressive Labour Party government’s support for
co-operative economics, exemplified by friendly societies, whose members are
also owners. In e-mail correspondence with Bentley late last year, Mr Burt made
clear that the society had the Bermuda Government’s support in insuring
first-party risks of its members — but added that it would have to be licensed
by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in order to cover third-party liability risks.
The Transport Control Department stopped accepting motor insurance certificates
issued by Bentley Mutual Insurance in April 2014. Kevin Bean-Walls, one of
Bentley’s founding members, claimed existing laws — namely the Friendly
Societies Act 1868 and the Insurance Act 1978 — allowed Bentley to offer motor
insurance. Section 57 of the Insurance Act states that “insurance business
carried on by a friendly society registered under the Friendly Societies Act
1868 ... shall be deemed not to be insurance business within the meaning of this
Act”. For its part, the Friendly Societies Act enables a society to make good
“any loss sustained by the members by fire, collision, tempest or shipwreck,
or by any contingency whereby they sustain any loss or damage to their motor
bikes, autos, real estate or boats” provided that investment of each member
accumulate or be employed for the sole benefit of the investing member, their
spouse or their beneficiaries. Mr Bean-Walls shared e-mail correspondence
between fellow Bentley trustee Craig Walls and Mr Burt in December last year,
imploring the Premier to instruct the TCD to accept Bentley motor insurance
certificates. Mr Burt responded: “You can provide first-party insurance for
your members and continue to do so. I hope that you expand the offerings to your
members and continue to offer them mutual assistance and making good losses for
their property. If you wish to insure third-party risks, which is not the
property of your members, but liability which may be incurred by your members to
another party, please follow the process of being licensed as an insurer by the
BMA to offer third-party risks.” Bentley had issued 47 motor insurance
certificates before the TCD stopped accepting them, Mr Bean-Walls said. “All
we are asking is for the handcuffs to be taken off and for us to be able to go
back to providing the service to our community that we were providing before,”
Mr Bean-Walls added. “The for-profit insurers are among the wealthiest people
on the island. Our belief is that there should be persons of colour who can
participate in this area of the economy and we believe that the law entitles us
to do so.” He said he believed Bentley Mutual Insurance was the first
black-owned insurer to issue a motor insurance certificate in Bermuda. He argued
that pressure from established insurers had led to the TCD action. He cited a
letter from the lawyers for the Motor Insurers’ Fund, sent to the
Attorney-General’s office on March 28, 2014, just a week after the BMA’s
statement of concern was issued. MIF was established by agreement between the
Ministry of Transport and insurers in Bermuda to provide an indemnity for
victims of uninsured drivers. The letter, from Jeffrey Elkinson of Conyers Dill
& Pearman on behalf of MIF, expressed concern that Bentley had been
providing motor insurance. “It is our view that there has to be a clear
expression by either the Attorney-General or the Registrar General that the
Friendly Society is entitled to act as an insurer,” the letter stated. It
concluded: “The matter is most urgent, as without exaggeration, every person
in Bermuda is at risk whilst insurance policies are being issued by this
unregulated entity.” In December 2014, an effort to repeal parts of the
Insurance Act to impose industry-standard regulations and fees on trade unions
and friendly society insurers failed to pass in the House of Assembly amid
confusion over the “yea or nay” vote. Bentley went to court in June 2016,
seeking declaratory relief to oblige the TCD to accept their motor insurance
policies. Judge Stephen Hellman turned down Bentley’s request, but said there
was no in-principle reason why friendly societies should not carry on insurance
business within the meaning of the Motor Car Insurance (Third-Party Risks) Act
1943, provided they had authorization from the Governor. In his judgment, Judge
Hellman noted that before granting such approval, the Governor would be likely
to consider whether Bentley would be able to satisfy a large third-party claim
— such as one in the sum of $1 million. Judge Hellman added: “The members
have the opportunity to inform themselves as to the regulatory position and take
an informed decision whether to take out insurance with an unregulated provider.
Third-party beneficiaries of cover provided by a friendly society would have no
such opportunity.” Mr Bean-Walls said Bentley plans to reach out to William
Spriggs, the newly appointed director of co-operative economics, to explore
potential expansion of the organization's offerings. For more information about
Bentley Friendly Society, e-mail wallscraig@gmail.com
A 17-year-old boy appeared in
a Nottingham youth court today, charged with the murder of 17-year-old Lyrico
Steede. According to the Nottingham
Post, the unidentified boy will go before the Crown court on Monday. He
was remanded in custody. The newspaper reported last night that two 17-year-old
males were to face charges, while a 17-year-old female was charged with
assisting an offender and is expected to appear in court on April 3.
Nottinghamshire Police have reportedly arrested a 19-year-old man, but an
18-year-old man previously arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing has
been released. Mr Steede, 17, was stabbed in the town of Bulwell in Nottingham
at about 7.30pm on February 13. He died in hospital six days later. Known to
friends as Rico, Mr Steede had lived in the country for five years and his
family are now raising funds to bring his body home for the funeral.
