ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 High of 91 Low of 80 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ‘CATFIGHT’ ON THE SISTER ISLANDS SECTION | PAGE 3 BILL HRUDEY, RENOWNED SOLAR ASTRONOMER, DIES AT 76 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY Traffic accidents double over two years MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com It’s those short sections of road that will get you. Fortunately, they are not likely to kill you. A review of data provided by the Cayman Islands Royal Police Service shows that in the past three years, reported accidents in the is- lands have more than doubled. The data also show some of the island’s minor roads are the most prone for accidents. The worst culprit? Godfrey-Nixon Way. The .19-mile section of blacktop between the Butterfield Roundabout and Eastern Av- enue had the highest density of accidents. In 2017, 58 accidents were reported on the road, 67 if you count the accidents that took place at its intersection with Butterfield Round- about. That works out to 353 accidents per mile of road per year for the highly traveled street. None of the accidents resulted in a se- rious injury, according to the reports. It has also become much more accident prone, with the number of accidents reported on the road increasing 346 percent between 2015 and 2017. No other road comes close. Eastern Avenue, into which Godfrey Nixon Way feeds, had a rate of 125 accidents per mile for the same period – 109 accidents over its .54-mile length. Accidents on the road were up 203 percent in the three-year period. Overall, the number of reported accidents in Cayman jumped 114 percent from 2015 to 2017. Police officials said nothing has changed in the way they are recording traffic acci- dents. They did not have a clear explanation for the increase, but suggested more cars on the road combined with construction projects might play a part. Hugh Dickson, 54, said that figure does not surprise him. In the 11 years he has lived in Cayman, he said, “the standard of behavior has gotten much worse.” Mr. Dickson’s home country is Tanzania. BUSINESS LEADERS OUTRAGED OVER CONSUMER PROTECTION PLAN BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Claiming it would increase customer costs, add legal risks for operating almost any busi- ness and even create a “nanny state” in the Cayman Islands, local business leaders railed against dozens of provisions contained in the government’s draft Consumer Protection Bill during a Thursday afternoon meeting at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters. Although the idea has been under discus- sion for the last decade, the draft legislation released last October is Cayman’s first at- tempt to put pen to paper on a proposal that sets out a consumer’s “bill of rights” and that seeks methods of redress for unfair or unscru- pulous business practices. A public comment period on the draft law is in place through March 1. Many of Cayman’s business leaders saw the legislation for the first time Thursday and most of them did not have good things to say about it. “This [proposal] is not a friend … in terms of lowering costs of doing business in Cayman,” said Foster’s Food Fair IGA Man- aging Director Woody Foster. “It’s clear to me that whoever drafted this has never run a business,” said Health City Cayman Islands developer Gene Thompson. “It’s very anti-Caymanian, and very anti-busi- ness. There’s the underlying assumption in this bill that every one of us is dishonest. We’re trying to fix a problem that does not exist.” “This is definitely adding costs … and it’s definitely adding huge risks,” said Cayman Turtle Centre Managing Director Tim Adam. “It’s going to mean either unavailability of Marriage rules block Cayman cruise ship registrations BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Changes to the Cayman Is- lands Gambling Law made two years ago to encourage cruise ships to register here, in the same way yachts or merchant marine ships do, have not ac- complished their stated purpose. “[Cruise ship registrations] are a market that we can’t enter because Cayman legislation doesn’t allow one simple thing,” Maritime Authority Chief Execu- tive Officer Joel Walton told the Legislative Assembly’s Public Ac- counts Committee Friday. “We fixed the Gambling Law, but we haven’t been able to fix the Mar- riage Law yet.” While the authority would like to get into the business of registering cruise ships as well, Mr. Walton told the Cayman Compass Friday that cruise lines will not do it if they cannot host weddings on board the ship – a popular offering for cruise customers. Mr. Walton told committee members that while the Mari- time Authority earns most of its money from regulatory in- spections of Cayman-registered Fleet review honors outgoing governor The Cayman Islands bid farewell Saturday to Governor Helen Kilpatrick, who will complete her tenure as governor next month. In true island style, Cayman’s community paraded its vessels along the shore of Seven Mile Beach, starting at Public Beach and ending in front of the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort. The fleet review was a first for the islands. Ms. Kilpatrick, who took up the post of governor in September 2013, waved at onlookers from the deck of a 56-foot catamaran. - PHOTO: PAMELA WEBSTER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 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. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) GAME NIGHT (R) 12:35 I 4:05 I 7:00 I 9:55 ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ (PG13) 12:50 I 4:00 I 6:30 I 10:00 THE 15:17 TO PARIS (PG13) 4:50 I 10:05 FIFTY SHADES FREED (R) 1:10 I 7:15 WINCHESTER (PG13) 1:40 I 3:45 I 7:30 I 9:30 BLACK PANTHER (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 3:00 I 3:50 VIP I 7:00 VIP 9:15 I 10:00 VIP JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 2:00 I 7:10 Students get opportunities at Careers Expo JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Chamber of Com- merce Careers Expo bustled with hundreds of univer- sity students gathering in- formation on job opportu- nities Friday. Moving from booth to booth, students heard about a myriad of opportunities, ranging from construction, to electricity, hospitality, finance and continuing education. The annual Careers Expo, developed by the Chamber and hosted by University Col- lege of the Cayman Islands is a one-day event for all stu- dents and adults to meet with businesses and higher education representatives to seek out internships, scholar- ships and employment. “I had a good time. I saw a lot of companies that of- fered what I was looking for. Now I feel like I have a bigger opportunity to achieve what I want to be when I grow up” said Kayana Ebanks, a UCCI student. “Everything the compa- nies did was spot on. Dart drew my attention because I want to be in HR, and when I talked to the people involved with Dart, they were very nice and accommodating … I like to see that in employees when they are talking to people,” Ms. Ebanks said. Sarah Goring, an HR gen- eralist at Conyers Dill & Pearman said it was fun telling the students about what the firm does. “We shared with students the different opportunities that were available in terms of scholarships, internships and article clerk opportuni- ties … if they were interested in a career, we had a fun way for them to leave contact information.” They wanted to talk to the seasoned profes- sionals as well. “Everybody is at some level. They may be going back to school or changing ca- reers. We are here to share information, talk to people and hear what they had to say,” she said. Alex Richards, another university student, was im- pressed with the diversity of businesses and companies on display at the expo. “I found a lot of good things at the Careers Expo. I went to a contractor’s booth and saw a picture of a beau- tiful building built by many workers,” he said. 911 rep- resentatives got students thinking about a career in emergency response. “There are three 911 op- erators manning the sta- tions at the 911 call center at all times,” said Alan Cam- eron Bush, a 911 super- vising operator. “I haven’t had much kids today, but some wanted to find out what were the most bizarre calls we take. It ranges from people trying to order pizza … some things you would never believe what people call