ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 WELCOME TO DENVER: CAYMAN AIRWAYS’ GATEWAY TO THE WEST LOCAL | PAGE 2 EX-CIVIL SERVANT JAILED FOR 15 MONTHS Cayman’s Coast Guard chiefs announced Former police officers Robert Scotland, Leo Anglin will lead new unit JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former police superintendent Robert Scot- land has been recruited to head up the new Cayman Islands Coast Guard unit, a 42-strong force that will be the island’s first line of de- fense against drug and gun smugglers. Once fully staffed, the coast guard will patrol Cayman’s waters round-the-clock and will take over responsibility for search-and- rescue missions, according to both Premier Alden McLaughlin and Commissioner of Po- lice Derek Byrne. The appointment of Mr. Scotland as com- mander and of Leo Anglin, a former police in- spector who previously led the Joint Marine Unit, as his deputy are the first concrete steps toward the creation of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard. They will take up their posts in October and a recruitment drive is expected to begin next year. The coast guard unit will come under the direction of Commissioner Byrne but will be an independent entity with a ring-fenced budget and personnel, the premier indicated. It will ultimately take over the responsibil- ities of the Joint Marine Unit, which currently has 14 staff, though a transitional period is expected before it becomes fully operational. Mr. Byrne said the coast guard would pro- vide 24-hour response capability on all three islands year-round. “Our main focus is on criminal interdic- tion in territorial waters. That means fire- arms, drugs, illegal immigration, the huge and significantly important issue of search and rescue and marine enforcement,” he said. He added that the coast guard would also be tasked with keeping the peace on the wa- ters. The commissioner highlighted recent complaints of reckless jet ski riders impacting ‘INTELLIGENCE-LED’ APPROACH FOR NEW BORDER AGENCY JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The merger of customs and immigration functions will coincide with a new “intelli- gence-led” approach to processing arriving passengers, according to the head of Cayman’s new border force. Charles Clifford, a former police superin- tendent and the current Collector of Customs, has been appointed to lead the new Customs and Border Control Agency. The employment-related aspects of immi- gration, including work permits and perma- nent residency applications, will be devolved to another new agency, WORC, which is in the process of being established. The rest of the Immigration Department’s functions will be absorbed into Mr. Clifford’s new unit, which will become active from the OCEAN CONVERSION STRIKES NEW DEAL TO OPERATE WATER PLANTS Ocean Conversion (Cayman Ltd.) has reached a new five-year agreement with the Water Authority, Cayman to operate reverse osmosis seawater con- version plants in North Sound, Red Gate and North Side. The plants are owned by the Water Authority, but were built by Ocean Conversion and have been operated by the company. For more on this story, see page 5. Port Authority to hire 20 new staff BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com About a month before termi- nating the contracts of four se- nior employees, the Cayman Is- lands Port Authority board agreed to bring in 20 new staff members, records from a late July meeting show. The port board members voted July 31 to accept a re- quest from Acting Port Director Joey Woods to hire 16 new cargo workers and four main- tenance staffers, according to meeting minutes published on the port’s website. Six of the new hires will be brought in to staff nighttime dock operations in George Town, where port employees help off- load containers for transfer to the Cargo Distribution Centre on North Sound Road. Ten others will work at the North Sound Road cargo center. The July 31 meeting minutes also made reference to a potential legal claim from Port Authority night-shift workers, where a letter was received from a law firm representing the workers. “Port Authority Cayman Is- lands night staff [allege] that Thousands of school supplies donated for ‘Stuff the Bus’ The entire “Stuff the Bus” team collect donations together with volunteers from the Crisis Centre outside of Buy Smart earlier this month. The three- week-long Stuff the Bus drive collected 12,384 items of school supplies for students returning to classrooms after the summer break, according to organizers. Throughout the campaign, volunteers manned a big yellow bus that was ready to be “stuffed” with an array of supplies, which have been distributed to children in need across Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. For more on this story, see page 2. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 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. - WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) CRAZY RICH ASIANS (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 4:20 I 6:35 VIP I 9:55 ALPHA (PG13) 4:30 I 9:20 MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT (PG13) 1:00 I 6:30 CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (PG) 12:50 I 2:00 I 6:50 SLENDER MAN (PG13) 3:10 I 5:30 I 7:45 I 10:00 THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS (R) 3:25 I 5:40 I 7:55 I 10:10 MILE 22 (R) 12:50 I 4:10 I 9:45 THE MEG (PG13) 1:35 I 3:40 VIP I 7:10 I 9:25 VIP Ex-civil servant jailed for 15 months Offenses undermine public confidence, magistrate says CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former civil servant Trisha Marissa Jackson was sentenced on Monday to 15 months immediate impris- onment for theft, false ac- counting and obtaining prop- erty by deception. Total value of cash and goods concerned was over $30,000. No compensation was ordered, given the defen- dant’s financial situation. Ms. Jackson, 39, had pleaded guilty on a pre- vious occasion and Mag- istrate Valdis Foldats gave her full one-third discounts, noting that she had saved the court time and the expense of holding a trial. He also cited the “principle of totality,” saying the final sentence was not just adding up numbers of months – it had to be just and proportionate. Ms. Jackson had been em- ployed as facilities admin- istrator between 2011 and 2016. She pleaded guilty to stealing a total of $18,890 from the Cayman Islands Government over that pe- riod. The money had been paid to her in cash for rental of the South Sound Commu- nity Centre by a parent/tod- dler group that met on a weekly basis. The defendant issued re- ceipts each time, but they were false and the monies were never deposited with any government account. For- tunately, as Crown counsel Toyin Salako observed on an earlier occasion, the volun- teer with the playgroup had saved all of the receipts and was able to produce them when the rental was ques- tioned in 2017. The obtaining of property by deception involved issuing false invoices for $11,924.68 worth of goods from Kirk Of- fice Supply between May and October 2013. Both sets of offending were breaches of trust, the magistrate