Ten-mile highway extension faces environmental roadblock ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 High of 87 Low of 76 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open waters. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE AGONY OF HIRING OVERSEAS SPORTS | PAGE 17 STURRIDGE, OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES Personal Insurance Save up to $400 with home and car insurance Your first BritCay’s buildings insurance policy comes with a $250 gift certificate and a 10% discount on car insurance. With the lowest standard deductible at $200, you also save when you claim. Ask for a quote! BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE CO. LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International: insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky FREE $10 Million ASSET PROTECTION! with motor cover* *private car insurance cgigrp British dentist wins unfair dismissal case, receives $0 BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Dr. Lindsay Harvey went unpaid for about three months, got fired when she complained to friends and her attorney about it, and was then awarded $0 in restitution for what the Cayman Islands Labour Tribunal judged was her unfair dismissal. “The [Labour] Tribunal finds it hard to think of a dismissal more procedurally unfair,” the tribunal stated in its ruling. “No reasonable employer could have de- cided to dismiss [Dr. Harvey], essentially be- cause she told friends, her attorney and regu- latory bodies in the Cayman Islands that she was not being paid and that Pure Healthcare [her employer] was experiencing other difficul- ties,” the ruling, made in August 2016, stated. Matters surrounding Dr. Harvey’s dis- missal concerned what the tribunal termed “an unfortunate series of events” between July 2015 and Dec. 30, 2015, when she was fired. The records of the case, which was pre- sented to the Labour Tribunal in May 2016, were given to the Cayman Compass. Dr. Harvey and her husband, Jon Harvey, say they will be leaving the Cayman Islands shortly. Dr. Harvey was hired by Pure Healthcare in March 2015 under a contract that the tribunal stated did not provide a “basic salary,” but rather allowed her to be paid based on how many patients she attended to. On Dec. 30, about nine months after she was hired, Dr. Harvey received a letter stating that she had engaged in breaches of her con- tract, namely that she had engaged in conduct “likely to injure the company in its profession.” “I have done no such thing and I have not done anything that is untrue or defam- atory,” Dr. Harvey said in her complaint to the tribunal. A number of allegations were considered MATH PERFORMANCE BLAMED FOR DIP IN EXAM RESULTS JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman saw a slight dip in exam perfor- mance nationally in the 2015/16 academic year, with fewer students gaining five “good passes,” including math and English, at the end of their school careers. A particularly tough year in math was cited as the key reason for the marginal drop, which follows multiple years of improvement. The benchmark of five “good passes” of grade A* to C or equivalent, including math and English, is the most common barom- eter used for assessing school success in the British and Caribbean system. Lyneth Monteith, the chief education of- ficer, acknowledged the results generally had plateaued. She said there were bright spots, including significant improvements in science, and vowed that work is taking place across the system to make further gains. John Gray High School Principal Jon Clark said the five-year trend showed significant im- provements in exam performance. But he cau- tioned that further improvement would re- quire serious long-term work with the lowest performing students, many of whom enter high school with severe reading difficulties and struggle to cope with the demands of the curriculum. “I would say there are 20 percent that come to us with really poor literacy levels that have JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A 10-mile highway exten- sion providing swift access from George Town to a planned golf resort in the eastern districts will require an environmental impact assessment before it gets the green light, the Na- tional Conservation Council ruled Wednesday. Government and developer Ironwood are in the final stages of negotiations over a partner- ship to build the extension to the East-West Arterial Highway. Ironwood believes the road is a key part of making the planned Arnold Palmer golf course and resort a success, while govern- ment has argued that the project will create jobs and open up new land for development. The new National Conserva- tion Law gives the council power to require an applicant, in this case the government and the Na- tional Roads Authority in part- nership with Ironwood, to carry out an environmental impact as- sessment on major projects. Gina Ebanks-Petrie, di- rector of the Department of En- vironment, said the project is Halloween celebrations get under way It’s that time of year again when ghouls, pumpkin heads, witches and skeletons seem to appear at almost every corner. Camana Bay got into the spirit of the season Wednesday with this Halloween display. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 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. JACK REACHER: (PG13) NEVER GO BACK 1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 9:45 KEEPING UP WITH (PG13) THE JONESES 12:45 | 4:15 | 7:15 | 10:00 THE ACCOUNTANT (R) 12:30 | 3:30 | 6:50 | 9:50 MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME (PG13) FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN 3D 12:45 2D | 3:45 | 6:40 2D | 9:30 BEFORE I WAKE (PG13) 1:10 | 3:50 | 7:10 | 9:35 THE DISAPPOINTMENTS ROOM (R) 1:20 | 4:10 | 7:20 | 9:40 - THURSDAY - HSA hiring debt collector to go after $58M from patients CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority plans to hire a debt collector to go after $58 million in past-due accounts from pa- tients. The debts range from those a couple of months old to some more than three years old, the latter in- volving some $32 million that has not been paid. Last month, the chairman of the Health Ser- vices Authority, Jonathan Tibbetts, told the Public Accounts Committee in the Legislative Assembly that the authority has more than $90 million in “doubtful debts,” meaning bills that have been outstanding for a year or more. In the tender documents, the Health Services Au- thority says it will give the collection agency all the de- linquent accounts imme- diately and then continue to give overdue bills when the HSA’s own collections efforts fail. Health Services Au- thority CEO Lizzette Year- wood told the Public Ac- counts Committee last month, “Going forward, all debt that is owed to the Health Services Authority will be pursued to the full extent of the law.” The HSA had a policy of not suing local residents for medical debts, but Ms. Yearwood indicated that could change with