ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 High of 86 Low of 78 Seas: Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet today becoming rough late tonight with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water from late tonight. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 CAYMAN DESERVES STRAIGHT TALK ON PERMANENT RESIDENCE BUSINESS | PAGE 10 EU BLACKLIST TARGETS OFFSHORE STRUCTURES FOUR MALE PRISON MANAGERS WIN GENDER DISCRIMINATION CASE Potential damages being assessed BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Four male Cayman Islands prison service managers who alleged they were “unequally remunerated” for performing essentially the same value work as a female supervisor who was paid more and given greater benefits, won their case before the Gender Equity Tri- bunal this month. A four-member tribunal ruled Nov. 3 that the four male custodial managers were paid about 2 percent less in annual salary than the female prison supervisor and were not given a motor vehicle upkeep allowance as she was. The four complainants were identified as Ste- phen Cuthbert Atherley, Peter Andrew Foster, Marlon Dane Thomas Hodgson and Ricardo Hugh Patrick Lashley. The tribunal ruling also states that the fe- male supervisor, Nina White, was a family friend of Cayman Islands Prisons Director Neil Lavis and that she had been a member of Mr. Lavis’s staff in the U.K. between 2000 and 2004. According to the tribunal records, Mr. Lavis informed the interview panel of his re- lationship with the potential prison hire and that the other members “did not see this as a conflict of interest which would prevent him from sitting on a panel to interview her.” “[Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Chief Officer Kathryn] Dinspel-Powell also con- firmed that [Mr. Lavis] had informed the min- istry of his friendship with Ms. White prior to the interview,” the tribunal documents stated. “She stated that the ministry wasn’t con- cerned with a material conflict because it was a panel of four persons and given the experi- ence of the persons on the panel, any possible NEXT PHASE OF CAMANA BAY EXPANSION Developer Dart Real Estate has submitted a planning application for an underpass along West Bay Road, the next phase of its ambitious plan to expand Camana Bay and create “sea- to-sound” connectivity between the Town Centre and Seven Mile Beach. For more, see page 3. High winds, rough seas this week Weather Service cautions boaters CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com A cold front from the north and a possible tropical depres- sion to the south are combining to bring high winds and rough seas to Grand Cayman this week, according to the National Weather Service. Weather Service forecaster Gilbert Miller said winds of 15 to 20 knots will likely begin overnight Wednesday or early Thursday, with higher gusts from the east and northeast. He said the cold front coming down from the United States will likely stall over Cayman for three to five days. With the winds will come rough seas, especially in the east. The Weather Service anticipates it will be posting advisories for boaters from overnight Wednesday through at least Saturday. Forecasts put wave heights at 5 to 7 feet by Friday. The west side of Grand Cayman should largely be pro- tected from rough seas, but Mr. Miller said there will still be high Kimpton opens amid fanfare JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Immediately hailed as a “new jewel” of Grand Cayman’s tourism industry, the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, opened for guests on Tuesday. A traditional piece of Caymanian thatch rope was ceremonially cut to officially open the resort as a host of dignitaries gathered to mark the occasion. The 266-room hotel has been four years in the making, with more than 900 people working on the construction project. The first customers were checking in as invited guests toured the hotel, taking in views of its landscaped valley of palms and potted plants that descends from the ele- vated lobby to Seven Mile Beach. Though the deal to move part of West Bay Road to accommodate the resort caused controversy, politicians on both sides on Tuesday hailed the distinctive look and the economic impact of the project. Dart Real Estate President Jackie Doak said the developer had delivered its promise of an economic stimulus package that had brought major infrastructure im- provements and a new hotel, and provided employment to many in the aftermath of the global recession. She said there is more to come. “The opening of the Kimpton Seafire Re- sort + Spa and the commitment to invest another $400 million in new development, including a five-star hotel and a children’s resort, reflects Ken Dart’s confidence in the Cayman Islands,” she said. Steven Andre, the resort’s general manager, declares the hotel open as Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino ceremonially cuts the thatch rope and Dart Real Estate President Jackie Doak applauds. – PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 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. DOCTOR STRANGE 3D (PG13) 1:30 | 4:30 2D | 7:15 | 10:05 2D JACK REACHER: (PG13) NEVER GO BACK 1:30 | 4:15 | 7:20 | 10:00 INFERNO (PG13) 12:45 | 3:30 | 6:30 | 9:30 ALMOST CHRISTMAS (PG13) 1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 9:50 TYLER PERRY’S BOO! (PG13) A MADEA HALLOWEEN 1:15 | 3:45 | 6:45 | 9:40 TROLLS (PG) 12:30 | 3:00 2D | 5:15 | 7:30 2D | 10:00 - WEDNESDAY - Ruling Progressives party pledges voter challenges BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The switch to 19 single- member voting districts ahead of the upcoming May 2017 general election has suddenly made the home ad- dress of prospective voters very important. Premier Alden McLaughlin said last week that voters, who have become accustomed to casting ballots in one of six larger, multi- member voting districts, will now find themselves par- ticipating in constituencies of 1,100 voters or fewer, in some cases, where individual votes will be determined by strict boundary lines, with two districts in the Sister Islands and 17 drawn on Grand Cayman. In a heated, four or five- candidate race in George Town, it’s possible that just 250-300 votes could decide a district. There is no “run off” election in the Cayman Is- lands, so the first-place can- didate in any constituency wins. Voters must cast bal- lots within the district in which they live, although po- litical candidates do not have to reside in the districts in which they stand for election. “We are very conscious of how critical every vote is,” Premier McLaughlin said. “[The Progressives party] is in the process of setting up a system so that when the re- vised [voters] lists are pub- lished, we will go through the lists and check … to ensure that people who say they are living in a certain area as of Dec. 31, 2016 were living there. If we have reason to object, we will file it with the magistrate.” Such voter challenges in the past, which would be filed with the chief magis- trate, have been somewhat rare, Mr. McLaughlin said. “A vote here, or two, people didn’t really worry so much about it,” he said. “Now that the numbers are so small [in single-member constituencies], you’ve really got to make sure the people who are voting are registered in that district.” There are two main areas that become difficult for voter registration under the single-member constit- uencies. The first involves a voter who moves between the final registration date of Dec. 31 and election day, May 24, 2017. Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell told a crowd of Progressives supporters during a meeting last week that if people register in one voting district before Dec. 31, they must cast their ballot in that district on election day, not in the voting district to which they have moved. Typi- cally, Mr. Howell said, regis- tering officers that work for the elections office will have accepted some proof that the voter did indeed reside at the earlier address. “It can be challenging,” Mr. Howell said. The second difficulty can arise with a voter who owns multiple residences around the Cayman Islands. They are only able to vote at the home stated as their primary place of residence in the islands, according to the recently ap- proved Elections Bill. In some cases, Mr. Howell said, neighbors will challenge the revised voters list released by the Elec- tions Office, if they believe that person no longer re- sides at that location. Mr. Howell said this is one of the reasons the office has been sending representa- tives door-to-door to check on voters’ addresses ahead of Dec. 31, which is the last date anyone in Cayman can put their names on the voters list for the May gen- eral election. In the case of an indi- vidual who will turn age 18 [voting age] as of May 24, 2017, they are allowed to register now, but must bring valid identification to show that they will reach the age of the majority as of election day. New species of ant found near Camana Bay CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Most people coming off cruise ships in Grand Cayman go to the beach or visit Stingray City. James Wetterer visited in April and found a new species of ant. Mr. Wetterer, a zoolo- gist at Florida Atlantic Uni- versity, makes a habit of looking for ants when he travels. He found the new species of Tampinoma ant in twigs he collected from the red mangroves near Ca- mana Bay while his daughter and mother were touring the history museum on the waterfront. This was Mr. Wetterer’s third Caribbean cruise, he said by phone Tuesday. “It is a very economical way” to look for ants across Carib- bean islands, he said. He col- lects samples and then brings them back on the cruise ship to go through the sticks and twigs to see what he can find. “While we are moving from one area to the next, I can sort through my ants,” he said. He preserves them in vials of alcohol. He said he contacted the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, which he has worked with before, to get a permit to spend a few hours collecting samples while he was on island. Mr. Wetterer’s research in the U.S. focusses on ants and he recently published a paper on ants found in the man- groves in Florida that are very similar to the ones he found in Cayman. Working with his students, he found several rare ant species that it turned out, were very common in red mangroves. When he got off the cruise ship in George Town, Mr. Wetterer walked to Camana Bay and around the back where he had identified man- groves from a Google map. Writing in the latest issue of the DOE newsletter “Flicker,” Mr. Wetterer ex- plained: “When I cut open the twigs from Camana Bay, I found an ant that I had never seen before. Although it looked similar to two Tapinoma spe- cies known from throughout the Caribbean, its coloration was different from either.” The ants looked similar, but instead of a completely pale body, they had a pale head and thorax and a dark abdomen. He said he sent the species to his collaborator on several projects, Roberto Guerrero at the Universidad del Magdalena in Colombia, an expert in this type of ant. Mr. Guerrero plans to test its DNA, he said. Mr. Wet- terer said this will be the first ant that is native to the Cayman Islands. He plans to be back down in Cayman with an- other cruise in December with hopes to collect more ants. He said he found males and worker ants on his last trip. This time, he said, “I really want to get the queens.” On his December trip, he plans to rent a car so he can go back to Camana Bay and then collect samples from other mangrove areas on the island. He said he expects the ants will be found in other mangroves around the is- land and not just in the area facing the North Sound be- hind Camana Bay. His research into ants has taken him to 40 islands in the Caribbean, including Cayman, over the course of several years. But, he explained, he had not thought to look in mangroves at that point. “We are very conscious of how critical every vote is.” PREMIER ALDEN MCLAUGHLIN A Florida professor found a new species of ant in the mangroves near Camana Bay. GULF STATES GETTING NEARLY $370M FOR 24 RESTORATION PROJECTS NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The five Gulf states are get- ting nearly $370 million for 24 projects to restore nat- ural resources damaged by the massive 2010 oil spill, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation an- nounced Tuesday. Louisiana is receiving $245 million, Alabama $63 million, Florida $32 mil- lion, Mississippi $16 mil- lion and Texas nearly $12 million, according to a news release. The oil spill, one of the largest environmental di- sasters in history, began on April 10, 2010 with an offshore rig explosion and fire. Millions of barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days after the explosion. British Petro- leum, which was found pri- marily responsible for the spill, has paid billions in cleanup costs, settlements and penalties. This is the fourth and largest round of grants so far from the founda- tion, which has one of the smallest pots of money re- sulting from the BP spill in the Gulf. It will get a total of $2.5 billion over five years for projects aimed at repairing the oil spill’s harm to the Gulf states’ natural resources. The largest chunk, $8.1 billion, will be parceled out under the Natural Re- sources Damage Assess- ment program, which evaluates and restores re- sources affected by oil spills, hazardous waste sites and vessel ground- ings. The states will receive a total of $5.3 billion under the federal RESTORE Act, which set up a trust fund to get 80 percent of water pollution penalties paid after July 2012. An offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast. Louisiana is receiving $245 million to help in the recovery from the massive oil spill in 2010. - PHOTO: BLOOMBERG/DERICK E. HINGLE3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 ANY AIRLINE, ANY FLIGHT, ANY TIME! Fly away sooner with 15,000 Welcome Bonus Points! Choose any airline, any flight, any time. No blackouts. No seat restrictions. Plus, your RBC Rewards™ points can cover airline fees and taxes so you can fly for FREE. Limited time offer. Get 15,000 Welcome Bonus Points upon approval!