A tax on high-sugar sweet
products will have a sour effect on small businesses, the owner of a bakery in
St George’s warned yesterday. Kamilah Cannonier, of Sweet Saak Bakery,
said the Government should reconsider the tax and predicted it would drive
shoppers to buy “even worse food alternatives” than home-made, baked goods.
Ms Cannonier was speaking after the Government’s consultation on the proposed
increased taxes for candy, soda and other “non-nutritive, luxury items”
ended yesterday. The professional baker said: “It will become an impediment to
the development of small business at a time when our economy desperately needs
job creators. It will incentivise consumers to look to cheaper, imported goods
which contain more additives, dyes, coloring and preservatives and it will
result in a business like ours having to make difficult decisions in order to
continue to operate." The health ministry launched an eight-week
consultation in January on the proposed sugar tax designed to help people to be
healthier and discourage importers from bringing in high-sugar products. Ms
Cannonier said: “The implementation of this sugar tax will affect my business
but my overall objection to this tax stems from the absurd rationale of
financial penalties levied on corporations to curb the dietary decisions of
abusive individuals. There is no correlation from any country that similar taxes
had improved community health, reduced healthcare costs or improved public
education on diet choices. The history of financially penalizing, or rewarding,
one sector in the hope of obtaining an obscure desired enhancement of another is
an archaic approach to governance.” She explained that sugar was already the
bakery’s most expensive ingredient “on a per unit basis” and that a tax on
sugar would increase their raw ingredient costs. Ms Cannonier said this could be
passed onto the consumer but would “certainly result in the need to consider
the longevity of this local productive small business. An increase to the costs
of our business will result in the business having to make difficult decisions
around expenditure, employment and growth. The proposed tax ignored pre-mixes
and other store-bought processed baked goods that also contain sugar and less
healthy sugar alternatives such as high- fructose corn syrup. Government’s
plan would make baked goods much more expensive than store-bought goods, which
would drive people towards even worse food alternatives than home-made baked
goods”. Ms Cannonier also disagreed that the tax would not affect low-income
families, but encourage wholesalers to stock healthier options. “It is
historically proven that any inflated taxation, regardless of its harmless
intention, will always adversely affect low-income families.” Ms Cannonier
added that a sugar tax would affect all food makers because sugar was already an
expensive ingredient. This directly affects not only business overhead, but also
low-income families who support local businesses.” A health ministry
spokeswoman said: “The ministry has invited comment from stakeholders, so we
welcome all views and perspectives on this important issue. The consultation
document considers the impact on low-income persons and concludes that, in fact,
low-income persons are more adversely affected by the consequences of obesity
and chronic disease, so this has to be weighed against the impact of any
potential tax.” She added that all views would be considered before the
Government moves ahead with firm proposals on the tax.
March 2. Flora Duffy said the opening ITU World Triathlon Series course in Abu
Dhabi was “dangerous” after crashing out during the second lap of the bike
stage yesterday. The two-times defending world champion said that she was
“fine” after the incident on a corner that claimed several other riders
during slippery conditions in the United Arab Emirates. The Bermudian was,
typically, in the lead when she went out. Maria Czesnik, of Poland, Canadian
Joanna Brown and Katie Zaferes, of the United States, also crashed at the same
section of the course. “Tough way to end my race especially as I felt ‘oh so
good’,” Duffy said on her Instagram account. “Super slick (and in my
opinion dangerous) course. My wheels literally went from under me through a
corner. And I was being cautious. Body was fine to carry on but bike wasn’t.
So disappointed. But at least I could tell the form was there.” Rachel Klamer
was first over the line in 1hr 0min 43sec for the Dutchwoman’s first WTS race
win. She finished 14 seconds ahead of Jess Learmonth, of Britain, with
Australia’s Natalie van Coeverden third, in 1:01:00, beating American Kirsten
Kasper to the bronze in a photo-finish. However, there was controversy, with
eight triathletes not finishing. The course for the age-group races was changed
and Klamer herself said that the crashes affected her own strategy. “I was
quite scared on the bike because the last few months I have been training on
only straight roads and didn’t do any corners,” she said. “There was a lot
of women crashing so I just decided to take it easy, ride hard, but just go easy
through the corners. I ended up sitting behind a couple crashes, which wasn’t
smart so I had to chase one whole lap to get back to the front pack. But I am
happy I stayed on my bike.” Jarrod Shoemaker, the 2009 duathlon world champion
from the US, was scathing in his criticism of the ITU on Duffy’s Instagram
page. “ITU does not do enough for athlete safety and this was another example
of it,” he wrote. “To race on a car racetrack in the wet in a place it
barely rains is not putting athlete safety first.” Duffy was second out of the
water, officially out at the same time as Learmonth in 9:06, with American
Summer Cook and Zaferes one and four seconds behind, respectively. The Bermudian
and Learmonth went clear on the bike, before Duffy stretched out for a solo
attack and was nine seconds ahead of the Briton after the first cycle lap in
16:39, before crashing. The section would later claim Brown, who was in sixth
position, and Zaferes, also in the leading group at the time. Kasper led a group
of four after the bike section in 43:48. Klamer, Learmonth and Van Coevorden
were also in the leading pack at the start of the run, virtually ensuring a new
name would be added to the WTS winners’ list, which would end up being
Klamer’s. Van Coeverden was the first to drop out of the running, followed by
Kasper and finally Learmonth as Klamer claimed her maiden WTS victory in
impressive fashion. Duffy missed last year’s season-opening race in Abu Dhabi
with a hip injury. However, that did not stop her winning her second consecutive
world title, so there is still all to play for. The 30-year-old’s next
destination is Gold Coast, Australia, for the Commonwealth Games before the WTS
returns on April 28 and 29 in Bermuda.
