Archive for April 14th, 2010
Local businesses go green slowly, but surely
(CNS): As the Chamber of Commerce gears up for its 13th annual Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up this Saturday, 17 April, it also paid tribute to the growing number of green initiatives among its membership. From Caybrew’s recycled bottles to Mail Boxes Etc that uses environmentally-friendly cardboard and recycled packing materials the chamber said it was proud of members who made an effort. While more than 1300 people have signed on for Saturday’s clean up others are going green everyday.Still a hugely important event in the year the chamber said it was pleased so many members had taken the earthday clean-up project to heart.
Fidelity first to cut premiums on secure homes
(CNS): Residents who make their homes safe with the use of monitored security systems will finally be rewarded with lower insurance premiums through one local bank. Efforts by Fidelity Bank (Cayman) Ltd to co-ordinate two of the islands’ security services suppliers and a number of insurance providers have resulted in a new insurance package with cheaper rates. Customers who lower their risk from break-ins burglaries and robberies by installing an alarm system will be offered premiums 10% below the usual rate and Fidelity customers will also receive between 5 and 20% discounts on the alarm systems they install.
CITA coordinates Earth Week clean-ups
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) Watersports Committee has said that it is again coordinating the Earth Day Reef Watch Survey on 24 April in partnership with the Department of Environment. Described as a fun but scientifically useful event that residents and visitors alike can get involved in, divers and snorkelers are being asked to fill out surveys about the marine life they see during their dives. The DOE will then compile the results and enter them into its database of Reef Watch Results stretching back from 1997. Last year’s survey was adapted to include Lionfish sightings, which will continue this year, CITA said.
Lionfish are an Indo-Pacific species which have invaded Cayman waters. They eat large quantities of juvenile fish and invertebrates but have no predators themselves because of their venomous spines. Lionfish can inflict a painful wound if handled, so the Department of Environment cautions survey participants not to approach a Lionfish if one is sighted and to alert a divemaster, who will report it to the DoE for removal.
Some dive operators are offering participants returning a completed survey a free Earth Day T-shirt while supplies last. Many of the operators offer a free tank for shore diving or a free one-tank boat dive, depending on availability, for divers participating in the Reef Watch Survey and/or free snorkelling gear for participants, so contact the individual operator to find out what is on offer. Participating shops, included Divetech, Don Fosters Dive, Eden Rock Diving Centre, Ocean Frontiers, Red Sail Sports and Pirates Point on Little Cayman.
Meanwhile, on shore people can still get involved in Earthweek activities by joining in the ironshore and beach clean ups.
Ocean Frontiers will be conducting a clean up in East End Beach as well as a Reef Watch snorkel. Beach clean up will take place in the morning of Saturday, 24 April. Earth day participants will be taken by boat to snorkel inside the East End reef and given Reef Watch surveys to complete afterward. Call 947-7500 for details and to reserve space on the boat.
The Central Caribbean Marine Institute will be doing a clean up with Cayman International School and Montessori By the Sea, as part of the Marine Ecology Courses they are doing this week/weekend. Also, CCMI has released its latest Green Guide, which is now in all the major supermarkets, in support of the Earth Week activities.
Divetech & Cobalt Coast will be doing an underwater clean up 24 April and Pirates Point Resort on Little Cayman will be coordinates beach cleanups throughout the week of April 19 – 26. Red sail Sports is offering a free one-tank dive to do a reef clean up on Saturday 24 April. Check in at the Grand Cayman Beach Suites at 2:00 pm. Phone 949 8745 for reservation.
For more information about Earth Day activities or the Reef Watch Survey call the Cayman Islands Tourism Association on 949-8522 or email: erinbodden@cita.ky
Expert to offer advice on new market risks
(CNS): The potential risk to offshore financial centres now doing business in the world’s fastest-growing economies — China, India and Russia — will be highlighted by DC Page, Senior Vice President, Consulting and Investigations with US-based risk mitigation firm Andrews International at this year’s OffshoreAlert conference in Miami. With the aggressive stand against OFCs by the United States Page says there are tremendous opportunities in these new markets but it is important to do business with the right people.
Sunday closing made official at Turtle Farm
(CNS): Although the Cayman Turtle Farm has not stated the reasons, it will now close its doors to the public on Sundays unless there is a cruise ship in port. It is understood that the closure is as a result of the continuing losses sustained by the facility. Boatswain’s Beach said the park will be open as normal Monday through Saturday 8:00am – 4:30pm and on Fridays the Schooner’s Bar and Grill will remain open for Happy Fridays. Asking people to come visit, a statement from the farm listed its many facilities. Boatswain Beach receives millions of dollars in subsidies each year from government but continues to lose money.
CS fails to make target cuts
(CNS): A memo from the Financial Secretary’s Office sent to senior civil servants yesterday reveals that most government departments and agencies have missed the deadline to submit their revised budget targets to the budget management unit. As the clock ticks on the time when government must bring the 2010/11 budget before the Legislative Assembly (30 April), the note, seen by CNS, from Kenneth Jefferson reveals that two thirds of government entities have failed to submit a revised budget plan and of the third that have made the deadline, none have actually met the reduction targets.