about.” Mr. Bush said they enjoyed the questions because they could also educate the public. “A lot of people are not aware of the functions of 911. They still have the percep- tion that we are just there to take calls. We do a lot more,” he said, adding they monitor CCTV, prepare public presen- tations and an entire range of other things. He also said a lot of young people shy away from 911 employment, thinking they are police jobs. Hannah Reid, corporate communications operator for the Water Authority, got stu- dents involved in their Insta- gram page so they could learn more about their summer internship and scholar- ship programs. Careen Craig, a technol- ogist at CUC, said some of the kids asked about intern- ship programs. “We have internship pro- grams in all the departments, from fleet, mechanic work, to working in the plant, design and engineering.” She also said CUC takes in about 15 to 20 students during the summer and the program is very competitive. She encourages students to fill out applications forms and submit them early. Maples and Calder grabbed the students’ interest with a game called “heads up.” The game involved guessing words the students were not familiar with about Maples. “It was good opportunity to explain some key parts of the company students were not aware of,” said Melody Martin, assistant HR manager at Maples. She said it was an effective way to get them thinking about the things that Maples offer, such as employment, office locations and different department opportunities. Recruitment agency Baraud’s CEO Hilary Ca- hill talked to the students about potential internships through the Chamber of Commerce program, inter- view skills, scholarships and career choices. “We have some brilliant students and it has been fantastic talking to the stu- dents,” she said Foster’s Food Fair Human Resource Administrator Jaymie Connolly talked about the key steps of success, such as having a positive attitude, strong work ethic, discipline and punctuality. Water Authority’s Hannah Reid links kids up with the authority’s Instagram account. - PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVY JURY DUTY Grand Court jurors in the January session are advised the report date of Monday, Feb. 26, has been changed. They are now to report for jury duty on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 9:45 a.m. For more information, call the jury line at 244- 3899 or email jury@judicial.ky Report: Prospect Primary makes satisfactory progress MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A new assessment re- port says Prospect Primary School has made satisfac- tory or good progress on the recommendations it was given as part of a school in- spection during the 2014/15 academic year. The Office of Education Standards issued a report on Wednesday as part of an ongoing series of assess- ments of all public primary schools. The assessments are expected to be completed before the beginning of the next school year. Reports on Bodden Town and Savannah primary schools were pub- lished in January. Evaluators gave the school a rating of good in addressing the issues of reviewing the quality of teaching and in increasing the pace of lessons in order to cover more material. The school received a satisfactory rating on three other con- cerns: marking work so stu- dents know what to do to improve; meeting student’s individual needs in lesson plans; and stressing funda- mentals in teaching math. Perhaps the area indi- cated as needing the most improvement was in helping more students succeed at a higher level. “Standards in reading and writing had improved since 2016/17,” the report said, “but remained broadly in line with the international average and curriculum expectations. As- sessment data indicated that more were capable of achieving at the highest level and the school needed to de- velop further programmes of intervention, at an earlier stage, to help all students meet their potential.” Surveys of parents, stu- dents and faculty were largely positive. Eighty percent of parents said they were satisfied with the school’s quality of edu- cation. Staff members gave the school a perfect score on that account. Much like Bodden Town and Savannah, the most neg- ative responses were given for questions regarding parent/teacher meetings and students with special needs. Just 62 percent of staff said parent/teacher meetings were useful. And the numbers were closely split on whether special needs students were given adequate support, with 46 percent saying yes, while 38 percent said no. When that question was put to par- ents, the respective split was 40 percent to 13 percent, with 47 percent saying they did not know. The full survey can be found online at www.pocs. gov.ky. Click on the “Publica- tions” link under the heading “Freedom of Information,” then click on the “Office of Education Standards” link. Students get information and sample cupcakes from the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa. Pinnacle Media’s Karla Whittaker, left, and Jennifer Hemmingsen, right, hand out the day’s editon of the Cayman Compass to students.3 OBITUARY CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K A excellent drafts Final letter sized.pdf 2 02/10/2015 11:57 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K A excellent drafts Final letter sized.pdf 2 02/10/2015 11:57 ...IN THE CARIBBEAN Rated A (Excellent) at A.M. Best Company Anguilla • Antigua & Barbuda • Ascension Island • Barbados • Cayman Islands • Dominica • Falkland Islands • Grenada • Montserrat • St. Kitts & Nevis • St. Lucia • St. Maarten • St. Vincent & The Grenadines • The British Virgin Islands • Turks & Caicos #203 Alissta Towers, 85 North Sound Road, Grand Cayman KY1-1109. T: +1 (345) 949-9744 E: Aleisha.Lalor@caribbeanalliance.com www.caribbeanalliance.com Our customers enjoy extensive coverage and competitive premiums on every personal and commercial insurance product. Home • Contents • Motor • Liability • Business • Marine ...IN THE CARIBBEAN Rated A (Excellent) at A.M. Best Company Anguilla • Antigua & Barbuda • Ascension Island • Barbados • Cayman Islands • Dominica • Falkland Islands • Grenada • Montserrat • St. Kitts & Nevis • St. Lucia • St. Maarten • St. Vincent & The Grenadines • The British Virgin Islands • Turks & Caicos #203 Alissta Towers, 85 North Sound Road, Grand Cayman KY1-1109. T: +1 (345) 949-9744 E: Aleisha.Lalor@caribbeanalliance.com www.caribbeanalliance.com Our customers enjoy extensive coverage and competitive premiums on every personal and commercial insurance product. Home • Contents • Motor • Liability • Business • Marine Bill Hrudey, Cayman’s renowned solar astronomer, dies at 76 Dr. Hrudey leaves a legacy of advocacy, education and innovation KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands has lost one of its greatest and most dedicated advocates for the sciences. An astron- omer, builder, surgeon and vi- sionary, Dr. Bill Hrudey, 76, died Thursday evening, fol- lowing a brief, incapacitating battle with cancer. The news of his loss pro- duced an outpouring of con- dolences from Cayman’s com- munity, where Dr. Hrudey lived and worked for 21 years as a champion and friend of science. As a renowned solar as- tronomer, he spearheaded ef- forts to fund and establish the University College of the Cayman Islands observatory that bears his name. UCCI President Roy Bodden described his first meeting with Dr. Hrudey as a critical moment for ad- vancing the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the islands. At a 2009 meeting for Rotary Club, of which Dr. Hrudey was a member, the scientist fielded the idea of donating a hand- built, 12.5-inch, Newtonian telescope to UCCI. That sug- gestion would mark the first step toward establishing the Dr. Wm. Hrudey Observatory. “Dr. Hrudey was a genius and he was driven. He was very understanding and he was very great with the stu- dents. He was amiable, person- able and he had a vision. And it so happened that our visions were compatible. That’s why we were such a great partner- ship,” Mr. Bodden said. “On a personal note, I would like to say that Dr. Hrudey was a source of in- spiration to my presidency. He was an adviser. He was a friend of the University Col- lege. We were friends to the point that he visited me and I visited him. When there were challenges, he was the first to rally around me and to help me sort those