High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Dangerous Liaisons, French style Culture at the Cinema brings lust and betrayal to the screen B4 Food & Drink Events Theater ■ MUSIC Reggae man Reggae man Stuart Wilson talks musical success and inspiration. B7 All that bubbles is not Champagne Sparkling wines from around the world bring the fizzy for less B2 Grand Old House on summer break Special happy hour marks annual season closure B5 ‘Bad Mom’ makes appearance Actress Kathryn Hahn was guest of honor at film premiere B3 STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July Registered Merchant of CaymanGiftCertificates.co m Fine Wine and Spirits 20% OFF for the month of August DISCOVER THE TRUE GOLD OF GUYANA. Chose from 3, 5, 6, 8, 12, 15 and 21 years of age. Photo: David Goddard CAYMAN WEEKENDER Reggae man EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE OWEN ROBERTS BEMUSEMENT PARK ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 CAYMAN LEGALIZES PLANS FOR WITNESS PROTECTION Law initially passed eight years ago BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands witness protection methods that have previously been described as “ad hoc” in some cases and raising poten- tial human rights concerns in others, will take effect in specific local legislation this month. The Justice Protection Law (2008) will com- mence on Aug. 31, about eight years after it was first approved by the Legislative Assembly and assented to by then-Governor Stuart Jack. The initial 2008 law, although it was ap- proved, had to be delayed and eventually scrapped because it required the creation of an international witness protection plan, in- cluding all the remaining Caribbean British Overseas Territories and Bermuda in the At- lantic Ocean. That idea failed for lack of funding and support, according to Attorney General Samuel Bulgin. Legislators approved a revised law earlier this year that created a more Cayman-centric protection plan, defining specific agencies and methods used to shield people who testify against criminals. The Cayman Islands Human Rights Com- mission raised concerns surrounding Cay- man’s witness protection rules, or lack thereof, more than two years ago in a 2014 report to the Legislative Assembly. “The Human Rights Commission brought to the attention of [former] Governor [Duncan] Taylor the grave concern that whilst the [wit- ness protection] program is operational, it has no statutory basis,” the Human Right Com- mission report noted. “The HRC has again ad- dressed these concerns in writing to Governor [Helen] Kilpatrick.” The HRC report to the Legislative Donated defibrillators boost police response for heart emergencies CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Police Service received a donation of 20 automatic external defibrillators, AEDs for short, this week from the Cayman Heart Fund. An AED is a portable device that when hooked up to someone in a cardiac emergency, can diagnose a heart attack based on the rhythm of the heart and treat them with “de- fibrillation,” an electrical shock to return the heart to a normal rhythm. A project from the Cayman Heart Fund has brought more than 120 AEDs to the Cayman Islands. Acting Police Commissioner Anthony Ennis, in a press release, said, “One of the primary duties of a police officer is to pro- tect and save lives; therefore, these generous donations by the Cayman Heart Fund will add to the tools available to our first responders to render critical first aid to a victim experi- encing a cardiac condition.” Mr. Ennis continued, “The life we save might be our own, as police officers work under very stressful and difficult circum- stances. These devices have also been placed throughout our police estates and are readily available if needed. Civilian staff as well as police [are] receiving training in First-Aid, CPR and AED.” The statement from police notes an inci- dent last year when police were first on the scene when a man collapsed in his North Side home. Officers were able to resuscitate the man with CPR until an ambulance arrived, CUC considers ‘demand billing’ TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Caribbean Utilities Com- pany and its overseers the Elec- tricity Regulatory Authority are in talks to change the way the utility charges commercial cus- tomers, implementing a scheme called “demand billing.” The plan relies on peak power demand during any given month, charging customers according to their maximum usage. While no introductory date has been set, CUC has already completed the installation 28,000 “smart” meters, which track hourly consumption of elec- tricity. The meters enable users to manage their use of power, and the utility to track when and how much power it dispenses. ERA Managing Director Charles Farrington told the Cayman Compass last month that “CUC and the ERA remain in discussions about possible changes to the current billing rate structure.” “Any final changes to this