Topic: Government
Cayman’s disabled face ‘unnecessary’ discrimination
Cayman’s human rights watchdog has taken current and past governments to task over failures to implement legislation protecting disabled residents from potential discrimination.
Police raise pay, hold 30 vacancies
Uniformed police officers will get an annual raise of $3,000 to $5,000 under the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s adjusted budget, Police Commissioner David Baines told his officers at their all-staff meeting Tuesday.
Veteran court officer retires
Members of the judiciary and court staff held a surprise farewell ceremony on Oct. 29 for Ermyn Berry, who spent the last 27 years at the Law Courts Building in downtown George Town.
Crime prevention program up against funding crisis
There’s an audible intake of breath as officer Anthony Stewart pulls out the black replica pistol. If he did not have the class’s attention before, he does now.
Clifton Hunter: How low can it go?
When faced with a poor valuation report, the Ministry of Education resorted to government's usual modus operandi — "rewrite and revise."
Fuel pricing data not public, commissioner rules
Although the Cayman Islands government may have access to certain fuel pricing information from local distributors, it is not currently considered to be public, Acting Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers ruled.
Government agencies all pass audit test
Although some may have scored only a “C” in terms of taking a math exam, all Cayman Islands government agencies have managed – for the first time – to not entirely fail audits of their annual financial statements.
Health Services fails to collect $120 million since 2005
A number of government agencies have missed out on the collection of tens of millions of dollars.
Big Tree BBQ rated finger-lickin' good
A sign in the shape of a big tree by the roadside
says it all: “Welcome to Big Tree BBQ – serving ribs, chicken, steaks
and local turtle and conch stew.”
East End's oldest resident turns 100
East Ender Stella Welcome recently joined a distinguished group, celebrating her 100th birthday on Oct. 30.
Juvenile justice center write-off: $678,000
The Cayman Islands government has written off nearly $700,000 spent on the partial construction of a juvenile justice center.
School worth $20M-$40M less than it cost
The Cayman Islands government spent $110 million on the construction of a public high school that was initially valued at somewhere between $70 million and $85 million in a report completed during 2012.
When is a 'loan' not a loan?
Following the Progressives' announcement that civil servants' jobs would be safe through the 2017 election, the government has resurrected the Cayman Islands Development bank to provide "loans" to those same public employees.
E-government faces security, customer service challenges
Moving to an e-government system for public services within the next 18 months will present numerous security and service challenges.
Brac focuses on Remembrance Day rather than pirates
This year, the Cayman Brac Pirates Weekend and Heritage Week Committee is choosing to focus on remembering those who died in war and in celebrating the island’s culture and history rather than on pirates.
Development bank restarts loan program
Having just refinanced nearly US$37 million in debt held over from previous government administrations, the Cayman Islands Development Bank is back in business.
The government-appointed entity had shuttered its loan business for nearly two years at the start of the Progressives-led government’s term.
Cayman gas prices drop another 20 cents
Cayman’s average price per gallon for regular, unleaded self-serve fuel fell by another 20 cents at the end of October, reports from the local petroleum inspectorate show.
Government and the EY Report: Why even bother?
The verdict is in: "Project Future" has no future.
Government plans ‘interventions’ to lessen Caymanian unemployment
The Cayman Islands government intends to focus on “specific interventions” to assist in lessening Caymanian unemployment within the next 18 months, Premier Alden McLaughlin said Monday.
Planning for health
As planners circulate a draft redesign for central George Town, an urban revitalization expert from the United States was on island recently to present about principles for creating healthy cities and improving public health through design at the Cayman Islands Healthcare Conference.
The planning, design and architecture of a city can have serious impacts on the health of the people who live there. That was the message of James Moore with the U.S.-based Urban Land Institute.
EY Report update: Few job cuts, less outsourcing in gov’t plan
Although proposals will initially lead to few job losses and no outsourcing of functions to the private sector, the Cayman Islands government announced Monday that it would seek to move forward with a total of 51 recommendations derived from a 2014 consultant report.
Police launch second round of community clinics
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is launching another round of its community clinics throughout the Cayman Islands.
Rankine was inspired by Pele
Chastine Rankine is a familiar face on the Cayman football scene, best known as an official now, although she was one of the first women to play in regulated games in the Eighties.
Stalling, stalling, stalling, stalling, stalling, stalling …
In large measure, this PPM government was elected on the singular campaign promise that it had the solution to the George Town Landfill — and it didn’t.
UCCI to offer US university courses
The University College of the Cayman Islands has entered into a partnership with West Chester University in Pennsylvania that will allow students of the universities to enroll in courses at both institutions.
UCCI President Roy Bodden called the partnership a “historic moment” for the university and said the future of higher education in the Cayman Islands will involve much greater use of technology.
New assistant director at landfill
The Department of Environmental Health has hired engineer Mark Rowlands as its new assistant director, in charge of solid waste.
Red ink, wastepaper: Clifton Hunter's book value
Clifton Hunter High School was intended to be a monument to Cayman Islands education. Instead, the sprawling campus in Frank Sound has become a memorial to governmental waste.
The war at home
Clifton Bodden, now 92 and enjoying retirement in George Town, played his part in protecting Britain’s far-flung Caribbean outpost as a member of Cayman’s Home Guard during World War II. He recently shared some of his wartime memories with the Cayman Compass.
Public liabilities: Health, pensions, Election Day
The first step to addressing a problem is admitting the problem exists. According to that standard, the Cayman Islands government has a serious problem.
Tourism minister denies port conflict
Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell has refuted suggestions of a conflict of interest over Cayman’s cruise port project.
The F.J. Harquail Cultural Centre: 30 years of making culture count
The F. J. Harquail Cultural Centre celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, so we take a look back at its beginnings and how it has grown into a vitally important promoter of the arts and Caymanian culture.
Obituary: George Richardson Proctor, 1920-2015
George Proctor, author of "Flora of the Cayman Islands," passed away in New York on Oct. 12. He was 95.
Cayman's breast cancer survivors form support group
Breast cancer survivors held the first meeting of a new support group at the governor's residence Wednesday evening.
Cabinet approves cruise project
Premier Alden McLaughlin confirmed Tuesday that Cabinet has formally approved the decision to move to the next phase of the proposed cruise pier development, which will involve discussions with cruise lines on a preferred financing model.
United Kingdom approval of the port development in George Town harbor will depend on the Cayman Islands government’s ability to show the project is self-funding.
Mr. McLaughlin acknowledged, “We are still a long way from saying this project is a go.”
Cayman government liable for $1.4B in pensions, healthcare
The Cayman Islands government did not recognize an estimated $1.39 billion in pension and healthcare payments it will owe retirees over the next 20-25 years in its 2013/14 consolidated financial statements.
Deep-water solution to port problem considered
The government has asked engineers to review the design of Cayman’s proposed cruise port and assess the possibility of moving the piers into deeper water to minimize destruction of coral reefs.
Dump strategy aims to cut waste by at least 85 percent
Recommendations in the new solid waste management strategy, essentially what to do with the George Town landfill, focus on how government can prolong the dump’s useful life beyond summer 2021.
'Save the mortgage' loan repayments lacking
Government loans that doled out US$2.5 million to financially distressed Cayman Islands homeowners during 2011-2012 cannot reasonably be called “loans,” auditors concluded after a review of the Save the Mortgage program.
The uncomfortable truth about unemployment
The relationship between “work permits” and “work” continues to be erroneously overstated in the Cayman Islands.
Avoiding the inevitable at the landfill
Here’s our feedback on government's National Solid Waste Management Strategy: Decide what you’re going to do about our country’s solid waste problem — and then do it.
Cayman Finance welcomes imminent ESMA assessment
Cayman Finance has welcomed an announcement by the European Securities and Markets Authority that the European regulator will soon begin an assessment of the Cayman Islands for its inclusion in the passport regime under the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive.
Cayman one step closer to mental health facility
Progress continues on the proposal for a long-term residential mental health facility in the Cayman Islands as consulting firm KPMG begins work on the outline business case to explore the feasibility of the project.
Chamber of Commerce: Government must not 'blame business'
The Cayman Islands government must stop “blaming business owners” for the social problems that successive governments have “failed to prevent,” a Tuesday statement from the Chamber of Commerce’s executive council declares.
Finance minister: People ‘giving up’ on mortgages
Homeowners who are simply “giving up” on current mortgages and leaving the Cayman Islands make up the second most common reason for bank foreclosures, Finance Minister Marco Archer said Monday.
Pilot's tests considered for boaters
Pleasure boaters could soon be required to take pilot’s tests before being allowed on the water.
School zone speeding could cost license
Speeding through an area marked as a school zone in the Cayman Islands could soon cost motorists their driver’s license, government officials confirmed last week.
Progressives seek to revive 'Christmas cleanup'
The Progressives-led government is seeking to revive a holiday season roadside garbage pickup program that began in 2009 under the former United Democratic Party government.
Two CIMA board members not available
Two Cayman Islands Monetary Authority board members appointed earlier this year are unable to serve their three-year terms for various reasons, and replacements will have to be found, Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton confirmed Monday.