challenges out.” The university college ex- tended its condolences to Dr. Hrudey’s wife, Gigi, and to his close friends. UCCI is or- ganizing a memorial in his honor. The details are expected to be released later this week. Dr. Hrudey was often the first to open his wallet for fun- draising efforts, Mr. Bodden said, and through his contact network across the Caribbean, he was able to bring together academics and science advo- cates to build new programs, including the international STEM Carib Conference. Dr. Hrudey moved to Cayman in 1997 from Canada, where he had a successful medical career as a surgeon. He was a graduate of the Uni- versity of Alberta. Even as he battled with ill- ness, Dr. Hrudey continued his hands-on approach to pro- moting the sciences. A builder of several world-class tele- scopes, he had planned to un- veil yet another this year. The telescope was designed to take high-resolution images of the sun and would have been the second-largest of its kind in the world. In January, when Dr. Hrudey was named a Member of the British Empire, he said all that was lacking was an up- grade to the telescope’s coding. The telescope was a larger version of one he had devel- oped, and it reflected his dedi- cation to excellence. “I wasn’t happy, I wanted more. It’s like when you have a yacht and want it to be two feet longer,” he said in January. Fellow Cayman Islands Astronomical Society member Richard McLeod described Dr. Hrudey’s passing as “a tre- mendous loss from the point of view of advancing science because he was the big push behind things.” Dr. Hrudey was planning an astronomy conference for May. While the status of the conference is now up in the air, Mr. McLeod said the society will work to move forward with the event in his honor. When longtime friend Lance Parthé learned of Dr. Hrudey’s illness, he dropped his commitments and came to the astronomer’s side, as- sisting him with doctor’s visits and care in his final days. “Bill was probably the most intelligent person I’ve ever met. We would spend countless hours in the back of the house designing things, talking about life, philosophy, politics. He was a brilliant man and he built all kinds of things,” Mr. Parthé said. In addition to building Cay- man’s observatory, Dr. Hrudey also used his master wood- working and metalworking skills for a number of other projects, including a model of the Goldfield schooner on display at the Cayman Turtle Centre and a computerized numerical control machine. “Everything he touched seemed to grow into some- thing bigger,” Mr. Parthé said. He described Dr. Hrudey as a Carl Sagan figure for his brilliance and his in- quisitive nature. “One thing Bill always said, he didn’t want to believe in things, he wanted to know things,” Mr. Parthé said. “If there was someone comparable to Carl Sagan in my mind, it was Dr. Bill Hrudey. He always wanted to know what the unknown was.” Friend and former presi- dent of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society Chris Cooke expressed deep sadness over the loss. “I first met Bill when he was starting a project to build an observatory for a mon- ster telescope he was already building. Bill without a doubt always thought big and had a doggedness and determination to finish all of the many proj- ects and conferences lined up in his mind,” Mr. Cooke said. “What impressed me most was that all of those projects had the end goal to promote science in the local commu- nity, whether it was schools, the UCCI or the success of the Science Fair. “He demanded the most from his many friends and supporters, but gave much in return. The Astronom- ical Society was right be- hind every project and he in turn helped us.” Mr. Cooke and Dr. Hrudey were brought together by their shared love of astronomy. Mr. Cooke said that relationship was furthered by his friend’s ability to connect people, in- cluding amateur and profes- sional astronomers from Trin- idad in partnership with the STEM conference. In a public Facebook post, friend Lyndhurst Bodden looked back on his 20-year friendship and reflected on the immense loss for the community. “He will long be remem- bered for a host of contribu- tions in the field of science, and in particular, for starting the annual Rotary Central Sci- ence Fair. In his workshop he constructed some of the most advanced telescopes in the Caribbean, and they are at home in a purpose-built ob- servatory on the campus of the University College of the Cayman Islands,” he said. “For over 20 years I was fortunate to be able to call him a friend, and I was hum- bled to be at his side as he peacefully transitioned from this world. Most of you won’t realise the loss our commu- nity has just suffered.” An exhibition of Dr. Hrudey’s solar imaging is cur- rently on display at the Na- tional Gallery of the Cayman Islands. Gallery director Nat- alie Urquhart said, “The Board and staff of the National Gal- lery were deeply saddened to hear of Dr. Hrudey’s passing. We were fortunate to collab- orate with him on the Solaris exhibition and watch his un- wavering commitment to con- necting the next generation of young minds to solar digital imagery and STEM subjects. His passion and knowledge inspired us all and it will continue to live on through his work and the observatory that he built for the people of the Cayman Islands.” The exhibition, “Solaris: Digital Solar Imaging in the Cayman Islands,” will be on display through March 15. The images were captured through Dr. Hrudey’s purpose-built telescope housed at UCCI. The Solar Newtonian telescope built by Dr. Hrudey is the only of its kind in the Caribbean. Details about Dr. Hrudey’s funeral and memorial ser- vice are pending. “Bill was probably the most intelligent person I’ve ever met. We would spend countless hours in the back of the house designing things, talking about life, philosophy, politics. He was a brilliant man and he built all kinds of things.” LANCE PARTHÉDr. Bill Hrudey attends his Solaris exhibition at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. - 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” The claws came out last week in discussions about how best to control the Sister Islands’ booming feral cat populations when animal advocates turned to the courts to stop the Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment from culling the strays. A judge granted animal advocates’ request to prevent the Department of Agriculture and Depart- ment of Environment from carrying out plans to destroy the wild animals, starting on Little Cayman. Later in the week, the judge lifted the injunction but only upon assurance from directors of both depart- ments that they would not proceed with culling before he has heard the full application for judicial review. The Cayman Islands Humane Society and Feline Friends brought the issue to the court on the basis of urgency, and because, they say, neither group nor the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee were consulted in the decision to cull the animals. It is their position that there are more humane ways to control wild cat popu- lations. They say they are willing to help trap, neuter, vaccinate and release the animals as an alternative to the cull. The Compass takes no editorial position on the relative benefits of “TNVR,” as the animal advo- cates’ preferred method is commonly called, versus culling. In fact, we are highly skeptical of the wisdom of allowing environmental advocates or, worse, activists to “manage” populations of wild animals, at all. We can’t help but wonder out loud what the position of the Humane Society and Feline Friends (not to mention our learned judges) might be on culling green iguanas or even lionfish, not to mention feral dogs and our burgeoning feral fowl population. We, and we presume the judiciary, would have serious concern over who among us (individuals or institutions) should have standing in court to halt, or interminably delay, regulatory actions with which they disagree. It is a very slippery slope. For example, if we are unhappy about the fire at the George Town Landfill (and we are), can we approach the court to enjoin trash collection? Why stop there? The same principle could be applied to Customs, Immigration, and any other gov- ernment service. The end result would, of course, be paralysis, leading to civic chaos. Put another way, the courts must give wide berth – with a bias toward def- erence – to public bodies carrying out their prescribed and routine responsibilities. Not unlike the feral cats that are believed to be a problem on all three islands – threatening wildlife, spreading disease and generally just getting in the way – there is a proliferation of issues leading to petitioning the courts for redress. This can be resisted only by the judiciary itself. Further, the courts also have no role in fashioning “compromises” between disagreeing groups. As we have already stated, we have concerns about the quotient of wisdom God has given to human beings to make God-like choices about which species should live and which should die – perhaps that is an editorial for another day – but we would encourage our govern- mental and regulatory bodies to resist either judicial or advocacy group “pressure” to interfere with the course they have chosen. ‘Catfight’ on the Sister Islands MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Doubling down on a pro-tax agenda The worst-interna- tional-bureaucracy contest is heating up. In recent years, the prize has belonged to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for rea- sons outlined in this inter- view. Indeed, I’ve even ar- gued that subsidies for the OECD are the worst ex- penditure in the federal budget, at least when mea- sured on a damage-per- dollar-spent basis. But the International Monetary Fund stepped up its game in 2017, pushing statism to a much higher level. ■■ In June, I wrote about the IMF pushing a theory that higher taxes would improve growth in the developing world. ■■ In July, I wrote about the IMF complaining that tax competition between nations is re- sulting in lower cor- porate tax rates. ■■ In October, I wrote about the IMF asserting that lower living standards are desirable if everyone is more equally poor. ■■ Also in October, I wrote about the IMF concocting a mea- sure of “fiscal space” to justify higher taxes across the globe. ■■ In November, I wrote about the IMF pub- lishing a study ex- panding on its claim that equal poverty is better than un- equal prosperity. And the IMF is con- tinuing its jihad against taxpayers in 2018. The head bureaucrat at the IMF just unleashed a harsh attack on the recent tax reform in the United States, warning that other nations might now feel com- pelled to make their tax systems less onerous. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called it a “race to the bottom” that she said will restrict public spending and fuel inflation. Heaven forbid we have lower tax rates and more growth! Though the really amazing part is that Ms. La- garde apparently believes in the silly notion that tax cuts are inflationary. Leftists made the same argument against the Reagan tax cuts. Fortunately, their opposi- tion we ineffective, Reagan slashed tax rates and infla- tion dramatically declined. What’s also noteworthy is that Lagarde doesn’t even bother with the usual insin- cere rhetoric about using new revenues to reduce red ink. Instead, she openly urges more class-warfare taxation to finance ever- bigger government. What makes her state- ments so absurd is that even IMF economists have found that higher taxes and bigger government depress economic activity. But Ms. Largarde apparently doesn’t care because she’s trying to please the politicians who appointed her. By the way, keep in mind that Ms. LaGarde’s enor- mous salary is tax free, as are the munificent compen- sation packages of all IMF employees. So it takes enor- mous chutzpah for her to push for higher taxes on the serfs in the economy’s pro- ductive sector. But it’s not just Lagarde. We also have a new publica- tion by two senior IMF bu- reaucrats that urges more punitive taxes on saving and investment. In the blog post “Game-Changers and Whistle-Blowers: Taxing Wealth”, James Brumby and Michael Keen write: “Although Thomas Pik- etty has famously proposed a coordinated global wealth tax of the wealthiest at two percent, there are now very few effective explicit wealth taxes in either developing or advanced economies. Indeed between 1985 and 2007, the number of OECD countries with an active wealth tax fell from twelve to just four. And many of those were, and are, of limited effective- ness.” They continue, “This hot topic of how tax systems can assist in addressing ex- cessive increases in wealth inequality was discussed at the regular IMF-World Bank session on taxation last Oc- tober.” ... “some among the very rich recognize some social benefit from being taxed more heavily (for in- stance, Bill Gates’ father). Perhaps then there is more that can be done to foster that sense of social respon- sibility.” They call the ex- change of tax information “a powerful tool” and a “game- changing approach to the taxation of the wealthy.” Once again, we can de- bunk the IMF by ... citing the IMF. The professional economists at the bureau- cracy have produced re- search showing that dis- criminatory taxes on capital are very bad for prosperity. But the top bureaucrats at the organization are driven by either by statist ideology or by self interest (i.e., currying favor with the governments that decide se- nior-level slots). The bottom line is that perhaps the IMF should be renamed the Anti-Empirical Monetary Fund. And with regards to worst-international-bureau- cracy contest, I fully expect the OECD to quickly produce something awful to justify its claim to first place. P.S. I’m not a fan of the United Nations, but that bu- reaucracy generally is too ineffective to compete with the IMF and OECD. P.P.S. The World Bank also does things I don’t like (as well as some good things), but it generally doesn’t push a statist policy agenda, at least compared to the nefarious actions of OECD and IMF. Daniel J. Mitchell, chairman of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, is on the Editorial Board of the Cayman Financial Review. DANIEL J. MITCHELL DANIEL J. MITCHELL5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 Derelict vehicles removed during WB cleanup But space at landfill still limited KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com A number of derelict ve- hicles in the West Bay area were taken to the landfill last week during a district cleanup initiative organized by the West Bay Central community group. However, other members of the public still cannot take derelict vehicles to the dump. The Department of En- vironmental Health told the Cayman Compass on Friday that the landfill is still cur- tailing the number of derelict vehicles it is accepting as of- ficials are in the process of “reorganizing” the site. “[The Department of En- vironmental Health] is cur- rently in the process of re- organizing the landfill to normalize the removal of derelict vehicles,” said a government information of- ficer. “The process is expected to last over the next six months. During this time, the DEH will continue to limit the intake of derelict vehicles at George Town landfill for health and safety reasons.” The Department of En- vironmental Health cleared a section of the landfill last week specifically to accom- modate the vehicles that were removed during last week’s cleanup efforts, the informa- tion office said. Those vehicles were col- lected from various places throughout the district and parked outside the West Bay Police Station, where they were later removed by Envi- ronmental Health officials. “The vehicles come from various places in the district and were transported to the station with the help of a local equipment operator. The person who owns the prop- erty next to the station was also willing to let us tem- porarily place the vehicles there, so this has been a com- munity effort on all sides,” said neighborhood police of- ficer Eugene Myles. “Having the vehicles in one location allows the DEH to remove them all at the same time. We contacted DEH and they were eager to assist.” Community group orga- nizer Katherine Wilks said the cleanup efforts went a long way to improve the district. “Even just coming together on a weekend morning to clear a neighborhood of trash is a big step in the right di- rection,” said Ms. Wilks. “We are very pleased to have the support of the com- munity police officers as we work together to make the West Bay community a better place to live. This community cleanup is just the beginning.” The Department of Envi- ronmental Health’s