ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 Premier heads to Anguilla on Irma aid flight Cayman family searches for 87-year-old mother BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin took off from Cayman on Tuesday with a humanitarian mission to the eastern Caribbean island of Anguilla. The government organized the mis- sion earlier in the week. A Cayman Air- ways 737-300 plane took off in the af- ternoon from Grand Cayman with about 30 people on board, mainly hospital and health services staff. Earlier in the day, in a separate interna- tional aid mission, five U.S. military helicop- ters took off from Owen Roberts Interna- tional Airport as part of joint humanitarian relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Three U.S. Super Stallion helicopters briefly landed, refueled and left Monday as part of the same effort, although U.S. military per- sonnel did not state specifically where the helicopters were headed. Mr. McLaughlin’s senior political assistant, Roy Tatum, who was also making the trip, said the premier wanted to go to Uncertainty swirls around BVI financial sector Hundreds evacuating territory, many coming to Cayman KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com With many essential services in the British Virgin Islands still out of commis- sion in the wake of Hurricane Irma, nu- merous corporate services providers are pulling their employees out of the territory. Many of those people could be coming to the Cayman Islands. Richard Reading, a partner at Baker Til- ly’s Cayman office, said about 15 to 20 fi- nancial services firms booked a jet to have some 250 employees evacuate the BVI on Wednesday. Other firms are working sepa- rately to help their workers leave. The employees were scheduled to fly on the chartered flight to Puerto Rico and stay there for a night or two, and then de- cide whether to go home or come here, said Mr. Reading. He said that people who can easily fly home may choose to do so, while staff from more distant places, like the Philippines, will likely come to Cayman. Mr. Reading said he expects between 10 and 15 BVI employees to come here on Planning begins for management of new protected areas KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com With six more protected areas added to the National Conserva- tion Law, work is under way to acquire land and establish man- agement protocol. As the National Conservation Council reviews five locations in Grand Cayman and one in Little Cayman, Frederic Burton of the Department of Environment said Crown land will take priority over private land. “The council decided last year to work the Crown nomi- nations first because they are the simplest,” Mr. Burton said. “They didn’t involve all the nego- tiations with land owners, so it could be quicker.” A three-month public consul- tation period this year resulted in 12 nominations for legal pro- tection. Six areas made it into the 2017 National Conservation (Protected Areas) Order, pub- lished in the government ga- zette this month. Announced areas include par- cels in Barkers, Vidal Cay, Western Crown Mangrove Cays, Central Mangrove Wetland and Lower Valley Forest in Grand Cayman, as well as the Booby Pond Nature Reserve in Little Cayman. Areas already under protec- tion by the law include Meagre Bay Pond near Bodden Town, Col- liers Bay Pond north of East End and Little Cayman’s Booby Pond. “Once it is protected, we are KITE CAUSED US$146K DAMAGE TO HELICOPTER, CROWN SAYS A West Bay man appeared in court Tuesday charged with flying a kite at some 200 feet without permission. A summary of facts in the Sum- mary Court case indicated that the kite allegedly flown by Bruce Kevin Ebanks caused $146,000 worth of damage to the police helicopter. For more on this story, see page 2. Premier Alden McLaughlin leads a Cayman delegation to Anguilla on Tuesday afternoon to help with Hurricane Irma relief efforts. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Cayman opens arms to Irma victims PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS I Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. - WEDNESDAY - IT (R) 1:15 VIP I 2:25 I 3:25 I 6:30 I 7:00 VIP 9:25 I 9:40 THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD (R) 12:50 I 3:40 I 7:10 I 10:00 ANNABELLE CREATION (R) 12:30 I 4:20 VIP I 6:35 I 10:05 VIP GIRLS TRIP (R) 1:40 I 6:55 DARK TOWER (PG13) 4:30 I 9:45 THE NUT JOB 2 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 2:50 I 5:10 2D I 7:30 2D I 9:50 Irma winds down as recovery efforts ramp up Cayman flights to Florida, Cuba resume SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Hurricane Irma petered out and dropped off the Na- tional Hurricane Center’s ad- visory list Tuesday afternoon, but the cleanup from the massive storm will likely take weeks or months. Irma, which was listed as a post-tropical cyclone in the NHC’s final advisory Tuesday morning, worked its way through the Caribbean be- fore hitting Florida as a Cat- egory 4 hurricane Sunday. In its final stages, the storm brought moderate to locally heavy rains to several south- eastern U.S. cities on Tuesday. Airports reopen Florida’s major airports – Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood In- ternational, Tampa Interna- tional and Orlando Interna- tional – all resumed service Tuesday. Miami International said on its Twitter account that it can handle roughly 30 percent of its normal traffic. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood advised that “approximately half of today’s flights have been cancelled.” Cayman Airways an- nounced Tuesday morning that it is able to resume all of its scheduled flights to and from Miami and Tampa, and it said larger airplanes will be used for the Miami flights to accommodate additional passengers affected by the storm. Cayman Airways was also able to resume travel to Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport after a brief cessation of services. Port operations open Three of the four largest ports in Florida – Tampa Bay, the Everglades and Miami – also reopened to commer- cial operations on Tuesday. The port in Jacksonville has opened its terminals and gates but is awaiting ap- proval from the Coast Guard to open for business. Ships are permitted to op- erate only in daylight at Port Everglades, and PortMiami advised that it is closed to marine traffic until further notice. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion is conducting an anal- ysis of the port’s naviga- tional channels before it can fully reopen. Flooding persists The hurricane center warned that significant river flooding will persist in Florida, and it added that ad- ditional flooding could also take place in Georgia and eastern Alabama. But even with that warning, Florida made strides toward re- turning to business as usual in the wake of the storm. The NHC estimated that several Florida cities and towns were inundated by more than 10 inches of rain, and six were hit by peak winds of more than 100 mph. Naples, which was in the eye of the storm, was soaked by 11.87 inches of rain and buffeted by peak winds of 142 mph. A curfew has been lifted for residents of Miami-Dade County. Governor Rick Scott said on Twitter Tuesday that 90,000 Floridians had sought refuge at the state’s 300- plus shelters. The Florida Division of Emergency Management es- timated midday Tuesday that 52 percent of the state’s elec- tricity consumers are without service. The Florida Highway Patrol has all 1,700 of its troops mobilized in 12-hour shifts working in support of emergency response, and Governor Scott said that 600 utility trucks have received a police escort into afffected areas so they can begin their repair work. Tolls have been suspended across the state highway system to aid an aggressive recovery effort and to ease the passage of millions of Florida citizens back to their homes. CROWN: KITE DAMAGED POLICE HELICOPTER CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com “I’ve never seen a charge like this,” Magistrate Valdis Foldats told defendant Bruce Kevin Ebanks in Summary Court on Tuesday. Ebanks, 53, is charged with flying a kite above 60 meters (197 feet) without having the permission re- quired under the Air Nav- igation (Overseas Territo- ries) Order, 2013. The alleged offense oc- curred on March 17. The magistrate said the matter was serious, as a summary of facts indicated damages totaling US$146,000 to the police helicopter. Ebanks, of a West Bay address, was not repre- sented by an attorney. He faced only the one charge; there was no charge of damage to property. The magistrate asked Crown counsel Greg Wal- colm to provide copies of the relevant law and com- pensation request and dis- closure of other pertinent information law to the de- fendant and to the court. He set the matter for mention again on Oct. 3. In this Sept. 8 file photo, a monitor lists canceled flights at Miami International Airport. Flights at that airport and at the airport in Tampa resumed Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP CARS SET ON FIRE, HOME THREATENED IN GT An arsonist set two ve- hicles on fire before tossing a bottle of flammable liquid through the window of a George Town home early Tuesday. The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service and fire crews responded to the car fires on Palm Dale Avenue around 3:30 a.m. The flames were put out quickly, police said, and no one was hurt. Both vehicles, a 2006 Honda Stream and a 2002 Daihatsu Terios, were badly damaged. Police said the bottle of flammable liquid was tossed into a nearby home but did not ignite. No arrests were immedi- ately reported. The police helicopter was damaged when it had an encounter with a kite in March. – PHOTO: CHRIS COURT US: Two more Americans affected by health attacks in Cuba WASHINGTON (AP) – Two more Americans have been confirmed to be affected by unexplained health at- tacks against U.S. diplo- mats in Cuba, the United States said Tuesday, raising the total number of victims to 21. The additional two indi- viduals appear to be cases that were only recently re- ported but occurred in the past. The State Department said no new, medically con- firmed “incidents” have taken place since the most recent one in late August. Earlier this month, the U.S. disclosed there had been another incident in August after previously saying the attacks had stopped. It’s possible the number could grow even higher as more cases are discovered. State Department spokes- woman Heather Nauert said the U.S. continues to assess American personnel. The U.S. citizens were members of the American diplomatic community, the U.S. said. Officials have said previously that the in- cidents, deemed “health at- tacks” by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, affected dip- lomats posted to the Em- bassy in Havana along with family members who live with them. The U.S. did not say how serious the newly dis- closed incidents were. But the State Department said it was providing “the best possible medical evaluation and care” throughout the ordeal, including aid from a medical officer on staff at the embassy. The union representing American diplomats has said mild traumatic brain injury is among the diag- noses given to some dip- lomats victimized in the attacks. The American Foreign Service Associa- tion has said permanent hearing loss was another diagnosis, and additional symptoms had included brain swelling, severe headaches, loss of balance and “cognitive disruption.” The evolving U.S. assess- ment indicated investiga- tors were still far from any thorough understanding of what transpired in the attacks, which started in the fall of 2016. The U.S. has described them as unprecedented. As the bizarre saga has unfolded, the U.S. has en- couraged its diplomats to report any strange physical sensations. So it’s unclear whether some symptoms being attributed to the at- tacks might actually turn out to be unrelated. Notably, the U.S. has avoided accusing Cuba’s government of being be- hind the attacks. The U.S. did expel two Cuban diplomats, but the State Department empha- sized that was in protest of the Cubans’ failure to protect the safety of Amer- ican diplomats while on their soil, not an indication the U.S. felt that Havana masterminded it. U.S. investigators have been searching to iden- tify a device that could have harmed the health of the diplomats, believed to have been attacked in their homes in Havana, but of- ficials have said no device had been found.