ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY School’s out for summer Students at Cayman International School celebrate their last day at school Thursday before the summer break begins. The children abandoned their uniforms during the ‘Civvies Day’ and enjoyed parties and outdoor classes. Schools throughout Cayman are closing for their summer break over the next few days. For more, see page 6. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY WORC in progress New streamlined systems expected in autumn MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The job placement and immigration ap- plication systems under the new Workforce and Residency Cayman (WORC) department will be more secure, transparent and con- sistent, and completely paperless, when they become active later this year, according to Director Sharon Roulstone. In addition, the turnaround time for work permit applications will speed up, with a benchmark time of two weeks. “Of course, there are going to be teething problems on our end initially, but that is the benchmark that we have set and we believe can exceed as well,” Roulstone told delegates at the Chamber of Commerce Economic Forum on Wednesday. “The short turnaround time will also greatly reduce the dependence on temporary work permits, which will create efficiencies and cost savings for our customers,” she said. Workforce and Residency Cayman is not a merger of the National Workforce Devel- opment Agency and Immigration but rather a new department built from scratch, Roul- stone explained. For the time being, the department is in transition as it is lacking dedicated legisla- tion that give WORC its operational powers. Proposed legislation will be published for public consultation and is set to be passed during the next sitting of the Legislative As- sembly in September. Once the legislation is in effect, “hope- fully, this fall”, the WORC director said, the department is expected to have moved into new premises and its technology system should be operational. “The task is to radically change the pro- cesses to help Caymanians find jobs and em- ployers the labour that they need to keep Cayman globally competitive.” WORC will be technology driven and pow- ered by two systems that work in a single, seamless process for employers looking to find labour. One system, consisting of the National Jobs Clearing House portal, is where Cayma- nians seeking work or those seeking better work will have to register. “A key difference between the new system and the current system is that WORC will only register Caymanians who are job ready,” Roulstone said. As such it will act as a type of filter for those who need some other type of assistance before entering the job market, such as training or support from the Needs Assessment Unit. “The current system does not adequately CIVIL WAR IN BATTLE TO SAVE SEA TURTLES JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A civil war has broken out in the battle to protect Cayman’s sea turtles. The National Conservation Council has dismissed a green sea turtle conservation plan, produced by the Cayman Turtle Centre, describing it as a tourism and marketing plan rather than a viable conservation framework. The council has put forward its own plan for the protection of all sea turtle species. Council chairman McFarlane Conolly said the document had been in the works for three years but had been delayed by the turtle cen- tre’s “ill-conceived” attempt to “bypass the lawful process” and push its own plan through Cabinet without input from the council or the Department of Environment. “The turtle centre’s document is not a spe- cies conservation plan but rather a marketing and tourism plan made for the benefit of the turtle centre,” he said during Wednesday’s meeting of the conservation council. “There is an obvious conflict of interest in a business developing a conservation plan to regulate and endorse its own activities. The circumstances risk reputational damage to DART MAKES CASE FOR ‘ICONIC TOWER’ MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com A five-star skyscraper resort that is in- stantly recognisable all over the world would signal strength, attract visitors and poten- tially draw billionaire investors to Cayman, according to Justin Howe, executive vice pres- ident of Real Estate Development and Opera- tions for Decco, Dart’s development arm. The company used the Chamber of Com- merce’s Economic Forum conference on Wednesday to renew its case for the project and reveal some of the details the proposal could entail. Talks between Dart and the government about plans to erect the Caribbean’s tallest building on Grand Cayman have been on- going since February, when Premier Alden McLaughlin announced the proposal at the Cayman Economic Outlook conference. The premier stated at that conference that Dart would invest about $1.5 billion in the sky- scraper and related infrastructure. Since then, Dart has taken steps to turn what it dubs the ‘iconic tower’ from an idea into a plan. Howe said the company has been considering scale, location, mixed-use com- ponents, market demand, infrastructure, set- backs – the distance from a lot boundary to a WORC Director Sharon Roulstone speaks at the Chamber of Commerce Economic Forum on Wednesday. - PHOTO: MICHAEL KLEIN PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL NEWS JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Cayman Islands den- tist joined hundreds of pad- dleboarders and canoeists to compete in an eight-mile downwind race in Hawaii last weekend. Sharn Mentz, originally from South Africa, finished 11th in the ‘open’ category of the OluKai Ho’olaule’a race on Maui’s famous north shore. Mentz, who works at Ocean Dental, was inspired to compete by his friend Jeff Dyson, who lost his life to ALS, also known as motor neurone disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He said he competed in honour of his friend and raised more than $5,000 for the new ALS Cayman foundation. Mentz, who has been paddleboarding for eight years and was part of a duo that completed the first cir- cumnavigation of Grand Cayman in 2013, said his friend’s fight with ALS and his determination to live his life to the fullest had been an inspiration. He said, “Over the last few years before he passed, Jeff inspired me to do what I do in the ocean. Every time I didn’t feel like going for a paddle, I would think about Jeff and re- alise, this, what we call life, is not a rehearsal.” He has now competed in the Hawaii race for four consecutive years. The The Department of Commerce and Investment is advising the public that its office will close early on Friday, 21 June. The office will close its doors at 3pm, to facilitate a staff meeting. FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS BREAKTHROUGH (PG) 1:25 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 SUN: 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 KALANK (PG) 3:10 I 9:00 (SAT ONLY) I 9:30 (NO SAT) SUN: 3:10 I 9:20 LITTLE (PG13) 12:30 I 3:25 (SAT ONLY) I 3:50 (NO SAT) 6:50 I 9:45 SUN: 3:50 I 6:50 I 9:35 DUMBO (PG) 10:30 (SAT ONLY) I 4:35 I 7:15 (NO SAT) SUN: 4:35 I 7:15 CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG13) 1:40 I 10:00 (NO SAT) SUN: 6:30 I 10:00 THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (R) 1:10 VIP I 4:35 I 7:00 VIP I 10:15 HELLBOY (R) 12:35 (SAT ONLY) I 1:00 I 6:10 (SAT ONLY) I 6:45 SHAZAM! 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A forensic pathologist was due to arrive in Grand Cayman Friday to conduct a post-mortem on the body of 42-year-old Errol George Grey, the man killed in the incident. Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown said he had requested an extra level of expertise for the examina- tion to confirm what exactly transpired at the home in West Bay on Sunday evening. The scene was still cor- doned off Thursday as the investigation continued. Lansdown confirmed that the two children, understood to be aged around 9 and 13, had been released from hospital into the care of family members after being treated for serious stab wounds. Their mother was still being treated Thursday and her condition was de- scribed as stable. Neighbours told the Cayman Compass that they had come to the aid of the family in the af- termath of the stabbings Sunday evening. Osires Watler, who was visiting family in a neigh- bouring home, said the woman, who had a knife wound to her neck, had claimed her boyfriend had stabbed her and her chil- dren and then turned the weapon on himself. Lansdown said police were investigating that pos- sibility along with other lines of inquiry. He said police had been able to interview neighbours and get a ‘first account’ from the mother and children, but had not conducted formal interviews as yet because of the extent of their injuries. “All possibilities are being investigated,” he said. “That is all I want to say on that at the moment. We are looking at any options to es- tablish what happened.” He said police were not currently looking for anyone else in relation to the inci- dent and confirmed that no arrests have been made at this point. “The investigation will go wherever the facts lead us,” Lansdown said. “We never say never, although the indi- cations are, at the moment, that all the parties involved are known to us.” He urged the public to refrain from specula- tion or sharing photos of the victims. “It is obviously a live, ongoing investigation with young children involved, so speculating about what hap- pened and sharing photos of the parties involved may not be helpful,” he said. A forensic pathologist was due to arrive in Grand Cayman Friday to conduct a post- mortem on the body of 42-year-old Errol George Grey, the man killed in the incident. Errol Grey Dentist’s Hawaii odyssey in honour of friend DCI TO CLOSE EARLY ON FRIDAY race featured 200 competi- tors, including 80 stand-up paddlers and 120 in out- rigger canoes. Mentz said all money raised would go to sup- port local people suf- fering from ALS. To support Mentz, go to www.GoFundMe.com/f/ dr-sharn-mentz-paddle-race-for-als. Sharn Mentz, originally from South Africa, finished 11th in the ‘open’ category of the OluKai Ho’olaule’a race on Maui’s famous north shore. Sharn Mentz at the finish line in Maui.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 A LUXURY WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRESTIGIOUS YACHT CLUB COMMUNITY WWW.STONEISLANDCAYMAN.COM PHASE 1 65% SOLD Three full-scale model homes available for viewing BOOK A VIEWING Sales Inquiries (345) 925-6404 | info@stoneislandcayman.com Yacht Drive, just past Vista del Mar The Residences of Stone Island is comprised of 44 waterfront residences built to the highest standards, with 4,500 square feet of open-concept living space. This private gated community boasts an exquisite array of lifestyle amenities; Tennis court expansive infinity edge pool private screening room children’s center waterside owner’s lounge with chef’s kitchen bar and owner’s wine storage gated with 24-hour security BBQ pavilion boardwalk boat docking lush landscaping fitness studio Welcome home to Stone Island.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion & Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited 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 PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Sometimes, the best way to honour a tradition is to allow it to adapt and grow. For that reason, the Compass is changing the manner and frequency of its unsigned editorial. Every day, in this space, it has been this newspa- per’s practice to publish an editorial conveying the newspaper’s ‘institutional opinion’ – considered per- spectives informed by the philosophy and outlook of our company leaders and reflecting the organisa- tion’s commitment to our community. Beginning next week, these editorials will appear not daily, but peri- odically as events unfold. Editorials are a venerated tradition in many newspapers. Many readers find value in them, regardless of whether they agree with the conclu- sions or perspective. Yet, it is important to change with the times. As this news organisation continues to seek ways to better reflect and strengthen community relation- ships, it only makes sense for the editorial board to step back and join a cacophony of voices and views on topics of current interest; to take its place as an equal partner among the many passionate, com- mitted champions for our collective success. Now it is time for this editorial board to embrace its role as a convener of community discussion and to earn community respect as a trusted hub for critical conversation. Put simply, it is time for us to share the stage. On this page moving forward, it is our intention to showcase a much broader diversity of local voices and views. It is our hope that readers will come to see the Compass – as we do – as the islands’ home for considered, reasonable debate. The fact is, many of the issues that face our territory today do not have simple ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. They are complex issues shared by a diverse group of stakeholders. Reflecting that complexity and diversity is an inval- uable first step toward resolving thorny community issues. We are honoured to play such a vital role in community betterment. We embrace our responsibili- ties to do so. At the same time, we need your help. Making the editorial page a true reflection of our vibrant, diverse and thoughtful population is a high priority for the Compass. But we cannot do it alone. We ask readers of all backgrounds, professions and expertise to share their unique perspectives and knowledge by sending us thoughts for publication – whether they be shorter letters to the editor, longer columns about particular topics of interest, or even just a few words. As is has in the past, it will take every ounce of ingenuity and every good idea from every corner of our society to create a brighter, more prosperous future for the Cayman Islands. Together, we can make it happen. We look forward to hearing from you. Please email us at editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com or send comments to the Cayman Compass website, www.caymancompass.com. Sharing space for our community’s solution-seekers FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS MARK LAVER The song of the summer for 2019 has unquestion- ably been Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’, featuring 1990s country icon, Billy Ray Cyrus. As of 10 June, the country- hip hop crossover hit has topped Billboard’s ‘Hot 100’ chart for 10 weeks. It will probably soon eclipse Drake’s ‘In My Feelings’, the most re- cent 10-week top hit, released in the summer of 2018, and is creeping steadily closer to the record of 16 weeks, held by Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’ and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s ‘One Sweet Day’. Unlike those other top songs, though, ‘Old Town Road’ first appeared on Bill- board’s country charts, an origin that not only makes it rare but also controver- sial. Since the song was first released in December, its popularity has been accom- panied by confusion and out- rage – not because its sound isn’t country, but because its singer is black. In March, Billboard chose to pull Lil Nas X’s song from its country charts – where it had reached No. 19, and would have inevi- tably reached No. 1 – osten- sibly for failing to embrace “enough elements of to- day’s country music”, while keeping it on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. More recently, many white country fans have taken to Twitter to voice their anger over Lil Nas X’s recent sponsorship deal with Wrangler jeans, a brand that has been connected with cowboy and rodeo culture since the 1940s. Clearly, for the self-dep- utised gatekeepers of the country genre, Lil Nas X and his song do not belong. For a genre that has his- torically been primarily asso- ciated with white artists and audiences, country music has always drawn heavily on Af- rican American musical in- fluences, especially the blues. As a musical and poetic form and a performance aes- thetic (the ‘man and guitar’ style, for instance), the blues has been the common de- nominator for nearly every country figure, from Jimmie Rodgers to Eric Church. In terms of instrumenta- tion, too, country and its ad- jacent genres, especially blue- grass, have leaned heavily on sounds derived from African and African American music. The banjo, for instance, finds its likely progenitors among a set of West African string instruments: the akonting, the ubaw-akwala, the xalam and the ngoni. If these in- struments themselves did not cross the Middle Passage, knowledge of instrument de- sign and performance style certainly did. Musically, then, country music has al- ways been entangled with black culture. But from very early on in the history of the country genre, artists, audiences and other key stakeholders, Bill- board among them, worked to elide or erase that en- tanglement. When Bill- board first started tracking country music hits in 1939, it did so on a chart called ‘Hillbilly Hits’ that was spe- cifically mindful of sales to white audiences, either those in rural parts of the United States or those who had mi- grated to larger, urban cen- tres. The blues, meanwhile, was lumped in with all other African American re- corded production, ranging from jazz to comedy, under the now-infamous signifier ‘race records’. However much in common Rodgers and his blues contemporaries may have had musically, on the charts they were separated based on race. These same racialised categories endure today on the Billboard charts, albeit with sanitised nomenclature. When the organisation finally did away with the “race re- cords” category in 1949, it in- augurated the ‘rhythm and blues’ genre to replace it. Al- though rhythm and blues isn’t as messy as ‘race re- cords’ either musically or po- litically, it nevertheless in- cludes an impossibly huge breadth of music. In recent years, a number of black artists have objected forcefully to the restrictive character of the R&B/Hip Hop chart, decrying the per- sistent notion that, despite no longer officially being des- ignated ‘race records’, the up- dated chart works in a pretty similar way. In effect, the vast majority of African American artists end up on the R&B/ Hip Hop chart, while white artists can be placed there or anywhere else. Even before Cyrus had anything to do with it, ‘Old Town Road’ could easily qualify as a country rap or country trap tune, both well- established subgenres under the country designation. In fact, it’s worth observing that Lil Nas X doesn’t rap at all on the track. More to the point: There has been comparatively little controversy over the incorpo- ration of rap into the genre if it comes via white artists, including stars Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line (both of whom have spoken out in support of Lil Nas X) And yet Billboard pulled ‘Old Town Road’, a song with similar themes, after only a few weeks. Why is a white artist per- mitted to stay on the country charts with a rap-based single, while a black artist is removed for “not [embracing] enough elements of today’s country music?” The answer seems clear: It has little to do with the sound of the music, and everything to do with the race of the performer. Mark Laver is an assistant professor of music at Grinnell College, where he teaches classes on jazz and popular music. © 2019, The Washington Post. The segregation of country music Clearly, for the self-deputised gatekeepers of the country genre, Lil Nas X and his song do not belong.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 Kai Roberts Age 10, West End Primary School Alzavia Goulbourne Age 9 Red Bay Primary School Damoya Fearon Age 9, Red Bay Primary School Hosannia O'Connor Age 11, East End Primary School CONGRATULATIONS! RUBiS T O P STU DE N T RUBiS is delighted to recognise these ten young finalists for their outstanding commitment and dedication to their chosen pursuits. Thank you to all students who entered the program this year. The drive, skills, passion and enthusiasm evident in the 2019 submissions, make it clear that our young people have enormous talent and potential, and the future of the Cayman Islands is in good hands! www.rubiscaymanislands.com at our ential, and th ood hands Jeleah Maize Age 9, George Town Primary School Kaz Conolly Basedo Age 10, Montessori by the Sea Kezzia King Age 12, Triple C Christian School Naima Myles Age 7, George Town Primary School Oral Michelin Age 11, The Lighthouse School Tianna Ebanks Age 10, Prospect Primary School6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS Premier to travel to Jamaica for Seaga funeral KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Premier Alden McLaughlin will attend the funeral of former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga this weekend. The funeral will be held Sunday following a four- day period of mourning, 19-22 June, in honour of Seaga, who died 28 May on his 89th birthday. Seaga served as Jamai- ca’s fifth prime minister, from 1980 to 1989. McLaughlin will attend the state funeral at noon on 23 June at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in King- ston. Interment will follow at the National Heroes Park. Senior political ad- viser Roy Tatum will travel with McLaughlin to attend the service. Following Seaga’s death last month, McLaughlin is- sued a statement describing Seaga as, “a great and re- spected Caribbean Leader and as one of Jamaica’s out- standing politicians”. “He was the only re- maining member of the team who drafted the Con- stitution when Jamaica gained independence from the UK in 1962 and one of the longest serving Mem- bers of the Parliament, not just in Jamaica but in the Caribbean, holding his seat in West Kingston for over 43 years. That is no mean feat in politics,” he said. Seaga visited Cayman on many occasions, McLaughlin said, adding that he had fond memories of their conversa- tions during those visits. A Book of Condolence has also been opened for Seaga at the Consulate of Jamaica on Dorcy Drive in George Town. The book will be available for signing until 2:30pm Friday, 21 June. “He served his country with wisdom and foresight and contributed greatly to Jamaica’s financial, eco- nomic and cultural de- velopment,” a consulate statement read. “We honor his legacy and mourn his loss alongside his family, friends and the people of Jamaica.” School’s out for summer JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com With summer break al- ready started for some or just days away for others, Cayman teachers and stu- dents are eagerly antici- pating their summer plans. Cayman International School started its summer break on Thursday with a ‘Civvies Day’ for students, and everyone there seemed to be looking forward to the long-awaited days of sleeping in, chilling out, seeing old friends, trav- elling or just basically doing nothing. Grade 10 student Derek Peene perhaps explained it best, when he said simply, “I am looking forward to just not being in school.” Travel seems to be the agenda for many students during summer break, whether to Miami, Florida, Disney World, or even the Australian outback. Others thought getting caught up Students at CIS show off sports cards they were hoping to trade with other students. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY on some more shuteye after having to roll out of bed at the crack of dawn during school time would be the proper thing to do. Pre-K students in teacher Jessica Wolfenden’s class were excited about the summer. “My daddy and I are going to Africa,” said one student. “I am going with my sister and mum to New York City and Canada,” said an- other. “I am going away for my birthday to Australia,” said one more. “Students enjoyed a glow dance party,” said Wolfenden. “My class loves to dance, and they were just finishing up an amazing year.” Grade 10 student Dejea Lyons said she had a lot of opportunities coming her way for the summer holi- days – especially with her dance career. She will be doing a recital and travel- ling to Trinidad to repre- sent Cayman in a Caribbean festival. “I’m really excited about that,” she said. Meanwhile, fellow stu- dent Jayden Mannisto said he was looking for- ward to getting time off from school and visiting family in Canada. Student William Dyer says he will be playing sports over the summer, and Nicholas Corin was going home to Vancouver, Canada, to see friends and family. Teacher Jana Hartley was not looking forward to being without the kids all summer. She said she moved to Cayman to have fun teaching again after retiring. “The kids are amazing,” she said. Hartley said this summer she and her husband will take a trip with Habitat for Humanity to Buda- pest, adding in a few days in London and Vienna, and going home to see their chil- dren and grandkids. According to Caitlin Crumpton, CIS communica- tions and marketing officer, 650 kids attend Cayman In- ternational School. The new school year in August will see some 750 students at the school. “On the last day of school, the kids are most looking forward to their par- ties and summer. They get to go on lots of trips and spend time with their families,” Crumpton said. Other schools across Cayman are also gearing up for closing their doors for the summer, with gov- ernment schools closing on Tuesday, 25 June. Teacher Alyssa Brock and students enjoy an outdoor reading lesson on their last day of the school year. Jamaica’s late former Prime Minister Edward Seaga, left, with Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Osmond Osbourne Mayhew, who passed away on Tuesday, June 04, 2019. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, 163, Pedro Castle Rd, Savannah on Saturday June 22, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Viewing will be from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Interment at Prospect Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com We can hardly believe it is ten years now since you passed, but we know dear one, that you are not gone, just gone on ahead. We know, too, that your unsel sh life here on earth would always remain as a testimony of your faith. “Everyone who believes in him has eternal life” John 3:15 In Loving Memory of the late Mrs. Leila S. Paramlall (Miss Leila) We love you and miss you Harold, Naomi, Mark, Scott, Priya, Hannah and the rest of the family o t, of Priya, o Mrs. Leila S. Paramlall Mrs. Leila S. Paramlall In Loving Memory of the late In Loving Memory of the late r. Leila S. Paramlall s Who passed this life on June 23, 2009 In Loving Memory of the late In Loving Memory of the late ml Who passed this life on June 23, 2009Who passed this life on June 23, 2009 In Loving Memory of the late In Loving Memory of the late Mrs. Leila S. Paramlall Mrs. Leila S. Paramlall Who passed this life on June 23, 2009Who passed this life on June 23, 2009 We d, H We love you and miss you Harold, Naomi, Mark, Scott, Priya, Hannah and the rest of Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. George Leo Kelly, who passed away on Monday, June 03, 2019. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at Ninety Nine & Nine Church, Powell-Smith Drive, West Bay, Grand Cayman on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Viewing: 1:00 –2:00 p.m. Interment at: Boatswain Bay Cemetery Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Gretchen Allen, who passed away on Monday, June 10, 2019. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at George Town Seventh Day Adventist Church on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. Viewing: 12:00 –1:30 p.m. There will be no interment. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Cleveland R. Ferguson, who passed away on Thursday, June 13, 2019. A Graveside Service will be held at Prospect Cemetery, Grand Cayman on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. Viewing: 9:00 –9:30 a.m. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com the Cayman Islands at both a local and international level,” he added. He said there was no legal basis for the Cayman Turtle Centre to produce a spe- cies conservation plan. That responsibility falls to the council under the National Conservation Law. Though it has changed its name to remove the reference to turtle farming, the West Bay facility still produces turtle meat for sale. Regu- lating how that meat is pack- aged, to distinguish it from illegally poached wild turtle meat, is part of the conser- vation council’s own spe- cies conservation plan. Mon- itoring of the turtle centre’s captive breeding and release programme are also part of the plan. Conolly said the council would welcome input from the turtle centre as a major stakeholder, and acknowl- edged the contribution of its captive-breeding and release programme to the revival of nesting sea turtles in Cay- man’s waters. But, he said, the law puts responsibility for protecting endangered species squarely in the hands of the council. Despite this, he acknowl- edged that officials in the Ministry of Environment had written to the council last year indicating that Cab- inet had approved the turtle centre’s plan and would be issuing directions to the council. Those directions never ar- rived and the council was blind-sided by a press re- lease from the turtle centre last week saying government had endorsed its plan and directed the council to “pro- ceed with the steps necessary to adopt and subsequently bring this plan into force”. Conolly said the council had sought legal advice which indicated Cabinet could not issue directions to the council in this way. “The legal advice also in- dicates that the turtle centre has no standing under the National Conservation Law to propose conservation plans, much less directly present one to Cabinet,” he added. He said the council would actually be in breach of the law if it went ahead and accepted the Cayman Turtle Centre’s plan. He added that the docu- ment was extremely lengthy, overly complex and unclear, and only dealt with one spe- cies – green sea turtles. He added that it did not meet the requirements for conservation plans set out in the Conservation Law and, in some aspects, conflicted with DoE, council and in- ternational ‘best practice’ recommendations. Last week Turtle Centre director Tim Adam said the facility had seen a need for a conservation plan for the species and had responded. “We have the expertise, the knowledge and the expe- rience,” he said. “Why should we not step up and do it?” He declined to comment in detail about Wednes- day’s decision, saying only, “We are pleased to see that the National Conservation Council is finally making public statements about spe- cies conservation plans for marine turtles. We are keen to continue making our con- tributions to ensure the con- tinued success of our turtle conservation.” Beachside turtle-friendly lighting to become mandatory JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Beachside developments that fail to install ‘turtle- friendly’ lighting within three years could face prose- cution under new proposals to protect sea turtles. A draft conservation plan, put forward by the Na- tional Conservation Council, identifies artificial beach lighting along with poaching as the greatest threats to the species. “Without addressing these and other threats, Cayman Islands’ sea turtle populations cannot survive,” the document states. Though there has been a resurgence of nesting sea turtles in the Cayman Is- lands in recent years, the plan warns that numbers are still critically low. It indicates the immediate goal is to prevent the extinc- tion of green, loggerhead and hawksbill nesting popula- tions in Cayman’s waters. It warns that thousands of hatchlings die every year after being disorientated by beachside lighting and pro- poses a Florida-style ban on excessive beach illumination. When turtle hatchlings emerge from their nests, they find the ocean by heading towards the brightest light they can see. On undevel- oped beaches, that is the moon and stars reflecting on the ocean’s surface. But artificial lights in built- up areas are often brighter and lead the hatchlings to- wards land where they die from exhaustion, dehydra- tion, vehicles or predators, the plan indicates. It proposes that beach- side developers are legally required, through the Cen- tral Planning Authority, to follow turtle-friendly lighting plans, including using amber-wavelength lights and orienting lights away form the beach. Existing developments will be required to switch up their lighting, including street lights that illuminate beaches, within three years of the plan coming into force. At the end of that grace period, the plan indicates that anyone responsible for a light that results in the death of a turtle hatchling by di- verting it from its path to the sea is liable to be prosecuted under the conservation law. The plan also high- lights poaching as a signifi- cant threat. Citing a recent study which showed 200 households had bought il- legal turtle meat in a year, it states, “due to the small size of turtle nesting populations, levels of illegal harvest rep- resent a significant threat”. The plan also includes provision for habitat pro- tection. It proposes that the beaches that have had the highest density of turtle nesting over the last 20 years be designated as special pro- tection zones. Exactly what this additional layer of pro- tection would involve is not specified in the plan. Regulations for the sale of farmed turtle meat and the release of reared hatch- lings into the wild are also covered. The plan seeks to outlaw the use of vehi- cles on Cayman’s nesting beaches between May and November, except in special circumstances. Members of the council voted to approve the plan to go out for public con- sultation, at their quarterly meeting Wednesday. That process is expected to begin in the coming weeks. Civil war in battle to save sea turtles The Cayman Turtle Centre has produced its own green sea turtle conservation plan. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “ There is an obvious conflict of interest in a business developing a conservation plan to regulate and endorse its own activities.” MCFARLANE CONOLLY, chairman, National Conservation CouncilThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY, 21 JUNE 2019 The Family of the Late Hulda Ebanks regret to announce her passing on Monday, 10 June 2019. A Service of Thanksgiving will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, 23 June 2019 at the North Side Church of God, viewing will be held from 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow at the North Side Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Bernie Eugene Manderson, who passed away on Tuesday, June 11, 2019. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at Church of God Chapel, Bodden Town on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Viewing: Closed Casket Interment will be confirmed at a later date. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com filter job-ready Cayman- ians from those requiring other assistance, which we know has been a frustra- tion to employers as well as job-ready Caymanians looking for work.” Caymanians can register and search the jobs portal directly for vacancies, or opt for a process that provides more guidance as well as job skills training before they begin the job market search. For employers, the na- tional jobs clearing house will be the portal through which all vacancies must be advertised. There will be no need to advertise in the newspapers, as under the current law, but traditional advertising can be done in addition to the portal, the WORC director said. Only Caymanians regis- tered to the portal will be able to see the job vacancies and only Caymanians regis- tered on the site can be con- sidered for employment. “So, for example, if you are advertising for a food and beverage server and no Cayman food and beverage server is listed on the portal, we are not going to require that you go out and rum- mage through the bushes to find them,” Roulstone said. Employers who advertise elsewhere in addition to the government portal can hire a Caymanian who responds to the ad directly, without the need to go through the government system. The department will launch a public relations campaign in the near future to encourage job-ready Cay- manians to register on the jobs portal. This should help remove the stigma that has been at- tached to the National Work- force Development Agency “as the agency for the unem- ployables”, she noted. “None of that culture is transfer- ring to WORC. This will be a brand-new opportunity for Caymanians.” The second system will be used to submit all per- missions applications, such as work permits, Cayman status and perma- nent residence. “The way this will work in practice is that an em- ployer will first search the jobs portal to determine whether there are any job- ready Caymanians avail- able for the advertised post. If there are, the pro- cess then terminates and that is obviously the re- sult that we want,” Roul- stone explained. “How- ever, we must be realistic. If there are no Caymanians registered on the portal that match the skills re- quired, the employer con- tinues on the process of ap- plying for a work permit via the second phase of the system.” The online application forms are expected to be im- proved and all supporting documentation required for an application must also be uploaded online. Pay- ments will be made online by debit or credit card or via escrow account, so that the applications process is en- tirely paperless. The system is designed not to accept any appli- cation that is incomplete. “Therefore, once the infor- mation is transmitted to us our team of administrators should be able to review and make a decision on an ap- plication within our bench- mark time of two weeks.” The new system will no longer require police clear- ance certificates, as it will run a background check on all applicants, regardless of where they are from, by in- terfacing with law enforce- ment databases in North America, Europe and other international agencies. The system will also con- nect with other Cayman Is- lands government agencies so that documents, such as a trade and business license, a Cayman Islands-issued passport, marriage certifi- cate or birth certificate, will not have to be submitted. “Our rules will also not ask you for documents we do not need,” Roulstone said. “The classic example is the chest X-ray.” Instead, this informa- tion for the medical ques- tionnaire will be put before a doctor who will confirm whether or not the applicant is fit for work. Each application will be peer-reviewed for internal compliance purposes. If two decisions are at odds, the application will be escalated to a manager for a decision. In practice, applications can be made online around the clock every day of the week. For those who are less tech-savvy, WORC will pro- vide kiosks at its new prem- ises where customer care officers will assist with the application scanning and upload, Roulstone said. “But whatever documents you will bring in, you will also leave with.” How much this paper- less automation of processes is needed is reflected in the department’s current pro- cessing statistics. In the last three months, the department processed 18,839 paper-based per- mission requests with four full-time administrators, six board staff, plus supporting staff for filing and pro- cessing clerks. For the time being, the department is lacking dedicated legislation that give WORC its operational powers. Proposed legislation will be published for public consultation and is set to be passed during the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly in September. St. Ignatius team wins investment club contest St. Ignatius students Jus- tine Rhule, Halle Whittaker and Kelsi Persad won this year’s Saxon Investment Club competition. Their team, Make it True, was awarded US$2,500, while their coach Dominique Chenier was given a $500 travel voucher. The competition invites students to invest an imag- inary $100,000 in the stock market over the course of five months. Winners are de- termined on the amount of profit they make. This year’s programme drew more than 120 students from five dif- ferent schools. David Madison, Josh Small and Levi Superville from team Limited Edition took home second place for Cayman Prep and High School, followed by Jake Murphy, Kendra Dickson and Luke Neeland in third place for Cayman Interna- tional School. “Saxon is committed to investing in our youth as we recognise that there is no better investment in Cay- man’s future than instilling young minds with knowledge and wisdom.” Brian Wil- liams, CEO of Saxon, said in a statement. “While this club certainly evokes a healthy level of competition, the most valuable reward is the in- sight gained from the hands- on experience.” For more information on the Saxon Investment Club or to get your school enrolled in the next programme, email marketing@saxon.ky. development – and the legal requirements. The development group has also looked at other iconic buildings around the world in Dubai, London, Monaco, New York and Singapore. “We believe that the log- ical location for this tower is at Camana Bay. It has long been our intention to create a sea-to-sound con- nectivity where people can walk from Seven Mile Beach to the North Sound without crossing any major roads,” Howe said. “And the two underpasses are the literal foundation of this infrastructure.” Because increased set- backs would be a require- ment for any tall building that is higher than what is allowed under current reg- ulations, the tower could be located to the east of West Bay Road, he said. Howe said increased setbacks could be used as an advantage to create beautifully landscaped public spaces with a dis- tinct identity. Dart is also looking at what kind of amenities would make the building stand out. Howe mentioned the observation decks of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building, the rooftop infinity pool of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, or the vertical gardens of the Oasis tower in Dubai as examples. “We believe a building is iconic through design, not simply the height,” he said. “An iconic tower has the potential to be more than just a building. It can be- come a symbol of Cayman’s standing on the world stage.” Building heights The need for taller build- ings on Grand Cayman was also economic, as scarcity and demand were contin- uing to drive up land values on Seven Mile Beach to $400 per square foot, Howe said. “With land being a scarce and finite resource with just 76 square miles in Cayman, our opportunity is to go and grow up, not out,” he added. Current planning reg- ulations restrict building heights in Cayman to a maximum of 10-storeys. Dart sees the benefits of taller buildings, particu- larly in George Town and the Seven Mile Beach cor- ridor as these are already zoned for high-density de- velopment. Tall buildings with smaller footprints would also reduce the im- pact of infrastructure devel- opments, Howe said. “With Plan Cayman al- ready under way, it is time to have this conversa- tion now,” he told confer- ence attendees. “Building heights could, of course, rise slowly and incrementally. Or we follow the example of our prede- cessors and do something bold and visionary,” he said. The purpose of the tower would be to signal strength and to continue to attract visitors, espe- cially high net worth visi- tors whose spending has “a disproportionately posi- tive impact on the economy and government revenues”, Howe added. A five-star hotel with res- idences would be a central component of the tower. Dart is considering a commercial part, like in some hotels in Miami or the Middle East, but it is more likely that the commercial element would remain in the Camana Bay town centre and the tower would be a “vertical resort”, he explained. Howe said, “Hotels are the economic engines of the tourism industry. They drive direct and indirect economic impact and job creation for our community and dramat- ically more so at the luxury end of the market.” Last year, the Dart- owned Kimpton Seafire and The Ritz-Carlton together generated more than $14 million in direct govern- ment revenue through the tourism accommodation tax alone. The resorts employ 1,500 people directly and thousands more in the as- sociated industries food and beverage, water sports and transportation, he noted. The entire tourism sector is generating nearly $1 billion annually in the economy. Dart makes case for ‘iconic tower’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Team Make it True from St. Ignatius poses with Saxon representative, Alice Ramos and Paul Meyer from OneTRADEx. From left, Paul Meyer, Kelsi Persad, Halle Whittaker, Justine Rhule and Alice Ramos. WORC in progress CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Next >