ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Tuesday January 19, 2016 LocaL | Page 5 sTingrays make sandbar home base Researchers reveal latest ray population data High of 81 Low of 70 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet with higher swells along northerly coasts. Small craft should exercise caution over open waters. editoriaL | Page 4 should police pack heaT on The beaT? 180913_PRINT-Ad-Strip-BOTY-6colxPage 1 11/30/15 12:30:30 PM Government to pay waGes in back- to-work project $1.7m released for employment program James WhiTTaker and brenT fuller jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com; bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government will pay up to the first six months’ salary for new workers taken on by private businesses in a new back-to-work scheme for the unemployed. Premier Alden McLaughlin said the mea- sure is being taken as an incentive for compa- nies to take a chance on jobless Caymanians. Mr. McLaughlin said $1.7 million from the Labour Department budget has been allocated for the “Ready2Work Cayman” program, which begins in February. A list of 245 people will be pulled from the National Workforce Development Agency files for the program. They will undergo an assessment and job skills training be- fore being matched with opportunities in the private sector. An Employment Task Force, headed by Premier McLaughlin and involving repre- sentatives from key industries including tourism, financial services and construction, will steer the process. Mr. McLaughlin said government would provide a support network for the employees and pay them in the early months of their em- ployment. He said the companies would still CaRePay tRial Watson: CIFA funds paid for Webb’s house brenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A sum of US$250,000 from the Cayman Islands Football Association, designated for the construction of a new foot- ball complex in Prospect, was used pay for a portion of Jeffrey Webb’s mansion in sub- urban Atlanta, Georgia, Canover Watson testified during his criminal trial Monday. Watson testified Monday morning that the deposit of US$250,000 was made in April 2011 into a Fidelity Bank ac- count opened to receive funds from the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority. However, that deposit was not from the HSA, but came from a company called Black Holdings Ltd., which had received it from the local foot- ball association, Watson said. Statements made by pros- ecutors earlier in the trial Surprise guest Lionel richie delights at food gala ‘Hello, is it me you’re cooking for?’ Chefs have a laugh with award-winning singer and songwriter lionel Richie in the kitchen of Blue by eric Ripert at the Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman on Sunday. From left, Frederic Morineau, Rainer Zinngrebe, Michael Mina, Bernard Guillas, Dean Fearing, eric Ripert, lionel Richie and Jose andres. Mr. Richie attended the “Seven to Savour” gala dinner in connection with the launch of his new luxury dinnerware line, the lionel Richie Home Collection. Taking the microphone briefly, he explained that although he loves to entertain, he really doesn’t know how to cook, which drew laughs from the audience. For the full interview with lionel Richie, see upcoming editions of the Weekender. – photo: vicki wheaton PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » mla connolly leaves progressives caucus, says he’s ‘not a politician’ brenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com George Town MLA Winston Connolly an- nounced late Monday that he will no longer be a member of the Progressives polit- ical party caucus and is resigning as a gov- ernment councillor. Mr. Connolly previously said he intended to remain as a government backbench member, but the statement released Monday did not confirm that. “People need to come ahead of parties,” Mr. Connolly said in an emailed statement on Monday. “People need to come ahead of politics. I am here to serve the people, not the parties. “Going forward as an independent, I feel I will be in a better position to raise the pressing and important issues facing our be- loved Cayman Islands.” The political caucus of the Progressives is essentially the brain trust of the party orga- nization, consisting of elected and unelected representatives. It meets every Monday in pri- vate discussions in which all attendees are al- lowed to voice their opinions on the subjects under consideration. In the past, Progressives party members and the three independent lawmakers who make up the government coalition attended these meetings. Recently, George Town MLA Roy McTaggart joined the Progressives after serving his first two-and-a-half years as an independent. Education Minister Tara Rivers, also an independent, attends the meetings. In his statement Monday, Mr. Connolly in- dicated that in addition to skipping caucus meetings, his vote in Legislative Assembly should not be considered a safe one for the Progressives going forward. “I will support the government in what- ever I believe is in the best interest of these is- lands and my people,” he said. “I am here to be a voice for the people and I will be an indepen- dent voice, standing firmly in opposition to any proposals that go against their best interests. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Tuesday January 19, 2016 • Cayman Compass SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. © y x *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - TUESDAY - RIDE ALONG 2 (PG13) 1:00 I 3:30 I 7:00 I 10:00 THE HATEFUL EIGHT (R) 5:30 I 9:00 POINT BREAK 3D (PG13) 1:20 2D I 4:30 I 7:20 2D I 10:05 DADDY’S HOME (PG13) 12:30 I 3:00 I 6:30 I 9:40 THE REVENANT (R) 12:15 I 3:40 I 7:10 STAR WARS VII 3D (PG13) 12:40 2D I 3:40 I 6:45 2D I 9:50 ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS ROAD CHIP (PG) 12:40 I 3:10 Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) NatioNal Heroes Day Government to announce new national hero More than 320 awardees to be recognized The government is ex- pected to announce a new national hero at next week’s National Heroes Day, at which more than 320 people involved in agriculture will be honored. According to a state- ment released by govern- ment on Monday, it is likely a new national hero will be named at this year’s cel- ebrations in George Town. Cayman currently has eight national heroes, including the only living recipient, Sybil McLaughlin. The other national he- roes, James (Jim) Manoah Bodden, Thomas William Farrington, Sybil Joyce Hylton, Ormond L. Panton, Desmond V. Watler, Mary Evelyn Wood and William Warren Connolly, will also be honored by youth parlia- mentarians on Monday. A minute’s silence will be observed and wreaths will be laid in tribute to the national heroes. Among the awards that will be handed out to indi- viduals involved in agricul- ture at National Heroes Day this year are: early pioneer, pioneer, emerging pioneer, memorial scroll, and long service award. According to the govern- ment statement, the awards will include 142 long ser- vice certificates, 109 names will be placed on the me- morial scroll, and there will be around 20 in each of the other categories. “The farmers of this country, on all three islands, have played a very impor- tant role in our history, and continue to sustain us,” said Minister for Agriculture Kurt Tibbetts. “From the early days of our development, until present times, farming has been the backbone of our society and it is only fit- ting that we recognise those who have played their part in helping to feed our people.” The ceremony be- gins at 9 a.m. Monday and all are invited. Road closures Some downtown George Town streets will be closed from 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, until 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25. The roads will temporarily reopen from midnight Friday until noon on Saturday. The road closures include: ■■ Fort Street from the North Church Street junction to the Edward Street junc- tion, at the Clock Tower; ■■ Edward Street from Fort Street to Main Street; ■■ Albert Panton Street, from Fort Street to Cardinall Avenue. Car fire forces road closure Motorists on saturday morning were forced to find an alternate route eastbound on Lawrence Boulevard, which was temporarily closed after police responded to a car fire. Natasha Casebolt