Cayman Compass - 8 January, 2021

100% hoppe r® 0% Beef 100% Whop per ® 0% Beef 100% Whop per ® 0% Beef Patty made from plants. TM & © 2020 Burger King Corporation. Impossible is a trademark of Impossible Foods Inc. Used under license. cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 8-14 January 2021 cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 8-14 January 2021 Roll up your sleeves Government leaders were the ﬁ rst to receive the Pﬁ zer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the Cayman Islands. Now they're encouraging Cayman to do the same as the country hopes to reopen borders in March. Page 5 Photo: Taneos RamsayMatinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK HONEST THIEF (PG-13) (SUN) 4:10 | 7:00 VIP | 9:40 HORIZON LINE, THE (PG-13) (FRI & SAT) 1:40 (SAT ONLY) | 4:45 VIP | 7:15 | 10:00 VIP | 10:20 (SUN) 4:45 VIP | 7:15 | 10:00 VIP | 10:20 (MON - THURS) 4:30 VIP | 7:15 MONSTER HUNTER (PG-13) FRI & SAT) 1:30 VIP (SAT ONLY) | 6:30 VIP | 9:30 (SUN) 4:45 | 6:30 VIP | 9:30 (MON-THURS) 6:30 VIP PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (R) (FRI & SAT) 4:15 | 7:20 VIP | 9:45 (MON, WED, THURS) 4:15 | 7:00 VIP (TUES) 4:15 SHAKEELA (R) (FRI & SAT) 7:05 (MON-THURS) 7:05(MON-THURS) 7:05 KID CLUB MRS. DOUBTFIRE (PG) SATURDAY 10AM THE CROODS: A NEW AGE (PG) (FRI & SAT) 1:00 VIP (SAT ONLY) | 3:45 | 6:45 (SUN) 3:45 VIP | 4:35 | 6:45 | 7:30 VIP | 9:10 (MON-THURS) 3:45 VIP | 4:35 | 6:45 THE DOORMAN (R) (FRI & SAT) 1:15 | 4:20 | 10:00 (MON-THURS) 4:20 WONDER WOMAN 1984 (PG-13) (FRI) 3:30 | 4:15 VIP | 7:00 | 8:00 VIP | 9:00 VIP (SAT) 12:30 | 12:45 VIP | 3:30 | 4:15 VIP | 7:00 | 8:00 VIP | 9:00 VIP (SUN) 3:30 | 4:15 VIP | 7:00 | 8:00 VIP | 9:00 VIP (MON TO THURS) 3:30 | 4:00 VIP | 7:00 | 7:20 VIP CULTURE EAT PRAY LOVE (PG-13) TUESDAY 7PM VIP PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EDITORINCHIEF KEVIN MORALES weather 86°F HIGH 74°F LOW Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with a 30% chance of showers. SEA STATE Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. SAT 86°F HIGH 74°F LOW SUN 82°F HIGH 74°F LOW MON 83°F HIGH 72°F LOW TUES 83°F HIGH 74°F LOW WED 83°F HIGH 74°F LOW THUR 84°F HIGH 74°F LOW caymancompass.comfacebook.com/caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass WINDS Northeast to north at 5 to 10 knots. Opposition leader calls for Bush’s removal Opposition Leader Arden McLean on 6 Jan. called for House Speaker McKeeva Bush’s removal from his post, likening Premier Alden McLaughlin’s inaction on the matter to a “lack of integrity and cowardice”. In a statement, McLean said, “No Member of Parliament should be allowed to remain in a publicly funded position following a guilty conviction, much less one involving violence against women.” This is the ﬁ rst formal position issued by the Opposition since Bush’s conviction on three counts of common assault and one of disorderly conduct relating to an assault on a female bar manager in February last year. Premier optimistic about March border reopening In his New Year message, Premier Alden McLaughlin said Cayman appears to be on track for the reopening of its borders in March. Pointing to the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines on island in early January followed by the anticipated roll-out of a national vaccination plan, he said a gradual reopening beginning in March remains the plan. “By March, we hope to have successfully vaccinated and protected a sufﬁ ciently large number of our population, including all of those at most risk. If we can achieve that target, we should be able to open our borders once again.” OfReg approves Compass acquisition of Hurley’s Media Compass Media, the parent company of the Cayman Compass, on 5 Jan. ofﬁ cially announced the acquisition of Hurley’s Media after OfReg approved the sale of the radio broadcasting company at the end of December. Compass Media acquired Hurley’s Media radio stations Z99, IRIE FM, BOB FM and Rooster 101 as part of the deal. “We’re excited about the opportunity to reach even more people through the well-established radio and event brands built by Hurley’s Media,” said Kathleen Capetta, publisher at Compass Media. The company transition will take place over the coming month and will see the Hurley’s Media ofﬁ ce, including the radio stations, relocate from Camana Bay to the Compass Centre on Shedden Road. Voter numbers increase as May election nears Cayman currently has 1,014 more voters on its electoral roll than it had for the 2017 general election, according to the latest statistics from the Elections Ofﬁ ce. The current ofﬁ cial list of electors, dated 1 Jan. 2021, includes 22,241 electors, compared to 21,227 who had registered to vote in time for the election four years ago. In a press release, the Elections Ofﬁ ce noted that, between 2 Oct. last year and Tuesday, 5 Jan., it had received 345 voter registration forms and 259 change-of- details forms. The deadline for registering to vote in the 26 May election is 20 Jan. The Elections Ofﬁ ce staff will be available to register potential voters at a number of supermarkets on selected days as the deadline approaches. HSA surveying patient satisfaction