Archive for December, 2013
Shomari joins Shetty team
(CNS): The man credited with turning round Cayman's declining overnight tourism figures will be taking his talents as a marketing wizard to Dr Devi Shetty's Health City in East End. Shomari Scott, who is leaving his current government post as director of the Department of Tourism this month, will take up his new job as the hospital's marketing director at the beginning of January. And not unlike his previous position, where he brought in visitors, Scott will be tasked with bringing in the patients. Gene Thompson, the local partner on the project, said he was "ecstatic" that Scott had joined the team and he was one of a number of locals that he hoped would fill many of the hospital's non-medical posts. Scott joins Caymanian Judy-Ann Ebanks, the HR director on the management team.
With less than three months to go until the hospital's grand opening on 25 February, Thompson said that the recruitment drive was now moving full steam ahead. He said he was "excited about the talented Caymanians we now have in the team", which he said was part of the ongoing commitment to recruit local people.
Although Scott has not yet begun his new job, he said that like any marketing role it would be about identifying the customers and then using the right tools to let them know about Health City Cayman. He said he had wanted to join the team as he believes that medical tourism will become Cayman's third economic pillar and wanted to be at the start of it all. He said he was sold on Dr Shetty's vision.
"I think the model for transformation in health care in the the west is going to begin here," he said. Scott also pointed to some similarities regarding issues of airlift and the related tourism element for patients post-operation, as well as their friends and family. "I will make sure the world knows about Health City Cayman," he added.
Dr Devi Shetty, the man behind the ambitious project, is not currently in the Cayman Islands but the local team is in the process of identifying and interviewing for more key posts. Thompson said the leading doctors and senior medical staff will come largely from India, while senior and specialist nursing staff is expected to come from North America.
With around 140 jobs to fill and few medically qualified Caymanians, most of the clinical staff will have to be recruited from overseas. Thompson said that they still hoped to fill some posts with qualified locals but the Health City had also agreed not to poach what few trained and qualified local healthcare professionals there are here in Cayman that are working with either Chrissie Tomlinson or the HSA.
However, with plans for extensive training and a schools programme to try and encourage young Caymanians to start on the road to a career in medicine, Thompson is hopeful that as time goes by local people will be working at the hospital in every area.
In the meantime, he said, there were high hopes that non-health related posts could go to locals, as was the case already with key posts going to Scott and Ebanks. Having a local HR manger, he said, was a great start and would ensure that recruiting locals would remain front and centre for the facility once it is open, as it has during construction.
There are still many posts at the hospital that do not require medical training. Thompson urged people to visit the website and submit applications for the numerous jobs, and he hoped that at least 25% of the 140 employees would be from here.
During construction the project maintained a highly localized workforce, averaging in excess of 65% Caymanians on the site during the life of the development. As a result of waiving the requirement of a clean record, Thompson said the project was able to employ some highly skilled workers who may have been overlooked because of old police records and they have completed a two year long job in less than a year.
"When you give people a chance they will perform," he said.
Thompson said that from the beginning Dr Shetty and the rest of the team committed to using local people and services and they would continue to dothat once the hospital opened.
Motorbike rider in hospital after GT crash
(CNS) Update Thursday 2:12pm: Police say that the 27-year-old man who sustained serious injuries as a result of the crash near Red Bay Primary School last night has been airlifted to Miami for treatment. At 8:10pm yesterday, police and other emergency services were called to the scene of a collision involving a Toyota Highlander and a motorbike on Shamrock Road, George Town. The two vehicles were travelling in opposite directions when the crash happened. The bike rider was transported to the Cayman Islands Hospital by ambulance. The accident is being investigated by PC Kenval Holder of the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. (Photo courtesy of Cayman 27)
The RCIPS is seeking any person(s) that may have witnessed this collision or have any information relative to this collision to please contact the George Town Police Station at 949-4222 or any of the police station in Grand Cayman.
Still no pension convictions
(CNS): Although the authorities at the Department of Labour and Pensions (DLP) are investigating over 600 cases of pension violations by employers, which were initiated following a report on the matter by the Office of the Complaints Commissioner (OCC) three years ago, not a single conviction has been recorded. The 2010 report revealed the shocking delinquency and failure of the authorities to enforce the law, but according to information released by both the DLP and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) following requests made by CNS, just four new case files from those 600+ delinquent bosses were passed to the prosecutor’s office, three of which saw charges laid and a fourth given to the DPP in October is currently pending.