structure are expected to be rev- enue neutral to CUC,” he said, seeking to allay fears of a rate rise, “and will be communicated to customers well in advance of implementation.” “As we have stated before, with the rollout of our new AMI [Advanced Metering In- frastructure], the company is now in a better position to re- view additional rate options,” Seven young women are taking part in the Miss Teen Cayman pageant, which is being held next week for the first time in three years. The contestants, shown above on a recent visit to Cayman Brac, are, from left, Maya Smith, Nerissa McLaughlin, Aleica McDonald, Liana DaCosta, Kevie-Ann Peirre, Jada Ramoon and Kayleigh McLaughlin. The contest will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Lions Community Centre. For more, see page 8. Miss Teen back after three-year hiatus PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 945-2290 • West Shore Center, Seven Mile Beach • 10am to 10pm Fresh, Healthy & Delicious! Cayman Cookin’ Over a Wood Fire! Taste why we’re voted “Best”! If you’re Hungry! Hungry! Come to Chicken Chicken! International Award-Winning Caribbean Chicken! Eat-in!Take-out! Indulge on a feast for 2 to 4 or 6 or more! With an awesome selection of sides to choose from. Harpist Extraordinaire Eugenio Leon Serenades Tableside TONIGHT Friday and EVERY Friday! with DJ Flex Free lessons with Kirk starting 9.30pm Every Tuesday Salsa Tuesdays with DJ Flex starting Salsa with DJ Flex starting TOMORROW Saturday, August 20th Barefoot Man and Sea N’B Starting live at 8:00pm Come for dinner Stay for Dancing Or come to our beautiful Oceanside Bar and listen to the Sweet Sounds of Barefoot Man “BOOGIE NIGHTS” Music By DJ FLEX Starting at 9:30pm Old School Dance Party 70’s disco & 80’s classics Friday, August 26th Don’t forget NEXT WEEK TONIGHT! Friday Happy Hour 5pm-7pm Call 949-2231 or email: thewharf@candw.ky Public Health confirms third local Zika case CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Public health officials Thursday confirmed a third local case of the Zika virus, all of which have occurred in George Town. The Health Services Au- thority, now that local trans- mission is established, plans to limit testing for Zika based on international guidelines. The mosquito-borne Zika virus is now transmitted lo- cally in almost every country in South and Central America and the Caribbean. The symptoms tend to be mild, including fever, rash, red eyes and lethargy. The main con- cern is for pregnant women and couples hoping to con- ceive as the virus can cause severe birth defects in babies born to infected mothers. Dr. Samuel Williams- Rodriguez, Cayman’s lead public health officer, said the third case involves a woman in George Town who had not traveled to any areas with known Zika outbreaks. “It is therefore concluded that this case has been locally trans- mitted, bringing cases of local transmission of the Zika virus within the Cayman Is- lands to three, and six im- ported cases,” he said in a statement to the press. With three confirmed local-transmission cases, Dr. Williams-Rodriguez ex- plained, “The World Health Organization is advising that in geographical areas where local circulation of the Zika virus is already established, it is recom- mended that a fraction of all suspected cases detected during each week [ideally 10 percent] be confirmed by laboratory tests.” He said the Health Ser- vices Authority will now only test people for Zika when they have symptoms and have no travel history to other coun- tries with outbreaks. Cayman sends testing samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency lab in Trinidad for suspected Zika cases, where they also test for dengue and chikungunya, which have similar symptoms. Zika is primarily trans- mitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, identifiable by the white stripes on its legs. The virus can also be trans- mitted sexually. According to the World Health Organi- zation, the only documented sexual transmission has been from men to their partners and it’s unknown if women can transmit the virus to sexual partners. Cayman’s Mosquito Re- search and Control Unit has been concentrating its ef- forts to kill mosquitoes in the areas around where the known cases have been found. The MRCU continues to stress the steps people can take to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes around their homes, especially getting rid of standing fresh water. MRCU Director Bill Petrie, in the press statement, re- minded residents to check their premises regularly and remove water in buckets, plant pot saucers, discarded tires, etc., as these are the fa- vored breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Witness credibility to be challenged in appeal Raziel Jeffers contests convictions for manslaughter, murder CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The credibility of Raziel Jeffers’s ex-girlfriend will be an important factor in his appeal against