BUSINESS | PAGE 12 CIMA TO REVIEW FIRMS’ CYBERSECURITY PLANS High of 89 Low of 76 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 HURRICANE SEASON STARTS TODAY: BE PREPARED ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 Cayman Turtle Farm: Island Wildlife Encounter Discover the adventure at the Join us with our resident rates CI $10 Adults CI $ 4 Children 786 Northwest Point Road, West Bay, Grand Cayman info@turtle.ky | www.turtle.ky | +1 345 949 2894 +1 345 949 2894 / Cayman Turtle Government spends $5.3M on migrants Increased amount strains available resources, space BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The amount the Cayman Islands govern- ment spends for the detainment, care, housing and repatriation of illegal migrants has in- creased from an estimated $270,000 in the 2013/14 budget year to $3.6 million this year. Adding the $1.75 million spent for the same services during last year’s 2014/15 budget, the government expects to have spent more than $5.3 million on services for mi- grants within the past 24 months by the time it reaches June 30. “In a nutshell, the numbers are up as evi- denced by overflow to the civic centers,” said Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Chief Of- ficer Wesley Howell, referencing situations this year where the number of detained Cuban migrants has grown so large that the George Town Immigration Detention Centre can no longer hold them. Community centers in the eastern districts are being used to temporarily house migrants until a number of them can be sent home. To put the $3.6 million from the current 2015/16 budget year in perspective, that is more than government intends to spend over the next 18 months on rental assistance for needy Caymanians ($2.9 million); more than government expects to spend for care of indi- gent, elderly and disabled individuals in the next 18 months ($2.1 million); and more than government has budgeted to spend on a resi- dential mental health treatment facility in the next budget ($2.5 million). It was about three years ago, after a lengthy lull period, that Cayman Islands au- thorities began noticing a huge influx of Cuban migrants to the islands in numbers BUDGET: $35M PAYS OFF DEBT, LOSSES BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com About one-third of the Cayman Islands government’s capital projects budget will go toward paying off debt and covering oper- ating losses of statutory authorities and gov- ernment-owned companies, as well as partly funding a major upgrade to the Owen Roberts International Airport. Spending plans for the upcoming 2016/17 fiscal year, which cover an 18-month period between July 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2017, have set aside $35.2 million for the authorities and companies. With the exception of the airport terminal expansion in George Town, most of that money will pay off accumulated debts or – in the case of the Cayman Turtle Farm – cover operating losses. Over the next 18 months, $12.7 million has been earmarked for the Turtle Farm. Some of the money will cover historical debts and the rest will cover annual losses from the West Bay tourism attraction. The farm has never made money since it was rebranded and opened as Boatswain’s Beach in 2006, later re- verting to the name Cayman Turtle Farm. The facility’s debt taken on for the expan- sion – which once stood at more than $30 mil- lion – is expected to fall below $10 million at the end of the budget year in December 2017. The full amount of the debt is expected to be paid off by 2019, according to Cayman Turtle Farm Managing Director Tim Adam. The government will give another $7.7 million to Cayman Airways to fund debt obligations, some of which involve historical obligations. Other debts being paid off by the govern- ment capital projects fund include $3.4 mil- lion for the National Housing Development Police use pepper spray on Cuban migrant Disturbance breaks out at Bodden Town community center One Cuban migrant was hospitalized and several others reported being sick- ened after they inhaled pepper spray that was used by police to help quell a dis- turbance at Bodden Town’s community center Tuesday. About 40 Cuban migrants are being temporarily kept at the center under 24-7 guard because the Immigration Detention Centre in George Town is at capacity and law enforcement officials have nowhere else to house them. According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, officers were called to the center around noon after security guards reported a disturbance that they were un- able to control. It was reported that one of the migrants told center guards that his shoes had been stolen by another migrant staying at the civic center. The migrant who reported the theft was then set upon by several other mi- grants at the center, police said. When officers arrived, they found the man who reported the theft in a dispute with several other men, one of whom ap- peared to have a piece of metal in his hand. Police officers used pepper spray on the man with the metal piece in his hand after officers said he refused to drop it. The man who was pepper-sprayed was taken to hos- pital for observation. At least three other migrants who inhaled the pepper spray were treated on scene by ambulance personnel. Police said only one person was transported to hospital. Police have responded to a few distur- bances at the center since it began pro- viding housing for the migrants this year. Compass journalists Brent Fuller and Jewel Levy contributed to this report. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » A group of migrants is watched by security guards outside the James M. Bodden Civic Centre in Bodden Town Tuesday, following an incident in which one of the migrants was pepper-sprayed. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 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 - X-MEN: APOCALYPSE 3D(PG13) 1:00 I 1:30 2D I 5:00 2D I 5:30 2D 8:30 I 9:30 2D ANGRY BIRDS 3D (PG) 1:40 2D I 4:10 I 6:50 2D I 9:20 NEIGHBORS 2 (R) 1:30 I 4:20 I 7:30 I 10:10 CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR 3D (PG13) 2:00 I 6:30 I 9:40 2D BARBERSHOP 3 THE NEXT CUT(PG13) 1:20 I 4:00 I 7:20 I 9:50 Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) 91% of attacks start with email. But hey, 9% don’t. Add Call eShore for June Seminar dates! www.eshoreltd.com +1 (345) 946-3673 Works with Offi ce 365, Hosted Exchange, and all email Servers Government will not play ball with CIFA No resumption of funding despite new president JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Sports Minister Osbourne Bodden says there will be no peace deal between gov- ernment and the Cayman Is- lands Football Association until the entire executive committee has put itself up for free and fair elections. Minister Bodden welcomed the news that former national team captain Lee Ramoon has been appointed to replace dis- graced Jeffrey Webb at the helm of the local game. He expressed confidence in Mr. Ramoon, saying his appointment is an important step forward. But he said simply changing the leader did not necessarily change the equa- tion. To press the point, there is no specific allocation