The Government plans to push
ahead with a crackdown on loan sharks, the home affairs minister said yesterday.
Walton Brown added the Ministry of Home Affairs also planned to introduce
regulations for debt collection agencies through updates to the Consumer
Protection Act. Mr Brown said this was one of five initiatives outlined in the
2017 Speech from the Throne that his ministry planned to complete in the next
year. He said they would “introduce regulations for debt collection agencies
and regulate payday lenders who lend money at extraordinary interest rates under
the umbrella of an updated Consumer Protection Act. It will introduce
legislation that will grant the Consumer Affairs section oversight within the
financial marketplace such as banking, to ensure that consumer and financial
service providers are held accountable for their actions and consumers are
treated fairly”. Mr Brown was speaking during the Budget debate on his
ministry in the House of Assembly. The last Progressive Labour Party government
made a similar pledge in its November 2012 Throne Speech, but lost a General
Election a few months later. Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, former One Bermuda
Alliance home affairs minister, welcomed the announcement of regulation for debt
collection agencies and payday lenders. She said: “That is highly important
for the protection of our consumers and it’s one that we support. There is
nothing worse than somebody being exploited — if they need to have money, they
go into the marketplace to try and find loans and the minister has indicated
they are going to introduce legislation for debt collection agencies.” Mr
Brown said the other Throne Speech initiatives his ministry planned to complete
included the creation of a bipartisan committee on immigration reform. Updated
labour legislation to ensure that labour disputes are handled better and labour
rights are protected is also in the pipeline. Mr Brown added the ministry would
also introduce legislation to increase enforcement and introduce penalties for
people who breach planning regulations then ask for retroactive approval.
Same-sex couples will be able
to marry until the end of May, the home affairs minister revealed yesterday.
Walton Brown said the introduction of the Domestic Partnership Act had been
delayed to June 1 to allow planned same-sex marriages in Bermuda, and on
island-registered ships, to take place. He added that same-sex couples could
still apply for a marriage licence until May 12, but can only apply for a
domestic partnership after that date. Mr Brown said: “Commencement has been
delayed to allow for any same-sex marriages that have licences already issued
and have been scheduled to be conducted in Bermuda, or on-board
Bermuda-registered ships, to actually take place.” Mr Brown, speaking during
the Budget debate on Home Affairs, added: “The Registry General will continue
to accept applications for same-sex marriages until May 12, 2018. Any
application submitted by a same-sex couple after that date must be for a
domestic partnership under the new Act, not a marriage under the Marriage Act
1944 or the Maritime Marriage Act 1999. The Registrar certificate for marriage,
issued by the Registrar-General, under either of these Acts on or before May 12,
2018, will be treated as a licence for domestic partnership if the couple do not
marry on or before May 31, 2018.” Mr Brown added that anyone interested in
becoming a domestic partnership officer should contact the Registry General at
297-7739 or 298-7199 for more information. His remarks came as One Bermuda
Alliance MP Patricia Gordon-Pamplin noted the budget drop in expected maritime
licensing fees for the upcoming fiscal year, from $200,000 to an estimated
$150,000 for 2018-19. She asked Parliament if the island’s failure to allow
Bermudian-registered ships to conduct same-sex marriages had caused the
downturn. However, Mr Brown was unable to respond during the 20 minutes
remaining to field Opposition questions. The Domestic Partnership Act was passed
by Parliament in December and given Royal Assent by John Rankin, the Governor,
on February 7. The Royal Gazette reported yesterday that a date has been
set in the Supreme Court to challenge the new law designed to replace same-sex
marriage with domestic partnerships open to gay and straight couples. Chief
Justice Ian Kawaley will hear the civil case brought by gay Bermudian Rod
Ferguson, 38, against Attorney-General Kathy Lynn Simmons on May 21 and 22. The
Domestic Partnership Act reversed a Supreme Court decision last May that enabled
gay people to wed on the island and on Bermuda-registered cruise ships around
the world. The move sparked international criticism, including from Theresa May,
the British Prime Minister, who said she was “seriously disappointed”.
