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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/2/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers ! Here is your daily news cap for Saturday February 1st, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Saturday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

DLP: ECONOMY IN RECESSION – The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is extremely skeptical about the positive projections for the growth of the Barbadian economy presented earlier this week by Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes. On Friday, the party’s president Verla DePeiza contended that her party’s analysis of the figures revealed that the country is now in recession as its foreign reserves remain “propped up by loans” and economic growth rates remain relatively minimal. On Wednesday, during a review of the country’s performance in 2019, the Governor predicted growth rates between 1.25 percent and 1.75, a 0.7 percent improvement on the International Monetary Fund’s projections. The government’s ability to rein in public finances was credited for the improvements along with reducing transfers to the country’s main hospital, the Sanitation Service Authority and the Barbados Tourism Management Inc. But in a stinging critique of the figures presented, the DLP president again criticised the absence of clarity about the source of economic growth in the new year. “After experiencing three years of growth from 2015 to 2017, it is evident now that the economy of Barbados is in recession,” she said in a brief statement on Friday. “This, coupled with the fact that the foreign reserves are propped up by loans as opposed to revenue generation, makes the Democratic Labour Party skeptical about the optimistic projections for growth in 2020. “This is especially true since all of the projects noted are construction-related, with no released start date.” She further contended that the Central Bank’s figures gave little assurance that citizens would enjoy an improved quality of life. “The Democratic Labour Party maintains that unless and until a balance is found in the economy which permits our citizens to live comfortably and well; and also for businesses of all types to thrive, the management of the country by this present administration is not to be applauded,” the statement said. DePeiza expressed even more concern about the government’s continued reliance on the tourism industry which she contends has provided benefits for “a select few”. Also concerning is that there is continued reliance on the tourism industry to boost the economy when according to her, all signs indicate that the industry’s impact is “negligible” and the benefits are enjoyed by a select few. “This, when read alongside the heightened unemployment rate and the increased taxes on commodities, presents a clearer picture of the economy as it impacts upon the citizens of Barbados,” she argued. (SS)

BES: WHERE IS THE GROWTH GOING TO COME FROM? – Describing the Central Bank’s growth prediction for the economy as “a bit optimistic”, President of the Barbados Economic Society (BES) Simon Naitram today questioned what avenues are being created to ensure more sustainable long-term growth. He told Barbados TODAY given the low levels of public sector investments, the high dependency on one main sector, the country had a lot of catching up to do. Naitram said: “Real gross domestic product per capita in 2019 remained nine per cent below 2008 levels. “Make no mistake, Barbados has a lot of lost ground to make up.” Matram was reviewing Wednesday’s Central Bank outlook in which Governor Cleviston Haynes predicted the economy will grow by between 1.25 per cent and 1.75 per cent for 2020. He added that should projects get off the ground this year and be were sustained, he could boost that growth forecast further. The Central Bank Governor also noted that a lot of the economic performance would depend on the development of new revenue streams. But stopping short of pouring cold water on the growth projections, Naitram agreed that the island needed new revenue streams to ensure sustainable growth The BES president said: “The Central Bank’s prediction for economic growth between one and 1.75 per cent in 2020 appears to be a bit optimistic, particularly given the reality of our continued fiscal consolidation. “Even then, this growth is expected to be driven by one-off events rather than reflecting a return to long-run growth. “This report confirms that the long-run potential growth rate of the Barbadian economy remains very close to zero.” He said the tourism industry, which recorded its fifth straight year of growth, was the only one sector showing material growth. Naitram said: “The problem is that this sector appears to be sufficiently isolated from the rest of the economy, such that there have been no significant spillover effects to the rest of the real economy. “The tourism sector has grown 35 per cent over the past six years, while the rest of the economy has not grown at all in that time. “It then bears noting that the majority of the investment projects that we are hoping will come on stream this year are tourism-related projects. “The evidence of the past six years suggests that these, if and when they materialize, are unlikely to have significant long-run spillover effects for non-tourism sectors.” Pointing to the need for urgent diversification, Naitram said new investment, particularly in new technology, would be the main way to raise the potential growth rate of the economy. “Think of it like a car. Without modifications, it has a very limited top speed,” he said. “If you want it to go faster, you have to invest in upgrading it. “Unfortunately, government investment is now below 2017 levels. And the construction sector — which we can think of as a proxy for private investment — and has shrunk almost 11 per cent in the past two years. “There’s no sign of an expansion of Barbados’ productive capacity.” He also expressed concern that the level of taxation on financial institution’s assets could be forcing them to continue to hold tremendous amount of liquidity. Said Naitram: “Commercial banks are holding onto more and more cash. “And there was no increase in lending to businesses in 2019. It seems like a good time to review the wisdom of a tax on financial institutions’ assets. “This tax increases the cost of capital and disincentivizes lending and deposit accumulation.“And, it appears we have made no progress on creating new non-bank financial infrastructure to get around the banks.” It was in 2016 that then Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler increased the Bank Asset Tax from 0.2 per cent to 0.35 per cent in an attempt to raise more than $14 million in annual revenue. This came a year after the removal of the minimum deposit interest rate of 2.5 per cent. (BT)