the new collection procedures. The project scope in the tender does not give the debt col- lector blanket permission to sue people with past- due accounts, but requires the contractor to get per- mission from the HSA to bring a lawsuit. Mr. Tibbetts told the committee that the au- thority now has permis- sion to write off bad debt and take it off its balance sheets. He said the HSA plans to write off the uncol- lectible amount by the end of 2017 when the new gov- ernment fiscal year begins. Of the $90 million people owe, Ms. Yearwood esti- mates the HSA will recover about $10 million. The largest section of debts, $25.7 million, is be- tween three and six years old. Another $7 million is more than six years old. US WILL ABSTAIN FROM UN VOTE ON CUBA EMBARGO WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States on Wednesday will ab- stain for the first time from a U.N. resolution criticizing America’s economic embargo against Cuba, according to dip- lomats familiar with the matter. Such a step would effectively pit the Obama administration and Cuba with the world body against the Republican-led Congress, which supports the 55-year-old embargo despite the U.S. resumption of full dip- lomatic relations with Cuba. The diplomats said the U.S. ambassador to the United Na- tions, Samantha Power, will ex- plain the decision shortly be- fore the U.N. General Assembly vote. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity be- cause they were not authorized to discuss the vote publicly. A U.S. official said Power would point to elements of this year’s resolution that the U.S. does not back, despite its overall support for lifting the embargo, as the reason why the U.S. was abstaining in- stead of voting for the resolu- tion outright. The U.S. has always op- posed the annual resolution condemning the embargo. But an abstention would be in keeping with the admin- istration’s belief that the em- bargo should be lifted as part of normalizing diplomatic re- lations with Cuba. General Assembly res- olutions are nonbinding and unenforceable. But the 24-year-old exercise in which the U.N. overwhelmingly votes to condemn the embargo has given Cuba a global stage to demonstrate America’s isola- tion on its Cuba policy. The administration had considered abstaining from the vote last year, but con- cluded it could not do so be- cause the resolution did not reflect what it considered to be the spirit of engagement between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. Linford Pierson Hwy closes Thursday Temporary morning closure The Linford Pierson Highway in George Town district will be closed to westbound traffic be- tween 9 a.m. and noon on Thursday, Oct. 27. According to a government press release, the road will be closed at the roundabout by Silver Oaks, with traffic diverted to Crewe Road. The road will be closed while utility work is being carried out. Eastbound traffic is ad- vised to exercise caution. Agriculture officials tour premier’s farm Premier Alden McLaughlin gives officials attending a regional agriculture conference a tour of his farm and others in East End Tuesday. Pictured with the premier, right, are Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, secretary-general and chief executive officer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), left, and Ansari Hosein of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute. The week-long conference continues until Friday with meetings, workshops and interactive sessions, as well as the Caribbean Week of Agriculture MarketPlace trade show at the Arts and Recreation Centre at Camana Bay, featuring produce and services stalls from local, regional and international vendors. The trade show is open to the public. The Cayman Islands Hospital is trying to recoup millions in outstanding debts from patients. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY “Going forward, all debt that is owed to the Health Services Authority will be pursued to the full extent of the law.” LIZZETTE YEARWOOD, CEO, HSAThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 We thank our customers for many years of support. CLOSING EFFECTIVE 30TH OF OCTOBER 2016 CLOSING DUE TO AIRPORT RENOVATION Bodden Freeport (est. 1962) TORTUGA A Taste of the Caribbean (est. 1984) HOPE TO BE BACK 2018! Visit and pre-order your duty free liquor or rum cakes from any of our TORTUGA Fine Wine & Spirits or Discount Liquors stores. OUR DUTY FREE SHOP WILL REMAIN OPENThe 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. THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Obamacare is becoming a nightmare. Health insur- ance premiums will jump an average of 22 percent in 2017, and federal spending to assist moderate in- come families is spinning out of control. For Democrats, the an- swers are simple – raise taxes on the wealthy to further subsidize a failing system, or force a single payer system which can dictate prices to service providers, and compel their participation onto re- luctant Americans. For conservative Repub- licans, the issue is more vexing. Merely repealing the law is not enough, because that would hardly return America to a free market. Even before the Afford- able Care Act, federal and state governments were paying nearly half of the na- tion’s healthcare bills. At one extreme, Medicare and Medicaid reimburse- ment rates for doctors are tightly controlled and too low to sustain their prac- tices. Many limit the number of patients they take from these programs, and the el- derly and poor often face difficulty finding a primary care physician. Well-off retirees can join concierge services, which charge high annual fees for access to primary care doc- tors, while the less affluent are left to scramble. At the other extreme, the legislation establishing Medi- care prescription coverage does not permit the govern- ment to negotiate prices. Pharmaceutical compa- nies can set whatever prices they like knowing the elderly will simply send the bill to Uncle Sam. Concierge services have generalized from the elderly to the entire adult care mar- ketplace and created a two- tier system of access to physicians, while Medicare reimbursements are setting drug prices arbitrarily high for everyone. The basic premise of the ACA was to enroll nearly every working age American in large employer-sponsored insurance or policies sold on government run websites to create competition that would lower costs, but it has not worked out. At HealthCare.gov, fam- ilies often pay $500, $1000 or more a month for policies imposing high deductibles and co-pays and with quite limited provider networks. Many have lost access to family doctors, encountered limited out-of-state-cov- erage when they travel and are generally excluded from using higher cost providers where they live. The latter can be life threatening. As of the end of 2015, for example, none of the policies offered ac- cess to New York included the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Problems are particu- larly acute in