* Sign up for the RBC Rewards™ VISA‡ Platinum Card today. Call 949-4600/949-6836 or visit rbc.com/flyforfreecayman Promotion runs from November 1st, 2016 to January 31st, 2017. *5,000 bonus RBC Rewards™ points will be posted to your RBC Rewards account after the first purchase made within 30 days of enrollment. Your RBC Rewards account will earn an additional 5,000 RBC Rewards points when you register within 30 days of card enrolment and create a profile at www.RBCrewardscaribean.com, provided you are a new RBC Rewards member or an existing member without a profile at time of registration. Finally, your RBC Rewards account will earn an additional 5,000 RBC Rewards points when at least one registered RBC Rewards cardholder on the account opts to receive e-marketing offers. Welcome Bonuses are a one-time offer only. ®/™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s). It’s All About You Dart plans next phase of Camana Bay expansion JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Developer Dart Real Es- tate has submitted a planning application for an underpass along West Bay Road, the next phase of its ambitious plan to expand Camana Bay and create “sea-to-sound” con- nectivity between the Town Centre and Seven Mile Beach. A first underpass for the re-routed Esterley Tibbetts Highway has already been built. It will come into use when the expanded four-lane highway opens early next year. The latest planning appli- cation is for a second vehic- ular underpass on West Bay Road and a pathway taking pedestrians over both roads. The infrastructure projects underpin Dart’s plan to ex- pand Camana Bay with new retail, restaurant and office space planned along an av- enue that bridges both high- ways over a large ground- level parking lot. “These continued enhance- ments to Cayman’s road net- work are a reflection of col- laboration between Dart, the National Roads Authority and the Cayman Islands Govern- ment to create world-class in- frastructure to accommodate the country’s growth,” Jackie Doak, president of Dart Real Estate, said in a press release. “Through thoughtful master planning we are able align these road improvements with our vision for a walkable community, approaching in- frastructure through a lens of placemaking that prioritizes the experiences of the people using the space, whether they are driving, biking or walking.” The application includes ramps to facilitate safe ac- cess from the Camana Bay Town Centre on a pedestrian overpass. This elevated sec- tion will begin immediately to the west of Books & Books and the Cayman MAC Store, according to the press release. Once the new four-lane Esterley Tibbetts Highway bypass is complete, the ex- isting section of the road that passes Camana Bay will transition to a low-speed in- ternal road. Dart says the project takes its spending on the country’s infrastructure to US$100 million. An aerial view of the ongoing work on the first underpass, which will be part of the re-routed four-lane Esterley Tibbetts Highway. A West Bay man was sched- uled to appear in court Tuesday on two charges of “causing in- tentional harassment, alarm or distress” connected to a shooting incident last week. As of press time Tuesday afternoon, the man had not appeared in court. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service reported that officers responded to a home on Duxies Lane, West Bay just before 11 p.m. on Nov. 9. According to police, there had been a fight at the home during which a man had suf- fered a cut to his hand. Police said the same man, age 22, fired a shot into the air in the front of the property. He was later arrested at the hospital and has remained in police custody since his arrest. POLICE ARREST MAN AFTER SHOT FIRED IN WEST BAY PUMP PROBLEM CUTS WATER SERVICE IN GT Water pressure in George Town dropped suddenly in the middle of the afternoon Tuesday, leaving many with little or no water coming from the tap. Hannah Reid, spokes- woman for the Water Au- thority, said a technical issue in one of the pump houses caused pressure to drop in George Town. She said she did not think the problem ex- tended to the eastern districts. Ms. Reid said the Water Authority fixed the problem quickly, within 15 min- utes of when the pressure dropped in the authority’s George Town office. The application includes ramps to facilitate safe access from the Camana Bay Town Centre on a pedestrian overpass.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS On Friday morning, Premier Alden McLaughlin appeared on a local talk radio show where he addressed the subject of the Cayman Islands government’s mounting problems with permanent residence applications. Given the vital importance of the matter, Premier McLaughlin’s words were welcome — or at least … they would have been, had he shared with listeners his plans for dealing with the approximately 800 people languishing on the PR waiting list and his strategy for defending against potential court claims for monetary damages suffered by the more-than-half of that group who have been waiting for decisions for more than a year. Instead, Premier McLaughlin fell into the politically predictable, but practically unhelpful, pattern of offering facile excuses for how he and his government wound up in this legal and humanitarian quagmire (wholly of their own making). Nowhere, amidst all the deflections, diversions and defensiveness did he explain what his government is going to do about it now. Premier McLaughlin did, however, take time to criticize this newspaper’s coverage and commentary on the PR issue. He even stated on a local TV news program that the Cayman Compass’s agenda is to compel government to grant PR to all expatriates in Cayman. Nothing could be further from the truth. In order to edify Premier McLaughlin and others, let us again, and unequivocally, state our position on the PR backlog: We have never argued that all, or any, of the 800 PR applications should be approved. What we have argued is that Premier McLaughlin and his Progressives govern- ment should follow the immigration law that they created, passed and enacted. That means considering, deliberating on and deciding upon those applications (either thumbs-up or thumbs-down) in a timely fashion. Their refusal to follow the dictates of Cayman law has put our government (and the public treasury) at great risk. As important as the legal and financial consequences of government’s three years of lack of progress on this issue are the humanitarian consequences. While the Progressives have purposefully (and we would argue politically) dawdled, the 800 PR applicants (plus their spouses and children) have been languishing in limbo, deprived not only of security of tenure, but of certainty of where they stand. Their lives are on indefinite hold as are many of their careers. Ask yourself this question: If you were a manager, would you promote an employee who could be leaving at any minute? The attitude demonstrated by the premier and his gov- ernment toward the plight of the PR applicants is telling – and appalling. Historically, when elected officials refuse to uphold a particular group’s human, civil or political rights, the courts step in to do what the legislatures will not. This is already beginning to happen in Cayman. On television, Premier McLaughlin said new immigra- tion legislation is being worked out, based on the “Ritch Report,” but it may not be ready before the May election — another six months from now. In other words, another lengthy delay. We cannot reconcile the premier’s apparent lack of urgency with rulings by Chief Justice Anthony Smellie and more recently, the U.K. Privy Council insisting upon the timely consideration of immigration applications. Also, we do not see how new legislation can remedy the damage already suffered by 800 people who applied under the prevailing law. The consequences continue to accrue with each passing day. Premier McLaughlin said on the radio he would announce his government’s plans for PR applications in another forum. We will offer him that forum — this news- paper. With the sole proviso that Premier McLaughlin focus his remarks on what he and his Progressives government plan to do about the PR problem, we will donate as much space as necessary, free of editing and free of charge, in the Compass. We would hope Mr. McLaughlin would cease trying to reframe this issue as a “Compass vs. Government” matter. It is nothing of the sort. Permanent residence is an issue of great consequence to our entire country, and the Compass is simply pointing out the obvious: Our government must face it – and fix it. Cayman deserves straight talk on permanent residence Trump’s win can help make us better investors BARRY RITHOLTZ One of the best things to do when confronted by a major surprise is to see what there is to be learned from the experience. I always try to identify what sorts of lessons can be gleaned from non- market events. You would be surprised at how often there are rules and insights to be had about investing. In the past, I have found some investing wisdom in March Madness, the 2012 elections, Super Bowls and $8 million janitors. The surprise win by Donald Trump, which rat- tled markets worldwide, should be no different. Please bear with me while I repeat myself: – Forecasters are terrible: I have written this too many times, but it bears repeating: Forecasters aren’t very good at predicting the future. We have learned this about econ- omists, market strategists and now political pollsters. We can tease out potential outcomes on a probabilistic basis, but even these expecta- tions are frequently dashed. – Confirmation bias: Ev- eryone reads what confirms their prior beliefs. Everyone. Not just read, but specifi- cally seek it out, retain it and ignore everything else. This is why the Internet is so balkan- ized, and why fact-checking hardly matters. Confirma- tion bias is hard to shake and often impervious to reality. – Models are not perfect: Let’s start with the classic George E. P. Box quote: “Es- sentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful.” Now we can add a corollary: “Any model that figures out what is going on will soon be bypassed by events.” Ev- eryone was so impressed with the various models like FiveThiryEight’s that they expected them to per- form flawlessly. They didn’t. This is true of models for trading, gener- ating econometric analyses or determining who is going to win the World Cup. Ev- erything is always changing. The best models stay right for months, or even years, but not forever. Why we seem to always be surprised is part of our flawed wetware. Optimism bias: We all suffer from the same belief that most of us are, despite the obvious mathematical odds, above average. We be- lieve we possess special in- sight, that we can determine what comes next, that we have an ability to do better than everyone else. That may be true for some people at some times, but those who can are a single-digit per- centage of those who believe they can. Most can’t. Random factors and luck: We underestimate the impact of luck while con- fusing random chance with skill. How different might the outcome have been but for a lucky bounce or a slip? Con- sider what the results might have been had Republican primary candidates done solid opposition research on Trump; had FBI Director James Comey not dropped his October surprise; had 9 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 not voted for third parties, or 8 percent of voters ages 30 to 44. Hindsight bias: After the fact, many of us seem to believe that we knew it all along. Of course Hillary Clinton was a terrible can- didate – she lost to Barack Obama in 2008 when she should have won; she al- most lost to Bernie Sanders when it was another slam dunk. But that’s how we re- call it after the fact. We need to learn to say “I don’t know” about the future more often. The Narrative: We create a story line – also after the fact – to try to make sense of what we didn’t expect and can’t explain. It’s a global populist uprising, or white angst, or voter rage, or a re- jection of the powers that be. Or not. Pundits get this wrong all the time. After you hear all of the convenient story lines, try to factor this into your latest narrative: Trump won with fewer votes than Mitt Romney received in 2012, and it looks as if Trump lost the popular vote. Nobody knows anything: Another favorite truism from my big bag-o-quotes. We know much less than we imagine. Our perceived ex- pertise is wildly overstated and overrated. Our optimism bias lulls us into believing we have abilities that history and experience make clear we do not possess. There are lessons we all should learn from this big surprise. But it’s doubtful that many of us will pay at- tention to them. Ritholtz is chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management. He is the author of ‘Bailout Nation’ and runs a finance blog, the Big Picture. © 2016, Bloomberg View We know much less than we imagine. Our perceived expertise is wildly overstated and overrated. Our optimism bias lulls us into believing we have abilities that history and experience make clear we do not possess. 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”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 Premier hopes to pass lawyers bill in final legislative meeting BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Progressives-led gov- ernment will try again to pass an updated Legal Prac- titioners Bill in what is likely to be the government’s final Legislative Assembly meeting of its current term, Pre- mier Alden McLaughlin con- firmed last week. The controversial bill – which government has failed to approve in at least four at- tempts over the past 15 years – was pulled from the legis- lature’s agenda at the last minute in October after com- plaints from a number of local attorneys. The next meeting, sched- uled for the second week in January, will be the final meeting of the administra- tion before the dissolution of parliament set for March 29, 2017, Mr. McLaughlin said. Premier McLaughlin, a lawyer by trade, said he was determined to approve the lawyers bill despite opposi- tion from political detractors. “We’ll never get the likes of [East End MLA] Arden [McLean], [North Side MLA] Ezzard [Miller] and [George Town MLA] Winston Connolly to support this bill,” he said. “But I’m hopeful we can get most lawyers to a point where they believe the bill is … in the best interests of Cayma- nian lawyers in particular.” A group of Caymanian lawyers who opposed the latest version of the bill wrote to Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton last week urging the government to abandon the current draft of the Legal Practitioners Bill and instead revert to a draft written in 2013. The proposal was cir- culated to lawmakers in the waning days of the in- terim People’s National Alli- ance administration before the May 2013 general elec- tion, but never made it to the House floor. Representatives of the Cayman Islands Law Society said at the time that the 2013 version of the bill would have significant negative impacts on the expansion of Cayman- based law firms’ overseas operations and their com- petitiveness in the global fi- nancial services industry. Both the Law Society and the Caymanian Bar Associ- ation, the two largest law- yers’ representative groups in Cayman, supported the 2016 draft of the Legal Prac- titioners Bill, with more than 75 percent of their mem- berships asking lawmakers to approve it. “It is a widely held view that neither organization now represents the interests of the entire profession and that both are, to all intents and purposes, dominated by the larger, multi-juris- dictional offshore law firms and their discrete interests,” the letter to Minister Panton read. Four local attorneys – Sammy Jackson, Selena Tib- betts, Anthony Akiwumi and Vaughan Carter – were listed as authors of the letter. The Legal Practitioners Bill is essentially an attempt to modernize the practice of law in the Cayman Islands, in part to comply with interna- tionally accepted anti-money laundering and terrorist fi- nancing rules. The current law that governs lawyers op- erating in the jurisdiction took effect in 1969. The latest draft sought to create a new self-regula- tory body called the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association, with eight at- torneys appointed as mem- bers, five of whom must be Caymanian. The associa- tion was to be responsible for promotion and training of Caymanian attorneys and ensuring all attorneys prac- ticing in Cayman are suit- ably qualified. The bill also sought to create a separate business staffing plan regime for local law firms, including rules that seek to ensure Cay- manian lawyers are “prop- erly considered” for pro- motions, including in law firms’ overseas operations. Legislation governing the practice of law and lawyers’ conduct is considered crit- ical to prepare for the mid- 2017 Caribbean Financial Ac- tion Task Force review of the Cayman Islands’ protections against money laundering and terrorism financing. The dispute over the latest draft of the bill centered on law firms that want to ex- pand their presence in over- seas financial services mar- kets on the one hand, and on the other hand, Cayma- nian-born attorneys who fear they will be left behind in that expansion and believe that globalization will lead to outsourcing. The Family Resource Centre is hosting a series of events this month to mark the sixth Annual Interna- tional Men’s Day, which falls on Nov. 19. The theme of this year’s global observation is “Stop Male Suicide” with the motto “Learn, Love, Listen.” It will be discussed in a broadcast on Radio Cayman from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16. On Friday, Nov. 18, a Men and Boys Connect Con- ference will be held at the Family Life Centre in George Town from 9 a.m. to noon, according to a press re- lease from the Family Re- source Centre. Throughout the month, a Men and Boys Connect Facebook Challenge in- volves posting a picture of men and boys connecting or making a difference. See the Family Resource Centre’s Facebook page for a chance to win prizes. On Nov. 24, a “Raising Resilient Boys” interactive family skills session aims to teach parents and chil- dren how to work together and address common ob- stacles boys face. The ses- sion, from 6-7:30 p.m. will be held at the Family Re- source Centre in the Com- pass Centre. Dinner and child care will be provided. INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY OBSERVED ON NOV. 19DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 years ago: Road accidents and the year’s first Norther In the Nov. 16, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac correspondent Lil- lian Ritch wrote: “On the 5th there was a collision on the West End Road between an Opel owned and driven by Mr. Otto Foster of the Bight and a Ford car owned by Mr. Li- onel Bodden and driven by Mr. Marvin Ryan, both of Watering Place. Mr. Bodden and two other persons were in the car with Mr. Ryan. There were five others be- side Mr. Foster in his Opel. No one was injured. “Between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on the 5th, Mr. Parker Tib- betts was injured when he was thrown from his motor- cycle after an impact with a Ford DeLuxe driven by Edlee Martin. The accident took place in front of Edd Hayes & Son Gas Station and Shop. “Your correspondent’s car was parked facing the shop just having received gas. I was in the shop chatting with Mrs. Hayes when ‘whizz,’ something went past with an outward curve and ‘swish-h-h-h’ fol- lowed. Then ‘It’s Parker, is he dead?’ ‘No! He’s al- right!’ More calls, then a hoarse ‘I’m alright!’ Now out of the shop we saw a Ford car facing east coming to a standstill on the edge of the road in front of the shop. Capt. K.P. Tibbetts’ Volkswagen was in the yard on the other side of the station. His family were coming out of it. “In the road about 20 feet behind the Ford and nearer the northern edge, Capt. Keith Tibbetts bent over his son, Parker. Parker, with his body twisted over was trying to prop himself on one arm. His face was dusty, bruised and bleeding par- ticularly over the right eye. The motorcycle lay, having fallen away from him on the North bank of the road. Just off centre of the road between Parker and the car lay a chrome strip bent in an obtuse angle. We learnt after that the cycle mounted the bonnet of the car. The cycle was travelling east to west. The after part of the left rear fender of the car was struck in. “The District Com- missioner coming down just then took Parker to the D.M.O. Constable McLaughlin was called to the scene. “Miss Orlene Brown left recently for Excelsior High School, Jamaica. She returned to school to study for the G.C.E. Advanced level in Spanish, Latin and English Literature. She was a 1965 graduate of St. Andrew High School, and has been teaching in our Primary Schools for just over a year. “We welcome Nall Bodden of the West End in to the teaching profession (probationer). He has joined the staff of the Primary School there. He obtained his Third Year Jamaica Local Certificate last year. “We have our first Norther of the season be- ginning Tuesday, 1st, lasting into Saturday. On the 3rd, she kept our plane service a-jitter. Going through three advisories, the first schedule being 8 a.m. CBA passed over the airport finally at 12:55 p.m. circled three times and continued back to Grand Cayman. She could not land due to the crosswind – a good 40 miles an hour. “We said Good Sailing to Melroy Bodden, gone to join the Universe Independence, and to seamen Franklin Bodden, Clyde Banks, Gary Martin, Stanley Scott, Ev- erett Jackson, Burton Dacres, Paul Connolly and Allard Scott who left to join the S.S. Ulysses, of National Bulk Carriers Inc. “Cayman Brac has en- joyed the visit during the past week of two ladies from Grand Cayman who came for the first time in office – Mrs. Islay Con- nolly, Acting Director of Education, and Mrs. Joyce Hylton, Probation Officer. Both kept very busy schedules.” Brac youth shine in district cook-off Young chefs had the op- portunity to show off their cooking skills recently at the Cayman Brac National Youth District Cook-Off. Five teams of young chefs and a coach vied for the top spot at the contest on Oct. 29 at Layman E. Scott Sr. High School. The winning team secured a spot to compete against teams from several other districts at the National Youth Cook-off on March 1, 2017, at Cayman’s annual Ag- riculture Show in Savannah, said James “Jamo” Myles, youth services coordinator for the government Youth Services Unit. The overall winners were Team 5, consisting of Layman E. Scott Sr. High School stu- dent Eugenio Myles and Creek and Spot Bay Pri- mary student Ronaldinho Vassel, with support from coach Zoe Vassel. The teams prepared a pot of chili, judged by the public, along with a lionfish entrée and a drink judged by a panel consisting of Kerry Akinni- bosun, Brittney Bodden and Faith Gealey. “The winning team steamed their lionfish. It was delicious, and so was the chili from all competitors, but team 4, made up of LESHS students Sheila Watler and Kimberly Scott and coach PC Angie Watler won the chili contest by a wide margin,” Mr. Myles noted. The winning teams faced some stiff competition from three other teams: Team 3 consisting of LESHS stu- dents Sahadeo Sohan Jr. and Natalie Bodden and coach Dwayne Bodden, Team 2 the Brac Jam Chefs Terry “Tito” Scott Jr. and Saskia Cam- eron, and Team 1 the Tibbetts Brothers consisting of Isaac and Caleb Tibbetts and coach April Tibbetts. Contestants were sup- plied with ingredients in- cluding lionfish, onions, ground beef and cans of chili beans, butter and oil, rice, sugar, flour, salt and pepper, along with a prep table and a two-burner stove. At the National Youth Cook-off, the contestants will also need to prepare a dessert and will be judged by a panel of seven judges. The chili will still be judged by the public. The next District Youth Cook-off events are in North Side on Nov. 26, and Bodden Town on Dec. 10. The George Town cook-off will be on Jan. 23, and the final cook-off will be in West Bay on Feb. 18. For more information on entering, contact James Myles at 939-0368 or james.myles@gov.ky. The young chefs demonstrate their skill in front of the camera. Terry ‘Tito’ Scott and Saskia Cameron prepare their chili. The winning team secured a spot to compete against teams from several other districts at the National Youth Cook-off on March 1, 2017.DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Sister Islands CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR BRAC AIRPORT EMERGENCY EXERCISE The Cayman Islands Airports Authority is looking for volun- teers to take part in an airport emergency exercise on Cayman Brac on Nov. 30. The aim of the exercise is to “test the readiness of emergency responders to handle an aircraft accident and form an organized response in those critical mo- ments that could mean the differ- ence between life and death,” ac- cording to a press release from the Airports Authority. The Cayman Islands Red Cross is coordinating the volunteer ac- tivities, and anyone interested in taking part may contact the Red Cross’s volunteer and resources manager at 949-6785, ext. 1, or at 925-2251. Volunteers take part in an emergency exercise at the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport in November 2014. Little Cayman pirates There were plenty of fantastic costumes and floats and lots of children at the Little Cayman Pirates Week festivities over the weekend of Nov. 4-6. The parade was a big draw for the is- land and there were some impressive costumes. Dacia Henriquez kept a lookout for rival buccaneers. Deah Tatum, James McLean and Jade Thompson got into the spirit. These youngsters definitely looked the part. These wenches sported some fantastic costumes.Diane and Robin Fite aboard their golf cart, followed by Michael Jackson.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS In remembrance of Bruce Putterill who passed away on 8 November 2016. There will be a celebration of his life at Grand Old House on Saturday, 19 November from 4:30pm-6:30pm. A private interment at Prospect Cemetery with only the immediate family will precede the Celebration. “Mr. Dart is more than an investor. He is committed to the destination and will con- tinue with the sustainable development of the Cayman Islands, supporting the on- going success of the [is- lands] in tourism and finan- cial services.” She said the hotel makes a major statement with its de- sign and decor, justifying the decision to demolish the old Courtyard Marriott and move part of West Bay Road to set the hotel well back from the beach, offering sweeping views of the ocean. Steven Andre, general manager of the new hotel, said it was a “momentous day” for Kimpton and Cayman. “Seafire is not only our first Caribbean property, it is our first foray into the luxury resort market and where better to do that than on the most amazing island in the Caribbean, Grand Cayman.” Premier Alden McLaughlin predicted the hotel would be “another jewel in our tourism crown.” “I cannot say enough about the impact of this $300 million project on the economy of the Cayman Is- lands,” he said. “Not only were local people and com- panies hired to build out the Seafire, but the hotel will also provide for long-term employment of a significant number of Caymanians and others for decades to come. “I firmly believe it is because of the return of confidence in Cayman through the work done by this government that pri- vate sector businesses like Dart are investing in the Cayman Islands.” Opposition Leader McK- eeva Bush, who signed the deal with Dart that facili- tated the project, said it was his vision, despite opposi- tion, including from the cur- rent government, that had set the project in motion. He said he had stood on Public Beach and “preached” to get the deal signed. “I had to smile to myself at just how much I agreed with them [government] today, and I said ‘Pity they hadn’t agreed with me.’ “My government saw the need for the roads and these developments. I took the blows and paid a price, but not only do we have this re- sort, we had a vision for a Four Seasons too and I be- lieve that is on its way.” He added that Cayman should continue to sup- port the Dart group and encourage them to aim higher and build 20- or 30-story hotels. Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the opening of the hotel means an imme- diate 8 percent boost in Cay- man’s room stock. “That means more jobs at the airport, more taxis, more tour buses, more jobs in the restaurant sector, and it al- lows us to know our GDP is going to grow from the tourism sector involvement next year,” he said. Mike DeFrino, CEO of Kimpton Hotels and Restau- rants, described the resort as the first foray into the inter- national market for the San Francisco-based hotel chain. He said it was Kimpton’s first venture in the luxury market and the first hotel of its kind in Cayman for more than a decade. “It is an incredible place for people to stay and experi- ence Grand Cayman,” he said. conflicts would be balanced out because they would know who would be a good fit for the positions.” The tribunal was incredu- lous about these claims: “The tribunal found it difficult to understand why, if these var- ious disclosures of the direc- tor’s prior relationship with Ms. White had been made, this had not been noted in the [job] interview notes or else- where …. In fact, it appears that the relationship was not disclosed in these proceed- ings until a letter from the Attorney General’s Chambers dated Aug. 4, 2016 [responded] to a query by the counsel for the complainants [the four male prison managers].” The attorney for the four male prison officers, Guy Dil- liway-Parry, declined to com- ment on the matter. Mr. Lavis, Ms. Dinspel-Powell, and Min- istry of Home Affairs Chief Officer Wesley Howell were contacted for a response to the tribunal’s decision. No response was received by press time. Both Mr. Lavis and Ms. Dinspel-Powell gave testi- mony to the tribunal which was included in its ruling. The ruling of Nov. 3 states: “The tribunal, by a ma- jority … finds that the re- spondent [the prisons ser- vice] has not discharged the burden of proof placed upon it pursuant to section 8 of the [Gender Equality] Law and accordingly, the complaints are substantiated.” Attorneys for both sides were asked to make repre- sentation regarding costs and damages that might be awarded within 14 days of the judgment’s release, which was dated Nov. 9. Job interview The gender affairs dis- pute has its roots in a man- agerial hiring process the prison service began in early 2014, which resulted in two prison managers being hired, one female [Ms. White] and one male, Steve Hansen. Mr. Hansen was not one of the four prison officers who filed the gender affairs complaint. The tribunal documents state that at the time, the prison interview panel made its selection for the jobs, Ms. White was working as a barista in a coffee shop after recently leaving the U.K. prisons service where she had worked for decades. The four male complain- ants in the gender affairs case each had about 30 years’ ex- perience with Her Majes- ty’s Prisons Service in the Cayman Islands, all of them having been hired in the mid- 1980s. Mr. Hansen had been in the U.K. prisons system since about 1985. He moved to Cayman around 2000. According to the tribunal records, the dispute arose over the fact that Ms. White was placed on civil ser- vice salary grade J point six when she was hired. The male prison managers – called cus- todial managers – were paid on salary grade J point four, or two points lower. The re- sulting difference in pay was about 1.7 percent per year, the documents state. In testimony before the tri- bunal, Mr. Lavis stated that he was aware of Ms. White’s prior employment at the coffee shop. He said he was unaware where the four male prison managers were paid on the civil service salary scale. “[Mr. Lavis] assumed that they were at the top of the salary scale, given the length of time that they were employed with [the prisons service],” the tribunal records stated. Ms. Dinspel-Powell, who is the ministry deputy chief of- ficer with responsibility for prisons, denied Ms. White was paid more because of her gender. “The ministry’s decision was based on Ms. White’s training, experience and previous pay in the U.K.,” she noted in her testimony. The situation highlighted a perennial problem in the Cayman Islands civil ser- vice, Ms. Dinspel-Powell noted, where incoming em- ployees tend to be paid at market rates while long- serving government workers, who haven’t received a pay in- crease in a number of years due to austerity measures, are left behind. “There were disparities in pay across government be- tween established staff and new recruits as the result of the need to offer competi- tive salaries,” Ms. Dinspel- Powell said. “The reason why the complainants’ [four male prison officers’] pay has not been increased is due to bud- getary and policy constraint.” “The majority of the tri- bunal did not consider that this was genuine,” the tri- bunal stated in its decision. “The majority of the tri- bunal concluded that what was likely to be causing the Ministry of Home Affairs some concern was that it was clear that the jobs being of- fered to Ms. White [a female] and Mr. Hansen [a male] were of equal value to the employer, and yet Ms. White was being placed on a salary scale of grade J point 6 whilst Mr. Hansen was being offered a very similar position and was being placed on a salary scale of grade J point four, notwith- standing that there appear to have been no significant dif- ferences in their experience and qualifications and only a comparatively small differ- ence in their respective scores with the interview panel,” the decision stated. swells in open water off Seven Mile Beach. Mr. Miller said the combined weather systems will bring “patchy cloudiness” and some showers along West Bay Road in the coming days. A late-season trop- ical system is south of Jamaica, and the Miami-based National Hurricane Center gives the large area of rain- storms an 80 per- cent chance of devel- oping into a tropical depression in the next five days. The Hurricane Center predicts, “Envi- ronmental conditions are expected to be con- ducive for slow devel- opment of this dis- turbance during the next several days, and a tropical depression is likely to form by late this week or over the weekend.” Mr. Miller said, “I don’t want to call it a tropical cyclone.” He said the cold front is pushing the system to the east and it will not affect Cayman. “The models show weak circulation,” he said, and the cold front will likely break up the storm. High winds, rough seas this week CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Kimpton opens amid fanfare CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The 266-room hotel has been four years in the making, with more than 900 people working on the construction project. Premier Alden McLaughlin, left, joins Dart’s top executives Jackie Doak and Mark VanDevelde on the grounds of the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa. - PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER Four male prison managers win gender discrimination case CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2016 more sleeps 3 THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS BEGINS THIS SATURDAY! Lover of Magic Saylor, 5 CAMANABAY.COM Visit our website for all the cheer-filled details. ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING THIS SATURDAY, 5-8PM Enjoy Festive Performances Browse the Christmas Market Whisper in Santa’s Ear Giuliani the favorite as Trump weighs secretary of state Richard Grenell, considered for ambassador to U.N., would be first openly gay person to fill Cabinet- level foreign policy post NEW YORK (AP) – Sequestered in his Manhattan high-rise, President- elect Donald Trump is preparing to fill key foreign policy posts. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has emerged as the favorite to serve as secretary of state, a senior Trump official said. Although Giuliani has little for- eign policy experience, the official said there was no real competi- tion for the job as the nation’s top diplomat. However, a second of- ficial cautioned that John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, remained in conten- tion for the key post. Both officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the process by name. The New York billionaire also was considering tapping Richard Grenell as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a move that would bring some experience and diver- sity to his nascent administra- tion. Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesman at the U.N. under Presi- dent George W. Bush, would be the first openly gay person to fill a Cab- inet-level foreign policy post. The personnel moves under consideration were confirmed by people with direct knowledge of Trump’s thinking who were not au- thorized to publicly disclose pri- vate discussions. Giuliani, 72, would be an out- of-box choice to lead the State De- partment. A former mayor, federal prosecutor and top Trump adviser, Giuliani is known for his hard-line law-and-order views. Bolton has years of federal government expe- rience, but he has also raised eye- brows with some of his hawkish stances, including a 2015 New York Times op-ed in which he advocated bombing Iran to halt the country’s development of nuclear weapons. A spokeswoman for Giuliani did not immediately respond to a re- quest for comment about his in- terest in the job. But during an appearance in Washington late Monday, Giuliani said that Bolton would be a “very good choice” to serve as Trump’s secretary of state. Asked if there was anyone better, Giuliani replied: “Maybe me, I don’t know.” Vice President-elect Mike Pence was expected to join the incoming president at Trump Tower on Tuesday to review “a number of names” for the incoming admin- istration, according to spokesman Jason Miller. “If the vice president-elect is get- ting together with the president elect to discuss names, I would say it’s getting serious,” Miller said. The transition planning comes amid an intense and extended backlash from Trump’s decision on Sunday to appoint Steve Bannon, a man celebrated by the white nation- alist movement, to serve as his chief strategist and senior adviser. “After winning the presi- dency but losing the popular vote, President-elect Trump must try to bring Americans together – not con- tinue to fan the flames of division and bigotry,” said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Echoing con- cerns from officials in both parties, she called Bannon’s appointment “an alarming signal” that Trump “remains committed to the hateful and divisive vision that defined his campaign.” Bannon has a master’s degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and a mas- ter’s with honors from Harvard Business School. He was an officer in the U.S. Navy and is a former in- vestment banker at Goldman Sachs. Until joining Trump’s campaign this summer, Bannon led a website that appealed to the so-called “alt- right” – a movement often associ- ated with efforts on the far right to preserve “white identity,” op- pose multiculturalism and defend “Western values.” The site also takes a Zionist stance. President Barack Obama avoided any direct criticism of Trump’s per- sonnel moves during a Monday news conference, suggesting that the new president deserves “room to staff up.” The outgoing president encouraged Trump, however, to em- brace a unifying tone. “It’s really important to try to send some signals of unity and to reach out to minority groups or women or others that were con- cerned about the tenor of the cam- paign,” Obama said. “And I think that’s something he will – he will want to do.” Meanwhile, Trump spoke to Rus- sian President Vladimir Putin on the phone on Monday. His transition office said in a readout that Trump “is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia.” Trump has spoken in recent days with the leaders of China, Mexico, South Korea and Canada. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leaves Trump Tower last week. - PHOTO: APNext >