The Health Services Authority is telling patients to expect a phone call a day or two after attending any public clinic or hospital as it carries out a patient-satisfaction survey. Patients will receive a call from research ﬁ rm NRC Health on 946-8600, with an automated voice asking them to answer some brief questions, or they may be contacted via email from connectsurvey@surveynrc.com. A press release from the HSA noted that the survey will specify the patient’s name and the department where the care took place, and will take about sﬁ ve minutes to complete. Dr. Vinton Douglas, HSA director of corporate services, said in the release, “Patient feedback will aid us as we make informed decisions allowing us to improve the patient experience across the continuum of care.” More medical waste found on beaches A group of beachgoers found partially buried needles and syringes along a stretch of Barkers Beach in West Bay. In recent weeks, vials of blood and syringes have been found washed up at several beaches on Grand Cayman. West Bay resident Diego Smith who, along with some friends, found the syringes, told the Compass, “At ﬁ rst, we saw one, and thought, ‘That’s strange,’ but then a few feet a way there was another, and another not far off. In total, we found about 10.” The syringes were later collected and delivered to the Department of Health Regulatory Services, which has been tracking where the discarded medical waste is originating. Probe into alleged police delay in fatal stabbing The Ofﬁ ce of the Ombudsman is investigating allegations that police had a delayed response to a fatal stabbing outside a Grand Cayman night club on Christmas Eve. Michael Aaron Bush was stabbed and killed in the parking lot of The Strand shopping plaza in the early hours of 24 Dec. A man has been arrested and charged with murder in relation to the case. Video of the scene was posted on social media along with claims that police were slow to come to the aid of the victim. The ombudsman is appealing for information, including any video footage of the police action at the scene, which can be sent to senior investigator Peter McLoughlin at peter.mcloughlin@ombudsman. ky, or call 244-6162. news in brief Opposition Leader Arden McLean Beachgoers ﬁ nd syringes in Barkers Beach , West Bay. - Photo: Andrel Harris cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee speaks at Thursday's press conference. - Photo: GIS Premier Alden McLaughlin, Governor Martyn Roper and Health Minister Dwayne Seymour at Thursday's COVID-19 vaccination media briefing. – Photo: Reshma Ragoonath cayman compass 3 news N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021 Pre-arrival testing required from 14 Jan. JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Premier Alden McLaughlin urged everyone in Cayman to ‘do our duty’ and take the COVID-19 vaccine, to help the islands return to normalcy. After receiving his jab Thursday morning, 7 Jan., the premier addressed the country in a televised press conference emphasising that the vaccine was safe and was the only realistic route out of the challenges posed by a pandemic. McLaughlin also announced that from Thursday, 14 Jan., anyone aged 10 or older entering the Cayman Islands would be required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, which would have been obtained at least 72 hours before their flight departs. He added that concerns over new, more transmissible strains of the virus had led to this decision. Currently, travellers are tested when they arrive at the airport, before going into a mandatory 14- day quarantine and being retested on the 15th day. The premier urged people to ignore the doubters spreading misinformation about vaccines and said Cayman’s residents should come together – as they had done during lockdown – to get immunised for the good of the country. “We have to come together and do the right thing and get vaccinated and cure this virus,” he said. The premier said Cayman’s leaders had “led from the front” by publicly getting their jabs on national television earlier in the day. “I assure the public, the vaccine is safe,” he said. “We did this because it is our duty to do so.” By the end of March, the premier said, enough of the islands’ population could be vaccinated for some travel and tourism to resume. But he said that would only be possible if everyone did their part. “Those of us who can, should take the vaccine,” he urged. The aim is to vaccinate 70% of the adult population in Cayman, he added. He said the commitment of Cayman’s people in following the rules had helped the islands remain relatively COVID-free and return to a sense of normalcy within these borders. But he said Cayman was essentially in a “holding pattern” and could not maintain its bubble indefinitely. He said it would take the same commitment from the people to get vaccinated, and ensure the borders could reopen. “We need similar resolve and unity of purpose in taking the vaccine to deliver us the rest of the way.” The premier thanked the UK government for providing the vaccines free of charge and said Cayman’s relationship with the mother country had paid massive dividends. Governor Martyn Roper, who also got the jab on Thursday morning, said the next set of vaccines would be arriving in the coming weeks. He added, “Despite the current challenging situation in the UK, the UK is fully committed to supplying vaccines to the Overseas Territories.” He said Cayman had been the first of the territories to receive the vaccine. The governor encouraged people to ignore social media misinformation and to rely on credible sources. “When you look at the facts objectively, the case for taking the vaccine is very strong to protect yourself and the elderly and vulnerable,” he said. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee said the strategy was to protect the elderly and vulnerable first, as well as healthcare workers. Once those people are vaccinated and safe from COVID-19, he said, government would be in a position to consider easing travel restrictions. The current plan is to vaccinate residents and staff of care homes, individuals over 70, healthcare workers and first responders, and frontline staff dealing with travel in the first tranche of vaccinations. Next will be adults over 60 with “relevant health status” and then essential government workers. Stage 2 of the national vaccination plan will focus on people aged 16-60 with relevant health status, those living with people vaccinated under stage 1 and essential workers, including school staff. In stage 3, the vaccine will be open to the wider public. Vaccinations have begun for healthcare workers and were set to continue at the Health Services Authority Flu Clinic. Some will go to the Sister Islands next week. Lee said senior doctors and politicians had been included in the first stage of vaccinations as a demonstration of confidence in the safety of the jabs, which he said had now been taken by 16 million people globally. Lee acknowledged there was still doubt over whether someone who had been vaccinated could carry and pass on the virus. What is certain, he said, is that the vaccine provides protection to those who take it. “The aim is to provide protection to our most vulnerable. Once those vulnerable people in the community have been afforded that protection, we can consider (easing) travel restrictions.” It won’t be mandatory to take the vaccine, Health Minister Dwayne Seymour confirmed. Premier: ‘Do the right thing and get vaccinated’McLean calls on premier to remove Bush Just walk out when he walks in. It’s that simple and he will soon get the message. – Jerry Young Keep in mind it’s nearly a year later. Months after a guilty plea, weeks after a slap on the wrist. There are 18 MPs that have continued to demonstrate a lack of integrity and cowardice through inaction! Arden is no exception! – Jackie Myles Great news. I am glad the premier questioned McLean’s authority. Nothing makes a career politician more angry then someone questioning their authority. The writing is on the wall. Cut the Bush. – Morne Botes Beachgoers find syringes at Barkers Beach Interesting that they are all capped (bar the insulin needle). Very peculiar. In most countries recapping of needles is not advised due to risk of needle stick injury and needles need to go into a sharps container. If someone was ‘shooting up’, I think there is very little chance they would be able to recap a syringe. So I’m going to put this as a home collection of a diabetic cared by a local family member which was washed out in the general rubbish. – Nicole Apthorp I took part in an Earth Day clean-up in Barkers over 10 years ago and found lots of needles. Also saw people shooting up occasionally when walking my dogs in the early mornings. – Cath Thomas If you look, you’ll find them. I went on a straw hunt and found 50+ in just a short while. Beach clean-up was a fun idea for the kids and then I realised it’s too dangerous. – Emily Allen This has been going on for a while. There are numerous people that have found medical waste washing up on our shores! Found on Seven Mile Beach also and other parts of the island when people were cleaning up the beaches. We need to know where it’s all coming from! – Mary Jackson 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Swift (5) 4 Disable (7) 8 A long way (3) 9 Slight possibility (3,6) 10 A warning instance (7) 11 Outspoken (5) 13 Three-legged stand (6) 15 Strive intensely (6) 18 Utter confusion (5) 19 Boldly challenging (7) 21 It doesn’t matter (5,4) 23 Gist (3) 24 Disposed to mercy (7) 25 Small-scale (5) DOWN 1 To mirror (7) 2 For each person (3,6) 3 Languish (5) 4 Strongbox (6) 5 Restrain (7) 6 Play on words (3) 7 Set upright (5) 12 Confronting (2,7) 14 To remark (7) 16 In particular (7) 17 Eager devotee (6) 18 Artificial waterway (5) 20 Bored beyond endurance (3,2) 22 Forefront (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16583 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 16583 ACROSS: 1 Rapid, 4 Cripple, 8 Far, 9 Off chance, 10 Example, 11 Blunt, 13 Tripod, 15 Strain, 18 Chaos, 19 Defiant, 21 Never mind, 23 Nub, 24 Lenient, 25 Petty. DOWN: 1 Reflect, 2 Per capita, 3 Droop, 4 Coffer, 5 Inhibit, 6 Pun, 7 Erect, 12 Up against, 14 Observe, 16 Notably, 17 Addict, 18 Canal, 20 Fed up, 22 Van. cartoon Vacation is over - By