Work-permit holders with
“serious” criminal records unknown to the Department of Immigration have
been found on the island, the home affairs minister said yesterday. Walton
Brown said the requirement for employers to submit police certificates was
started last year because Bermudians “were, and are not, being considered for
work because of prior convictions”. Mr Brown said: “Since that time, while
the police certificates proved that the majority of applicants are of good
character and conduct, we have identified a number of instances where applicants
have had convictions. The department would not have been aware of the existence
of convictions unless those documents were submitted by employers.” Mr Brown
was speaking during the Budget debate in the House of Assembly. Opposition MP
Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, who was a former One Bermuda Alliance home affairs
minister, called for the exact number of applicants turned away because of a
criminal past. Ms Gordon-Pamplin added: “And what is the outcome? Is it
instant denial? Is it a slap on the wrist?” Mr Brown also revealed that
revenue from work permits was expected to increase by $1,932,000 to a total of
$14,564,000 in the next year. He attributed the extra revenue to additional
work-permit applications because of a predicted increase in economic activity in
the upcoming year, as well as increases for work-permit fees which come into
force at the start of April. Ms Gordon-Pamplin pointed out that for full-time
work permits, the increase was estimated at $2.5 million, which she said
“would account for a significant number of issuances of work permits”. She
said: “I know that we are looking to bring additional business into the
country and I know that we are looking at a change in the 60:40 rule to a 40:60,
which may help to generate additional business, but $2.5 million, which is
approximately 25 per cent of the budget and certainly a 35 per cent increase on
last year, seems to be a significant difference.” She asked Mr Brown to
explain the difference after the pledge to ensure more opportunities for
Bermudians. Opposition MP Trevor Moniz also queried whether the projected rise
in work permits was realistic. The revised number of permits for the current
year reached 9,212, he said — but the projection for next year was for
“1,000 more work permits”, he said. Mr Moniz said it seemed to “fly in the
face” of the new labour government’s policies. Mr Brown said the proposed
increase “has to do with the confidence this government has in the growth of
the economy”. He added that more work permits were “not a give and take, or
a zero sum” when it came to boosting jobs for Bermudians. Mr Brown said:
“That’s why this is called a projection. That’s our goal, and that’s
what we intend to accomplish.
The bill for four new buses
exceeded $1 million, the Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs said yesterday.
Walter Roban said that the buses, the first of which arrived in Bermuda
last month, cost $1,004,515. Mr Roban said shipping and duty were additional.
The information came in a written response to questions from Leah Scott, the
Opposition spokeswoman for tourism and transport. Ms Scott also asked when the
Department of Public Transportation bus schedule would be put to arbitration. Mr
Roban said: “There is no labour dispute with the Bermuda Industrial Union
which would result in the bus schedule being put to arbitration at this time.”
A government spokesman said last month that the additional three buses were
expected “within the next four months”. David Burt, the Premier, pledged $3
million to help bolster the island’s battered bus fleet in the Budget
Statement last month. Mr Burt said the $3 million would be used to purchase
eight new buses.
Consultation on a
proposed new sugar tax ends today. Taxes will be increased on candy, soda
and other “non-nutritive, luxury items” to promote healthy living and
discourage importers from bringing in high-sugar products. Supporters, including
the Bermuda Diabetes Association, said the move would help tackle the island’s
diabetes epidemic. But opponents, including soft drinks producer John Barritt
& Son, argued the best way to fight obesity and diabetes was through
education. Customs duty will be eliminated on items such as vegetables and some
revenue from the sugar tax will be earmarked for educational programmes
A bar owner charged with
attempted murder told a court yesterday he feared alleged gang leader Jahkeil
Samuels was armed with a gun when he stabbed him. Carlton Simmons, owner of
the Ambiance Lounge in Hamilton, told the Supreme Court: “I was afraid. I was
in a panic. I was in fear of my life. “I had just been threatened by someone
who I know is more than capable of killing, who I knew has killed, who I knew is
a leader of a gang that has killed many people. For the first time, that threat
was directed at me.” However, Crown prosecutor Nicole Smith challenged Mr
Simmons’s claim that he did not know where the weapon he used came from and
said that he had pulled the weapon from his pocket moments before the stabbing.
Mr Simmons denies the attempted murder of Mr Samuels, 32, and an alternative
charge of wounding Mr Samuels with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Mr Simmons
testified that he first met the victim in 2009 when he worked to combat gang
violence. He said Mr Samuels admitted being the leader of the Parkside gang. Mr
Simmons said: “At that time we had numerous conversations about whether or not
there would be violence. By his own admission, it was his decision if there
would be violence or not.” He said that Mr Samuels had told him several times
that he carried firearms. Mr Simmons claimed Mr Samuels told him on one
occasion: “I don’t fight people. I kill people.” But the two remained on
speaking terms until 2014 when Mr Simmons said they fell out when he refused to
lend Mr Samuels money. Mr Simmons said he was going to work at about 3am on
August 12, the day of the alleged stabbing, when he saw Mr Samuels going into
Ambiance on the city’s Angle Street. Mr Simmons added he sent a text message
to the Commissioner of Police, which read: “Jahkeil Samuels is on island. We
should talk ASAP please.” He said he called Hamilton Police Station minutes
later, told an officer that Mr Samuels was at the club and asked if they could
send police to the area because customers felt unsafe. Mr Samuels waved Mr
Simmons over to him later that morning and the pair spoke over the bar. Mr
Simmons said the conversation began with Mr Samuels voicing respect for him. But
as the chat continued, he claimed Mr Samuels said that people wanted Mr Simmons
dead and he was the only one stopping them. Mr Simmons told the court:
“Basically, he was saying if I didn’t take care of him, then he’s not
going to stand in the way.” He said he told Mr Samuels to meet him by the
kitchen and that Mr Samuels was already inside with another man when he got
there. Before Mr Simmons could go in, he saw the second man pass Mr Samuels an
object, which he tucked into the waist of his pants. Mr Simmons said: “I
didn’t enter the kitchen. At that point I didn’t feel safe. I held the door
open and asked them to come out.” The three men walked towards the steps
leading out of the club, but at the foot of the stairs Mr Simmons said Mr
Samuels stopped and said: “F**k this. We are going to do this right here.”