policy of turning down derelict auto- mobiles started last October when the facility for pro- cessing the vehicles, before they are shipped off island, became overloaded. “We have limited space,” department spokesperson Stacey-Ann Anderson said last November. “We de- cided we needed to reas- sess and find a way to reas- sure safety and accommodate new [vehicles].” In January, Environment Minister Dwayne Seymour said he was taking active steps to find a suitable solu- tion to the situation. “We must find a place for these vehicles,” Mr. Sey- mour said, “and I can guarantee that’s going to happen very soon.” Feral cat challenge questions legality of cull JAMES WHITAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A legal challenge to the culling of feral cats on the Sister Islands has raised questions about the legality of such an- imal control methods under Cayman Islands law. At a preliminary hearing Thursday, Justice Richard Williams acknowledged the case, if it proceeds, could have implications for other culls, including efforts to control invasive green iguana popu- lations in Grand Cayman. Non-profits Feline Friends and the Cayman Islands Hu- mane Society obtained a tem- porary injunction last week to halt a joint project by the Department of Environment and Department of Agricul- ture to cull feral cats be- lieved to pose a threat to na- tive wildlife. The injunction was lifted Thursday after the directors of both departments gave a formal undertaking not to proceed with the project until the issues raised by the two charities had been resolved. Justice Williams ad- journed the hearing for both parties to prepare submis- sions for a contested hearing of the application for leave for judicial review, ex- pected to take place in the coming weeks. If the judge grants a ju- dicial review, a full court case will be scheduled to argue the merits and le- gality of the cull. Selina Tibbetts, repre- senting the animal charities at Thursday’s preliminary hearing, said the challenge was about more than the ap- propriateness of culling cats. “The applicants are not asking for a moral judg- ment of the court. What they are concerned about is le- gality and procedural fair- ness,” she said. She indicated they would seek to argue that the Ani- mals Law does not give the directors of the two depart- ments the statutory scope to authorize a cull. The law does provide an exemption to the prohibition against animal cruelty for the director of the DoA to authorize the “use of any prescribed poison” to destroy an animal for a va- riety of reasons, including to “preserve other domestic or wild animals.” However, under the defi- nition set out in the law, she said a poison is only a “pre- scribed poison” if it is ex- plicitly defined as such by the Animals Law or any reg- ulation. However, no such poison is prescribed under the Animals Law, she said, and counsel for government was unable to point to any such regulation at Thursday’s initial hearing. Reshma Sharma, for the government departments, suggested there were also el- ements of the National Con- servation Law that provided a legal basis for such methods. Ms. Tibbetts indicated that the Feline Friends and the Humane Society would also seek to bring an alter- nate argument that as mem- bers of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, they had a legitimate expectation to be consulted on the matter before a decision was taken to cull cats. Thursday’s hearing was not intended to argue the merits of the case in detail and was simply a prelimi- nary discussion between the parties about the applica- tion and the documents that would be needed ahead of a more in-depth hearing to de- termine if a full Judicial Re- view can take place. Justice Williams re- quested further informa- tion be provided, including when the decision for the cull was taken, by whom and on what legal basis. “Somebody will have to show me where the depart- ments have the authority to do this,” he added. He said he understood that most jurisdictions had measures that protect ani- mals and other legislation that gives power to certain authorities to depart from that general measure in cer- tain circumstances. But he needed to see the legal basis under which the decision was taken in Cayman law. He said he hoped there was “mutual respect” be- tween the charities and the government departments which frequently work “hand in hand” and suggested they enter a dialogue before either party became too entrenched in their positions. “I did get an indica- tion that there was a mu- tual agreement that the feral cat situation has to be ad- dressed. There is a recogni- tion they are creating serious issues for wildlife on the small outer islands, though there is obviously a signifi- cant difference between the parties over how that is done at this stage.” Ms. Sharma said the gov- ernment departments would seek to discuss the matter with the charities. But she suggested a compromise would be difficult because their stated preference for a trap, neuter, vaccinate and release program was not consistent with the con- servation aims. “If it was simply a ques- tion of controlling popula- tion, that might be deemed appropriate but if you put them back into the wild where they can still have an effect on endangered species, that would still be an issue.” A number of derelict vehicles were removed from West Bay during a community cleanup last week. - PHOTO: KEN SILVA6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS KAABOO Cayman gets a kickoff A crowd of about 150 people attended a KAABOO kickoff event on Thursday night at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa’s Tiki Beach. Hosted by the co-spon- sors of KAABOO Cayman – Virgin Produced and Dart En- terprises – the party crowd heard the official announce- ment of the planned music and entertainment festival for Feb. 15-16, 2018. Modeled after the three- year-old KAABOO festival in San Diego, organizers plan to bring in a slate of 25 music and comedy per- formers. The festival will also have an art exhibit/ sale component, gourmet food demonstrations and in- dulgent amenities such as spa treatments. “Everybody’s really been thirsting for live enter- tainment and live events,” said Jason Felts, chief mar- keting and brand officer for KAABOO. “It’s not just like [one] stage, which is what ev- eryone is used to here.” The 37-acre festival site, currently being cleared north of the Kimpton, will fea- ture two open-air stages for music, an enclosed air-con- ditioned comedy club, an art gallery and food stations. Mr. Felts said he is working to “create a world- class event.” The lineup for the fes- tival will not be announced until May 15, but discounted tickets are currently on sale on kaaboocayman.com. Two-day general admis- sion tickets are $150 and VIP tickets are available for $625 and $12,000. The “blind” tickets will be on sale through March 31. Suzy Soto with MLAs David Wight and Barbara Conolly Tammi Sulliman, Pilar Bush and Sue Nickason with the Dart organization Minister of Commerce Joey Hew and Marc Langevin, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton KAABOO’s Jenn Vernon with Compass publishers David and Vicki Legge Francis Omar, Courtney McTaggart, Karis Docen, Sonia Sajnani and Aaron Bernardo Kathy Jackson and Tania Knapik Jason Felts, chief marketing officer of KAABOO, with Mark VanDevelde, CEO of Dart Enterprises - PHOTOS: MAGGIE JACKSON Jackie Doak, president of Dart Real Estate, with Cynthia Hew Kiristen Cousins, Deana Kapiskosky, Josephine Imparato, Thomas Marriott and Jacqueline Imparato7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com After poring over dozens of submissions, judges were impressed with the amount of thought and effort put in by students at the Sto- ryboard Competition in George Town on Saturday. The competition is or- ganized by the Cayman Is- lands Information Profes- sionals association and sponsored by Rotary Sun- rise and the George Town Public Library, said CIIP’s Paul Robinson. Now in its 6th year, the competition asked chil- dren to produce a sto- ryboard based on their favorite book with judges in- specting the quality of work and the content of the book, Mr. Robinson said. “I saw some terrific books that the children read, which was very important, and the creativity was fan- tastic. The kids were very detailed in the description of the books and they had to account for their knowl- edge of the books, so there was a great understanding there,” he said. Mr. Robinson said he saw depictions of classic books such as “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens. Some students dressed like characters in their book and explained to judges the basis of their book, why they choose the book and what they had learned from it with colorful illustrations. First Baptist Grade 5 stu- dent Jamal Leon said it was fun doing the storyboard. The book “Robots,” he said, was very educational and it showed him how robots can adapt to our island and way of living. “The book was fun to read,” he said. Classmate Ashlyn Clark said the book taught her that anything can be accom- plished with teamwork. Calib Suckoo, also from First Baptist, said he learned from “Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire” book that you can accomplish great things by working with family and friends. CIIP’s Su Mander said one presentation covered “Charlotte’s Web,” one of her favorite books. “One of the things the competition does is encourage students to read,” Ms. Mander said. She explained that all the schools were invited to par- ticipate. Also, this year more school were involved in the competition, which she said was exciting. “It was a good turnout, with well over 100 children attending,” she said. Judge Ellie Cook said she was really impressed with the poster competi- tion this year. “Every year they seem to get better and better. The kids really enjoyed participating, we enjoyed judging and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next year.” Winners of the compe- tition were chosen in six divisions from students aged 5 to 18. MAGISTRATE ‘RANTS’ OVER PENSION CASES CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Pension cases going back to 2008 and 2010 had Mag- istrate Angelyn Hernandez admit on Thursday that she was “ranting.” In the case of Donald Ira Thompson trading as Preci- sion Landscaping, she noted that charges of failing to con- tribute to a pension plan for employees had been before the court for 10 years. “I have to adjourn it again? Seriously?” she asked Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson explained that he was “trying to get what I can for the workers.” The magistrate said the reality was that people had been waiting 10 years for their money. When the matter was repeatedly adjourned and the situation continued as “Maybe they [the employers/defendants] will pay and maybe they won’t pay, it’s making a mockery of the system,” she declared. Either a trial date should be set or the matter should be re- solved, she added. “You know my position on these matters …. Let’s pros- ecute them quickly. Yes, I am ranting – because I’m upset!” If there is a payment plan, the matter should be prose- cuted first, she said. Defense attorney John Furniss spoke on behalf of Mr. Thompson, explaining that the business owner’s argument throughout has been that the employees concerned had re- turned to Jamaica and he had paid them, “but not through channels.” He said the Crown had rejected the proof he pre- sented. Mr. Thompson had then made an offer to pay a certain amount nearly two years ago. Mr. Ferguson said the Crown had no proof of payment and even if Mr. Thompson did pay, he had done so outside the law. The matter was set for men- tion again on April 26. In the case of Brent Greene’s Gardening and Landscaping from 2010, the owner appeared in person. The magistrate was asked for an adjournment of two months. She checked the file and said not much had been paid in eight years – “Do you think we’ll get much in two months?” The balance owed appar- ently was $30,000. Mr. Greene had made a pay- ment in February 2018. Before that his last payment was in September 2017. Asked his intentions, Mr. Greene replied, “I can only do what I can do.” He added words to the ef- fect that he guessed the court would do what it would do. The magistrate said that at- titude had developed “because we allowed this to happen. We encourage this.” Mr. Ferguson said a date could be set for sen- tencing “and let the chips fall where they may.” The magistrate set the matter for May 9. First Baptist students Jamal Leon and Ashlyn Clark speak with judges Ellie Cook and Lisa Terry about Harry Potter and their storyboard presentation. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Cayman dresses for culture Cayman’s businesses and schools celebrated “Dress for Culture Day” Friday, the annual fundraiser hosted by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation. The day honors Cay- man’s more than 100 nation- alities and raises funds for the foundation’s youth arts programs, such as Summer Arts Camp, Young At Arts and Young Image Makers. CNCF will also be run- ning a photo competition on its Facebook page (cay- manculture) from Monday, March 5 to Thursday, March 29. To enter the con- test, photos should be sub- mitted to CNCF before Monday, March 5.Kirk Office had an enthusiastic turnout. CIBC joined in on the fun.Maples and Calder shows off its culture Friday. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS Joy of reading goes on display8 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Orchid Show continues to grow JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Queen Elizabeth II Bo- tanic Park’s Annual Orchid Show and plant sale was a huge success on Saturday. Orchid aficionados who arrived later in the morning pored over slim pickings and enjoyed the gardens long after every stem had left the tables. “This is our biggest turn out in well over 20 years, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said John Lawrus, the park’s general manager. “We need to find a bigger space.” For well over 20 years, the Cayman Islands Or- chid Society and the Botanic Park have come together to create a wonderful dis- play of privately owned or- chids, educational messages and sales of over 1,000 plants each year. ““All the orchids on dis- play in the visitors’ center are tropical and semi-trop- ical, a lot of Southeast Asian orchids, Vanda hybrids in bloom, encyclias, on- cidium, and dendrobiums,” Mr. Lawrus said. Mr. Lawrus said Sybil Joyce Hylton, now deceased, was one of the founders of the Cayman Islands Orchid Society, and helped start the society’s conservation and display efforts. “It is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Cayman Islands Orchid Society,” he said. “It helps support the Botanic Park’s boardwalk ongoing devel- opment and conservation of local orchids.” Delorese Ebanks, chairperson for the orchid show, has been part of the Orchid Society for the past three years. Ms. Ebanks said she was overjoyed and overwhelmed to be a part of it. Ms. Ebanks explained that the society consists of a group of more than 100 members that are very much involved in the community. They also have personal collections of orchids. “It’s an addictive but very therapeutic hobby,” she said. She said they are a non- profit organization and pro- ceeds from orchid sales help promote the education and conservation of local orchids on the island. Mae Steere, Sue Barnes and Kim Miller are in awe of the orchids’ beauty. - PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVY Orchid aficionado Bob Meyer just could not take his hands off the orchids held by Orchid Society’s Delorese Ebanks. One satisfied customer shows off his orchid vandas in the company of John Lawrus, Botanic Park general manager, and daughter Riley. Tourism Association calls for review of Sunday dancing, music restrictions KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Tourism Association is calling on government to re- view 40-year-old legisla- tion that prohibits restau- rants and bars from having dancing and live music in bars on Sundays – a re- striction that put a damper on parties last New Year’s Eve since that holiday fell on a Sunday. “Following the grievance and disappointment of some within the industry and com- munity at large, arising from restrictions to music and dancing on the 2017 New Year’s Eve which fell on a Sunday, the Tourism Associ- ation is calling for a review and revision to the respective laws to ensure that such situ- ations are avoided in future,” the Tourism Association said. “The Association also ad- vocates the elimination of any ambiguities particu- larly regarding the general playing of music and liquor sales