ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 High of 89 Low of 77 Smooth with wave heights of less than 2 feet EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 COMPANY’S COMING: ‘DRESSING UP’ CAYMAN FOR UNEXPECTED GUESTS SPORTS NEWS | PAGE 16 NIKKI’S VOICE READY TO RING OUT INTERNATIONALLY AT DC MARATHON Personal Insurance Save up to $400 with home and car insurance Your first BritCay’s buildings insurance policy comes with a $250 gift certificate and a 10% discount on car insurance. With the lowest standard deductible at $200, you also save when you claim. Ask for a quote! BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky FREE $10 Million ASSET PROTECTION! with motor cover* *private car insurance cgigrp Dart chosen to build new waste management facility JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A consortium of companies led by Dart Enterprises is in line to take over responsibility for waste man- agement in the Cayman Islands in a 25-year deal that will involve the closure and capping of the existing George Town landfill. The new system will involve construction of a waste-to-energy plant, recycling and composting centers, and a much smaller lined landfill site. The current site – dubbed “Mount Trashmore” because of its unsightly presence towering over George Town and its visibility to arriving aircraft and cruise ships – will be capped and covered with grass. Landfill sites in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman will also be closed, with waste from the Sister Islands shipped to Grand Cayman. The new suite of facilities is ex- pected to reduce the 100,000 tons of waste currently going into land- fill every year by as much as 95 per- cent. Instead, much of the trash will be fed into a 7 megawatt waste-to- energy plant and sold as electricity to the Caribbean Utilities Com- pany. The facility will be built on Dart lands close to the Waste Water Treatment plant. Dart’s construction company DECCO and its partners have been selected as the “preferred bidder” after a competitive tender involving seven other consortiums for the contract to run Cayman’s Integrated Solid Waste Management System. Dart is now in final contract ne- gotiations with government for the public-private partnership. The company will be paid an annual fee to deal with waste from all three is- lands through the new system. The fee is expected to cover the cost of construction of the suite of new facilities, as well as annual oper- ating expenses. No financial details were given but an Outline Business Case for the project, published last September, put the construction costs for new facilities at $106 million, including $60 million for the waste-to-energy plant. The same report estimated operating costs of $426 million over 25 years, offset by revenues of $269 million, including $108 million in electricity sales. The deal comes more than four years after a separate partner- ship between Dart and government, which would have involved a new landfill site in Midland Acres, near Bodden Town, was shelved. Government leaders and Dart officials said the new deal offered a long-term sustainable solution to the landfill problem that com- plied with the framework for fiscal responsibility. Jennifer Ahearn, chief officer in the Ministry of Health, Environ- ment, Culture and Housing, said, “If you look at the details of what was on the table previously and what we are proposing to do now, while the components are similar, the projects are quite different. “We had to take a step back and look at it from a holistic perspective.” She acknowledged the new system would come at a substan- tial additional annual cost to gov- ernment, adding that this would be funded through existing revenues. “Right now, we are putting the waste on a pile on an unengineered landfill site, so there will be some changes in terms of the cost of delivering it. “We are having recycling, com- posting, waste-to-energy, so they will reallocate some of the funds within the existing budget to meet the priority. It has been identified as a priority project for government,” Mandatory survey seeks information on wages All employers required to take part KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government is launching a survey that will require all em- ployers in the territory to provide information about the people they employ, including their qualifications, nationality, com- pensation, skills, and workload. The occupational wage survey is being conducted by the Ministry of Human Re- sources and the Economics and Statistics Office, and will run from Wednesday Oct. 18 to Dec. 29. Labor surveys are typi- cally conducted by polling random samples of households in Cayman, but Economics and Statistics Office Director Maria Zingapan said a comprehensive study among businesses is re- quired for government to make informed decisions about setting the minimum wage and other public policy issues. “If I asked you how much you’re earning, you wouldn’t know how much [your] company pays for your pension, for ex- ample,” said Ms. Zingapan. She said the survey will allow for wage comparisons between Caymanians and non-Cayma- nians, males and females, and other groups of people. The sta- tistics office can currently pro- vide a broad salary estimate PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » STEM CONFERENCE PARTNERS WITH U.S. UNIVERSITY The University College of the Cayman Islands and Harrisburg University in Pennsylvania have partnered to bring this week’s conference on science, technology, engineering and math to Cayman. UCCI President Roy Bodden says the partnership is the first step in an ex- pansion of program opportunities for Cayman students. For more on this story, see page 2. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » A public-private partnership between government and Dart could see the existing George Town landfill site cleaned up and remediated. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY2 LOCAL NEWS THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 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. - THURSDAY - BLADE RUNNER 2049 3D (R) 12:25 2D VIP I 12:30 I 6:35 2D VIP 6:55 I 9:20 2D LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE 3D (PG) 12:50 2D I 4:15 I 10:25 2D KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE(R) 12:30 I 3:40 I 6:40 I 9:40 AMERICAN MADE (R) 3:50 I 6:55 I 10:05 IT (R) 12:45 I 3:20 I 7:00 I 9:50 THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US (PG13) 1:20 I 3:55 VIP I 4:00 I 6:40 I 10:05 VIP STEM conference benefits from partnership with US university MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman students will have greater opportunities in STEM fields going forward, said Roy Bodden, speaking at this week’s conference on science, technology, engineering and math at the University College of the Cayman Islands. Mr. Bodden, the president of UCCI, called the gathering of scientists and educators for the STEM Carib 2017 confer- ence historic. This is the first time in the conference’s five- year history in which UCCI has partnered with another institution. And Mr. Bodden said the new relationship be- tween his school and Har- risburg University in Penn- sylvania, will make more resources available to stu- dents pursuing STEM majors. “For this conference and for, I hope, STEM conferences in the future, we will be part- nering with Harrisburg Uni- versity,” Mr. Bodden told the conference audience at the opening reception on Tuesday night, Oct. 10. Students and educators attending the event have the chance to listen to experts and see demonstrations of new solar technologies, bio- engineering, forensics, geo- spatial applications and other STEM subjects. High school student Nina Ratcliffe, 16, of Cayman Inter- national School, was among about 100 students crowded into UCCI’s gymnasium on Wednesday. She was looking forward to a session that will feature the dissection of a lionfish. “In looking at what it had to offer, I got interested,” she said. “I really like science. I’m not sure what I want to go into, but probably biology.” UCCI chemistry instructor Antoinette Gayle said she’s seen a clear impact in her classroom from the confer- ence in past years. “I get a lot more ques- tions,” she said, referring to students who have attended the event. “They start thinking about things they haven’t thought of before. It gets them interested in different areas.” Mr. Bodden and other UCCI officials seemed most excited about their new U.S. connection. Ray Jones, a physics and electrical engineering in- structor with 29 years at UCCI, has been on the cam- pus’s STEM committee since its inception. The new part- nership with Harrisburg, Mr. Jones said, “allows us to expand in all sorts of areas. We have limited re- sources. Harrisburg Univer- sity can take our students from the associate’s pro- gram and do the final pol- ishing on their academics and then [the students] come back here and contribute to Cayman society.” Dr. Bill Hrudey, director