areas where the number of specialists are limited, and hospitals and group practices are monopo- lized enough to resist negoti- ating much on price with in- surance companies. Insurance companies are taking big losses, resulting in the large premium increases noted above – or leaving the website markets across the country. At least 650 of coun- ties nationwide will have only one company offering policies next year. Many folks will not feel the full brunt of rate in- creases, as the federal gov- ernment is obligated to sub- sidize premiums for low and middle income fami- lies, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates the ACA will cost $8.9 trillion over 10 years. We simply cannot go back to what existed be- fore. Private plans lost in the upheaval cannot be easily reestablished. Simple elec- toral calculus requires that millions of Americans now receiving subsidies continue to receive assistance pur- chasing health insurance. However, Americans should not be coerced into buying substandard policies at a government store, and costs must be lowered. The German system of private insurance, like Obam- acare, requires virtually ev- eryone to have coverage, but costs are more tightly con- trolled. For example, regu- lators price new drugs ac- cording to how much they improve treatment over ex- isting medicines. Such government in- terference in pricing is an anathema to conservative Re- publicans like Paul Ryan, but the incongruity of Medicare paying whatever prices drug companies choose to set is wholly unrealistic. Japan, Germany and other northern European coun- tries spend about 11 per- cent of GDP on healthcare whereas the United States spends 17 percent. In the end, if the Repub- licans want to avoid a single payer system that subjects most Americans to a choice between moribund and arbi- trary service akin to that of- fered by the Post Office and IRS, then they will have to ex- plore with the new president regulating prices inside a pri- vate marketplace. Effective leaders work with the world as they find it, not as they think it should be. Peter Morici is a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He served as chief economist of the U.S. International Trade Commission from 1993-1995. He tweets @pmorici1. For employers in the Cayman Islands, each employee is an investment – in fact, a large one – par- ticularly when work permits are involved. And so, even when the immigration system works well, it rarely works quickly, which is a huge issue for employers since they nearly always need speed. For our readers who may not have much experi- ence with human resources, we’ll walk through the process required to hire one single employee and bring them to Cayman. Week 0: We identify a vacancy, either through attri- tion or expansion. Let’s say we need a senior-level reporter with at least five years of professional jour- nalism experience. Week 1: We create a job advertisement for the Senior Reporter position and place it in the print edition of the Compass to run for two consecutive weeks. We also place an identical advertisement with the National Workforce Development Agency for the online database. We give a three-week window to apply for the job. Weeks 3-4: With the application deadline approaching, we read, examine and discuss the resumes and supporting materials, if any, we have received. We then begin interviews with qualified Cay- manians, if any have applied for the position. If none have, we proceed to advertising the position on inter- national websites, such as JournalismJobs.com. Weeks 5-6: We conduct the initial round of inter- views with overseas candidates by email, telephone and Skype. We sort the applications, group them, cull them and finally arrive at a single finalist for the Senior Reporter position. Week 7-8: We invite the finalist, on the company’s expense, to come see Cayman, tour our headquarters and meet our management staff. We fly the applicant in, meet with them over the span of a few days, then fly them back out again. Week 9: Assuming all has gone well on the “site visit,” we extend a job offer to the finalist. They accept! Weeks 10-11: The candidate undergoes a medical exam, collects a police clearance certificate, amasses supporting information and fills out Department of Immigration forms. We (or our human resources con- sulting agency) assist as necessary, pull together the work permit application package, write the neces- sary checks and submit the bundle to the Department of Immigration. Weeks 12-19: We wait, usually six to eight weeks while immigration officials consider the application. As a responsible, community-minded employer (nearly 70 percent of our staff is Caymanian), Pinnacle Media ensures that our applications meet all legal require- ments. Accordingly, when we apply for work permits, almost all of them are approved. Weeks 20-24: At this point, our new incoming Senior Reporter gives notice to their current employer – if they are honorable, usually two to four weeks. They book plane tickets, prepare for the importation of household possessions and arrange for their accom- modations on the island. Nearly half a year after we identified the vacant position, our new Senior Reporter eventually arrives in Cayman. Importantly, if the new employee has children, then they must be enrolled in private school because of Cayman’s segregated educational system. Paying private school tuition immediately reduces a relatively lucrative salary into borderline subsistence wages, and that requirement alone eliminates a large quantity of otherwise qualified applicants. In light of this, it is understandable that nearly every employer would prefer to hire Caymanian candi- dates. The effort, the expense and the time it takes to employ a foreign worker is close to prohibitive. And yet, the country is brimming with more than 20,000 workers on permits, each having gone through the same hoops, hurdles and mazes we listed above. They are here, of course, because employers simply must have qualified personnel in their critical positions. The six to eight weeks it takes to get a decision on a permit application is crucial, if not crippling, since the applicant cannot give notice to his current employer until he can be assured he will be allowed to live and work in the Cayman Islands. This simple conundrum can add up to three months to an already lengthy process. And, Heaven help employers if the foreign worker does not work out, and the process must begin anew … The agony of hiring overseas Obamacare: Our national nightmare PETER MORICI 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” Even before the Affordable Care Act, federal and state governments were paying nearly half of the nation’s healthcare bills.