for CIFA in the budget. Government withdrew its annual funding of approxi- mately $130,000 a year sev- eral months after Webb’s ar- rest amid a row over CIFA’s last internal elections. At that time, Mr. Bodden called for the association to hold a new vote for all six elected posts on its nine- member executive council. He stood by that request this week, following Mr. Ramoon’s appointment. There are three elected members still sitting on CIFA’s leadership council who worked under Webb as president. They are first vice president Bruce Blake, Peter Campbell and Mark Campbell. Also on the committee are Wendy Fisher, who was elected as deputy general secretary on Saturday, and treasurer Armando Ebanks, who was elected in August to the role vacated by Canover Watson, who was jailed in February in a different cor- ruption probe. Mr. Bodden said he was “very happy” with the elec- tion results. “I wish to offer hearty congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Lee Ramoon, a man I know well, who means well, and is very able to do the job, given the right tools and support. “I am looking forward to meeting with him soon to discuss the way forward. At the moment, there is no spe- cific allocation in the new budget and I wish to state clearly that funding will not resume until we have a new administration. “Putting someone credible into the office of president, albeit a step in the right di- rection, is not sufficient for the government to resume its funding to CIFA.” CIFA’s ability to run the sport has been hampered since Webb’s arrest and guilty plea, with government and international governing body FIFA withdrawing some funding. The ability to at- tract new corporate spon- sors is an added concern in the current climate. Mr. Bodden said govern- ment continues to support the sport of football through contributions to clubs, players and programs, as well as youth tournaments, but was not ready to resume financing CIFA. “Knowing Lee Ramoon the way I do, I am sure he under- stands this as good or even better than me, being a re- sponsible, senior, long-term civil servant and economist who works in the Treasury Department of this country,” he added. “We look forward to the day when CIFA gets its house in order and we can resume our contributions to facilitate the hiring of a much needed technical director for this focus sport, which has a large number of young per- sons involved.” “Putting someone credible into the office of president, albeit a step in the right direction, is not sufficient for the government to resume its funding to CIFA.” OSBOURNE BODDEN, sports minister Osbourne Bodden Dart, gov’t sign amended partnership agreement JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Developer Dart Realty, the Cayman Islands government and the National Roads Au- thority have officially signed the third amendment to the NRA agreement, tweaking some aspects of the develop- ment partnership. Premier Alden McLaughlin announced the landmark in his budget speech this week. Dart Chief Executive Of- ficer Mark VanDevelde con- firmed Tuesday that the three parties had put pen to paper on the previously agreed amendments. The original agreement, signed in December 2011, in- volved the developer agreeing to extend the Esterley Tib- betts Highway in return for the closure of a portion of West Bay Road to facilitate the development of the new Kimpton hotel. Some of the amendments negotiated by the current government over the past few years include Dart sac- rificing a previously agreed room tax rebate for its ho- tels in exchange for fur- ther duty concessions. More recently, the devel- oper and government an- nounced that Dart had agreed a deal to widen the Esterley Tibbetts Highway to four lanes along the full length of the route. That arrangement also involves the US$14.6 mil- lion purchase by the Dart group of the Dragon Bay lands on the North Sound, previously held by the devel- oper on a long-term leasehold agreement that had 75 years remaining. The highway project in- volves the expansion of the road to four lanes between Camana Bay and the Butter- field Roundabout, next to A. L. Thompson’s store. As per the agreed amend- ments, Dart is paying for the roadwork through Camana Bay, up to and including the roundabout that will con- nect with the future air- port connector road near Lakeside Apartments. Government is paying for the expansion south of the airport connector road roundabout to the Butterfield roundabout. Government’s contribution of US$5.02 million will be paid to Dart, which will com- plete the work, in the form of a discount on its purchase of the Dragon Bay lands. Mr. VanDevelde welcomed the signing of the agree- ment this week, saying the broader partnership has cre- ated employment opportu- nities, road infrastructure and sustainable development projects valued at more than US$800 million. “This marks a major mile- stone in a six-year pro- cess between government and Dart Realty,” he said. “What began as conversa- tions on how to stimulate the economy during the global economic crisis evolved into an innovative agreement to create road infrastructure and incentivize our long- term development activity in the Cayman Islands.” Premier Alden McLaughlin, in his budget address, said his government had negoti- ated a better deal for Cayman. “There were aspects of the UDP-negotiated agree- ment that in our view were not good for Cayman. It has been a long journey but I am happy to announce that the third amendment to the Dart/ NRA Agreement has now been executed,” he said. “It commits Dart to certain levels of development sooner rather than later, including the completion of needed en- hanced road networks.” He added, “This amended agreement is good for Cayman. The new terms will guarantee construction jobs once the Kimpton is complete, jobs working on the road- ways that Dart will build and jobs that will come once Dart starts to build out Camana Bay, as well as new resorts.” Dart’s Chief Operating Of- ficer Jackie Doak said, “In ad- dition to fulfilling our com- mitments under the NRA agreement, we are moving ahead with diverse devel- opment projects which re- flect and reinforce our con- fidence in the ongoing growth and prosperity of the Cayman Islands.” Premier Alden McLaughlin and Dart Realty’s Chief Operating Officer Jackie Doak shake hands over the third amendment to the NRA agreement.