Archive for April, 2014
Sports group aims to identify local talent
(CNS:) The committee of public and private sector members that helped to develop the National Policy and Strategic Plan last year is now working with the sports minister to implement that strategy. The Strategic Sports Advisory Group (SSAG) will be looking at the number of coaches and volunteers needed to facilitate the plan and improve the sports curriculum in local schools. It also aims to develop criteria to recognize talented athletes and sport ambassadors for transition to national programmes or elite athlete status and education opportunities through sports.
The National Sports Policy and Strategic Plan was developed on the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) principles. It is expected that this approach to sports development will yield the greatest range of the benefits which sport can bring to the Cayman Islands including sports tourism opportunities, officials said in a release.
Among the other expected benefits of this approach in the medium to long term, is a healthier country with stronger communities, filled with national pride and community spirit. The group has therefore identified its first step as assisting National Sporting Associations to develop long-term plans for their individual sport based on the LTAD principles.
Committee members include the sports minister, Osbourne Bodden, the ministry’s councellor Alva Suckoo, chief officer from the sports ministry, jennifer ahearn, director of sports Collin Anglin, senior policy advisor for sports Joel Francis, chief officer of the ministry responsible for district administration and tourism Stran Bodden, Clive Baker from education, Bruce Blake from the Cayman Islands Football Association, Cayman rugby’s Derek Haines Andrew Moon from the local sailing club, president of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, Donald Mclean Richard Hew from the private sector, Jim Fraser as the parent of an elite athlete, and former national athletes Lee Ramoon and Cydonie Mothersill.
Formore information or to get a copy of the National Sports Policy and Strategic Plan, visit www.ministryofhealth.gov.ky.
European football body to work with Caribbean
(CNS): The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for mutual co-operation towards the development of the game, officials said this weekend. The deal was signed in the Cayman Islands between the CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb and the UEFA president Michel Platini, to reinforce a mutual commitment to development in the Caribbean region, while providing for administrative and operational cooperation between the two confederations.
“The agreement is a framework to provide CONCACAF with technical assistance and support, while fostering cooperation and dialogue for the purpose of building a strong legacy with sporting, social, cultural and educational benefits,” officials said in a release after the agreement was signed at the Ritz..
"This is another important step as part of CONCACAF's new vision of integration, which aims at gathering the best know-how from each global football community to be able to customize it for the good of the development of our game," said Webb.
Platini, in his first visit to the Caribbean said, “It is the duty of us who are in the daily business of the game to join forces for the development of global football."
After his brief stop in the Cayman Islands, Platini will continue to tour the region with official visits to Grenada, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda.
The MoU – similar in nature to that signed between CONCACAF and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in April 2013 – comes as the fruit of long dialogue between the two Confederations, the football bodies stated
Cayman ready to tackle insect spread disease
(CNS):The World Health Organization is focusing on the problem of diseases carried and spread mostly by insects and pests to mark this year’s World Health Day. Cayman's health minister said officials here are doing all they can to keep Cayman free of these types of diseases but with the recent reports of Chikungunya virus and growth in Denge in our region the public health department also stood ready to tackle the issue should our defences break down. Although the Aedes aegypti mosquito,responsible for the transmission of the Chikungunya virus, dengue and yellow fever among other illnesses, is present in the Cayman Islands, they are still not endemic.
Prior to 2004, it was rare for Aedes aegypti to breed locally. After the passing of Hurricane Ivan however, breeding became established and widespread, until it was brought under control by the Mosquito Research Control unit (MRCU). But with climate change dengue has become the fastest growing vector-borne disease around the world AND Cayman is by no means immune, having seen several cases oflocal transmission as well as imported cases.
Osbourne Bodden said in a world health day message that he was committed to supporting the wide variety of disease prevention measures implemented by the MRCU, public health and environmental health
“These agencies aim to continuously improve integrated surveillance of vectors and to take measures to prevent their proliferation,” he said. “We are also steadfast in our promise to strengthen the capacity of our Public Health Department to respond to actual and emerging threats. Our Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response Team is a multi-sectoral group led by the Public Health Department, which stands ready, with plans in place in the event of an outbreak.”