AFRICAN AIRLINES IN TALKS WITH GHANA – Africa’s top two airlines could be flying here through the West African capital of Accra, Ghana, a senior tourism official has said. Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways are currently in discussions with Barbadian authorities on developing a new route, Head of Global Markets at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) Petra Roach told reporters. Roach said: “There is a very circuitous route that people have to take which is either through London or New York to get to Barbados. “We know that if it were that we left Accra it would just take eight hours [to fly directly here] so that takes out the complexity of travel and the inconvenience of travel.” Stating that officials were also looking into air charter services, she added: “The challenge with dealing with airlines is that they need to do their business cases. “We don’t want to start a relationship or route that doesn’t last. “So, they obviously have to do their due diligence; we have to sensitize the market because we want that when we start that service it is there for a very long time.” In 2019, Ethiopian Airlines was ranked 44th of the top 100 world carriers and was voted number one in Africa. South African Airways (SAA) is currently ranked 46th out of 100 international airlines, and was voted second-best in Africa for 2019. Roach spoke to the media during a tree planting exercise with a visiting delegation from the Ghana Tourism Authority at the National Botanical Gardens at Codrington on Thursday. Roach added that there were efforts to stimulate travel between Barbados and Ghana, and said discussions had started with business owners to encourage trade between the two regions. Ghana is centrally located among the West African group of nations and provides access to 350 million people. She noted that Ghana was cited by the International Monetary Fund as having the world’s fastest growing economy at a rate of 8.8 per cent. She said: “So, there is a growing middle class there who are looking for new experiences, new opportunities and new investmentsm” Roach also pointed out that this was the first time that the BTMI was working with another tourist office to stimulate “traffic from both ends”. The BTMI official said: “We are working in a very symbiotic relationship with the Ghana Tourist Authority to ensure that we also stimulate traffic from Barbados and the wider Caribbean into Ghana initially, and then the wider African continent.” Roach told reporters there are plans for the Ghanaian polo team to play against the Barbadian polo team on island; cross country art exchanges and exhibitions with artists; and talks about creating a Barbadian-Ghanaian promotional jingle. Roach concluded by highlighting Ghana’s homecoming activity Year of the Return 2019, noting that “it segues beautifully” into Barbados’ homecoming, We Gatherin’ 2020. (BT)

BIDC OPENS BAJAN DIASPORA TO TRADE – The Barbadian diaspora could be the source of millions in foreign exchange for the country, Industry Minister Ronald Toppin has declared, as the nation’s export promotion and investment agency launched three programmes aimed at boosting trade and investment with the so-called 12th parish. Toppin urged Barbadians not to overlook the diaspora as the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) launched Bajans Connect, Innovate Barbados, and a cleantech cluster incubator and accelerator titled Boom, at Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Village. Bajan Connect is an integrated export marketing campaign that seeks to promote the sale of Barbadian goods and services to diaspora markets across the world through a partnership with We Gatherin’ and other stakeholders. Innovate Barbados is a marketing and public awareness campaign and initiative to encourage greater innovative thinking across all sectors, schools and training institutions. And the clean tech cluster is designed to provide businesses and start-ups with access to operating space, high quality business intelligence, coaching and financial support, business development, match-making and business incubation services. Toppin declared that Barbados would not be able to sell $37 million in alcoholic beverages or $3 million in sweet biscuits to the United States in 2018 were it not for the diaspora’s demand for Bajan rums and treats. He said: “It is therefore, pertinent for us to connect with and tap into the minds of our diaspora. “It is imperative that we harness all the data we can on who they are, what they want and why they want it. “With that information, the BIDC, under the Bajans Connect programme, along with other governmental and non-governmental strategic partners, will put the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure that Barbadians, no matter how far they roam, can buy the authentic Bajan products they do desire. “Achieving this would result in tremendous earnings for our local manufacturers and service providers and help us as a nation to improve our standard of living and wellbeing in a more sustainable way.” Now the BIDC’s signature annual event, and the “Caribbean’s premier innovation conference”, Innovate Barbados aims to stimulate innovative thinking and activity across the island, the Minister for International Business and Industry said. He added: “ As the 2020 campaign officially launches today under the appropriate theme A Blue Green Caribbean, please be reminded that true innovation does not stop at just thinking of creative ways to do things, but actually creating an enabling environment to achieve innovative solutions to our problems.” The Minister said the Bloom clean-tech project not only supports the national objective of making Barbados a green circular economy but will support Government’s effort to make the clean tech industry an important value-creating pillar government’s transformation agenda. Toppin declared: “Clean technology is the way forward, and can only be achieved by marrying innovation with renewable energy. “With thousands of Barbadians living overseas with the potential to invest in such companies, we can all see how the convergence of the diaspora, innovation and clean-tech can create unprecedented opportunities for Barbadian businesses, consumers, and all stakeholders whose business it is to take Barbados, its goods and services to the world. “This is why I truly believe that this launch event is very appropriate and relevant to our economic focus right now.” (BT)