Mr Simmons said they were joined by a fourth man as Mr Samuels began to threaten
him. He added: “He was saying he could have me killed and his people want me
killed. I have got to pay up. I have got to give them money.” Mr Simmons said
Mr Samuels punched him in the face and reached towards his pants as if to pull
out a weapon. He added Mr Samuels told him: “I’m going to shoot you right
here. I will f**king blow your head right off.” Mr Simmons said that after
what he had seen in the kitchen, the threats made him feel certain that Mr
Samuels had a gun. He said: “At that point I panicked. Out of fear and
instinct to survive, I attacked him. My intention — the only intention I
remember at that time — is prevent him from getting the gun. That’s the only
emotion I remember having.” Mr Simmons said he remembered landing the first
blow, but little else. He added he had suffered several injuries, including a
head wound that required more than 30 staples. Mr Simmons denied being
comfortable around Parkside members, but said some did come to Ambiance. He
said: “The first year they were not allowed to come in at all.” But he added
that after some “continuously lobbying” and protests that they had not
caused fights or problems people linked to Parkside were allowed to visit the
bar. Mr Simmons said: “There were some exceptions made for some individuals
who were not directly involved in proven crimes. I will say it like that.” The
prosecutor suggested CCTV footage showed Mr Simmons pulling something from his
back left pocket moments before the stabbing. But Mr Simmons maintained he did
not know where he found the weapon, or what it was. He said: “I don’t know
where it came from. At some point clearly I had it. I do recall stabbing him
with an object. I cannot identify if it was a knife. At one point I thought it
was a bottle.” The trial continues.
A man who admitted he
spray-painted obscenities on a Dunkley’s Dairy truck on the day of last
year’s General Election has been referred to the Mental Health Court. Magistrate
Khamisi Tokunbo also ordered a social inquiry report on 25-year-old Khayriek
Woolridge, who pleaded guilty to causing wilful damage. Magistrates’ Court
heard Woolridge was arrested after police received a report of a man burning One
Bermuda Alliance election placards near Kilderry Estate in Devonshire on July 18
last year. He was later taken to the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, where he
is an outpatient. Police were told of graffiti spray-painted on a truck at
Dunkley’s Dairy, also in Devonshire, later the same day. Woolridge, who was
recorded on CCTV at the scene, was later traced to Elliot School and admitted
vandalising the vehicles. The court heard he told police he painted “Go PLP”
and “F**k OBA” on the side of the truck because he “wanted to tell Dunkley
that PLP were going to win”.
Bermuda’s lifeline docks
will shut down for a week this month for “critical” repairs. The impact
the closure of the Hamilton docks will have on shipments to Bermuda was unclear
last night. A letter to transport firms, HM Customs and the Corporation of
Hamilton from Polaris Holding, the operator of the Front Street cargo terminal,
said the closure was caused by “safety and health issues” on the roadway
area of the dock used by machines that service ships and tractor trailer trucks.
Warren Jones, the Polaris chief executive, said the “critical nature of the
work” meant that repairs would start on March 11. Mr Jones’s letter added:
“The work is anticipated to take seven days to complete, weather permitting.
It should also be noted that there is no way to undertake ship or truck
operations while the main portion of the work is being done. Therefore, the dock
will have to close between Sunday, March 11 and Sunday, March 18 for this to
occur. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes to the industry but
believe we have no alternative than to take these steps in the interest of the
safety of our staff.” Mr Jones told customers that the Corporation of Hamilton
had arranged for East End Asphalt to carry out the needed work “as soon as
possible”. Mr Jones told The Royal Gazette yesterday that the dock was
the island’s only cargo port. “Ninety-eight per cent of everything that
comes into Bermuda comes through the dock.” Mr Jones referred further
questions to the company’s marketing firm, The Brand Lion. Zina Malcolm, of
The Brand Lion, said that “due to the critical nature of this issue”, a
press conference would be held this afternoon. Mr Jones added that he would
discuss the likely impact of the closure on the island at the conference. A
spokeswoman for the Corporation of Hamilton did not respond to questions on the
closure by press time.
