Topic: editorial board

It’s nice to hit the reset button every once in a while and focus on what’s going right. Thankfully, our islands have much to choose from on that score.

A decision of this size, scope and historic significance should not be determined by a race to the finish line.

In our view, implementing these recommendations would bring the Cayman Islands to the ‘next level’ of responsible governance, joining other highly functioning democracies that prioritise transparency, fairness and efficiency in government affairs.

It is telling that personal vehicles continue to be the go-to choice for most residents and many visitors, even if it means enduring stop-and-go traffic on logjammed roadways crammed with hundreds of other drivers doing the same.

Teaching customs and border patrol agents to recognise red flags and suspicious behaviours will allow them to better target would-be lawbreakers while reducing friction for everyday travellers. It is an efficient, customer-friendly use of resources.

Our primary concern is the decision-making process be transparent, with plenty of opportunity for public input on the plans.

Unlike hurricanes, we can predict with near-100% certainty that the rainy season will wreak havoc on low-lying neighbourhoods – flooding streets, homes and businesses, causing headaches, inconvenience and damaging property.

Cayman’s repeated successes in sports tourism makes ‘winners’ of us all, opening up new revenue opportunities for the sector, diversifying entertainment options for our residents and reinforcing the importance of healthy, active lifestyles among our youth.

We are glad to see so many young people taking these lessons to heart.

With the very real possibility of the question coming to referendum, the time has officially come for readers to redirect their attention to these discussions and to educate themselves about the issues at hand.

Researchers such as Oxford-trained economist Diego Zuluaga have pointed out that offshore centres, as important facilitators of aggregate investment, are, in fact, associated with improved economic outcomes.

What, if anything can be done? The answers, while imperfect, remain largely unchanged.

We urge officials and council members to work diligently, and quickly, to implement processes and procedures that protect patient safety and ensure high standards of care.

Celebrate Cayman 60 Acts of Service is a chance to show the power of individuals in collaboration.

The governor's observations about Cayman's workforce were clearly intended to be positive and unifying. They should not have been controversial.

The time to prepare is when the sun still is shining, not when a storm is heading our way.

Premier Alden McLaughlin struck the right tone in his recent statement on the United Kingdom’s governance of its overseas territories, demonstrating both fortitude and diplomacy as he addressed conflicts on a number of issues that are exceptionally sensitive politically in the Cayman Islands.

For all the long hours and little frustrations, most mums will say the perks of the job far outweigh the demands.

Whether they do so by aligning themselves with the Premier or with the Opposition, there is no reason independent candidates cannot work together to do the job.

The million-dollar question (actually, closer to $100 million, according to ballpark cost estimates for a second terminal) is whether and how fast airport traffic will keep growing.

But by far the most exciting announcement this season has been that next year Batabano and CayMAS will be held on the same day, in one combined event.

If anything, we would take comfort in seeing our elected officials express a bit of alarm when discussing these issues, if only to signal that they understand the gravity of the situation.

When government uses public funds to study an issue of public interest, the product belongs to the people. Transparency is a philosophical cornerstone of any...

Cayman cannot control the ocean currents that occasionally steer sargassum in our direction, but working together, we can be prepared with a quick, efficient and effective response when it does.

It takes ongoing effort and careful vigilance to protect our islands from outbreaks of disease.

A good rule of thumb, used in many countries around the world, is that housing and related expenses should not exceed 30% of a household’s take-home income.

Last year, DoA impounded 388 dogs, according to records reviewed by the Compass. That is more than a dog per day – far too many for our little island.

Whatever you do, and however you celebrate, everyone here at the Compass wishes you a joyous Easter and a happy spring.

Hosting CARIFTA is no small task for our little islands, but it is well worth the effort.

It is good to see transportation issues rising to this level of awareness after years of slowly deteriorating conditions.

But there is no question that something must be done to stop the out-of-control growth in government’s healthcare obligations and expenditures. Our current path is simply not sustainable.

The new school inspection framework sets appropriately high expectations. Now it is up to us to reach the bar.

Public officials have a duty to swiftly inform the public about slip-ups, detours and unexpected events

More than a few junkers were left so close to roadways, they threatened the safe flow of traffic. In short, it was a terrible mess.

After weeks of waiting, our islands’ appetite is more than sufficiently whetted for this beloved event.

The success of these enhanced protections is dependent upon swift enactment, extensive education and robust enforcement.

When Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrive on Grand Cayman today, they will be greeted with all the pomp and ceremony befitting their station, and an official itinerary bursting with the best our islands have to offer.

Pooled together, even pocket change has the power to help eradicate hunger.

The Central Planning Authority, in particular, wields considerable power and influence. Appropriately, it has taken meaningful steps toward transparency in recent years, but as an Auditor General’s report released early this year also noted, the work is far from over.

We celebrated with them, shared their joy and offer our heartiest congratulations. They made our islands proud.

Initially, the extension project was to be carried out in partnership with the developers of Ironwood golf resort near Frank Sound. But as that development percolates with no definite timeline to completion, government is wise to forge ahead.

