Bryan Burton, the deputy head of mission at the Canadian High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica, was on Grand Cayman last week as part of the official opening of the Consulate of Canada here.
The office, which officially opened 8 September, will offer several services to the approximately 3,700 Canadians who live in Cayman, as well as any nationals who visit, he explained.
Charles Dingler, a Canadian citizen who has lived in Cayman for more than 20 years, is the honorary consul, and Lise Helie is the honorary consul assistant.
‘The office is open here so we can respond to Canadian citizens,’ Mr. Burton said, adding that the mission in Kingston is responsible for the consulate.
‘The reason why we have a consulate is because we have a very large number of Canadians here,’ Mr. Dingler, who has been the honorary consul since September 2004, added.
Among the services available here will be to offer any advice and assistance to Canadian citizens, help file forms for passport renewals and provide information for visa applications to Canada, Mr. Burton explained.
Previously, the forms would have had to be sent directly to Kingston and if there was a problem, they would then be sent back to Cayman. The consulate here can help circumvent these types of issues, Mr. Burton said.
The office here will be especially useful in emergencies, like hurricanes.
‘If there is a hurricane, we want to be able to get in touch with people quickly.
‘It is important to us in consular terms in case of a hurricane. Charles would like to be able to contact them (Canadian citizens),’ Mr. Burton said.
To help that process, he is urging Canadians in Cayman to register with the consulate.
Tourists may also need the help of the consulate, for example if they lose their passports, he explained.
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