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 Ganja taken to prison in child’s diaper Woman remanded in custody pending sentence CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A woman who tried to de- liver ganja to a prison inmate by hiding it inside her child’s diaper was remanded in cus- tody on Monday. Daniella Tibbetts, 24, pleaded guilty in March to possession of ganja with in- tent to supply, but Monday was the first time de- tails of the offense were aired in court. Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson said that Tibbetts attended Northward prison around 2:45 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2016. She had her child with her, who was about two years old. Under security proce- dures, Tibbetts was searched by a female officer and nothing was found on her. She was then told that the child had to be searched as well. Tibbetts refused and started to walk away in an attempt to leave the prem- ises. She was again told that the child had to be searched and a prison officer carried out the search. Two packs of vege- table matter wrapped in black plastic were found at the back of the child’s di- aper, Mr. Ferguson said. The contraband was subse- quently tested and found to be 85.4 grams (about three ounces) of ganja. Local and U.K. authorities show that supplying any kind of drug to a serving criminal is a very serious offense that requires a custodial sentence, Mr. Ferguson stated. He pro- vided the court with copies of case precedents and urged the court to pass a sentence that would “send a mes- sage to like-minded persons who wish to supply drugs to prisoners.” Defense attorney John Furniss told the court that Tibbetts had not wanted to be involved in the supply, “but certain pressure was put on her” by the prisoner, who was the father of her child. She had not bought the ganja and she had not pack- aged it. “She was pure cou- rier,” he asserted. The “pressure” included threats by the inmate and also what he said about con- tact with Tibbetts and the child, Mr. Furniss elaborated. Magistrate Valdis Foldats wondered why Tibbetts had not told the probation officer about the alleged threats when she was interviewed for the pre-sentencing report. Mr. Furniss cited the 12- month sentence given to a first offender in a U.K. case involving a small amount of drug. He pointed out that Tibbetts also was a first of- fender. He agreed that “a small amount” was deter- mined to be under 30 grams. The magistrate said that 12 months was the result of discounts for the small amount, the lack of pre- vious convictions, the guilty plea. The starting point in that sentence, therefore, was probably two years. Mr. Furniss suggested that those factors also applied to Tibbetts, but there was also the child to consider. If she were sent to prison, other family members would have to raise the child, he said. “Isn’t that a some- what cynical submission?” the magistrate asked. He pointed out that she had used the child but was now saying that separation would be difficult for the child. He agreed it was the child who would be most affected. “The child has already lost his biological father and now is at risk of losing both par- ents,” he noted. The magistrate said a sen- tence was needed that would be a deterrent to others and would be a denunciation of such offending. Mr. Furniss reminded the court that Tibbetts had spent just over two months in cus- tody after being brought to court initially. Since then, she had been on an electronic monitor with a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. He suggested that a partially suspended sentence could be imposed for those reasons. It would bring home how seriously the court viewed movement of drugs into prison, he said. The magistrate told Tib- betts she was going into cus- tody that day and he was reserving his decision on sentence until Sept. 18. Re- ferring to cases cited to him, he pointed out that drugs in prison have greater value than drugs on the street. They are a form of currency and can lead to offenses in- cluding injuries to prison guards, he said. “These are not cases for nominal sentences,” he said. The woman had been attempting to smuggle ganja to the child’s father, who was incarcerated at Northward prison. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe 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. An explanation is an account of what happened. An excuse is an attempt to shift blame for why it happened. The social media screed published last week by former Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board Chairman Waide DaCosta constitutes the latter. Mr. DaCosta’s list of grievances is exhaustive (if not exhausting): His board has a full workload (some- times holding 10-hour meetings once a week!); he didn’t approve of the Progressives’ changes to perma- nent residency requirements under the immigration law, which he was charged with executing (more on that in a moment); Department of Immigration staffers were supposed to handle applications but didn’t — when they did, they weren’t up to the task; politicians didn’t listen to him; the civil service didn’t listen to him; and on, and on. [Editor’s Note: Mr. DaCosta, we at the Compass would have gladly listened to you if you had returned any of our many calls in recent years, which you didn’t.] The problem with occupying the head chair at a boardroom table for eight years, as Mr. DaCosta did on the PR Board, is that you end up owning the table. By virtue of the tenure of his chairmanship, Mr. DaCosta had every opportunity, and frankly responsibility, to bring to the public’s attention the deficiencies he determined were preventing him and his board from