said the engine in her BMW X5 caught fire when the ignition was turned off and the vehicle was in a parking lot. “I’m happy I wasn’t in the car,” she said. No injuries were reported and the road was reopened in the afternoon. – Photo: Matt LaMers Prices to rise on soMe fruits, vegetabLes as suPPLies staLL Foster’s Food Fair IGA is warning customers that pro- duce may be in short supply – and pricier than usual – as weather patterns dis- rupt the growing season in many regions. In a press release issued Monday, the company said its U.S. supplier has warned that there will be a shortage of certain fruits and vegeta- bles, causing their costs to increase, because of unusual weather patterns caused by El Nino, which is defined as a warming of sea sur- face temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Rain and cold weather in the strawberry-growing areas of Florida have signif- icantly hampered this year’s yield. The three major straw- berry shippers – Driscoll’s, Naturipe and Welpict – are canceling or heavily pro- rating their contracts, and suppliers are expected to be affected through at least the next two weeks. Weather conditions in Florida have also affected the supply of red and green bell peppers. Exacerbating that situation is the fact that the Mexican crop of the peppers is almost nonexis- tent due to a freeze that af- fected their main growing regions last month. The same freeze has af- fected the supply of green onions and watermelons. According to a Foster’s press release, “green onion supplies are all but non- existent.” Small supplies of the vegetable grown in Yuma, Arizona, have also been heavily affected by rain and cold temperatures. Suppliers are estimated to be at 10 percent of the normal green onion supplies for this time of year. Watermelon-lovers may be unable to find the fruit for a while, as supplies have “dried up and the fruit is scarce,” according to Foster’s. Round tomatoes, grown in Mexico and Florida, are also in short supply, and consumers should ex- pect the cost of the fruit to be high. Roma tomatoes, however, are in better supply and will be cheaper than good quality round tomatoes. Unusually hot weather in Peru has severely affected the asparagus crop. This time of year, 90 percent of asparagus comes from this region, but now, in some cases, farms are halting production altogether. Asparagus supplies will not be ready for at least an- other two to three weeks, so supplies of the vegetable will be short, and sizing will be varied. Foster’s said its U.S. sup- plier expects many of these markets to get lower in the next few weeks, and apolo- gized for the inconvenience this may cause. Green onions will be in short supply. boycotting candidate says Jan. 24 runoff wiLL set haiti back PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Haiti’s opposition can- didate for president is warning that if a runoff is held next weekend as scheduled it will be a big step back for the country’s fragile democracy and lead to increased turmoil in the sharply divided nation. In an interview with The Associated Press, Jude Celestin said he has such deep concerns about vote-rigging and a lack of transparency by Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council that he is boycot- ting a Jan. 24 presiden- tial runoff. His party will not send any monitors to polling stations. “We are moving toward a selection, not an election,” Celestin said Saturday in his Port-au-Prince polit- ical office, which was un- adorned except for some voting district maps taped to the wall. In the 2010 campaign, the soft-spoken technocrat was the heir-apparent to then-President Rene Preval, making him the target of virtually every other can- didate. When Celestin made a runoff after a con- tested first round, his ri- vals alleged that Preval had rigged the vote. Celestin was eventually eliminated from the race amid street protests as well as pres- sure from Washington and the Organization of American States. This time around, Celestin leads an opposi- tion alliance alleging wide- spread fraud in favor of ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise, current President Michel Martelly’s chosen successor. He is ig- noring appeals by the United States and other countries for a competitive race in elections they are largely funding. Opposition candidate Jude Celestin says he has such deep concerns about vote-rigging and a lack of transparency by Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council that he is boycotting a Jan. 24 presidential runoff. – Photo: aP3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Tuesday January 19, 2016 Police: Masked man indecently assaulted female jogger Another attack on runner reported in West Bay In the latest in a series of indecent assaults on fe- male joggers in the dis- trict of West Bay, police are investigating an attack on a woman as she jogged along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on Sunday. The woman was run- ning near the junction with Willie Farrington Drive around 7 a.m. when a masked man ran up be- hind her and grabbed her and then ran off, police reported. The man is described as being about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, in his early 20s, with medium brown complexion, and wearing all black. Following this most re- cent attack, police are sug- gesting that women exercise with a second person when- ever possible. Earlier attacks On Oct. 13, 2015, a woman was jogging on Bonneville Drive near the entrance to The Shores when a man, who was barefoot, attacked her, throwing her to the ground and assaulting her, at about 5:30 a.m. The man ran off when she screamed. Two other assaults oc- curred in May, and another in July, involving a man on a bicycle who had grabbed and molested women, usu- ally in the early hours of the morning as they were walking or running in West Bay. A similar assault, also carried out by a man on a bi- cycle, occurred in November 2014, but the woman who was molested only reported the assault in May last year when she heard that other women had been attacked. CCTV footage of the man on the bike was released by police, but no one was ar- rested in connection with the assaults. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the West Bay police station at 949-3999 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477. Saturday, 23 January, 2016 5:00 PM – 11:45 PM Festival Green at Camana Bay GOLD SPPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS www.tasteofcayman.org Tickets on sale now! $40 pre-sold $50 on event day $20 youth BRITCAY Come for the food, stay for the party! Food, wine and awesome live entertainment featuring Cayman’s own HEAT, guest starring Shameka Clarke; along with Classics in Concert: Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Tina Turner. Don’t miss the Seven Fathoms Rum Challenge (mixology competition), Bon Vivant’s Demo Kitchen and Chef Cook-Off, Heavy Cake Competition, and Fireworks sponsored by Massive! Purchase tickets at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre, Funky Tang’s, Acorn Publishing, Office Supply, Digicel, the CITA office, Bon Vivant and Celebrations in Camana Bay. Drink tickets can only be purchased at CITA. GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS BRITCAY GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS Saturday, 23 January, 2016 5:00 PM – 11:45 PM Festival Green at Camana Bay GOLD SPPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS www.tasteofcayman.org Tickets on sale now! $40 pre-sold $50 on event day $20 youth BRITCAY Come for the food, stay for the party! Food, wine and awesome live entertainment featuring Cayman’s own HEAT, guest starring Shameka Clarke; along with Classics in Concert: Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Tina Turner. Don’t miss the Seven Fathoms Rum Challenge (mixology competition), Bon Vivant’s Demo Kitchen and Chef Cook-Off, Heavy Cake Competition, and Fireworks sponsored by Massive! Purchase tickets at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre, Funky Tang’s, Acorn Publishing, Office Supply, Digicel, the CITA office, Bon Vivant and Celebrations in Camana Bay. Drink tickets can only be purchased at CITA. GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS BRITCAY Saturday, 23 January, 2016 5:00 PM – 11:45 PM Festival Green at Camana Bay GOLD SPPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS www.tasteofcayman.org Tickets on sale now! $40 pre-sold $50 on event day $20 youth BRITCAY Come for the food, stay for the party! Food, wine and awesome live entertainment featuring Cayman’s own HEAT, guest starring Shameka Clarke; along with Classics in Concert: Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Tina Turner. Don’t miss the Seven Fathoms Rum Challenge (mixology competition), Bon Vivant’s Demo Kitchen and Chef Cook-Off, Heavy Cake Competition, and Fireworks sponsored by Massive! Purchase tickets at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre, Funky Tang’s, Acorn Publishing, Office Supply, Digicel, the CITA office, Bon Vivant and Celebrations in Camana Bay. Drink tickets can only be purchased at CITA. GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS BRITCAY Saturday, 23 January, 2016 5:00 PM – 11:45 PM Festival Green at Camana Bay GOLD SPPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS www.tasteofcayman.org Tickets on sale now! $40 pre-sold $50 on event day $20 youth BRITCAY Come for the food, stay for the party! Food, wine and awesome live entertainment featuring Cayman’s own HEAT, guest starring Shameka Clarke; along with Classics in Concert: Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Tina Turner. Don’t miss the Seven Fathoms Rum Challenge (mixology competition), Bon Vivant’s Demo Kitchen and Chef Cook-Off, Heavy Cake Competition, and Fireworks sponsored by Massive! Purchase tickets at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre, Funky Tang’s, Acorn Publishing, Office Supply, Digicel, the CITA office, Bon Vivant and Celebrations in Camana Bay. Drink tickets can only be purchased at CITA. GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS BRITCAY Saturday, 23 January, 2016 5:00 PM – 11:45 PM Festival Green at Camana Bay GOLD SPPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS www.tasteofcayman.org Tickets on sale now! $40 pre-sold $50 on event day $20 youth BRITCAY Come for the food, stay for the party! Food, wine and awesome live entertainment featuring Cayman’s own HEAT, guest starring Shameka Clarke; along with Classics in Concert: Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Tina Turner. Don’t miss the Seven Fathoms Rum Challenge (mixology competition), Bon Vivant’s Demo Kitchen and Chef Cook-Off, Heavy Cake Competition, and Fireworks sponsored by Massive! Purchase tickets at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre, Funky Tang’s, Acorn Publishing, Office Supply, Digicel, the CITA office, Bon Vivant and Celebrations in Camana Bay. Drink tickets can only be purchased at CITA. GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS BRITCAY MEDIA LTD. HURLEY’S CAYMAN’S CULINARY MAGAZINE PEPSI_H1_3PMS_MED (FOR USE 1.5" TO 4") PANTONE 185 PANTONE 2945 PANTONE 300 PEPSI_H1_3PMS_LARGE (FOR USE 4" AND LARGER) PEPSI_H1_3PMS_SM (FOR USE .25” 1.5" ) PANTONE 185 PANTONE 2945 PANTONE 300 PANTONE 185 PANTONE 2945 PANTONE 300 PANTONE 185 PANTONE 2945 PANTONE 300 To convert the Pepsi logo to 4 - color process please use these values; CYAN 100 MAGENTA 42 YELLOW 0 BLACK 0 CYAN 100 MAGENTA 69 YELLOW 17 BLACK 3 CYAN 0 MAGENTA 100 YELLOW 82 BLACK 0 Saturday, 23 January, 2016 5:00 PM – 11:45 PM Festival Green at Camana Bay GOLD SPPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS www.tasteofcayman.org Tickets on sale now! $40 pre-sold $50 on event day $20 youth BRITCAY Come for the food, stay for the party! Food, wine and awesome live entertainment featuring Cayman’s own HEAT, guest starring Shameka Clarke; along with Classics in Concert: Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Tina Turner. Don’t miss the Seven Fathoms Rum Challenge (mixology competition), Bon Vivant’s Demo Kitchen and Chef Cook-Off, Heavy Cake Competition, and Fireworks sponsored by Massive! Purchase tickets at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre, Funky Tang’s, Acorn Publishing, Office Supply, Digicel, the CITA office, Bon Vivant and Celebrations in Camana Bay. Drink tickets can only be purchased at CITA. GOLD SPONSORS SIL VER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS BRITCAY Police to get hybrid vehicles New cars part of government’s green push The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is adding two hybrid vehicles to its fleet. According to a press re- lease from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the ministry is introducing hybrid vehi- cles to government fleets “as a part of its strategic objec- tive to ‘Make Cayman Better.’ “It is projected the initia- tive will not only reduce the burden on the public purse, but also reduce the govern- ment’s carbon footprint, thus help to protect the environ- ment,” the release stated. As part of the pilot pro- gram of the environmentally friendly initiative, two hybrid Ford Fusions will be added to the police fleet within the next month. Hybrid vehicles switch between an internal com- bustion engine and an electric motor. “The Ministry anticipates that the hybrid Ford Fusions will offer a useful compro- mise of the best of both elec- tric and gasoline technology – electric motors create zero emissions and internal com- bustion engines provide the vehicle with adequate power,” according to the statement. The cars can get 44 miles per gallon on city commutes compared to 22 miles per gallon on non-hybrid ver- sions, the ministry stated. Chief Officer for the Ministry of Home Affairs Eric Bush said, “Our priori- ties when selecting fleet ve- hicles has consistently been safety and performance. Now we are turning our attention to adding outstanding fuel economy to that mix.” The ministry spent almost $680,000 in fuel in the last fiscal year. “The introduction of the hybrid cars fits nicely with our plans to review the National Energy Policy with a view to reducing our carbon footprint,” said Minister of Environment Wayne Panton. “We will be able to monitor their perfor- mance and use that informa- tion to help create a more modern policy.”Hybrid Ford Fusion cars will be joining the RCIPS fleet. Following this most recent attack, police are suggesting that women exercise with a second person whenever possible.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Tuesday January 19, 2016 • Cayman COmpass Should police pack heat on the beat? The news that more armed police officers have been put on regular patrol shifts is not cause for alarm, or even concern, but is certainly worthy of our attention. According to a story that appeared in Monday’s Compass, additional police officers received firearms training last year, in anticipation of the recent strategic move, where armed officers have been taken from the specialist Uniform Support Group and put out on regular patrols. Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Chief Super- intendent Kurt Walton said, “What we have done dif- ferently is decentralize the USG by attaching armed officers to shifts island-wide. At the same time, we have retained a number of armed officers within the USG.” We have heard the conjecture that the “decentral- ization” of firearms-carrying officers could be an initial step toward our country arming many if not most of its police officers. Certainly, that has been the trend in other Caribbean countries. (Look no further than Jamaica, and to a lesser extent the U.S., to witness problems associated with gun-toting police officers behaving irresponsibly.) On the other hand, RCIPS Commissioner David Baines has consistently opposed the idea of all of Cayman’s officers carrying firearms – saying, for example as he is quoted in Monday’s story, that people in the community may begin viewing the police as an “occupation force” and refuse to cooperate with them during criminal investigations. We are sure that under Commissioner Baines’s vigil, Cayman will never have a fully armed police force. It’s just not his style. That being said, the current commis- sioner’s term of appointment is scheduled to end in 2017. It is impossible to predict what the proclivities of his successor may be. To the above, we add the following observation: Police officers carry guns so that they may use them. Whether the use of a firearm is justified in a particular situation only becomes clear once the incident has occurred, and perhaps lives have been saved … or lost. Put another way, decisions about the deployment of firearms — who carries them, who