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 Drama emerges over school’s exam error JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com “Oh! it is absurd to have a hard-and-fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn’t.” So goes the quote from Oscar Wilde’s famous play, “The Impor- tance of Being Earnest.” It is a line and a concept that students in the Year 11 English class at St. Ignatius Catholic School are more familiar with than they would like. After a year of studying the play, the students opened their final iGCSE exam papers Friday to be confronted with a choice of ques- tions about several other plays, none of which they had read. Teachers at the school did not re- alize the error until they opened the “Literature in English” exam paper at the same time as the students. “The teacher saw the questions and then ran out of the room,” one student, who was in the exam, told the Cayman Compass. The teacher returned a few moments later and told the students who had studied “The Importance of Being Earnest,” to put down their pens and leave, the student said. The rest of the students had studied “An Inspector Calls,” which was on the exam paper, and were told to continue. Now school officials are scram- bling to find a solution for the stu- dents who were unable to sit the paper, which represents 25 percent of their English literature exam. In a letter to parents, seen by the Compass, Dominique Chenier, the school’s examinations officer, acknowledged the mistake and said the school had been asked by the exam board, Cambridge Interna- tional Examinations, to complete an online Special Consideration Application, to allow the students to be given a fair grade, despite missing a quarter of the exam. “We sincerely apologize for this oversight, and have spoken to the students regarding this matter; however, please note that we have been reassured by CIE that your son/daughter will not be disadvan- taged by an event out of their con- trol,” she wrote in the letter. In her letter, Ms. Chenier said the exam board would use the student’s predicted grades, sent to them by the school in April, and their performance on the other literature exam papers, to calculate a fair grade for the missing component. iGCSE exams are critical end of Year 11 external assessments that are used by school sixth forms and colleges as entry criteria for higher education classes, such as A-Levels. Students, usually be- tween 15 and 17 years old, typically sit between nine and 10 iGCSEs in various subjects. For the Literature in English exams, teachers are given a choice of four or five texts to study with their class at the start of the course. One of the final exams features questions on each of the plays and the students select the one they have studied and answer the ques- tions relevant to them. In this case, the school says, “The Importance of Being Earnest” was originally included on the list of plays circulated to schools by the exam board, but was removed from an updated list without them noticing. Ms. Chenier said in a letter to parents, “At the beginning of your son’s/daughter’s Literature in Eng- lish examination today, it was dis- covered that the play that your son/daughter had been studying, ‘The Importance of Being Ear- nest,’ was not included in any of the questions. Further to our im- mediate investigation, it was con- firmed that the reason that the play did not appear on the exam- ination paper was that, despite having been a regular option in the Literature syllabus, its removal from the updated list of syllabus texts was not picked up.” Teachers at the school did not realize the error until they opened the “Literature in English” exam paper at the same time as the students. Students mistakenly studied ‘The Importance of Being Earnest.’ Government taking over recycling depots TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com The government’s De- partment of Environmental Health will take over pri- vate recycling efforts at seven “curbside” depots throughout Grand Cayman on Wednesday. The collection points, pre- viously serviced by Junk, pri- vately part-owned by former Deputy Premier and Minister of Education Rolston Anglin, has terminated its efforts at the seven depots. citing high operating costs and volatile commodity process. Supermarket managers and owners welcomed the change, however, while gov- ernment remained uncertain about budgets, but vowed nonetheless “to make it work,” according to the Director of Environmental Health Roy- dell Carter. “The ministry is coordi- nating this with the depart- ment, and I don’t want to get in the middle, but the feeling is just that we will make this work,” he said, by using at least 70 government-is- sued 4-by-6 meter recycling bins and 32 smaller wheeled bins for glass and ceramics, front-loader trucks and labor resources. The funding for the pro- gram will ultimately “come out of the department’s budget,” he said. “The department is step- ping in in the interim, because the contract fell through, and it’s just until the Integrated Solid Waste Management System is in place and it’s all properly costed and managed and much more efficient.” The Public Works Depart- ment issued a tender for the recycling depots in January this year. The only bidder at its February close was Mr. Anglin’s Junk. Subsequent negotiations between the former minister and Public Works Department’s Senior Project Manager Jim Schubert stalled, however, on costs. Government felt the work could be done for roughly $250,000 per year on the two- year contract – with an op- tion for two more single-year extensions. Mr. Anglin felt the business case required at least $500,000 per year. Nonetheless, Junk agreed to operate the seven recy- cling depots – at Foster’s Food Fair locations in West Bay, the Strand, the Airport Shopping Centre and Sa- vannah’s Countryside Shop- ping Village; Kirk’s and Hur- ley’s supermarkets; and Chisholm’s Grocery in North Side – until the end of May while talks continued. When agreement proved elusive – and Junk’s ex- penses mounted – the par- ties declared an impasse and the Public Works Com- mittee – with the Department of Environmental Health – stepped in. Mr. Schubert earlier de- clared the Department of En- vironmental Health would as- sume control only until a new tender was offered sometime in the late autumn – under the wider aegis of govern- ment’s broad Integrated Solid Waste Management System strategy to reduce the George Town landfill. Any new recycling scheme will encompass two addi- tional depots, one in Camana Bay and another at the dump, where the Department of En- vironmental Health will ag- gregate, bale and ship col- lected materials. Supermarket owners unanimously welcomed the June 1 change, saying it was likely to be cheaper and cleaner. Kirk’s General Manager – and former Cayman Airway’s pilot – Thom Guyton, said, “We were paying Junk about $500 per month.” Foster’s Managing Director Woody Foster said he had paid “about $1,000 per month, but that was for all four stores,” while Hurley’s Store Man- ager Vinton Smithson said the company had paid, but could not recall details. Ch- isholm’s Grocery owner and manager Kathy Bodden said she had paid nothing at all to Junk. Mr. Carter said govern- ment would not charge for its service: “It’s just part of the expanded recycling col- lections,” which will also in- clude six-days-per-week pick-ups, boosting Junk’s weekly service. “It’s a mess,” Ms. Bodden said, alluding to overflowing bins and unsightly litter in the parking lot. “I’ve com- plained a few times and, yeah, I have seen the other depots. We welcome anything that will make this better.” Mr. Guyton said Kirk’s was happy to give the De- partment of Environmental Health a chance. “We’ll give them a few weeks to see. We have moved the bins further away from our building,” he said, lamenting the overspill into the parking lot. “Junk is taking their bins out,” said Mr. Smithson, “and we’re hoping government will do a better job – and we