doing their jobs effectively and efficiently. When Mr. DaCosta published his scathing critiques last week, he never addressed why during his tenure (which spanned four different government administra- tions), he never spoke up — or stepped down. To the more than 1,000 PR applicants who paid hefty fees, relinquished detailed personal information and waited for months or years in limbo, Mr. DaCosta had an ethical obligation to disclose that “the immigra- tion secretariat is dwindling to the point that there is no staff to process PR.” Further, and we think more troublingly, Mr. DaCosta revealed in his social media posting that he was in fundamental disagreement with the very law he was entrusted to administer and uphold. For the record, his relevant words were, “For the avoidance of doubt I was not a proponent of the new PR system and have noted many issues with it.” That statement puts into sharp relief the fact that since the new permanent residency law went into effect in 2013, the board, under Mr. DaCosta’s leader- ship, for years did not approve a single PR application. Coincidence? We’ll leave that to plaintiffs’ lawyers, and possibly the courts, to decide. In his valedictory remarks, Mr. DaCosta stated that a handful of Cayman Compass employees (six) have applications pending before the PR board, implying that the Compass has a vested interest (if not a “conflict of interest”) in covering or editorially criti- cizing his board’s actions. Really? We doubt there are any companies of our size on island that do not have employees waiting on PR applications, considering the length of the line. Nevertheless, this might be a good time to remind Mr. DaCosta that he shouldn’t be disclosing any informa- tion about the Compass, Pinnacle Media, or any other company, whose employees may have applications before the board. If the Compass had been trying to secure favorable actions from Mr. DaCosta’s board, the surer course would have been delivering bonbons and publishing puff-piece columns, not writing no-nonsense editorials and dropping investigative bombshells. As an institution, our interest in the matter is the public interest — that Cayman’s government acts effi- ciently, effectively, transparently and in accordance with the law. ‘The long goodbye’: Waide DaCosta’s ‘exit interview’ WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS Response to Compass ‘snail bail’ editorial We write with reference to the editorial in the Cayman Compass of 11th September, 2017 (‘Snail bail’ justice: ‘Foots’ and the sugar glider). We do not appear to have received a single inquiry from the Cayman Compass in relation to the two inves- tigations referred to in this editorial. Given the public interest in these matters, it is regrettable that an edito- rial was published, which not only made certain assump- tions but appears to have invited speculation in this regard, without any such in- quiry first being made. Whilst [it] is perfectly open for investigatory agen- cies to comment publicly about the submission of files to this office, it is not our general policy to do so. Some of the files we deal with are sensitive in nature, and any public release of information has the potential to impact negatively on the matters under investigation. We would also wish to point out that we have no control over the timing of the submission of files to this office by any investigatory agency or the length of time of investigations. We do, how- ever, observe internal proto- cols with respect to the re- view of all files submitted to this office. All custody/urgent matters are dealt with im- mediately on receipt. Many are dealt with outside of- fice hours and at weekends. Less urgent files are given appropriate prioritisation according to the case-load within our office, and are or- dinarily dealt with within 14 days of receipt. Yours faithfully, Cheryll M. Richards Q.C. Director of Public Prosecutions Editor’s Note: The Compass recognizes that Ms. Richards and her office are limited in what they can, or should, say publicly about cases cur- rently under consider- ation for prosecution or resolution. Consequently, our reporters generally do not query the DPP’s of- fice for comment about specific cases. Having said that, we have reached out to Ms. Richards and anticipate better lines of positive and productive communication going forward. Trump’s chance to remake the Fed BLOOMBERG VIEW Even more than before, President Donald Trump now has the chance to en- tirely reshape the Federal Reserve. Janet Yellen’s term as chair ends early next year, and her deputy, Stanley Fischer, has just resigned, citing personal reasons. Soon Trump will be able to appoint a new person to the top job and three other positions on the seven- member board. Fischer’s departure, coming months earlier than expected, is a serious loss. His combination of intellect, experience and collegiality is virtually irreplaceable. One of the world’s most distinguished macroecono- mists, he conducted influ- ential research while a pro- fessor at MIT, co-authored standard texts, and was a revered teacher – among his former students are Mario Draghi, head of the European Central Bank, and former Fed chief Ben Bernanke. A luminary among cen- tral bankers, Fischer was amply qualified to run the Fed. That he was content to serve as No. 2, acting as Yel- len’s close ally, attests to his lack of vanity. The case for reap- pointing Yellen, which Trump hasn’t yet ruled out, just got stronger. Fischer’s exit raises the premium on continuity, expertise and experience, and the current Fed chair em- bodies all three. History’s verdict on pres- idents rests more than they might wish on the compe- tence of the Fed during their time in the White House. When it comes to those other Fed appointments, the presi- dent would be smart to re- flect on what made Fischer such a good choice and strive, for his own sake as well as everybody else’s, to choose as wisely. © 2017, Bloomberg View 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 SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 