Nevertheless Bodden urged the public to help prevent the spread of disease by unblocking gutters and drains, disposing of garbage, old tyres and anything that holds water, frequently changing water in animal bowls, potted plants or ornaments, and avoiding mosquito bites.
See full message from the health minister below
Rivers seeks cash for petition
(CNS): Although costs were not awarded against John Hewitt, who filed a challenge to Tara Rivers’ election to office last year, the education minister is now going after her constituent for the money. Rivers’ lawyers are seeking a hearing before the chief justice to ask for the legal costs in the successful defence of the election petition, which was heard last summer. Hewitt’s legal team, however, is resisting the attempt to seek the hearing as they say that the case is closed and the chief justice has already made plain that the matter had been of significant public interest and he would not condemn Hewitt to pay for the defence costs as well as his own.
Despite this ruling, Rivers attorneys have been seeking to list a hearing so they can make a claim for what is likely to be a substantial sum. But Hewitt, who is represented by Steve McField, has filed a formal objection, pointing out that the chief justice made no order for costs, that the petition is closed and Rivers duly elected, with the matter now “functus officio”, meaning it cannot be re-opened before the same court.
Hewitt had filed the election petition against Rivers when she was elected to office in West Bay at the May 2013 general election, breaking the UDP’s stronghold in the district. Rivers had run on the Coalition for Cayman platform but she then joined the PPM government, if not the party, as education minister. Hewitt’s wife, Velma Hewitt, ran on the UDP ticket and came in fifth behind Bernie Bush, who took the last seat in the district.
Rivers ran for office while holding and using an American passport and made no move to relinquish her citizenship. She had also lived outside of the Cayman Islands for a significant part of the seven year period prior to an election, raising questions about her qualification on grounds of residency.
However, following a three day hearing in the Grand Court before Chief Justice Anthony Smellie, Rivers, who was represented by local firm Hampson and Company with constitutional expert, Jeffrey Jowell, QC, as lead counsel, successfully argued that having a US passport didn’t mean she had allegiance to another country and that she was studying when she worked at a London law firm.
The question of MLAs holding passports from the United States and other countries has long been an issue surrounding elections, as many people hold more than one passport in Cayman because they were born overseas due to the previous limits of the local maternity provision. Rivers admitted to having a US passport because she too was born there, and although she said she regularly used that passport, it did not mean she had any allegiance to the United States government as it was nothing more than a document to allow passage.
With a certain ambiguity in the law’s exceptions regarding citizenship from other countries, the chief justice found in her favour, settling the question once and for all and removing the need, going forward, for would-be politicians to revoke any other citizenship they may have in addition to their Cayman ethnicity before running for office.
Hewitt also challenged Rivers on the grounds that she was in the UK for several years in the seven year period prior to the 2013 May General Election working as an a associate at a London law firm. Rivers admitted that she was employed by the firm but claimed she was still resident in Cayman and was able to be resident in two places and that the job amounted to professional training at what was essentially the equivalent of an educational establishment.
As a result, she was also able to argue that she did not fall foul of the residency requirement in the election law, which the chief justice in his ruling also agreed.
The country’s top judge had, however, expressly noted that the challenge had been of particular public interest covering matters that needed to be settled. The CJ made a point of indicating he would not award costs of the defence against Hewitt.
The parties are expected to appear before the courts in the next few months to argue whether or not the Grand Court has jurisdiction to hear an argument for costs.
The issue of costs in such cases remains contentious.
The challenge was considered a public interest case and if petitioners who are making legitimate challenges where there are genuine questions of law to be argued are to be handed huge legal bills for the other side as well as their own costs, it could deter members of the public from standing up to potential injustices or wrongdoing as a result of financial constraints.
In this case, Rivers was found to be duly elected and fully qualified. However, prior to the judge’s finding, this was by no means a foregone conclusion. As well as securing Rivers’ seat, the chief justice’s ruling is a significant precedent going forward regarding long standing questions about how far the legislature wanted to go on the qualifications of the country’s representatives.
See the CJ's full ruling in the case below.
Ocean relay to raise cash for CARIFTA swimmers
(CNS): The first Open Water Relay to take place in the Cayman Islands will make its debut on Seven Mile Beach this weekend to raise cash for the local junior swimming team heading to this year’s CARIFTA games, in Aruba later this month. The 34 member strong team (28 swimmers, 3 coaches, 2 managers and a physio) have just two weeks left to complete their fundraising efforts so there is a lot riding on the inaugural event which will include an 12-Under Swimmers 4x500m relay and a 13-Over swimmers a 4x800m relay.