don’t have to pay.” Mr. Foster was happy to have the Department of En- vironmental Health take over, but pointed out that the su- permarket “had, really, nothing more to do with it than to pro- vide facilities,” but said “we hope government will do a better job” policing the area. “If they cannot clean it up, then we’ll have to do something.” Fosters affiliated busi- nesses such as Progressive Distributors, Mr. Foster said, compounded the situation whereby, for example, “we can have a truck that just backs up and dumps off all beer bottles.” “There’s a cost to this, you see,” he added. “It’s like a lot of things: Everyone wants to recycle, but no one wants to pay for it. We ship card- board to Miami and, I can tell you, baling and ship- ping isn’t cheap. “Junk was a business,” Mr. Foster said, and the depots were not commercially sustainable. Mr. Guyton observed that while Kirk’s paid Junk to col- lect recyclables, “we probably did not pay them enough” to make it worthwhile. Mr. Foster summed up the situation, saying “Govern- ment doesn’t have to run it as a business, [which] is prob- ably the only way to keep the landfill clean and clear.” Mr. Carter agreed: “We are just going to have to make this work. If we don’t step in and fill the gap, then all that material will end up in the landfill, and we want to keep it out of the land- fill, so we need to keep the [recycling] momentum.” A sign at the recycling depot at Kirk’s Market in George Town notifies the public that Junk will no longer be operating its recycling services from there after May 31. After that date, the Department of Environmental Health will take over recycling operations at that site and six others. – PHOTO: NORMA CONNOLLYThe 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. 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 findtheirownway” When members of Con- gress visit their districts over the Memorial Day re- cess, we hope they keep in mind a warning from Tom Frieden, director of the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention. The Zika virus, for which there is no effective vaccine or therapy, can infect a person in a flash, he said during a visit to The Post on Thursday. “You can get a mosquito bite and your life changes,” he said. The virus is mild for most people, but in pregnant women can lead to fetal neural defects, and the prospect that local transmis- sion will soon begin in the United States is very real. The Republican con- gressional leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan have vowed to end gridlock on Capitol Hill. But in response to Zika, they have inexcusably dithered. President Obama asked for nearly $1.9 billion in emergency funding in Feb- ruary. When Congress failed to act quickly, the adminis- tration redirected existing funds in order to scale up an initial response. After much delay, the House and Senate passed widely divergent bills, neither entirely fulfilling the president’s request. Even more irresponsible was the GOP diversionary tactic to push through a bill to weaken the Clean Water Act under the guise of a Zika response. Con- gressional Republicans are playing games with a public- health emergency. The enemy here is a for- midable one. As Frieden told the National Press Club on May 26, the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries Zika is “the cockroach of mosqui- toes. It lives indoors and out- doors. It bites through the daytime and in the night- time. Its eggs can last more than a year. They can hatch in a drop of water …. When they take a blood meal, they will often bite four or five people at once. So they’re ca- pable of rapidly spreading the infection. There is no example of effective con- trol of this mosquito in the modern era.” When members of the House and Senate return next week, they must im- mediately go to conference and pass emergency supple- mental funding, along the lines of the Senate bill, to en- able a determined and se- rious battle against the Zika virus. Scientists and public- health experts know what to do. Why are Republicans in Congress impeding their nec- essary work? © 2016, The Washington Post WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan pummeled Grand Cayman with 155-mile-per-hour winds, sub- merged more than half the island in seawater and, in total, caused billions of dollars in damage and destruction. In the minds of longtime residents, there is a clear distinction between the Cayman Islands “before Ivan” and “after Ivan.” To say that the memory of the most destructive storm in our lifetime is fading, even a dozen years later, would be false. The truth is, the rec- ollection of Ivan is still fresh for all the adults who lived through it, and will remain so for long into the future. Accordingly, as the annual Atlantic hurricane season begins today and runs through the end of November, it is perhaps unnecessary for us to attempt to remind many of our readers of the necessity of pre- paring for the worst. However, Cayman’s population is a transient one. Since Ivan struck, many residents have moved away, and many other people have settled in Cayman. While thousands of current residents have experienced one or more hurricanes – and so do not really require any information on shutters, supplies and evacuation plans – thousands more may never have been through a cat- aclysmic event. So our one piece of advice to veterans of hurri- canes past is this: Once you have prepared yourself, your household and your home for an approaching storm – turn your attention to your neighbors and friends, who may not know any better, and pass along the wisdom you have accrued. For the “uninitiated” – and for anyone who would like a refresher course on hurricane preparation – the Compass will once again publish our annual hurricane preparedness guide. Look for your free copy of this special publication within the Thursday, June 9 edition of the newspaper. The hurricane guide will include a message from Hazard Management Cayman Islands, the local outlook for this year’s hurricane season, the schedule of storm names, as well as plans, supply lists and contact information for emergency entities in case of an approaching storm. The guide also contains sugges- tions on measures to take long before the skies turn dark-gray, including “hurricane-proofing” your home and obtaining the necessary insurance coverage. Hurricane Ivan caused an immense amount of devastation (severely damaging 70 percent of Grand Cayman homes) and suffering, but it also brought with it a number of significant lessons – philosophical (such as the enduring power of the human spirit, the cohesiveness of community, etc.) as well as practical (such as the usefulness of having a generator, and the importance of ensuring safeguards are in place before a storm strikes). The lessons from Ivan we gladly accept and take to heart, but since no one is eager to experience that painful sort of tutelage ever again, we urge everyone to make sure they’re ready to prevent and mitigate as many of the negative effects as possible in case of a major hurricane. In two words: Be prepared. Hurricane season starts today: Be prepared Stop Pension Law changes I write this letter in re- sponse to some misconcep- tions I hear from the public about the proposed changes to the National Pension Law, with three in particular in- cluded in the (Amendments) Bill 2016 and about the Na- tional Pension Law (2012 re- vision) as it stands now. It is important to under- stand that Section 2 of the pension law states “This Law applies to pension plans es- tablished and maintained for the benefit of employees in the Islands.” As it stands, the pension law says the age of retire- ment is 60 and early retire- ment is 50. If you retire early, you receive less benefits from your pension fund than if you wait until you’re 60, but you don’t have to retire at 60. You could retire at 65 or 70 if you wish. 60 is just the ear- liest age that you can retire to collect full benefits. Once a person retires and begins collecting full benefits, they can continue working, not have to contribute 5 per- cent toward the pension any- more and their employer doesn’t have to match their 5 percent anymore either. An employer can make you retire at whatever age their policies dictate. Nothing in the pension Law can pre- vent an employer from letting you go at 55 if, where profes- sional or industry standards or requirements mandate an early age. So the Pension Law saying the age of retirement is 60 is basically saying that is the age you are allowed to collect your benefits and nothing more. The proposed (Amend- ment) Bill 2016, is trying to change the age of retire- ment by giving it a new name (“Normal age of pension entitlement”) and calling it 65 years of age. What this means is that even if you wanted to start collecting your pen- sion benefits at 60, you won’t be allowed. Even if your em- ployer retires you at 60 (be- cause they can), you will not be allowed to collect your benefits until you are 65. This is in no way for the benefit of employees in the islands, this is for the benefit of the pen- sion plan providers/adminis- trators so that they can hold on to your money for five more years and make money. Five years’ worth of ad- ditional pension contribu- tions at 10 percent is not going to increase your pen- sion benefits significantly, but multiply that 10 per- cent by the number of mem- bers a pension provider has in their pension scheme over a five-year period and you can easily see who benefits from the increased age of retirement. It would be more beneficial to an employee if they could retire at 60 and start col- lecting their pension benefits, continue working, instantly receive a 5 percent increase in their salary (because the 5 percent is not required to be deducted) and the employer saves an additional 5 percent (because they don’t have to match the contribution). Don’t allow the govern- ment to pass the amendment bill to increase the age of re- tirement to 65. Depending on your em- ployer’s policies, you may be retired earlier and not al- lowed to collect your bene- fits, effectively being without an income for five years. Sign the online petition to stop these changes. Michael Caputo US Congress plays games over Zika5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A recent precipitous drop in the Cayman Islands un- employment rate is not ex- pected to continue this year, according to government’s own estimates. Cayman’s overall jobless rate has dropped from 6.3 percent in 2013 to 4.2 per- cent in 2015, figures based on Economics and Statistics Of- fice surveys show. For Caymanians, that drop was even more pronounced, going from 9.4 percent in 2013 to 6.2 percent last year. However, estimates in- cluded as part of economic forecasts for government’s upcoming 2016/17 budget put overall unemployment for 2016 back up at 4.7 percent. “[The unemployment es- timates] assume a mod- erate average increase in the labor force of 1.3 percent,” government’s forecasts noted. “It is also assumed that the recent minimum wage in- crease will have a slight ad- verse impact on employment growth in 2016.” Finance Minister Marco Archer has previously warned that certain govern- ment labor policies, including setting the minimum wage at $6 per hour and boosting the civil service retirement age to 65, could lead to higher un- employment. The minimum wage rate has already taken effect, while the increase in the government retirement age is due for consideration by legislators this fall. A government report on the establishment of min- imum wage estimated that up to 600 people could lose their jobs following the implemen- tation of the base wage rate. The 2015 Minimum Wage Advisory Committee report cited the possible loss of 545 to 600 jobs – less than 2 per- cent of Cayman’s current labor force – if the minimum wage was implemented. Premier Alden McLaughlin has advanced another theory: that job losses due to the es- tablishment of a minimum wage, while affecting the local economy, would not have a huge impact on unemploy- ment because most of the workers losing their jobs would be non-Caymanians who are required to leave the islands if they are not legally employed. According to the advisory committee report, about three- quarters of the minimum wage workers in Cayman were non-Caymanians. Minister Archer also said last year that increasing the mandatory civil service re- tirement age from 60 to 65 would likely halt the recent drop in Cayman’s unemploy- ment rates. “If you increase the retire- ment age from 60 to 65, you increase the working popu- lation, so your labor force grows,” Mr. Archer said. “The [worker] pool from which you are drawing will get bigger.” The overall labor force in Cayman was expected to grow from slightly more than 39,000 people to more than 41,000 by 2019. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate – after the increase in 2016 – was expected to drop again to 4.2 percent by 2019. “New employment is ex- pected to be created directly and indirectly from the set of construction projects in the private and public sectors, as well as in the post construc- tion phase of these projects,” the government financial es- timates noted. “Employment is foreseen to grow gradually at an annual average of 1.3 percent during the period.” The proposed change in the government retirement age will not force any cur- rent civil servants to work beyond age 60. They will have the option to stay on until reaching age 65. Cur- rently, government workers are allowed to stay beyond age 60 only if they receive employment contracts of be- tween one and three years, al- though in practice those con- tracts are typically granted to Caymanian workers. FLOWERS SEA SWIM 2016 SATURDAY JUNE 11 PHOTO CONTEST PHOTO CONTEST • www.caymancompass.com/contests • ENTER TO WIN • A private charter for up to 15 people on Cayman Private Charters’ 44 ft. ‘Paradise Breeze’ catamaran AND • A three course dinner (of their choosing) for 4 people at Ristorante Prima to include one bottle of Prosecco and two bottles of wine VISIT THE COMPASS PHOTO TENT 2016 Government anticipates rise in unemployment Jobs program gets $2.3 million in new budget BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A government jobs pro- gram that pays private sector companies to “take a chance” on hiring unem- ployed Caymanians has nearly three dozen par- ticipants, Premier