C AP TURE YOUR OCEAN HAVE YOU SNAPPED THE PERFECT PICTURE THAT SHOWCASES THE OCEAN OR OCEAN CONSERVATION IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS? WE WANT TO SEE IT! Enter our photography competition for the chance to have your photo displayed at an outdoor photography exhibition in Camana Bay. To enter, log on to www.caymancompass.com/contests by the end of September and upload your picture. Full terms and conditions can be found on the website. New ombudsman takes over partially created office BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s new public sector/private sector watchdog will inherit a newly created of- fice Wednesday that has only about half of its intended functions up and running. Sandy Hermiston, who ar- rived in Cayman over the weekend, will officially take up the post created under the Ombudsman Law, passed by the legislature earlier this year. Ms. Hermiston will super- vise the currently understaffed Information Commission- er’s and Complaints Commis- sioner’s offices, combining their roles under one cen- tral authority. The ombudsman’s office will also handle – at some point – responsibilities for data protection, public com- plaints about the police ser- vice and employees’ whistle- blower complaints against government entities and pri- vate sector companies. The latter three respon- sibilities will not be man- aged by the ombudsman’s of- fice right away. The entirety of the Om- budsman Law will come into effect Wednesday, except for the section that deals with public complaints against the police. No date has been set for the implementation of that function. Police complaints It is estimated that hun- dreds of public complaints against the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service filed since 2010 will have to be reviewed by the new ombudsman, since no one has been legally al- lowed to hear those cases. The issue involves the failure of the government to follow amendments to the Police Law in 2010, which called for the appointment of the terri- tory’s first police public com- plaints commission. The commission was never appointed, largely due to funding and staffing diffi- culties. The RCIPS could still hear internal complaints filed by its own officers, but the po- lice Professional Standards Unit no longer had the legal authority to hear public com- plaints once the Police Law was changed. Since the public commission was never ap- pointed, it did not hear any of the complaints either. Since the law changed, the police Professional Standards Unit has received complaints and preserved the evidence from those complaints, to the extent it could. Some of the complaints filed with the Pro- fessional Standards Unit were resolved between the parties, but that is only in cases where the person complaining about the police agreed with the set- tlement suggested. Data protection This law, which gener- ally aims to preserve pri- vacy rights of individuals, will not take effect until sometime in 2019. It will be the ombuds- man’s responsibility to handle both public education and preparation efforts for the law’s implementation and also to “police” complaints of instances where data use vi- olations are alleged after the law is put in place. The legislation and ac- companying regulations have major implications for local businesses and inter- national firms in Cayman, as well as for any outside enti- ties that have data processing functions here. The law’s enactment is seen as vital to the finan- cial services industry, which is keen to access European markets – most of which have been operating under data protection laws since the mid-1990s. Under the new law, those who handle personal records have the responsibility of using that data “fairly,” pro- cessing the information only for the legal purpose for which it was provided. There are criminal penalties, including fines of up to $250,000, for breaches of the law. Whistleblowers Since the Whistleblower Law was passed in November 2015, the Cayman Islands government has been unable to enforce its terms because the legislation has never been put into force. The ombudsman’s of- fice has been assigned re- sponsibility for fielding whistleblower complaints once the law takes effect in February 2018. The legislation generally directs the process of making complaints of mismanage- ment, ethical breaches or suspected criminal activity to certain individuals in the community, which the om- budsman’s office would then have the responsibility for administering. The ombudsman is given the powers of a court in in- vestigating reports of wrong- doing, called disclosures, and in monitoring compli- ance with the law. If the office finds evidence of wrongdoing, it would either refer the find- ings to the person responsible for disciplinary proceedings, refer the matter to the com- missioner of police (if criminal wrongdoing has occurred), or to the governor if the mis- conduct was committed by a high-ranking government of- ficial such as, for example, the police commissioner. Public and private sector employees cannot make friv- olous complaints, or reports that are designed to embar- rass their employers. Any re- port of wrongdoing will not qualify for protection against retaliation unless the report is made “in the public in- terest,” according to the legis- lation. In addition, if it would normally be an offense to disclose information or if the information disclosed is con- sidered legally privileged, the person disclosing it would not be protected. Whistleblowers who dis- close information deemed to be in the public interest will have specific protec- tions in the bill against what is termed “detrimental ac- tion” – retaliation – by their employers. Detrimental ac- tion can include actions causing loss, injury, intimida- tion, harassment, discrimina- tion, disadvantage or any ad- verse treatment. 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Switch your mortgage to CIBC FirstCaribbean and we’ll pay your switching cost.