Topic: Government
'Fundamental change' for Cayman politics
Not all lawmakers support 'one man, one vote,' but all agree it will profoundly change Cayman Islands politics.
High school program teaches life skills to troubled youth
The Boys2Men mentoring group is making a difference in the lives of young men at John Gray High School.
Local Canadians support Trudeau election
Canadians in the Cayman Islands generally welcomed recent election results there, sweeping away nine years of conservative politics and policies under outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Premier questions election 'checks and balances' proposal
A legislative motion that advocates the enactment of term limits and seeks to outlaw “vote buying” in the Cayman Islands may not see the light of day following government’s approval of sweeping voting changes ahead of the May 2017 general election.
Short-term thinking: Short runways, no jetways
When it comes to Owen Roberts International Airport, we are uncomfortable with an "economy-class renovation" in our "first-class destination."
Collecting our thoughts on government fees
Our government’s most serious and well-documented flaw is how it spends money. Coming in at a close second is how it collects money.
Government delays pensions review release
The Cayman Islands government will not release a financial evaluation originally conducted in 2014 of its three public sector retirement savings plans, which include the plans that provide pensions for thousands of civil servants, until March 2016.
Jetways off table for airport
Boarding ramps and portable “box tunnels” will be used at the Owen Roberts International Airport as an alternative to the passenger boarding bridges, left out of the $55 million redevelopment plan for Grand Cayman’s airport.
Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said Friday there were no immediate plans to add boarding bridges, known as jetways, which he said would cost an additional $20m.
Legislators approve ‘one man, one vote’ for 2017
Cayman Islands lawmakers have approved a long-debated change to ‘one
man, one vote’ for the British territory’s next general election cycle.
Bush: Public Accounts Committee removal motion ‘hypocrisy’
Replacing the opposition leader on Cayman’s Public Accounts Committee and leaving what he termed a “junior minister” on the committee amounted to government hypocrisy, West Bay MLA McKeeva Bush said last week.
Cayman's mendicant government
We empathize with the altruistic intentions of those kind souls who want to do something positive for the well-being of the Cayman community. However, the furtherance of public health is a function of government, and a key one.
Dock protest draws 250-300
About 250 to 300 people, many of them holding placards expressing their objections, braved blistering-hot late-afternoon sun to attend the protest held at the waterfront across from Cardinall Avenue.
March against domestic violence set for Monday night
To protest the growing number of women in Cayman being abused by their partners or acquaintances, the Business and Professional Women’s Club has scheduled a Silent Witness March at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
One man, one vote: Two sides of the issue
Two Cayman Islands politicians, one of whom is a strong supporter of one man, one vote, single-member constituencies and another who is perhaps its greatest detractor, gave their views on the subject during a Legislative Assembly debate Friday afternoon.
Premier: Government ‘out of patience’ with fuel companies
Legislation that will require Cayman’s two major fuel distributors to reveal specific pricing information on gasoline and diesel shipments was approved in a key vote last week, but certain details of the bill remain to be hammered out in a Legislative Assembly committee Monday prior to its final passage.
Unemployment rate up nearly 1 percent in spring
The overall unemployment rate in the Cayman Islands rose in spring to 5.6 percent, up almost a full point since late 2014, according to data from the Economics and Statistics Office.
Divided house boots Mac from PAC
A majority of government and independent Legislative Assembly members
voted late Thursday in favor of a government motion to remove Opposition
Leader McKeeva Bush from his position as a member of the assembly’s
Public Accounts Committee.
Legal aid reform bill approved
Changes to Cayman’s legal aid system, which have been debated for more than a decade, were approved by a majority of Legislative Assembly members Wednesday amid concerns that the government was blurring lines of separation between elected politicians and the judiciary.
Miller: Two-year government budgets lack transparency
A move to a two-year government budget process, approved late Wednesday by Cayman Islands lawmakers, will lessen scrutiny and transparency around public finances, independent and opposition lawmakers said.
More revelations on police station drugs theft
Opposition lawmakers took the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service to task Thursday for what they alleged was an attempt to “hide” and to “lie” to the public regarding the theft of drugs from the George Town Police Station this summer.
‘Punchlines’: Slugger Alva Suckoo vs. Brawling ‘Bobby’ Peart
With pugilistic skills that might serve him well on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, slugger Alva Suckoo, MLA from Bodden Town, will be battling it out with policeman Michael “Bobby” Peart (better known to fight fans as “Bobby the Brawler”) Saturday night at the Lions Center.
Woman accused of $27,000 permanent residency scam
A woman helped con expatriates out of more than $27,000 by pretending the cash was required for legitimate permanent residency applications, Crown prosecutors alleged in Grand Court Thursday.
Auditor general report: Government revenue collection ‘open to abuse’
Poor record keeping and a lack of specific criteria for waiving government fees leaves the “revenue collection operations open to abuse,” according to the acting auditor general.