As a highly visible, youth-focused organisation, CIFA must embody the highest ethical principles. As role models for our children and representatives of our islands overseas, they should conduct themselves as leaders – with integrity, accountability, honesty and openness.

Mr. Myles is to be commended, and his efforts supported – particularly by parents and educators who influence young people’s choices and who may be unaware of today’s job market realities.

There is no cause to panic. Nor is there any lasting harm in grounding the planes until more is known.

As all should well know after years of discussion, such a facility would fill a critical need for our population. So it is doubly frustrating to learn government has once again gone back to the drawing board in re-issuing a request for bids.

The real question is not whether a longer runway would be useful today, next month or even next year, but rather many years into the future.

Readers will want to wake up with the roosters tomorrow to be sure they are at The Grounds in Lower Valley bright and early. They...

This week the public finally has been made privy to some basic details about the long-promised launch of digital court records.

Brace yourselves: Another external “analysis” of Cayman’s offshore industry is coming, and the news is not expected to be good. Quelle surprise.

The tone and the title of the current report, “One family: rethinking Britain’s relationship with the Overseas Territories,” make clear that committee members see “Mother England” as a strict parent whose commands are certainly more than mere suggestions.

For the record, for you as editor and the public, my press release never at any time stated or implied that the CIAA should not recruit from overseas, but it did ask for a review of the recruitment plan, and that the CIAA consider replacing the terms being offered with more temporary arrangements that would prioritize training and professional development of Caymanians.

We have our own leaders and community members who employ harmful rhetoric to stoke discontent, while peddling regressive protectionist policies.

If Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller had to undergo emergency life-saving surgery, would he stop the doctors from scrubbing up, in order to check their immigration status? If he were being robbed, would he turn police away if he thought the responding officers were not from the Cayman Islands?

It will surprise no one that, as a newspaper, the Cayman Compass strongly supports advertising. We also support “truth in advertising.” But at this moment, we are unsure about the Utility Regulation and Competition Office’s proposed regulations on truth in advertising.

When Prince Charles touches down on Grand Cayman next month, he will find an island much changed since his last official visit 46 years ago.

Recently released statistics on inflation may have come as no surprise to Cayman Islands residents whose wallets lately have seemed a bit lighter.

Peer-to-peer housing rentals are an efficient way for our islands comfortably to accommodate increasing numbers of overnight visitors. In the short term, it’s certainly simpler and faster than building or expanding a traditional hotel – and involves significantly less in the way of capital investment.

When Eric Bush returns to the Cayman Islands this July, he will arrive with a unique perspective on his home country’s global reputation, and also a Rolodex bursting with contact information for key decision-makers and influencers – two assets that will serve him well as the first Chief Officer for the new Ministry of International Trade, Investment, Aviation and Maritime Affairs.

It is wonderful to know that even as he sets his sights on Canada, Mr. Morritt will continue deepening his investment in Cayman.

Why, nearly six months into the effort, will organizers of a petition drive to force a cruise port referendum not reveal how many signatures they have collected?

Cayman’s cullers have removed some 380,000 of the reptiles from yards, golf courses and treetops, and deposited them at the George Town landfill, according to the latest figures from the Department of Environment.

A review of minutes from CINICO Board of Directors’ meetings in 2018 reveals two “categories” of record-taking: The first verbosely recounting board discussions and reports from then-CEO Lonny Tibbetts; the second, offering terse (even cryptic) summaries of the board’s actions during a handful of extraordinary meetings last fall leading to Mr. Tibbetts’ termination.

Well-known runner Derek Haines had some words of advice for Cayman’s drivers. In a recent letter to the editor, he listed many driving errors he says he often observes on his regular runs.

Pundits say Parliament’s decision to press the issue of the Irish backstop increases the likelihood of the U.K. leaving the EU on the March 29 deadline without any agreement being in place.

Cayman’s “red ensign” has proven to be one of our country’s most powerful marketing devices, making Cayman synonymous with the very idea of luxury.

Beacon Farms has tapped into a well of knowledge in making the focus of its business the growth of both seeds and planters.

No offense to readers who toil away in C-suites or corner offices, but there are many types of jobs where occasional, extended or even habitual absenteeism might never be noticed. Garbage collection is not among those professions.

While it is disappointing to see the airport renovation exceed its budget, we will not take issue with any of the individual changes – including hurricane-impact windows, canopies to shelter passengers and baggage, landscaping improvements, etc. – which, if anything, should have been incorporated into the designs (and the budget) from Day One.

The tools allotted to the police, the courts and our prisons, unfortunately but realistically, are very crude tools indeed. They are fashioned to deal with malefactors AFTER they have misbehaved.

Today’s front-page article about Cayman’s construction industry is the sort of report a CEO would rush to present to his board of directors. After all, who does not like good news?

The notion of “unfair tax competition” is one of the reliable rationales that foreign entities employ to justify measures that infringe upon the economic sovereignty of, as a rule, relatively smaller and less powerful jurisdictions.