conviction for manslaughter, the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal heard on Thursday. The woman, who was placed in a witness protec- tion program after giving statements to police, gave evidence against Jeffers in three trials, saying he had confessed to her. He was con- victed of murder twice and, in the last matter, found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years. Jeffers’s alleged that the woman was supplied with ganja “to make her more compliant” and that she had been asked by the Crown to withhold certain evidence that could have been favor- able to his defense. Andrew Radcliffe, QC, who conducted the case for the prosecution in two of Jeffers’s trials, agreed that the woman’s evidence was critical in the matter that led to conviction for man- slaughter. He described her evidence as central in the other two trials. He agreed that the allega- tions in connection with her testimony should be treated as fresh evidence, since the court has already heard and dismissed appeals against the two murder convictions. He indicated that, depending on how the court viewed the manslaughter appeal, the murder appeals might be revisited. Jeffers, now 33, was charged with the murder of Marcus Leon Ebanks in West Bay in July 2009. Mr. Ebanks was fatally shot and two other people were wounded in the shooting that occurred near the Bonaventure Boys Home. Jeffers, after electing to be tried by judge alone, was found guilty in February 2012. His appeal was dis- missed later the same year. He was later charged with the murder of Damion Omar Ming, who was shot in a yard off Birch Tree Hill Road, West Bay, on March 25, 2010. A jury found him guilty after trial in March-April, 2014. His appeal was dismissed in July 2015. In the third trial, Jef- fers was charged “together with other persons” of mur- dering Marcus Mauricio Guzman Duran on March 11, 2010, outside an apart- ment on Maliwinas Way, off North West Point Road. The Crown contended that he had planned the robbery of Mr. Duran, had provided guns and given information to accomplices about the vic- tim’s movements. Because of his role as “mastermind,” he could be held responsible for the killing under Cayman law. The jury found him not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Jeffers represented him- self at the case manage- ment hearing this week. He told the court that his family was meeting an attorney next week and he hoped to be rep- resented after that. He asked the court’s guid- ance on how to get more ev- idence about the woman if the Crown did not disclose it. He was told that if a matter needed to be resolved, a Grand Court judge could be appointed to deal with it. He was further directed that his perfected grounds of appeal should be served by Oct. 7 this year. He should then receive a response from the Crown by Oct. 28. The ap- peal was set down for Nov. 10 and 11. Hearing the matter were Justices Sir George Newman, Sir Richard Field and Cecil Dennis Morrison. CLARIFICATION In the “Back to School” Special Feature which ran in Thursday’s Cayman Compass, an article titled “Help ‘Stuff the Bus’” on page 15 should have in- cluded the following com- plete list of locations where donations can be made: Cost-U-Less, Foster’s Food Fair IGA – Country- side, Lee’s Office Supplies, Office Supply, Hurley’s Media Group office or Ca- ribbean Alliance office at 203 Alissta Towers. The Cayman Compass strives for accuracy and is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can send an email to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com. COSTA RICA TOPS ‘HAPPY PLANET INDEX’ MEXICO CITY (AP) – A London-based think tank has placed Costa Rica at the top of its “Happy Planet Index” for the third time. This does not mean that Costa Rica is home to the world’s cheeriest people, but rather that the Cen- tral American country has reached a balance where its citizens lead relatively long and satisfied lives without an outsized impact on the planet. Because the index’s for- mula divides measures of well-being by each country’s ecological foot- print, none of the world’s most developed countries figure in the top 10. Costa Rica is trailed by Mexico and Colombia in this year’s ranking. The tiny south Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and Vietnam round out the top 5. The index takes a dif- ferent approach to mea- suring national well-being. Rather than emphasizing production, which can have a greater impact on the en- vironment, it seeks to re- ward sustainability. The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Costa Rica World Cup fans feature their country’s flag on their faces during a match between Costa Rica and England in June 2014. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 with 50% off Superfast Broadband* or upgrade to the next speed for only $ 5 a month* plus get entered to win fabulous prizes go to discoverfl ow.ky/broadband or visit your nearest Flow store. *Flow terms and conditions apply. go for gold this summer OFFICIAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS PARTNERThe 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. We’re not sure where to start on this editorial — at the entrance or at the exit. OK, here’s a good initial point: Our fervent wish is that we could approach a parking machine at Grand Cayman’s airport and not be greeted with a warning sign, an error message or a device that is obviously nonfunctional. Aside from the frustrations of dealing with parking at Owen Roberts (before or after hours of travel- related stress), there are the practical effects. For example, if it is raining, and the machine on the right-hand side of a vehicle isn’t working, then you have to get out of the car and go to the machine on the left-hand side, which may or may not be working. The practical result of this parking lot minuet, of course, is you get wet. (Unlikely, though a possibility, you could also be struck by lightning. That’s what officials are pointing to as the source of the current parking machine malfunc- tions — something or other got hit by lightning.) One might have anticipated a greater return on an investment of $872,599. That’s how much our gov- ernment spent on the parking system “upgrade,” concluded in March. As far as we can tell, motorists are experiencing the very same problems that have plagued the system for years. We realize that most people who use the airport parking lot aren’t visitors, so tourism-related concerns are fairly minimal. That being said, residents also have rights and expectations. A popular phrase in government tendering and budgeting is “value for money.” If you were to put a value on the parking experience at the airport, it would be close to zero. Ipso facto, the cost of parking, until the system is fixed, should be zero. The Progressives could capitalize on such a “zero-tolerance” campaign, making it a plank in their upcoming election platform: “Free parking for all!” In fact, the Compass will donate the T-shirts, and for good measure, the bumper stickers, “I parked free at Cayman’s international airport!” It could catch on … The Owen Roberts bemusement park FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 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 EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Examining free trade amid globalization Specialization and the ac- companying astounding de- velopment of productive technologies have lifted the standard of living around the world to unbelievable heights over the last three centuries. Trade – selling what we specialize in making and exchanging them for the wide range of things we need and want to consume – has made this possible. The pace of wealth creation and poverty reduction has accelerated in the last half century as the size of the markets in which we trade have expanded rapidly with falling costs and barriers to global trade. ‘No pain, no gain’ But new technolo- gies that displace older ways of doing things re- quire workers and firms to adapt. New skills must be learned to replace the old, no longer needed, ones. Americans have been par- ticularly adept at such flex- ible adjustments and thus have experienced greater in- creases in wealth and living standards than most other countries. No pain, no gain, as we might say. Workers and firms have tried from time to time to defend their positions from the competition of other workers and from firms with newer and better technologies. Protectionist tariffs enacted to “pro- tect” American jobs in 1930 deepened and prolonged the Great Depression. The closed-shop autoworkers unions in Detroit seri- ously damaged the Amer- ican auto industry. But gen- erally Americans pushed aside these restraints on free markets and trade to the huge benefit of the pop- ulation as a whole. Market turnover Nonetheless, such com- petitive advancements in our ability to produce more and more did require those with outmoded skills to ac- quire new ones. When the pace of innovation was mea- sured, the required adjust- ments by workers and firms were easier to make. Younger workers would acquire the new skills from the outset while older ones would even- tually retire. The turnover of firms, even very large and well-es- tablished ones (Dell, Polaroid, Kodak, Motorola, Chrysler, Yahoo, etc.) has always been large in the U.S., continu- ally making way for new and better ones. Market expansion The last half century has seen a rapid increase in the expansion of markets – glo- balization. While this in- creased competition and innovation has reduced pov- erty in the world at a never- before-seen rate, it has also increased the numbers of workers having to give up the skills they had refined and acquire new ones gener- ally requiring a higher level of education. These adjustments have often been difficult for those having to make them, espe- cially for middle aged and older workers. We seem to be experiencing a backlash from