The shocking state of pension delinquency is further illustrated by the fact that the rest of the cases currently before the courts were opened and passed to the DPP more than three years ago. However, so far not one case has resulted in a successful prosecution as the cases, which are all being handled by the Summary Court, continue to be adjourned.
The Department of Labour and Pensions revealed that since Complaints Commissioner Nicola Williams published her report, in which she suggested that millions of dollars were missing from pension funds as a result of employers breaking the law and the authorities failing to enforce it, they had opened 1,419 new cases and resolved 805, leaving 614 cases under investigation. With only four having being passed to legal department, the pensions department is dealing with 610 delinquent employers.
Although they began naming and shaming the culprits by publishing on their website those being prosecuted for failing to make employee pension contributions, many of the companies listed continue to trade and hold work permits for employees.
Employment Minister Tara Rivers has promised to address the issue and in a statement released in October following damning criticisms of the situation in an updated OCC report, she said her ministry was reviewing the National Pensions Bill, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly but then withdrawn by the previous UDP administration.
Some two months ago, Rivers said she was “seeking guidance as to the policy considerations and amendments that need to be made to the Bill in order for me to bring it back to Cabinet”, and said the bill was not in keeping with the policy direction of the current government.
The minister also stated that the Department of Labour and Pensions was looking to increase its staff complement to ensure its effectiveness.
"The department has managed to secure funding for an additional senior pensions officer in the 2013/14 budget and will be making steps to recruit to this post," she said.
The minister has also promised a pro-active employers inspections regime, which will include pension inspections by January 2014.
Forensic experts sue immigration over unpaid bill
(CNS): A specialty forensic service company is suing the Cayman Islands Department of Immigration for $54,000 plus interest, claiming that it has not be paid for a report it conducted into systems for individual background checks and unearthing fraudulent travel documents that could be used by immigration staff. In the statement of claim filed by Cayman Islands Forensic Service Ltd the firm said it had a contract with the immigration department for a report, which it completed in 2008, but has not been paid the $54,000 owed for the research and report. The company claims the immigration department agreed the job in July 2008 and the 18 page report, which required 176 hours of work, was handed to immigration and signed for on 4 November 2008.
In the claim Cayman Islands Forensic Service said the department has “subsequently remained in possession of the report” and it has “been used and or referred to being in the possession of and or referred to by Members of the Government and Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands."
Although the forensic firm submitted invoices to immigration, the director of the company, Andrew A. Miller, a certified fingerprints expert, said the bill has never been paid.
The writ asks for the principal sum of $54,000 and interest at over 2% plus costs.
NCL not being rushed
(CNS): As government’s environmental officials host the final round of public meetings regarding the National Conservation Law, the environment minister has dismissed allegations that the law has been rushed, not least because the country has been talking about it for more than a decade. Wayne Panton said that the “time is now for this legislation” and since the draft bill has been in the public domain and consulted on for years, every stakeholder has had more than enough time and plenty of opportunity to comment. Nevertheless, local lawyer Samuel Jackson, who specialises in assisting clients through the planning process, revealed that he has never submitted comments or concerns on the law until now.
Despite his expertise and experience and, as he admitted, being on the frontline where this law is concerned, Jackson appeared at the public meeting with a list of eleventh hour concerns and comments about the legislation.
Although his legal practice focuses on development application and even though he has had to deal directly with environmental questions surrounding some of his clients' projects and the Central Planning Authority, Jackson said he had never made comment before and he believed the law was being rushed through, despite the more than four years that the bill has been in public circulation.
Panton asked Jackson to submit his concerns in writing, regardless of their last minute appearance, to give the technical experts a chance to consider his points and to ensure that the questions and comments were already covered in the legislation. Panton pointed out that the law had been modified and adapted many times to take into consideration the many contributions that have come from the public.
When asked by CNS why he had never contributed formal comments to the debate before, given his business and the fact that the bill has been in the public domain for so long, Jackson said he did not believe the law would ever see the light of day.
“It has been talked about for so long and because there have always been issues I never believed it would be supported by Cabinet and brought to the table of the Legislative Assembly,” he said. Jackson is not alone in his sentiments, as the ongoing discussion regarding the law has made others believe it would never be passed.