on Sundays.” The Tourism Association stated that it met with gov- ernment last week to dis- cuss the matter. At the meeting, Tourism Association directors empha- sized that the laws must not unreasonably restrict the in- dustry’s ability to deliver on the service and entertain- ment expectations of visitors to the territory. At the same time, everyone at the meeting agreed on the necessity to strike a balance between the needs of commerce and the values of the wider com- munity, the Tourism Asso- ciation stated. Commerce Minister Joey Hew was at the meeting, and was receptive to the Tourism Association’s concerns, ac- cording to the announcement. “The government rec- ognizes the importance of tourism to the country and noted too that other associa- tions will be consulted prior to any draft revisions which ultimately will be open to fur- ther public consultation,” the Tourism Association added. Before Dec. 31, 2017, the last time New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday was in 2006. Therefore, many restaurants, bars and hotels were taken off guard last year when gov- ernment confirmed that the ban would remain in place – which was not until after the Cayman Compass reported on the issue on Dec. 19. Dozens of establish- ments had to cancel their party plans less than two weeks before the holiday, foregoing what is usually one of their most lucrative nights of the year. At midnight, parties re- sumed, and establishments took advantage of a blanket extension granted by the li- quor board to allow them to remain open until 4 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. The next time New Year’s Eve will fall on a Sunday is in 2023. Dozens of establishments had to cancel their party plans less than two weeks before the holiday, foregoing what is usually one of their most lucrative nights of the year. TRUMP OFFICIALS FIGHT EVICTION FROM PANAMA HOTEL THEY MANAGE PANAMA CITY (AP) — One of President Donald Trump’s family busi- nesses is battling an ef- fort to physically evict its team of executives from a luxury hotel in Panama where they manage op- erations, and police have been called to keep the peace, The Associated Press has learned. Wit- nesses told the AP they saw Trump’s executives carrying files to a room for shredding. Representatives of the hotel owners’ asso- ciation formally sought to fire Trump’s manage- ment team Thursday by hand-delivering termina- tion notices to them at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, according to a Panamanian legal com- plaint filed by Orestes Fin- tiklis, who controls 202 of the property’s 369 hotel units. Trump’s managers retreated behind the glass walls of an office where they were seen carrying files to an area where the sounds of a shredding machine could be heard, according to two witnesses aligned with the owners. The legal com- plaint also accused Trump’s team of improperly de- stroying documents. Elsewhere in the building, the hotel owners’ team and its allies were barred by Trump Hotel staff from entering the room containing the build- ing’s closed-circuit TV system as well as key com- puter servers for the hotel and apartments that share the property. The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2018 “I’ve been to a lot of ex- otic places where the driving is worse,” he said of Cayman, “but for the standards we have here, the drivers are pretty awful.” He thinks part of the problem is that Cayman resi- dents come from a wide range of countries where traffic laws are often different. That is ex- acerbated, he said, by what he sees as lax enforcement. He’d like to see an increase in the number of traffic cops. “You’ve got vehicles without license plates,” Mr. Dickson said. “You’ve got vehicles with illegal tint. You see examples every day and the police don’t penalize them. You see examples every day of bad behavior on the road without any penalties. How do you hold anyone to account?” Jessica Barefoot, 22, is from Cayman, but learned to drive in Canada. “I would say Cayman has the best and worst drivers,” Ms. Barefoot said, “the worst, because no one knows how to drive, the best because I haven’t died yet.” She said she thinks there need to be stricter rules in place for getting a driver’s license. When she got her Cayman li- cense, she said, she was not re- quired to show that she had taken driving lessons in Canada. She also thinks alcohol is a significant factor in the number of accidents on the island. The police data show acci- dent rates on the islands are substantially higher than those of other countries. A highly cited study from 2014, “Mortality from Road Crashes in 193 Countries: A Comparison with Other Leading Causes of Death” by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, shows that Cayman is no Na- mibia. That country, rated as the worst for vehicle deaths, had 45 fatalities annually per 100,000 people. In 2015, Cayman had a rate of 18 per 100,000. That rate did not get it into the bottom 10 – Iraq and the Dominican Re- public tied for 10th at 32 – but it also did not come close to making the top 10, where only 3 points separated Switzer- land (10th with 5) and Mal- dives, which was deemed the safest country, with only 2 ve- hicle deaths per 100,000. Among the 10 safest countries were the Caribbean islands of An- tigua and Barbuda, with only 4 deaths per 100,000. Just to the north, the United States reported a vehicle death rate in 2015 of 10.9. That same year, Cayman’s rate was 18.3, with 11 people killed in acci- dents on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. For that same year, Great Britain’s rate was 3.8. Comparing the Cayman Is- lands to the United States, or even Great Britain, is argu- ably not a fair measure. Amer- ican drivers, on average, put more than 13,000 miles on their cars each year. In the UK, it is just under 8,000. An official at the Depart- ment of Vehicle and Drivers’ Li- censing laughed when asked if there was an official estimate of annual miles driven by Cayman residents. But it is probably fair to assume that if such a figure were available, it would likely be far lower than that of either of the other two countries. Most small nations do not compile such statistics. But according to U.S. Department of Transporta- tion data, in 2014, the average car in Puerto Rico was driven about 5,800 miles. Since 2015, while the number of reported accidents have climbed, fatalities have dropped. Only seven people died in vehicle accidents in 2017 – four of those were killed in a single accident – dropping the per capita rate to 11.4 deaths per 100,000. The number of people seri- ously injured in accidents took a dip in 2016, but otherwise did not change much. In 2015, 33 people had serious injuries. That dropped to 21 in 2016. But it climbed back to 31 in 2017. The data show the worst roads for combined fatalities and injuries were the portions of Shamrock and West Bay roads that run through George Town. Over the three-year pe- riod, two people were killed and 14 injured on Shamrock Road while accidents on West Bay ac- counted for two deaths and nine serious injuries. Although the data indicate all of those accidents happened within George Town, it is diffi- cult to know whether the report is completely accurate. A single accident on Austin Conolly Drive in 2017 killed four people, making that road, statis- tically, the most deadly in the is- lands. While the report gets the street name correct, it indicates the fatal accident took place in George Town rather than East End where Austin Conolly Drive is located. There are also a number of accidents that ap- pear to be duplicate entries, but not enough to significantly alter the overall data. That data does not make Jade Johnson, 33, feel good. She was sitting by the Camana Bay harbor with her baby in a stroller next to her. When she came to the island three years ago from Wales, she received an emphatic Caymanian greeting while driving on Shedden Road. “My first week here, someone ran into the back of me,” she said. She’s surprised by the number of discourteous drivers she encounters and said she sees a lot of unneces- sary speeding. “Sometimes it’s just down- right dangerous,” Ms. Johnson said, “especially as a mom. I don’t think that people nec- essarily think when they cut you off that you might have a baby in the car.” Like Mr. Dickson, she sees a wide variety of drivers who seem