those forced to adjust. ‘Two Industrial Revolutions’ “The experience of the past quarter century sug- gests strongly that the cen- tral factors of our era are not nationalism or milita- rism, but rather the two periods of radical change stimulated by technology and innovation during not one but two Industrial Rev- olutions. The first one began 175 years ago; the second, the information age, has now lasted about four de- cades.” (John Kornblum, “The Amerexit,” The Amer- ican Interest, July 25) Immigration is an as- pect of globalization and the wealth-creating impact of free trade. It raises similar but even more challenging tensions between freedom and progress, and security and protection of the status quo. It also calls for careful management of the pace of immigration to soften the anxieties of potentially af- fected workers. Politics and protectionism More liberal trade agree- ments facilitate global- ization. Ironically, Presi- dent Obama, who opposed the trade agreements on the table when he first ran for the presidency, is now fighting for the adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partner- ship (TPP), while Hillary Clinton, never one to put the national interest above her own, who as Secretary of State helped start the TPP negotiations, now opposes it. And Donald Trump, who shouts out whatever passes through his mind at the mo- ment, is currently strongly protectionist (i.e. protecting the status quo). Rapidly increasing glo- balization has enabled an incredible lifting of living standards but has also in- creased the insecurity and costs to those displaced and needing to seek out new employment. We need to provide more effective assistance to these people. This should be the focus of our policy discus- sions, not closing off prog- ress (protectionism). Warren Coats, a former director of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, and former senior monetary policy adviser to the Central Bank of Afghanistan, Iraq and Kenya for the International Monetary Fund, is on the Editorial Board of Cayman Financial Review. WARREN COATS WARREN COATS [I]ncreased competition and innovation has reduced poverty in the world at a never- before-seen rate, it has also increased the numbers of workers having to give up the skills they had refined and acquire new ones[.] ‘Censorship’ and editing We’d like to take this opportunity to inform (or remind) our readers about some general guidelines on what the Cayman Compass will — and won’t — publish, in our print newspaper and our website online. We, like nearly all publications, from time to time field complaints from individuals who allege that the Compass is “censoring” them by not publishing comments that contradict the editorial opinions of the newspaper. As regular readers of this opinion page will be aware, that is not how we operate. We celebrate the diver- sity of viewpoints in this community and embrace the opportunity to engage in dialogues, even with (and often especially with) people who happen to be ideo- logical opponents on a specific issue. Promoting public conversation on important topics is, of course, one of the primary goals of having an opinion page at all — and it is a primary responsibility of a responsible newspaper. And so, just to get it on the record, let us state categorically that the Compass never will refuse to publish a reader’s submission simply because it does not accord with our own views. As we say in the news- paper business, “Period. Full stop.” We do, however, reserve the right to refuse to publish certain kinds of commentary — specifically submissions that contain libelous, inaccurate, incen- diary or offensive language. In that context, our editors do act as filters. And it is our editors (along with our other journal- ists) that differentiate and distinguish the pages of the Compass from the row of stools at a bar, or the soapbox on a street corner, or the anonymous forums on the Internet.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM At Honda We Care About YOUR SAFETY ATTENTION HONDA DRIVERS: Please be aware that we have a recall under way to repair airbag inflators, at no cost to you, in certain Honda vehicles. If you have a Honda vehicle that is within the year range listed below, please contact us to see if your vehicle needs immediate attention. Thank you from the Honda Family. HOURS OF OPERATION CONTACT INFORMATION CALL (345) 949-5525 DISTRIBUTOR’S NAME Car City MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM VISIT www.carcity.ky EMAIL service@carcity.ky CERTAIN AFFECTED MODELS 2001–2015 AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL SAFETY *Metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. Airbag deployment with inflator rupture* SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Enforcement officers fighting poaching New tasks but no new conservation officers JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Environment officials are concerned about an apparent rise in poaching despite new legislation increasing the powers of conservation en- forcement officers and pro- viding new legal protection for a variety of species. In the last 10 days, con- servation officers foiled an attempt to drag a nesting turtle off a West Bay beach and intercepted two spear- fishermen with a large haul of fish, conch and lob- ster taken illegally from the Frank Sound Replen- ishment Zone. Gina Ebanks-Petrie, di- rector of the Department of Environment, said she was “very concerned” about an increase in “crimes against the environment” and ap- pealed to the public to be the “eyes and ears” of the de- partment by reporting any suspicious activity. She acknowledged that el- ements of the National Con- servation Law gave the de- partment’s conservation officers a wider range of species and potentially a wider area of protected zones on land and sea to police, without any proportionate increase in staff numbers. She said the department was working on ways to broaden enforcement without adding staff but needed public support. A smart- phone app, currently in de- velopment, will allow people to identify when they were in a protected zone, to ac- cess the rules and regula- tions for that area and to report wrongdoing. The Department of En- vironment has previously looked into the possibility of using drones to increase its enforcement capability, and Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said it would seek to use technology wherever possible. “We are not getting any new conservation officers but we are always looking at ways to improve our effi- ciency,” she said. Environment Minister Wayne Panton said the Na- tional Conservation Law also created new powers for conservation enforcement of- ficers, some of whom now wear stab vests and carry ba- tons and Taser stun guns. “The law gives them powers of arrest and equip- ment that enables them to effectively carry out that en- forcement role,” he said. Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said enforcement officers now had the same powers as police constables for enforcing con- servation laws. “From an efficiency and effectiveness perspective, the officers themselves are oper- ating at a much higher level and we are hoping that will help in some measure in re- lation to the increase that we are seeing,” she said. Asked if the department’s roster of eight conservation enforcement officers was enough to cover the respon- sibilities, including poten- tially policing new marine park zones and a schedule of newly protected species, she said, “That’s all a matter of perspective. There are many larger countries that don’t have that many officers, It certainly isn’t sufficient to allow us to operate as a po- lice force, with shifts and things like that. “We do have various pro- visions that allow our officers to cover the coastline 24/7 with the budget we have.” In the 10 days, conservation officers foiled an attempt to drag a nesting turtle off a West Bay beach and intercepted two spearfishermen with a large haul of fish, conch and lobster taken illegally from the Frank Sound Replenishment Zone. A haul of illegally caught conch and lobsters seized by the Department of Environment this week.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 181374_PRINT-Butterfield-ScholorPage 1 8/16/16 10:38:50 AM8 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Miss Teen back after three-year hiatus Empowerment a major theme of revived pageant JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com For the first time in three years, on Aug. 27 at the Lions Community Centre, the Lions Club and Leo Club of Grand Cayman will host the Miss Teen Pageant. Seven teens will be in the spot- light for the contest, now in its 36th year. Jada Ramoon, 18; Maya Smith, 17; 16-year-olds Kevie-Ann Peirre, Liana DaCosta and Kay- leigh McLaughlin; Aleica McDonald, 15; and Nerissa McLaughlin, 14, will all take to the stage to deter- mine who will take the crown from the reigning Miss Teen Cayman Tishay Heath. The Miss Teen winner will re- ceive a four-year scholarship from government that will cover costs for two years locally and two years overseas at the college of their choice. The girls will also receive trophies, gym memberships and gifts certificates. The Lions Club of Grand Cayman decided some months ago to bring back the contest. In previous years, the Leo Club of Grand Cayman or- ganized the Miss Teen pageant, but it was put on hold while the club made some membership changes. This year, Lion Elesha Graham, chairman of the Miss Teen com- mittee, is coordinating the pageant with other committee members. They are planning to build up the Leo Club with the Miss Teen girls as honorary members. “We’re looking for an excel- lent show …. We’re hoping that the crowd does come out to support the young people because this is our fu- ture,” said Ms. Graham. The committee has chosen the theme “Greek Goddess – Women of Tomorrow” because they