Liberty Mutual has reorganized
its operations — including its Bermuda-based insurer Ironshore — to better
address the needs of brokers and clients. According to Mitch Blaser, who
will assume the title of vice-chairman of Ironshore Bermuda, the changes will
only benefit the island-based part of the business. Under Liberty’s
restructuring, its newly formed Global Risk Solutions will be divided into four
segments, one of which is Liberty Special Markets, which will operate the
group’s specialty business outside the US and Canada — including Ironshore
Bermuda and Ironshore’s Pembroke Syndicate 4000 in the Lloyd’s of London
market. LSM will bring together Liberty’s and Ironshore’s specialty
operations in Bermuda, South America, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe under a
single management team in London. The other three segments of GRS are National
Insurance, including US large commercial lines and middle-market business, North
America Specialty, the US and Canada specialty business including Ironshore’s
North American components, and Global Surety, which includes surety business
worldwide. Ironshore’s management team of Steve Horton, the Iron-Starr CEO,
Susan Pateras, the Bermuda chief operating officer, and Ian Smith the Bermuda
property CEO, will report to Ironshore veteran Mark Wheeler, who has taken on
the position of president of international markets, with responsibility for
co-ordinating LSM’s international business outside the UK. Mr Blaser, formerly
CEO of Ironshore Bermuda, will assume the role of chief transformation officer
of GRS, with responsibility for co-ordinating “operational excellence”
efforts across the group. He will report to Dennis Langwell, president of GRS.
Mr Blaser said the changes were effectively “moving around puzzle pieces” to
better serve clients and brokers. “Ironshore Bermuda is not really changing,
but the reporting line will now be to Mark Wheeler,” Mr Blaser said. “I’ll
retain a Bermuda role as the vice-chairman. Everything will be intact, it’s
not a case of being merged into something. So the starting point is that you are
where you were yesterday, except the reporting line has changed. They get the
added benefit of what Mark brings to the table from these other operations,
which could bring business they haven’t seen before. It’s all additive.
It’s not as if we’re taking anything anywhere else, we’re just bringing
more in.” An added bonus for Bermuda has been the island’s popularity as a
venue for Liberty Mutual meetings, as an alternative to New York or Boston.
“You’re less likely to get snowed in and the airfares to Bermuda are the
same or less than some of those shuttle flights,” Mr Blaser said. Ironshore
Bermuda employs about 60 staff and operates from offices at 141 Front Street. Mr
Blaser expressed confidence in Mr Wheeler who, he said, had built the Pembroke
syndicate into a strong business. “Ironshore Bermuda has been a highly
profitable and innovative platform and under Mark’s leadership, I’m
confident that we will continue to drive new product development and
expansion,” he added. Mr Wheeler said: “I am excited to work more closely
with the strong and talented teams we have in Bermuda. Combining our
international specialty businesses creates a segment with over $1 billion of
premium and helps us better meet the needs of brokers and clients by seamlessly
providing a wide array of specialty products across the globe.” In his role as
GRS chief transformation officer, Mr Blaser said his focus would be “how we
work together across the platforms and the geographies to make sure that we
present the best operational excellence and support to our brokers and
clients”. Efficiency and communication with the market were key aspects, he
added. “The business that comes into Bermuda is largely from the US, but we
also have business coming in from the UK, the Caribbean and the Asia-Pacific.
All that business will still come to Bermuda, as well as other business we may
attract as part of Liberty Mutual. A big feature of this new company structure
is the cross-selling opportunity to clients who are Liberty Mutual but have not
been with Ironshore. So it could bring more business to Bermuda and we have
already started to see that.” Liberty Mutual’s large balance sheet — the
sixth biggest in the industry — and strong ratings were additional attractions
for clients, Mr Blaser said. As part of Liberty, Ironshore Bermuda is a US
taxpayer and so is seeing no negative impact from the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
So what’s the advantage of having an operation in Bermuda at all? First,
Bermuda is a vibrant marketplace and you have to be where your brokers and
clients need you to be,” Mr Blaser said. “Bermuda is the third-biggest
insurance marketplace in the world, so we certainly want to be here. The second
reason is that Ironshore has got a successful, 11-year track record here, and
we’ve built a great underwriting team. We’ve developed a lot of Bermudian
talent and that’s part of our culture here on the island. The third reason is
that Bermuda is a great market for innovation and speed to market and has a
strong regulatory environment. So it’s a place where you can be creative and
develop new products that are additive to the Liberty Mutual global business.
The package of those three things give us a great laboratory for development
that we want to continue to build on.” Aside from his full-time job, Mr Blaser
serves as a member of the Bermuda Government’s Tax Reform Commission.
Maiden Holdings’
chief executive officer acknowledged there is a risk of a ratings downgrade
after the Bermuda-based reinsurer posted its fourth net loss in the last five
quarters. But Art Raschbaum is hopeful that even if that occurred, clients
would remain loyal. The company reported a fourth-quarter 2017 net loss of
$133.6 million compared to a net loss of $74.7 million in the same period of
2016. Operating earnings per share for the quarter were negative $1.65, missing
the 20 cents earnings expected by analysts tracked by Yahoo Finance. Maiden’s
shares plunged 16.7 per cent to $6 yesterday after the results were released on
Thursday evening. During yesterday’s conference call with analysts, Matt
Carletti, from JMP Securities asked Mr Raschbaum about the likelihood of a
downgrade. Maiden has an A (excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best.