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 182544_PRINT-Butterfield-JrPg-NoPage 1 10/24/16 1:20:50 PM Prison staff applicants take fitness tests The number of applicants for seven jobs in Her Maj- esty’s Prison Service in the Cayman Islands has been whittled down to 64 out of the original 128 vying for the positions. The remaining applicants took part in physical exercise tests Saturday morning at the Truman Bodden Sports Com- plex, where their overall fit- ness was assessed, according to a press release from the prison service. The candidates had to run a mile in less than 10 minutes, complete 30 push- ups and 30 sit-ups, both in a minute, and complete a timed agility test on the field. The potential recruits were chosen to take the fit- ness test after passing Eng- lish and mathematics pro- ficiency tests, which all 128 applicants took. “The exercises are chal- lenging, but they are de- signed to test the strength, agility and endurance of each individual, which are ex- tremely important qualities for prison officers,” Prison Di- rector Neil Lavis said. He added that being phys- ically fit is a vital part of the job for prison officers. “They play a fundamental part in maintaining the safety and well-being of offenders,” Mr. Lavis said. “They are re- sponsible for supervising in- mates, keeping order and dealing with individuals who can often be violent.” Chief Officer for the Min- istry of Home Affairs Wesley Howell attended the fitness test to encourage applicants, and also ran with a group of them around the track. Mr. Lavis also took part, com- pleting 35 push-ups and sit- ups with the team. The applicants who suc- cessfully completed the fit- ness test will be interviewed by Prison Service leaders in the first week of November. Women appear in court on bullets charges CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two young women charged with possession of unli- censed ammunition elected on Wednesday to have their mat- ters heard in Grand Court. Emily Patrick, 19, is charged for one bullet and Al- exandra Stasiuk, 20, is charged for 10 bullets. The items were said to have been found by police on Oct. 14 in the wom- en’s separate bedrooms in an apartment they shared. Arrested with them on that same date was Javier Howell, 24. During the trio’s first court appearance, on Oct. 17, it was indicated that Howell was Patrick’s boyfriend. He is charged with possession of an unlicensed nine-milli- meter semi-automatic pistol and ammunition. Those items were allegedly found in his car, which was parked in the apartment complex parking lot. Also found was a quan- tity of cocaine. Defense attorney John Furniss said Howell would also choose to be tried in the Grand Court. He suggested that the cocaine charge could also go up to the higher court, but that question was not im- mediately resolved. For the women, attorneys Jonathon Hughes and Prathna Bodden suggested that the re- quired preliminary inquiry be held on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Mr. Furniss and Crown counsel Greg Walcolm agreed. Magistrate Grace Donalds continued Howell’s remand in custody, but Mr. Furniss asked that he be brought back to court on Oct. 31, for a bail application. The magistrate continued the bail of the female defen- dants, whose bail conditions include strict curfews and residence with their parents. The items were said to have been found by police on Oct. 14 in the women’s separate bedrooms in an apartment they shared. Potential prison service recruits undergo physical fitness tests Saturday. The candidates had to run a mile in less than 10 minutes, complete 30 push-ups and 30 sit-ups, both in a minute, and complete a timed agility test on the field.DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Bodden Town THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS ‘Spookfest’ at Pedro St. James summons up spirit of Halloween With Halloween just around the corner, there’s going to be some spooky fun for the whole family this weekend at Pedro St. James. The Visual Arts Society has teamed up with the Ki- wanis Club and the Tourism Attraction Board for Hershey’s Spookfest on Saturday. Gates are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and entry is free if families show proof of two Hershey’s product purchases, a press release states. “There will be many fun Halloween activities like toss the eyeball, coconut bowling, musical pumpkins, sack races, and don’t forget to get dressed up and show off at the Hal- loween costume parade or photo booth,” said Visual Arts Society marketing coordinator Mary McCallum. A Haunted House will be set up in the Pedro Great House, and Ms. McCallum said the Visual Arts Society will have spooky Halloween- themed arts and crafts in their Watler House studio on the grounds. An outdoor market will feature local arts, crafts and baked goods for sale. The Society will be accepting art supply donations for the Kids Art Activity Programme, which runs in the summer and on school breaks. Meanwhile, So- ciety member Shilpa Tagal- pallewar, who is well-known for her face painting and henna tattooing, will be set up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the tamarind tree. The Kiwanis bookmobile will be on the grounds and a reading corner will be set up in the Great House – kids should be prepared for some ghostly tales. Kiwanis are welcoming book donations for their reading program which travels to different communities and schools. Kiwanis members will also be selling fundraiser items at the artisans market. “There will be fun for ev- eryone, and the event promises to be a great family day with music, food and beverages for purchase, costumes, arts and crafts, games and Hershey chocolate treats for everyone,” said Ms. McCallum. “It’s going to be just a lot of fun to get you into the Hal- loween spirit.” 50 years ago: Electricity inspections raise concerns In the Oct. 26, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Bodden Town correspondent Haig Bodden wrote: “Since the publication of the notice relevant to the 24 hours electricity here the inhabitants have become more apprehensive about the inspection of buildings to be hooked up to a source of electricity supply. “In an interview with Mr. Scotland of the Bodden Town Power and Light Plant he indicated that all prem- ises will have to be in- spected before the power can be supplied to them. “However unless the pre- posterous inspection rates which I mentioned in an ar- ticle a few weeks ago are re- duced no one will be able to pay the inspection fees. “It is understood that a move is under way to cut down the exorbitance of the existing rates and substitute something that is within the realms of the pocket-books of this inflated generation. “Now the wheels of gov- ernment, like the mill of God turns slowly, and it is hoped that whatever quirk of the imagination prompted the introduction of such an unrealistic regulation will be removed speedily and not continue to impede the wheels of progress. “It is noted that build- ings are being hooked up every day in George Town and it would be interesting to find out if these rates are being collected, or whether the gods are winking their eyelashes. “Although at the time of my last article things did not appear to be so bad the plain truth is