CARICOM TRADE MINISTERS FOCUS ON SERVICES – Ministers for trade and economic development in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) today focused on the state of the services industry, the dominant trade in the 15-nation bloc. Addressing a one-day special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade Sandra Husbands said the meeting sought to review an analysis of the services industry and performance in CARICOM member states Ministers also examines draft plans for the implementation of a strategy “to take services forward”, said Husbands. Services is the largest and fastest growing sector in CARICOM, accounting for more than 75 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the Eastern Caribbean, and more than 55 per cent in the more developed member states of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. According to CARICOM, growth in the services sector in recent years had been significant with the 2017 figures indicating an expansion of almost 2.45 per cent to EC$108.5 billion (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents). Husbands, who is chairing the one-day meeting on behalf of Barbados’ tenure of the community’s six-month chairmanship said that the figures dictate that it was critical that nations paid close attention to the growth of the services sector, as part of efforts to provide citizens with a good life. She declared that there was a lot of work to be done with respect to creating the environment for the further development of services in order to improve their contribution to the lives of the citizens of the region. CARICOM Assistant Secretary General for Trade and Economics, Joseph Cox, said that there must be fundamental realignment of “how we do business” in the region, especially from a perspective of education and finance, and a sizeable degree of informal services business. He called for a strategic review of how concessions were granted in the region, and urged delegates to pay particular attention to finance, banking fees, artificial limits for foreign currency transactions, health and wellness matters, especially non-communicable diseases, and the 2019 coronavirus update. A Services Project Steering Committee has been coordinating the preparation of a Draft Regional Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan for Professional Services, the CARICOM Secretariat said. It said priority attention has been given to sub-sectors: financial services, information and communication technology (ICT), professional services, culture, entertainment and sport, health and wellness, education and tourism. “Work has also been done on identifying core elements of the Draft Regional Strategic plan including Legislative Framework, Financing Requirements, Incentives, Human Resource Requirements, Technological Needs, Constraints, cross-sectoral Linkages,” the secretariat said in a statement. (BT)

BWA MULLS OVER DESAL WATER – Stiffer penalties for water wastage are likely as the country’s lone water company attempts to respond to the impending threat of drought, its General Manager Keithroy Halliday has revealed. Simultaneously, the Barbados Water Authority’s (BWA) Water Quality Specialist Alex Ifill admits that the region’s troubling climate has left authorities with no choice but to seek potable water from alternative sources, including the sea. The BWA officials provided the update on Friday during a media conference at the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. According to Halliday, the utility company has been taking significant steps to mitigate the impact of drought-like conditions from as long ago as 2014 when the island was hit with unusually low rainfall for almost three years. These measures included the installation of numerous booster stations and mains supply systems and a water prohibition which Halliday credited with strengthening weaknesses in the system which severely affected northern and central parishes last year. But the BWA boss is not satisfied that Barbadians are doing enough to reduce the impact of an upcoming drought even with a water prohibition which imposed $500 fines on offenders and restricted the use of potable water for a number of purposes including watering plants, washing vehicles and filling ponds. “I think awareness is growing and heightened conscientiousness exists, but it is not where it should be and we are looking at how we can begin to put restrictions in place. But a part of that is reinforcing the penalties so we can drive home the point that certain changes are required and must be at the core of the cultural change that everyone should collectively embrace,” he said. Halliday suggested: “It is not only the responsibility of the Barbados Water Authority or the agencies here but it is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders including the public to step forward and take part in understanding and taking their own steps at the community level to increase the awareness and making sure the necessary adjustments are made.” Meanwhile, Ifill told the media conference that upgrades on the desalination plant will be extremely important as rainfall reductions become the norm and the BWA looks to alternative sources of water. “We eventually will have to look at other sources like seawater. Although that is expensive, it seems to be the direction in the very near future until we can get a reversal of the effects that we are seeing now,” explained the water quality specialist. He added: “Most of the groundwater in Barbados comes from rain and as that rainfall reduces, obviously we have to look for other sources. We have tapped into the brackish water resources but obviously that is a mixture of freshwater and seawater so we eventually will have to look for other sources of water like freshwater and seawater.” (BT)

