Short Brac economic forum planned
(CNS): An two and a half hour Economic Forum for Cayman Brac has been scheduled for the morning of Friday, 28 August, and Leader of Government Business McKeeva Bush is inviting members of the public to attend. A release indicated that the forum would provide an opportunity for residents of the Sister Island community to voice their opinions on matters affecting them as a result of the current economic downturn and allow government officials to address pressing issues and concerns.
Bush stated in the release, “The depth and severity of the current global crisis that began in 2008 has affected us all, but I am aware that residents of the Brac face even greater challenges as the recession was coupled with the devastation of last year’s Hurricane Paloma. My aim for facilitating this discussion is to speak one on one with the people to get a true understanding of where things stand from their perspective. The information they give me will help us determine and prioritize the way forward.”
Bush will be accompanied by District Administration Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, and District Commissioner Ernie Scott will act as moderator. Representatives from the Cayman Islands Bureau will also be present to lend their assistance in terms of technical advice to small and medium sized businesses.
The event takes place at the Aston Rutty Centre and will run from 9:30am to 12 noon. It is being facilitated jointly by The Ministry of Financial Services, Tourism and Development and the Cayman Islands Investment Bureau.
Join CNS public forum: How should the Brac develop?
Category: Headline News
The Brac can develop with better air service and more people living here. There are more Brackers living on Grand Cayman than on the Brac.
There are investors wanting to invest here and now. Let us develop with every Bracker living on the island being a part of the process and progress.
Less red tape and allow sustainable development to take its course. 60/40 or 40/60. Brackers and Grand Caymanians or Brackers and international investors forming partnerships for the good of Cayman Brac. As we develop, let us learn from Grand Cayman’s errors. We have the chance to get it just right whilst at the same time preserving the unique Caymanian heritage which is still found on Cayman Brac.
God Bless the Cayman Islands!
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Quincy Brown
The government of the day sounds as if a national lottery will be getting its support. I would encourage the Cayman Ministers Association to support it as well. Considerations to tax the offering/collection plate of every church in the Cayman Islands could happen in the future. I respect the CMA and its important role as it pertain to morality and decision making in the Cayman Islands. I am praying that when we get our Bill of rights from the Mother Country–the "touchy" human rights of personal lifestyle decisions won’t force us into independence. We will either do everything England says….who has final say on ALL decisions or run the show ourselves. We can not eat the cake and have it too. Those days are gone. When I asked the Leader about political independence—his reply was we want financial independence. I will take a line from a dialect poem I penned some years ago called "My Cayman today". The line goes…"bankin’ may be good, but naw if ya na’ banking Caymanian money." Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are the future of the Caymanian tourism product. Welcome to the islands…enjoy true island experience…not a downtown city!
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Quincy Brown
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I see from your picture that rock climbing is now an activity in Cayman Brac.
Good, I will be going there soon.
Thanks
CNS: Rock climbing has been an activity on Cayman Brac for ten years or more but has never been promoted by any government.
CNS… I think that was Sarcasm.
Until any Government is willing to put the proper funding into the promotions… nothing will develop.
FORGET THE CRUISE SHIPS.
It should be so simple!
Cruise Ship passagers do not do the following!
Rent a car. Which also means buying gas. Stay over night in a motel If they stay in a rental, they will spend at the local stores for supplies and food. We need over night visitors and the only way to have this is to offer better fares and a better schedule. I would think even the people in GC would like more stay over guests and fewer Cruise Ship vistors. Aside from the money spent lets not forget this. More people will be working, something that is really needed now with all of the concerns in cutback within the government. It is such a simple issue. Drop fares and people will come. With the economy now everyone is looking for a bargain. So make the islands a bargain. Word will get around.
Our government needs money. So more tourists means more spending. Which leads to more items being imported hence duties!!!! Again something the government needs!!!
I almost forgot, which is better? To half fill, if even that at times, the jet with those that are willing to pay for a higher priced ticket or fill it with tourist wanting to see our islands and spend their money by selling an affordable ticket. Simple math folks!!!! That jet is still using the same amount of fuel and the same number of crew if it is full or not. So if Cayman Airlines is government owned, which means the people of the Cayman Islands then it should be run to benefit the people and not just so we can say "Look at us we own an airlines" If it is not going to benefit the people then get rid of it and move over and let another airlines come in. I am sure that Airlines would be run as a company out to make a profit and not just bragging rights to "owning an Airlines" which by the way is nothing more than a black hole in the governments budget.
So ask the people of Cayman Brac what they want and need and it will be better and affordable airline travel to the Brac. Now we all know we are going to hear back that we are going to get this. Yep just like before and before and before maybe even before my time. We will hear every excuse known and maybe even a few new ones we have not heard before. I ask everyone to try and get to this meeting and voices your concerns. We need to be heard and let them know we are tired of hearing the excuses and no longer will we accept this. Our future depends on this as much for us now and our children later. Sorry for being so long winded. but this is an issue we all need to worry about.
The entire Brac airlift problem could be solved by changing the landing fees.
Brac International flight in/out: "Free"
Caymans Domestic Flight: "Cheap"
Grand Cayman International flight in/out: "Expensive"
Even if Cayman Airwaysdoesn’t figure this out, the US Airlines will.
D.T.
FYI to the wise one who stated that Cayman Brac wasn’t close to anything:
Check your map! Cayman Brac is closer to everywhere including US, JA, Cuba.
So tell me it wouldn’t save millions in fuel if CYB was used as a hub instead.
Let’s see who would be whining then!
My blood is Bubbling Ill buy you a ticket so u can come to the meeting and ill also pay some of these fools you call us to drop a proper a$$in on you the same time how dare you call us fools?