* Talk to one of our Sales Specialists today or email CX48CaymanRetailBanking@cibcfcib.com CLICK cibcfcib.com CALL 949-7300 POST cibcfcib TWEET cibc_fcib Lions Club’s pajama party encourages Brac kids to read Dressed in cozy pajamas and fleecy robes, Cayman Brac students kicked off the new school year with a fun reading party. The Cayman Brac Lions Club hosted the Back to School Pajama party on Friday, Sept. 8, at the Layman E. Scott Senior High School hall to promote the impor- tance of literacy for students. The event, now in its ninth year, attracted more than 100 students from the primary schools on Cayman Brac, as well as some of the younger high school students Members of the Lions Club, assisted by the Cayman Brac Leos, teamed up with community volun- teers to read stories to the children and challenged their comprehension skills with careful questioning throughout the stories. Tammy Hopkins, se- nior school improvement of- ficer for the Sister Islands, and April Tibbetts, prin- cipal of West End Primary School in Cayman Brac, were guest readers. Ms. Hopkins read Watty Piper’s “The Little Engine That Could.” She said stu- dents were engaged in the story and were reminded, just like the little en- gine, to never give up but keep on trying. Principal Tibbetts read “Aliens Love Underpants” by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, and “Don’t Let The Pi- geon Drive the Bus!” by Mo Willems, which were re- quested by a student. In addition to reading sto- ries, the children were enter- tained with a video story and later participated in a book- mark coloring activity. They kept the bookmarks they col- ored for use in their own books as they were encour- aged to continue reading. The Lions Club also ex- pressed appreciation to The Shoppe for donating school supplies over the past four years. This year, owner Delroy Bodden distributed the supplies to attendees. Children in attendance also received refreshments at the end of the session, courtesy of the Cayman Brac Lions Club.Yvette Gayle, Lion youth committee chairwoman, leads attendees in a stretching exercise. Delroy Bodden of The Shoppe distributes school supplies to attendees.Tammy Hopkins reads to the children at the pajama party.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 CEREMONY th29 September 2017 Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort Event starts at 6:00pm INDUCTION Dick Bonin - American Combat Diver who made Scubapro the world's premiere manufacturer Kurt Schaefer - Austrian Pioneer of Underwater Film and Photography Krov Menuhin - Australian Underwater Film Maker, Director, Cameraman Gardener Young - Bahamian Dive Pioneer Inventor of the Resort Course PADI - The world’s largest SCUBA diving training organization. THE 2017 ISDHF INTERNATIONAL INDUCTEES: 2017 For more information contact: events@caymanislands.ky CI$75.00 includes dinner Tickets on sale at the Department of Tourism Tel: 1 345 949 0623 obliged to start developing a man- agement plan for them. Really, that’s where the action is. A manage- ment plan will really lay out what’s going to happen. Will we have fa- cilities for people to visit? Are we going to allow [certain] activities? What are the rules going to be?” Mr. Burton said. He expects the plan for Barkers to take a year or longer, given the extensive and diverse applications of the West Bay park. He described a wide range of threats that must be addressed, including the impact of Easter camping on the forest and the impact of horseback riding on turtle nesting. “Some [plans] will be simple and some will be very, very complex. I think the most complex one we’re going to have to do will be Barkers, because there is a long history of pretty unregulated and very diverse use,” Mr. Burton said. Government earmarked $6 mil- lion in the current budget for con- servation land purchases, and Mr. Burton expects the entire allocation will be spent. “There are a couple of purchases from the original nominations. There is a piece of private land in Barkers, a piece of private land in the Lower Valley Forest and another piece on the Booby Pond Nature Re- serve,” he said. “The Booby Pond Nature Re- serve purchases are almost done,” he said. “The Lower Valley Forest is just beginning down there. It’s a very small piece, but I think a price has been agreed. Barkers is still under negotiation.” For nominations that did not make it into the 2017 order, Mr. Burton said, their time may still come. He pointed out that Cayman Brac is conspicuously absent from Crown nominations. The Crown owns little land on the Sister Island, making protections much more dif- ficult to establish. Negotiations with private land owners in the Brac appear to pro- gressing, however. Mr. Burton has hope for the future of East End Lighthouse Park, Hemmington Forest and areas of The Bluff. “One land owner … agreed up front that she would sell and the government is in negotiation with her family now to agree on a price. We’ve also talked to another family out there that own a big area right up to the edge of the cliff. In prin- ciple, we’ve got a concept agreed with, potentially for next year’s nominations,” Mr. Burton said. “There’s some progress on what has been called the East End Light- house Park. That’s been on the agenda in people’s minds for a very long time. I think we may be able to move towards that now.” In Little Cayman, the depart- ment is wrestling with access issues that could result from establishing protected areas. “Some of those wetland areas on Little Cayman stretch for exten- sive distances along the north and the south coasts. If we protected those mangrove areas and then the council refused to let anybody put a road through them, basically it would lock up the land inside from access,” Mr. Burton said. “Everybody is of the same mind, that that is not what those pro- posals were for. But I think at the end of the day, explaining council’s intent might not be enough assur- ance. Perhaps what we are going to need to do is re-look at those nomi- nations and try to figure out where it would be good to reserve access.” Establishing protections for these