carries what, when are they used, when are they not — are serious, and can have the most serious consequences. We believe Cayman’s police officers should carry as many firearms as is required in order to keep the peace, protect themselves and safeguard the citizenry. Our hope is that number would be zero, or as close to zero as possible. However, it must be recognized that the nature of crime in Cayman has changed over the decades. It may not be entirely accurate to say that gun crimes are on the rise in Cayman — rather, criminals in Cayman already have access to guns when they want them. That at least some of Cayman’s police officers need firearms seems apparent. Anything more specific than that, we leave in the capable hands of our police com- missioner and his top subordinates. However, we think it is clear that if more police officers are going to be carrying guns, and if armed officers are going to be interacting with the public more often, then it behooves RCIPS to augment its training of officers accordingly. Admittedly, we are not experts on firearms in law enforcement, but every single police officer who carries a firearm in Cayman should be. A change in RCIPS’s firearms strategy may be just what the country needs. But the possibility that a police officer may be carrying a deadly weapon in the absence of adequate training is a risk Cayman doesn’t need to take. Letter to the editor Drafting legislation in plain language It was refreshing to read in the Compass of Jan. 14 that a lawyer no less dis- tinguished than Abraham Thoppil, Chairperson of the Cayman Bar Association, called for legislation to be drafted in plain lan- guage. This is long overdue. Cayman has for a long time lagged behind in this and other areas of legislation. If it therefore high time that government legislative drafters made recommenda- tions to the Attorney General and Cabinet on the adop- tion and implementation of a plain language policy. Legislation is a prin- cipal tool of governance. Therefore, it makes little sense to draft legislation that is technically accu- rate if those who are gov- erned by it cannot easily understand it. In the worst cases, due to the some- times convoluted rendering of simple ideas, even law- yers and judges have been known to have difficulty understanding certain leg- islation. This can lead to decisions that may not have been contemplated by policy makers. In other parts of the world, the plain English movement has led to drastic changes in the way legisla- tion is drafted. In countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and even in the bastion of conservatism, our own United Kingdom, plain language policies have been in place for decades and it shows in their laws. That said, it must be noted that, due to certain technical reasons, drafting plain language legislation takes longer than drafting in the old style. Thus in order for this to be achieved, the entire system from the point of proposal to enactment needs to be tweaked to make it more efficient. It is also worth noting that Cayman has not ad- opted a strict policy on gender-neutral drafting. To this day, legislation con- tinues to be drafted in the masculine though, thanks to some progressive atti- tudes among current policy makers, apparently some leeway has been given in this regard. It is time we stopped telling ladies in 21st Century Cayman that the Interpretation Law says that the masculine gender in- cludes females. Finally, the state of a country’s legislation is often the first window to that jurisdiction. In this re- gard, the state of Cayman legislation continues to be at odds with the high standards that exist in Cayman’s institutions. This has to change and change without delay. Bilika H. simamba, Consultant Legislative Counsel American gerrymandering Washington Post EDitorial BoarD “If we want a better pol- itics, it’s not enough just to change a congressman or change a senator or even change a president,” President Obama said in Tuesday’s State of the Union address. Instead of electing a few well-meaning people, the president insisted, “we have to change the system to reflect our better selves,” altering “not just who gets elected, but how they get elected.” Obama speaks from experience: He promised to be a political change agent in the Oval Office, and, seven years later, the country’s poli- tics are more fractured than when he started. The truth is, as the pres- ident also acknowledged Tuesday, “our brand of de- mocracy is hard,” with a cer- tain amount of gridlock built into its system of checks and balances. No magic solution can bridge ideological and cultural rifts. But there are reforms that could help. One such would be ending “the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters and not the other way around,” as Obama said. Gerrymandering, in which state lawmakers draw leg- islative district boundaries to maximize partisan or in- cumbent advantage, warps Americans’ representation in Washington and in state- houses across the country. Among the most egregious examples are the embar- rassingly partisan congres- sional district maps that Democrats drew in Maryland and Republicans drafted in North Carolina. The strategy involves packing people who tend to vote for the opposite party into a few districts and spreading out the rest of the opposition among the others. The use of this tech- nique contributes to results such as these: In 2012, a year in which Obama car- ried Pennsylvania by five points, 13 of the state’s 18 congressional districts went to Republicans. In a given election, a majority of Americans might vote for Democrats for Congress, but Republicans could still hold the majority of seats. Needless to say, this tends to make Congress less re- sponsive to the will of the majority. Obama offered one idea to even things out: Let a bi- partisan or nonpartisan com- mittee draw the maps. Voters in Arizona and in California took map-drawing responsi- bilities out of partisan law- makers’ hands, resulting in maps that preserved ma- jority-minority districts re- quired under the Voting Rights Act and also created a few more competitive seats. The Supreme Court ruled last term that this is constitution- ally acceptable. Redistricting commis- sions can’t eliminate distor- tions that result from popu- lation patterns. Democrats tend to cluster tightly in cities, making it more likely that their votes will be packed into a few urban dis- tricts. But the distortions do not have to be as big as they are now. Even if redistricting re- form had only a modest ef- fect on election results, reform would increase the legitimacy of the system. Unfortunately, the same partisan politicians who benefit from existing rules cannot be counted on to impose such reform on them- selves. Voters, state by state, may have to demand it, either by electing legislators who support redistricting commis- sions or by approving ballot measures that give lawmakers no choice. © 2016, the Washington Post Legislation is a principal tool of governance. Therefore, it makes little sense to draft legislation that is technically accurate if those who are governed by it cannot easily understand it. The strategy involves packing people who tend to vote for the opposite party into a few districts and spreading out the rest of the opposition among the others. Printed and Published by: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town send us yOur VieWs Or neWs: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com adVertise With us: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS daVid r. legge and Vicki l. legge EdITOR-In-CHIEf daVid r. legge A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Tuesday January 19, 2016 Celebrating our eShore Rebranding 2016 Please join us in welcoming Sure International Chief Executive at our rebranding Foreshore event January 21st at Camana Bay. CALL TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE: 946-3673 OR SAIL@ESHORELTD.COM Stingrays make Sandbar home base James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A resident population of stingrays has made the North Sound Sandbar their long-term home, population data from the latest stingray census indicates. Volunteers and scientists working with the Guy Harvey Research Institute counted 96 stingrays, including 84 fe- males and 12 males, in the latest census at the popular tourism attraction last