Registration takes place from 2:00-2:45pm at Governor’s Beach 11 April and the race begins at 3:00pm. The cut off time for completion will be 1-1/2 hours.
Every relay team must consist of 4 swimmers. The cost to register a team is $40 per team, or $15 to register as an individual to be placed on a team. Swimmers do not need to be CIASA members to take part. The course will be triangular with each leg of the relay starting and finishing on land. Billed as a fun for all event all swimmers are urged to come out and take part. Proceeds will go to the 2014 Cayman Islands National Junior Swim Team for their trip to CARIFTA in Aruba.
Registration forms and waivers are available on the day, at registration or you can visit CaymanActive to download the registration form in advance at http://www.caymanactive.com/swimming/open-water-swim-relay .
If you would like to make a donation contact the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association at ciasaboard@gmail.com
Rider gets top score in regional dressage contest
(CIEF): In the first week of March Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation riders had the opportunity to ride in a National Dressage Show before an overseas foreign judge appointed by the Federation Equestre Internationale, the horse world’s global governing body. Cayman is defending its title in the regional contest and Meegan Slattery (left) clocked an outstanding score of 76.875% on her horse Max which should go some way to help the local riders retain the trophy. The Judge, Anders Sucksdorff of Finland, was in Cayman to judge the prestigious World Dressage Challenge and agreed in addition, to judge local riders in various tests.
Riders enter a test appropriate to their stage of riding and the breadth of tests on offer is enormous.
The younger children beginning on their ‘dressage journey’ entered the USDF ‘B’ and ‘C’ tests which develop a rider’s ability to guide their horse in the walk, trot and canter gaits. In the ‘B’ test, Meegan Slattery continued her winning streak with an amazing score of 76.875% on Max.
This was an unusually high score for this Test. The CIEF Board of Directors subsequently awarded Slattery a special High Point Award to mark her success in this test. Second was Eva Muspratt with 70.625%, making her debut on her recently imported pony, Oscar. Third was Leah Alberga on Twinkle with 64% and fourth was Jenna Boucher on Katrina with 60%.
Slattery also took first place in the ‘C’ test on Max with 64.75% with Muspratt and Oscar in second with 63%.
Regina Nowack and Leonora took first in the USEF First Level Test 3 with 64.677%. In the USEF Training Level Test 3 open class, Tracey Surrey and SonRise David took first with 68% and Ashley van den Bol and EWSZ Carmella took second with 63.2%.
Experienced dressage rider, Thea Millward, rode Kartouche in the Medium Test and scored 63.438%, taking first place. Millward is too young to ride this class in the FEI’s World Dressage Challenge as it is normally a test reserved for adults due to its difficulty.
Millward’s skills are certainly up for the task though, and there will be no stopping her next year when she turns 15 and will be able to enter the class as an ‘adult’.
It is hoped the rules of the FEI WDC will be changed to allow talented young riders, like Millward, to enter the WDC at these advanced levels. It is a testament to the equestrian talent developing on island that junior riders like Millward are now beyond the skill level anticipated even at international level.
The next dressage competition, the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Dressage Competition, takes place on 1st June. Riders in Cayman are judged against their Caribbean counterparts in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda. As this was a competition Cayman won last year, CIEF riders will be fiercely defending their title this year in the hope of bringing home the silverware once more.
Gun and drugs seized on 7MB
(CNS): Police have arrested a 27-year-old man from Bodden Town after a search turned up a knuckle duster on him, as well as an undisclosed quantity of ganja and an adapted flare-gun with a live round in his car. An RCIPS spokesperson said the arrest followed a report in the early hours of Saturday morning at around 12:30am of suspicious activity at the Public Beach Cabanas on Seven Mile Beach. Officers from the West Bay Police station searched the man and found a knuckle duster in his pocket. Having arrested the man for carrying a prohibited weapon, they also searched his car, where they found the ganja and the modified flare-gun, which was loaded with a live round and adapted to fire the ammunition.