Caymanman What they’re saying Online Letters to the editor News from abroad has offered us a glimpse of the damage wrought to societies around the world. We may not truly appreciate the full degree to which Cayman has escaped the worst of this year’s alternate reality until it is all over. Even then, the degree to which it will ever be completely over remains to be seen. Life has not been 100% normal in Cayman, but as things stand on our shores as 2020 has ended, we are able to avoid the mask wearing and constant sanitising rituals being practised the world over. We are also able to visit restaurants, hold concerts, attend church and perhaps best of all, we have been able to gather together to celebrate this much-needed holiday break with our families. To most, this oasis of normal in a time when the world has been shaken to its core may be worth any price we are able to pay. Perhaps so, but I would also ask you to consider for a moment on whom the burden of this cost weighs heaviest. Many employment sectors here in Cayman, including our financial industry, civil service, and real estate, have surely been disrupted to a certain degree during lockdown. However, the glancing blows these industries have had do not compare to the full-on broadside the pandemic has wreaked on our tourism sector. To add to the list of tragedies that 2020 has delivered, another may be that when tourism does reopen, it will not be the small independent operators who do so. It will likely be the wealthiest, both locally and abroad, who still have capital left in their pockets to fund the new businesses needed to service the tourism industry upon its return. The new flavour of the tourism economy will be decidedly more corporate, and local employment, and opportunities for local entrepreneurs, will suffer. This increasingly likely development would be a massive blow to the character and diversity that is Cayman. So, the next time you take a moment to appreciate our oasis of normal, take a moment to thank the families, employees and owners of our tourism industries who continue to do their best to survive. Support local. For more families than you realise, it may be their only hope left. James Walker Tourism industry needs local support cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Calling it “the easiest thing” he’d have to do today, on Thursday morning Premier Alden McLaughlin, together with Governor Martyn Roper, became first in the Cayman Islands to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. With the simple injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, McLaughlin expressed hope that the island will be on its way to reopening its borders. “It was just like any other vaccine. I encourage everyone to take the vaccine. The faster we get this country immunised the quicker we go back to normalcy and Caymanians can go to Miami,” he told the Cayman Compass following his inoculation. At a short public event at the Health Services Authority Hibiscus conference room, Roper, McLaughlin and Health Minister Dwayne Seymour exposed their arms for what were considered to be historic jabs – ones that will pave the way for reopening Cayman to visitors. The event heralded the start of government’s national vaccination programme. Roper, following his inoculation, said, “It was fine, very straightforward. I didn’t feel a thing; we are going to relax and you will be fine afterward.” McLaughlin, who was second in line for the vaccine, called the injection routine. “I feel nothing at all,” he said. Seymour, who admitted Tuesday that he, like others in the community, had been sceptical about the vaccine, willingly volunteered his arm for the inoculation. “I feel great. It wasn’t even a mosquito bite. You have to lead from the front and I am glad that we were able to take this first and show the nation that it is safe. It is what we need to return to some normalcy,” Seymour said. McLaughlin has previously said that getting vaccinated is voluntary. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee also received the jab Thursday, together with Medical Officer of Health Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez. Getting their first inoculations as well were Doctors Hospital chairman and chief radiologist Dr. Yaron Rado, Health City Cayman Islands clinical director and chief cardiac surgeon Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil and Health Services Authority oncologist/ haematologist Dr. Lundie Richards. West Bay MPs Bernie Bush and House Speaker McKeeva Bush also got their vaccines. Bush, 65, who was the eldest person to take the vaccine Thursday, said he was feeling “positive” about the vaccine and felt good after taking it. “The reason why I am asking for you to take photos is to encourage my constituents and the people of the country to take the vaccine,” he said. Following their inaugural vaccinations, the local leaders and doctors were given juice and snacks and told to take a brief rest before leaving. They were also given a World Health Organization certificate noting their COVID-19 vaccinations. They will be taking their second dose later this month. According to data from Bloomberg, more than 15.9 million doses in 37 countries had been administered as of Wednesday night. On Tuesday, the Cayman Islands became the first British Overseas Territory to receive a shipment of the two-dose vaccine. A total of 9,750 doses of the vaccine, which will be enough to inoculate 4,875 people, touched down aboard a British Airways flight. The vaccines will initially be available to those aged 70 and over, certain patients in high-risk categories, and healthcare workers. The HSA announced Wednesday that it will be relocating its flu clinic to facilitate the COVID-19 vaccination programme. It wil move to the General Practice Building at the Cayman Islands Hospital, the HSA said in a statement. “The flu clinic will continue to operate from Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm in the General Practice Building... A dedicated physician will be available as normal to treat patients in the clinic,” the statement added. The Health Services Authority reminds the public that all people with flu symptoms are advised to first contact the 24-hour flu hotline (at 1-800-534-8600 or 947-3077 or email flu@hsa.ky) to speak to a health professional about their symptoms, prior to visiting the clinic. Cayman’s leaders receive first COVID-19 vaccines Governor Martyn Roper gets his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Thursday at the Cayman Islands Hospital. – Photos: Taneos Ramsay Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee was also among the first eight recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine. WATCH THE VIDEO ONLINE CAYMANCOMPASS.COM the vaccine About • The vaccine is the mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) type. • Live virus is not used in this type of vaccine. • The vaccine is not currently recommended for children under 16, pregnant women or women who plan to be pregnant within the next three months. • People with a history of immediate onset anaphylaxis in reaction to a vaccine, medication or food should not take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky A new provision giving lawmakers a three-month severance payment should they lose a reelection bid or choose not to stand for reelection has drawn criticism. The provision, included in the Legislative Assembly Management Law (named before the House became Parliament), took effect on 1 Jan. The amendment was introduced by government at the committee stage and debated and passed last year. It was not contained in the original bill circulated to the public for comment as required by law nor the one introduced for debate back in October. “I think if professionals give up their employment to serve the public as MPs for four or more years, three months to find a new job is not unreasonable,” said North Side MP Ezzard Miller, who voted to pass the bill. “I voted for the amended clause because it included the amendments that I proposed, which provide transparency and make public what MP salaries are. [MP's salaries] are now fixed by law and cannot be changed in secret,” Miller said. The amendment was circulated on social media with commenters complaining it had not been made public. The amendment was announced during the publicly televised sitting of the Parliament, but came at committee stage, which comes after the first two readings of a bill. Comments about the amendment were also made on Facebook with one poster stating, “They're counting on the pandemic - vaccines and the threat of Safety to SAVE their OWN political careers. AND if all else fails, they’ve got a lovely self appointed severance package. They bleed too... yeah right.... No pay cuts during the pandemic from these 'leaders' as they deliver messages that acknowledge pay cuts, job loss and reduced hours for many Caymanians.... not elected to serve.” Another commenter posted, “Instead of dealing with issues like Health Insurance premium assistance for suffering tourism workers, the MP take the time to pad their own pockets. Like the Premier said, MPs can’t take pay cut, MPs have bills too. Maybe the citizens of this country will give every single one of the incumbents the severance pay they voted for. It is time we have leaders who care about their people. The provision in question states that each Member of Parliament who does not stand for re-election or loses at the polls "shall be entitled to a severance payment equal to three months of the salary paid to that member" at the date of that election. The Compass reached out to the Premier's Office for comment on the amendment but has not yet received a response. House Speaker McKeeva Bush, who now has authority for the Parliament under the new law changes, was contacted for comment. He told the Compass, “Ask them [MPs] that want to take me out. They voted for the bill.” With Cayman's general elections now four months away, Miller suggested the criticism was “mostly for political points”. While this is the first time Cayman has introduced such a provision, it is not unique among legislatures. In the UK there are two payments to which legislators are entitled: a resettlement grant and a winding-up grant. Irish and Canadian legislators also receive payments. Foreign legislatures’ provisions While this is the first time Cayman has introduced such a provision, it is not unique among legislatures. In the UK, there are two payments to which legislators are entitled – a resettlement grant and a winding-up grant, as outlined by the UK’s Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Irish and Canadian legislators also receive payments. A 2004-2005 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Survey on parliamentarians’ remuneration, pointed out that several parliaments, “recognising the difficulties faced by ex- Parliamentarians, do make some sort of financial payment to ease the transition back to non-parliamentary life. Such benefits can include relocation allowances, or one-off payments linked to the level of their parliamentary salaries. Some of these payments are only available to Parliamentarians who fail to get re-elected or have to resign for health reasons.” In Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Belize, legislators receive a pension and gratuity after an electoral defeat. British Virgin Islands, a fellow Overseas Territory, also pays benefits to defeated legislators. In New Zealand, defeated lawmakers receive three months salary. Members first elected before 1999 also have rebated travel entitlements for life. Cayman’s nearest neighbour, Jamaica, does not make payments to MPs who lose at the polls. Cayman salaries In Cayman, councillors or parliamentary secretaries, in addition to their MP salaries, receive a duty allowance of between $1,000 and $2,000 per month, at the discretion of the premier, but shall not earn more than a minister. The premier, under the law, receives an executive allowance of $5,000 per month, while the leader of the opposition gets $3,500 per month. All MPs receive a constituency allowance of $5,000 per month. While Cayman Brac and Little Cayman MPs receive the same amount, they also receive a maximum accommodation allowance of $2,500 and a transportation allowance of $2,500. The constituency allowance, the law said, covers costs of facilitating access by constituents, including office expenses such as rent, utilities, supplies and maintenance. The law gives the House of Parliament full autonomy over its affairs which allows the body to make rules to regulate its own internal management. The legislation created a council which comprises the speaker, premier, leader of the opposition, four members of Parliament, and the clerk of the Parliament (ex-officio, non-voting). Severance pay provision attracts criticism “I think if professionals give up their employment to serve the public as MPs for four or more years, three months to find a new job is not unreasonable.” Ezzard Miller, North Side MP cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021 MP allowances Constituency Allowance$5,000 per month Executive Allowance for the Premier$5,000 per month Executive Allowance for the Leader of the Opposition $3,500 per month Allowance for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Representatives $5,000 per month SeveranceThree monthsFrom the heart At Ogier, we focus on what really matters, inside and outside the workplace. We believe that strong businesses and strong communities go hand in hand and that's why we're so pleased to have been able to support some great local causes in 2020, which include: • Alex Panton Foundation • Stroke and Stride (for the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre) • YMCA Extended After School Program • Cayman Arts Festival – Student Woodwinds Program • National Gallery – Alchemy Exhibit • Annual Cayman Islands Motorcycle Riders Association Toys 4 Tots Toy Drive • Kiwanis Home School Lunch Program and Kiwanis Santa Landing • Feeding Families with Cayman ARK, Resilience Cayman, Cayman Finance, Meals on Wheels • Cayman Islands Cancer Society • Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation • Junior Achievement • Meals on Wheels Christmas Hampers • Cayman Islands National Trust – Mission House Sponsor • Central Caribbean Marine Institute – Healthy Reefs Program • Beach Clean-Ups Our commitment to building long-lasting relationships isn’t just about our clients and our employees, but also extends to our partners in the community - so on behalf of all of us at Ogier, we wish all of our friends in Cayman the very best for the New Year and look forward to continuing to work with you in 2021. Legal and Corporate Services British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Guernsey Hong Kong Jersey London Luxembourg Shanghai Tokyo cayman compass 7 FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021 Tracer of Cayman's family trees passed away on 27 Dec. NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky Rupert Bodden had a talent for tracking down information on ancestors, both his own and those of members of genealogy group Cayman Connection. His own family tree, which he compiled, contains 57,206 names. Bodden passed away in Alabama on 27 Dec. He was 93. He was well known among people in Cayman and overseas who were trying to trace their family roots or find long-lost relatives, and, as the compiler of the Cayman Islands Cemeteries Index, he was one of the go-to people to find out where an ancestor might be buried. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Wilfred Rupert Bodden Jr. was the son of Wilfred Rupert Bodden Sr. of Bodden Town and Grace Hunter Bodden of Cayman Brac. He worked as a dentist and later as an emeritus professor at the University of Alabama Dental School. He did relief dentistry work in Cayman occasionally, and also, for nine summers, spent his vacations participating in medical missions in Honduras, providing dental care to remote villages. He also volunteered for several years with the BEAT Project and Habitat for Humanity. But for many Caymanians, and those wanting to trace their Cayman heritage, he was known for building a family tree that included many of the surnames popular locally. Jo Ellen Rae-Smith, who, like Bodden, is a moderator of the Cayman Connection genealogy group, met him for the first time when he made his last trip to Grand Cayman, in 2017. “He was a lovely gentleman,” Rae- Smith said. “He really was a wealth of knowledge.” She said he had helped trace “all of Cayman” as there are so many connections between local families on island. “You start off with your family and you end up with the whole of Cayman,” she said. The first time she heard of Rupert Bodden was when he compiled a family tree, that became a book about the family, for the late Linton Tibbetts, who was a first cousin of Bodden’s. One of his hobbies was woodworking, and on his 2017 trip, he gave gifts of hand-made wooden coats of arms to several people, including Rae-Smith, who still has it hanging on her office wall. Bodden’s grandson, Patrick Bodden, said the family tree his granddad compiled, with its thousands of names, does not just include Boddens from Cayman but also other branches of the family as well as those who married into it. The massive family tree focussed more on breadth than on the depth of generations, Patrick Bodden said, as it’s difficult to trace ancestors to before the settling of the Cayman Islands. “For family trees, a lot of people will go for depth to see how far back you can go, but with Cayman it is very difficult to go back much further than the first residents of the island with any degree of certainty,” he said. He said the closest connection he could see in his grandfather’s family tree to Isaac Bodden, the first person recorded as being born in the Cayman Islands, in 1700, is that “Isaac is a sixth great-grandfather to my grandfather, although I believe that Isaac may also be a seventh grandfather through another line”.Rupert Bodden married Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Jean Burke in 1952, and the couple had three children, six grandchildren, and two great- grandchildren. Libby accompanied him on his 2017 trip to Cayman, where the couple celebrated his 90th birthday with a meal at Grand Old House. Bodden had been a moderator of the 782-member Cayman Connection online discussion group since its inception in the 1990s. After fellow moderator Rhona Panton announced Bodden’s passing on the site last week, many members paid tribute to him, telling how he had helped them trace their Cayman roots. Panton said in her post, “His great love of history and family research has been a great help to everyone in this group… I was exchanging information with Rupert up until the last couple of weeks. As always, he was trying to figure out the relationship of persons on his tree.” Bodden had also worked with the Cayman Islands National Archive on preserving some of his findings. In a statement to the Compass, the National Archive said, “Over the years, Dr. Rupert Bodden has donated items to the National Archive, which have been used primarily for genealogy research. Staff at the National Archive have also corresponded with Dr. Bodden, as recently as the last quarter of 2020, and remember him fondly as an enthusiastic and knowledgeable genealogist.” During his visit in 2017, Bodden recorded an oral history with National Archive archivist Tricia Bodden. That audio recording is available in the Reading Room of the National Archive for members of the public to access, and includes topics such as Bodden’s own Caymanian heritage and connections, his initial visit to Cayman to practise dentistry for a summer, and his involvement in the creation of Cayman Connection. Among his donations is ‘The Bodden and Hunter Family History’ – the version of his huge family tree that he compiled in 1996, which is 119 pages long. As well as Boddens and Hunters, through family connections, local names like Scott, Tibbetts, Foster, Parsons, Ryan, Merren, McTaggart, and Jackson, also feature. He also donated a summary of the Public Recorder’s Records – the oldest original local records, from the early 1800s, which include entries of wills, deeds, sales and manumissions of slaves, etc., which were voluntarily recorded to be registered as government records – which he helped compile. “One can only imagine the time taken to produce this summary as it covers records dating from the early 1800s to the late 1940s,” Charisse Morrison of the National Archive said in an email. “It is a valuable contribution to our Historical Collections and is consulted on a regular basis for all types of purposes, but primarily for genealogical research.” Grandson Patrick explained how this branch of the Bodden family ended up living in Alabama. “My grandfather’s grandfather and two of his older brothers, on two separate voyages, were lost at sea. My grandfather’s father came to the US because his mother and sisters did not want him working on boats, so he worked on the trains here,” he said. Cayman was “engrained” in Rupert Bodden, and he owned property on Cayman Brac, his mother’s home island, his grandson said. “It was certainly part of who he was,” he added. Like many Caymanians, he loved the sea, and his grandkids from a young age associated him with a boat he owned. Patrick, being the eldest grandchild, nicknamed his grandfather ‘Daddy Boat’, a name that stuck, for a simple reason. “I gave him that name when I was 2. He was a daddy who had a boat,” he said. Bodden was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a few days before he passed away at his home, his grandson said, and he spent his last days surrounded by his family. Remembering Rupert Bodden Bodden had been a moderator of the 782-member Cayman Connection online discussion group since its inception in the 1990s. Rupert Bodden during a visit to Bodden Town in 2017. Rupert Bodden, with his wife Libby, celebrates his 90th birthday at Grand Old House on Grand Cayman in 2017.Regulations for Justices of the Peace e Justice of the Peace Regulations, 2015, set out the Code of Conduct for Justices of the Peace in the Cayman Islands. Justices of the Peace are required to keep a written record of all signatures witnessed, land transfers witnessed and all warrants issued. A record will also need to be kept of all occasions on which Justice of the Peace services are refused and reasons are to be recorded. Justices of the Peace who wish to continue to undertake the duties of this O ce are required to submit their Counter Records to the Clerk of the Court on an annual basis, as required by Law. All Justices of the Peace are invited to submit all their outstanding Counter Records to the Clerk of Court, no later than 31st January 2021, and subsequent Counter Records, 31st December of each year. e Records may be hand delivered to the main Court House: Attn: Clerk of Court 61 Edward Street George Town, Grand Cayman Cayman Islands Artex is an equal opportunity employer. Artex is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher. Gallagher is a global leader in insurance, risk management and consulting services. We help businesses grow, communities thrive and people prosper. James Trundle Artex Cayman is pleased to welcome two new members to its Board of Directors. Barbara Fawcitt Claim they’re being ‘thrown under the bus’ ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Several people who serve in the role of justice of the peace in the Cayman Islands say they have been advised not to sign any search warrants until the conclusion of a judicial review into the 2019 Customs and Border Control raid at Doctors Express facilities. Multiple JPs, who wish to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, confirmed to the Cayman Compass the Council of the Justice of the Peace Association recommended JPs not sign warrants after JP Catherine O’Neil was “thrown under the bus” during civil proceedings by Nigel Gayle, a lawyer from the attorney general’s chambers. During the November hearing, Gayle told Justice Robin McMillan the default search warrant set out in the law, which was used by CBC officers, was inherently defective; and O’Neil was at fault for not spotting the defects and striking them out. The warrant, which was used by CBC officers, required them to return whatever items were confiscated immediately to the court house. Gayle said, however, there was no evidence officers complied with these requirements and ultimatley they should have been removed at the time the warrant was issued. “Even though the warrant may have had defects, it was not unlawful,” said Gayle. “By executing the warrant as a Crown servant, the officers, [my clients] cannot be held liable. Instead, it would be a matter for whoever issued the warrant.” The warrant which was used Anthony Scott, chairman of the council, declined to answer questions from the Cayman Compass regarding the advisory and the reasoning behind it. A Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officer who requested anonymity as he is not authorised to make public comment on the matter, told the Cayman Compass the apparent advice not to sign warrants is now causing greater difficulty for police who are seeking warrants to execute searches. The officer said he had spoken with several JPs and all except one had “flat out refused to sign any search warrant until the court had made a decision on the Doctors Express case”. He said the JPs’ refusal to sign warrants has forced officers JPs stop signing search warrants PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 12» cayman compass 9 news N news FRIDAY, 8 JANUARY 2021 The courts recently heard arguments of a judicial review stemming from a 2019 raid at Doctors Express. -Photo: Taneos RamsayNext >