Unpaid debts: Our 'collective' responsibility
As our government continues to grapple with the Cayman Islands’ solid waste management conundrum, another dimension to the problem has surfaced — dealing not with the cost of getting rid of Mount Trashmore, but of building it in the first place.
Landfill to reach capacity in 2021, say consultants
Consultants say the George Town landfill will reach capacity by summer of 2021 unless a new strategy for managing solid waste is introduced.
A new National Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Cayman Islands, released for public consultation Monday, estimates that even with all of the recommendations to reduce and recycle trash, the George Town landfill would have only “a limited number of years” beyond 2021.
Whistleblower bill can nullify contracts
Any attempt to prevent workers from reporting wrongdoing against employers by inserting language into their contracts prohibiting such reports would make those contracts illegal and unenforceable, according to proposed whistleblower protection legislation made public last week.
Consultants defend controversial school design
The consultants behind the controversial layout of Grand Cayman’s Clifton Hunter High School have defended the futuristic design of the $110 million facility.
Fingerprinting and 'fine print': $663k wasted
Who would spend $663,000 on a product — and then never use it? Here’s a clue: The matter in question has government’s fingerprints all over it.
Minister: Glass House cannot be reused
Cayman's planning minister says the old Glass House government administration building can't be saved.
Ministry pursuing millions in garbage fees
Cayman's government is still trying to collect trash fees from a decade ago.
NCVO Radio Telethon is still going strong
The National Council of Voluntary Organisations is hoping that the public will dig deep into their pockets and pledge their support once again at the annual radio/telethon.
Church raffles legalized in Gambling Law change
Raffles held by community organizations and church groups have been legalized under changes to the Gambling Law.
Lawmakers vote for mandatory fuel import price reveal
Cayman Islands lawmakers Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that seeks to force fuel importers to reveal their pricing structure for gasoline and diesel fuel shipped to the islands, massively increasing fines for noncompliance in the process.
Liquor license holders get extended 'grace period'
Cayman Islands liquor license holders who do not currently own or operate a liquor-related business will now get up to five years to retain those licenses, during which time they can apply for a business license.
Police chief denies Bush conspiracy
Commissioner of Police David Baines has denied being involved in any conspiracy to unseat former Premier Mckeeva Bush as the elected leader of the Cayman Islands.
Premier McLaughlin, Publisher Legge issue joint statement
Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin and Cayman Compass Publisher David R. Legge are pleased to announce they have come to an accommodation regarding the recent difficulties between the government and the newspaper.
Turtle Farm: Time to end the shell game
The Cayman Turtle Farm presents a complex issue that raises disparate questions concerning Caymanian culture, public spending, employment, environmental conservation and animal cruelty. The answer, however, is simple: Shut it down.
$663K wasted on abandoned immigration fingerprint system
Government spent $663,000 on software after awarding a contract for a biometric fingerprinting system in 2010, but the software was never used, according to an audit released this week.
Big crowd hears George Town plans
Government plans to buy out some landowners and demolish buildings to make way for a new road layout in central George Town.
Good governance works best in the sunshine
Transparency is a first step toward accountability.
Lawsuit claims student hit teacher with chair
A former teacher in the Cayman Islands Education Department who alleges she was hit in the face with a chair by a student has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Education and the government.
More human rights claims filed against immigration boards
Two Grand Court lawsuits filed this month against the Immigration Appeals Tribunal allege that decisions of the tribunal were contrary to human rights protections in the Cayman Islands Constitution Order (2009).
Opposition Leader Bush sues former governor, police chief
Cayman Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush has filed a lawsuit against Police Commissioner David Baines and former Governor Duncan Taylor alleging they conspired to depose him as Premier of the Cayman Islands.
In a writ of summons, filed with the Grand Court on Wednesday, attorneys acting for Mr. Bush claim the criminal investigation and charges laid against him were politically motivated.
Demand for turtle meat constant since 1990s
The demand for turtle meat has remained relatively constant since 1996, with about a third of Cayman’s households consuming turtle in the past year.
Design mishaps boost school work cost
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work at additional classrooms at North Side district’s Edna Moyle Primary School went nearly 30 percent over budget largely due to design flaws, the Legislative Assembly heard last week.
EisnerAmper brand launch gives insider trading advice
A little known secret to insider trading is that it is not illegal to trade on material non-public information.
Fight Night II will host Londoners
Amateur boxing in the Cayman Islands is in good shape judging by Saturday night’s show, which showcased the talent of many local fighters – and the next one is already lined up for next year.