of the school’s observatory, has been instrumental in es- tablishing the STEM confer- ence. The retired physician said he stepped back this year, allowing others to carry the conference forward, and is pleased with the direction it is taking. “This partnership with Harrisburg is great,” he said. “They have resources like we’ll never have.” In his opening remarks Wednesday morning, Mr. Bodden singled out Dr. Hrudey’s contributions and called him to the stage. “This gentleman, he is the person who deserves the credit for this STEM conference,” Mr. Bodden said. “He is the father of modern STEM at the uni- versity college.” Dr. Hrudey said his efforts to foster better science pro- grams through UCCI comes from the circle of friends he had during his high school years, who were all pas- sionate about astronomy. Many of those friends, he said, went on to become suc- cessful in STEM fields. “I said, ‘When I retire, I’m going to try to recreate that atmosphere,’” he said. Part of that was to help establish the STEM conference in Cayman. This year’s partnership came from a connection with Howell Management Services, a foreign student recruiting agency in Salt Lake City. Frank Trocki, a partner in the com- pany, had worked with UCCI. When Harrisburg University President Eric Darr asked Mr. Trocki about recruiting more Caribbean students to the Pennsylvania school, Mr. Troki put him in touch with Mr. Bodden. Harrisburg, which is only 12 years old, began as a teaching university, but has established strong science programs in recent years, Mr. Darr said. “President Bodden had an interest in moving [UCCI] more in the direction of STEM,” Mr. Darr said, so it seemed like a good fit. So did getting involved in the conference. “I hope it becomes the pre- eminent STEM conference in the Caribbean,” Mr. Darr said. He and the six faculty members at the conference also see the potential for on- going collaboration in other areas for the two schools. Charles Palmer, who teaches interactive media at Harrisburg, said he and sev- eral other instructors at- tended last year’s STEM con- ference. He’s been impressed by what he’s seen. “Last year, we had a lot of good conversations with stu- dents,” Mr. Palmer said. One UCCI student, Shannon Wil- liams, is now a student at Harrisburg and “he’s been phenomenal,” he added. In addition to such stu- dents, Dr. Hrudey said Cayman offers an attractive environment for visiting pro- fessors. “I think we’re going to see a lot of them in the spring,” he said, “when it’s cold up in Pennsylvania.” UCCI’s STEM Carib Conference runs through the week. A free family fun afternoon is scheduled from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, featuring kid-oriented displays and demonstrations. INQUEST INTO CYCLIST’S DEATH OPENS SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com A coroner’s inquest into the death of Rhonda Azan, a cyclist who was struck by an oncoming ve- hicle in 2015, began on Wednesday afternoon in coroner’s court. The accident, which oc- curred on Shamrock Road, took place at 6:31 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2015. Ms. Azan was pronounced dead at the Cayman Islands Hospital 57 minutes later. The final autopsy re- port states that Ms. Azan was riding westward in the center of the east- bound lane of Sham- rock Road when she col- lided with an eastbound Ford F-250 truck. Ms. Azan, 51, suffered blunt impact trauma to her head, chest and extremities, the coroner’s court heard. Pathologist Shravana Jyoti testified Wednesday and said that in his opinion, three of the injuries sus- tained by Ms. Azan could have resulted in her death. One witness testified Wednesday that she ob- served Ms. Azan riding in the middle of the east- bound lane shortly be- fore she was struck by the oncoming vehicle. The witness said that Ms. Azan flew in the air after being struck and landed on a wall before im- pacting the ground. Two police officers and a crime scene reconstruc- tionist are expected to tes- tify Thursday morning, and Queen’s Coroner Eileen Nervik said that testimony could continue into Friday afternoon before the in- quest is concluded. FORMER POLICE EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A civilian employee with the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a charge of breach of trust. Sara Connor, 38, worked in the RCIPS finance de- partment. When she first appeared in Summary Court last year, she had been sus- pended with pay pending the outcome of the case. Connor was charged with fellow employee Siscely Solomon, 43. In September 2016, while the matter was still in the Summary Court, the Crown was advised that Solomon had left the island two days earlier. Her name remains on the indictment. The charge does not state the value of the goods ob- tained, but the prosecution earlier had indicated a sum between $5,000 and $7,000. Breach of trust is a charge that can be dealt with only in the Grand Court. On Wednesday, after Connor entered her guilty plea, Crown counsel Toyin Salako indicated that fur- ther charges of obtaining property by deception and false accounting could be left on file after Connor is sentenced. Details of the charge are that between Aug. 19, 2013 and March 31, 2016, Connor, together with Solomon, used the RCIPS credit ac- count provided by Kirk Su- permarket, to obtain goods from the store for their own private use and they failed to repay the balance of that credit facility. Justice Alastair Mal- colm allowed Connor’s bail to continue until her sen- tencing date, Jan. 18. Orane Barrett, right, discusses his company, Kool Nerd Clothing, which funnels part of its profits into inner-city tutoring programs, with Shirin Hague of The University of the West Indies. Both were attending the STEM Carib conference at the University College of the Cayman Islands, where Mr. Barrett was a keynote speaker. Students attending the STEM Carib conference at the University College of the Cayman Islands look over a display on energy sources. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 Ship owners face charge over displacement of Eden Rock coral Cargo ship’s owner and manager named as defendants in Eden Rock coral damage case CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two companies involved in the ownership of the cargo vessel Saga were named as defendants in Summary Court Tuesday in a charge relating to displacement of coral without authority at Eden Rock. Oleksandr Marchenco, Novus Shipping OU, and Risley Limited are charged that on Nov. 25, 2016, within Cayman waters in the George Town harbor, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, they “di- rectly or indirectly cut, carved, injured, displaced or broke underwater coral, plant growth or formation.” No one stood in the dock, but attorney James Austin- Smith appeared for the de- fendants. He indicated to Magistrate Valdis Foldats that he had been in discus- sion with the Crown about the matter. He asked for the matter to be brought back on Thursday, Oct. 19. No details of the charge were discussed in court and the charge does not name any vessel. However, Cayman Com- pass archives show a re- port that on the morning of Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, the cargo ship Saga damaged a coral reef in the harbor when it was leaving the dock after depositing its goods. On Dec. 4, 2016, the Com- pass carried a story that identified Risley Ltd. as the owner of the 328-foot vessel, and Novus Shipping as the company that managed it. That report quoted Scott Slaybaugh, deputy director of the Department of Envi- ronment, as saying that the ship’s owners had hired Po- laris Applied Science to survey the damage. This was the same com- pany that did the resto- ration work after Micro- soft billionaire Paul Allen’s yacht damaged a different reef in 2015. Mr. Slaybaugh said the ship owner and operators “have been very cooperative. They have been instructed to give us every consideration, and they have.” Both stories referred to the damage as being in the area of the Eden Rock dive sites. In March, Risley Ltd. filed a writ in Grand Court seeking damages for liabilities in- curred in restoring the reef. The writ claimed that the Port Authority failed in its duty to properly manage the harbor and suggested it should bear some of the costs stemming from the incident. This photograph taken in December 2016 shows some of the damage done to coral at Eden Rock by the Saga cargo ship. - PHOTO: ELIZABETH WYATT Both stories referred to the damage as being in the area of the Eden Rock dive sites. Health Services Authority short 60 staff, overtime up 300% BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority has nearly 60 vacant posi- tions which are either being covered through overtime expenses or left vacant, ac- cording to the authority’s chief executive. Most of those staff posi- tions are for clinical health- care staff, such as nurses and doctors, Health Ser- vices Authority Chief Ex- ecutive Lizzette Yearwood told the Legislative