The RCIPS said that the man has been retained in custody as the investigation into the incident continues. Anyone with information about guns or any other crime in the Cayman Islands is asked to George Town Police Station on 949-4222, the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777, or to stay completely anonymous, Crime Stoppers on 800-8477(TIPS).
1 down 5 to go in Haines’ 6 marathon challenge
(CNS): Local veteran marathon runner Derek Haines is one stride closer to his target of finishing six marathons this year to raise $1 million to build an inpatient care unit for the local hospice. The 65-year-old completed the Paris Marathon on Sunday in an impressive four hours and three minutes and now has less than a week to nurse his blisters and sore knees before he hits the streets of London next Sunday for the UK capital’s annual race. Haines lined up with more than 42,000 to run through the French capital, which was won by 10,000m Olympic record-holder Kenenisa Bekele (31), who broke the course record and clocked the sixth-fastest marathon debut of all time in 2:05.04.
Haines will be very happy that the first 26 miles of his massive 156-mile target is now under his belt, which will hopefully boost the pledges towards the $1 million target.
After the London marathon next week Haines is hoping to be fit and ready for the Pamplona in Spain on 28 June, where he will be running with his daughter, Lizzy.
Then Haines will be headed for the United States for the San Francisco marathon just a month later.
He is still awaiting confirmation for his participation in the New York marathon but if he gets accepted he will run that race on 2 November. Haines sixth long distance run will be on home turf in the Cayman marathon on 7 December.
Donations can be made by accessing the dedicated website at six4hospice.com.
Animal charity takes on abuse
(CNS): Given the reluctance of people to report cases of animal cruelty, the Humane Society is offering itself as an intermediary for anonymous reports of abuse and neglect.The local charity is asking people to call them with as much detail as possible or post what they know on the website without any fear of reprisals. The chrity will then report the details to the authorities and follow up. In the wake of a recent shocking abuse case when an emaciated dog was dropped off at the society's shelter, near death, in February, Michele Sabti, the charity's education officer said the case was far from an isolated incident and the society had to find a way to address the too frequent cases of cruelty.
“We on the frontline of animal welfare have to inform everyone that unfortunately we come across animal abuse on a regular basis,” she said at a press briefing on Friday to announce the action that the charity hopes can help to alleviate worrying levels of animal cruelty.
Recognizing that neighbours may be afraid to call the agriculture department or the police when they see abuse of animals, as they are always asked for their details and fear that the government agencies may reveal who they are to the perpetrators, the Humans Society is offering an open invitation to the public at large to call them or go on their website and submit the details regarding what they know about neglect and abuse of animals.
“The fact is living amongst us all are a small number of people who see nothing wrong in abusing a defenceless animal,” Sabti said.
“Being a very small island, people are very nervous about reporting something like an animal cruelty case to the police or the department of agriculture as they don’t usually want to be identified,” she said, but when the cases are not reported the perpetrators can never be held responsible for their action and will continue to abuse the animals.
As a result, she said, the society would step in and try to take on the abuse by taking the anonymous reports. Sabti assured people that they could report to the Humane Society with complete confidence that their identity will not be required, just the details of where the animal at risk is located and what they know about the animal's suffering.
The society will then take up the case and follow through with the authorities and if it is an emergency move to rescue the animal. She said that if necessary, volunteers will go to the location. Although they have no authority to go on anyone’s property they can still view places where dogs or any other animals are at risk of cruelty and check the circumstances from a distance and use what influence they have to make sure those with authority can remove the animal.
Sabti said that going forward with the new initiative the charity will be keeping detailed records of the reports and following up because to date no one knows the extent of the problem as no records have been kept, either by the Humane Society or the authorities.
With no one able to say if there has ever been a single case brought before the courts in Cayman regarding animal cruelty, the society said that it will now be monitoring what happens with the reports made to the charity.
Given the numbers of animals that they see at the shelter, the cases reported to other non-governmental organizations and to local vets, the volunteers at the Humane Society all believe that the problem is significant.
The society’s treasurer, Lesley Walker, said that with more than 50 dogs and even more cats euthanized every month in such a small jurisdiction, it was clear animal cruelty was blight on the community.
The causes are clearly multifaceted, but the lack of enforcement of any of the laws and regulations relating to breeding, importation and how animals are kept was cited as one of the main issues which had facilitated what some see as extensive animal abuse.
Walker urged people to raise their concerns with their MLAs because if it is a matter of resources, the only people that can address it are the politicians and if they realize how outraged the community is by the levels of abuse, they will act. Pointing to the 60,000 hits and the outrage over abused dog, Teddy, Sabti said it was clear that while there are abusers living among us, the vast majority of people in Cayman care and want to see animals properly taken care of.
She also revealed that Teddy has since his eleventh hour rescue from death begun his recovery. Although he still has some way to go she said the vets were hopeful that he would make it. Whoever did leave Teddy at the society saved his life, she added.
With the volunteers and local vets all aware that 'Teddy' was just the tip of the iceberg, the Humane Society is hopeful that if they can act as an intermediary as well as a direct rescue centre it can begin to tackle the issue and protect the many animals at risk.
“We are pleading with everyone who cares, to stand beside us and put all those who abuse or neglect animals on notice that we are not going to tolerate it anymore,” Sabti said.
Anyone who has seen animals being abused, is aware of neglect or cruelty or even abandoned pets can contact the society via phone on 949 1461, email caymanhumane@candw.ky or visit the website www.caymanhumanesociety.com or the Facebook page or even drop a note to the offices in George Town at 153 North Sound Road.
As dump grows, Brackers urged to learn the three R’s
(CNS): An initiative launched on Grand Cayman by all the service clubs to encourage people to recycle has now spread to Cayman Brac. Reduce (avoid buying stuff with a lot of packaging), reuse (find other ways to use items when you’re done with them) and recycle – the three R’s – is the critical message that has now been presented by representatives from the “Join In” campaign to all the students on the Brac at the primary and high schools and at the UCCI campus, as well as Brac service clubs and anyone else interested. As the dump on the south side of the Brac grows, now almost reaching the height of the Bluff, residents are asked to collect aluminium cans and put them in the bins around the Brac and to start collecting glass and plastic, even though these are not yet recycled on the island.
The service clubs recognised that recycling needs to happen on all three islands but the project is just too big for a single club, Kiwanis President Kadi Pentney (pictured above at the Brac dump) told CNS when she and Rotary Sunrise President, JD Mosley-Matchett, came to the Brac to fire up Brackers to start recycling.
There are Department of Environmental Health (DEH) recycling bins for aluminium cans all over the island: at all three primary schools, Panama Canal Park, Kirkconnell’s Market, Billy's Supermarket, West End (RUBIS) Texaco, the Market Place, Brac Snack Shack and at the West End Community Park.
Residents are urged to collect all their cans and dump them in the bins; it’s OK to keep them in the plastic bags they are collected in, just stop putting them in with the rest of the garbage so that they just go to the landfill site, Pentney and Mosley-Matchett said.
“People are ready to recycle but they don't know what to do,” Pentney said, noting that most people don’t even notice that the recycling bins are there until it’s pointed out to them.
The “Join In” initiative is keen to work with the DEH in their efforts and have asked the DEH representative on the Brac, Thomas Augustine, what they can do to help. One way they want to do this is to find ways to keep glass and some plastic out of the Brac dump. While these materials are already being recycled on Grand Cayman, this has not yet begun on the Brac, and the service clubs are making efforts to coordinate with the private recycling companies and the DEH to get this going.
They are hoping that the companies will supply some of the bins required – they need about six – but are also looking for sponsors. The bins are around $250 each and sponsors can put their logo on them for additional advertising.
In the meantime, they are asking Brackers to start separating and collecting plastic bottles (without the caps) and glass as well as beer and soda cans, so that they can demonstrate the need and show that they are willing to participate.
Ideally, the Brac should have its own glass crusher, and the campaign is hoping that they can find a sponsor or someone to raise funds to buy one. Currently, glass collected on Grand Cayman goes to the Dart glass crusher to be reused and sold for construction.
The cans collected on Cayman Brac are sent to Grand Cayman. The aluminium cans and some plastics collected on Grand Cayman are crushed, baled and, when they have a full container, sent to Miami and sold.
“One person can make a difference,” Pentney said, “because they can encourage other people to recycle. One child can become a whole class, and then a whole school.”