However, Panton pointed out that the PPM and the C4C members of the current government had all campaigned before the election on the promise of bringing the law. Following his appointment as environment minister, Panton made it clear in June the bill would be brought to the LA before the year end. He pointed out that this draft had been through two further consultation periods and more amendments during the last administration, which had watered down the law to meet stakeholder concerns.
“It aims to conserve and protect the existing state of nature around us …There are many reasons to introduce this legislation, but none more important than what we will leave as a legacy for the children of the future,” Panton said, as he stood behind the legislation and the pressing need for its passage.
During the West Bay meeting, where around 20 members of the public were in attendance, Jackson was the only person to raise concerns and object to the law. One other member of theaudience raised concerns about marine conservation but Panton explained that the NCL was not dealing with the enhancement of marine parks, which was a separate issue that would be dealt with next year.
Meanwhile, Creswell Powery, who joined several others who spoke in support of the legislation, pointed to the need to enforce the legislation once it was passed.
“They used to call us ‘cockeyed-conservationists’ when we advocated for conservation laws 40 years ago. We’re not too late, but once the law is passed it also needs to be enforced,” he said.
DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie noted that going forward under the new legislation DoE enforcement officers would have powers arrest. Despite misinformation about them being armed and other misleading allegations, she said that at present when her officers see people poaching they have to stand by and watch as they wait for the police to arrive to put a stop to it because they have no powers of arrest.
The director also noted that there was nothing rushed about the legislation. In addition to the bill, all of the plans the DoE has about the regulations and how the law will work in practice, such as the process by which species will be designated for protection, have been on the DoE website for more than five years, she noted.
“There are no secrets in this legislation,” Ebanks-Petrie said. “This law has been reviewed and reviewed and reviewed, again and again,” she stated, adding that it was not legislation dreamed up by a few people at the DoE but a law that had been drafted based on massive stakeholder and public input.
From consultation with the planning department, the Water Authority, the roads authority, the private sector, environmental experts from far and wide and empirical research, the law was a major collaborative effort. Ebanks-Petrie said everything that had been raised during the many, many meetings over the years had been considered and there was no remaining genuine concern that is not addressed in the law.
The public meetings continue tonight when the minister and the DoE team will be in North Side.
Cannabis debate moves to Morocco
(CNS): Lawmakers in Morocco are the latest group of national leaders to begin examining the use of marijuana for medical purposes. According to the local media, politicians there will look at cannabis consumption for medical and industrial purposes for the first time on Wednesday at the request of those campaigning for its partial legalisation. The special research day session will look at the positive uses of cannabis cultivation "in creating an alternative economy" in Morocco, one of the world's top exporters of the drug, known locally as "kif". Meanwhile, the latest research also states that cannabis may help to reduce brain damage following a stroke.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham conducted a meta-analysis of experimental studies into cannabinoids, chemicals related to those found in cannabis, some of which also occur naturally in the body. The findings showed that the compounds could reduce the size of stroke and improve neurological function. The research, announced at the annual UK Stroke Forum, indicates that all three classes of cannabinoid could be effective in shrinking the area of the brain affected by stroke and in recovering neurological function.
In Morocco, Mehdi Bensaid, an MP with the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM), a liberal opposition party founded by a politician close to the king which is promoting the campaign for medical marijuana there, said, "The idea is to start a debate on that, to see what others' experiences in this field can tell us, looking at controlled rather than total legalisation."
Cannabis is cultivated in large quantities in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco, where it was only outlawed in the 1970s. Those campaigning to have cannabis legalised again say it would boost much needed development, benefiting poor farmers rather than people illegally trafficking the drug.
Cannabis use for medicinal purposes has been authorised in a growing number of Western countries, including Holland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Britain, Canada, Australia, several US states, and most recently the Czech Republic.
The legalization of medical marijuana in New Hampshire has led a college in Portsmouth to create a class about the subject. The medical marijuana industry is projected to generate $600 billion in the USA annually. In an era in which most businesses have reached saturation and stagnant profits, medical marijuana represents an array of opportunities. Robert Calkin, one of the nation's premier medical marijuana experts and one of the school's instructors, said dispensary owners lawfully growing medical marijuana can potentially earn upwards of $10,000 per day and a master grower can realize $250,000 a year.
Meanwhile, here in Cayman the Facebook page created by Burns Connolly, who is trying to get discussions started locally, is going from strength to strength and a recent CNS poll came down 80% in favour of legalisation for recreational as well medical use. Only 7% of the 514 plus voters supported the current criminalization of its use.