Assem- bly’s Public Accounts Com- mittee this week. Ms. Yearwood said audi- tors noted last year that the authority had a budget for 890 total staff, but only had 833 employees. “[There is] difficulty re- cruiting our professional staff,” Ms. Yearwood said. “There are some positions that have been on our books now for a couple of years; on- cologist [cancer specialist] is one that we’re just not able to attract the individual that we desire with the remuneration packages that we have.” In other areas of the hos- pital, staff members are ex- periencing a high turnover rate. Ms. Yearwood noted this is particularly true in the nursing profession. At the moment, the health authority is covering vacant nursing positions through overtime payments to fill-in staff members. The Cayman Islands Auditor General’s Of- fice noted in a 2016 finan- cial evaluation of the Health Services Authority that hos- pital system overtime pay- ments had increased 310 percent in one year between 2015 and 2016. Ms. Yearwood said the public hospital faces a dif- ferent kind of recruitment challenge with its nurses and front-line clinical staff. “With nursing staff, there’s a high turnover … in some other jurisdictions, they’re ac- tually giving citizenship pa- pers to certain professionals,” she said. “We’ve been trying to compete in that sort of environment.” Deaths or serious ill- nesses had occurred in- volving other health au- thority staff members, Ms. Yearwood said, leaving their positions unfilled. In its 2016 evaluation of the authority’s financial statements, the Auditor Gen- eral’s Office warned the hos- pital system about overreli- ance on overtime payments to cover vacant shifts. “Reliance on overtime to such an extent could have a detrimental impact on staff well-being and the quality of care,” Auditor General Sue Winspear said. Prospect MLA Austin Harris, a member of the Public Accounts Committee, noted that the auditor gen- eral’s statement is not the first time concerns have been raised about hospital staff overwork. “There have been cer- tain suggestions before this committee that … the hours worked by your staff are having a detrimental im- pact on the patients at the Health Services Authority,” Mr. Harris said. “I disagree with that” Ms. Yearwood said. “It has not come to my attention. If the staff [members] are tired, we definitely ensure that they have time in order to have some downtime. Overtime is shared amongst the staff; it’s not one or two individuals that do the bulk of it.” Nursing and other clin- ical staff work 12 hour shifts, four days on and four days off, Ms. Yearwood told the committee. She said hos- pital staff have been spoken to about the longer shifts, but they have indicated they prefer the longer time off. “We haven’t seen any dif- ference in the work,” she said. West Bay MLA Bernie Bush said that is not the response he has received in discussions with hos- pital staff. “Out of the 14 nurses I spoke to, 10 did say [the longer shifts] were a problem,” he said. “Being tired, being stressed … leads to, especially in the medical field, big mistakes. We’ve had our share of mis- takes, even as much as we try to cover [them] up, we’ve had our share of mistakes at [the] HSA.” “There are some positions that have been on our books now for a couple of years; oncologist [cancer specialist] is one that we’re just not able to attract the individual that we desire …” LIZZETTE YEARWOOD, CEO, Health Services Authority Auditors noted last year that the Health Services Authority had a budget for 890 total staff, but only had 833 employees. – 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. 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 findtheirownway” THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Quick, Cayman: Lay out the good napkins and set extra places at the table. Unexpected guests are coming – 250,000 of them. Over the next six months, our country has booked an additional 70 cruise calls, as ships are being diverted from the eastern Caribbean due to destruction wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We in the Cayman Islands derive no pleasure from the circumstances leading to the upcoming influx of visitors, and we as a country continue to send emergency personnel, workers, aid and prayers to the people picking up the pieces in our sister British Overseas Territories and other islands. We have experienced firsthand the devastation of a major storm, and we are conscious of the fact that, with seven weeks remaining in the 2017 hurricane season, we too could become the unlucky victims of a major catastrophe. Nevertheless, the arrival of additional cruise tourists, stayover visitors, conference attendees and longer-term guests (such as the hundreds of financial services workers displaced by the storms) does present an opportunity for Cayman to put on our best face (and that includes our smiles) and welcome into our country people who may never have thought about coming here before. As we related in a front-page story in Wednesday’s newspaper, public officials and businesses are already seeing the impact of the extra visitors, who are arriving at a time when Grand Cayman happens to be in a bit of a “Pardon our dust” condition, with several major construction projects under way. For example, the Owen Roberts International Airport is in the midst of an expansion/renovation/metamorphosis. The Esterley Tibbetts Highway is teeming with orange cones and unfinished lanes. A symmetrical situation is occurring on the Linford Pierson Highway, and to a somewhat more minor extent, on Crewe Road. While those enhancements and expansions are occurring, “poor old” West Bay Road is pockmarked with potholes, perhaps as a result of increased traffic from heavy construction vehicles. When it comes to renovation projects, people are usually quite understanding about the inevitable but temporary inconveniences that accompany construction. However, we should be looking proactively to “spruce up the place” wherever possible. After all, company is coming. We have recently published stories on teams of volun- teers convening to pluck garbage from beaches, to put a fresh coat of paint on a historic schoolhouse, and to clean up the roadside in West Bay. Well done. That’s the spirit! But we cannot rely on volunteers to maintain order in our public places and corridors. That is the remit of the public sector. Our government should consider diverting, targeting and/or expediting resources to ensure that Cayman is in shipshape condition to receive our expected guests. And that’s what these visitors are – our guests. Everyone in our community has a role to play as host or hostess, and that means collectively putting our best foot forward aesthetically, and also being on our best behavior as individuals. We “locals” may have our personal and petty differences, but surely we can all agree on that. Company’s coming: ‘Dressing up’ Cayman for unexpected guests The auto industry’s glamorous past and opaque future DETROIT – Bending metal, slapping on chrome and marketing an empowering product and status marker that mesmerized 20th-cen- tury America, the automo- bile industry typified the Old Economy, of which General Motors was emblematic. As was its bankruptcy. Today, GM’s CEO Mary Barra is wa- gering that the industry soon will be manufacturing New Economy products. They will incorporate technologies that will entice buyers whose sen- sibilities and expectations have been shaped by the kind of empowerment delivered by their smartphones, which ar- rived just 10 years ago. GM’s electric self-starter, which replaced hand cranks, was the last century’s most transformative innovation. It arrived in 1912. Today, Cadillac offers hands-free driving, with advanced GPS mapping. An eye-tracking camera on the steering column monitors driver alertness, and the car nags the distracted driver back to attentiveness, which makes this technological marvel less of a convenience than the self-starter. Still, Barra is at- tempting an audacious bal- ance between the demands of present consumers and radically different future de- mands. Or, more accurately, a future that governments, hos- tile to consumer sovereignty, intend to dictate. China has announced, as have Britain and France, plans to ban, at an undeter- mined date, sales of vehi- cles powered by fossil fuels in their tanks. (Electric vehi- cles will be powered mostly by fossil-fuel-generated elec- tricity.) In Shanghai in mid- September, Barra dissented: “I think it works best when, instead of mandating, con- sumers, not government dic- tates, should decide how cars are powered.” But govern- ments, and not just dicta- torships, like to dictate, and companies must accommo- date: GM sells more cars in China than in America (it sold about 1.2 million Buicks last year, about a million of them in China, where elites drove them decades before com- munism arrived), and China manufactures more cars than the United States and Japan combined. As GM promises two new electric