DRIEST YEAR SINCE 1947 – Barbados is facing a serious drought with rainfall in 2019 being the lowest since 1947. The Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) has urged authorities to implement measures to mitigate fallout from a dry period now expected to last deep into 2020, probably to the end of September. After the low numbers were revealed during a press conference at the CIMH’s headquarters at Husbands, St James, general manager of the Barbados Water Authority, Keithroy Halliday, and Acting Chief Agricultural Officer Charleston Lucas confirmed they had started programmes to deal with the hard times ahead. The dry period traditionally starts in May.The Barbados Meteorological Services at the Grantley Adams International Airport recorded 736.5mm (58 per cent of average conditions) of rainfall, the lowest since 1942, and the CIMH at Husbands, St James, recorded 804.5mm (63 per cent of average conditions), the lowest since 1969. Prior to 2019, the lowest record dry year was 1947. CIMH’s chief of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, Adrian Trotman, said last year’s “exceptionally dry” conditions followed on from a similar situation between 2014-2016, but worsened in 2019, especially in the last six months. (SS)

DRY SPELL TO DRAG ON, EFFECTS TO WORSEN – After enduring the driest year in over half a century, Barbadians are being warned to brace for more drought-like conditions and the increased threat of heatwaves throughout 2020, according to local experts. So serious is the threat, that leading meteorologist at the Barbados Meteorological Service, Sabu Best admitted that if current trends continue, authorities may be forced to declare a nationwide drought. In the meantime, Climatologist Dr Cedric Van Meerbeeck predicts that more fires, lower crop yields and a decrease in available water over the dry season could become the norm. The officials were reviewing last year’s record low rainfall conditions and providing an update on the expected conditions for the new year during a press conference at the Husbands, St James headquarters of the Caribbean Institute for Hydrology and Meteorology (CIMH). According to Best, consensus from all affected stakeholders would be necessary for authorities to declare an all out drought, but he acknowledged that a “meteorological drought” was impending. “If the present trends continue without any significant deviation from the forecast, we will be faced with a drought condition,” he said, before indicating this was no need for citizens to panic because local authorities would do everything to prepare citizens for the threat. Best added: “It’s not Armageddon and it has happened before, though not as significantly as it is right now. We can pull together and get through this, through the resources of the BWA, through their messages to the public and the Ministry of Agriculture advising the population beforehand of particular crops that we can plant. That is the way we could help mitigate that.” According to CIMH Agro-meteorologist, Adrian Trotman, Barbados has been hit by “exceptionally dry” conditions for over 12 months and over the majority of the year experienced rainfall amounts in the lowest two per cent in recorded history. Data from CIMH and the local met service both eventually confirmed that in 2019, Barbados recorded the lowest levels of rainfall in a calendar year since 1942. But according to their research, this trend started from as early as January 2018. Given the length of time Barbados has been experiencing the dry conditions, Dr Van Meerbeek has warned that the issues will soon start to manifest more overtly. “We are talking about plants withering, but we are also talking about the risk of fires increasing, crop yields that might be affected at some stage… our best knowledge at this stage is that Barbados will be rather dry,” he said, while predicting that even the early part of this year’s wet season might be delayed by dry spells. In addition to decreased rainfall caused by last year’s El Nino phenomenon, experts blamed sharp increases in temperature for the challenges, which according to Dr. Van Meerbeek, will considerably increase the chances of heatwaves. “The number of heatwaves in the Eastern Caribbean has enormously increased since 1995. Again we are not the agency to issue a statement saying that Barbados is now in a heatwave, but if you take a methodology that is globally accepted, the number of heatwaves have definitely increased since 1995 and as Adrian mentioned, heat and drought go together,” revealed the climatologist. He added: “In September and October particularly, we had many days that were really warm and more so than on average than we would have had in history. So it’s not just that the daytime and nighttime averages have increased, but also the heatwaves that have increased in frequency and intensity and that amplifies droughts.” (BT)