“Obviously, we’re in constant dialogue with all of our constituencies,
rating agencies as well as our regulators. We’re not at liberty to communicate
the details of our discussion. I’d say, with the kind of activity we’ve
seen, certainly, there’s a risk of a downgrade. I think an important
differentiator in our business model is — and we’ve done this since
pre-Maiden days — we’ve collateralized the obligation for clients. And
they’re collateralized to the full expected ultimate. And so repeatedly,
we’ve had many customers that have remained very focused and committed to us
because of that collateral. We see no change in that process.” The company had
previously been able to grow with an A- rating, he added, though he conceded
that a downgrade now would bring with it “noise” and challenges. The main
driver of Maiden’s fourth-quarter loss was the performance of the AmTrust
Reinsurance segment. Its combined ratio deteriorated to 131.1 per cent in the
fourth quarter of 2017 from 108.1 per cent in the same period of 2016. The
segment experienced adverse loss development of $139 million due primarily to
workers’ compensation and general liability lines of business. Maiden has a
multiyear quota share agreement with AmTrust Financial Services, which produced
$1.8 billion of the reinsurers net premiums earned in 2016. During the
conference call, Mr Raschbaum addressed speculation that Maiden’s major
shareholders may have plans to take the company private. “As you know,
AmTrust’s founding shareholders recently announced their plans to take the
company private,” Mr Raschbaum told analysts. "While there has been
speculation from some that Maiden could similarly be acquired by our founding
shareholders, we have no such plans currently under way.” For the full year of
2017, Maiden reported a net loss of $199.1 million compared to a net income of
$15.2 million in 2016. “While we are disappointed with our results for the
fourth quarter, we believe we have taken significant steps to strengthen our
reserves for losses which will help to accelerate a return to profitability in
2018 and beyond,” Mr Raschbaum said in a statement. “Our reserve actions in
the fourth quarter reflect a more aggressive response to observed development in
the quarter and throughout the year on the AmTrust Reinsurance segment as well
as our Diversified segment.”
British Airways is offering a
25 per cent discount on round-trip economy fares from Bermuda to London. The
offer applies to travel between May 1, 2018 and February 19, 2019 in the
airline’s World Traveler seats. The fares include all taxes, fees and carrier
charges. The discounted fare is non-refundable and requires a seven-day minimum
stay. The offer ends on March 14, 2018. British Airways celebrated 80 years of
service to the island last year. Flight tickets can be purchased through travel
agents, via the website www.ba.com,
or by phoning 1-800-AIRWAYS.
The evening gave us a
chance to celebrate the talents of two Bermudian musicians on the brink of
stellar careers: Kerri Dietz, mezzo soprano, and Leidy Sinclair, violin. The
Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts programme commenced on Monday with Dietz
singing How Pure a Light from Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice. The
aria describes Orpheus’s emotions as he first enters the magical realm of the
spirits, and is punctuated and supported by a richly textured string and piano
accompaniment. Dietz’s voice is powerful and perfect for this role. Kathleen
Ferrier, whose interpretation of Orpheus remains definitive, comes to mind. Next
came Benjamin Britten’s Winter Words, Op 52 — eight songs from poems
by Thomas Hardy, with piano accompaniment. The Hardy poems are miniature
masterpieces, glimpses of different worlds through apparently trivial, but
highly significant moments. They are all irrevocably and uncompromisingly sad,
if not downright gloomy. For instance, At the Railway Station, Upway
shows a little boy with a violin trying to comfort a chained convict while the
warden looks on with a benevolent smirk. The piano accompaniment is highly
emphatic and complex, alternating dramatic chord work with complex liquid
arpeggios. Although brilliantly executed, Maya Soltan’s was a fraction too
dominant for us to concentrate on the songs themselves. Dietz finished the first
half with Igor Stravinsky’s The Faun and the Shepherdess, Op 2, which
she explained was composed as a gift from Stravinsky to his first wife, Katya
Nosenko. Sung in Russian by Dietz, it’s thematically rather similar to an Ovid
metamorphosis but ends with the heroine’s death by drowning after a prolonged
pursuit. The second half included String Quartet No 14 in D minor, Death and
the Maiden. Introduced by Leidy Sinclair, it allowed Halcyon Quartet to show
us their superb teamwork and expert musicianship. Halcyon’s version was the
best I have heard of this sad, transcendent, sublime work. The concert finished
with Dietz singing Ernest Chausson’s Chanson Perpetuelle Op 37. This is
an interesting and well executed song, but not an ideal finale because it ends
with another drowned corpse we can sadly lay out and grieve over alongside
Eurydice, the Shepherdess, Britten’s Choirmaster and, of course, Schubert’s
Maiden.