week. A total of 90 stingrays were counted in the previous two surveys at the site. Researchers at the insti- tute analyzed the January 2016 data alongside figures from 10 previous popula- tion counts. They conclude, in a report on the census data, that while there are fre- quently new arrivals to the Sandbar, the vast majority of the population can be found at the site year after year. “The observation that the largest proportion of stingrays in the January 2016 census had already been tagged indicates remarkable site fidelity,” according to the summary report. Of the 96 stingrays counted over the three-day census, only seven had not been fitted with tags in pre- vious surveys. The researchers say the continued occurrence of un- tagged stingrays during the biennial census demon- strates a “continuous im- migration of new individ- uals” to the site, despite the broader trend of site fidelity. The report is authored by Mahmood Shivji of Nova Southeastern University, Brad Wetherbee of the University of Rhode Island, Mr. Harvey and Alexandra Prebble of the Guy Harvey Research Institute. Stingrays are typically solitary animals and noc- turnal foragers that patrol large areas of reef looking for food. The aggregation at the Sandbar is an anomaly and, as such, a unique study op- portunity for scientists. Mr. Harvey said the long- term monitoring of life at the Sandbar is also essential to providing the basis for man- agement, sustainability and conservation decisions at the attraction. His research institute, which carries out the work in partnership with Nova Southeastern University in consultations with the Department of Environment and part-sponsored by Dart Cayman Islands, first sur- veyed the Sandbar in 2002. Consistent surveys began taking place in 2012 after concerns were raised that numbers had dipped. Since the first census in 2002, when around 160 rays were counted, a total of 314 individual rays have been observed at the site, 244 fe- male and 70 male. The lowest counted in any one census was 57 in July 2012. The team will return to the site in July this year. Volunteers and scientists working with the Guy Harvey Research Institute counted 96 stingrays, including 84 females and 12 males, in the latest census at the popular tourism attraction last week. Volunteer vet Ioana Popescu places a cover over a ray’s spine for safety during processing. - PHOTO: COURTESY OF GUY HARVEY Volunteer Ralph Ariza gathers a stingray to be counted in the Guy Harvey Research Institute census of the rays at the Sandbar. - PHOTO: LOIS HATCHERTuesday January 19, 2016 • Cayman Compass 6 DISTRICT DAYS District Days West Bay 50 Years ago: West Bayers mark a variety of career developments In the Jan. 19 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, West Bay cor- respondent Leila Yates wrote: “Miss Sicily Rivers left on the 17th for Jamaica to go into nurses training at the U.H.W.I. (University Hospital of the West Indies). She taught as an Assistant Teacher in the Government School West Bay for one year. She did well there but decided to become a nurse. The members of the Christian Endeavour sponsored a social for her at the home of Mr. Spurgeon Ebanks on the 14th. She was given a gift in re- membrance of them and also received one from the school. Her friends wish her every success. Travelling on the same plane was Mr. Brian Bothwell to resume his studies. “Rev. and Mrs. C. Jones, former pastor of the Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church, are the happy parents of their first child a son, Mark David, born Jan. 4 at St. Louis, Mo. Weight 9 lbs, 10 ozs. “Miss Anistine Bodden returned on the 14th from Jamaica after an ab- sence of three years. She works at the Faith Home in Golden Spring. Faith Home is a home for destitute children founded in 1946 by the late Vienna O’Sullivan, a West Bayer. It is recog- nized by the Government and chiefly sponsored by friends in America. Medical men give free service to the home and Dr. Noel March was one of the doctors. When your writer visited there in August last year, it had 100 children. “Joey Parsons and his sister Alice go there sometimes for their holi- days. Since the death of its founder, her daughter-in-law Mrs. Rebecca (Brown) O’Sullivan [became the superintendant]. “Leaving recently for their jobs in U.S. were Messrs. Ivan Farrington, Dicky Rivers, Duel Rivers, Hennie Lon Haylock. Mrs. Ludie Farrington has gone to Miami to visit her sister, Ena.” District diving having good season so far The rough weather in re- cent days has brought some heavy seas and cool breezes to the waters of West Bay, making for some wild vistas. So far the season has been a good one in general for diving in West Bay, local oper- ators said. Reef Divers at Cobalt Coast were reporting that the loca- tion has been lucky with wind, in that the seas have been calmer than usual allowing for plenty of winter shore diving. At Divetech at Lighthouse Point on Northwest Point Road, manager Jo Mikutowicz noted that coral around the shore dive sites has bounced back from bleaching that took place over the summer due to high water temperatures. The business has recently constructed a sea pool, a swimming pool connected to the ocean, which has unex- pectedly become popular with all sorts of sea creatures. “It’s turned into a haven for juveniles, and has been attracting octopus, which normally are quite hard to spot,” said Ms. Mikutowicz, noting that the rough weather means shore diving was closed Monday. The Kittiwake wreck, one of West Bay’s most popular underwater attractions, is coming up on its fifth anni- versary and is reportedly pro- gressing well as a dive desti- nation as well. Red Sail Sports dive boat captain John Starbuck said the former submarine re- covery vessel is attracting all sorts of coral growth, partic- ularly flat corals, and hosting a variety of marine life this season. “Right now, we have a big school of horse-eye jacks in the area, and there are quite a lot of silversides attracting bar jacks and groupers inside the hull,” he said. “We are still seeing quite a lot of turtles, and this year there are two very friendly nurse sharks which fre- quent the wreck, which is just terrific.” Sollie ebankS, the king of north Sound GeorGe Nowak In his time Solomon “Sollie” Ebanks was known as the King of North Sound. He knew the waters of the sound better than the huge frigate birds that hovered over his small wooden boat. He was one of the first local fishing and snorkeling guides. With the grace of a manta ray, he could easily free-dive past 50 feet and come back up with a spear full of lobster. Later in the day, he would cook his catch on the beach at Rum Point, always sip- ping on a Miller beer and charming his guests, es- pecially the ladies. His navigational skills were remark- able. Exhausted and half asleep after a long day, he could still circumvent any coral head or channel marker in his path, al- ways delivering his vaca- tioners to shore safely. On Christmas Eve 1985, “Sollie” passed away while preparing for yet another North Sound venture. This image is from the book ‘The People Time Forgot’ by george Nowak, available at the National Museum. all proceeds from the sales of the book go toward museum projects. People The Time Forgot Divers at the Kittiwake, off the coast of West Bay. – Photo: nina baXaCayman Compass • Tuesday January 19, 2016 7 DISTRICT DAYS District Days West Bay Barkers looking worse for wear AlmA Chollette achollette@pinnaclemedialtd.com Plastics, glass bottles and cans and a diaper box protruding through gar- bage bags: These are just some of the things you can find lying about Cayman’s northwesternmost nature re- serve and park. Hidden deep within the district of West Bay is Barkers National Park. Secluded, serene and forested with sea grape and man- groves, the park on Conch Point Road is bordered by a 4-mile long shoreline known as Barkers Beach. The beach is home to many local ventures from kiteboarding to horseback riding. Others benefiting from the turquoise seaside are cycle tour operators, lo- cals seeking a little R&R, and, of course, the native flora and fauna that thrive in the wetlands. Sadly, the West Bay national park is in poor condition. Upon passing through the Barkers’ entrance, a long stretch of dirt road ex- tends into the park, leading to a maze of dyke roads and winding pathways. The road surface is pitted with pot- holes – varying in size and water content – posing a challenge for those wanting to maneuver about the re- serve in their vehicles. Aside from wheel and tire damage from the many pot- holes, drivers trying to nav- igate the craters also risk damage to their vehicles’ sus- pension, alignment systems and steering. Another issue facing the park is, unfortunately, the co- pious amount of litter that can be seen roadside, shore side and floating in the water. Horseback riding oper- ator Paul Rivers described how he was told that the people who operate on the beach should be responsible for cleaning it. Heaps of trash can be seen on the roadside – and quite near the mangroves – in large polyethylene bags. How they got there, why they were not properly dis- posed of, and who would drop off their garbage at a national park are just some of the questions their presence raise. On the beach, miscella- neous items like glass bottles and plastic flotsam are scat- tered about, joined by other items floating in the water. “We do two or three tours a day, and it’s not good pub- licity for Cayman nor its op- erators. People have a great experience [with the horses], and I have to give an excep- tional service no doubt,” said Mr. Rivers. His horseback tour company Spirit of the West is one of five operating on the secluded stretch of beach. “But when they take photos, they’re taking a pic- ture of garbage in the back- ground,” Mr. Rivers said. “It’s unacceptable, and highly neglected by the government on a con- sistent basis,” he added. “Customers do complain about the garbage.” In business for 11 years, Mr. Rivers caters to many re- peat customers, and mostly to stay-over tourists. He’s concerned the state of Barkers Beach is not being set as a priority, as compared to Cayman’s other beaches, like Seven Mile Beach. “If they find two con- tainers on the ground [on SMB] they’d have it picked up right away,” he said. “No one cares about this beach. No cleaning has been done [from] Aug. 2015 till present.” Cayman resident Paula Ross thinks things may be getting worse at Barkers. “I’ve been riding here for 25 years, and it’s the worst it’s ever been,” she said. “I live here, and it’s a shame.” Given the prolifera- tion of social media plat- forms like Instagram and Facebook, and review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp that sway the decisions of potential visitors, attrac- tions and activities have never been more vulnerable to negative feedback. Mr. Rivers was not ready to rule out sea- weed as a reason for the buildup of litter. “It could have also washed ashore with the seaweed,” he said. “The government does an all-right job with the cleanup,” said Lori Salvatore, owner of Pampered Ponies Ltd., which also operates in the area. “The last time it was organized it was done well,” she said. Ms. Salvatore agrees that the large influx of Sargassum seaweed that Cayman expe- rienced this year might be a contributing factor to the garbage problem. Kitesurf Cayman’s Jhon Mora first opened shop at Barkers in January 2009. He suggested that the so- lution to the litter problem had already been estab- lished two years ago but is no longer operational. “I think lately and for the last two years, I haven’t been seeing the people who used to keep the park clean,” Mr. Mora said. “I remember there always being a crew cleaning.” “Barkers is a good location. The government needs to pay attention and look after it.” Mr. Mora noted local ac- tivities also include pad- dleboarding, kayaking, fly fishing, and safari and cycling tours. Most of Mr. Mora’s cus- tomers are a combination of stay-over and cruise ship tourists. Though his cus- tomers do not often complain, they do question the state of the park’s cleanliness. “We don’t have the an- swers to their questions. We just try to keep the kite surfing area clean,” he admitted. “And it’s sad because the park is a good place to hang out and be away from the Seven Mile Beach crowd.” Mr. Mora worries the park has been for- gotten, and urged action from the Department of Tourism and the government. “This is a great loca- tion, and it has a lot of po- tential for so many activi- ties for residents and tourists alike,” he said. Mr. Mora firmly believes that the litter problem may cause visitors to change their minds about Cayman’s pristine reputation thus de- priving businesses of poten- tial clients. Mr. Mora also urged that road maintenance be done much more frequently. “Hopefully, they can open their eyes and do something,” he said. “The park deserves to be taken care of.” Riders enjoy the peaceful vistas of Barkers Beach. - Photos: AlAn MArkoff Tourists walk along a footpath in Barkers. Paul Rivers of Spirit of the West. Piles of trash can be found dumped throughout the park.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Community Calendar ■ Community Calendar is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. Tuesday January 19, 2016 • Cayman Compass TUESDAY, JAN. 19 BUSINESS LICENSING: Business owners now have the option of paying their trade and business licensing fees using bank-issued credit and debit cards. License fees are payable at the counter, located on the first floor in the Government Administration Building, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mondays to Fridays. For more information, call the Department of Commerce and Investment on 945-0943 or email info@dci.gov.ky. CHAMBER COURSE: “Basics of Budgeting” by Terry Carson. Today and tomorrow 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Members $225. Future members $300. Register online at www. caymanchamber.ky/events. FIGURE PAINTING: Classes today and next Tuesday. Watler House Studio on the grounds of Pedro Castle: 7–9 p.m. This is an opportunity for artists of all levels to develop life drawing skills from real life models with instruction from a qualified art instructor. $25 per session for members; $35 for non-members. For more information, visualartcayman@yahoo. com or 546-9422. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20 FAMILY SKILL-BUILDING: The Toolbox Project is a free skill-building session for the whole family. 6-8 p.m. Explore tools that can help overcome adversity, create healthy personal boundaries, extinguish arguments and provide a healthy happy home. Light dinner provided. Family Resource Centre. Ground floor of Compass Centre on North Sound Road. Contact 949-0006 or frc@gov.ky. DRAMA SOCIETY AGM: The Cayman Drama Society invites all members and interested parties to attend the annual general meeting at 7 p.m. Members will receive the chairman’s report, theater management report and the treasurer’s report. Members may pay their membership dues at the meeting. All interested parties are welcome to join prior to the meeting. Happy hour starts at 6 p.m. with the formal meeting at 7 p.m. FLOETRY: Books & Books, 6:30-7:30 p.m. All are invited to join poets and performers as they share their work during an open mic night of poetry and readings. This event is open to the public; feel free to share your own work or listen to others. CERAMIC OPEN STUDIO: Continues today and Jan. 27. Visual Arts Society offers Ceramic Open Studio to adults who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere 9 a.m. to noon at the Watler House Studio, Pedro Castle. $15 members; $25 non- members. Clay, materials, glazes and firing facilities are available. More information at visualartcayman@yahoo.com. THURSDAY, JAN. 21 SPECIAL NIGHT FOR SPECIAL NEEDS: Dinner dance for adults, play stations for children. 6–8 p.m. The Lighthouse School canteen will be the setting for parents of children with special needs and teaching, plus specialist staff. Live music, massage therapy and information on support services. Mary Miller Hall will be only for children with special needs and their siblings, with games, stories, videos and activities for all needs and abilities. For free tickets contact the Family Resource Centre in the Compass Centre, 949-0006, frc@gov.ky. PUB QUIZ: Fidel Murphy’s, 7 p.m. to benefit Humane Society. $10 per person, with maximum of six persons per team. To reserve a table contact 949-5189 or sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com. CHAMBER COURSE: Time Management and Productivity, by Catherine Tyson. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Members $150; Future members $225. Register online at www. caymanchamber.ky/events. FRIDAY, JAN. 22 JUNIOR YOUTH ORCHESTRA: Any students age 12 or younger who play an orchestral instrument are invited to join in the Cayman Arts Festival. Rehearsals are Fridays 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the John Gray High School Music Department. Email fmcconvey@yahoo.com for more information. SATURDAY, JAN. 23 BURNS SUPPER: Cayman HospiceCare hosts a Burns Supper at the Grand Old House. Tickets are $150 and can be purchased from Cayman HospiceCare at Conch Shell House on North Sound Way. MULCHING: The Department of Environmental Health will mulch Christmas trees at the Smith Road Cricket Oval at 9 a.m. and showcase a new wood grinding machine, nicknamed “The Beast.” Residents and children are welcome to watch the mulching process before claiming their free mulch. DEH staff asks interested persons to arrive on time in the morning and to bring their own bags and shovels. SUNDAY, JAN. 24 GARDEN CLUB FAMILY DAY IN THE PARK: The Garden Club of Grand Cayman hosts a Family Fun Day at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Games, performances, tours, local food and more. Call 925-5531 for more information. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27 ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE: Cardinall Avenue in central George Town will be closed from 10 p.m. tonight until 3 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30 for the Poinciana Festival. Part of Albert Panton Avenue (between Cardinall Avenue and the Scotia Bank parking lot) will also be closed for the festivities. THURSDAY, JAN. 28 BUSINESS WORKSHOP: “Social Media Tips for Micro and Small Businesses” by Cayman Islands Yellow Pages and KRyS Global. 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. Free. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. BRAC COURT: Summary Court is held at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre from 10 a.m. today and tomorrow. FRIDAY, JAN. 29 POINCIANA FESTIvAL: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. along Cardinall Ave. and George Town waterfront. Local artists will have a variety of art, photos, crafts, jewelry for sale. Live music and food. For more information, email info@poinciana.ky. SUNDAY, JAN. 31 STRIDE AGAINST CANCER: Cayman Islands Cancer Society annual fundraiser. Half-marathon (13.1 miles) begins at Seven Mile Beach Public Beach at 6 a.m. Quarter marathon (6.5 miles) begins at 7 a.m. at Public Beach. North Side Stride begins at 7 a.m. from the boat launch next to Over the Edge, ending at Kaibo. Transport back to boat launch provided. The Little Cayman Stride starts at 7 a.m. from the Southern Cross Club. The Cayman Brac Stride starts at 7 a.m. at the Alexander Hotel and goes to the Reef Hotel. For registration and payment details, visit www.cics.ky/ index.php/Events/stride- 2016. MARITIME SCHOLARSHIP: Today is the deadline to apply. The Maritime Authority and the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs offer a scholarship in the areas of naval architecture, marine engineering, marine survey, maritime administration and nautical studies. Applicants should be 18 or over. Consideration will be given to applicants looking at specialist maritime legal services, human resource management, accounting, information technology and other areas which support the maritime sector. Information at www. cishipping.com or human. resources@cishipping.com, or 949-8831 or the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry Facebook page. HATITUDE TRUST GALA: Fundraiser for the National Trust at Grand Old House. Patrons are encouraged to dress as someone famous from history, whether real or fantasy, in full regalia or just highlighted by choice of hat. Tickets for Brunch Upon a Time are available at the Trust retail store at the Dart Family Park in South Sound. Guests will enjoy unlimited bubbles and a brunch buffet. $75 for Trust members, $100 for non-members. $105 for Trust annual membership and ticket. $1,500 for a corporate table. For further information or to reserve tickets, email marketing@nationaltrust.org. ky or call 749-1121. OvERSEAS SCHOLARSHIPS: The application process for overseas tertiary scholarships began on Nov. 15. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 31. Visit www.education.gov.ky/ scholarships to apply online. GENERAL INTEREST CAREERS, EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Chamber of Commerce Expo to be held on Feb. 26. Businesses interested in exhibiting should contact Nicola Burke at 743-9129 or email membership@ caymanchamber.ky. REEF RESTORATION: Certified divers are invited to work on the Cayman Magic Reef restoration in George Town. A schedule of work dates and times is posted on Facebook under Cayman Magic Reef Recovery. Dates and times are listed under Events, for volunteers to check and sign up. TREE MULCH: Through Friday, Jan. 22, collection containers for natural Christmas trees will be placed at sites across Grand Cayman, including the Ed Bush Stadium in West Bay, the Smith Road Cricket Oval, Spotts Dock and at the entrance of Frank Sound Road. See Jan. 23. BEAUTIFUL BABY CONTEST: to be held at the 49th Agricultural Show on Feb. 10, Ash Wednesday, at the Stacy Watler Pavilion, Lower Valley at 11 a.m. Open to boys and girls ages 0–48 months. For more information and registration forms, contact Eziethamae (Zeta) Bodden, 916-1559. ADULT ART COURSES: New art courses at the National Gallery include drawing and painting, followed by batik and hatting. See www. nationalgallery.org.ky/news/ ngci2016adultcourses. CONSUMER PROTECTION: The Law Reform Commission invites comment on the discussion paper, Consumer Protection – Entrenching Consumer Supremacy in Cayman Islands Legislation. The paper can be viewed on www.lrc.gov.ky. Submissions should be emailed to cilrc@gov.ky or sent by post or hand to the Director of the Law Reform Commission, 4th Floor, Government Administration Building, Portfolio of Legal Affairs, 133 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, P.O. Box 136, Grand Cayman KY1- 9000. Deadline is April 29. EXHIBITION EN MAS’: The National Gallery is the venue for the exhibition of “Carnival and Performance Art of the Caribbean.” This traveling exhibition explores the influences of Carnival on contemporary performance and practices internationally. ARTISANS MARKET: Camana Bay Artisans Market every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society artists display arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry and ceramics for sale between noon and 8 p.m. near KARoo restaurant. For more information on displaying your work, email info@visualartcayman.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.compasscayman. com/caycompass/portal/ community-calendar. Residents can drop off their natural Christmas trees at various collection points throughout Grand Cayman, including at the Cricket Oval in George Town, pictured. The trees will be mulched on Jan. 23. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Tuesday January 19, 2016 Call Beyond Basics 945-2737 and make your appointment today. Beyond Basics Medical day Spa 7 Smith Road Plaza, George Town E: info@beyondbasics.ky W: www.beyondbasics.ky I: #beyondbasicsspa Sonia has been exploring various arenas of health and beauty for a number of years Starting as a freelance makeup artist in Vancouver, BC, she moved back to Alberta to pursue a career in nursing. While obtaining her BSc N from the University of Alberta, she continued freelancing as a Makeup and Hair Stylist and worked as an Artist for M.A.C. Cosmetics. 