vehicles in the next 18 months, and a total of 20 by 2023, one of Barra’s executives speaks of GM “driving increased usage and acceptance of electric ve- hicles,” but governments are at the wheel. Without sub- ventions from Washington, Tesla’s market capitalization never would have even briefly exceeded GM’s. Barra foresees a fast- unfolding future of “zero crashes” (salvation through software: auto-crash fatality rates are rising for the first time in years, and 94 per- cent of crashes are caused by human error), “zero emis- sions” (zero from tailpipes, much from smokestacks in an all-electric future) and “zero congestion” (with more ride-hailing services and car- sharing fleets, less individual car ownership and less urban land devoted to parking lots). Ford, too, is anticipating a future replete with electric, semi-autonomous, driverless and shared cars: Two years ago, it announced a $4.5 bil- lion investment in electric vehicles. But to pay for this speculation (electrics are 1 percent of U.S. car sales, de- spite tax incentives to buy what the government pre- fers), Ford is diverting $7 bil- lion from cars to vehicles for which there actually is de- mand – SUVs and trucks (its F-Series pickup has been America’s best-selling ve- hicle since 1982). The automobile industry is precariously poised be- tween a glamorous past and a future as opaque as it was when Henry Ford supposedly said that if he had begun by asking customers what they wanted they would have answered “a faster horse.” Or when the company he founded produced a car named for his son Edsel. “This is a long-lead-time business,” says Barra, as she tries to peer over the ho- rizon to develop products for a public that increasingly can work and shop without leaving home, and that de- creasingly vacations as it was exhorted to by the theme song of “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” (1956-63): “See the USA in your Chevrolet.” The torrid romance that was America’s car culture has cooled (the percentage of 12th graders with a driver’s license has declined from 88 to 73 since 1978), the sedan (Chevrolet’s Impala has been around since 1958) is an en- dangered species, and car companies are preparing for a future in which the crucial metric is not the number of vehicles sold to consumers but the number of miles trav- eled by consumers. Barra, 55, whose father was a die-maker for Pon- tiac for 39 years, remembers when auto dealers covered their showroom windows with paper to build excite- ment for the first glimpses of new models. She is banking on a more sophisticated kind of excitement for smart- cars. They will be designed for customers who in 2006 did not know that soon they would not be able to imagine living without the smart- phones that in 2006 they could not imagine. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE LETTER STAY LEFT With the growing number of dual carriageways on the island, it is becoming ever more apparent how many drivers do not know how to drive on them. The road code is clear: Drive on the left, unless you are overtaking or turning right, but this rule is largely ignored and dangerous lane- hopping is rife. In many countries, under- taking on a dual carriageway would normally lead to an immediate driving ban – here, I have seen police cars doing it. No wonder we have so many traffic accidents. John Harris Car companies are preparing for a future in which the crucial metric is not the number of vehicles sold to consumers but the number of miles traveled by consumers. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 Children’s advocate to speak at YCLA TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Organizers of the 2017 Young Caymanian Leadership Award on Tuesday announced keynote speaker Craig Kiel- burger, international charity figure and best-selling au- thor, will address the Nov. 4 ceremony on “A New Genera- tion of Leadership.” From Thornhill, Ontario, Mr. Kielburger, 37, founded his first charity at the age of 12, focused on “pro- viding youth with tools to help change the world,” ac- cording to a press release from the Young Caymanian Leaders Foundation. According to a 2005 pro- file on the University of Col- orado’s “Beyond Intracta- bility” website, Mr. Kielburger in 1995 saw a Toronto Star story about a murdered Pak- istani who had been forced at the age of 4 into bonded labor in a carpet factory, working 12 hours per day, six days per week. Escaping the sweat shop, Iqbal Masih toured the country with a human rights group, persuading child laborers to leave ex- ploitative employers and adults to demand improved working conditions. He gained a reputation for passionate advocacy, ac- cording to Beyond Intracta- bility, speaking in Sweden, the U.S. and other countries. In 1994, Mr. Masih received the Reebok Human Rights Award. At the same time, however, he began to receive death threats and, in 1995 at the age of 12, while on a visit to Pakistan, was shot to death while riding his bicycle. No arrests were made. Mr. Kielburger, who was 12 at the time, and a group of pre-teens subsequently started “Kids Can Free the Children” – later renamed “Free The Children” – which petitioned Indian Prime Min- ister Narasimha Rao to re- lease imprisoned child labor activist Kailash Satyarthi, who went on to win the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. The Canadian has at- tracted international media attention with features on “60 Minutes” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and has written 11 books, eight with his brother Marc, about his charity work. The pair have developed their original “Free the Chil- dren” effort into “WE,” a family of like-minded orga- nizations comprising “WE Charity”; “ME to WE,” a so- cial enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences to help sup- port the charity: and “WE Day,” filling stadiums to cel- ebrate social good. Me to We donates half its profits to Free the Chil- dren by selling socially con- scious products and services. Investing the other half back into the enterprise. The brothers’ 2004 book “Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World,” ex- plained their philosophy of volunteerism, service to others and social involve- ment, boasting contributions from Ms. Winfrey, Richard Gere, Jane Goodall and Desmond Tutu. Google Books says the volume “shows that the pos- itive actions we take in our everyday lives can signifi- cantly improve the world around us,” illustrating “that a more fulfilling path is available to anyone willing to work for it.” In 2008, Mr. Kielburger and his brother were presented with the Ernst & Young So- cial Entrepreneur of the Year Award for creating Me to We. According to YCLA orga- nizers, Mr. Kielburger has sat with “some of the greatest spiritual, political and so- cial leaders of our time,” in- cluding Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. Along the way, he says, he discovered a profound truth: real fulfillment starts with having the courage to reach out and help others. “It all begins when we make the shift from ‘me’ to ‘we,’” Mr. Kielburger says. In his YCLA speech, organizers say, he will expand on his “Me to We” philosophy. “The Young Caymanian Leadership Awards program supports youth who drive change and serve as leaders in their local communities,” Mr. Kielburger says. “As an organization that empowers youth to better the world, WE is honored to work with YCLA to provide young people with the tools and op- portunity to create mean- ingful impact in their com- munities and beyond.” The YCLA selection com- mittee will announce the 17th annual Young Caymanian of the Year – drawn from final- ists Alice Ramos, Faith Gealey, Matt Brown, Stacie Sybersma and Yentel McGaw – at a 6:00 Kimpton Seafire Hotel gath- ering, streamed live on Face- book, YouTube, Cayman Life TV and Logic Channel 33. Jury returns guilty verdicts in rape trial Defendant had claimed consent CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A six-member jury re- turned three verdicts on Tuesday, finding Marlon Ri- cardo Porter guilty of rape, assault causing actual bodily harm and causing inten- tional harassment, alarm and distress. Porter, 37, was remanded in custody, with Nov. 23 pro- visionally set for sentencing. The charges arose from an incident in January, 2016. The woman’s evidence was that she knew Porter from seeing him around and on that particular night she accepted a ride from him be- cause he offered to take her to a gas station to get some food. Instead of driving to the gas station, however, he took her to a secluded area she did not know and he forced her to have sex against her will. She said they were somewhere near water and he threatened to drown her. Porter, 37, gave evidence and said what happened was with the woman’s consent. He told the court that she had asked him for $50, which he agreed to give her in ex- change for sex. Afterward, he claimed, she asked for more money; a disagreement en- sued and he drove off, leaving her at the location. He