CNS understands that Cabinet will be holding a meeting with all chief officers and chief financial officers today, Wednesday 14 April, to discuss the current status of their 2010/11 budget preparations and how they plan to meet the reductions as set out by Cabinet last month. The percentage expenditure-reduction targets sought by the Budget Management Unit were set out in a memo circulated on 30 March. The civil service was asked to reduce the over all HR costs by 8% and were given the target amounts the government wanted to spend on other operating expenses.
The financial secretary said in the note that the senior staff would have to discuss where agencies are unable to meet the targets what is preventing them from doing so. He said they would also be expected to set out any significant consequences to the delivery of public services which could result from meeting theexpenditure-reduction targets.
Given the budget deficit problems, Cabinet made a decision last month to present the administrative arm of government with a set target for its human resource budget of $219,000,000, some $19 million down on last year’s personnel costs. It also set out targets for consumables, transfer payments and other areas of government spending in order to reduce the 2010/11 budget to match expected revenue for the next fiscal year.
Government, however, has not stipulated where cuts to services should be made but asked for efficiencies by the public sector and a reduction in personnel costs, namely salary and benefit cuts or a reduction in head counts to cut the salary bill. Last week the governor denied that this decision was a cop out by Cabinet and said the civil service management were the right people to decide where cost cuts could be made.
The Civil Service Association (CICSA) has disagreed, however, and pointed out that if the political arm of government wants to reduce public spending on the one hand it cannot demand ever more services on the other.
Voter’s opinions wanted on future political landscape
(CNS): The work regarding the expansion of the country’s political representation has finally begun following the first meeting of the newly formed Electoral Boundary Commission (EBC) of the Cayman Islands. The members are now inviting submissions from the public about how the three new MLA seats will be added to the Legislative Assembly. The debate, however, has never been concluded over whether Cayman should switch to single member constituencies or continue with multiple representation and just add the three new seats to the larger existing district constituencies.
There are a number of possible changes that could be made to the electoral districts but both sides of the House — UDP and PPM representatives — have been reluctant to commit to single member constituencies. However, the EBC will now begin composing a report on the options the country has to change the system, the future shape of electoral districts and how the new members can be added to the country’s voting landscape.
According to a government release, once the report has been completed it will be submitted to the governor by the end of May. It will then be tabled in the Legislative Assembly, at which point the political debate about the country’s future representation will begin. The same release stated that the members of the ECB are inviting "public participation in the process of reviewing current electoral districts and creating new ones".
All registered voters and those who are qualified to be registered are being encouraged to give both written and oral submissions from now until Friday, 7 May. In keeping with the EBC’s approach of transparency, the commission prefers to receive signed submissions, but it will also accept anonymous contributions. Written submissions may be mailed to: The Electoral Boundary Commission, c/o Elections Office, P.O. Box 10120, Grand Cayman KY1 -1001, Cayman Islands. They may also be hand-delivered to the Elections Office on the 2nd floor at the Smith Road Centre, 150 Smith Road in George Town or emailed to electionsoffice@candw.ky.
Oral submissions will require a person to make an appointment to meet with the commission and people can call the Elections Office at 949-8047.
Following the adoption of the Cayman Islands Constitution 2009 last November, the EBC was formed in accordance with Section 88 of the document. The Commission is chaired by Carl Dundas, with Norman Bodden and Adriannie Webb as members.
AG report under wraps
(CNS): Despite the fact that the Auditor General’s Office has completed its latest report on the situation regarding government finances, Dan Duguay told CNS that he was unable to reveal its contents. Although the auditor general confirmed that the latest edition of the State of Government Financial Accountability, first published in 2008, is being handed to the speaker of the Legislative Assembly today, he would not be able to release the report to the media on Friday as would be his usual practice. Duguay said the chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has now said that he must gives his OK before it can become a public document.
When CNS asked on Tuesday for an update on the status of the much anticipated report, Duguay confirmed that it was complete and that the report would be officially handed to the speaker on Wednesday morning 14 April, but he said he would not be holding a press briefing on Friday and that he was not able to discuss the findings.
Woman barred from college over legal charges
(CNS): Cassandra Bodden, who is facing firearms importation charges, says that despite her not guilty plea she has already been convicted by her college before a verdict has been delivered by a jury. Bodden has received a letter from UCCI stating that she has been banned from the school campus while court proceedings continue. Bodden was recently tried in the Grand Court for the importation of firearms but the jury was unable to reach a verdict. As a result of the deadlock the judge declared a mistrial, forcing Bodden to appear before the courts again in August. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
CNS Note: Only comments on the general principles involved here will be allowed, not ones on this case in particular.
Smoothie King expanding to the Cayman Islands
(PRNewswire): Smoothie King, the 1973 originator of the nutritional fruit smoothie, has reached an agreement with BW Ventures, LTD, to develop multiple stores in the Cayman Islands within the next few years. BW Ventures, LTD, operated by Barry Bodden and Gary Watler, plans to have their first location up and running in summer 2010. "In recent years, there has been a strong movement in the Cayman Islands toward healthy living," said Bodden. "We are confident that Caymanians, as well as the millions of annual tourists to the islands, will make Smoothie King highly successful here."