emphasized. Ms. Jackson was “the face of gov- ernment” to the volunteer who had paid the commu- nity center rent. “One can only imagine the betrayal the parents felt,” the magistrate commented. “Con- fidence in the civil service is undermined when civil ser- vants abuse their position.” He added that the over- whelming number of civil servants do discharge their duties faithfully. In addition to the finan- cial loss, other harm caused included the inconvenience to others and the distress of co-workers. An important aggravating feature was the continuous course of deceit Ms. Jackson had engaged in – it was not a single lapse of judgment, the magistrate pointed out. Mitigation by defense at- torney Crister Brady, which was cited in a social inquiry report, included the fact that the defendant had no pre- vious convictions, was re- morseful, and had cooper- ated in the preparation of the report by being open and candid. She expressed the de- sire to pay the money back but lacked the means to do so. Her offending began after things became “financially challenging and chaotic” for her because of family re- sponsibilities. The magis- trate said there was no indi- cation of any lavish lifestyle or purchase of any luxury goods. On the other hand, many people must deal with financial pressures and they do not resort to dishon- esty, he observed. Immediate imprisonment was necessary so that others are deterred from similar of- fending, particularly those in the civil service, the magis- trate indicated. The 15-month sentence he was passing was not overly harsh, but was the shortest term commensurate with the seriousness of the case. For the theft of money, the sentence was 12 months; for the related false accounting, 12 months concurrent; for obtaining property by decep- tion, three months consecu- tive (reduced from 10 months because of totality); for the related false accounting, 10 months concurrent. Trisha Marissa Jackson admitted stealing $18,890 that had been paid for rental of the South Sound Community Centre between 2011 and 2017.– PHOTO: TANEOS RANSAY COCKFIGHTING CHARGES TO BE REVIEWED Defendant also accused of importing restricted pharmaceuticals CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three charges alleging involvement in cockfighting may have been brought under the wrong section of law, Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats suggested in Summary Court on Tuesday. Details of two charges against Luis Francisco Grat- eraux, 50, are that he “en- couraged, aided or as- sisted in the fighting or baiting of cocks.” The first charge states that the alleged offense oc- curred in East End on March 11, 2018. The second charge alleges that the of- fense occurred in North Side on March 18, 2018. A third charge alleges that Mr. Grateraux, at a George Town address, “kept, used or acted in the manage- ment of cocks for fighting” on or before March 21, 2018. The charges were brought under section 1F of the Animals Law. The magistrate read that section. It relates to “teth- ering, confining or keeping on a lead” under such condi- tions or in such manner as to cause unnecessary suffering. He asked Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson to review the charges, suggesting that they might need amending. Two other charges were brought under a different sub-section of the law: that on or before March 21, 2018, the defendant ill-treated or tortured roosters in his pos- session by removing their combs, wattles and spurs; that on or before March 21 at a George Town address, he confined the birds and kept them in such condition or manner that would cause them suffering. The maximum sentence on conviction in the Sum- mary Court is a fine of $4,000 and imprisonment for one year. The defendant also faces four charges of importing restricted pharmaceuticals. Specifics allege that he “dis- pensed or otherwise dealt in” four different medications at the George Town address. Defense attorney John Furniss said these charges were denied. He said his client did import them, but did so with the assistance and consent of a veterinary officer. When Mr. Grateraux approached the officer again, he was not assisted, so he obtained the medications from someone else. No charges were put to the defendant and the matter was set for men- tion again on Tuesday, Sept. 18. It was first brought to court on July 24. ‘Stuff the Bus’ drive equips students for school The three-week-long “Stuff the Bus” drive col- lected 12,384 items of school supplies for students re- turning to classrooms after the summer break, according to organizers. The drive, which involved a big yellow bus arriving at various locations in Grand Cayman where members of the public were encouraged to donate the supplies, was organized by Caribbean Al- liance and Hurley’s Media, with the support of Whittak- er’s Transportation. The thou- sands of donated supplies have been distributed to chil- dren in need across Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. “This campaign started out with the goal of helping a handful of students and each year the event gets bigger and bigger all because of the outpouring of support that the Cayman community pro- vides,” said Aleisha Lalor, Ca- ribbean Alliance Insurance Branch manager. “School supplies may be a just a small piece of what children need to get an ed- ucation, but it is important to us and our partners that we do everything we can to help kids in need across the Cayman Islands suc- ceed,” she added. The following organiza- tions are recipients of this year’s donations – the Educa- tion Department in Cayman Brac, the Department of Chil- dren and Family Services, the Family Resource Centre, the Crisis Centre, Bonaventure Boys Home and the Frances Bodden Girls Home. This is the fourth year that Caribbean Alliance In- surance has hosted the an- nual donation drive, but it is the first time that organizers were able to support kids in Cayman Brac as well. Ms. Lalor said several private organizations hosted internal supply drives on behalf of the cause. Any group, business or organization interested in next year’s event can contact Caribbean Alliance Insurance at 949-9744. Cost U Less Store Manager Joe Thorne and staffer Vivine Rivers, right, present a shopping cart of school supplies to Sabrina Dennis-Elgueta of Caribbean Alliance Insurance. The maximum sentence on conviction in the Summary Court is a fine of $4,000 and imprisonment for one year.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 Apply for the RBC Harry Chisholm Scholarship today! The enhanced RBC Harry Chisholm Scholarship is now open to Caymanian students wishing to pursue or pursuing Bachelor level studies in Banking, Business Administration, Finance or any Finance related programme. Applicants must currently be a recipient of or awaiting confirmation of an Education Council local scholarship. This two year scholarship also includes a paid internship with RBC Royal Bank in addition to tuition, books and other school related expenses. The internship with RBC Royal Bank will help the recipient gain valuable skills, work experience and access to professional networks. Application period is 24 August – 7 September, 2018. *Terms and conditions apply. ®/™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, find out more by visiting www.education.gov.ky/scholarships MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, YOUTH, SPORTS, AGRICULTURE & LANDS CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENTThe 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” More than a century ago, New York newspaper editor Horace Greeley urged his American readers to “Go West!” and seize a land that was rich with oppor- tunity. This week, Cayman Islands tourism officials announced they have done just that, by negotiating twice-weekly direct flights from Grand Cayman to Denver, Colorado, beginning next spring. As Cayman is now the only Caribbean island with a direct route to Denver, we expect maiden flights to be booked next March with Mile High City families eager to experience life at (and below) sea level. The move by Cayman Airways opens new vistas for our national airline, taking advantage of the capabilities of new Boeing 737-800 Max aircrafts to increase service to (and more importantly, from) the populous and prosperous United States West Coast. Establishing this foothold will facilitate travel to Cayman for Denver-area vacationers and the more than 60 million people who fly through the Denver International Airport each year. It’s expected outgoing flights will prove popular with Cayman residents. The Denver metro area is a vibrant and growing home to nearly 3 million people and counting. In addition to being a “gateway” for tourism and commerce, the landlocked Mile High City is an ideal getaway for outdoors-minded Cayman residents who enjoy hiking, camping and, of course, snow skiing. If you’re headed to the chic ski resorts of Aspen/ Snowmass, private jet, of course, is still the preferred means of travel, but the new CAL flight to Denver, with a follow-on connecting flight, will get you there as well. Denver is especially attractive to those whose sense of adventure is attuned to exploring trendy neighbor- hood galleries, restaurants, clubs and boutiques, or attending world-class performances, from Broadway hits at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to concerts at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The direct flight to Denver also opens up an atlas of other destinations for Cayman travelers. The airport is a major international hub offering nonstop travel to 190 destinations, from Albany (New York), to Zurich (Switzerland), including most major U.S. airports, a half-dozen in Canada, London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, as well as Paris, Frankfurt, Reykjavik, Tokyo, and beyond. Cayman’s flight offerings are becoming truly impressive, with direct flights to major hubs in New York City, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Toronto and now Denver. This week’s announcement demonstrates that in its 50th year, Cayman’s national airline still plays a key role in our islands’ tourism industry – particularly in terms of creating new markets. Cayman Airways CEO Fabian Whorms told the Compass that the airline will continue pursuing expanded Western routes, which are less likely than Eastern airports to be saturated with Caribbean flights. If all goes to plan, new routes will help ensure that Cayman’s hotels, condos and resorts will have a steady supply of visitors, hopefully enticing other commer- cial airlines to establish even more direct routes to Cayman, creating a virtuous cycle. Welcome to Denver: Cayman Airways’ gateway to the West WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The red tape fiasco GILBERT CONNOLLY The PPM government re- cently had a photo op with the Hon. Acting Governor, Mr. Franz Manderson, a Minister of Cabinet and several senior civil servants to announce that government was imple- menting measures to cut red tape in government. With all the bad publicity the govern- ment has been getting about excessive red tape, they must have felt that they had to do something, even if it was only symbolic. Do they believe that the public would be fooled with such shenanigans? How- ever you spin the occassion, it is sad to see politicians and senior civil servants being used to stage a “reality show” fiasco that was so poorly con- ceived and written. All societies and organi- zations require some form of regulations or rules to function effectively. In the Cayman experience, succes- sive governments have taken the country from a jurisdic- tion of little regulations to one of overregulation. Gov- ernor Anwar Choudhury was on the island less than three months when he real- ized that the government and the country were suffering from overregulation. Simply stated, Cayman has too much red tape. Here again in 2018, we had to wait until someone came from overseas to tell us the government has too much red tape! You do not have to be a governor or a rocket scientist to figure out that the islands are awash in red tape. Just go to the Government Adminis- tration Building, or any other government office, to conduct a simple, routine transaction and it becomes a nightmare wrapped in red tape. The gov- ernor had made this a number one priority to address, in order to bring some normalcy or common sense back to the governance of the Cayman Is- lands. Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to clean up the bureaucratic mess that the government finds itself in today. The PPM government is responsible for escalating and exacerbating the problem of too much red tape. The PPM’s mission to maximize govern- ment’s red tape seems to be based on its apparent con- fusion that good governance means overregulation, so they continue to pass hundreds of laws that affect all areas of our lives. Herbert Grubell, in his writings on the Cana- dian government, said “Gov- ernments should pass regu- lations only if benefits exceed costs.” A very simple but pow- erful principle that the PPM government should adopt if they are going to stop this destructive mission of over- regulation, which if it con- tinues, will only bring more misery to citizens. The term red tape had an honorable beginning but today has lost its good repu- tation. So, what is red tape? It can be defined as laws, regu- lations or rules that are poorly drafted or designed, costly to businesses and individuals, repetitious and counterpro- ductive, thus, causing delays and frustration to customers. Simply stated, it is a request by government for additional information or documentation that serves no useful purpose, just to satisfy a redundant rule or policy. In the Cayman context, overregulation has two im- portant consequences for Caymanians. Firstly, in most cases, the laws and regula- tions that are passed elimi- nate Caymanians and Cay- manian small businesses from competing in the mar- ketplace and ultimately put more Caymanians out of work. Perhaps one of the best examples of this phenom- enon is the revised Planning Law. Based on the onerous re- quirements added to the law, individual Caymanians and small Caymanian businesses in the construction industry have effectually been phased out. In addition, professional Caymanians, e.g., lawyers, are suffering under the heavy burden of unreasonable reg- ulatory requirements. Sec- ondly, the more complex the laws that are passed, the more foreign experts will be needed to interpret them, at least based on the approach that we have seen this and other governments take. The PPM government should be credited for owning the problem of too much red tape, but that is hardly a plus, when they themselves have contributed to creating the issue in the first place. Ac- knowledging the problem is one thing; doing some- thing meaningful about it is quite another, and the re- cent photo op to announce measures to reduce red tape just does not cut it. What we learned from the photo op is that government needs to de- velop a proper and compre- hensive plan to reduce red tape and put us back to a po- sition of normalcy. First, they need to put a moratorium on passing any new regulation that will in- crease red tape. Secondly, the government should appoint a committee of five Cayma- nians (including a lawyer) from various industries, in- cluding the construction in- dustry, to advise on the laws that need to have excessive red tape removed. The com- mittee’s remit should be to: a) advise on how the burden of red tape on business can be reduced b) recommend how Caymanian businesses can be grandfathered into new laws to avoid red tape, and c) make it easier for businesses to do business with regulatory de- partments. We do not need someone from overseas to tell us how to fix this problem. Gilbert Connolly is a retired Cayman Islands senior civil servant. He is a graduate of Pace University, New York with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, holds a post graduate Diploma in Insurance Management from Nottingham University and City University London, and an EMBA from UCCI and the University of Toronto. Gilbert Connolly You do not have to be a governor or a rocket scientist to figure out that the islands are awash in red tape.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 Celebrate with Dive Legends at the 2018 ISDHF Induction Ceremony Boris Porotov Dick Rutkowski Wulf H. Koehler GRAND CAYMAN MARRIOTT BEACH RESORT 14 September 2018 Stephen Frink The 2018 International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame salutes the following dive pioneers Wayne Hasson HONOUREES: Tickets available at CIDOT & CITA CI$75 pre-sold or CI$100 at the door INDUCTEES: Daniel Tibbetts Darryl Bud Walton Jr. Dr. H S Batuna Capt. Philippe Tailliez ISDHF.com Emerging Honouree EARLY PIONEER Ocean Conversion strikes new deal to operate water plants KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Ocean Conversion (Cayman Ltd.) has reached a new five-year agreement with the Water Authority, Cayman to operate reverse osmosis seawater conver- sion plants in North Sound, Red Gate and North Side. The plants are owned by the Water Authority, but were built by Ocean Conver- sion and have been operated by the company. The new deal will com- mence on Feb. 1, and will have Ocean Conversion sup- plying water at a 31-percent discount from the price in ef- fect as of Dec. 31, 2017, ac- cording to an Aug. 24 U.S. Securities Exchange Commis- sion filing from Ocean Con- version’s parent company, Consolidated Water. Water Authority officials did not respond to media inquiries about whether the new deal will result in lower prices for customers. Ocean Conversion earned a combined $7.2 million in revenue from these water plants and another in North Side in 2017, states the report from Consolidated Water, which also sells water to res- idents in the West Bay and Seven Mile Beach areas. Ocean Conversion’s con- tract to operate water plants in North Sound and Red Gate expired last month, but the company agreed with the Water Authority to continue to run them through Feb- ruary while the Water Au- thority reviewed bids for a new operating agreement. The Water Authority re- viewed bids from eight com- panies, and on Aug. 21 it ac- cepted Ocean Conversion’s bid for the new agreement. Besides the 31-percent price reduction, the SEC filing states that the remaining terms of the new agreement are substantially consistent with those of the prior North Sound and Red Gate water supply agreements – except that under the new agree- ment, the Water Authority will pay the energy costs for the operation of these plants directly to the Caribbean Utilities Company rather than reimbursing the com- pany for these costs. Part of the negotiations also entailed the Water Au- thority paying for Ocean Conversion to make some US$138,000 in plant re- pairs to membranes that have been deemed a “safety hazard,” according to Water Authority board meeting minutes. According to the minutes, the high-pressure mem- branes are at the end of their useful life and are con- sidered a safety hazard. “Some time ago, one of these vessels ruptured suddenly without prior warning and it is expected that others may follow,” the Water Authority minutes from May state. “The Engi- neering Services Department recommends that the high- pressure membrane vessels that are at the end of their useful life be replaced.” Ocean Conversion report- edly offered to replace the aging parts for US$138,000, and Water Authority board members had no objection to the authority proceeding with the replacements. Meanwhile, negotiations have dragged on with an- other Consolidated Water subsidiary, Cayman Water, and the Utility Regulation and Competition Office over the company’s license to pro- vide water to the West Bay and Seven Mile Beach areas. The retail license was originally set to expire in July 2010, but has been ex- tended several times over the years so that govern- ment and the company could reach a new deal. Consolidated Water states in its financial reports that government is looking to restructure its water- supply deal with Cayman Water in a manner that could significantly reduce the company’s income. OfReg’s 2017 annual re- port states that the regu- lator expects to finalize negotiations by the end of this year. The new deal will commence on Feb. 1, and will have Ocean Conversion supplying water at a 31-percent discount from the price in effect as of Dec. 31, 2017. The Water Authority, Cayman has signed a five-year deal with Ocean Conversion (Cayman Ltd.) over the operation of seawater conversion plants in North Sound, Red Gate and North Side.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS snorkelers and divers as one area the coast guard crews could deal with. “It is a very wide brief for the new coast guard com- mand,” he said, “and there is a lot of work to be done.” He said the first year would likely be dominated by strategic planning, re- cruitment, training and re- viewing assets. The marine unit currently has two main boats in service, the Defender and the Guardian, both of which were recently refur- bished at significant expense. It also has three smaller, rigid hull inflatable craft and two jet skis. Premier McLaughlin ac- knowledged significant in- vestment would be required to equip the new coast guard with the tools it needs to do the job. He said, “This is going to take a number of years to get us to the kind of coast guard which Cayman needs. We are not going to try to go from where we are now at warp speed in six months. “It is going to require sig- nificant investment in assets to give us the capability we need to protect our borders.” Details of the budget of the new coast guard were vague. Mr. McLaughlin said some funds had been allo- cated in the two-year budget for 2017/18 but he declined to discuss long-term costs at this stage. He said his govern- ment had long identified the need for a coast guard unit in Cayman and had campaigned on the issue in the run-up to the 2017 election. He said it had been on the party’s agenda as early as 2013. The case of five missing boaters, including two chil- dren, who were lost at sea in 2016, put new focus on Cay- man’s marine resources and prompted inquiries both into that incident and the general search-and-rescue capability on the island. Following the publica- tion of those inquiry reports, Cayman obtained the ser- vices of Phil Bostock, a com- mander with the U.K.’s coast guard agency, to help develop the Cayman Islands Coast Guard. The U.K. and poten- tially U.S. coast guard agen- cies are expected to assist with planning and training of the new unit. While some of the staff for Cayman’s coast guard are likely to come from the ex- isting police marine unit, Mr. Byrne said there would be op- portunities for new personnel with different skill sets. “It’s a different set of skills to police officers,” he said. “That is why it is a ring-fenced budget, a ring- fenced entity working as coast guard.” Mr. Anglin, the lieutenant commander of the new coast guard unit, said he was elated to be part of devel- oping better border protec- tion and search-and-rescue capability on the island. Having been part of the previous marine unit, which operated with depleted re- sources, he said he was pleased to see a commit- ment of investment to staff and equipment. “Those times operating with 14 people were very challenging,” he said. “Given the new commitment of 40 personnel, that makes my job a little bit easier. I can focus on the key areas with border protection. I can treat my staff better and make sure they are equipped to take the task in hand.” Cayman’s Coast Guard chiefs announced CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The leadership of both the new Coast Guard and Customs and Border Control Agency were announced Monday. they have been short paid for vacation, sick and other leave from 2007 to 2017,” the meeting minutes read. “[Mr. Woods] advised that it is being investigated inter- nally to determine if correct and that the [Port Authority’s] attorney had written to [the law firm] seeking additional time to verify the claim.” The minutes also record a change in policy for all night- shift workers at the port, as of the meeting date – July 31. The change abolished a pre- vious policy allowing night- time staff to receive time- and-a-half pay and instead required that all port staff be paid a fixed monthly rate, regardless of whether they worked days or nights. The Cayman Islands Port Authority, which is a sepa- rate statutory authority run by a board of directors ap- pointed by the Cayman Is- lands government, has fallen in and out of financial dif- ficulties for the past several years, according to annual fi- nancial audits. Most recently, Cayman’s Auditor General Sue Winspear reported that it appeared the port had over- spent its personnel budget by some $400,000 during 2017, mainly due to hiring several senior staff positions that did not previously exist. Port Director Clement Reid told the Cayman Com- pass in February that he be- lieved, and was advised by the port’s chief financial of- ficer, that the spending was in line with the agency’s ap- proved budget. However, Ms. Winspear’s office was able to demonstrate that was not the case in her audit re- leased to the port board in December 2017. Between Friday and Monday, four of the new se- nior staff positions, brought in by Mr. Reid’s administra- tion between mid-2016 and mid-2017, were terminated from their existing contracts, Mr. Woods confirmed. Those positions included the deputy director and chief human resources of- ficer, deputy director and chief commercial officer, deputy director and chief op- erating officer, and the oper- ations and events manager, Mr. Woods said. Mr. Reid, who was sus- pended in May following a decision of the Port Authority board, has previously denied any hiring infractions within the Public Authorities Law. Aside from the situa- tion involving Mr. Reid and the four terminated senior staffers, the port was also forced to sort out complaints of sexual harassment made by nine female employees at the authority against a senior male member of staff. That member of staff has not been identified by the Cayman Compass, but the news- paper has confirmed that the complaints were not made against Mr. Reid. Despite the harassment claims being unsubstanti- ated, the government’s In- ternal Audit Unit noted there were some systemic behav- ioral and management prob- lems at the port. “The review … yielded a subset of legiti- mate behavioral issues which need to be addressed,” the re- port stated. It did not identify those behaviors. The audit review found an “unhealthy” working en- vironment where lower level employees were reluc- tant to bring issues to man- agement or simply did not know whom to approach with a complaint. start of next year. Once fully trained, Mr. Clifford said, staff at the air and sea ports will be able to perform the func- tions of both customs and immigration officers. He said the new agency would also use different methods, including advance screening of passengers, to help target resources more effectively. “We are moving away from the traditional gate- keepers approach to the in- telligence-led management approach,” he said. “We all know when an aircraft leaves a destina- tion to come to Cayman, the majority of the people on board are not people we need to focus on. We need to do a better job of separating the people that we really need to focus on from those that we don’t.” He said the aim was to make the process easier for legitimate travelers and free up resources to target higher-risk passengers. The merger could also mean that rather than waiting in line twice, first to clear immigration and then to go through customs, pas- sengers will pass through a single checkpoint. “Once the organization is fully upskilled and cross- trained, you will see one checkpoint at the border,” said Mr. Clifford. “The only second check- point you would encounter is if you are referred … for a more thorough investiga- tion. Then you’re moved into a different area and your belongings and documents will be more carefully and thoroughly examined.” Bruce Smith, the cur- rent acting head of the Im- migration Department, will move over to the Customs and Border Control Agency as a key part of the man- agement team, according to Mr. Clifford. Premier Alden McLaughlin said the merger would improve border security. He said Colin Brown, of the United Kingdom Border Force, had been in the Cayman Islands since January assisting with the creation of the new unit, which follows the U.K. structure. He praised Mr. Clif- ford as a “son of the soil,” with relevant expe- rience as an attorney, in law enforcement, and as head of customs for the last three years. He said, “I am confident that the team of officers and staff of the Immigra- tion and Customs Depart- ment will support his lead- ership in the establishment of the new Customs and Border Control Depart- ment, taking the security of our airports and seaport to world-class.” ‘Intelligence-led’ approach for new border agency Port Authority to hire 20 new staff Cayman Islands port workers are busy day and night, but pay changes for the night shift may cause more trouble for the embattled agency. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY “Port Authority Cayman Islands night staff [allege] that they have been short paid for vacation, sick and other leave from 2007 to 2017.” PORT AUTHORITY MEETING, July 31 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 LOCAL&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 DatetItLetIMeCOStCPD 10 Sept Financial Controllers IFRS/US GAAP Update with Eamonn Walsh 8:30 am - 5:00 pm CIIPA Members $375 Non-Members $475 8 (NASBA) 17 Sept Alternative Assets in Portfolio Management 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Early bird*: CIIPA Members $160 Non-Members $180 3.5 (NASBA) 17 Sept Hedge Funds & Liquid Alternatives in a Changing Landscape 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm Early bird*: CIIPA Members $135 Non-Members $150 3.5 (NASBA) 19 Sept Private Equity and Hedge Funds: Consequences of Convergence 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Early bird*: CIIPA Members $160 Non-Members $180 3.5 (NASBA 19 Sept Counterparty Risk, XVO and Collateral Management 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm Early bird*: CIIPA Members $135 Non-Members $150 3.5 (NASBA) 26 Sept Presentation Skills with Paul Njoka 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm CIIPA Members $125 Non-Members $150 3 27 Sept Insolvency in the Cayman Islands 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm CIIPA Members $60 Non-Members $80 2 Register online: www.ciipa.ky/live-training Email: admin@ciipa.ky Call: 749-3360 CIIPa.ky NeeD CPD? WE’RE HERE FOR TRAINING * Early bird fees expire 31st August, 2018, please visit our website for updated fees that will be posted on 1st September, 2018. 175785-Ad-Training-4colx12-Compa1 18/27/18 4:32:37 PM Birthday dedicated to high-risk babies One-year-old Adelaide Merren spent the first 23 days of her life in the Neo- natal Intensive Care Unit at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Now, her family is giving back to the unit. To celebrate the little girl’s first birthday on June 26, her mother Jernaye Merren re- quested friends and family donate to the unit, in lieu of gifts for Adelaide. Among the people who do- nated gifts to the newborn babies in need of intensive medical attention in the unit were Ailian and Sean Evans, parents to baby Nolan, who lost his fight against a con- genital heart defect on Jan. 25 this year, at the age of 7 months and 3 days. Adelaide and Nolan had been neighbors in the Neo- natal Intensive Care Unit, both fighting health difficul- ties at the same time after being born prematurely. “Nolan was dear to our hearts and through our jour- neys, our families have be- come close friends,” Mrs. Merren said. “In honor of Nolan and his family, we agreed to share the dona- tions with the Cayman Heart Fund and look forward to sup- porting the Evans and other heart families in the future.” Approximately $650 worth of gifts were donated to the NICU, and a check for $1,360 was donated in memory and honor of Nolan to the Cayman Heart Fund. Since Nolan’s death, his parents have raised more than $20,000 to go toward children with congenital heart defect, which means those born with an abnor- mally structured heart and/ or large vessels. The Evans family stated in a press release: “To say we are extremely grateful to pre- cious little Adelaide’s family is an understatement. This was such an amazing ges- ture. The funds raised for both the NICU and CHF are so very important for the critical healthcare of local newborn babies. “This effort and other suc- cessful fundraising efforts such as June’s KIDFEST will help CHD babies and their families in Cayman as well as help to raise CHD aware- ness locally.” KIDFEST, a fundraising event held in honor of Nolan Evans, was held in June at Pedro St. James. The money raised went to Hart 4 Hearts and the Cayman Heart Fund. Coordinator for the Cayman Heart Fund, Col- leen Mellott, expressed grat- itude to all the friends and family members that donated gifts and money in lieu of presents to Adelaide on her first birthday. “We are most grateful to the family for organizing this very generous donation and also for raising awareness about cardiovascular dis- ease and congenital heart de- fect,” Ms. Mellott said in the press release. “This amazing donation will go towards the Hart 4 Hearts program. The H4H program is the paedi- atric arm of the CHF, which raises public awareness and provides financial assistance to families in Cayman when their child is born with CHD, assisting them with expenses associated with urgent paedi- atric cardiology healthcare.” Registered Neonatal Nurse Kerry Bennett-Reed noted that the donations will benefit other babies similar to Adelaide and Nolan in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “We are very grateful to Adelaide’s family for the gen- erous donation,” she said. “Gifts like these make NICU life just a little more comfort- able for our tiny babies and it is heartwarming to think that the memories of baby Adelaide’s stay in NICU pro- voked such a lovely idea. Also, a big thank you to Adelaide’s family and friends who gave so generously as they cele- brated her first birthday.” For more information on the NICU Unit and Maternity Services, contact 244-2841 or 244-2842. For more information on the Cayman Heart Fund or the Hart 4 Hearts program, call 916-6324 or email info@caymanheartfund.com. Representatives of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Cayman Heart Fund receive gifts and a check from the families of babies Adelaide Merren and Nolan Evans. From left, Nurse Kerry Bennett-Reed, CHF Coordinator Colleen Mellott, Nolan’s father Sean Evans, Adelaide Merren, Adelaide’s mother Jernaye Merren, Adelaide’s cousin Aiden Tatum-Wood, Maternity Unit Manager Nurse Shannon Hydes and Nolan’s mother Ailian Evans. 2 MEN CONVICTED IN KILLING OF NICARAGUAN JOURNALIST MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) – A judge in Nicaragua has con- victed two young men in the killing of a journalist during the early days of the unrest that has shaken the country, but the reporter’s widow said Tuesday that the accused had nothing to do with her hus- band’s murder. Angel Gahona was broad- casting from an April 21 pro- test in front of city hall in the Caribbean coast city of Blue- fields via Facebook when he was shot in the head. Gahona’s widow, Migue- liuth Sandoval, said the two men convicted in a closed proceeding are innocent. “This decision is humili- ating, it doesn’t give us jus- tice, because we know that these guys didn’t kill my hus- band, that those who really did it are riot police, because there are videos indicating it, (showing) that my husband was surrounded by police,” Sandoval said.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Nearly 3,000 Puerto Rico deaths linked to Maria An independent investigation ordered by Puerto Rico’s government estimates that 2,975 people died within six months as a result of Hurricane Maria. The findings issued by the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University contrast sharply with the official death toll of 64. In Loving Memory of Douglas Anthony Dawson 16th Dec 1964 – 29th Aug 2017 One year have passed since you went away And it still hurts like the very fi rst day Your memories live on in our hearts forever Your infl uence guides us our uncle our brother With love always & forever from Your Sisters, Brothers, Nieces & Nephews Douglas Anthony DawsonDouglas Anthony Dawson 16th Dec 1964 – 29th Aug 201716th Dec 1964 – 29th Aug 2017 One year have passed since you went away And it still hurts like the very fi rst day Your memories live on in our hearts forever Your infl uence guides us our uncle our brotherYour infl uence guides us our uncle our brother And it still hurts like the very fi rst day Your memories live on in our hearts forever Your infl uence guides us our uncle our brother Douglas Anthony Dawson 16th Dec 1964 – 29th Aug 201716th Dec 1964 – 29th Aug 2017 One year have passed since you went awayOne year have passed since you went away In Brazilian backwater, trapped Venezuelans improvise new lives A few weeks ago, Edilson Barros was awakened by his 14-year-old son. There were people, the kid said, inhab- iting the backyard. A family of a dozen Venezuelans had set up camp behind the house in Pacaraima, a small Brazilian border town. Belquis Torres and her family had a tent, a clothes- line, a collection of luggage and a few plastic chairs. She now presides over an open- air living room in an incon- gruously neat skirt and top. Barros brings her water from time to time. The 50-year- old cooling technician, who shares two bedrooms with his wife and seven sons, says he’s not charging the Venezu- elans rent because they have nowhere else to go. But he fears they will stay long and bring trouble. Across South America, a deluge of Venezuela’s des- perate is straining public ser- vices, local hospitality and the political will to accom- modate them. The improvised co-existence of the Barros and Torres clans exemplifies the deteriorating situation in Brazil’s north, where the poor are being inundated by the even poorer. With hunger and hyperinflation behind, miles of lawless roads ahead and an increasingly hostile welcome, a community has sprung up in Pacaraima. Compared with Vene- zuelans who escape to Co- lombia, Peru or Ecuador, many here have even fewer connections and resources. They often hail from impov- erished indigenous and rural communities, speak little Portuguese and live in tents or on the streets. The lucky rent squalid rooms, but any shelter is tenuous. On Aug. 18, a riot was sparked by the beating and robbery of a local merchant for which Venezue- lans were blamed. Brazilians chased refugees and burned their scant belongings in the streets, prompting hundreds to flee, including the Torres family. Many crept back after days of protests. “We came back because in Venezuela there’s no job, no food and money doesn’t buy anything,” said Torres, 40, who has worked as a cook, nanny and maid. “I came to Brazil with the idea of finding a job. And it’s still my plan to find a job, any job. We didn’t come as invaders.” Pacaraima has about 12,000 official Brazilian res- idents. But since 2015, more than 70,000 refugees have ar- rived in surrounding Roraima state, representing almost 15 percent of the population. There are only 10 shelters ac- commodating around 4,800 people, according to Ana Seabra, spokeswoman for Op- eration Welcome, which Bra- zil’s federal government cre- ated in March to respond to the influx. Pressure is building ev- erywhere. The number of Ven- ezuelan children in Roraima public schools increased 400 percent between 2015 and 2017, according to the gov- ernor’s press office, and the number of Venezuelans who received treatment in public hospitals rose to 50,286 in 2017, up from 766 in 2014. In Pacaraima, there is one official crossing point where an average of 700 Venezue- lans pass through each day, but the border is a simple line of stones marching across open grassland. Ref- ugees used to head south toward Boa Vista, Rorai- ma’s capital, or larger cities. Now, many stay. “If violence erupts again against us, I can run a couple of hundred meters and cross the border back to Venezuela. But now I’d feel too vulner- able in Boa Vista or any- where else,” said Alfredo Ro- driguez, a 59-year-old former security guard. Pacaraima has hundreds of small stores catering to Venezuelans lining its par- tially paved streets. Many signs are in Spanish and many locals use Venezuelan words such as “efectivo” for cash and “atracado” – robbed. Those without a place in shelters or a job live in the streets or insalubrious and overcrowded rooms. Norelis Gonzalez, who sleeps in the Pacaraima bus station with her sister, said both hid in the bushes for a whole night after the riots. “Since my ID was burned, I can’t even apply for legal resi- dency,” she said. Carlos Noguera, a 35-year- old Venezuelan who found work in a market, said he lives in constant fear. “If I knew the situation in Pa- caraima was so tense, I wouldn’t have come,” he said. “But now my family in Venezuela relies on the money I send.” Even as locals have built a small economy around the new residents, they complain that drug trafficking and prostitution are increasing. Crimes involving Venezuelans in Roraima rose 173 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to the governor’s press office. The victim of the at- tack that triggered Pacarai- ma’s riot is 55-year-old su- permarket owner Raimundo Nonato de Oliveira. He said four Venezuelans beat him and stole the equivalent of $6,000 as he arrived home after work. Sitting outside his shop last week with 13 ragged stitches in his head and a black eye, Oliveira was repeatedly approached by people who wanted to hear the story. Many Ven- ezuelans shook his hand and apologized. © 2018, Bloomberg Protests planned as N Ireland matches no-government record LONDON (AP) – Protesters demanded Northern Ireland’s feuding political parties get back to governing, as the re- gion matched a world re- cord Tuesday for the longest peacetime period without a government. It has been 589 days since the Catholic-Protes- tant power-sharing adminis- tration collapsed in January 2017 over a botched green- energy project. The rift soon widened to broader cultural and political issues sepa- rating Northern Ireland’s British unionists and Irish nationalists, and attempts to restore the government have stalled. Belgium spent 589 days without an elected govern- ment between 2010 and 2011. Protesters used the hashtag #wedeservebetter to call for the former gov- erning parties, the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein, to restore the power-sharing government. Demonstra- tors planned to hold demon- strations in several cities on Tuesday evening. Civil servants have run the government in Northern Ireland since the adminis- tration collapsed, with major spending and policy decisions deferred. The British govern- ment stepped in to approve Northern Ireland’s budget, but has resisted pressure to take direct control from London. The political crisis has left 1.8 million people without a government and threatens power-sharing, the key achievement of the 1998 peace accord that ended decades of violence and bloodshed in Northern Ireland. The British government agreed there was an “ur- gent need to resolve the cur- rent impasse.” It said Tuesday its priority was “to secure a basis for political talks and re-establish a locally elected, democratically accountable devolved government at the earliest opportunity.” But there was little sign of reconciliation from Northern Ireland’s politicians. Demo- cratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster said it was “long past the time to get back into government,” but claimed Sinn Fein was the problem. The DUP marked Tues- day’s milestone by unfurling a banner outside the Stormont government building calling on Sinn Fein to end its “boy- cott” of government. Sinn Fein says the DUP is prolonging the stalemate by refusing to back legal pro- tection for the Irish language and by blocking same-sex marriage, which is legal ev- erywhere in the U.K. apart from Northern Ireland. Clothing belonging to Venezuelan migrants hang at a temporary shelter along BR 174 highway in Pacaraima, Brazil, on Feb. 15, 2018. - PHOTO: BLOOMBERG A Venezuelan migrant travels along a highway towards Pacaraima, Roraima state, Brazil, on Feb. 15, 2018. - PHOTO: BLOOMBERG9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29, 2018 WORLDWIDE GUN DEATHS REACH 250,000 YEARLY; U.S. RANKS HIGH CHICAGO (AP) — Gun deaths worldwide total about 250,000 yearly and the United States is among just six countries that make up half of those fatalities, a study found. The results from one of the most comprehen- sive analyses of firearm deaths reveal “a major public health problem for humanity,” according to an editorial published with the study Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Although recent head- lines make it seem like gun killings are surging glob- ally, the new figures tell a more nuanced story. Researchers counted about 209,000 gun deaths in 1990 compared to 251,000 in 2016. The average rate, about 4 per 100,000 people, was mostly unchanged. Two-thirds of the deaths in 2016 were homi- cides, although the U.S. is among wealthy countries where suicides by gun out- number gun killings, the study found. There were larger in- creases in many of the 195 countries involved in the study, particularly in Cen- tral American and South America, where the rates reached nearly 40 per 100,000 in some places. Researchers said the drug trade and economic insta- bility may have contributed. Brazil, Colombia, Gua- temala, Mexico and Vene- zuela are the countries that with the U.S. contributed to half the study deaths. The findings showed that in 2016, 64 percent of global gun deaths were ho- micides, 27 percent were suicides and 9 percent were accidental. Gun deaths in the U.S. climbed from 35,800 in 1990 to 37,200 in 2016, but the rate dipped slightly to 11 per 100,000. The study also noted that El Salvador had the highest global gun death rate, nearly 40 per 100,000 people. Singapore had the lowest, with 0.1 death per 100,000. Gun deaths outnum- bered deaths from combat and terrorism every year except 1994, when 800,000 people died in Rwandan genocide. French environment minister quits: World ‘not doing enough’ PARIS (AP) – France’s high- profile environment minister unexpectedly announced his resignation live on national radio Tuesday, lamenting the government’s lack of deci- sive action on green issues. The move deals a stinging blow to the environmental credibility of President Em- manuel Macron. Clearly emotional, Nicolas Hulot said he’d not even told his wife, let alone Macron or the prime minister, of his de- cision to stand down. The long-time environmental ad- vocate lamented France’s slow pace of progress on green issues and his own lack of power to force change. His on-air resignation on France Inter radio was so out of the blue that the first reac- tion from an interviewer was: “Are you serious?” “I no longer want to lie to myself,” Hulot said. “I don’t want to create the illusion that my presence in govern- ment means that we’re up to standard on these issues, and so I am deciding to quit the government.” Recruiting Hulot as a min- ister had been a coup for Ma- cron, who has sought to po- sition France as a champion in the fight against environ- mental degradation and as a counterweight to the climate change attitudes of President Donald Trump. Losing Hulot so suddenly will force a ministerial re- shuffle and casts doubt on the strength of Macron’s commitment to “make our planet great again.” Macron’s office confirmed there will be a reshuffle, but said it won’t happen while the French leader is visiting Denmark and Finland this week. Speaking in Denmark, Macron defended his gov- ernment as having “done more than any other on this subject.” He urged pa- tience, saying: “It’s a fight that isn’t won from one day to the next.” Hulot expressed hope that his resignation would stir French politicians and the public into action, calling it “an act of mobilization.” “I no longer believe,” Hulot said. “The planet is becoming an oven, our natural re- sources are being exhausted, biodiversity is melting like snow in the sun and it’s not always dealt with like a priority issue.” He damned Macron’s gov- ernment with faint praise as he sprang his resigna- tion surprise. “France is doing more than a lot of other countries. Do not make me say that it is doing enough. It is not doing enough. Europe is not doing enough. The world is not doing enough,” he said. Never a career politician, Hulot accepted a role in gov- ernment in the hope that, from an inside position, he could make real progress on the environmental concerns that he has long sounded the alarm about. He was one of just two ministers given the special title of “minister of state.” The other is the inte- rior minister, who leads the police and France’s domestic fight against terrorism. On France Inter, Hulot said short-term pressures were taking priority in the French government over the longer-term need to reverse environmental destruction. He described himself as “all alone” and said: “I have a bit of influence, but I have no power and no means.” In this Dec. 6, 2012 file photo, environmental activist Nicolas Hulot smiles as he leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. France’s high- profile environment minister Hulot has unexpectedly announced his resignation. - PHOTO: APNext >