said he did not know how she re- ceived her injuries nor how her clothes got damaged. Justice Alastair Malcolm summed up the case and in- structed the jury on Monday afternoon and sent the ju- rors out to begin their delib- erations. On Tuesday after- noon, when asked if they had reached verdicts on which they all agreed, the foreman said they were unanimous on the assault and harass- ment charges, but not on the rape charge. Justice Malcolm ex- plained that sufficient time had passed that he could ac- cept a verdict that was not unanimous. Because one juror had been released after the trial had started and only six remained, the judge said he could accept a 5-1 verdict. He asked them to resume their deliberations. Within minutes, the three men and three women re- turned to the courtroom and the foreman gave their guilty verdict on a vote of 5-1 for the rape charge. Defense attorney Amelia Fosuhene asked for a social inquiry report before sen- tencing. Crown prosecutor Scott Wainwright asked if the court would want a victim impact statement as well. On Wednesday, Justice Malcolm confirmed arrange- ments for sentencing, since he will be back in England after the next few weeks. Attorney Lee Halliday- Davis, Ms. Fosuhene’s col- league, advised that the de- fendant had been before the court on a previous charge, at which time a social inquiry report had been prepared that recommended psychi- atric and psychological re- ports. Those reports had not been done, so she was asking for them at this stage. The judge ordered the reports. The Nov. 23 hearing will be via video link. Craig Kielburger will be the keynote speaker at the Young Caymanian Leadership Award gala in November. “It all begins when we make the shift from ‘me’ to ‘we.’” CRAIG KIELBURGER, author, charity founder and YCLA speaker. A younger Craig Kielburger, on one of his overseas trips, talks to a child laborer who had never been to school.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, OCT. 12 COMPLIANCE WORKSHOP: Combatting money laundering and terrorism financing. 9 a.m. to noon and 1.30-4:30 p.m. Marriott Grand Cayman Resort. Ministry Chief Officer Alan Jones and participants from real estate, precious metals and stones sectors will be in attendance. This free, capacity building workshop targets Designated Non- Financial Businesses and Professionals. CLIFTON HUNTER HIGH SCHOOL PTA: All are invited to the 2017/2018 annual general meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Assembly Hall. Guest speakers are MLAs from the eastern districts. INTERIOR DESIGN WORKSHOP: Today is the revised deadline to register for the Visual Arts Society’s “Personalize Your Home” four-week Interior Design Workshop runs Oct. 12 and 19; Nov. 9 and 16. Redesign a room or plan a new home. Four-week workshop fee is $100 for members. Non- members, $125. Fee includes vision boards, use of studio, instruction by qualified interior designer. Contact info@visualartcayman.com or 546-9422. SIPPING AND PAINTING: Offered by Visual Arts Society at Le Vele Restaurant on the waterfront in George Town. 6-9:30 p.m. $35 pp includes signature cocktail, tasting of four different wines, wine glass to paint, plus basic primary colors and brushes. OLDER PERSONS MONTH: A Night with the Stars, Powered by CUC, Cayman Islands National Museum, 4 p.m. FRIDAY, OCT. 13 WYCLIFFE SOCIAL: The Wycliffe Bible Translators Cayman Team invites all to a Wycliffe Fellowship drop-in social to fellowship with Caymanian missionaries Jim and Karla Smith. Come and hear what God is doing in Asia. 5-8 p.m. Church of God Chapel on Walkers Road. Enter Faith Hall on the right and follow the welcome signs. Light refreshments will be served. VOICES FOR HOSPICE: An evening of song and dance with the theme of “Nostalgia.” Harquail Theatre (venue change.) Champagne gala tonight. Tickets are $75. Doors open 6:30 p.m. Show 7:30 p.m. Contact 945-7447 or fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky. BRAC OLDER PERSONS: Bingo Nite. Free. Aston Rutty Civic Centre, 6-9 p.m. SATURDAY, OCT. 14 CAYMAN ARTS FESTIVAL: Festival committee presents Matei Varga – piano concert. 6 p.m., at Westin Hotel Ballroom. Tickets are $50 for adults, $15 for students. Open bar first hour. Tickets available at www.caymanartsfestival.com For advance reservations email at enquiries@ caymanartsfestival.com or call 922-5550. VOICES FOR HOSPICE: An evening of song and dance with the theme of “Nostalgia.” Harquail Theatre. Tickets are $50 for reserved seating. General seating at sides and balconies, $25. Doors open 6 p.m. Show 7 p.m. Contact 945-7447 or fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky. TUESDAY, OCT. 17 SEAFARERS ASSOCIATION: All members are invited to a general meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. Special guests will be the Lions, accompanied by two doctors to speak on cancer and PSA testing. Buses will be provided from West Bay Town Hall at 6 p.m. A bus route has been added in George Town, leaving the Public library parking area at 7 p.m. stopping at Cayman Compass building and the Airport Fosters. The bus is marked Bobo $1 Public transport and is blue in color; there is no charge. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18 CONSERVATION COUNCIL MEETING: The National Conservation Council will hold a general meeting from 1 p.m. in Room 2112 of the Government Administration Building (Grand Cayman). The agenda will be posted on the DoE website www.doe.ky/natl- conservation-council/ general-meetings. This meeting is open to observers from the public. If anyone wishes to submit comments or questions to the Council in advance, they may do so via email to conservationcouncil@gov.ky. OLDER PERSONS MONTH: The Big Stage, Harquail Theater, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY, OCT. 19 OLDER PERSONS MONTH: Tea Party, Pines Retirement Home, 2-4 p.m. RSVP to Vanda Powery 916-7902. FRIDAY, OCT. 20 WOMEN’S CONVENTION: Christian Women Connection Women’s Ministry invites all ladies to the 2nd Annual Women’s Convention tonight through Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. nightly. Church of God Chapel West Bay, 388 Town Hall Road. Guest speaker will be Sally Ferguson, a retreat leader and book reviewer. For more info contact Pastor Elizabeth Bowen at 328-4117. NCVO DRESS DOWN DAY: All schools, businesses and service clubs are invited to join with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations in dressing down and dressing in green for a small donation to the charity’s 38th Annual Radio/Telethon. Each group’s representative can present the funds at the telethon on Oct. 21 at the Prospect Playhouse. To schedule a donation appearance, contact Janice Wilson on ncvo@ncvo.org.ky or 949-2124. SATURDAY, OCT. 21 BRAC CAREGIVERS: All caregivers for persons with dementia are invited to the Annual Caregivers’ Appreciation Dinner at the Seamen’s Hall on Cayman Brac starting at 7 p.m. There will be entertainment, prizes and surprises. Please call 924-4170 to RSVP. OLDER PERSONS MONTH: Circle of Love Brunch, George Town Yacht Club, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. RSVP to Vanda Powery 916-7902. NCVO RADIO/TELETHON: Prospect Playhouse, 7 p.m. to midnight. All are invited to make a pledge. Donors will be entered to win prizes. All funds raised benefit the NCVO Children’s Programs. To make a corporate donation, contact Janice Wilson on 949-2124 or ncvo@ncvo.org.ky. SMALL BUSINESS EXPO: The Cayman Islands Small Business Association invites the public to the annual Small Business Expo at UCCI Fellowship Hall. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission. Contact 946-3147 or email cisbacayman@gmail.com. SUNDAY, OCT. 22 BRAC AWARENESS: All are invited to a Praise in Purple church service in commemoration with Alzheimer’s Awareness. 