Alden McLaughlin said this week. The Ready-2-Work pro- gram has 33 “active partici- pants in various phases of the program,” Mr. McLaughlin announced in his budget policy address on Monday. The program will receive $2.3 million in the upcoming 18-month government budget and has a goal of placing 175 people in jobs by February 2017, Mr. McLaughlin said. “The results so far have been promising,” the premier said. “We believe that the best social program is a good job. For some, the Ready-2- Work program will be their best chance to regain and keep employment.” The program was an- nounced at the beginning of this year as a partner- ship between private sector employers and government. About $1.7 million was ear- marked in the current gov- ernment budget, which ends on June 30, for the job placements. The idea with Ready-2- Work is that government pays for a certain period of the person’s employment, up to a maximum of six months. Mr. McLaughlin said this gives the prospective em- ployee on-the-job skills and training opportunities during the period so that they will be ready to take the job full- time at the end of the period. Government also provides some human resources as- sistance for placements and job counseling services, Mr. McLaughlin said. “What we are trying to do is minimize the financial risk for the businesses and build a support system so if John Brown doesn’t show up at work, it is the project co- ordinator’s responsibility to find out what is going wrong and to get him through what is preventing him from working,” Mr. McLaughlin said in January. “There will be different levels of effort and intervention required with each individual.” Mr. McLaughlin has noted that the local business com- munity has often expressed concerns about hiring people registered with government’s National Workforce Devel- opment agency who do not work out immediately. “Individuals who are feeling down and out may not always present their best ef- forts in the workplace, which can be a hindrance to getting, as well as keeping, employ- ment,” Mr. McLaughlin said in his budget address Monday. “Many times, all they need is someone to talk to, someone they can trust, someone who can provide the proper guid- ance and reassurance.” The approach proposed by the Ready-2-Work program has not yet been tried in Cayman, but Mr. McLaughlin characterized it as a commit- ment by government to en- sure that “every willing and able Caymanian without a job has access to one.” Premier: 33 people in Ready-2-WorkWEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands ‘Rundown’ takes show to the Brac Exciting sports and cultural events are happening this weekend across the Sister Islands This weekend offers up a traveling cultural event on Cayman Brac and sports ac- tion on Little Cayman. “Rundown” is heading to the Sister Islands, with a performance of the an- nual comedy revue slated for Saturday, June 4, at the Aston Rutty Centre. Now in its 24th year, the show highlights the latest happenings in the Cayman Islands and features a tal- ented cast of performers mimicking the newsmakers of the day. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children under the age of 12. Tickets can be re- served by calling 949-5477, purchased online at www. artscayman.org/rundown, or at District Administra- tion in Cayman Brac begin- ning next week. Tickets will also be on sale at the door. Sporting events A weekend of friendly sports excitement in Little Cayman kicks off on Friday, as Cayman Brac takes on Little Cayman in men’s vol- leyball. The game starts at 8 p.m. at the Little Cayman Beach Resort. On Saturday, Little Cayman will see a first of its kind as a men’s junior team (aged 20 and under) from Grand Cayman takes on Little Cayman in men’s basketball at 8 p.m. at the Little Cayman Beach Resort. Organizers note this will mark the first time that visiting teams from both Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman would have played competitive volley- ball and basketball matches in Little Cayman. “Little Cayman Beach Resort has been the gra- cious host of many sporting events in Little Cayman over the past two years,” noted Brac-based Depart- ment of Sports instructor Harold Sanford. The basketball match came about after Grand Cayman-based basketball coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro came over to assist with a hoops tournament on Little Cayman in March, and came away greatly im- pressed with how many tal- ented players were living on the tiny island. “We definitely never ex- pected to see four teams of such a high caliber. These players really surprised us with their standard,” said Mr. O’Garro. “We are bringing the young players over to give them a challenge,” he said. Other upcoming events The Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Immigration Board Meeting takes place on Tuesday, June 7. On Wednesday, June 8, the Driver’s License written exam is being held from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Dis- trict Administration Con- ference Room. On Thursday, June 9, the Little Cayman Vehicle Licensing Visit takes place from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Little Cayman District Office. Also on Thursday, the Brac community thatch plaiting class will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Heritage House. Cost is $5, Contact simones@candw.ky. Organizers note this will mark the first time that visiting teams from both Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman would have played competitive volleyball and basketball matches in Little Cayman. The cast of Rundown are excited to be heading over to the Brac this weekend. 50 years ago: Educator Layman Scott heads abroad In the June 1, 1966 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a pre- cursor of the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac correspondent Lil- lian Ritch wrote: “Mr. V.L. Jackson, Director of Education, was on a rou- tine visit from May 22 to 26. On Wednesday evening he met with the members of the Board of Ed- ucation and teachers in a stimu- lating meeting. “Mr. Layman E. Scott, head teacher of the West End Pri- mary School, after 10 and a half years in the teaching profession in Cayman Brac, all of which he served in this school, has re- signed his service here to go to Canada. He has obtained a cer- tificate from the Board of Edu- cation, in Toronto, Ontario. Mr. Scott has given faithful ser- vice as a teacher and friend of the young people. He is in his second year of membership on the Board of Education. “Opportunity was taken to thank Mr. Scott for his services and to wish him well in the pur- suit of his profession in Canada. Mr. G.V. Lazzari presented the gift, a wrist watch, on behalf of the Teachers’ Association, and re- freshments were enjoyed. “Layman was born on April 20, 1931 at Spot Bay, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Varian Scott. He started school with Miss Mellie McLaughlin (now Mrs. Caswell Robinson). Leaving her at the age of 10, he entered Barracks El- ementary School, Montego Bay, Jamaica of which Mr. R.M. Bent was then headmaster. He went on to St. James High School under headmastership of Mr. Ferguson