that they are bad indeed. “How many house- holders know that an influ- ential member of the exec- utive council and two other members of the Legisla- tive Assembly are directors of the Light Company. Is it also true that the govern- ment inspector is a full time employee of the light plant? “How does our ad- ministration allow these anomalous situa- tions to arise? “There was a time when a select few were exempted from the laws of the land. Those days are over. These rates must be applied to ev- erybody or scrapped. Why is Government so silent with an explanation for the ri- diculous regulation which makes the inspection of a building more costly than the wiring of it? “One thing that has al- ways been a nuisance to businessmen in this island is that of having to get a Foreign Currency Permit to send off a few dollars to the United States to pur- chase merchandise. “The law governing this permit has been on the books a long time. I believe from the time of World War II. In that time it has cost businessmen hundreds of hours of wasted time and hundreds of pounds trav- elling up to Government House to comply with this law. It has cost government thousands of pounds in sta- tionery and rubber stamps to say that John Brown or Mary Jane can pay for a sack of flour or an automobile. “What good has come to the tax payer or to the monetary world through our lavish expenditure and our bogging down in trivial red tape? Nothing has been gained from our foolhardi- ness. Nothing will be gained from continuing such a hollow practice. “This law, instead of being rescinded has been tightened up. It is foolish to think that the control of our puny trade with a dollar country can help the stability of the pound as a world currency. It just took the loan of several billions from friendly banks to save the jittery situation of the pound sterling. It is because of uncalled for red tape and restrictions why England today is in such poor finan- cial shape. It would look like an attempt is being made to hamper our free trade, at any rate it costs the tax payer to keep up with the exodus of the dollar.” Kids are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes at the Spookfest.The Pedro grounds. – PHOTO: RICHARD WHITCOMBE Homes in the district are being decorated for Halloween as trick-or-treat night approaches, when youngsters will be going door to door. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVYDISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Bodden Town CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 Bodden Towner reflects on raising 14 kids in simpler times JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com If you think life is hectic, consider what it would be like raising 14 children. One Bodden Town woman is proud of her having done just that and says not one time did they forsake her when they got older. Today, enjoying her older years at the home of daughter Leticia Hernandez- Chollette on Macaw Drive off Will T Road, 96-year- old Reina Watler says she is blessed. No more hard work for her now. She just goes to church, watches television, visits family and friends, and watches her daughters do the baking. Born in 1920 to Adella and William Watler, Ms. Watler grew up in Bodden Town. Like most children her age, she searched the bushes for fruits, swam in the sea and watched her parents and grandparents tend the fields and cook meals. When she was just 8 years old, her father, a cook on a fishing boat went missing at sea. Her mother left Cayman to find work in Honduras, leaving Ms. Watler and three other siblings in the care of cousin Mena Jackson. Not too long after, her mother returned, and took the children back to Hon- duras with her. In Honduras, Ms. Watler eventually married Margarito Zelaya, before returning to Cayman when she was 21. To help her husband Margarito raise their chil- dren – Matilda, Francine, Willie, Sonia, Christina, Walter, Gladys, Mejia, Leticia, Shorline, Athen, Oscar, An- thony and Shorma, she baked cakes and bread. In the days she was raising her many children, Ms. Watler baked bread and cakes made with coconut milk and searched the bushes for limes and crabs to sell. She also worked out of the home, sold “numbers” and assisted an elderly woman in the community. Her husband ran a small plantation and worked as a cook on a fishing boat, just like her father did. “I used to bake hard, and every Saturday night I would go to the club with a big pot of soup and bread to sell,” she said. She remem- bers the local boys turning up at all hours of the night looking for hot bread after a night of partying. “I loved to dance too, still do,” said Ms. Watler, adding that whenever she got the chance, she was on the dance floor. “Parents today have one and two children and they bawling. It’s the laziness in them. You need to work harder. I used to work hard and I can’t complain be- cause everyone helped me when they grew up and could work,” she says proudly. Ms. Watler advised to never ask your children what they want to eat. “I never asked mine what they wanted to eat … I put bread and coffee by the table, they sit down and eat and drink … they never frown up their face or say they didn’t want that. For dinner I cooked a big pot of beans with white rice, and for supper every evening it was a pot of rice ‘pap,’” she said. “People would often say, ‘Reina, you got the best chil- dren in the world … you don’t see them by people’s door in the morning bum- ming a piece of bread.’” Ms. Watler said she told her children they didn’t have to do that because she had plenty of food. That secu- rity came thanks to her strong work ethic. “I would get up around 3 a.m. and start baking,” said Ms. Watler. About 20 pounds of flour was poured into the pan, and then kneaded by hand. She said the baking was done by digging a hole in the sand; her grandmother would burn wood, and the coals were placed in the hole and an iron pot filled with cake mixture was set on the fire. The pot lid was also cov- ered with coals, and the cake was left to bake. Ms. Watler said she only made 10 cents on a loaf, but it added up enough for her to buy other things for the home. She recalls that when she was growing up in Bodden Town, there were no cars or electricity, and she and her sister walked the sandy roads barefoot to school and to church on Sundays. “Things were tough for the family but they never went a day without food,” she said. “My parents had lots of food and we would also eat a lot of mangoes and guavas, which I love to this day.” Ms. Watler said. She said those days were different from today. She saw her family take one co- conut and share it with four other families. “I asked what good that would do, but they told me it was OK, so long they got a little taste of the coconut milk was all that mattered.” Ms. Walter’s grandmother Alice Carter would get coco- nuts, plantains and bananas from her sons in Honduras and would share them with others in the neighborhood. Ms. Watler also remem- bers how Christmas was the only time the local shop- keeper Mr. Biddle got white sugar in his little shop. This was a treat for everyone. Each family was sold only a pound or two of the pre- cious commodity, but they were satisfied. Looking back on her life, Ms. Watler seems to have found the magic formula for a life well lived. She declares with pride, “Hard work never killed anyone; if it killed anyone, I wouldn’t be here today … that’s what got me looking so good. I not feeling no pain either.” Reina Watler with daughter Leticia Hernandez-Chollette. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY An earlier photo of Reina Watler, in her apron and holding a new clock, which she used to time cakes in the oven. Reina Watler, seated, celebrates her 96th birthday in the company of children and other family members.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Thursday 27th October from 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM Meet our exhibitors at the ARC Camana Bay. Entry is FREE Best Dressed Chicken • AL Thompson’s Home Depot Island Electronics • CayBrew • LED Lighting Home Gas • Growing Beauty 21 Farmer’s Market Vendors Featuring Agricultural Vendors from all across the Region: Honduras, Jamaica, Belize, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica, Haiti, Suriname, Trinidad and more Product Samples – Demonstrations – Giveaways Free Flu Shots from HSA – Special Offers and more Celebrate the Caribbean Week of Agriculture PlaceMarket cece CWA2016 MaMaMa CWA2 ARC at Camana Bay | 26 & 27 October, 2016 THURSDAY, OCT. 27 BRAC SUMMARY COURT: 10 a.m. in the Aston Rutty Centre, today and tomorrow. AGRICULTURE AND OUTDOOR LIVING EXPO: At the Arts and Recreation Centre, Camana Bay. 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free admission. CHAMBER COURSES: Employment Health Insurance, 9-11 a.m. $175 for members, $225 for future members; Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square; register online www.caymanchamber.ky. Also, Time Management & Productivity, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $150 for members, $225 for future members; Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square; register online www.caymanchamber.ky. REVIVAL: Red Bay Church of God (Holiness) invites everyone to Revival Services, which continue through Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. nightly except Oct. 30, which will be at 6 p.m. No service on Saturday, Oct. 29. Guest speaker will be Pastor Glarmon Grant, better known as Brother Bo Bo. FRIDAY, OCT. 28 THEATRE: The Cayman National Cultural Foundation presents “Collected Stories,” a play by Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright Donald Margulies. Directed by Henry Muttoo, featuring Marcia Muttoo and Rita Estevanovich. This weekend and next only. Curtain Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors (over 65) and youth (13-17). Parental advisory – strong language. Visit artscayman.org to purchase tickets online or get them at Foster’s Food Fair at the Strand, Funky Tang’s or Healthcare Pharmacy Grand Harbour. Call the Box Office at 949-5477 or email cncf@artscayman.org. PIRATES WEEK GOLF: Scheduled for today. The Pirates Week Festival Office seeks sponsors for its Charity Golf Classic. Any businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring financially or with services or products may contact piratesweekgolf@gmail.com or call Samantha on 936- 4766. Team registration for the four-person scramble is also open. Register at www.caymanactive.com. SATURDAY, OCT. 29 GARAGE SALE: St. Alban’s Church, 461 Shedden Road (Opposite Bodden Place). From 7 a.m. Clothes, household items, books, toys and more. Phone 949-2757. FISH FRY, BAKE SALE: Elmslie Youth Mission Fish Fry and Bake Sale. 9 a.m. Central Plaza Next to Funky Tang’s on Shedden Road. All proceeds go toward mission trip, Nov. 11-14. HERSHEY HALLOWEEN SPOOKFEST: Pedro Castle, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring Visual Arts Society arts and crafts sale, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Kids Halloween Arts & Crafts in VAS Studio, Face painting 11-2 p.m., Halloween Activities, Kiwanis Book Mobile and Ghost Story, Haunted House and Costume Parade. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. Admission: proof of two Hershey purchases per family. VAS CHRISTMAS ARTISAN MARKET: Paseo, Camana Bay. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visual Arts Society will occupy the Paso with local artists set up under tents with tables full of hand crafted creations such as jewelry, fine art & framed photography, silk screen scarves and ties, household gifts, souvenirs, baked goods and much more. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. Admission is free. FULL GOSPEL BUSINESSMEN: The Grand Cayman chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International holds its monthly breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at Lola’s (formerly Upper Crust) restaurant in Camana Bay. Open sharing. HARBOUR NIGHTS: Harbour Nights on the Waterfront offers free entertainment from 6 p.m. This is a George Town revitalization effort hosted by Quincy Brown and featuring local bands such as Regeneration, Beneil Miller & The Firesquad, Stuart Wilson, Andy Blake, Rico, Rolando & Cinco, DJ Mix Master and DJ Don 1. Harbour Night specials will be available at participating area establishments. Local food vendors and entertainment throughout the evening. DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross mobile thrift shop will be in North Side, junction of the Hutland and North Side Roads, near Chisholm’s Supermarket. Available items include ladies’ accessories and bags, clothing and shoes for men, women and children, linens, household items and more. SUNDAY, OCT. 30 OLDER PERSONS: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church invites all to the Older Persons Month Celebration Service at 11 a.m. MONDAY, OCT. 31 ANTI-BULLYING: The Family Resources Centre is sponsoring an Anti- Bullying Poster and Song Competition. Today is the deadline for submissions. For more information on this and other FRC initiatives, contact 949-0006, email frc@gov.ky or visit www.facebook.com/ FamilyResourceCentre. CHAMBER COURSE: Understanding Financial Statements, Today and tomorrow. 