Archive for September 25th, 2013
World Cup to pass through Cayman on promo tour
(CNS): Having a local at the top of the football world appears to have a number of perks and one of them is the arrival of the world’s most famous sporting trophy on Cayma soil next month. The 2014 FIFA World Cup Trophy will arrive in the Cayman Islands on the specially outfitted Coca-Cola–FIFA Tour airplane on 7 October. The solid gold trophy is the most coveted prize in football and as part of the promotional events for the competition, which will take place in Brazil in 2014, it will visit 88 countries during the run up to the world’s biggest sporting event and Jeffery Webb, FIFA vice president, managed to pull some strings to make Cayman one of this destinations.
The cup is expected to be on show somewhere near Owen Roberts for the day, where fans will be able to see the trophy.
The trophy will be in Jamaica before coming to Cayman and then on to the Bahamas in a tour covering some 92,000 miles. The global FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour started earlier this month at the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and organizers expect more than one million people around the world will see the cup in all its glory.
Gaelic football swaps telecoms sponsor
(CNS): The Gaelic football League is to be renamed LIME LTE League following the change of sponsor for the sport from one telecom company to another. LIME has replaced Digicel as the sponsor of this popular sport giving a new three year commitment to the local league renamed as the LIME LTE league, after the operator’s new ultra-fast mobile data service. LIME will be launching nationwide Long Term Evolution (LTE) services – the world’s fastest mobile data technology – later this year in the Cayman Islands. LIME will be the exclusive telecoms sponsor for the next three years with its logo on all uniforms and branding at CIGFC events.
Martin Roos, Acting Chief Executive Officer said the firm was delighted to be supporting a great sporting competition in Cayman.
“The competition is a real community event in Cayman, and we are proud to be able to help the league flourish,’ he said. “We are also pleased to be promoting our new LTE service, which will be the best available in Cayman, as the only service available on the 700Mhz frequency used by the major operators in the US, thereby allowing existing iPhone5 and Samsung Galaxy S4 customers to upgrade LTE service without having to change phone.”
As part of the sponsorship LIME will also deliver: Annual funding for the Cayman Islands Gaelic Football Club (CIGFC); Additional funding for the club’s international tournament; Prizes including top of the range LTE-compatible smartphones LIME TV packages; Giveaways such as water bottles, towels and bags; Promotion of the sport on LIME social media sites, by text message, on radio shows sponsored by the operator and on LIME TV
Eamon Wilson, Head of Operations Improvement for LIME, who plays in the CIGFC described it as a fantastic sport which involves men, women and children from across the islands and brings the community together.
“It’s great that LIME has stepped into the breach to sponsor the CIGFC. The funding and support from LIME will help promote and develop this great game within our community here in Cayman and allow the Club to compete in tournaments abroad,” he added.
David O’Connell, Chairman of the Cayman islands Gaelic Football Club said it was very happy to welcome LIME looked forward to a building a solid relationship.
“With LIME’s sponsorship and local media support we believe we can develop even further as a club and grow our club members to an all-time high. Over the last few years we have had huge interest from all sports fanatics on island and have also been invited to play in numerous international tournaments in the US, which has been wonderful for the club.
With LIME's help we hope to continue this prosperous era and ensure that we are a well-publicized team throughout the Caribbean and the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) for years to come. Let’s hope this is the start of a great relationship. Thank you LIME and welcome,” he said.
Gaelic football has been played in the Cayman Islands for over a quarter of a century. The CIGFC is now the governing body and organiser of Gaelic football activities locally.
Young players return to pitch for PFL season opener
(CUC-PFL): On Saturday, September 28, Sir John A. Cumber Primary defends its 2012/2013 Opening Rally title as the popular 2013/2014 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) season kicks-off with the always entertaining Opening Rally at the traditional “home of local football”, the T.E. McField Sports Field (Annex Field), beginning at 9:00 a.m. It was only a short 11 months ago that Sir John A. Cumber Primary edged Cayman Prep 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout to claim the 2012/2013 Opening Rally title, which marked the only trophy the boys from the West would claim last season.
In contrast, Cayman Prep used this early loss to go on and win the prestigious Under 11 Champions Cup and a second-place finish in the Under 9 Champions Cup.
The Opening Rally has always been highly entertaining and very competitive with 13 schools competing this year including defending champions Sir John A. Cumber Primary, runners-up Cayman Prep and fourth-placed St. Ignatius Prep. Other schools competing include Bodden Town Primary, George Town Primary, Savannah Primary, Prospect Primary, Red Bay Primary, North East Schools (a combined team from North Side and East End Primary schools), Cayman International School, South Sound Schools (a combined team from Montessori by the Seas and First Baptist), St. Ignatius Prep and Triple C.
An exciting, fast-paced one-day tournament, the opening rally consists of short games of 10 minutes per half with no off-sides. Games must end with a winner. If games are tied at the end of the 20 minutes, penalties will decide the victor. The firstround of play is the group stage with schools being divided into three groups of three teams and one group of four. Schools play each other once in their respective group with the two top teams from each group advancing to the second round – the knockout stage. From the quarter finals, the semi-finalists are decided with the resulting two winners advancing to the final and the two losers playing for third and fourth place.
The three groups of three teams include Zone A with Red Bay Primary, South Sound Schools and St.Ignatius Prep; Zone B with Bodden Town Primary, Cayman Prep and Prospect Primary; and Zone C with Cayman International School, North East Schools and Sir John A. Cumber Primary. The only four team group is Zone D with George Town Primary, Savannah Primary, Truth For Youth and Triple C battling for the top two spots.
The PFL Committee encourages fans of “the powerful game” and youth sports in general to make their way to the T.E. McField Sports Field (Annex Field) this Saturday and cheer on our future National Team players. Special thanks to contributing sponsors Progressive Distributors, the CUC Primary Football League’s exclusive supplier of Gatorade. We’ll see you at the field.
Water sports operator gives up boat for fundraising
(CNS): Starting in October the Special Olympics Cayman Islands will have the use of a Red Sail Sports luxury catamaran and crew to use as a fundraising tool or place for social events. The monthly date is a donation from the Red Sail Group in addition to the firm’s $15,000 financial contribution made earlier this year. “A financial donation only goes so far and we want to empower the Special Olympics Cayman Islands to help itself and its athletes by other means,” said Rod McDowall, General Manager of Red Sail Sports. “Our catamarans are very, very popular and it’s up to the organization to take this opportunity and run with it − the sky’s the limit,” he added.
McDowall says a catamaran sail can bring in up to $2000, so the Special Olympics Cayman Islands can tap into a revenue stream that would add up to $24,000 a year to their coffers. For a non-profit organization that relies completely on volunteers and contributions, the regular use of a luxury catamaran also adds a venue for social events, opening up many possibilities.
“It’s tremendous” said Nick Freeland, chairman of the SOCI Board. “Clearly it is a potential revenue-stream for us, but I see that as secondary, because it’s important for us to maximize and strengthen our existing relationships with sponsors.”
Special Olympics Cayman Islands enjoys the support of several loyal corporate benefactors who sponsor athletes attending competitions and fund the costs of the SOCI’s annual fundraiser, the Eric Crutchley Memorial Golf Tournament.
“Most nonprofits don’t have the opportunity to give something back,” added coach and volunteer Stuart Knox who will be responsible for making the most of the catamaran partnership. “We have had years of continued support from our corporate sponsors and this is a huge opportunity to thank them with a gift in return.”
Knox already has creative ideas on how to have fun onboard the catamaran which holds up to 70 people: Murder Mystery on the Sea, ‘Mask Night’ on board, karaoke, and other activities. Or he says sponsors and their staff can simply enjoy a relaxing sunset sail.
“We can promote the programs and the needs of SOCI to a captive audience and hopefully recruit volunteers to help, so this will be a great awareness builder,” Freeland said “At the end of the day we want to expand our programmes and we need volunteers to do that. We don’t just want to write checks, we want our staffs to get involved because it's a hugely worthwhile organization.”
As well as adding programme Freeland said the sports charity wants to bring in younger children who can benefit, but they can only do it if they have more certified coaches and volunteers. “It takes a lot of work to make the Special Olympics Cayman Islands successful, we need a lot of bodies to do the work,” he said.
For more information on the Special Olympics of the Cayman Islands, (345) 946-7624 or e-mail soci@candw.ky.
Fair set to highlight importance of statistics
(CNS): The government’s Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) is teaming up with nine other public authorities to showcase the impact of statistics on daily life in the Cayman Islands at what will be the country’s first ever statistics fair. It will take place at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) at the end of next month, when the interactive exhibition will be the highlight of the Cayman Islands’ celebration of the International Year of Statistics 2013. Organisers have planned activities that will focus on the theme “KY Stats 4 Everyday Life: Let us Educate and Appreciate”.
ESO Director Maria Zingapan said that the year was declared by the United Nations to promote the power and impact of statistics on everyday life and to introduce young people to careers in statistical science.
“We aim to get our local students thinking about statistics, not just as a subject they study but how comprehensively statistics impact all of us in our daily lives,” Zingapan added.
Other participating departments include: Children and Family Services, Education, Environment, Environmental Health, Immigration, Lands and Survey as well as Planning, the Health Services Authority and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. Most of these departments are members of the recently-established National Statistical Coordination Committee.
Fair coordinator Shanna Saunders-Best said that there will be interactive exercises that will aim to help school children learn in a fun way how statistics work, and through which they can earn special prizes and offerings. There will also be an award for the school with the most representatives.
While the emphasis will be on students, the day-long fair will offer interesting exhibits and meaningful insights for adults as well the ESO added.
The fair will take place at the UCCI auditorium on Thursday, 24 October from 9am to 6pm.
Heart charity gives life-saving equipment to schools
(CNS): The Cayman Heart Fund (CHF) has used the money raised during the Discovery Day 5k Ken Chand Walk/Run to purchase and donate automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to government schools that still don’t have one. This is part of a major push to cover all schools and to encourage other educational establishments, churches, recreation centres, gyms and sports complexes to install the critical equipment. The charity said that it was able to raise enough funds to purchase and donate ten AEDs to public schools in Grand Cayman and four in Cayman Brac so every public school now has a machine installed.
During the month of September, the CHF presented the AEDs to very appreciative principals, teachers and students at East End Primary School, UCCI, NCVO (Ms. Nadine’s), John Gray H.S., John A Cumber Primary School, Light House, Creek Spot Bay Junior School (Brac), Leyman Scott High School (Brac), Creek Spot Bay Infant School (Brac) & West End Primary School (Brac)
“The CHF would like to encourage all schools, churches, recreation centres, gyms and sports complexes to have an AED as it could save the life of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest victim,” a spokesperson for the charity stated.
The charity also offered it’s thanks to the sponsors who made it possible to raise sufficient funds to purchase the AEDs which included Agar Corporation, Cayman Islands Insurance Association, Dart International, Davenport, Diamond International and Cayman Airways.
IAT Kiosk to open in government building
(CNS): With government planning to change the immigration regime next month with an amendment to the law the regime controlling the awarding of permanent residency is about to get tougher. As a result government will be seeking to tighten the appeals process as well to eliminate frivolous appeals and move more speedily on genuine ones. With the goal of enhancing services provided to the public the Immigration Appeals Tribunal (IAT) has established a new kiosk on the ground floor of the Government Administration Building which will open Monday 30 September, at 10:00am allowing anyone going through or making an appeal to drop off documents or make other submissions and check on the status of their appeal.
“The addition of this kiosk will improve the customer experience for all appellants and their representatives and also make the IAT easier to access,” said Natasha Bodden, IAT Coordinator. “Our goal is to ensure we provide the public with the most efficient and effective service so as to make the appeal process as seamless as possible.”
The desk will be open to the public every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm. For more information please call 244-3605
Bad records undermine FOI
(CNS): After more than 3,000 freedom of information requests since the law that allows the public access to government records and information came into effect, the information commissioner said that Caymanians have embraced their rights under the law but poor record keeping is undermining the process. Speaking just months away from the office’s fifth anniversary and during the annual Right To Know Week, Jennifer Dilbert told CNS that she believes the law has made a significant difference to the amount of information now available in the public domain but the issue of poor record keeping is the root cause of the many procedural issues applicants face during requests.
Dilbert said there have been many times during the mediation period or during an appeal when the public authorities she is dealing with have refused access to applicants even before they find a record. She explained that authorities are refusing applicants when the documents have never even been examined, which is why the reasons for refusal often change throughout the process. When a document suddenly turns up, the authority realises they can’t refuse under the exemption they have cited so they rush to add another exemption or recognise that they must release the record.
“The procedural problems take up so much time during a hearing,” she said, adding that this had been the focus of meetings with her office, the deputy governor and the chief officers, who are taking the lead to ensure a more proactive releasing environment and better record keeping. The information commissioner said that the civil service heads were the key to improving the FOI regime as they could put pressure on the political arm of government, where ministers are trying to prevent information coming out, and on their staff to improve record keeping and proactive release.
Dilbert said that while many authorities were doing far better on proactive release and responding to requests, there was still some resentment from information managers when they receive requests requiring a great deal of work to find the records. Dilbert noted that sometimes requesters themselves could be more specific about what they are seeking to improve their chances of getting what they need more quickly. But she confirmed that the onus was on the information managers to help by contacting applicants and establishing exactly what documents, records or information they are actually seeking.
The commissioner emphasised the need for public authorities to embrace the spirit of the law and start from a position of releasing everything unless there was a legal reason not to, rather than looking at a record and trying to find a way not to release it. She said they should not look at the timelines in the law, such as the 30 day period for release, as a target but if they have the information and it can be released it should be given to the applicant at the earliest opportunity. Dilbert said there was no excuse or proper reason for authorities to sit on records until the last legal minute.
Some authorities, she explained, also saw statutory deadlines relating to her orders as targets. After being ordered to release a record following a hearing, authorities are given 45 days to apply to the court for a stay on her order ahead of a judicial review. That time line was not meant to give authorities another month and a half to withhold a record, she said, and on more than one occasion an authority with no intention of challenging the release in the courts has held onto records until midnight on the 45th day, showing a deliberate disregard for the law’s intent.
In general, however, Dilbert was pleased with the improvements in many public authorities, and said they were getting better at fighting the culture of closely guarding government information. But some government companies and statutory authorities, where board members come from the private sector, were still struggling with the fact thateverything they do can be made public.
Overall, a great deal of information that may never have seen the light of day has been released to the people. The public has thoroughly embraced the law and the publication of important information is more widespread than ever. Dilbert explained that access to information was much more than shining a light on government or making the public sector more transparent.
“There are times when people request and receive information that can change their lives,” she said, as she pointed to personal record requests to authorities such as the pensions board, the police, immigration or for personnel records that can help them resolve long term problems.
With her own retirement approaching at the end of the year, Dilbert said she would be still be behind her desk until 31 December, when Deputy Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers will hold the fort until a new person is appointed to head the office.
With some additional money in this year’s budget and an empty post now filled, Dilbert said that the office would be able to handle much more work and focus on some of the persistent procedural shortcomings that are the main barrier to a smoother FOI regime.
Emphasising the success of FOI in Cayman so far, she predicted an even brighter and more transparent future as the public sector gets increasingly accustomed to releasing information to the public.
See below for the report and article detailing statistics relating to FOI and for the events planned for Right to Know Week.
Cops round up second murder suspect
(CNS): A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder this afternoon during a police operation in West Bay, an RCIPS spokesperson said Tuesday. This is the second man to be arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Irvin Bush on Sunday 15 September in Daisy Lane. Officers from the Uniform Support Group led the joint police operation supported by the Air Operations Unit. The suspect remains in police custody while inquiries continue.