Flora Duffy will been
keen to lay down a marker when she starts the defence of her world title at the
ITU World Triathlon Series Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates tomorrow
morning. The two-times defending WTS women’s champion is among a record
field of participants from 51 countries including Olympic and world champions. A
nagging hip injury ruled Duffy out of last year’s event but she is healthy
this time around and champing at the bit to compete the iconic Yas Island course
for the first time. “I was disappointed to miss the Abu Dhabi race last year
due to an injury,” the Bermudian triathlete told triathlon.org. “I’ve
heard a ton of great things about Yas Island course so I can’t wait to tackle
it — especially the bike course which looks like it’s really suited to my
aggressive style of racing.” Duffy has her work cut out as nine of the
world’s top-ten ranked women triathletes are also among the field, including
New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt, the event’s defending champion, and Australian
Ashleigh Gentle, who finished runner-up behind Duffy on the WTS overall
championship leaderboard. The WTS season opener will see the world-class field
tackle a 750-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike and 5km run. Despite missing the
first two races of last year’s WTS, Duffy won six of the seven remaining
events to retain her ITU world title. She also won a fourth consecutive Xterra
World Championship crown, as well as the Island House Invitational in the
Bahamas. Duffy, who pocketed nearly $300,000 in prize earnings alone last year,
opted not to defend her title at the Xterra South African Championships in
Grabouw last weekend, choosing instead to focus solely on today’s event. “It
was tentatively on my schedule but with my first WTS race in five days I decided
to skip the Xterra to focus on Abu Dhabi,” Duffy told The Royal Gazette. Duffy
romped to her fourth straight women’s title at last year’s Xterra South
African Championships to get her 2017 season off to a flying start. But it came
at a price as she was forced to withdraw from the season-opening WTS Abu Dhabi a
week later because of the hip injury. The 30-year-old will compete in the
individual triathlon, mixed team relay and mountain biking at the Commonwealth
Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, next month. Duffy, who will be competing at
her third Commonwealth Games, will join Tyler Butterfield and teenage
triathletes Tyler Smith and Erica Hawley in the mixed relay team.
Bermuda’s boxing chances of
reaching the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo are on the ropes after the IOC
suspended all funding for the crisis-hit International Boxing Association.
It is now doubtful whether the Bermuda Boxing Federation will be able to send
Andre Lambe and Tyler Christopher to Tijuana, Mexico, for the Central American
and Caribbean Games qualifiers next week after the loss of subsequent funds from
the Bermuda Olympic Association. Despite hosting a successful amateur event at
CedarBridge Academy 12 days ago, where Lambe and Christopher both claimed wins,
the BBF remains short of the required target to send both fighters and their
support team to the qualifiers, which run from March 9 to 18. The BBF had banked
on financial assistance from the BOA, which has had no choice but to pull its
funding after the IOC’s decision to shelve all Olympic Solidarity
boxing-related activities until further notice. Boxing could be excluded from
the Tokyo Games unless AIBA resolves long-term governance problems, the IOC has
warned. Nathan Dill, the BBF president, has since reached out to Michael Weeks,
the new Minister of Social Development and Sport, and long-term sponsors in an
effort to cover the costs of sending its team to Tijuana. Lambe and Christopher
have two opportunities remaining to qualify for Tokyo 2020, at the CAC Games in
Barranquilla, Colombia, this summer, and the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru,
next year. “It is most upsetting to have learnt through the Bermuda Olympic
Association that, due to ongoing issues with international body AIBA, all
funding will be pulled from boxing and specifically from our national team
athletes at this crucial time,” Dill said in a statement. “As Bermuda should
be aware, the Bermuda Boxing Federation has set up a national programme with the
goal to once again have boxing reach the Olympics. We are reaching out to the
community in the hopes that we can rally behind these athletes, who are training
hard and forging a path for the next generations of athletes behind them.” The
loss of BOA funding could now hasten Lambe and Christopher’s pending decision
to turn professional, according to Melissa Looby, the BBF programmes and event
manager. “The BBF has received immense support from the Bermuda Olympic
Association over the last year and want to be clear that this decision to cut
our funds is not theirs, but that of the IOC,” Looby said. “Regardless of
the cause, this remains a major setback that stands to discourage athletes and
our fear is that situations like this will hasten their pending decision to go
pro.” Dill added: “The BBF were counting on a request for funding from the
BOA which was submitted in January. “Unfortunately, just as we were making
progress on that matter, due to those governance issues of AIBA, all funding has
been pulled. This is now a major source of anxiety just days before our athletes
are set to travel.” Lambe and Christopher are hoping to emulate Olympians
Clarence Hill, Roy Johnson, Robert Burgess and Quinn Paynter by reaching the
Tokyo Games. Boxing is the only sport to have put Bermuda on the Olympic map,
with heavyweight Hill winning bronze at the Montreal Games in 1976, Anyone
interested in assisting the BBF in sending its boxers to the CAC Games
qualifiers in Tijuana can email bermudaboxingfed@gmail.com.
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Authored,
researched, compiled and website-managed by Keith A. Forbes.
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