to all have their own in- terpretation of the driving laws. While some seem to follow the established rules of the road, others do not. “There’s this mix,” she said. “I think that’s a problem. Some- times it’s like the Wild West.” Traffic accidents double over two years CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 vessels, some money is earned each year via ship registration, mostly corporate and individ- ually owned yachts, at present. Marine vessels which reg- ister in the Cayman Islands fly Cayman’s red, sea-going flag and must adhere to relevant local legislation. In the case of the Marriage Law, cruise ships would currently be required to have a Cayman-licensed mar- riage officer aboard to offi- ciate the ceremony if the ship was registered in Cayman. It is similar to the issue that arose with the Gambling Law a few years ago. Gam- bling is illegal in Cayman and cruise ships are not allowed to permit gambling while they are within Caymanian terri- torial waters. However, the changes made in 2015 to the Gambling Law permitted cruise ships registered in Cayman to allow gaming while sailing in in- ternational waters. According to then-government Minister Wayne Panton: “The law al- lows gambling if they are 12 miles out to sea and on an in- ternational voyage. They have to be going to an overseas port. The aim is solely to fa- cilitate the shipping registry in marketing its services to cruise lines.” Mr. Walton said the Mar- itime Authority has been seeking a similar type of change to the Marriage Law, allowing non-Cayman licensed chaplains to perform wedding ceremonies aboard Cayman- registered ships “for as long as I’ve been here.” Mr. Walton has been the CEO of the Mar- itime Authority since it was created in 2004. During the Public Accounts Committee hearing Friday, Mr. Walton responded to ques- tions from lawmakers about whether he felt Cayman’s shipping registry was still a “growth” business. Various committee members noted the Maritime Authority’s travel and entertainment budget had shown recent significant in- creases and that the last two budgets had been “break even” years for the historically profit-making authority. Aside from cruise ships, Mr. Walton said there was room for growth in the mer- chant marine ship registration market and while yacht regis- trations have been in decline, he believed overall global trade, particularly in the un- derdeveloped Asian and Af- rican markets, would con- tinue to grow. “Unless we eliminate global trade, unless we as the Cayman flag mess up … we’ll be fine for some time into the future,” Mr. Walton said. The Maritime Authority had 2,150 “units” or vessels registered in Cayman as of Dec. 31, Mr. Walton told the committee. Almost 80 per- cent of those were yachts, he said. Some 1,100 registered companies are involved with the ships, most of which are owned by corporate entities. The Maritime Authority employs 47 people, 30 in Cayman, 15 in the U.K., one in Greece and one in the U.S. It also works with another 31 contractors around the globe including at locations in the Netherlands, Japan, Singapore, Panama, China and Brazil, Mr. Walton said. Ninety-one percent of the au- thority’s full-time employees are Caymanian, he said. goods and services … or the suppliers are going to say that they are going to have to build into their pricing the protec- tions that they need.” Most business owners on Thursday did not simply op- pose the idea of consumer pro- tection. Mr. Foster, for instance, said he supported the concept but noted there was nothing in the current draft of the bill that offered equal protection for businesses against dis- honest consumers. “The consumer has to have something to go back to, but I don’t think it’s this bill,” he said. What it says The draft bill seeks to es- tablish “a legal framework for the achievement and mainte- nance of a consumer market that is fair, efficient and re- sponsible.” The law, if passed, would apply to “all persons en- gaged in a trade or business.” The legislation seeks to create a Cabinet-appointed Consumer Affairs Commission, consisting of five people that would be given the powers of a court to request information in consumer-business disputes and to investigate consumer complaints. The commission is given the power to order cer- tain penalties for those who violate the law and is tasked with providing general infor- mation on consumer rights. Orders given against way- ward companies or service providers by the commis- sion can include demands to replace defective or un- safe goods, to discontinue unfair trade practices, to pay compensation to con- sumers if a breach of law oc- curs and to correct erroneous advertisements. Goods and services sup- pliers that do not comply with commission orders can re- ceive up to a year in prison or a $5,000 fine. A person who is aggrieved by a commission order may appeal to the court within 30 days of the order. The draft bill also sets out certain “rights” given to the consumer, including the right to refuse unsolicited goods, the right of the consumer to authorize services and rights to avoid “unreasonable” can- cellation charges. The draft bill seeks to allow consumers to halt “continuing service agreements” three weeks after giving notice. The legislation would set out “guarantees” in relation to the supply and quality of goods or services provided. The supplier or manufac- turer which breaches those guarantees is said to be “li- able to such penalties as may be described” in the draft lan- guage of the bill. Legal aid Attorneys from HSM Chambers were on hand Thursday to review the draft proposal section-by-section with business leaders. They urged anyone with concerns about the bill to send in com- ments before the March 1 comment deadline. “The last of corrective mea- sures the commission can issue is quite long and quite serious,” said Peter De Vere, head of HSM’s corporate/com- mercial department. “It’s im- portant that laws have teeth. I take [the] point that this might seem one-sided, but now that you know how this interaction between consumer and sup- plier will take place … I think this will actually help you.” Chamber President Paul Byles said the organization would ask for a further exten- sion to the comment period of the draft bill, which has not been scheduled to be heard before the Legislative As- sembly thus far. It was antici- pated that additional revisions would be made to the legisla- tion before that presentation. Mr. Byles questioned Thursday whether the draft bill in this case had actually been “informed” by business owners prior to being released. “At our meeting [Thursday] it became clear that there are quite a few legitimate con- cerns [about the draft bill], some of these stemming from impractical applications of various aspects of the bill as currently drafted,” a state- ment released by the Chamber Council Friday noted. “I want to know where we’ve had this major problem in business … that someone would try and bring in a law like this?” Mr. Thompson asked. Consumer rights The Cayman Islands Law Reform Commission has been pushing to create consumer protection rules for nearly a decade, noting in a 2010 re- port that “consumer protection is essential against those who profit from mass consump- tion, engage in cost-cutting measures at all levels of pro- duction and, at the same time … adopt predatory practices which ultimately abuse cus- tomer interests …. ” A further report on the subject was released by the law commission in 2015. Cayman currently operates a “caveat emptor” consumer system, where the buyer is solely responsible for re- viewing the quality and suit- ability of the goods or services being sold prior to purchase. There is some protec- tion against price gouging during emergencies – hurri- canes or other natural disas- ters. The Cayman Chamber of Commerce also functions as something of a “better busi- ness bureau” for its member- ship, but if a business is not a Chamber member, there is little the agency can do to protect buyers. Marriage rules block Cayman cruise ship registrations CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Business leaders outraged over consumer protection plan CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 HSM Chambers attorney Peter De Vere speaks to a room full of Cayman business owners and employees. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLERNext >