SPORTS | Page 18 SquaSh club hoStS vetS tournament High of 83 Low of 74 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. ediTORial | Page 4 minimum wage: the very leaSt cayman can do ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – wedneSday February 17, 2016 US, Cuba agree to resume flights Cayman Airways monitoring the situation JameS whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The United States and Cuba signed an agreement Tuesday that paves the way for up to 110 commercial flights per day between the two countries. Several U.S. carriers, including American Airlines and Jet Blue, immediately indi- cated that they will seek permits to fly into Havana and other popular Cuban cities, with dozens of daily flights expected to begin as early as this fall. The resumption of commercial flights be- tween the two countries has been hailed as a significant development after five decades of Cold War opposition and is expected to lead to a surge in tourism from the U.S. to Cuba. The move could have an impact on tourism across the Caribbean, with Cuba expected to take some market share from other desti- nations in the region which rely heavily on American visitors. It is also likely to impact Cayman Airways, which currently flies daily to Havana from Grand Cayman, and once a week from Cayman Brac to Holguin in eastern Cuba. The Cuba flights, one of Cayman Airways’ profitable routes, rely, in part, on trav- elers transiting through Cayman from Cuba to the U.S., or vice versa. Fabian Whorms, CEO of Cayman Airways, said, “The new Air Service Agreement between Cuba and the USA has been in the works for the past year and comes as no surprise to Cayman Airways.” He added, “Cayman Airways will continue to monitor the situation over the next eight to 10 months in order to be able to address in a timely manner, any changes necessary to our Caledonian owner wants Court permission to seek seC damages michael klein mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The owner of Caledonian Bank and Caledonian Securities has filed a motion to intervene in the settlement proposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Caledonian’s liquidators. Sentinel Trust Services, the legal owner of all of Caledonian’s equity, is asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for permission to object to the set- tlement and to seek damages and sanctions against the SEC. The settlement, which has been ap- proved by the Cayman Islands Grand Court, still has to be sanctioned by the U.S. court to take effect. Caledonian went into bankruptcy in February 2015, just days after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Caledonian Bank, Caledonian Securities and three other broker-dealers in Belize and Panama in connection with sham stock offerings and penny stock pump-and- dump schemes that allegedly netted the or- chestrators of the fraud US$75 million. After U.S. courts froze all of Caledonian’s U.S. assets, depositors tried to withdraw US$68 million in a virtual run on the bank, forcing Caledonian to suspend operations. Caledonian and its co-defendants Clearwater Securities Inc. and Legacy Global Markets SA in Belize and Verdmont Capital SA in Panama are accused of offering stocks for sale to investors in the U.S. without the required registration of the shares for public sale. Sentinel, which manages New World Star Trust, which in turn owns Caledonian, claims Soaring pelican numbers please birders A brown pelican drifts over the surf on Seven Mile Beach earlier this week. Bird watchers say there has been an increase in the number of the birds visiting Cayman this year. For more, see page 10. – pHoto: James wHittaker Tempura records ordered released for 3rd time brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government records re- lated to the ill-fated Operation Tempura police corruption in- vestigation have been ordered released, although in par- tially redacted form, by the Cayman Islands Information Commissioner’s Office. The decision on Tuesday by Acting Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers marks the third time the Cayman Islands Governor’s Office has been asked to release the same records, following a February 2012 freedom of information re- quest made by retired U.K. jour- nalist John Evans. In the previous two instances, separate governors have taken the information commissioner’s ruling to court, both times elic- iting a judicial decision that the commissioner re-examine the re- cords’ release in light of various legal issues raised. The Governor’s Office has until April 7 to either disclose the records or to challenge Mr. Liebaers’s decision via the Grand Court. The Governor’s Office gave no indication Tuesday of its next move in the case. Previously it has waited until the last pos- sible day to file legal challenges to the commissioner’s orders. The records sought involve a complaint made by Operation Tempura’s former senior in- vestigator, retired U.K. lawman Martin Bridger, regarding the conduct of certain high-ranking Cayman Islands officials in the judiciary and in the attorney general’s office. The complaint was dismissed in 2011 by then- Governor Duncan Taylor, who refused to release it, claiming some of its assertions were false and defamatory. In addition to Mr. Bridger’s complaint document, Governor Taylor’s 185-page evaluation of that complaint is also sought via the open records request. Mr. Taylor withheld that evaluation from release as well. The third decision to release the records varies slightly from the previous two. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL NEWS Wednesday February 17, 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. - WEDNESDAY - Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) DEADPOOL (R) 1:00 I 3:30 I 7:00 I 9:30 THE CHOICE (PG13) 12:50 I 3:40 I 7:30 I 10:05 KUNG FU PANDA 3 3D (PG) 12:20 I 2:40 2D I 5:00 I 7:20 2D I 9:40 HOW TO BE SINGLE (R) 1:10 I 3:50 I 7:10 I 10:00 RIDE ALONG 2 (PG13) 1:00 I 3:30 I 7:10 I 9:40 THE BOY (PG) 1:20 I 4:30 I 7:15 I 9:35 Program tackles child depression, anxiety Kelsey JuKam kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Family Resource Centre is hosting a free family skills workshop Wednesday evening to address how to help children cope with anx- iety and depression. The workshop, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Family Resource Centre, will be the first time the center has held a session that focuses specifically on child- hood anxiety and depression. Family Resource Centre program coordinator Miriam Foster said the center de- cided to put on the program because it has been seeing an increase in individuals showing up with depression, anxiety, or at risk of suicide. “We like to focus on pre- vention, and we wanted to help parents with their chil- dren and see if they can equip them from the time they are little with different tools so when they’re older, they’re not struggling as much as some of the adults coming through our door,” Ms. Foster said. “The truth is, most of the adults coming through our door have been dealing with this since childhood.” According to the U.S. National Alliance on Mental Health, 50 percent of all life- time cases of mental ill- ness begin by age 14, and the average delay between the onset of symptoms of a mental illness and interven- tion to treat that illness is eight to 10 years. Ms. Foster said many is- sues that come up later in a person’s life, such as chem- ical dependencies and risky behavior, can be prevented with early intervention in childhood since those types of behaviors are often ways of coping with untreated mental illness. At the workshop, facilita- tors will discuss with adults how to recognize symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the “do’s and don’ts” of helping individuals strug- gling with those illnesses. In another room, children will work on different mindful- ness activities. The workshop will also be an opportunity for par- ents to discuss when pro- fessional treatment may be needed. While the phrase “professional treatment” can sound scary, Ms. Foster said, it really means seeking help from an expert who has a wealth of knowledge that can help an individual feel more at ease. “They are coming from an objective place,” Ms. Foster said. “They’re there to support you and the child, making sure the child is safe, and so I think that professional treat- ment should be something that is comforting.” Out the 4,000 people in the Cayman Islands who re- ceived some form of mental health-related services in 2013, approximately 360 of those were age 17 or younger, according to a report re- leased by the Cayman Islands Mental Health Commission. However, many studies sug- gest that as many as one out of five children experience a mental disorder in a given year, meaning that there could be many more chil- dren in the Cayman Islands struggling with mental ill- ness than the number of those who are currently receiving treatment. Ms. Foster said there is still a stigma associated with mental health, which can keep individuals from dis- cussing it or seeking out help. “It’s important to under- stand that everyone’s dif- ferent, everyone’s chemical makeup is different, as well,” Ms. Foster said. She said the tools of- fered in the workshop will be useful to everyone, whatever degree to which their chil- dren – or themselves – are struggling with anxiety and depression, because the focus is on expressing emotions and dealing with those emo- tions in a healthy way. “A lot of times, we don’t talk about those things. We don’t go deep, we don’t get too touchy-feely,” Ms. Foster said. “A lot of the work we do at the FRC is to counter that … the fact is, you need to engage with your emotions, because they are affecting you whether you admit it or not. The more you learn to cope with them in a healthy way, the more successful you’ll be in life.” Families and community members interested in attending can contact the Family Resource Centre at 949-0006. Adults and children are welcome to attend, and a light dinner will be served. Radio station gives away free divorce Kelsey JuKam kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Around Valentine’s Day there are always contests, competitions and giveaways to help couples celebrate their love for each other, but one giveaway this year in Grand Cayman was designed to help couples who are no longer feeling the love. The prize? A divorce. On Monday, radio host Jason Howard gave away a free divorce during his “Breakfast Buzz” show on station Z99. “We’ve done kind of anti-Valentine’s stuff before but nothing like this,” Mr. Howard said. He said that divorce give- aways have become pop- ular among radio stations around the world, and since he is going through a divorce himself, he had the idea to do the giveaway around Valentine’s Day this year. At the beginning of February, the radio station invited listeners to share their stories to enter to win a free divorce from a web- site called ourdivorcea- greement.com. Mr. Howard said the number of responses was “shocking.” He said many of the stories were “cute and optimistic,” but many others were serious and sad. The judges therefore de- cided to select someone they thought the free divorce would help the most. The station is keeping her iden- tity private. “The woman had gotten married very young and they had kids and rushed to get married,” Mr. Howard said. “She was from Europe, he was Caymanian … they just weren’t working.” Mr. Howard said the woman had fallen on tough financial times, had “a lot on her plate and she was just looking for a fresh start and for someone to help her.” The public’s response to the subject was positive, Mr. Howard said, although some people did call in to see if the contest was a joke. “Divorce is a sensitive subject here, but it happens every day and it’s a sub- ject that doesn’t have to be negative,” Mr. Howard said. “The end of it all is also the beginning.” One local radio station gave away an unusual Valentine’s Day gift – a free divorce. “The truth is, most of the adults coming through our door have been dealing with this since childhood.” MiriaM Foster, Family Resource Centre Bryan verdict adjourned Kenneth Bryan, former po- litical assistant to Premier Alden McLaughlin, may hear the verdict in his trial on Feb. 24, after the date was adjourned from earlier this month. Bryan pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly con- duct and assaulting a police officer in the execution of his duty outside Dream Night Club in the early hours of Oct. 11, 2014. Trial began last year and concluded on Feb. 3 with Bryan’s evidence, fol- lowed by closing speeches from Crown counsel Scott Wainwright and defense at- torney Karin Thompson. In setting a date for the verdict, Acting Magistrate Philippa McFarlane of- fered three options, but Ms. Thompson indicated she would not be available this week. The date settled on was Feb. 9, but the magistrate subsequently had a sched- uling difficulty. An officer in the Criminal Registry said the matter had been re-set administratively for Feb. 24. Store manager faces deception charges Defense seeks return of passport CaROl WINKeR cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The former manager of Kirk’s Market appeared in Summary Court on Tuesday on two charges of obtaining by deception. One charge against Craig Austin Gaskill alleges that he obtained a pecuniary ad- vantage totaling $509,975.50 by falsely representing that he had a master’s degree in business administration. The alleged obtaining was be- tween March 11, 2013 and Nov. 5, 2015. Gaskill, 44, is also charged with obtaining property by deception between April 6, 2014 and Nov. 5, 2015. Details of that charge are that he dis- honestly obtained property to the sum of $34,315.54 by falsely representing that he was authorized to purchase the property with the use of a corporate credit card. Defense attorney Alice Carver received disclosure papers from Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson. She asked Magistrate Valdis Foldats to have the matter come back on Thursday, Feb. 18 for a bail variation. In effect, she said, the defendant would like his passport returned. The magistrate set the ap- plication for Thursday. Woman admits theft CaROl WINKeR cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A woman formerly em- ployed at a jewelry store pleaded guilty on Tuesday to theft of four items, but did not agree with the value attached to them. Madeiny Williams Rodrigues Ebanks-Pol, 37, admitted stealing a dia- mond ring, valued at $4,000, and a charm bracelet, valued at $2,000, from Mitzi’s Fine Jewelry on Nov. 7 last year. She also pleaded guilty to stealing a gold neck- lace and a diamond pen- dant from the store four days later. On this charge, defense attorney Keva Reid said her client was not agreeing to the value of the items as stated in the charge – the necklace listed at $2,000 and the pendant at $18,000. Ms. Reid asked for a verification of values, but agreed that the total would be over $5,000. Magistrate Valdis Foldats ordered a social in- quiry report and set sen- tencing for April 18.3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday February 17, 2016 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. Minimum wage: The very least Cayman can do Starting March 1, every employee in the Cayman Islands must, by law, be paid at least $6 per hour. We don’t anticipate much cheering in the streets from the formerly underpaid — and we certainly don’t expect the new minimum wage to bring about any broad economic benefits over the long run. However, we do credit Premier Alden McLaughlin and his Progressives government for stating a policy goal, pursuing it and achieving it, in a transparent manner. We reserve special applause for retired Deputy Governor Lemuel Hurlston for chairing the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee, which produced an unflinching report exposing an epidemic of mistreated workers in our country. As we wrote in an editorial last April, “The injustices the committee documents have not been perpetrated by cold, profit-calculating companies, but by individual Cayman households (our country’s “moms” and “pops”) who employ Jamaican and Filipino domestic workers.” (Note: As so often occurs with this sort of social injus- tice, it is a small minority of people who perpetrate the vast majority of the sins … with their behavior enabled by “cultural norms” and a complicit system.) What the new minimum wage will do is to provide a specific remedy for a particular issue — that is, people being paid less than $6 per hour. And, yes, perhaps the most positive thing about the new minimum wage is that it, unlike some of our existing legislation, applies evenly to all classes of employees, including nannies, “helpers” and other domestic workers. The new minimum wage does contain one logical exemption, for employees who receive gratuities, work on commission or receive “in kind” contributions such as lodging. For those employees, the base minimum wage will be $4.50 per hour. In case you don’t have a calculator at hand, the $6 per hour wage is equivalent to $240 per week (assuming 40 hours of work per week), about $1,040 per month and $12,480 per year. For some workers, the new wage will represent an immediate and much-needed pay hike. Generally speaking, the positive practical effects of such boosts don’t typically last for long. There’s one reason for that: Inflation … otherwise known as increases in the cost of living, which will be driven upward as a result of employers having to increase their payroll expenses to cover the new minimum wage. Admittedly, the inflationary impacts of Cayman’s new minimum wage may not be pronounced, given the rela- tively small size of the affected workforce, and the rela- tively small dollar amount. Hamster-wheel cycles of minimum wage boosts and inflation are far more obvious when they are distributed across a huge nation such as the United States. In 1950, the U.S. federal minimum wage was 50 cents per hour. Today it stands at US$7.25 per hour. (That’s 14.5 times as much.) Yet, in terms of “today’s dollars,” 50 cents in 1950 would be worth US$7.35 today … meaning that in practical terms, the U.S. minimum wage has actually fallen in value over the past 65 years. Where did all that “extra money” go? Again: Inflation. Now, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has proposed a dramatic increase in the U.S. federal minimum wage to US$15 per hour. As a political promise from a card-carrying socialist running a populist campaign, it’s a potential enticement to starry-eyed voters. As actual economic policy, however, it’s at best an ineffective measure, and at worst a disruptive disaster. The key lesson here is that governments are simply unable to manipulate the private sector into better health by issuing edicts on salaries and employment. (Oh, but if it were so easy!) It’s a point that our government should take to heart before hastily passing into law the Labour Relations Bill — the first draft of which was an abysmal, assault-on- business atrocity, and the most recent version of which remains suspiciously unpresented for public inspection. The Progressives can celebrate a small victory with the implementation of the new minimum wage. They would do well to leave well enough alone. Wednesday February 17, 2016 • Cayman COmpass Argentina’s lessons BloomBerg View editoriAl BoArd Before Argentina’s debt crisis is resolved – and pros- pects have been looking better lately – it’s worth pausing to ask why the stale- mate has lasted so long. (More than a decade, but who’s counting?) Preventing these kinds of fiascos will require changing what happens when a government is un- able to pay its debts. The protracted impasse in Argentina shows what’s at stake. Increasingly frustrated by Argentina’s refusal to heed court rulings, a U.S. federal judge told its government not to pay creditors who’d agreed to settle unless it also paid the holdouts. He also forced intermediaries to help en- force his ruling. This severe approach was understandable under the circumstances, but it sparked alarm and contro- versy. Both the U.S. Treasury and State Department sup- ported Argentina’s appeal of the judge’s ruling, ar- guing that it encroached on Argentina’s sovereign immu- nity and would harm New York’s attractiveness as a fi- nancial center. Nevertheless, the holdouts won resound- ingly, later obtaining a ruling that they must be paid in full. That left just one problem: The court couldn’t actually compel Argentina to pay. In addition, the decision im- posed heavy costs on third parties, punished bond- holders that wanted to settle, and created the potential for cascading suits lodged by “holdouts within holdouts” seeking better terms. Unlike its predecessor, Argentina’s new govern- ment is willing to make a deal that’s reasonable. Whatever the outcome for Argentina and its creditors, however, the flaws in the system are apparent. When a company is un- able to pay its debts, a bank- ruptcy procedure forces its creditors to cooperate in saving what can be saved and coming to a mutually beneficial outcome. No such procedure is available when the debtor is a government. Nobody disputes that this gap needs to be filled – Argentina is what happens otherwise – but there’s an argument over how best to do it. Two broad approaches are possible. One relies on changing the design of con- tracts so that holdout cred- itors can be more easily forced to settle. The other is to create an international procedure akin to a corporate bankruptcy court. Reworked contract lan- guage can encourage set- tlement by majority or su- permajority vote, if the need arises. These kinds of pro- visions – which will almost certainly be included in the bonds Argentina eventually issues – have become the norm for emerging-market sovereign borrowers. This kind of contract helps, but it might not be enough. Collective-action clauses haven’t always worked like they’re supposed to. They failed to make the Greek debt crisis go smoothly, for instance. As that case shows, sovereign debt re- structuring is almost inevi- tably a disorderly process, attended by severe polit- ical stress and the interven- tion of foreign governments. What seemed straightfor- ward when the contracts were drafted suddenly looks complicated – and a dam- aging fight between those who want to settle and those who don’t may sometimes follow regardless. Smarter contracts are good, but governments should also cooperate in creating an international bankruptcy-like proce- dure, ideally overseen by the International Monetary Fund. The two together won’t be a panacea, either, but the pairing would be a further way to promote co- operation over mutually de- structive confrontation. This idea isn’t pie-in-the- sky. An official plan for a sovereign debt restructuring mechanism was drawn up nearly 15 years ago and attracted some support, though not enough for the idea to go forward. It should be revived, pref- erably before rather than after the next big sovereign- debt crisis. © 2016, Bloomberg View LeTTer The cost of Cuban migrants It is irritating to think that Mr. and Mrs. John Public will soon have spent $1 million looking after Cuban migrants. I thought our govern- ment had bragged about negotiating some won- derful deal with the Cuban government to repatriate these unfortunate people to their homeland? Some deal! If Donald Trump was our representative, these people would be on a plane to Cuba almost as soon as their feet touched Cayman Islands soil! I have a suggestion to make the repatriation pro- cess much more efficient ... require government min- isters to fund the various migrant costs out of their own pockets and not simply from the public purse. It will be impressive to see how quickly a couple of extra flights from Cayman to Cuba can be arranged! Brian Wilson 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”The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 Cayman Compass • Wednesday February 17, 2016 New Product Launch RBC EZPay Numerous business owners and professionals attended the recent launch of RBC EZPay, a new mobile point-of-sale (POS) card-reading device that provides convenience and efficiency to business owners. Held at Grand Old House, the evening’s proceedings included presentations from RBC’s Regional Manager of Merchant Services Karen Wharton, and Visa’s Business Development Leader for the Caribbean, Jorge Salum. Omari Corbin, RBC’s Area Vice President and Country Manager, said “The launch of RBC EZPay is aligned to our commitment to remain a customer-focused, sales and service organization. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide this new service to our merchants as we distinguish ourselves as an innovative financial services organization in the Cayman Islands.” RBC Royal Bank is the first financial institution to offer this ultra-portable wireless payment device that pairs with mobile phones and tablets. It’s a new product that complements other mobile POS devices currently offered by RBC, and connects to any IOS or Android smart phone or tablet for fast credit card processing. It provides a simple, easy and convenient alternative payment method for merchants and card holders. Merchants using RBC EZPay can accept credit card payments anytime, anywhere. Payments taken with the machine are automatically deposited to the merchant’s account, which translates to less time banking, more time doing business, and more secure transactions. Additional features of the device include its portability, ease of use and quick set-up process. Similar to regular POS terminals, clients’ signatures are captured on touchscreen and receipts are issued either digitally or on paper. During his presentation Jorge Salum explained that, “Visa works with financial institutions, technology providers, and governments to provide consumers and merchants access to secure mobile payment and acceptance devices.” For further information on RBC EZPay contact the RBC Merchant Services Officer at 914-8221 or lana.cranston@rbc.com.Wednesday February 17, 2016 • Cayman Compass 6 DISTRICT DAYS District Days Sister Islands Nature Cayman offers up the best of the Brac Rustic and charming Cayman Brac, first settled in 1833, offers up an array of activities for visitors to experience. Visitors and locals alike looking to delve into the Brac’s rich natural and cultural heri- tage need look no further than Nature Cayman, which delivers an insider’s experience of much of what the island has to offer. Launched in 1999 by the then District Commissioner Kenny Ryan, District Administration marketing and promotions manager Chevala Burke says the Nature Cayman initiative was intended to en- hance activities on the Sister Islands for guests who did not dive, or who wanted to expe- rience the natural beauty of the islands. “The first Nature Cayman guide was Thomas ‘TJ’ Sevik,” said Ms. Burke. “Since then, throughout the years we have had a few dif- ferent people doing tours, and our current staff are Keino Daley, our nature tourism guide, and Phillip Smith, our nature tourism guide assistant.” Mr. Daley worked along with Mr. Sevik, and both men have trained with Patricia Bradley, an expert naturalist with a vast knowledge of Cayman’s nature. “Keino has certainly made a name for himself and often- times people coming to the is- land will contact us in advance to ensure they can book a tour with him,” said Ms. Burke. “He is a true ambassador for the island, and Phillip is also building a name for him- self. We are very proud of both gentlemen.” She noted that when the guides are not conducting tours, they are taking care of various maintenance projects associated with the program. Ms. Burke says the tours are available to anyone who wants to book one. “All tours are designed to cater to the interests of the guests and are booked indi- vidually unless arranged as a group through travel agents, schools, and youth groups for example,” said Ms. Burke. “The tours are free, how- ever, transportation is not pro- vided, so guests are encour- aged to rent a car.” Ms. Burke says tour op- tions include caving, hiking and birding, for starters. “The eastern end of the bluff offers exciting rock climbing, and the bluff’s extensive cave systems and caverns, which include Peter’s Cave, Bat Cave, Great Cave and Rebecca’s Cave are very interesting to explore,” said Ms. Burke. “As for people interested in hiking, the Brac has close to eight miles of public trails including the 600-foot Bight Road Boardwalk.” She added that with nearly 200 part- and full-time resi- dent species, the Brac is a pop- ular birdwatching spot and a great place for those with little birding knowledge to boost their skills, and many trails have interpretive signage to help novices out. Hikers will also be able to spot all sorts of native wild- life like frogs, local iguanas, smaller lizards, nonpoi- sonous snakes, butterflies, moths and bugs. The Brac is also a home to a vast array of plants, some of which are found nowhere else, which make up dry tropical forest, dry shrubland, coastal vegetation, as well as wetlands, in addition to numerous culti- vated fruit and flower species. “The tours also bring visi- tors to local farms, sites like the Cayman Brac Museum and Cayman Brac Heritage House,” said Ms. Burke. “Depending on what you want to see, the guides will also bring visitors to the Brac’s ponds and wetlands, highlight culture and heritage and his- toric sites, have you meet local residents, and check out local cuisine,” she continued. “The guides are also very helpful in providing informa- tion to help people enjoy their stay and more than happy to indicate points of interest that were not explored on the tour or that guests may not have known about otherwise.” National Trust social a chance to meet the Council The Little Cayman District for the National Trust is hosting a social open to existing members and also those interested in finding out more about the Trust’s work. Trust Council members will be in Little Cayman over the weekend, so the social will be an opportu- nity for local Trust mem- bers to meet members from the other islands, said Little Cayman District National Trust chair Betty Bua. “We are pleased that some resorts are donating some of the food for the event,” said Ms. Bua. “It is a pot-luck so all at- tendees are asked to bring a dish to share.” The group is ramping up preparations for its an- nual Easter Auction, with funds raised from the usu- ally successful event going toward various conser- vation projects, including new habitat acquisition and protection, as well as for ongoing programs and operations. Those who would like to attend the social but are not yet Trust members are requested to visit Ms. Bua, or to go to the Trust House between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays to join. For more information, visit www.nationaltrust.org.ky. Protecting the habitats of animals like the threatened Sister Islands Rock Iguana is one of the Trust’s priorites. The Little Cayman District for the National Trust works to preserve the island’s natural heritage sites like the Booby Pond. The Bight Road boardwalk offers an access point up the bluff. The Brac heritage house is a popular tour stop. The picturesque Bat Cave can be easily accessed.Cayman Compass • Wednesday February 17, 2016 7 DISTRICT DAYS 50 years ago: a slew of visitors to the Brac In the Feb. 16, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac correspondent Lilian Ritch wrote: “On vacation from Grand Cayman and guest of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Marson of the West End is Nurse Maurice Hurlstone, midwife in private prac- tice. Cayman Brac holds a touch of romance for Miss Hurlstone for it was here that her parents met. “Her mother (nee Matilda Baxter) was a nurse in the Montego Bay hospital in the old schooner days of trading between Jamaica’s north coast ports and the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Brackers in- vited Nurse Baxter down here where Mr. Robert Hurlstone met and later married her. “Also at the West End are Rudolph and Emma Shelton of Mona Heights, Kingston, with Emma’s family, Mr. and Mrs. Selly Scott and Patsy Ann. “Fulfilling his wish of many years to come here, Rudy finds ours a lovely little island. He is a civil servant in the K.S.A.C. Public Cleansing Department. Emma, who migrated some 16 years ago, is a typist with Messrs. GraceKennedy & Co., Ltd. Mr. and Mrs. Shelton have four children. “Out walking and en- joying the sunshine at the airport I met the Wm. Maddens and the Andrew Turnbulls. The men were testing the effects of the wonderful food – they have been enjoying the native dishes – on the scale. This is for all their first visit in the Caribbean and they love it and are enjoying themselves immensely. “Mr. and Mrs. Madden are from Seattle, Washington. He is a lawyer. Dr. and Mrs. Turnbull are from Vancouver, British Columbia. Dr. Turnbull is a radiologist and is con- sultant to four hospitals on the west coast. The lo- cation of one, Powell River, is that of the biggest news- print production plant in the world. At Kitimat, where another of his hospi- tals is located, there is the biggest aluminium plant in Canada.” District Days Sister Islands Brac sports day heralds a new era Young Brac athletes were the stars of a notable track and field event held on Friday Feb. 5. It was house against house as athletes from the Layman E. Scott Sr. High School com- peted in the first school sports day to be held at the Brac’s new sports complex. Winning first place was Tradewinds House with Northwester House taking the second place spot, and Hurricane House in third place. Improvements and up- grades at the complex have been ongoing for several years, and it is already being used for a variety of sports. The Brac track team is based there, and the complex serves as the home field of the var- ious age group teams of the Cayman Brac Football Club and the Maples Grassroots Programme for budding soccer players. “We held some of the games from the most recent CONCACAF matches held in the islands there as well,” noted district administration marketing and promotions manager Chevala Burke. “As it happens, the two teams that advanced to the fi- nals started their rounds on the Brac field.” Ms. Burke said that cur- rently there are four build- ings with rest rooms, offices, team changing rooms and concession stand facilities. As well as a FIFA 2-star rated playing field, the com- plex features an eight-lane asphalt track, two long jump pits, a high jump area, a shot put area and temporary bleachers. The site also holds the Cayman Brac sports of- fice and a playground do- nated by the Le Soleil d’Or vacation property. “Plans for the facility have been developed by as- sistant works manager at the Cayman Brac Public Works Department Justin Bodden with consultation from the Ministry of District Administration,” said Ms. Burke, noting future plans for the facility currently include a 25 meter swimming pool and basketball, tennis and netball courts. The sports complex has more student sporting ac- tion in store, with the Brac Primary School Sports Days set for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 18 and 19. Junior girls compete in the 100m. Northwester House’s shayla Connor competes in a relay.senior boys compete in the high jump.8 LOCAL NEWS Wednesday February 17, 2016 • Cayman Compass Oh Lord, if only Heaven had visiting hours. ere would not be a moment that we would not visit our beautiful Mother just to talk, hold her hands and see her amazing smile once more. Today we are so sad with grieve because we have this longing to have you back with us but we know that’s not possible. Mommy, mama as you was well known, as time move forward the pain never ends. To us our Mother was an awesome woman like no other, she gave us life, nurtured us, taught us, dressed us, fought for us, held us, shouted at us, kissed us, but most importantly loved us unconditionally. Mama on September the 24th our life was interrupted when you was suddenly taken away from us, we was not ready for the pain we are feeling the knots your passing le in our hearts its hard to deal with. As the days go by we ask ourselves would we always feel this way or would the pain get easier. Each day we cry we ask God for the strength and courage, to get through just another day living our life without you. Mama today on this very special day we just want to say how much we love and miss you Happy Birthday. R.I.P Mother sadly missed from your Daughters, Son, Grandchildren, and Son-in-laws. Lilian Elizabeth McField Your 1st Birthday away from us February 16th, 1930 – September 24th, 2015 We’re not criminals, Cubans tell court Two plead guilty to illegal landing Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two Cuban nationals were sentenced on Monday to 10 days imprisonment after pleading guilty to il- legal landing. Eduardo Yasmani Tamayo Puig, 28, and Daikel Alcolea Milan, 32, both told Chief Magistrate Nova Hall through an interpreter that they were not criminals. “My intention was to continue my journey to Honduras,” Milan said. “I don’t think that is a valid reason to have us incarcer- ated. We didn’t steal, we didn’t kill anybody. We just entered here to continue our journey.” Milan asked to be sent back to Cuba as soon as possible or be transferred to the detention center “because no one speaks Spanish at the prison.” Puig said he came looking for a better future. “We never thought we would end up in prison in another country. I have never been in trouble in Cuba. I have never been in prison till I came here. “It’s difficult to under- stand the situation we’re in right now. We’re not crimi- nals. The only thing we are looking for is to live a better life, an honest life, like any decent human being.” Earlier, Crown counsel Greg Walcolm provided the men, via the interpreter, with a summary of the charges against them. They agreed to the facts pre- sented. Each had admitted entering and remaining in Cayman without specific permission between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6. In Milan’s case, he said he arrived around Jan. 28 on a makeshift vessel in which he and others had de- parted Cuba. He hid from authorities until Feb. 6, when he turned himself in. Puig told interviewers that he fled the scene after seeing police officers while making repairs to the vessel he had arrived in – El Arca. His intention was to find an- other Cuban vessel passing these shores and attempt to board and continue his journey to Honduras, with his final destination being the U.S. Puig confirmed receiving assistance from people un- known to him, but said he had been “sleeping in the streets.” In passing sentence, the magistrate noted that the men had not faced any other charges. Very often, she said, defen- dants charged with illegal landing have more serious charges as well, such as importing drugs. She imposed terms of 10 days imprisonment, with credit for time in cus- tody since their arrest. She recommended each man for deportation. Five Cubans were sen- tenced last week in an- other court for escaping lawful custody. Of those who spoke before the mag- istrate passed sentence, one spoke of the risks that had been taken to reach this far and he asked to be allowed to continue his journey to Honduras. One said many of the men were educated, but did not have jobs in Cuba so it would be painful to go back. Puig confirmed receiving assistance from people unknown to him, but said he had been “sleeping in the streets.” New regulations coming for construction industry James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Construction businesses will be required to pay fees of between $500 and $5,000 to be licensed under the new Builders Law. Regulations accompa- nying the new law, which establishes standards and guidelines that all businesses must meet to operate in the construction field in Cayman, were published in the of- ficial government gazette this week. The regulations, which also outline the process for individuals to qualify at var- ious levels in the construc- tion field, bring the law a step closer to reality. Initially drafted in 2008 and revived, amended and passed by the Legislative Assembly last year, the leg- islation has yet to come into force. Heber Arch, head of the Cayman Contractors Association, said he believed it was just a matter of put- ting in place the necessary infrastructure to administer the law. He recognized it would be a big change for the industry but said most companies were prepared for the new regime and welcomed it. He acknowledged it would mean additional costs and administrative burden, but said it would be worth it in the long run. “The major thing is to protect clients and to pro- tect the general public, to make sure that when they hire a contractor, they know they are getting somebody capable of doing the job.” He said it would likely take some time to get every- body registered. The law has different categories of registration from general contractors to sub trades, like plumbers, roofers and masons, with a sliding scale of require- ments and fees. At the top end, general contractors, businesses qual- ified to engage in construc- tion, and civil contractors, businesses that build roads, docks, bridges and utilities infrastructure, must meet the strictest criteria for ex- perience and qualifications and pay the top licensing fee of $5,000. Smaller or less experi- enced businesses can apply in separate category of “building contractor,” with a licensing fee of $3,500, or res- idential contractor, with a li- censing fee of $1,500. Trade contractors face a lower fee of $500. Mr. Arch said the law, which requires licensed busi- nesses to pay pensions and insurance, as well as have in- dividuals on staff with spe- cific qualifications, would protect legitimate firms from unfair competition against rogue contractors who cut corners. “One of the things it will do is put everyone on a level footing,” he said. “It is consumer protection as well because if someone messes up a job they can lose their license or they can be fined. At the moment, all you can do is try to sue them.” “One of the things it will do is put everyone on a level footing.” Heber ArcH, Cayman Contractors Association James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s electricity and telecoms regulators are pre- paring for the “imminent” merger of the indepen- dent bodies into one Public Utilities Commission. Both the Information and Communications Technology Authority and the Electricity Regulatory Authority told the Cayman Compass this week they expect the change to happen soon. A recommendation of the EY Report, which looked at ways of cutting the cost of government, the merger also brings water and fuel regula- tors under the same umbrella organization. It is expected to see the authorities share office space and administrative staff in a move that the EY consul- tants predicted would save government $250,000 annually. ICTA managing director Alee Fa’amoe said, “The merger of the public utilities regulators has to be a priority of the ICTA as it is immi- nent but we are determined to continue with our other programs and initiatives in tandem with the transition and all that entails. “We recognize that this is a trend in the regulatory space and we know it ben- efits both the providers and the consumers to have an en- tity such as this working on their behalf.” Charles Farrington, managing director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority, said the move made sense for the small or- ganization, potentially en- abling it to reduce adminis- trative and legal expenses. “I think the concept is that we have one authority and it will have the dif- ferent regulatory functions underneath it, so the cur- rent regulatory framework will remain in place,” Mr. Farrington said. Mr. Fa’amoe said there were a number of similari- ties in the roles performed by the different regula- tors. He said key responsi- bilities of the new commis- sion would likely include ensuring consumers get ac- ceptable service at rea- sonable cost, providing an avenue of complaint for consumers and promoting long-term provision of ef- ficient utility services for national development. A recommendation of the EY Report, which looked at ways of cutting the cost of government, the merger also brings water and fuel regulators under the same umbrella organization. Utilities regulators merger expected imminently Mr. Fa’amoe Mr. ArchThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Wednesday February 17, 2016 network and frequency.” In an earlier interview, Mr. Whorms said he believed there would still be a signifi- cant role for Cayman to play in the Cuba market. He said the “tremen- dous increase” in demand that would result if the U.S. allowed unrestricted travel to Cuba would not be immediately met by an increase in supply from U.S. carriers. The agreement allows 20 regular daily U.S. flights to Havana, in addition to the current 10-15 charter flights a day. The rest would be to other Cuban cities. American air car- riers now have 15 days to apply to the Department of Transportation for permits to offer the flights. U.S. visitors to Cuba will still have to qualify under one of the travel categories legally authorized by the U.S. government. Tourism is still barred by law, but the number of legal reasons to go to Cuba – from orga- nizing professional meet- ings to distributing infor- mation to Cubans – has grown so large and is so loosely enforced that the dis- tinction from tourism has blurred significantly. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Cuban Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez signed the deal in a ceremony at Havana’s Hotel Nacional. “Today is a historic day in the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.,” said Foxx. “It represents a critically im- portant milestone in the U.S. effort to engage with Cuba.” Yzquierdo Rodriguez said “the adoption of this memo- randum is an important step that will soon permit the es- tablishment of regular flights between the United States and Cuba.” Nearly 160,000 U.S. lei- sure travelers flew to Cuba last year, along with hun- dreds of thousands of Cuban- Americans visiting family, mostly on charter flights out of Florida. Commercial flights could bring hundreds of thousands more U.S. trav- elers a year and make the travel process far easier. American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the company plans to bid on routes from Miami and other unspecified “American hubs.” The carrier has been op- erating U.S.-Cuba charter flights since April 1991, the longest of any U.S. air- line, and currently offers 22 weekly flights out of Miami to Havana, Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin and Santa Clara. American also flies from Tampa to Havana and Holguin, and between Los Angeles and Havana. United Airlines is also looking to serve Havana from some of its hubs, spokesman Luke Punzenberger said. The carrier’s major hubs in- clude Chicago, Houston, Washington and Newark, New Jersey. It currently does not fly charters to Cuba. JetBlue said it is eager to offer service between multiple cities in the United States and the island. Spokesman Doug McGraw said “interest in Cuba has reached levels not seen for a generation.” The carrier currently flies charters out of New York, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to various Cuban destinations. The Associated Press contributed to this story. the freezing order by the SEC “precipitated significant collateral damage” that in- cluded the collapse of the bank and “the destruction of Sentinel’s equity interest in Caledonian.” In the motion, Sentinel argues that the SEC’s “un- equivocal” representation to the court that Caledonian “owned the securities, sold them to the public and lined [its] pockets with the proceeds” – even though Caledonian had made rep- resentations that it sold the securities as a broker on be- half of clients – had a direct impact on the magnitude of the freezing order. The securities regu- lator said at the time it was not able to verify that Caledonian acted as a broker because Caledonian did not supply any client in- formation, citing Cayman’s bank secrecy laws. Sentinel quoted a pre- trial hearing in May 2015 at which District Judge William Pauley III called the SEC’s action “incredible government overreach,” and the SEC’s lawyers admitted that the freezing order had caused a run on the bank, which led to its collapse. However, the judge’s comment was made in rela- tion to the potential impact of the size of the freezing order on Caledonian’s de- positors rather than the bank’s equity owners. And Judge Pauley laid equal blame on Caledonian’s lawyers for agreeing to a freezing order that exceeded the owner’s net equity of $25 million. “Given the egregious na- ture of the SEC’s conduct, and its draconian impact on Sentinel, the proposed [settlement] – which would sweep the SEC’s misconduct under the rug – is anything but ‘fair and reasonable,’” Sentinel claims. The trust services provider added that Caledonian’s liquidators re- fused to seek sanctions against or compensation from the SEC, “notwith- standing the compelling basis to do so.” Sentinel said the pro- posed settlement “ignores and makes no provision for the damages caused by the SEC’s misconduct.” Allowing Sentinel to intervene would contribute to the full devel- opment of the underlying factual issues in the suit, “which Caledonian’s liquida- tors and their counsel have failed to do,” Sentinel said. “The only practical av- enue for Sentinel to recover for the destruction of its eq- uity in Caledonian is to seek damages from and sanc- tions against the SEC.” In the proposed settle- ment, the SEC acknowledged that after satisfying the claims of priority creditors, Caledonian will have no re- maining funds and for that reason the regulator agreed to forgo a $25 million dis- gorgement, representing the owner’s equity, it otherwise would have sought. The bank’s liquidators estimate that Caledonian’s creditors will receive about 90 cents on the dollar. Under the settlement, Caledonian would nei- ther admit nor deny the allegations. To support the pro- posed settlement, the SEC submitted additional doc- uments to the court, in- cluding the transcripts of Skype communications. The regulator alleges that the documents show high-level employees at Caledonian executed the trades “with a clear awareness of their customers’ highly suspi- cious pattern of selling large blocks of penny stocks for companies with no signifi- cant trading history or rev- enues, simultaneously with huge spikes in the volume and the price of those penny stocks.” The SEC said at least one high-level em- ployee knew that the cli- ent’s trades coincided with highly optimistic press re- leases and Caledonian em- ployees deleted other mes- sages with clients to conceal their activities. “Together, this evi- dence paints the picture of Caledonian knowingly, or at least recklessly, assisting its clients in carrying out their pump-and-dump scheme,” the SEC stated. The SEC said that from 2012 through 2015 it had received 114 referrals from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, FINRA, about Caledonian in connection with the po- tential manipulation of penny stocks. US, Cuba agree to resume flights Caledonian owner wants court permission to seek SEC damages CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 It was revealed in 2014 that the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service was in- vestigating the conduct of Mr. Bridger in connection with his filing an allegation of crime over how various aspects of the 2007-2009 Operation Tempura probe were han- dled by then-Cayman Islands Governor Stuart Jack. Mr. Bridger has alleged that Mr. Jack, Attorney General Sam Bulgin and a U.K. official named Larry Covington with- held information from him that might have brought the corruption probe to a swift end. All three men have pub- licly denied that allegation. Although he noted Mr. Bridger had not been charged with a crime in this latest in- vestigation, Mr. Liebaers did accept that certain informa- tion in the Tempura com- plaint relative to the conduct of Mr. Bridger might serve to prejudice the ongoing criminal investigation if it was released. However, the vast majority of the information in the Tempura complaint and the governor’s subsequent review could not remotely be said to affect any criminal probe that might or might not be pro- ceeding against Mr. Bridger at the moment, the informa- tion commissioner said. “[The records sought in this request] contain very little information on Mr. Bridger’s actions or conduct,” Mr. Liebaers said in his de- cision. “To the extent that the information in the com- plaint or the governor’s re- sponse [to it] relates to Mr. Bridger’s actions or conduct … I am willing to err on the side of caution ….” Mr. Bridger has openly doubted in statements to the Cayman Compass be- tween 2014 and 2015 that the police are pursuing any “real” criminal investigation against him. The informa- tion commissioner’s decision issued Tuesday stated that it appeared one of the alle- gations against Operation Tempura’s senior detective involved “misconduct in a public office.” As part of his review of the records in this case, Mr. Liebaers and his assistant were permitted to review sec- tions of police records in- volving the investigation re- garding Mr. Bridger, but were apparently unable to peruse the voluminous records in the time given. After two separate re- views, each lasting about two hours, further access to the investigative records was de- nied by RCIPS Commissioner David Baines, according to the information commission- er’s decision. “The police commissioner continued to refuse access to the documentary evidence I needed to complete my in- vestigation under the FOI Law because he considered my legal position ‘flawed,’” Mr. Liebaers wrote in his re- port. “[Mr. Baines] was willing to go to court to prevent me, essentially, from fulfilling the judge’s order and my man- date under the FOI Law.” Mr. Baines alleged that the information commis- sioner had improperly com- municated with Mr. Bridger regarding the ongoing criminal probe, which Mr. Liebaers denied. In addition to ordering the records released in redacted form, the information com- missioner said he would re- view – after six months’ time – the redactions to deter- mine whether any police in- vestigation into Mr. Bridger was still active. If it was not, the remaining redacted re- cords would be released, Mr. Liebaers said. Tempura records ordered released for 3rd time CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 United States Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, left, and Cuba’s Minister of Transportation Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez sign the airline transportation agreement as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin, top left, looks on in Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday. Cuba and the United States signed the agreement that will allow U.S. commercial airlines to begin operating flights to the island and vice-versa for the first time in decades. – PHOTO: AP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The move could have an impact on tourism across the Caribbean, with Cuba expected to take some market share from other destinations in the region which rely heavily on American visitors.Next >