HIGHWAY ONE’S JOB ONE FOR ROAD FIX – Highway One and other West Coast roads are in line for major infrastructure upgrades soon as Government continues its road network upgrade programme, Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid promised today. He made the announcement following a brief inspection of a section of Rendezvous Hill, Christ Church, where major road works began this week due to rocks falling off a section of the cliff. Dr Duguid pointed out that work on the area would take a few more days than expected, explaining that after specialists inspected the area they found that several trees with large roots had penetrated the rocks, causing boulders to break. He said officials would now use the opportunity to widen the road and provide a footpath for pedestrians. Officials are hoping Rendezvous Road will reopen on Monday. Dr Duguid said: “Once the road is completed we are going to bring in a street sweeper to sweep the road, have the road fully washed down and put it back in service midday on Monday. “So it is going to be closed to vehicular traffic till midday. “We are asking the people of Barbados to bear with us but we have to make the roads safe because it was an accident waiting to happen. “We can’t let those things persist. “We have to take action in advance and make sure we make these roads safe to the people of Barbados.” Duguid gave the assurance that Government was continuing apace with its road repair programme as evident in several areas. He declared: “The sad thing is that for ten years very few roads were done in Barbados and we are now playing catch up. “So we are playing catch up but we are going to get there.” The money that has been allocated by the Ministry of Finance for the repairs would be “stretched to get as many roads done as quickly as we can for the people”, the Minister said. Dr Duguid said special attention would also be given to the road network on the West Coast, adding that major road works there should start in another three weeks and would last for about six months. “What I can tell you is that we have already issued some letters of invitation for contractors to come back to us to do Highway one. We will be doing it from the bottom of the university hill at the roundabout all the way up to the church in Holetown,” he said. Explaining that that road network was a lot more complex, Dr Duguid said the water mains would be removed and a set of natural gas pipelines were to be added, and this could take some time. He said: “We are going to be talking the country through the problems because we are going to have diversions and difficulties, but we are going to do the majority of the work at night, which means the inconvenience would be reduced. “Once we trench it and get the old water mains out we are also looking if possible to get all the electrical structure underground as well. “So it is going to be a lot of major trenching. “There will be some disruption and I am asking the people of Barbados to bear with us.” After Highway One is completed, the project will then be shifted to Highway Seven for similar upgrades. “So a lot of road work is to be done, a lot of infrastructure to be put in. We have a very ambitious plan and we are going to press ahead and get it done,” said Dr Duguid. (BT)

GAS OUTAGE UNDER SCRUTINY – In light of the recent natural gas disruption which affected a number of businesses along the south and west coasts, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams says officials are carrying out investigations to know what emergency measures can be put in place should there be a recurrence. The approximately 45-minute outage, which occurred last Saturday around 7 p.m., is said to have resulted in thousands of dollars in losses to businesses on the two coasts, and some business operators have indicated they intended to seek compensation. Apologizing for the occurrence, Abrahams told members of the media on Friday that it was unfortunate that the incident happened when it did. The National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) has also apologized to affected customers, while promising to improve its operations. “The management and board of NPC are picking apart exactly what happened. We can’t stop things from happening but we can do our best to put preventative measures and redundancies in place so if something does happen the impact would not be felt as significantly,” said Abrahams. “We apologize to all the businesses that were put out and experienced losses as a result of the outage. I am not trivializing it, I am not minimizing it and I am not stopping anyone from seeking compensation. The businesses will do what it is they have to do and we will deal with that if and when that happens.” Stressing that he was satisfied with the short time in which the matter was addressed, Abrahams explained that “even the best maintained systems” could experience problems, he said. Last Saturday’s break in natural gas transmission was caused by a malfunctioning valve at its Belle, St Michael facility. An outage was also experienced earlier in the month. Abrahams gave the assurance that there was no shortage of natural gas in Barbados. “BNOC (Barbados National Oil Company Ltd), NPC and all of our energy companies, they pride themselves on the delivery of a safe and efficient service. Yes, they had an outage with the natural gas earlier in January and that was rectified in short order as well. Obviously, it caused disruption and obviously it is something we are taking very seriously because we don’t want a repeat of it. If one of our customers is unhappy then we are unhappy. So when you have a situation where you have an outage affecting a number of people that is something we take very seriously,” said Abrahams. (BT)