11 a.m. Hillside Chapel Church on Ashton Reid Drive. Wear something purple. PINK SUNDAY: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church invites all to their Pink Sunday Service at 11 a.m. Everyone is asked to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 PIRATES WEEK FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING: The Department of Environmental Health will conduct two basic Food Handlers’ Certification Courses for Pirates Week food vendors today and tomorrow, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. All food handlers needing to update their certification before Pirates Week should register early, as there is limited space available. Cost is $15 per person and includes materials. Certification is valid for three years. To register, visit the DEH main office or contact 949-6696 or dehcustomerservice@gov.ky. GENERAL INTEREST CAYMAN CRAFT: The exhibition, REVIVE! – Celebrating contemporary and traditional craft from the Cayman Islands, is open at the National Gallery. GAMEBIRD SEASON: The Department of Environment reminds hunters that the season for white-winged doves opens on Oct. 1 and there is a 12 bird bag and possession limit. The season for blue-winged teal opened Sept. 1; there is a three bird bag and possession limit. GARBAGE COLLECTION: The Department of Environmental Health urges residents and business operators to ensure that garbage containers are accessible to sanitation crews at all times. Place garbage containers either at the front of the property or at a side that is accessible to the roadway. Receptacles must be stored in properly constructed enclosures and should not impede the flow of traffic. HURRICANE RELIEF: The Adventist Church has started a fund in aid of Hurricane Irma victims in the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. Financial contributions may be made at the local office, 209 Walkers Road, during business hours, or at the nearest Adventist Church. Donations may also be deposited at the Royal Bank of Canada, to ADRA account number 500-6234. SCHOLARSHIPS: The Chevening Secretariat is accepting applications for U.K. government scholarships to study in the U.K. in 2018/2019. Applications for Chevening Scholarships are open until Nov. 7, with applications to be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply. FIGURE DRAWING: Visual Arts Society offers drop-in workshops Tuesdays Oct. 17, 24. This is an opportunity for artists to develop their skills. Live model and easels provided plus guidance from a qualified art teacher. Drop in fee is $25 per session/$35 non-members. For more information, email info@visualartcayman.com or call 546-9422. CERAMIC OPEN STUDIO: Offered by the Visual Arts Society on Wednesdays to adults. 9 a.m. to noon at the Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. $15 per person or $25 per non-member. Clay, materials and firing facilities available. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Volunteers needed for weekly sports training. Tuesdays – Track, bocce, football. Wednesdays – Lighthouse School swimming at Lions pool. Thursdays – Basketball. Saturdays – Adult swim. Golf is starting soon if interested. Contact Darrel Rankine, national director at soci@candw.ky or 916-2600. CANDLE MAKING: Visual Arts Society offers this workshop at the National Trust Club House on Sundays 3 – 4:30 p.m. Fee of $45 per member or $55 per non-member includes materials for two candles. Parasol painting workshops, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Same fee, includes one parasol. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. TOBACCO LICENCES: Tobacco license holders are reminded of the 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, deadline to apply for their annual license renewals. Annual registration renewal fees are $500 for a retailer, $750 for a cigar bar and $5,000 for a wholesale distributor. LEADERSHIP CAYMAN: The Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for the 2018 program. Improve your leadership skills by applying today. Deadline is Oct. 27. Call 743-9121 for further information or visit www.caymanchamber.ky/ leadershipcayman. HUMANE SOCIETY THRIFT SHOP: The shop has moved to Plaza Venezia, next to China Village. The thrift shop is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed on Sunday and Monday. Phone 945-5596. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Visual Arts Society is hosting a ‘Sipping and Painting’ event on Thursday, Oct. 12, at Le Vele Restaurant in George Town, where participants are invited to paint wine glasses.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 Cayman’s leaders pray for guidance Cayman Islands leaders took time out from the business of running the country Wednesday to join hands in prayer. Legislators past and present, civil service chiefs and invited guests filled the ballroom of the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa for the annual prayer breakfast. House Speaker McKeeva Bush, who helped the orga- nize the event and was one of the founders of the National Parliamentary Prayer Break- fast more than two decades ago, said it was an important opportunity to put political differences aside. “It is about praying for our community and having fellowship at the highest na- tional level,” he said. Premier Alden McLaughlin gave a brief speech, offering prayers, as well as practical support for Cayman’s re- gional neighbors impacted by two recent hurricanes. He said, “We have so much to be thankful for in this country and it is right and proper that we should pause amid all of the business of our lives to give God thanks and to pray for continued guidance.” Deputy Governor Franz Manderson joked that the event had become more expensive as more guests were added. He said, “I know the pre- mier and his government will agree that here is no better way to spend public funds than to come here, join hands and serve the Lord.” Premier Alden McLaughlin speaks before a large crowd at the Kimpton on Wednesday for the annual prayer breakfast. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Cayman’s leaders, including Premier Alden McLaughlin, second from left, attend Wednesday’s prayer breakfast. Solar usage could force CUC to accelerate new billing scheme TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Caribbean Utilities Com- pany’s new demand billing scheme could be offset by private solar installations, forcing the utility to move consumers instantly to its new rate structure to pre- vent damaging the com- pany though “demand destruction.” Announced on Monday, CUC’s new demand billing scheme seeks to shift power consumption to off-peak hours in an effort to spread loading and minimize com- pany investment in new – and expensive – infra- structure, including genera- tors, transformers, substa- tions, and transmission and distribution grids, to meet to peak demand. For example, in June 2016 CUC commissioned two new diesel generators, costing $85 million, designed to serve for 25 years. According to Monday’s statement from the utili- ty’s Customer Service Team, the three-year plan – to be phased in starting in Jan- uary – applies only to CUC’s 129 largest commercial cus- tomers, those consuming more than 38,800 kilowatt hours per month for three consecutive months. Among such clients are The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and Foster’s Food Fair, each of which consumes more than the prescribed monthly rate. Demand billing also means, however, that monthly invoices will be pegged to the highest 15-minute average consump- tion of electricity recorded within a given month. The calculations are made pos- sible by CUC’s 28,000 new “smart meters,” installed in all customer premises during August last year, making demand billing pos- sible by tracking hours of consumption. Seeking to offset peak consumption, however, and shift demand, customers may invest in rooftop solar- generation systems – called “distributed generation” – and employ battery storage to smooth out irregulari- ties caused by cloud cover and darkness. Louis Boucher, deputy ex- ecutive director for energy and utilities at the Utility Regulation and Competition Office, said demand billing was intended to be “revenue neutral,” leaving CUC coffers unaffected, but warned the plan could be threatened if “large commercial users de- cide to implement distributed energy resources (DERs), and if they are successful in con- tinuously shifting their peak demand to off-peak times, this could be damaging to CUC and could create what is referred to in the industry as “demand destruction.” If large commercial cli- ents build sufficiently large private solar-power systems, they could force CUC to shift clients immediately to 100 percent demand billing, skip- ping the three-year program phasing in the new system. However,” Mr. Boucher said, “with weeks like last week where there was signifi- cant cloud cover throughout the week, it may prove to be difficult to operate continu- ously with intermittent dis- tributed energy resources, such as wind or solar, even with backup battery storage. “Note that large com- mercial customers wishing to employ DERs (outside of CUC’s Consumer Owned Re- newable Energy Program) will be shifted to 100 per- cent demand rates, there will be no phased-in approach for these customers.” The CUC plan calls for “an incremental” shift in billing amounts allo- cated to actual energy con- sumption and peak-hour demand charges. The CUC statement ex- plained “the peak demand imposed on the system by consumers drives the amount and size of fixed assets in place, and therefore the level of demand charges. “Demand rates will … en- courage peak-demand man- agement whereby customers focus on using less energy during peak hours by con- serving or by moving energy use to off-peak times such as nighttime and weekends.” In “year one,” the state- ment said, “the energy charge on bills that currently in- clude 100 percent of demand charges will have 33 percent of the demand charges re- moved and allocated to the separate demand charge.” In “year two,” the propor- tion will rise to 66 percent, followed by 100 percent in “year three.” While “there are no plans at this time” to introduce de- mand rates for residential customers,” Mr. Boucher said, “for private customer wishing to install DERs (outside of CORE), they will be trans- ferred to 100 percent de- mand rates once they do so, similarly to large commer- cial customers.” As of June 30, CUC had 24,531 private customers and 4,272 commercial clients. Consumption patterns in- dicate a more complex story, however, as the larger resi- dential group – almost eight times the size of the com- mercial sector – used 149 million kilowatts in the first six months of 2017, while the smaller group used nearly 145 million. Average consumption per residential customer was 969 kWh during the first half of 2017, offset, how- ever by commercial con- sumption of 58,101 kWh in the same period. At present, CUC has a ca- pacity of 161 megawatts, meeting a peak demand of 104.8 megawatts, registered in early June. CUC intends to implement their new billing plan at the start of 2018, but initially limit it to the company’s 135 ‘large commercial customers.’The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS she said. The Dart bid team also includes: ■■ Island Recycling, partnered with the Guernsey Recycling Group, for the recycling elements of the project ■■ Danish company Bur- meister & Wain Scan- dinavian Contractor to build the waste- to-energy facility ■■ U.S.-based Cam- bridge Project Devel- opment for the new lined landfill site ■■ International consul- tancy firm GHD to handle environmental and design issues. The final negotiations are expected to take several months to complete. Plan- ning applications and an environmental impact as- sessment will take place in the interim, with construc- tion on new facilities likely to commence next summer. The new system is expected to be opera- tional by 2021. Cameron Graham, pres- ident of DECCO, said the company had brought to- gether an experienced con- sortium and was looking forward to getting to work. “Finding a sustainable alternative to the existing landfill is a matter of na- tional importance and we are pleased to be part of the solution,” he said. He added that it was im- portant for Dart, its neigh- bors and for the community as a whole that the landfill issue was dealt with. Martin Edelenbos, en- gineering coordinator of waste management for Dart, said the new land- fill would have nothing like the footprint or envi- ronmental impact of the current site. “All of the other facili- ties, including waste-to- energy, are really waste re- duction facilities,” he said. “The things that need dis- posal are whatever is not combustible and can’t run through waste-to-energy, can’t be recycled, and then the bypass materials that are scrubbed from emis- sions from the waste-to- energy facility. You still need some landfill but we are looking at 5 per- cent of what is being land- filled today.” He said dealing with waste in a modern way on all three islands was a big step forward. “It is of national im- portance, not just here in Grand Cayman, the Sister Islands as well,” he said. “Those sites are unsus- tainable. We have to start dealing with waste prop- erly. In Grand Cayman, you see it building up in size; it’s an unlined site. Con- tinuing to use that type of technology is not accept- able in this day and age.” Precisely what will happen to the current George Town landfill re- mains to be determined, but it will involve grassing over the open mounds of trash and potentially cre- ating a public park. for doctors, but this survey will find out, for example, what a general practitioner makes compared to a spe- cialist, she added. The last time a study nearly this comprehensive was conducted was in 2005, when data was collected from all private sector em- ployers. This survey is even more ambitious, also col- lecting public sector wage information. In order to ac- complish this and carry out its day-to-day activities, gov- ernment has provided extra workers for the Economics and Statistics Office to dis- tribute surveys and process the data, said Ms. Zingapan. The Statistics Law re- quires all employers to par- ticipate under the threat of fines or even imprisonment. However, Ms. Zingapan said her department has never had to impose penalties for non-compliance in the past, and she does not expect to have to in the future. Businesses’ primary con- cern is data confidentiality, which will be ensured, she said.The survey will not identify the employer’s or employee’s names. None of the statistical data collected will be made public, which would result in the identifi- cation of an individual or or- ganization, and the details cannot be disclosed using the Freedom of Information Law, she said. In a press release, Premier Alden McLaughlin urged the territory to participate in the survey. “It is critical that the country generates reliable and internationally compa- rable labour market infor- mation, which can be useful for decision-making by gov- ernment, employers and em- ployees,” he stated. “The com- prehensive data collected will help to inform policy and leg- islation in the Cayman Is- lands, improve availability of quality labor market in- formation and provide a cur- rent look into the compensa- tion landscape for the area and industry.” As long as data confidentiality is ensured, the business community will likely be willing to par- ticipate in the exercise, said Cayman Chamber of Com- merce CEO Wil Pineau. “It’s another thing to do, but at the end of the day, it’s going to lead to more useful data for govern- ment,” he said. The Economics and Sta- tistics Office stated that em- ployers will receive forms by Oct. 20, and will have until Dec. 29 to complete them. “ESO officers will be ready to assist employers in com- pleting the forms upon re- quest,” the department stated in a press release. White House requests $5B to ease Puerto Rico fiscal crisis WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House on Tuesday asked Congress for $5 bil- lion to ease a fiscal crisis striking the government of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico’s central gov- ernment and various mu- nicipalities and other local governments are suffering unsustainable cash shortfalls as Maria has choked off rev- enues and strained resources. The administration’s request, so far delivered informally, would provide $4.9 billion for Puerto Rico and its local jurisdictions. The White House also re- quested $150 million to help Puerto Rico with the 10 per- cent match required for Fed- eral Emergency Management Agency disaster relief. A senior administration official confirmed the request, requiring anonymity because it is not yet official. The of- ficial stressed that jurisdic- tions other than Puerto Rico are eligible, but acknowl- edged the cash-strapped ter- ritory is sure to receive the bulk of the money. On Saturday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello sent a letter to lawmakers asking for $500 million for the com- munity disaster loan pro- gram, which is designed to help local governments deal with tax revenue shortfalls caused by disasters. He re- quested almost $4 billion in other aid. “In addition to the imme- diate humanitarian crisis, Puerto Rico is on the brink of a massive liquidity crisis that will intensify in the imme- diate future,” Rossello wrote. Hours after the request, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled a $36.5 billion emergency spending bill that merged Tuesday’s re- quest with a proposal that the White House sent to Capitol Hill last week to re- plenish disaster funds and ease a cash crunch in the fed- eral flood insurance program. A Thursday vote is expected. “These funds are urgently needed to get resources to families and communi- ties that are still suffering. This legislation will con- tinue immediate relief ef- forts, and help jump-start the rebuilding process,” said Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Freling- huysen, R-N.J. Puerto Rico was already suffering from a lengthy re- cession and its government was beset with fiscal strug- gles to begin with. A finan- cial control board is over- seeing its debt problems and austerity plans. The administration asked for $29 billion last week for FEMA disaster relief efforts and to pay federal flood insur- ance claims. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said a vote is likely this week. Mandatory survey seeks information on wages CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Dart chosen to build new waste management facility Cayman linesmen head to BVI Seven employees of the Caribbean Utilities Company traveled to the British Virgin Islands Monday to assist with the territory’s power restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Theemployees, who are in CUC’s transmission and distribution operations de- partment, will spend about three weeks in the BVI, ac- cording to a press release from the company. They were selected because they have pole-climbing ex- perience, which is necessary when dealing with a shortage of vehicles and equipment due to the Category 5 storm, CUC stated. Robert Whorms, man- ager of CUC’s transmission and distribution operations, said the company is happy to lend a helping hand to hur- ricane victims. “We know firsthand the devastation caused by Hurri- cane Ivan in 2004 and the ur- gent need for assistance to re- store electricity for the health and rebuilding of the nation,” he said. “We are thankful that we are able to provide sup- port in the aftermath of the recent hurricanes. The Cayman team, led by Geraude (Jerry) Holness, supervisor of line services, consists of Jessie Bodden, Ricardo Heron, Miguel Gold- bourne, Alvin Shol, Evan Casey and Michael Pompa- Clarke. The BVI government has said that it hopes to re- store power throughout the territory by mid-December at an estimated cost of US$48 million. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A group of CUC employees left Cayman for the British Virgin Islands on Monday to help with power restoration efforts there. A resident spends the afternoon sitting on a chair next to the remains of a house destroyed by Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2017 At least 17 dead, 3,500 buildings destroyed in California wildfires UK finance chief: Worst-case Brexit could ground all flights LONDON (AP) – A worst- case Brexit scenario could see all air traffic between the U.K. and the European Union grounded the day after Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019, Britain’s finance min- ister said Wednesday. Philip Hammond said he considers that outcome highly unlikely, but he said there must be rapid progress on di- vorce negotiations to stop un- certainty acting as a damp- ener on the British economy. Leaving the EU means un- tangling four decades of laws, regulations and agreements covering everything from food standards to aviation. Hammond said it’s con- ceivable “there will be no air traffic between the U.K. and the European Union on the 30th of March 2019, but I don’t seriously think any- body believes that is where we will get to.” He said uncertainty about Brexit is weighing on the economy, and “we need to re- move it as soon as possible by making progress” in talks with Brussels. Hammond said there was a “need for speed” from the 27 other EU nations. “We are being affected by uncertainty around the ne- gotiating process we are en- gaged in at the moment,” Hammond said. “There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that businesses and con- sumers are waiting to see what the outcome is, or at least what the direction of travel is, before firming up investment decisions and consumption decisions.” Hammond was answering questions from lawmakers, a day after the International Monetary Fund downgraded its forecast of U.K. economic growth to 1.7 percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2018. Britain was the only major economy not to have its fore- cast raised by the IMF. A fifth round of negotia- tions is being held this week, with talks bogged down in details of the divorce settle- ment, including the amount of money Britain owes the bloc. Hammond said the gov- ernment is “planning for all scenarios including a no- deal scenario” in which di- vorce talks end without a deal on trade, security and other relations. “At the moment, although of course we hope for a dif- ferent outcome, we cannot be certain of that different out- come,” he said. But he said he was not committing large sums to set up infrastructure such as truck parks and Eng- lish Channel ports, as some Brexit-backing lawmakers have demanded. He said “every pound we spend on contingent prepa- rations for a hard customs border is a pound we can’t spend on [healthcare], so- cial care, education, or def- icit reduction.” SANTA ROSA, Calif. – A se- ries of historically deadly Northern California wild- fires regained momentum Wednesday as winds whipped back up, pushing blazes through parched hills and vineyards and prompting more evacuations from an arc of flames that has killed at least 17 people, destroyed more than 3,500 homes and businesses and battered the region’s renowned wine- growing industry. Officials ordered a fresh round of mandatory evacu- ations in flame-battered So- noma County, where one of the blazes, known as the Tubbs Fire, has killed 11 people. The massive fire, one of several that has been rav- aging the region since Sunday, advanced overnight toward populated areas, prompting the additional evacuations, Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff Brandon Jones said. Higher winds could hamper efforts to contain the fires over the next few days, fire officials said. Tubbs is already Califor- nia’s deadliest wildfire since 2003, when 15 people were killed in the Cedar Fire in San Diego County. With more than 180 people still reported missing in Sonoma County, authorities expect the death toll to rise. “This has been one of the deadliest weeks for fires that we’ve experienced in recent time,” Daniel Berlant, assis- tant deputy director for Cal Fire, said Wednesday. “And a lot of that has to do with the fact that the fires ignited overnight. Many people were asleep when the fire started. Getting them evacuated was an extreme challenge for rescue crews.” The two biggest wine- country fires, Tubbs and one known as Atlas that began in Napa County, grew over- night as conditions wors- ened and had torched a combined 54,000 acres by Wednesday morning, ac- cording to Cal Fire. The fast-moving flames have swept through densely populated neighborhoods over the past two days, causing residents to flee from homes in the middle of the night as smoke filled their rooms. One couple had to jump into their pool as flames rushed across their land, taking occasional gasps for air as flames lapped at their backs. High winds that whipped up 17 large fires had faded earlier Tuesday and humidity increased, assisting an opera- tion that has drawn resources from throughout the state and neighboring Nevada. But officials warned that the sharp northern wind, known as a Diablo, would return, al- lowing only a brief window for firefighters to carve clear- ings in place to stop the fires from spreading to vulnerable populated areas. That wind returned Tuesday night, along with lower humidity levels. The National Weather Service expects these “red- flag” conditions – including wind gusts up to 40 mph – to remain until Thursday in the North Bay Area, which includes Sonoma and Napa counties. On Wednesday morning, as weary firefighters attempted to control the fires on the front lines, dozens of fire crews from cities as far away as Bakers- field, more than 300 miles to the south, were briefed on the deteriorating conditions at a command center set up at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. More than 25,000 people have fled homes from seven counties north of San Fran- cisco, filling dozens of shel- ters that state officials had hoped to consolidate in the coming days to provide more- efficient services. Many left houses with nothing, and of- ficials acknowledged Tuesday that it could be weeks before some are able to return to what is left. “These fires came down into neighborhoods before anyone knew there was a fire in many cases,” Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said during an afternoon news conference. “This is just pure devasta- tion and it’s going to take us a while to get out and comb through all of this.” The scope of the damage prompted President Donald Trump on Tuesday to ap- prove federal emergency assistance to California, agreeing to a request made by Gov. Jerry Brown. The fires are the most de- structive in what already has been a severe wildfire season for California and much of the West, where more than 8 million acres have been charred this year. In his letter to Trump, Brown said that nearly 7,500 fires have flared in California this year. Ten of them have prompted him to declare a state of emergency. The cause of the fires, which flared overnight Sunday and blew swiftly through more than 120,000 acres in the following days, was unknown and likely to remain so for some time. Pimlott said the possi- bility that a lightning strike started the fires was “min- imal.” In California, he said, 95 percent of wildfires are started by people, inadver- tently or intentionally. “All of these fires remain under in- vestigation,” he said. © 2017, The Washington Post One couple had to jump into their pool as flames rushed across their land, taking occasional gasps for air as flames lapped at their backs. Leaving the EU means untangling four decades of laws, regulations and agreements covering everything from food standards to aviation. Flames, fed by a gas line, burn in the debris of a fire-ravaged home, Tuesday, in Napa, California. – PHOTO: AP Britain asks Trump to retain Iran deal Britain has urged the United States to extend the Iran nuclear deal, with Prime Minister Theresa May saying it is ‘vitally important for regional security.’ Trump has threatened to scrap the agreement, calling it the ‘worst deal ever.’Next >