want con- testants to feel empowered and to empower others by their example. In an interview with the Cayman Compass, Ms. Graham and com- mittee member Alhana Hurlston said the pageant is now open to girls ages 14-18, rather than 15-17 as in previous years. The committee hopes the exten- sion gives the girls a little more ex- perience if they want to enter the Miss Cayman pageant later on. As a past Miss Cayman con- testant, Ms. Hurlston said she had wanted to enter the Miss Teen con- test, not Miss Cayman, at age 18. “How do you compete against 24-year-olds as an 18-year-old? I felt it was kind of challenging being up against girls that had more ex- perience than me … changing the age will give the girls a bit more edge,” she said. “The Miss Teen Pageant is put on by young people for young people. As young people, we also have to en- hance our leadership skills, so this is also a learning process for us,” said Ms. Hurlston. The committee also wants the girls to be ambassadors for the Cayman Islands. Show tickets are $25 pre-sold and $30 at the gate. Tickets for children ages 6-12 are $15 pre-sold and $20 at the gate. Limited VIP tickets are available for $50. The contestants, from left, Kayleigh McLaughlin, Maya Smith, Nerissa McLaughlin, Aleica McDonald, Liana DaCosta, Kevie-Ann Peirre and Jada Ramoon. CONTESTANT #1CONTESTANT #2CONTESTANT #3CONTESTANT #4 CONTESTANT #7CONTESTANT #6CONTESTANT #5 Jada Ramoon Age: 18 District: Bodden Town Sponsors: SuperMix and Xiomara’s Salon Kevie-Ann Peirre Age: 16 District: Bodden Town Sponsors: Cayman International Girl and E-Source Ltd. Liana DaCosta Age: 16 District: Bodden Town Sponsor: Savannah Medical Clinic Aleica McDonald Age: 15 District: Bodden Town Sponsor: The Cayman Reporter Nerissa McLaughlin Age: 14 District: East End Sponsors: Island Supply Co. and Heston Ltd. Maya Smith Age: 17 District: North Side Sponsor: Kirk Freeport Kayleigh McLaughlin Age: 16 District: West Bay Sponsors: Calypso Grill and Bodden Holdings The Miss Teen winner will receive a four- year scholarship from government that will cover costs for two years locally and two years overseas at the college of their choice.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2016 but an AED would have been more effective to treat the heart attack. David Dinner, who chairs the board at the Cayman Heart Fund, said, “In order to increase the ability of first re- sponders to react to a cardiac event, they must have the ability to use an AED right away, generally within the first three minutes.” The Cayman Heart Fund has a program to sell AEDs in Cayman for, what Mr. Dinner called, “a slight profit.” The organization takes that profit and for every 10 AEDs it sells, it can donate one. The Heart Fund has already donated AEDs to every public school in the islands. The AED program, which began in 2008, also includes training on how to use the devices, which is part of standard CPR certification. The Cayman Heart Fund teamed up with St. Mat- thews University to train groups on CPR and AED. The Cayman Islands Red Cross offers regular training courses combining first aid, CPR and AED. Assembly stated that the appropriate witness protec- tion legislation was needed to “create a legal frame- work that increases protec- tion, assistance and support services for victims and other witnesses of crim- inal and civil matters in the Cayman Islands.” Although it was not pointed out in the Human Rights Commis- sion evaluation, the most well-known local case involving witness protec- tion concerns was flagged by U.K. prison inspec- tors who visited the ter- ritory in 2012-2013. The U.K. study reported some horrifying revelations re- garding the holding facil- ities used before arrested individuals enter the court system. One of the issues with the holding cells identified problems with a protected witness. “At the time of the in- spection, there was a pro- tected witness being held [in a separate area to the main George Town police station custody cells], who had been in isolation for over a month,” the U.K. re- port read. “The door to his cell was left open so that he could also use the cor- ridor, but his cell and cor- ridor were dark with no natural light. “He had no way of telling what time of day it was, had not been outside for several weeks and was clearly depressed.” The man, Marlon Dillon, was held in those conditions for more than two years. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has since closed the jail facilities at the George Town Police Sta- tion, moving the holding cells to a new modular facility in the Fairbanks area of George Town. Former Police Commis- sioner David Baines re- marked earlier this year that the government was lucky not to be sued for “constructive torture” over the continued use of the police station cells. The changes in the re- written Justice Protec- tion Law separate witness protection responsibilities into two areas: A protec- tion program to be man- aged by the office of the Director of Public Prosecu- tions and an investigative agency to look into cases where witnesses might need protecting, to be run by the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service. There may still be cases where sending a protected witness overseas is de- sired, but those agree- ments will be worked out on an as-needed basis, Mr. Bulgin said. In many cases, the overseas territo- ries will not accept a wit- ness who himself has a criminal record, he said. In others, the witness may not wish to be away from his or her Cayman family for any length of time. The amended legisla- tion also allows for wit- ness protection in new types of criminal inves- tigations including as- saults, arsons, threats to life and corruption-related probes. Previously, the legislation set a much nar- rower definition on which criminal investigations qualified for witness pro- tection measures. Mr. Bulgin said the RCIPS had maintained the program in an ad-hoc fashion “with great effec- tiveness,” but that the po- lice could not be expected to do so any longer, with the arrival of human rights legislation. Mr. Farrington added, ex- plaining “there are several benefits to demand rates, in- cluding providing customers with the ability to reduce their bills by lowering their peak usage.” He was echoed by CUC spokeswoman Pat Bynoe- Clarke, who confirmed “CUC and ERA are having discus- sions on the subject [of de- mand billing],” but declined to say more: “On completion of these discussions, I will be in a better position to pro- vide further information.” Demand billing is based on the highest 15-minute av- erage consumption of elec- tricity recorded on the smart meter within a given month, and is often linked to “time of use” charges, also being contemplated by CUC, in which power is less expen- sive when used during off peak hours. An simple ex- ample might be doing a load of laundry to 3 a.m. instead of early evening. Utilities often justify the move to demand billing by pointing out they are obliged to maintain expensive infra- structure – generators, trans- formers, substations, trans- mission and distribution grids – adequate to meet peak demand. CUC, for example, in early June commissioned two new diesel generators, costing $85 million, designed to serve for 25 years. Jim Knapp, managing di- rector of solar-installation company Endless Energy, described the scheme as “very simple really …. There are typically percentage increases in the rate de- pending on your consump- tion during a given month. As an example, I could say that my average energy consump- tion for 29 of the 30 days in a month was 50 kilowatt hours and if that held for the 30th day, my rate would hypo- thetically be $0.25 per kWh. However, if on the 30th day I used 60 kWh for five min- utes, the entire month would be charged at the 60 kWh de- mand rate of $0.30 per kWh.” Demand billing is in place already in a number of other jurisdictions, including: Vic- toria, Australia; Ontario and British Columbia; throughout Japan, Holland, parts of New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, Spain and the U.K.; and at least six U.S. states. Last month, the German government man- dated nationwide use of smart meters. The ERA suggested the change in Cayman would likely be limited to major commercial customers. “There are no plans to introduce demand rates for the residential class as a whole,” Mr. Farrington said. “ … [M]ost jurisdictions leave residential customers on en- ergy-only rates as their de- mand profiles tend to be similar, although it can be ar- gued that demand rates are the more equitable manner in which to distribute costs. “Demand rates are more appropriate for large con- sumers, such as our ‘large con- sumer class,’ where demand profiles are more varied and have a more significant im- pact on generation and T&D [transmission and distribution] resource demand,” he said, meaning commercial customer, such as The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman or Foster’s Food Fair, for example, that consume more than 30,000 kWhs per month. By law, CUC can seek a rate increase only once per year, on June 1, and only in accordance with a complex formula based on the con- sumer price index in both the Cayman Islands and the U.S. Diesel costs are passed through to consumers, varying according to world- market prices. Cayman legalizes plans for witness protection CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Donated defibrillators boost police response for heart emergencies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CUC considers ‘demand billing’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Constable Brandaughn Phillips, Cayman Heart Fund’s Colleen Dahlstrom, Heart Fund Chairman David Dinner, Acting Police Commissioner Anthony Ennis and Special Constable Jayse Wilson CUC has installed smart meters for customers across Grand Cayman. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYNext >