Premier Wayne Panton highlighted affordable housing, an increased minimum wage and better public transport as key planks of a new ‘Cayman sustainability agenda’ which he aims to launch this year.
Speaking to business leaders at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting at the Marriott resort on Seven Mile Beach, Panton said he would be undertaking a mid-term evaluation of the progress made so far by his PACT government.
He said he would be evaluating successes as well as challenges and suggested “decisive action” may be needed to accelerate government’s key goals.
Those goals will be further clarified in the Strategic Policy Statement and budget statement later this year.
But Panton said the “sustainability agenda” would include measures to incentivise the private sector to build more affordable housing, as well as an increase in spending on public sector housing.
The premier also referenced increasing building densities “two or three floors” to add housing units to the market at lower costs.
He added that getting to grips with Grand Cayman’s traffic problems in a holistic way was also part of the agenda.
“This includes the development of a comprehensive transportation plan that includes continued progress on critical road infrastructure, but also provides incentives for car sharing, biking and a new clean, reliable public transport system.”
He said there was no simple solution to the traffic problem, given the massive growth in population and car usage on the island, but committed to taking action to improve the situation.
Panton added that an adjusted minimum wage – likely raising the $6-an-hour threshold – was also in the works.
He promised a ‘white paper’ to allow substantial business and public input on a new Sexual Harassment Bill, which aims to address a number of issues in the workplace, many of which were highlighted in a Cayman Compass series in 2021.
Our series included stories from hundreds of women who said they had faced harassment at work. At the time, Panton committed to advancing legislation to create safer, fairer workplaces, and he reiterated that promise Thursday, adding that the white paper would allow for feedback from businesses before the bill goes to parliament.
“We have to ensure we have to ensure that the workplaces or schools or organisations are free from gender-based harassment and discrimination.”
Panton also touted government’s strong economic record, indicating a substantial budget surplus was anticipated. And he assured business leaders that keeping the economy strong would remain integral, as his government looks to address social issues over the coming years.
He said the government’s “mid-term evaluation” should be a collaborative approach with input invited from businesses.
Government aims to launch its Sustainability Agenda in April, through the Strategic Policy Statement.
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