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NEW TEAM MEMBER AT BEYOND BASICS have to invest in training for the new employees. “The object is not for us to pay them long term but to get to the point where businesses are glad to have them and happy to pay them,” the premier said. He acknowledged that even with substantial support and financial assistance, some employees would not work out. But he said government is com- mitted to supporting them and paying their wages for a trial period of up to six months. He said the project would help em- ployers and workers through any issues that arise. “What we are trying to do is minimize the financial risk for the businesses and build a sup- port system so if John Brown doesn’t show up at work, it is the project coordinator’s re- sponsibility to find out what is going wrong and to get him through what is preventing him from working,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “There will be different levels of effort and intervention required with each individual.” He said the project should deal with some of the concerns highlighted by the business community and help transition a substantial number of unem- ployed people back to work. “My hope is that by the end of it we will have a signif- icant number of them in full- time employment,” he said. The premier, who acknowledged in his New Year’s address that dealing with Caymanian un- employment was the Achilles’ heel of his administration, said the government is tackling the issue head-on. “We’ve delivered on every- thing except this,” he said. “The increase in work permits is a good sign that the economy is doing well, but the number of Caymanians unemployed is not falling fast enough.” He said the number of em- ployees who turned out for a Christmas work program had brought the issue into sharper focus. “When I saw those stats in October, I made a real push then to take a greater personal involvement and give it the push it needs,” he said. He confirmed that he origi- nally had chosen independent legislator Winston Connolly to lead the task force, but then took on the role himself as Mr. Connolly had also been put for- ward to lead a national energy review. Mr. McLaughlin said he plans to appoint a co-chair from the private sector. Mr. Connolly, who an- nounced Monday that he would no longer be part of the govern- ment caucus nor remain as a government ministry councillor, said last week that he turned down the chairmanship of the Employment Task Force, partly due to other responsibilities and partly out of deference to Premier McLaughlin. “I felt he, as minister [with responsibility for] immigra- tion and leader of the country, should be the person in charge of that task force to give it the necessary gravitas and impor- tance he has placed on it,” Mr. Connolly said. Mr. Connolly, who was re- cently named chairman of the National Energy Policy review committee, indicated last week he could not “do both.” In light of his announcement Monday, it was not immediately clear whether he would remain as chairman of the energy policy committee. It was Mr. Connolly’s pri- vate members’ motion of 2014 that led to what he termed the “carrot” approach being ad- opted by government with re- gard to private companies hiring Caymanian workers. His initial proposal was to segregate a certain percentage of work permit fees – he put the figure at 10 percent of an- nual revenues from that source – paid to government to em- ploy expatriate workers into a fund used to train and “up-skill” Caymanian workers. Another goal, according to his 2014 motion, was to “in- centivize employers by supple- menting salaries of locals [who are] training for employment.” At the time, Finance Minister Marco Archer noted that siphoning 10 percent of the annual work permit fees paid into government’s budget would cost more than $7 mil- lion per year. Gov’t to pay wages in back-to-work project CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 indicated this money had orig- inally come from the football association, but the Crown did not attach it to a specific project. During his testimony Monday, Watson did. Watson, an accountant by trade, said he reviewed all of the transactions into and out of the Fidelity Bank ac- count held by AIS (Advanced Integrated Systems) Cayman Ltd. while preparing his de- fense in the criminal trial. Watson and Webb have been accused of personally bene- fiting from the award of the health authority’s contract for a hospital patient swipe- card system to AIS Cayman and its Jamaican partners, an award Watson is accused of directing as the former chairman of the Health Services Authority’s board. Watson’s attorney, Trevor Burke, QC, asked whether, in his review of the AIS Cayman financial records, Watson had discovered “other deposits” going into the Fidelity account for AIS. Watson noted that about US$250,000 from Black Holdings was placed into that account. Watson said he understood that company to be controlled by a man named Peter Campbell. Mr. Burke asked whether Watson was aware whether Black Holdings had re- ceived a “similar sum” prior to the payment into the AIS account. Watson responded that Black Holdings had a con- tract with FIFA, world foot- ball’s governing body, to build a football field at what is referred to as the “Centre of Excellence” in George Town, Grand Cayman. “These were monies due contractu- ally from CIFA [the Cayman Islands Football Association] to Black Holdings,” Watson said. Watson was the treasurer of the Cayman Islands Football Association at the time the transfer was made to the AIS Cayman ac- count. Webb was the associa- tion’s president. Around the time the Black Holdings cash transfer was done, another deposit of US$240,000 came into the AIS Cayman account from a company, J&D International, by way of a loan made to that company from Fidelity. Webb was a director of J&D International, which was ultimately controlled by Trinidadian politician and former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner. Upon a further review of the records, Watson said it appeared that the money from Black Holdings, the loan from J&D and other funds in the AIS account were used to pay US$520,000 for a home in Loganville, Georgia, that Webb bought in 2011. “That US$520,000 was the precise figure paid for [Webb’s] home?” Mr. Burke asked. Watson said he could not testify about a “precise figure” but that it did appear to pay for the purchase of the home in Georgia. Previous testimony in the trial revealed that the cash to J&D International’s loan was paid back via funds received from the AIS Cayman contract and that it appeared other funds were paid to CIFA from the AIS account. CarePay earnings According to Watson’s review of the evidence pro- vided to him by prosecutors regarding the Fidelity Bank statements, it was alleged that US$1.66 million was collected by Webb directly from the AIS Cayman Ltd. bank account. That US$1.66 million was out of a total of US$6.8 million spent on the AIS- CarePay system spanning a period from December 2010 to August 2014, Watson said. Only US$320,000 from the same account was paid to Joscelyn Morgan, one of the two registered direc- tors of AIS Cayman Ltd. It was not stated whether the other director, Eldon Rankin, received anything from the AIS account. Mr. Burke asked Watson whether, during any deal- ings he had with Webb and the AIS-CarePay con- tract, or during his review of the AIS Cayman bank account whether he found former government minis- ters McKeeva Bush or Mark Scotland had personally benefited from the award of the CarePay contract. Watson said he had no evidence of either man per- sonally benefiting. CarePay trial Watson: CiFa football complex funds paid for Webb’s house CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “It is now clear to me that I would better serve them and the country if I were not a councillor. I realised that I’m not a politician. I’m just an or- dinary Caymanian who serves his community as a member of the Legislative Assembly.” Mr. Connolly had been a counsellor in the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs. Earlier this month, the Compass asked Mr. Connolly if was con- sidering a move from the government back- bench, along with former Progressives members MLA Alva Suckoo and MLA Anthony Eden. At the time Mr. Connolly said, “I am still with the government on the backbench.” “I also have no plans to join [the Progressives] and will remain an indepen- dent MLA until the people of George Town remove me or I decide not to run again, whichever comes first,” he said. If Mr. Connolly does not stay on the back- bench, it will leave the ruling Progressives party with nine members, in- cluding Speaker of the House Juliana O’Connor- Connolly. Minister Rivers would make up the gov- ernment’s 10th member as an independent, giving them the slimmest of majorities. Premier Alden McLaughlin was con- tacted Monday for com- ment on Mr. Connolly’s announcement, but no re- sponse had been received by press time. Mr. Connolly Mla Connolly leaves Progressives caucus, says he’s ‘not a politician’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Next >