Walker, which he left in April 1949 with the Junior Cam- bridge Certificate. In December ‘49 (private study) he achieved the School Certificate. “In 1950 he tried out his taste for the sea through Messrs. Ja- cobs and Hurlstone’s Fisheries on the vessels Sunny South, La- tuna and Southern Reef. Turning back to the land he was in the employ of the Public Works De- partment of Montego Bay during 1951. Responding to the call of the teaching profession he en- tered Mico Training College in 1952 and at the end of the three year course arrived in Cayman Brac on Dec. 12, 1955. “On Thursday last, the stu- dents and teachers of the pri- mary school and the Jamaica Local Centre bade farewell to Mr. Scott. During a one hour programme of items chosen by the students, Sharon Ryan, who brought her electric organ for the occasion played ‘Aloha Oe’ a fare- well dedication to him. George Ryan, student of the Jamaica Local Centre made the apprecia- tion speech on behalf of all the students. A gift donated by the children of both schools was pre- sented by first standard pupil, Rhonda Ritch. “With Miss Bernice Hydes leading at the piano, students and teachers joined crosshanded in a circle and sang the tradi- tional ‘Auld Land Syne.’ Mr. Scott, deeply moved by all the expres- sions of affection, was overcome with emotion in replying and the spate of tears among the stu- dents testified to their reluctance to part with him. Mr. R.M. Wal- ters of the Jamaica Local Centre presided over the function.”CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 7 DISTRICT DAYS District Days Sister Islands Good food, games at family fun day Exciting games, tasty treats and clear skies made for a fun day at the Brac’s recent family fair. With conditions sunny and very hot, close to 200 people at- tended the family fun day hosted by the Department of Children and Family Services at the Brac public beach on May 21. The event was held as part of Child Month, which brought a host of activities across the Cayman Islands. “Emcee Jonathan Tibbetts kept everyone in tune, informed and in stitches,” said Brac com- munity development officer Elsa Scott, who noted that members of the National Drug Council came over from Grand Cayman to assist with the event. “They played ‘Who wants to be drug-free millionaire?’ and gave prizes to the winners,” she added. Ms. Scott said other games played throughout the day included a water balloon toss, bowling, hula hooping, a soldier crab race, mu- sical chairs, a sack race, a three- legged race and a limbo contest. “Everyone enjoyed Kevin Fos- ter’s bouncy castle and the cotton candy, and especially the ‘sno’ cones, which were definitely needed in the sweltering heat,” said Ms. Scott. Free hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks were catered by Star Is- land, and the event was sponsored by the Department of Children and Family Services, the National Drug Council, the Market Place, Scott Development, District Ad- ministration and the Public Works Department. Sack race contestants gave it their all. - PHOTOS: ELSA SCOTT Dakota Brown shows off his hula hooping skills.It was smiles all around at the beach event. Tamesha Hunter tosses the balloon at Eugenio Miles with encouragement from Regina Scott and Kasandra DaCosta.Siyanna Maragh on her bike. Kasandra DaCosta shows off her winning hula moves. New dock for Little Cayman A long-awaited and needed public dock and boat launching ramp on the north coast of Little Cayman in the area known as Mary’s Bay was recently completed. Local fishermen and water-sports enthusiasts are excited about the new wharf, which will come in handy on those days when the winds blow more aggressively from the south, making boat launching difficult at the public ramp near the Department of Environment building. Though there are a few private boat launching spots on the north coast, this new dock is the first one open to the public. – PHOTO: GEORGE NOWAKThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS not seen since the 1990s when “tent cities” had to be set up in areas of Grand Cayman to house thousands fleeing Cuba. The recent increase is generally blamed, both by Cayman and U.S. authori- ties, on statements that U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration intended to end the “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy toward migrants that America has maintained since the mid-’90s. The policy requires imme- diate repatriation, or transfer to another country, for any migrant intercepted at sea. However, if they make it to land, migrants would be given a chance to remain in the U.S. If the policy ends, there are fears that the “dry- foot” opportunity will end. Most of the Cubans trav- eling through Grand Cayman or Cayman Brac are on their way to Honduras, eventually intending to seek passage through Central America and Mexico to the southwestern U.S. The migrants can apply for asylum status as refugees in Cayman, but they are typi- cally classed as economic mi- grants, rather than political asylum-seekers. For countries such as Cayman caught in the middle of the migration, dealing with the problem of landed migrants has led to additional costs. At last count, the Cayman Islands immigration De- partment had 116 migrants in custody at various lo- cations. About 60 can be kept safely at the detention center in the Fairbanks area of George Town. Most of the others are being kept at community centers in the less-populous eastern districts of Grand Cayman. Four other mi- grants, including a pregnant woman and a juvenile who apparently made a trip with a parent from Cuba this year, are being kept in a hotel, ac- cording to prisons officials. There is little the govern- ment can do to reduce the costs of migrant care and housing while they are here. The repatriation process with Cuba can often take months, and typically the migrants are sent back on Cayman Air- ways planes. In April 2015, Cuba and the Cayman Islands signed a new memorandum of under- standing which was touted as helping to speed up the repatriation process. How- ever, the sheer number of migrants now arriving on Cayman’s shores has over- whelmed the process. Government spends $5.3M on migrants Trust and $2 million for the Cayman Islands De- velopment Bank. The airport expansion and upgrade will receive $7.5 mil- lion from government, about half of the $15 million central government is expected to spend on the project. The rest of the money for the $60 mil- lion upgrade will be funded through passenger fees col- lected by the Cayman Islands Airports Authority. Finance Minister Marco Ar- cher said Monday that is cru- cial that government focuses on paying down its debts, in- cluding amounts due in the statutory authorities and gov- ernment-owned companies. Mr. Archer said the total debt held by the public sector is set to decline by about $70 million at the end of 2017, leaving government’s total debt at $523 million. “It is critical that we con- tinue with this strategy, not just from the perspective of [compliance with U.K.