Bridge Foundation gives residents new lease on life
The Bridge Foundation provides transitional housing for men and women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Residents of the foundation’s houses in West Bay – the Anchor House for men, and the Beacon House for women – like to call it their little piece of heaven off of Hell Road.
Deputy governor will no longer 'run' Legislative Assembly
The management of day-to-day operations within the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly is expected to be transferred away from Deputy Governor Franz Manderson’s office later this month.
Fuel price rally runs out of gas
In the realm of rallies, there’s the Million Man March … and then there’s everything else. Put another way, not all protests are created equal.
Government's Computer Services boss retires
The director of the government’s Computer Services Department, Gilbert McLaughlin, has retired after more than 30 years in the department.
Government accepts 19-seat voting map
Barring a major legislative revolt against Premier Alden McLaughlin’s government in the next day or so, Cayman’s 2017 general election will go forward under the principle of “one man, one vote.”
Premier McLaughlin made public on Wednesday the legislative order for 19 single-member constituent districts, anticipating that debate on the motion to accept the 2015 Electoral Boundary Commission’s district maps would commence later Wednesday or on Thursday.
Petition leads to Mortgage Law proposal
A public push to lobby banks for leniency on home mortgages has led to a legislative effort to change Cayman’s lending rules.
Port economic impact predictions differ dramatically
Estimates of the potential economic impact of Grand Cayman’s cruise port project have varied widely during the planning phase of the project.
Permanent residence grants: The number is still zero
More than 500 people have applied for permanent residence status under the new Cayman Islands Immigration Law in the past two years. This is how many people have been granted PR status under the new law: Zero.
Protesters demand lower gas prices, present petition
The government will soon introduce legislation to address complaints about high gas prices, Premier Alden McLaughlin told demonstrators outside the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Stock is helping ambulance drive
The Cayman Heart Fund is raising money for a new ambulance on Grand Cayman, as there are only three in full service at the moment.
US investors buy Sunshine Suites
A private, U.S.-based investment group has bought the 132-room Sunshine Suites resort and is in the process of finalizing a deal to buy the 343-room Westin Grand Cayman resort on Seven Mile Beach.
'Dignity' needed in mental health treatment
People with mental health issues are not treated with the respect they need and deserve, according to health professionals and other speakers at a panel discussion.
No PR grants yet under new law
More than 500 non-Caymanians have applied for permanent resident status in the Cayman Islands over the past two years under the revised Immigration Law, but so far none have been awarded that status.
Nursing students to train at Health City
Nursing students at the University College of the Cayman Islands will get practical training at Health City Cayman Islands following the signing of an agreement between the two institutions on Tuesday.
Petrol petitioners set to march on government
Protesters who say they are “fed up” with high gas and diesel prices at the pump plan to hold a peaceful march through downtown George Town on Wednesday morning.
Business in brief
KeyTech Ltd. and CellOne to combine operations; The Security Centre Ltd. celebrates new office opening; Cayman Finance’s student program a success; Harneys opens Bermuda office; Maples and Calder grants scholarships to six Caymanians; Caymanian seconded to Intertrust Hong Kong
Cruise ship dock business case predicts up to US$439 million benefit
The final business case for the cruise pier project estimates a potential economic upside of some US$439 million over 20 years for the Cayman Islands.
Even if the worst economic impacts associated with the loss of reefs in George Town harbor were realized, consultant PwC concluded in its report that the project would still deliver a net benefit to the economy of US$112 million.
Amnesty offered to unlicensed room renters
Anyone renting rooms to tourists through home sharing sites like Airbnb has been offered an “amnesty” until the end of the year, before government begins cracking down on unlicensed properties.
Banking on weed a risky business
Providing banking services to a growing number of legitimate marijuana operations in the U.S. would still be considered money laundering in the Cayman Islands, an international expert warned Friday.
Customs staffer is government's employee of the year
A Customs officer who nearly 30 years ago applied nine times for a job in the department before being accepted has been awarded the Cayman Islands government’s Employee of the Year.
Ebanks faces Trinidad's best
International amateur boxing is headlined by teenage sensation Hopkin Ebanks at the Lions Centre this weekend.
Keep an eye on lawmakers this week
Legislators are expected to tackle several significant pieces of legislation that could potentially alter the political and economic fabric of our country.
Busy week of bills for lawmakers
The Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly is set to be inundated this week with bills seeking massive change to the country’s business culture and its political election system.
CISPA honors pioneers and new accountants
The Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants celebrated both newcomers to the profession and pioneers of the industry at the organization’s annual gala event on Saturday at The Ritz-Carlton.
Michael Austin, Paul Harris, Chris Johnson and Paul Sleep, four of the original six members who signed CISPA’s memorandum and articles of association 45 years ago, received the first CISPA Pioneers Awards.