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $225 for members, $300 for future members; Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square; register online www.caymanchamber.ky. TUESDAY, NOV. 1 ZIKA PUBLIC MEETING: Doctors and government officers invite the public, especially pregnant women, to a meeting at the North Side Civic Centre, 5:30-7 p.m. THURSDAY, NOV. 3 ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: The next general public gathering is at Pedro Castle, starting at 6:30 p.m. If the weather is bad or more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting will be canceled. Phone Richard on 925-4917 for more details. FRIDAY, NOV. 4 TIME ATTACK: Sign up for Time Attack at Parker’s 7 p.m. First time participants sign up for free. Event is Sunday, Nov. 6, behind Progressive, from 11 a.m. Organized by Cayman Motorsports Association. LITTLE CAYMAN PIRATES WEEK: Kick-off dance tonight at McCoy’s Lodge. Tomorrow, float parade, costume competition and fireworks. Sunday, farewell BBQ. SATURDAY, NOV. 5 MUSIC OUTDOORS: All are invited to a free concert by The Singrays in the amphitheater of Dart Family Park, South Church Street, at 5:30 p.m. They will sing some of their favorite arrangements of standards, jazz, pop, and modern tunes. Admission is free, but donations to support the National Trust are welcome. More information at www.facebook. com/singrays or email singrays.ky@gmail.com. TUESDAY, NOV. 8 STEWARDS OF CHILDREN: The Red Cross “Darkness to Light” is a free training program, 6:30-9 p.m., for parents, teachers and others who work with or provide services to young people. Gain knowledge and skills to prevent child sexual abuse; recognize signs of abuse and learn how to react responsibly. Pre-registration is required. Contact vrm@redcross.org.ky. ZIKA PUBLIC MEETING: Doctors and government officers invite the public, especially pregnant women, to a meeting at the East End Civic Centre, 5:30-7 p.m. THURSDAY, NOV. 10 WEST BAY HERITAGE: Today is the last day to register for participation in competitions to be held on Heritage Day, Nov. 17. Baby Show, 5 p.m., boys and girls ages 0-48 months. Talent show, singing, dancing, musical, poetry, 5:30 p.m. for ages 5 to 18. Fish Fry Competition, 6 p.m. for ages 13-19 years. Free admission but advance registration necessary. Call 929-9932. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. Join the Astronomical Society at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, at Pedro Castle for an evening of stargazing, weather permitting.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 2016 in the case against Dr. Harvey, most of which were dismissed by the tribunal. The one matter that “appeared to be central” was that Dr. Harvey was not paid in a timely manner by her employer and that she eventually refused to work until she was paid. On Oct. 26, 2015, Dr. Harvey informed her em- ployer that since she had not been paid for her work in Sep- tember, she would not be re- turning. The tribunal docu- ments state she attempted to return to work in early No- vember, but had to take off again in mid-November due to stress and ill health the situa- tion had caused. Matters progressed in much the same way until late December 2015, when Dr. Harvey alleged she was ”bul- lied and harassed” into re- turning to work, which she did on Dec. 21, 2015, the tri- bunal stated. At this point, she alleged that she had not been paid for the months of September, October and November. “[I returned to work on Dec. 21] although I still had not been paid in full,” she wrote. “Gregg Anderson [iden- tified in the tribunal records as the owner of Pure Health- care] waited until the close of the day on Dec. 30 to fire me for alleged unprofes- sional behavior.” Email records dating from July 2015 note various diffi- culties Pure Healthcare experi- enced in paying its employees, including Dr. Harvey. In one email, Mr. Anderson wrote, “I plead your forgiveness in my inability to pay your salary today and in a timely manner as required …” After Dr. Harvey stated she would not return to work in late October until she had been paid for September, an email from Mr. Anderson on Nov. 2 indicated: “You chose not to work so I’m not ob- ligated to pay for that deci- sion which has been costly to both of us.” The tribunal stated the nonpayment issue appeared not to have been resolved by the end of November 2015. Dr. Harvey was dismissed the next month for allegedly disclosing confidential in- formation about the Pure Healthcare practice and al- legedly “defaming” Mr. An- derson in discussions and emails to friends. The tribunal found no evi- dence that Dr. Harvey had dis- closed confidential informa- tion or that she had disclosed information that would cause damage to Pure Healthcare. “In the tribunal’s view, it would not be disclosing con- fidential information … for [Dr. Harvey] to complain about [nonpayment of salary] to friends, her attorney or regula- tory bodies,” the ruling stated. Without any findings of “serious misconduct” against Dr. Harvey, the Labour Tri- bunal concluded that her dis- missal on Dec. 30, 2015 must have been unfair. No award Despite the unfair dis- missal finding, Dr. Harvey did not receive any payment award from the tribunal. “… [Dr. Harvey] does not appear to have earned a ‘basic salary,’ so as to allow the tribunal to calculate the ceiling of any such award at one week’s wages for com- pleted year of service,” the tribunal found. Dr. Harvey had worked at Pure Healthcare for only nine months and so was not entitled to severance pay, the tribunal found. She might have been awarded additional pay for unfair dismissal, but the tribunal found this would have been impractical to calculate. “[Dr. Harvey] intimated that the real purpose of her complaint was not to recover money but rather to clear her name and given that and the practicality of cal- culating an unfair dismissal award … the tribunal makes no award of compensation.” Mr. Anderson did not ap- pear at the tribunal hearing. British dentist wins unfair dismissal case, receives $0 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Dr. Lindsay Harvey and her husband Jon Harvey. The couple say they will be moving back to the U.K. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY “probably the longest road ever constructed in the Cayman Islands.” The depart- ment recommended an EIA to determine the likely impacts along the corridor, particu- larly on the Central Mangrove Wetlands, which it describes as the “ecological heart of Grand Cayman.” The decision to adopt that recommendation during a meeting of the conservation council Wednesday is the first sign of progress on govern- ment and Ironwood’s ongoing talks over the $50 million road project. Discussions have been taking place since January 2014, when Ironwood indi- cated it would be willing to forgo duty concessions typi- cally awarded as an entice- ment to large developers to help fund the road, which has been part of government’s long-term infrastructure plans for two decades. Nearly two years later, in December 2015, a contract was signed that would trigger a suite of duty concessions for Ironwood, worth around $22 million, if a deal was not agreed within a year. Ironwood’s David Moffitt told the Cayman Compass this week that he believes an agree- ment will be signed before the December deadline. He said whether an environmental impact assessment is neces- sary is a matter for the govern- ment to decide. In a memo to the council seeking comment on the de- velopment, Alan Jones, chief officer in the ministry respon- sible for planning, writes that the economic benefits are considered “very significant,” claiming it is “vital” to the sustainability of the Iron- wood project. He also cites the opening of other parcels for development, job creation from the road project and other new developments in the eastern districts and alleviation of traffic congestion among other potential benefits. The memo also indicates that the proposed route has been in the public domain for 20 years, and points out that the National Roads Authority has never carried out an envi- ronmental impact assessment for a public road. It adds that the NRA’s geotechnical studies have not identified any signif- icant environmental concerns and points out that Ironwood has agreed to hire an envi- ronmental consultant to work with the project crew. The Department of Envi- ronment in its response points out that there was never any ecological or environmental study carried out before the route of the road was decided. “What took place in the past should not be consid- ered as justification for con- tinuing the practice if it is de- monstrably flawed,” it states. “The construction of a 10-mile stretch of a major arterial road through an environmentally important wetland area would trigger the requirement glob- ally for an EIA, and now does so in Cayman.” Council member Davey Ebanks raised concerns that government may be in a rush to get the project done quickly without the inconvenience of a time consuming envi- ronmental study. “It is obvious the intention is to start now with this road. At the other end of the road they have a development that everybody is gung-ho to get done. It is election silly season. If this EIA is being proposed and it takes a year or more, which I think is feasible, I am just wondering how does it all fit together?” Ultimately the council unanimously voted to require an EIA, approving the De- partment of Environment’s screening opinion for submis- sion. The applicant now has 28 days to decide if it still wishes to proceed with the project at which point an Environmental Assessment Board will con- vene to develop criteria for the assessment. The Department of Envi- ronment’s screening document recommends that the study in- cludes an assessment of the ecological value of the natural resources affected by the con- struction and examines poten- tial changes to hydrology and drainage patterns which could impact the Central Mangrove Wetland Basin. It says the study should also consider off- site impacts from sourcing ag- gregate for the road. Of particular concern is the impact on the wetlands, home to Cayman’s native par- rots and West Indian whis- tling ducks, among other threatened species. “The proposed 10-mile roadway will traverse a sub- stantial area of wetland hab- itat along the entire length of the southern perimeter of the Central Mangrove Wetland. As the ecological heart of Grand Cayman, the wetland is crit- ical to many important nat- ural processes which are vital to the long-term well-being of the residents of the Cayman Islands,” it states. had a poor start in life,” he said. “Some of that is down to neglect; they haven’t had that upbringing where par- ents have taken responsi- bility for their early edu- cation, teaching them to read or write. “To break that pla- teau, it is really about im- pacting that group, trying to get through to parents that have never been en- gaged and work through those barriers where chil- dren have not learned to read and are misbehaving as a coping strategy.” Of the Year 11 students who sat GCSE and CXC exams in 2016, 37.3 per- cent got level 2 passes, grade A* to C or equivalent, in five subjects, including math and English, down from 37.5 percent the pre- vious year. More than half, 54.8 percent, got five good passes, not necessarily in- cluding English and math, up from 51.2 percent the previous year. Of the Year 12 cohort, including those who sat exams at their respec- tive high schools in 2015 and those who did re-sits and new qualifications at CIFEC in 2016, 45 percent got five level 2 passes in- cluding math and Eng- lish – down from 47.8 per- cent the previous year. The figure without math and English was 66.6 percent, up from 63.7 percent the previous year. Ms. Monteith said the results show that perfor- mance is broadly tracking on the same level as last year, though a bad year in math has affected the headline data. Mr. Clark, who took over as head teacher of Cay- man’s largest high school, John Gray, earlier this year, said he was pleased with the performance of the students, based on the predicted outcomes when he arrived. He said some of the top students did better than ever, with John Gray tracking above the national average of 28.3 percent for students gaining seven or more good passes. He said the school is fo- cusing on the problem area of mathematics, which saw low results across the re- gion, as well as working intensively with the chil- dren with the most severe learning issues. Literacy screening in place He said all students are now being screened at Year 7 to identify those who need extra help, particularly in literacy, which, he said, is the key to accessing the rest of the curriculum. The national statistics for Year 11, the age when students leave John Gray, Clifton Hunter or Layman E. Scott high schools, show a 64.3 percent pass rate in English compared with 41.3 percent in math. It is a similar picture in Year 12, when students graduate from CIFEC, with 68.4 per- cent gaining good passes in English and 50.1 per- cent reaching the same level in math. Mr. Clark said the re- sults in English are impressive, and making further gains would involve seriously addressing the needs of the school popu- lation who had severe lit- eracy difficulties. He said it did not make sense for some children to be thrown into a full high school cur- riculum, including for- eign languages, when they were struggling to read and write in English. “We probably need to take some brave decisions and say you are not going to do Spanish, you are not taking on another language, you are going to do English. For some students, we might have to say nothing is more important right now than to teach you to read and then we start working on the rest of the curriculum. “We can’t person- alize everybody’s educa- tion, but we can do what we can,” he said, adding that a new literacy coach and new teaching assis- tants would help. “We are also trying to get the parents on board early. Even if they have never re- ally learned to read or write themselves, we are trying to get them in and say we will provide the expertise – just back us up in what we are doing.” “It is not just about better teaching. There are some kids here that are what we call learning cow- ards. They are scared of learning, scared of ex- posing themselves. We have to create that safe environ- ment and get them working like crazy to get that level 2 English and math instead of running away from it.” Math performance blamed for dip in exam results CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ten-mile highway extension faces environmental roadblock CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Next >