-man- dated rules], but because it is prudent and wise,” Mr. Archer said. “We have been handed a rich legacy by our forefathers and today, as guardians, we must act re- sponsibly for future genera- tions of Caymanians.” Pensions and healthcare Ongoing pension and healthcare expenses for civil servants, retirees and seamen and veterans are not in- cluded in the public sector debt figure. Mr. Archer said the 2016/17 budget contains an estimated 18-month pen- sion payment of $49.2 mil- lion. This includes an addi- tional cash contribution of $15 million to the Public Ser- vice Pensions Fund directly from government to reduce ongoing liabilities in the re- tirement funds managed by government. Healthcare-related benefits for retirees, seamen and vet- erans will cost $42.9 million in the upcoming budget year. “This amount repre- sents 4.9 percent of the gov- ernment’s overall operating expenditure budget,” Mr. Archer said. Total healthcare costs, including current civil servants, total about 20 per- cent of the annual budget, the finance minister said. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Budget: $35M pays off debt, losses CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 TRUMP DETAILS FUNDRAISING FOR VETERANS NEW YORK (AP) – Under pressure to account for money he claimed to raise for veterans, an irritated Donald Trump lambasted the news media Tuesday for pressing the issue and listed charities he said have now received millions of dollars from a fundraiser he held in January. Phone calls to all 41 of the groups by The Associ- ated Press brought more than two-dozen responses Tuesday. About half reported checks from Trump within the past week, typically dated May 24, the day The Wash- ington Post published a story questioning whether he had distributed all of the money. Trump, the presump- tive Republican presiden- tial nominee, told reporters at a testy news conference in New York that the fund- raiser, held at the same time as a Fox News GOP debate he was boycotting, raised $5.6 million. He previously had declined to disclose which charities had received the funds, and his campaign has gone back and forth about how much was raised. “The money’s all been sent,” Trump said at the news conference at Trump Tower on Tuesday. He repeatedly criticized the press for making the money an issue, saying re- porters “should be ashamed of themselves” for asking where the money had gone. Throughout the event, Trump slammed the media as “unbelievably dishonest” for its treatment of the issue and dismissed an ABC re- porter as “a sleaze.” He said many times that he didn’t want credit for the fund- raising but seemed peeved that he wasn’t thanked for it. “In a nutshell, the numbers are up as evidenced by overflow to the civic centers.” WESLEY HOWELL, deputy chief officer, Ministry of Home Affairs “It is critical that we continue with this [debt repayment] strategy … because it is prudent and wise.” MARCO ARCHER, finance minister Wesley Howell9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2016 DRIVE THRU OPEN LATE FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS UNTIL 1AM AT SEVEN MILE BEACH Now serving you from 2 locations: Savannah and Seven Mile Beach Actress Cynthia Nixon to speak at breast cancer gala KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Emmy, Tony and Grammy award-winning actress Cyn- thia Nixon will be the fea- tured guest speaker at the Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation’s gala dinner on Oct. 1. Ms. Nixon has appeared in several critically acclaimed films, television shows and plays, and may be best known for her role as Mi- randa Hobbes in the TV se- ries “Sex in the City.” She is also a breast cancer survivor and activist. In 2015, Ms. Nixon played the role of a cancer survivor in the movie “James White” only months after her mother died following a third battle with breast cancer. Ms. Nixon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and after completing treat- ment she became a spokes- person for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Although she kept her di- agnosis quiet while in treat- ment for privacy reasons, in a video for the Komen Foundation, Ms. Nixon said that one of her main reasons for becoming an activist was because she felt like she had a “really concrete” and “very useful” story to tell. “And my story is not just my story, but it’s my moth- er’s and my story, which is be proactive, get your mammo- grams, don’t be afraid,” she said in the video. “This is a re- ally handle-able disease if you catch it in time, and the worst thing you can do is be too afraid to get a mammogram and check it out.” Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation spokes- person Janette Fitzgerald said there has been a “deluge” of interest in the event since it was revealed Monday that Ms. Nixon would be this year’s guest speaker. “People don’t need to know the speaker, they know it’s always somebody good. But once I sent that message out yesterday – we’re almost sold out,” Ms. Fitzgerald said. “We’re very excited, I think it’s going to be a fabulous event as always.” The fundraising gala has attracted several celeb- rity guest speakers in re- cent years, including Joan Lunden, Hoda Kotb and Bill and Giuliana Rancic. The gala raises thou- sands of dollars every year, providing financial sup- port to several local chari- ties working to educate the public about breast cancer and providing aid for treat- ment costs. The event began in 2008 as a way for Kim Lund to honor his late wife Brenda Tibbetts Lund, who died after a battle with breast cancer 10 years earlier, and to carry on her work in raising aware- ness about the disease. Al- though it was intended to be a one-time event, it has be- come one of the most suc- cessful annual events in the Cayman Islands. Featuring live and si- lent auctions, musical per- formances and the emcee stylings of Pinnacle Media’s Vicki Wheaton, the event is not only entertaining, but also educational. Treatment to be highlighted This year the event will highlight a treatment called “cold capping,” which helps breast cancer patients pre- vent hair-loss during chemo- therapy. The Breast Cancer Foundation is installing “cold caps” and the biometric freezers to store them in at all three hospitals in Grand Cayman, as well as training the nursing staff in their use. Cold caps help stop hair loss during cancer treat- ment by cooling the scalp, narrowing blood vessels be- neath the skin and limiting the amount of chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles. The caps have a more than 65 percent effectiveness rate at stopping hair loss during chemotherapy, according to information from the Breast Cancer Foundation. The ‘pink tie’ event at The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman starts at 6 p.m. with a champagne reception followed by a three course meal. Tickets are $350 per person; $3,500 for a table of 10. Those wishing to donate to the auction may contact Ms. Fitzgerald at janette. fitzgerald@breastcancerfoundation.ky or call 939-1135. Actress Cynthia Nixon will be the guest speaker at the 2016 Breast Cancer gala in October. Ms. Nixon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and after completing treatment she became a breast cancer activist, acting as a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.Next >