lands would be an asset far into the future for the Cayman Is- lands environment and tourism in- dustry, Mr. Burton added. After the Department of Environment re- ceives its budget in October for the coming fiscal year, he said, it will be able to set priorities for future efforts. Planning begins for management of new protected areas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 N NEWLY PROTECTED AREAS under the National Conservation Law, 2013 Barkers Western Crown Mangrove Cays Vidal Cay Lower Valley Forest Grand Cayman Central Mangrove Wetland Little Cayman Booby Pond Nature Reserve British police deploy giant nets in bid to stop terror attacks LONDON – Scotland Yard is deploying the latest in anti- terrorism equipment de- signed to thwart vehicle at- tacks – a futuristic net bristling with tungsten steel spikes that security forces can quickly lay down like a carpet on a roadway. Called “Talon” by Lon- don’s Metropolitan Police, the barbs are designed to punc- ture and grip the tires, while the plastic netting becomes entangled in the vehicle’s front wheels, bringing the driver to an abrupt stop. The concept would be familiar to anyone who has watched the Spider-Man movies. Metropolitan Police de- ployed Talon for the first time at a parade by active- duty sailors and naval vet- erans in the Whitehall sec- tion of central London on Sunday. Authorities say the barbed mats are “likely to become a familiar sight at events that attract large crowds in London.” Police said the road-top mats can be deployed by just two officers in less than one minute and can effec- tively stop vehicles heavier than a London double-decker bus. “The speed and low manpower required for de- ployment means that the nets can be relocated very quickly if necessary,” a police spokesman said. The nets are designed as an improvement on tradi- tional spike strips – known as “stingers” – that have been de- ployed by militaries and po- lice for years to end car chases and protect checkpoints by blowing out the tires. With the Talon nets, a police state- ment said, “the vehicle skids in a straight line significantly reducing risk to crowds and producing a well controlled stop after which officers can engage with the driver.” The nets are designed to protect people from the kind of vehicle attacks that have plagued Europe in recent times. The vehicle attacks are easy to commit and require little more than a willingness to kill, the ability to drive, and access to a car or truck. A lone terrorist driving a vehicle struck London’s West- minister Bridge in March, killing four pedestrians and a police officer. Members of a terrorist cell rammed their rented van into crowds at the London Bridge in June, before jumping out of the vehicle and stabbing mer- rymakers at the Borough Market. Eight people were killed. A right-wing extremist plowed his car into a group of Muslim worshipers in June, striking a sick elderly man, who later died. Last month, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a rented van down the center of a popular boulevard in Barcelona, killing 14. In 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej- Bouhlel killed 86 people in Nice, France, driving through seaside crowds on Bastille Day. Anis Amri plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin last year, killing 12. Metropolitan Police Chief Inspector Nick Staley said, “This equipment undoubtedly has the potential to save lives and is just one of a number of measures being taken to provide protection to crowds attending major events in London and reassuring busi- nesses, workers and visi- tors as they go about their daily lives.” “Hostile vehicle mitiga- tion barriers” – meaning barricades and bollards – have been erected on nine London bridges and other soft targets. © 2017, The Washington PostThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS HONDURAS INDEPENDENCE DAY! FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 VIERNES 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE FOR SALE BBQ CHICKEN $10 BBQ PORK $12 STARTS FROM 10:00AM T0 4:30PM 917-5223 DESDE 10:00 AM - 04:30PM POR FAVOR LLAMAR 917-5223 GRAND VENTA DE BARBACOA POLLO $10 ACERDO $12 LA INDEPENDENCIA DE HONDURAS Unit #125 Cannon Place GT (Formerly Mirco Centre) caymankarateacademy@gmail.com www.caymankarateacademy.com Telephone: 926-5425 Back to School SPECIAL 1 Week Trial Program Including Uniform for $ 29 a 60-day work permit exemp- tion that allows them to con- tinue carrying out BVI-re- lated business. Nick Bullmore, a partner with Carey Olsen’s branch in Cayman, said govern- ment has been very helpful in facilitating the reloca- tion. He said his firm is moving between five and 10 of its employees and their families here. “For what it’s worth, our government has done a fan- tastic job of facilitating these moves,” he said. “It is won- derful to be able to help our sister islands in their time of need. Even though it has now been 13 years since Ivan, we all still remember the gen- erosity shown by others at that time.” It’s not clear how long it may be before the dis- placed workers can re- turn to the BVI. “It could take one month, six months, or a year,” said Mr. Reading. “It’s going to be a challenge to rebuild. It’s a hard place to build in.” When Hurricane Ivan hit Cayman in 2004, BDO Man- aging Partner Glen Trenouth spent about three weeks in the BVI before returning to Cayman. His employees soon followed him, he said. However, Mr. Trenouth said, he was able to find ac- commodations for himself and his employees. If the BVI cannot rebuild its infrastruc- ture and housing, it would be pointless to send workers back, he said. “They’d just be a burden on the territory,” he said, adding that eight BDO workers are expected to come to Cayman. The BVI government, for its part, is scrambling to get public utilities back online. The territory’s finan- cial regulator, the Financial Services Commission, an- nounced that its office would be “temporarily closed” on Sept. 5, and that there could be technical difficulties with its online portal that pro- cesses filings for the hun- dreds of thousands of com- panies registered there. On Saturday, the Finan- cial Services Commission announced that its Hong Kong-based BVI House Asia would be the point of contact for regulatory-related mat- ters, and a day later House Asia officials announced that the online portal was back up and running. On Monday, BVI House Asia’s Elise Donovan insisted that the territory is open for business. “Our financial services business was built to allow people to do BVI business from anywhere in the world, and to continue business re- gardless of the physical con- ditions in this jurisdiction,” Ms. Donovan said in a press release, adding, “BVI has proven success with, and continues to be the go-to ju- risdiction for, Asian and Chi- nese foreign direct invest- ment. More than 40 percent of BVI corporate vehicles are owned and used suc- cessfully by Asian business leaders and high net worth individuals.” “show his support” for Anguil- lians and also to support his close friend Victor Banks, An- guilla’s chief minister. The premier and his staff were expected to return to Cayman Tuesday night. The medical and health services personnel were expected to remain in Anguilla for about two weeks, when another Cayman Airways plane would retrieve them. It was initially hoped, in addition to providing vital storm aid, that the flight might be able to transport some of those in the most dire need back to Cayman. One of those in poten- tial peril is the 87-year-old mother-in-law of Acting In- formation Commissioner Jan Liebaers, whose wife is from Anguilla. However, it appeared the elderly woman would not be able to come to Cayman on the Tuesday flight. Mr. Li- ebaers said he was hoping for the best, but his family could not yet directly contact the oc- togenarian cancer patient. “We can’t reach her to get her to the airport,” Mr. Li- ebaers said, adding that his mother-in-law was awarded as a Member of the Order of the British Empire a few years ago for her work in ed- ucation and social services in the community. The government aid plane took teams from the Health Services Authority, Health City Cayman Islands hos- pital, the Department of En- vironmental Health and the Hazard Management Office to the stricken island. The aircraft also took medical supplies, water, non- perishable food and toiletries which the Cayman Islands government is providing. Anguilla’s hospital, the Princess Alexandra, sus- tained severe damage in Irma and there is limited med- ical care available. Cayman Hazard Management officials will assist Anguilla’s Na- tional Emergency Operations Centre with initial damage assessments, communica- tions and the coordination of relief supplies. The small island terri- tory, home to about 13,000 residents, was badly dam- aged by Irma’s record-set- ting wrath but is not believed to be particularly dangerous at the moment. Mr. Tatum said reports from the island indicate law and order is being maintained. Cayman has already sent a team of police officers, along with the governor’s top staff officer, to the British Virgin Islands to quell what was described as a break- down in law enforcement services with the desertion of more than half of the islands’ police officers. In addition, the RCIPS he- licopter is in The Turks and Caicos Islands providing emergency transport and some aerial reconnaissance as the island chain works to restore power. “Most of us know too well the devastation and despair that arises in the wake of the hurricane,” Premier Alden McLaughlin said. “We know well it was our neighbors from the region and our fam- ilies and friends who ensured that we get much-needed supplies [after 2004’s Hurri- cane Ivan]. It is time for us to pay it forward.” Cayman family connection Renee Rogers-Liebaers has been trying to reach her mother Audrey in An- guilla since Hurricane Irma smashed the eastern Carib- bean island last Wednesday. Some relatives who man- aged to find a working tele- phone in the ensuing days have told Ms. Rogers-Liebaers that the woman is still alive inside her home on the small island’s eastern side. The elder Ms. Rogers is a cancer patient and had been flying to the U.S. Virgin Islands every three weeks for treatment. Irma’s arrival in Anguilla last Wednesday made the scheduled flight to the USVI on that day impossible and now the elderly woman is apparently stuck, with the only nearby relative being her 89-year-old sister who lives next door. Ms. Rogers needs to get to the U.S. for treatment, ac- cording to Ms. Rogers-Li- ebaers’s husband. However, transportation in Anguilla is sporadic at the moment and reports indicate power could be out for six to nine months, Mr. Liebaers said. “We’ve not been able to get any direct communication with her,” he said. “We’ve only heard via cousins that she’s OK, but we don’t know exactly what that means. She and her sister Ursula have hunkered down together apparently.” Mr. Liebaers said his family hopes to get Ms. Rogers to the U.S. in the coming days to continue her treatment, and is anxiously awaiting word as to her whereabouts. “We’re worried because Anguilla has limited equip- ment,” said Mr. Liebaers, who lived in the eastern territory for a number of years. “The whole eastern Caribbean re- gion is going to need the same supplies to rebuild: plywood, nails, food, water. It’s not like they can just get these things from a neighboring island because all of them got hit too. When it rains, it pours,” he said. Premier heads to Anguilla on Irma aid flight CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 This Sept. 8 photo shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Virgin Gorda’s Leverick Bay in the British Virgin Islands. - PHOTO: AP Uncertainty swirls around BVI financial sector Audrey Rogers, left, visited her daughter Renee in Cayman last year. Audrey’s Cayman family cannot reach her in storm-ravaged Anguilla. Hurricane relief supplies are loaded into the cargo hold of a Cayman Airways plane headed for Anguilla. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 /Next >