Women eye semis as U20 tournament approaches
(CIFA) The Head Coach of the Cayman Islands Women’s Under 20 Team Joe Supe believes his side has the players and ability to reach the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 Championships here in January. The Cayman Islands competes in Group B of the competition with neighbours Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago and CONCACAF perennial champions Mexico. Supe said, “I am pretty excited about the group. Mexico is going to be challenge but on paper we can qualify for the semifinals.” Focusing on his team’s opening fixture against Mexico, Supe believes a strong outing will strengthen Cayman’s chances of reaching the final four.
“If we have a good showing against Mexico and then dominate Honduras and Trinidad then we will be in a prime position to go into the semifinals and then potentially get into the World Cup.”
Supe is a resident of California in the United States and Head Coach of the Irvine Valley College team. He was hired by the Cayman Islands Football Association to prepare the women’s team for their biggest challenge yet. After a week of assessments, Supe is pleased with the quality of players and their capabilities ahead of the tournament.
“Technically we have players who can make a difference. In leadership players like Brianna Hydes and Jetena Bodden can push the ladies forward into believingthat something is doable and achieving our goals,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hydes who is the captain of the team scored the winning goal in a warm up match against a Cayman Select Team on Saturday at the T.E. Mcfield Sports Complex. Hydes took a break from her studies at Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina to participate in Coach Joe Supe’s week long training camp, organized to prepare the team for the CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 Championship January 9-19.
The nineteen year old capped off a hectic trip with a goal in the 61st minute which set up Cayman’s 2-1 victory over the select side. Shanelle Frederick opened the scoring for the National team in the 32ndminute, before Hydes doubled the lead sixteen minutes into the second half. Kimberly Pitta pulled one back in the 75th for the select side.
Hydes expressed her desire to lead by example when she takes the field in January.
“To be able to lead these young ladies is an extreme privilege”, Hydes said. “I was once the little girl of the team but being one of the senior players comes with a lot of responsibility. I have to be the role model and set the standards.”
She confessed that playing the last few seasons in the United States first at the Rabun Gap Nacoochee High School and now Southern Wesley has improved her temperament on the pitch. “Playing in the United States has helped me mature as a player. I control my temper a lot better and the physical nature of the game in the United States is vastly different.”
The CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 Championship kicks off on 9 January 2013 at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Cayman opens the tournament against Mexico before matches against Trinidad and Tobago and neighbours Honduras. The top two teams from the Group advance to face the best of Group A with the top three teams advancing to the Women’s Under 20 World Cup in Canada.
George Town extend lead with 6-0 victory
(CIFA): In seven weeks of the Cayman Premier League season George Town Sports Club has shown a renewed focus on goal scoring; that was punctuated on Sunday with a 6-1 trouncing of North Side. George Town has scored 21 goals from their seven matches this season an average of three goals per game. The clinical goal scoring performances help George Town extend their lead at the top of the standings with 19 points. In Sunday’s clash Ariel Tatum started the rout in the seventeenth, then after the break, two own goals pushed George Town to a 3-0 advantage.
Guiton King brought some hope back to the North Side bench in the 80th but Cesar Dixon and a double strike for Kevin Moore cancelled any plans of a comeback.
Earlier Elite SC suffered a shock3-0 loss to Sunset. Justin Pierre (28th), Timothy Edwards (77th), Ben Hobden (90th) gave Sunset just their third win of the season. The victory pushed Sunset into fourth this season with 11 points just one ahead of Elite (10). The loss to Sunset was Elite’s second loss in three weeks.
Title-chasing Bodden Town and Scholars International battle to a 1-1 draw. Chris Douglas found the back of the net late to salvage points for the West Bay side after Thomas Bush gave Bodden Town an early advantage.
Academy SC pick up their first win in five games by stopping struggling Cayman Athletic 2-1.
Visit the official CIFA website www.caymanfootball.com for updates, scores, match
schedules and all things Cayman football.
Cayman Rugby gearing up for the festive season
(CRFU): Whilst many local rugby players are still working on their 7’s game the bigger (and certainly slower) form of Rugby XV’s returned to the South Sound shores on 30 November. With all new players on Island allocated to one of the four local club sides (the Queensgate Bank Pigs Trotters, the Fidelity Bank Cayman Storm, the Advance Fire and Plumbing Buccaneers and the John Doak Architecture Iguanas) thiswas, for most, the first rugby played since the 2013 season which ended in June. So whilst the games were strewn with errors some early signs of what promises to be an exciting season of Rugby Union emerged on the afternoon. Photos by Caroline Deegan
The games, both labeled as “warm up” games, do not count towards the domestic season but allowed coaches and managers a glimpse of new players strengths, overall team weaknesses and as is often a problem this time of year… fitness (or a lack thereof).
In the 2pm fixture a large Pigs Trotters squad which has been training hard in their spare time took on a thread bare Buccaneers side and most were surprised that the Pigs did not make easy work of the Buccaneers. The game was a high scoring and tense affair and in the closing stages of the match the Pigs Trotters were reduced to 13 men but even with the numbers disadvantage the Pigs Trotters held firm and thanks to a last second James Geary try the men in red took their first win over the Buccaneers in years.
Final score Pigs Trotters 33-30 Buccaneers
The 4pm fixture between the Iguanas and the Cayman Storm was a more one sided affair but an entertaining game none the less. The Iguanas were certainly rusty out of the blocks and ample handling errors and penalties gave the Cayman Storm plenty of ball possession. Ball possession which led to the usual trademark runs from Vanassio Tokotokovanua and Michael Sumares but none of the penetrating runs resulted in points for the Cayman Storm. Instead the Iguanas ran in 21 unanswered points even when they, like the Pigs Trotters before them played part of the game with men in the sin bin with yellow cards.
Final score Iguanas 21-0 Cayman Storm
The first real domestic season games (and the first chance of silverware) come with the Heineken Charity Shield/Wooden Spoon matches on 14 December. The title bout for the day is between the current holders of the Shield the Advance Fire and Plumbing Buccaneers vs. the current Alex Alexander Memorial League Trophy holder the John Doak Architecture Iguanas. The earlier 2pm fixture for the Wooden Spoon will be the “battle of the banks” when the Appleton Challenge Cup Holders, the Queensgate Bank Pigs Trotters take on the Fidelity Bank Cayman Storm.
Upcoming Fixtures
14 December 2013
2pm Heineken Wooden Spoon: Queensgate Pigs Trotters vs. Fidelity Cayman Storm
4pm Heineken Charity Shield: Advance Fire and Plumbing Buccaneers vs. John Doak Architecture Iguanas
21 December 2013
4pm: CRFU Charity Toy Drive Match
26 December 2013
4pm: CRFU Boxing Day Game
Father and son duo face consequences of jail break
(CNS): The father and son inmates who busted out of HMP Northward both appeared in Summary Court Tuesday to face charges regarding their unlawful departure from the prison with a third man earlier this year. Steve Manderson (45) and his son Marcus (26) were wearing leg chains as well as handcuffs as they each made their way into the busy courtroom for separate appearances before the presiding magistrate, Valdis Foldats. Although the men’s cuffs were removed, the leg chains remained, giving an indication of the high security now surrounding the prisoners after their August escape. Marcus Manderson pleaded guilty for his more than three months of freedom, while his father has not yet entered a plea.
Steve Manderson told the court that he had been refused legal aid and said that “somebody is trying to cover up something”, as he asked for time to try and find an attorney willing to act for him pro bono. His case was adjourned until 21 January, and since he is serving a life sentence for murder, the magistrate noted that there would be no serious prejudice to his case as a result of the delay.
It is not clear what will happened to the older member of the incarcerated family duo because at present his sentence means life without the possibility of parole. While issues have been raised about the human rights implication and the need for government to address the challenge that the current mandatory whole life sentences for all murder cases poses, the current reality for him is that it would be impossible for any further imposition of a sentence. Manderson was recaptured in the Frank Sound area some two weeks after his sixth escape from custody.
His son, Marcus Manderson, managed to remain on the run for over three months, with police suspecting that he had left the jurisdiction until an operation in George Town led to his recapture last month. The younger Manderson is serving a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years after he was found guilty of possession of an unlicensed firearm by a jury, which found the modified flare gun that police say he tossed over a wall during a chase was a lethal weapon. As a result, the courts will be able to add time to Manderson’s already lengthy time in jail and he is scheduled to face sentencing on Thursday.
Chadwick Dale (20), a Jamaican national who escaped with the Mandersons, was the first to be recaptured and he was recently sentenced to another year in jail on top of his six year term for a violent robbery.