Quit jerking around with the cruise ships and get the direct flights in from the states. If that is done the investors will then look at this island as something that might bring a return on thier investment. Untel then, no one will invest the money needed to even put us back where we were several years ago. Sense the direct flights have ended should we not notice that things have gone the wrong way. Its not rocket science folks.
For goodness sake – I have never heard so much whinging as from these posts about no jet flight etc etc. Brackers live on a very small caribbean island. It is not the centre of all things tourism and can never hope to be for the simple fact that it is a very long way from anywhere. Frankly it is lucky to have such a regular service from GC – small planes are fine. Money to pay for these things doesn’t grow on trees. There are some beautiful islands off the coast of scotland where tourists love to go to that have one ferry going 3 times a week and they all manage. Its always someone else’s fault isn’t it on the Cayman Islands. Always someone else should be doing this that and the other. Well actually no…. society and change is an individual’s responsibility. If you don’t like what your island is then leave and go somewhere else. The joy of the isolated caribbean island is just that. If you want convenience then exercise your right to the ODT passport and go to England or Europe.
Boy I tell you, when you aint got no choice, people treat you any old how!! I wish Island Air was still around or that we had another option for air transport to Cayman Brac! BecauseI would drop Cayman Airways like a hot potato!!!
If I read the Cayman Airways schedule correctly it seem that flight 105 leavesMiami 6:40pm (TH FR SA SU (1 STOP) until 9 SEP) with the one stop in Grand Cayman . As I see from the schedule this will be over on September 9. Why is Cayman Airways doing this? Oh yes! It’s Cayman Brac! We are of NO IMPORTANCE up here, so when the season is slow as they will claim, they will certainly not bend over backwards for us Cayman Brackers!! If you don’t give people the option to use the jet flight then how do you honestly expect to boost the economy over there if you can’t get the people there in the first place! Not everyone wants to travel on the small planes! The are always breaking down and I for one do not like those small planes! So I do my endeavor best not to fly on one when I’m going home!
It’s a shame that it always seems that the powers that be are working against us and not with us! We can’t boost the economy if were not given the proper jet flights! Of if we are not given a chance to have the cruise ships visit more than once ever four years (especially now that we have the beautiful new hotel) or in nor’wester season! Come on our elected delegates! Help us here! All this lip service sounds great but are you going to be able to stop Cayman Airways from canceling flight 105 toCYB after September 9th????????
to anonymous 14:28
My blood is also BUBBLING, I totally agree with you. I just hope that Brackers will come together friday morning and put Juliana and Mckeeva in their place. What happens to us brackers who live worldwide that wants to get home to visit our family? Sometimes i wonder the stupid handfull of brackers that voted for UDP really taught what they were getting into on election day, no because the fools was worried about UDP fixing up their house and UDP getting them loan buy new car, u fools were not thinking about the future tourism or young people of the brac. I just wish i could attend this meeting so i could get my two cents in.
Brackers wake up
I read today with total shock the article in Cayman Net News “"Sister Islands to Boost Tourism". It is really comforting to know that the Ministers have such wonderful optimism in Cayman Airways helping the Sister Islands to increase their visitors
considering that their new schedule for September -Nov cancels flight 105
from Miami to Grand Cayman which incidentally is the closest flight that the
Brac has to a direct service from Miami where people can depart that
evening and stay on the flight and continue to the Brac the same day. Now
our visitors will have the privilege of 1 of the below options:
(1) They can come to Grand Cayman from 10:55am that morning and sit for 7
hours before getting the Jet to Cayman Brac that evening or they can come on
the Express if its not on fire or getting taped up to try to make the run
and pay thru their teeth for the excess luggage since Express only allows
1/2 the limit the jet offers.
(2)For all those who can’t makethat 10am flight from Miami you have the
good fortune of loosing close to 2 days of vacation by having to fly from Miami to Grand Cayman at 8:40pm at night get in there at 9pm hopefully get to a hotel by
11pm or Midnight and then overnight there to catch a flight to the Brac
the next morning "same problem with using the express and baggage" and now
they have lost 1/2 of their second day of vacation.
CONGRATS EVERYONE WE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO FINALLY SMOTHERING THE BRAC!!!!! NOW LETS ALL SIT DOWN AND ANALYZE EVERYTHING AGAIN AND DO MORE IMPACT STUDIES AND FORM MORE BOARDS TO LOOK INTO THIS THAT AND THEN NEXT WHILE WE WITHER AWAY TO THE ISLAND THAT TIME FORGOT ONCE AGAIN.
And While I’m on the subject and my blood is boiling I’d like to say thanks
to the money greedy leaders of this island for allowing our very name sake
to be blown to smithereens and shipped off to Grand Cayman in order to pave
their roads. How about trying to figure how you "bright sparks" are going to
grow the Bluff back eh? Maybe we should form a Board to think up a new name
for the Island since the "BRAC" in Cayman Brac is about to be wiped out maybe
we should rename Grand Cayman "Grand Cayman BRAC!" since they will soon have more of the Bluff than we do!!
Start with DIRECT FILGHTS from the US and stop the quarrying
CNS: Do you know if there is a possibility for call-in opinions at this meeting for those who can’t make that meeting? Or would we have to call up family and have them voice our concerns and opinions?
Nicky: If you have someone who can stand in for you, that might be the best way to go. Alternatively, if you write your opinions up and send them to me at nickywatson@caymannewsservice.com I’ll make sure they get read.
CNS: one question I would like the answer to is what is going on with the Paloma Fund? Can’t hear nothing about it?
Is the first elected MLA from Cayman Brac part of this as well? He seemed to be the one with all of the new ideas 4 years ago and again at election time a few months ago