The honorees were joined by four newly qualified accountants, Matthew Hale,
Jerrica Merren, Claire O’Dea and Taylor Wright, who recently received
their professional designations, and six graduates with Bachelor’s
Degrees in Accounting from the International College of the Cayman
Islands or the University College of the Cayman Islands.
Housing Trust wants more gov't housing
Reporting recent strides with its affordable housing programs and the relaunch of government-backed mortgage assistance, the National Housing Development Trust’s board of directors is calling on government to develop a new facility to help low-income people with housing.
Kids encouraged to complete big race
The Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon is approaching and with it, the largest Under-11 running event on island, The Milo Kids Fun Run.
Law professor condemns UK silence on gay 'hate speech'
The professor at the center of a gay rights case in the Cayman Islands told a conference for international lawyers that he believes the United Kingdom is failing to meet its responsibilities with respect to human rights for homosexuals in the Overseas Territories.
New parking lot for BT park
After years of discussion, work has begun on a new parking lot behind the Bodden Town Mission House.
Public meeting Oct. 20 for George Town revitalization
Consultants and government officials will host a public meeting next week to present plans for revitalizing central George Town, answer questions and collect public input.
Teachers make schools great — Buildings don't
When confronted with failing schools, many officials begin searching for a quick (usually expensive) fix. The trouble is, there is no such thing.
The 'threat' of the Turtle Farm
World Animal Protection is deeply saddened, but unfortunately not surprised, to hear the latest revelations of animal cruelty at the Cayman Turtle Farm.
Heavy rains made a big splash at Friday Night Lights meet
Stingray Swim Club’s Business Solutions Technologies Group Friday Night Lights and Cayman National Sprint meet brought the Lions Aquatic Centre to life last weekend.
National risk assessment reveals major money laundering threats
The island-wide evaluation of money laundering risks in the Cayman Islands has revealed outdated laws and regulations, weak supervision of nonprofits and non-financial organizations, and insufficient international cooperation.
National Trust voices doubts over cruise project
The National Trust has warned the Cayman Islands could suffer significant “reputational damage” as a tourist destination if it moves forward with plans for new cruise piers in George Town harbor.
Open-plan classrooms a problem at Clifton Hunter
School administrators are tailoring the timetable at Clifton Hunter High School to help cope with teaching problems caused by the open-plan classroom layout, described as an “urgent problem” by inspectors.
An inspection report on the school highlighted the experimental layout at the new $110 million facility as a barrier to improvement.
Ukrainian 'vacation' for Cayman resident
A Cayman Islands resident will spend the next three weeks monitoring and reporting on Ukrainian elections from Kiev.
Anti-dredging protest planned
A public demonstration is being planned to protest government’s decision to move forward with plans for cruise piers in George Town harbor.
Bush backs Afghan Special Economic Zones
Cayman Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush recently promoted the transition of military bases in Afghanistan to Special Economic Zones.
Emails reveal tender plan for mega-ships
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines were in advanced negotiations with government and Port Authority officials in early 2012 over upgrades to the Royal Watler dock that would have allowed the Genesis class mega-ships to visit Grand Cayman.
Head of the class: Chief Officer Christen Suckoo
Mr. Suckoo, it’s your turn to present.
Key government posts in limbo
The senior ranks of Cayman's civil service are filled with "acting," but not the Hollywood kind.
Lions help out on World Sight Day
The Lions Club of Grand Cayman is among those globally participating in Lions World Sight Day and raising awareness about sight-related issues.
“Vision is perhaps one of the club’s greatest strengths and programs, such as the annual sight screening within the schools,” said Ewan Jacques, president of the Lions Club of Grand Cayman.
Manager turnover plagues Turtle Farm
Meeting minutes from the Cayman Turtle Farm show high turnover among managers.
John Gray construction business case under way
The mistakes and cost overruns that marred the construction of Clifton Hunter High School will not be repeated as government looks to complete John Gray High School, a senior education official has vowed.
Chief Officer for the Ministry of Education Christen Suckoo said a careful planning and budgeting process is taking place before work resumes on John Gray High School.
Lockhart: More than 4,000 need mental health help
Last month, the newly formed Cayman Islands Mental Health Commission raised some eyebrows when it reported that about 4,000 people here had sought access to mental health services in 2013.
On the Farm: When truth is redacted
First, they buried the turtles ... then, they buried the truth.
Shark diving: Should Cayman take the bait?
The Cayman Islands could be missing out on an economic and conservation opportunity by maintaining its ban on shark diving, according to experts.
McKeeva Bush: Government ‘undermining’ Public Accounts Committee
The Progressives-led government is making a “direct attempt” to undermine the functions of the Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, weakening good governance standards in the Cayman Islands, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush said Tuesday.
Civil service develops 'five-year plan'
Cayman Islands Deputy Governor Franz Manderson is commissioning the development of a new five-year strategic plan for the government service.