NEW ELECTRICITY PROJECT TO BRING SAVINGS – The Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd (BL&P) is promising major savings to residents and the country in coming years as it embarks on the installation of 33 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity. During a groundbreaking ceremony at the company’s Trents, St Lucy Energy Gateway site on Friday, Managing Director Roger Blackman said the Clean Energy Bridge Project, which will be carried out by the Finland-based energy company Wärtsilä, will cost about $100 million. He said the investment in the new plant represented the company’s commitment to its more than 128,000 customers to stabilize electricity fuel costs and maintain system reliability as the island transitions to 100 per cent renewable energy sources by 2033. “In addition to providing reliable generation capacity and providing a more diverse generation portfolio, the project will lower the island’s fuel import bill and by extension, fuel costs to customers by over $30 million annually, based on current oil prices,” said Blackman. He said in addition to reducing the island’s carbon dioxide emissions by around 135,000 tonnes per year, Blackman said the project will become a “necessary back-up” for grid resiliency and reliability until and beyond the achievement of the national renewable energy targets. He said the new facility will lock the utility company into a long-term commitment, but would enable it to safely retire existing generation assets over the next ten years, while providing back-up support required for advancing the renewable transition plans. “Energy delivered from this project will contribute approximately 27.1 per cent of the annual energy requirement for Barbados,” he added. Wärtsilä won the contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Clean Energy Bridge facility. The first two units of the medium-speed diesel generation plant, which will consist of four engines, will commence operation in the middle of this year and the second two “shortly afterwards”, according to Blackman. The company’s 10 MW solar farm, which was installed in 2016, is already saving the country some $8 million to $10 million annually in fuel imports and about 18,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. As part of its plans, the company has planted some 200 Pride of Barbados trees on a section of the property. Ten of the trees were planted on Friday. Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams welcomed the new project saying it would enable the country’s recovery “from any unnatural event as we push forward the agenda to transform Barbados into a renewable energy economy”. However, stating that there was still a lot of work to be done in the renewable energy sector, Abrahams said Government continued to work with stakeholders to develop an Integrated Resource Resilience Plan (IRRP). This plan, he explained, will outline the supply of electricity needed from the different types of renewable sources that are relevant to Barbados, in order to meet expected demand over the long-term. Pointing out that energy storage would play a critical role, Abrahams said changes would be made to the regulatory framework. “It is expected that our regulatory frameworks will change and evolve to support the utilization of storage and the appropriate tariff structure will also be developed to incorporate its value and cost,” said Abrahams, adding that Government will continue to support private sector efforts to build out the renewable energy sector. The BL&P has promised to continue to seek out ways to make electricity generation cleaner and bringing that energy to market at affordable prices. Though missing the target set two years ago for its Lamberts, St Lucy wind project, Blackman told the gathering on Friday that those plans were still on the cards. “Wind generation is coming soon. The Lamberts project has been rejuvenated and we will share more on that in the weeks ahead and continue our stakeholder engagement,” he said. (BT)

KEEP CRIME OFF THE FRONT PAGE – Take crime off the front page, chairman of the National Sports Council Mac Fingall has urged, declaring that media houses are doing much harm to the country by putting crime in the spotlight. “I personally have a problem with crime on the front page,” he told journalists at a news conference hosted by the council. He claimed that some “newspapers in the world do not put crime on the front page as a policy,” suggesting that local media should follow suit. He did not provide evidence to support his contention but argued that the media’s coverage of crime was helping to drive national fear of the problem. He further suggested the practice had the potential to deter tourists from visiting the island and this would have a negative ripple effect in the country. Fingall said: “When tourism falls down, the taxi driver can’t get a job, the maid got to get layoff and as a result then you can’t buy the paper, the paper got to lay off [people] too. “But some people feel that is the way to sell a paper, putting fear in people. Fingall, the comedian, entertainer and retired physical education teacher who was once a Bermudian police officer, made a case for more of the nation’s positive young to be highlighted. He said: “There are not 500 bad young people in Barbados but the way they are presented it looks like all bad. “And that is what the press is doing when they continue to put crime on the front page. The press can change it.” (BT)

MAN & CHILD ACCUSED OF KILLING HOLDER – One of the males allegedly responsible for the shooting death of Marlon Holder was so concerned about some personal items it lead him to make a request of the magistrate as he stood in the dock of the Holetown Magistrates’ Court today. “Ma’am I have some items like boxers and two vests I was wondering when I moving if I can move with my things with me please? ‘Cause them is new brand things . . . when I get to jail I don’t have them things so,” murder accused Jamar Jamal Greaves, of Grape Hall, St Lucy asked Magistrate Wanda Blair this afternoon. She responded, “Police and prison officers – they are responsible for that aspect of things.” The 33-year-old’s query came moments after he and his alleged accomplice – a 14-year-old boy – were told that they would be remanded until February 27. The teenager stood silently by Greaves’ side. The two are charged with murdering 37-year-old Holder on January 16. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge. Holder was gunned down outside the St Alban’s Primary School. Greaves, who was represented by attorney-at-law Faith Greaves-Agard, was remanded to HMP Dodds and the teenager, who had Alvan Babb as his legal counsel, was sent to the Government Industrial School. They will reappear before Magistrate Blair on February 27. (BT)

ACCUSED JAILED FOR BIG BILL ON STOLEN MOBILE – Former security guard Shavon Lamar Welch-Chery was back before the law court for the second time this week. Welch-Chery who gave his address as Farmers, St Thomas but on Wednesday gave it as Sugar Hill, St Joseph, again pleaded guilty to stealing a cellular phone between December 1, 2019 and January 24. He also admitted to obtaining from Digicel Barbados Limited during that same period, $8,015 worth of cellular and data services by falsely representing that he had lawful possession of the device and was authorised to use the services. According to the facts the owner of the device visited one of the telecommunications company’s outlet to query about the extremely high phone bill. When the matter was investigated it was discovered that the calls and data were used when he was out of the island. The owner of the phone said the last time he saw the device was in his vehicle’s glove compartment when he took it to valet. The accused was employed at the establishment. “I know what I did was wrong,” Welch-Chery told Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today before he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for running up the telephone bill. He was reprimanded and discharged for stealing the phone as it was recovered. However, his guilty plea triggered a one-year bond imposed on him two days ago. Unable a pay the court-imposed $1,500 forthwith fine he was sentenced to the alternative of three months in prison for that theft. (BT)

NO BAIL FOR FISHERMAN – An allegation that he committed an act of serious indecency against a 13-year-old boy has landed a fisherman on remand at Dodds. Rawle Larenzo Lavine, of Blackman Field, Pine, St Michael appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today and was not required to plead to the indictable January 27 charge. It is also alleged that he removed the child from Spry Street on the same day without the consent of the person legally authorised to give permission on the child’s behalf. That charge is also indictable. The Crown in its submissions gave reasons for withholding bail including that Lavine was not a fit candidate given the seriousness of the matter, the victim was underage and the strength of the evidence against the accused. The prosecutor said society also needed protection from him. In his application for bail Lavine said among other things that he was self employed as a fisherman. He also claimed that he did not commit the act. He will make his next court appearance on February 27. (BT)

ST. PHILIP COMMUNITY FEARS RESIDENT – Residents in one St Philip community say they are living in fear of one of their own and they are calling on authorities to urgently intervene. Residents in Atlantic Park complained that since early last year, a male resident who lives in an apartment complex with his wife, was responsible for breaking car windows in the area, peeping into houses and threatening neighbours. Sherry Anne Bourne who claims her husband was the latest victim, said she was so afraid that she believed it was time the matter was highlighted in the media. “It is just escalating. He is literally threatening the entire neighbourhood’s peace and all of us are here scared and we can’t continue going like this. “Two o’clock in the morning and you look outside, he’s outside pacing up and down with a stick. One of us in here got to dead first before somebody takes notice of what going on out here?” a visibly upset Bourne who lives across from the apartment building shouted during an interview with Barbados TODAY. Residents said the man walks around with a stick, “spinning it around and hitting cars with it”. They also reported that he has been seen outside sharpening a sharp-edged tool while looking directly at another resident. Bourne said two weeks ago, she was driving home with her two-year-old son when she saw the same man standing “in the middle of the road” drinking something from a cup. He refused to get out the road, she said. “Monday night was the first time he hit my husband’s car. When he hit it he came onto our property and we made a report for trespassing and he said that he was going to kill my husband. “And his wife came out and she was asking ‘did you hit my husband with your car?’ The police took about an hour to get here. He paced up and down in front of our house with the stick. “When the police come he ran up to his apartment. It may seem small that it is the rear view mirror but that is my husband in there coming home late at night. He [the alleged offender] don’t go nowhere during the day,” Bourne said. The resident indicated that she and her husband filed a report at the District “C” Police Station on Tuesday where they were told that they needed to get an estimate of the damage. Bourne said in the meantime, she contacted the owner of the apartment complex and told her “we cannot condone them having people in here that putting the neighbourhood at risk”. “I went online and I did research on him and he is not even Barbadian and here making Barbadians lives a living hell and he got his wife there and she condoning this foolishness,” Bourne said. Meanwhile, Renee Alleyne, who is renting one of the apartments at the complex, said she was especially concerned about her neighbour’s actions. “I am self employed and I have customers that have vehicles that come here and I can’t take the risk in them feeling threatened coming to me.” Alleyne explained that another concerned neighbour had informed her that as recently as Sunday he saw the accused peeping through his bedroom window. She said the neighbour told her he had to shout at the accused to get him to move from the window. “I am also fearful because it is me and my 16-year-old niece that I am taking care of. She takes public transport and right now I can’t take any chances. “After witnessing and seeing the behaviour last night I don’t know what to think. And it is not only this district; all the surrounding districts have complaints for him,” Alleyne said. Barbados TODAY reached out to the landlord, who said she was looking in to the matter. Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Rodney Inniss also indicated that he was carrying out investigations. (BT)

TIGHTER SECURITY FOR BSSAC – Security will be much tighter this year at the annual PowerAde Barbados Secondary Schools Athletics Championships (BSSAC). New head of security, Steven Jackman, principal of Daryll Jordan Secondary School, stressed the need for increased screening at the entry gates of the National Stadium. “My task this year is to coordinate security. It is really a simple task that becomes very difficult and that is to coordinate the athletes, coaches, patrons, vendors, everyone who enters the Stadium for these championships safely. This year we will have the cooperation of the Royal Barbados Police Force. We will be using a number of security businesses, and also some of the school guards,” he said. He was speaking yesterday morning during the launch of BSSAC at the Alexandra School. Jackman said given the current climate in Barbados and around the world, they were doing their best to up the security. “Given what is Barbados now, we have to do certain checks but if you cooperate with us we can do those checks quickly and get you inside. If the coaches and officials can have the athletes with their IDs ready then we can get them in and out the sun as quickly as possible and they can get ready to compete,” Jackman explained. He said there were just some things that they could not compromise on. (SS)

ZANE READY FOR EURO OUTING – Sports Personality Of The Year and British F4 racing champion Zane Maloney will suit up for the EuroFormula Open Championship this season. And he will be staying with the Surrey-based Carlin team after his stunning debut single-seater season, in which he won the 2019 F4 British Championship title. “It feels great to continue the relationship with Carlin. Last year was amazing and I hope to build on this momentum and to perform strongly in EuroFormula. I have been working really hard in the off-season with the team, my trainer Dominique and Kokoro Performance in order to take it to another level. I’m ready for the challenge,” Maloney added. Team principal Trevor Carlin said they are thrilled to work with Zane again for another season, describing him as an incredibly talented driver as his Formula 4 results proved, and a hard worker within the Carlin team. “We have no doubt that Zane will be an asset to the team and will be one to watch from the very start of the EuroFormula Open season; we can’t wait to see what he can achieve this year,” the Team Principal noted. (SS)

FEBRUARY 6 FOR BUT MOTION AGAINST SPENCER – The no-confidence motion against Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) president Sean Spencer will be heard next Thursday. A notice was circulated to members yesterday to attend a special general meeting at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology at 4 p.m. This follows a January 22 petition, with the requisite 20 signatures from the general membership, led by former public relations officer Dwane Goddard. It accuses Spencer of not demanding an apology from Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw for comments she allegedly made last year against teachers on the floor of Parliament and at the speech day of Christ Church Foundation School. The petition also said Spencer failed to implement a three-point plan agreed to by the BUT membership. In the last Sunday Sun, Spencer said he was not afraid of a fight and saw the move as part of the union’s democratic process. He added a venue would be selected, and the meeting held seven days after notice was given by advertisement to the membership. (SS)

RENDEZVOUS HILL CLOSED OVER THE WEEKEND – The section of road between Forde’s Road and Amity Lodge, Christ Church, where extensive work is being carried out to the rock bluff on Rendezvous Hill, will now reopen on Monday at noon. Due to the complex nature of the work, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance was forced to extend the road closure to safely facilitate the work both for workers and the general public. The crew has been cutting the rock wall, clearing rocks and trimming trees. A footpath for the safe passage of pedestrians is also in the works. Motorists are asked to plan their routes carefully and to avoid the area. The Ministry apologises for any inconvenience caused and thanks the public for its patience. (SS)

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