cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 15-21 September 2023 Communities fi ght back against littering Page 3 CUC contemplates natural gas Page 5 New house for senior who lost home in fi re Page 6 ‘Treated like a slave’ Domestic helpers tell of bullying and abuse Pages 20-22 Photo: Taneos Ramsay Cayman to open Singapore offi ce Page 10 Red Bay Primary expansion begins Page 15Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $9.00 (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. A HAUNTING IN VENICE (PG-13) (FRI-SUN, MON, WED-THURS) 4:10 VIP | 4:25 | 7:00 VIP | 9:30 VIP | 10:00 (TUES) 4:10 VIP | 4:25 | 9:30 VIP | 10:00 BARBIE (PG-13) (SAT) 12:30 | 3:55 VIP (SUN) 3:45 | 7:25 VIP | 9:30 JAWAN (HINDI) (PG) (FRI, SUN, MON-THURS) 8:00 (SAT) 12:25 | 4:05 MEG 2: THE TRENCH (PG-13) (SUN) 6:45 | 9:00 | 10:05 VIP NT LIVE 2022: THE SEAGULL (R18) (SAT) 8:00 SOUND OF FREEDOM (PG-13) (FRI, SUN) 5:00 | 6:45 VIP | 7:00 | 9:45 VIP (SAT) 12:40 | 1:00 VIP | 3:30 | 6:45 VIP | 7:00 | 9:45 VIP (MON-THURS) 3:45 VIP | 5:00 | 6:45 VIP | 7:00 | 9:45 VIP THE EQUALIZER 3 (R) (FRI, MON-THURS) 7:15 | 7:20 VIP | 9:55 (SAT) 7:20 VIP | 9:55 THE INVENTOR (PG) (FRI, SUN, MON-THURS) 4:00 | 5:00 VIP | 6:35 (SAT) 12:20 VIP | 1:30 | 4:00 | 6:35 THE NUN II (R) (FRI, MON-THURS) 4:30 | 9:30 | 10:00 VIP (SAT) 9:30 | 10:00 VIP WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK 9:45 VIP CLASSICS FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH TUESDAY 7PM VIP (R) | 10:00 KIDS CLUB ENCHANTED (2007) SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) KIDS CLUB SMALLFOOT SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) SPORT: RUGBY WORLD CUP AUSTRALIA V FIJI (SUN) 10:45 AM VIP ENGLAND V JAPAN (SUN) 2:00 VIP IRELAND V TONGA (SAT) 2:00 VIP NEW ZEALAND V NAMIBIA (FRI) 2:00 VIP SOUTH AFRICA V ROMANIA (SUN) 8:00 AM VIP WALES V PORTUGAL (SAT) 10:45 AM VIP FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass 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 weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Chance isolated thunderstorms SEA STATE Smooth with a wave height of fewer than 2 feet. WINDS Light and variable. 90°F HIGH 80°F LOW NEWS EDITOR CAROLINE JAMES ISSUES EDITOR JAMES WHITTAKER HEAD OF SALES CHERYL BIRCH-GILLIES news in brief Student assaulted at John Gray High School Police arrested a group of students who attacked a fellow pupil at John Gray High School on 13 Sept. A video of the attack, which was circulated on social media, shows the boy being ambushed by two others while in the school’s gym locker room. The assailants were seen punching the victim and then kicking him in the head after he fell down. Other students present watched and jeered. Department of Education Services director Mark Ray, in a statement condemning the assault, said, “Upon receiving reports of the incident, school staff acted quickly to ensure the victim received medical attention. We extend our heartfelt support to the victim and his family and are committed to working with the school to provide counselling support to help him through this difficult ordeal.” According to the statement, school staff alerted the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service school resource officer, who apprehended and took the attackers into custody. “In the interest of maintaining a safe and nurturing learning environment for all children, the school has decided to temporarily exclude the assailants from the school. Such conduct is unacceptable in our educational institutions, and we hope this action sends a clear message that violent behaviour will not be tolerated in our schools,” Ray said. Royal Navy seizes $144M of cocaine at sea Royal Naval warship HMS Dauntless, deployed in the Caribbean for hurricane season, has seized almost 1.8 tonnes of cocaine – worth more than £140 million, or CI$144 million – in two drug busts. The Royal Navy, in a 9 Sept. statement, said the first seizure followed a “successful operation” against drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea in which the Portsmouth-based warship hunted down a drugs-running “go-fast” vessel and seized 1,230 kilogrammes of cocaine. During that drug bust – the location of which was not released – a Wildcat helicopter, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard team were deployed to stop and search the smugglers’ boat. In the other operation, the Royal Navy statement said, the ship supported other US law enforcement agencies in tracking a suspicious aircraft flying from Venezuela, and alerted ground forces, who seized a further 550kg of cocaine. Governor Jane Owen welcomed the seizure, saying “HMS Dauntless stands ready to offer humanitarian assistance and disaster response support to the Overseas Territories in the event of a major disaster. I was glad to hear that the ship’s counter- narcotics operations have also been a major success and demonstrate our commitment to safeguarding across the region,” she said in an emailed comment to the Cayman Compass. Man on trial for allegedly raping child The trial of a George Town man accused of raping a minor in the back seat of his car, on two separate occasions, began in the Grand Court on 12 Sept. The defendant, Travis Arlington Ebanks, faces two counts of rape, which allegedly took place sometime in October and November of last year. Ebanks was 31 at the time of the alleged incidents and the complainant was 10 years old. He has denied both charges. The first incident is said to have occurred sometime between 11am and 12pm in a commercial parking lot a short distance from the child’s home. According to the minor, after she got into his car, Ebanks suggested they go into the back seat to “try something new”, where he is said to have raped her. The court heard that on a separate occasion, Ebanks, also in his car but in a different location, raped the child a second time. The matter came to light in January of this year, at which time Ebanks was arrested and formally charged with two counts of rape. The trial is ongoing. 10-storey Grand Hyatt back on track for 2025 opening Seven Mile Beach will be gaining another 10-storey hotel, with financing in place for the new Grand Hyatt and an expected opening date of mid-2025. The first of two cranes have been built for its construction, Kim Lund, broker/owner of RE/ MAX Cayman Islands confirmed. Lund said the hotel and beachfront residences were on track for the 2025 opening. “Most people thought the Grand Hyatt was never going to proceed, was bankrupt, etc. However, construction has really ramped up with a large workforce, first of 2 cranes being built, and financing in place to complete the development,” he told the Cayman Compass via email. Located at the Pageant Beach site between The Wharf Restaurant and Poinsettia condominiums on West Bay Road, the Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Hotel & Residences will comprise 190 hotel guest rooms, 88 condo-hotel guest rooms, and 76 one-, two-, and three-bedroom condo-hotel suites. After The Ritz-Carlton, which opened in 2005, and Kimpton Seafire Resort, the 354-room Grand Hyatt will be the next five- star international hotel brand in Cayman, Lund said, adding, “The superstructure is being built now, so the skyline along Seven Mile Beach will have another 10-storey development.” In July, the Sterling Global Financial Group and Pageant Beach Hotel Ltd. announced their partnership for the multi-million dollar project, saying that the condominiums were over 80% sold, leaving 22 units left for sale. HMS Dauntless and a Wildcat from the 815 Naval Air Squadron. - Photo: Royal Navy cayman compass 2 N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023Abandoned vehicles litter a site in the Scranton area of George Town. - Photo: Andrel Harris Department of Environmental Health staff remove a derelict car from a site at Beach Bay. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky From the shade of an East Indian mango tree in Rock Hole, George Town, a lifelong resident, who asked to only be identified as Ms. McField, keeps an eye on passersby. “You have to watch some of ‘um, they real quick to fling their garbage in your yard while they ride past on their old bicycles,” said the 76-year-old. Armed with her rake and a grocery store plastic bag, she spends a few hours each morning tending to her little slice of paradise – a multi-home yard which has been in her family for generations. “I do my best to keep it clean, I come out before the sun gets hot and I sweep the yard and make sure the chickens don’t get to my garbage,” she said. “Most of my neighbours do the same but some people who are new to the community don’t care and they just litter everywhere.” But litter isn’t confined to McField’s Rock Hole community. From East End to West Bay and, to a lesser extent, on the Sister Islands, litter is strewn throughout the surrounding foliage. Derelict cars on cement blocks are visible from private residences, commercial parking lots, and even along community thoroughfares. Vegetable matter and a host of household appliances are abandoned in overgrown thickets and nature reserves – all despite a law that proscribes a fine or jail time for littering. But a recent simple, yet landmark, sentence recently handed down by Chief Magistrate Valdis Foldats could signal a sea change in ongoing efforts to keep litter at bay. Historic fine On Tuesday, 22 Aug., Gayon Omar Harris of West Bay received a $100 fine and a $100 cost order for a guilty plea to a charge of littering in a public place. The charge stems from an act of illegal dumping, in which Harris discarded an old sofa on a public plot of land. The location is normally used as a collection site for the Department of Environmental Health’s annual island-wide clean-up. However, at the time of the offence, the DEH had already completed collection at the site and had erected signs warning people not to litter – signs that Harris apparently ignored. He is the first person to have been successfully prosecuted, convicted and fined for littering since the Litter Act was initially enacted in 1982, according to DEH Director Richard Simms. “I’m really excited about this because this is the first-ever successful conviction in the department’s history,” Simms told the Cayman Compass. Harris was sentenced within 15 minutes and sent on his way. But Simms notes that the process to get to that point took a far more tedious eight months, during which his officers received training from police on how to prepare case files. “As a result of [that] training, they started to go out and get the enforcement on the ground, which resulted in this first-ever case before the court,” said Simms. Since its enactment in 1982 and its subsequent revision in 1997, the Litter Act has remained largely unchanged. The penalties remain the same – a fine of up to $500 or a custodial sentence of up to six months – as does the process of securing a conviction. DEH officers must either write a report themselves or team up with police officers and members of the planning department, and this eventually makes its way to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. After reviewing the file, if the DPP decides the case is strong enough to result in a successful prosecution, the matter is filed in Summary Court, a summons is issued, and the defendant is given notice of being required to attend court. All of those steps combined can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. However, before convictions can be recorded and fines issued, the defendant will have to enter a plea. If they plead not guilty, the matter must go to trial, which could see the issue delayed even longer. Although Simms was unwilling to comment on whether the fine and custodial sentence were still appropriate due to considerable inflation since the passing of the law, he does believe some things could make the process more efficient. “Ideally what would work for us is ticketing procedures where we see things and we can write tickets and apply administrative fines; those would be the quickest way to prosecutions,” said Simms. “But as the law is currently, it means we will have to take the long route.” He notes he has the personnel and the resources to initiate and maintain this new wave of prosecutions, and the added training means a new chapter in the fight against littering. Residential responsibilities In addition to the fines for littering in public places, Simms and his officers are also focusing on residential forms of littering, specifically in yards. One resident who now finds herself under the spotlight is Darla Frederick who is before the court for failing to comply with an abatement notice. When Compass staff visited her Bodden Town home, she was not present. In her yard, which meets the roadside, are half a dozen vehicles, jet skis and a moped, none of which appear to be in working order. The derelict vehicles are surrounded by an abundance of smaller litter – and everything is visible from the road. “This is a real eyesore, but her place isn’t the only one. Just look down by the gas station near the [Bodden Town] library,” said a Bodden Town resident who lives a short distance away, and whose name the Compass is withholding. “This is a bit dangerous. Yes, we want to keep the place clean but what about the fact that this is her private land and her property?” said another resident. “Should she not be entitled to do with it as she pleases?” The Public Health Act, which, in a roundabout way, helps to govern littering through its rodent-control clause, requires property owners to keep their premises in a manner that prevents the infestation and breeding of rodents and insects. Section 46 of the Public Health Act sets out a $100 fine on the first instance and a $500 fine for the second. “People don’t realise that, while they do have a right to peacefully enjoy their property and their home, they also have a responsibility to keep the area clean to prevent the infestation of rodents and other creatures,” said Simms. He added that in cases where derelict vehicles have accumulated, the responsibility for transporting them to the landfill is on the property owner/vehicle owner. However, in most cases, the DEH can facilitate the removal free of cost. But the problem doesn’t stop there. Residents are also being warned to secure their receptacles and household refuse. “The law requires persons to put their garbage out the night before collection,” Simms said. “This means it is the job of the homeowner to secure their trash from animals because, if they don’t, they could also be fined.” A breeding ground for illegal activity In addition to the potential health hazards that abandoned cars pose, the eyesores are also a safety concern. In recent years. police have found guns, drugs and an assortment of other illegal items hidden in the derelict vehicles. While police can recover the items, a lack of DNA evidence often means the perpetrators can escape justice, and simply seek another old car in which to stash their illegal items. “Anytime I see them messing around them old cars, I call the police,” said McField. Members of the public are encouraged to do their part in keeping the Cayman Islands clean and report any instances of littering and illegal dumping to the DEH at 949-6696, or via email to dehcustomerservice@gov.ky. Editor’s note: Gayon Omar Harris and Andrel Harris are not related to each other. Communities fight back against littering menace Each year the DEH holds a bulk waste clean-up, which sees results in collections sites across all three islands. – Photo: File cayman compass news N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023 31234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Confused sound of voices (5) 4 Military interrelationship (7) 8 Piece of felled tree (3) 9 Jealous (5-4) 10 Passivity (7) 11 Subdued in tone (5) 13 Make partial changes in (6) 15 East Mediterranean island (6) 18 Senior (5) 19 Wounding (7) 21 Prepared in advance (9) 23 To swindle (3) 24 Inflexibly (7) 25 Long narrow hilltop (5) DOWN 1 One of the Low Countries (7) 2 Conceited (3-6) 3 Easily digested (5) 4 Allowable margin of variation (6) 5 General pardon (7) 6 For example (3) 7 Lowest point (5) 12 Undisguised (9) 14 Advanced (7) 16 To gag (7) 17 Intimate (6) 18 Express willingness (5) 20 Jockey (5) 22 Fabric floor covering (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 17423 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 17423 ACROSS: 1 Babel, 4 Liaison, 8 Log, 9 Green-eyed, 10 Inertia, 11 Sober, 13 Modify, 15 Cyprus, 18 Older, 19 Hurtful, 21 Forearmed, 23 Con, 24 Rigidly, 25 Ridge. DOWN: 1 Belgium, 2 Big-headed, 3 Light, 4 Leeway, 5 Amnesty, 6 Say, 7 Nadir, 12 Barefaced, 14 Forward, 16 Silence, 17 Chummy, 18 Offer, 20 Rider, 22 Rug. What they’re saying Online Erosion stripping Seven Mile Beach Building so close to the water and taking the trees isn’t a good idea. Terry Parker This is what happens when you over-develop an island. Developers destroyed the acres of beautiful sea grape and Australian pine trees to build more resorts in front of existing resorts... and here we are. The mangrove swamps in the back bay area have also been disturbed in the name of progress. The same thing is happening on the north end of Seven Mile Beach, so expect more beach erosion there in the near future. When I first started visiting Cayman, it was a gem. The building codes in the mid-80s required hotels/resorts to be no taller than the coconut palm trees which was/ is about three storeys, and that was working. Greed has all but destroyed this place, and how very sad. All of this development has damaged the reef too, as I was diving off Seven Mile Beach in late July. Massive changes underwater were visible, as I dove here in 2016 and noticed the changes on the reef immediately during my July diving trip. Smart islands don’t allow for this amount of development (e.g., Bermuda, Turks and Caicos - Grace Bay). Eddie Jones Thanks to the new 10-storey condominiums and greedy [developers]... not to mention our stupid Planning Department and lack of foresight by our governments. If you notice, this has only happened since the two 10-storey buildings on the waterfront by Grape Tree condos, old Treasure Island and Dart’s two apartment complexes have been built. It’s all within a half-mile radius of high- rise construction – causing wind change; causing current change. Denver Douglas Bryan is correct. Why spend $20 million on putting sand on the beach only for it to be washed away? Even a 10-year-old would agree! It’s only renting it, as it will just wash away to 1,000 feet offshore, or worse, disappear over the edge in what is called ‘sand shoots’. However, it’s called beach restoration/ remediation, which happens worldwide with coastlines. It costs money, but there are solutions. I find it very strange that no one cares enough to implement a fix. Heidi K. I arrived in Cayman in 1964 in my late teens, we lived next door to what is the present-day Westin hotel. My brother and I could walk south on the beach as far as present- day Treasure Island (Margaritaville) resort. North, we could walk all the way to Boggy Sand – but for a few holiday homes, nothing else. What has happened in the last 60 years to Seven Mile Beach and Cayman is a tragedy. No governments or planning boards have identified Seven Mile Beach as a natural treasure, and even though my home of the time is well set back beyond any current laws, and the beach still looks like I knew it, the rest has gone to the greedy developers and unconcerned Caymanian governing boards. Now we start to pay the price. Mervyn C. My first visit to Cayman was a stay at the Royal Palms in 1975. The beach was huge. The CI planning boards lack the courage to tell developers that they need to adhere to setback rules. Why? I think we all have an idea. This is so sad. Now Morritt’s is planning another structure that is 85 feet closer than the legal setback. They have standing proof of the erosion problem, named The Londoner. At some point this needs to stop. Chris M. Not just a Seven Mile Beach issue. Can the Compass go and check other places? Barkers is virtually gone. Anyone been to what used to be Starfish Point in the last few years? Also gone. What about Kaibo? Trees at the park waiting to fall into the sea the erosion is so bad. In the next couple of years, it will hit the tourist product so hard and all those MLAs and government self-servants will panic like they did with the iguanas, and go ‘Whoa, we need a committee quick!’. Meanwhile, the private sector will be well into their long-term investments elsewhere. Not Surprised A. Special report: Low-wage employees working ‘70-hour weeks’ A workers union is needed on this island. And all unite and go on strike until a proper wage is given! Andrew Veganic So there’s all this money coming on to the island in hotels and new buildings but the wages are poor. So whose pocket is the money going in and why are wages not looked at? The government need lobbying about this, I bet they don’t do 72 hours on minimum wage and three to a room. Jerry Young Cayman ‘not aggressive enough’ in CONCACAF loss to Aruba They have no winning mentality. Oscar Madrid They played in conditions they’re not used to. I mean, every game is after sunset. Practice/ national team training, after sunset! Presidents Cup, after sunset! You name the games, all after sunset. Is that an excuse? Nope. That’s what they need. They need to train in [daytime] conditions to build on that aerobic capacity for endurance training. Josen Ebanks Little Cayman’s Kingston Bight for sale for almost US$8M All I can say is, I hope the resort is built sympathetically in keeping with the rest of the island AND ensuring it is environmentally safe. Little Cayman is a haven, it does not need to be Miami! Sharon Davies Bryan promises Barbados route will not be a loss- maker for Cayman Let’s have some facts to back up the rhetoric – what are the load figures on all CAL’s new routes and what are the load factors necessary for the routes to realise a profit? Trusty2man D. There seems to be minimal logic to substantiate this route. Apparently, the “excitement” was about Cayman having a LA route? So Cayman would just become a transition stop for LA! It just makes no sense. What would be the benefit for Cayman, or anyone in Cayman – other than Cayman Airways, and the CIAA? The minister should spell out the ‘benefits’ referencing the full costs rather than using vague language. David S. This aerial image show the encroachment of the sea along Cayman's prized Seven Mile Beach. cayman compass 4 news N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023REBECCA BIRD rbird@compassmedia.ky Cayman’s sole electricity producer is working towards incorporating the burning of natural gas into its energy generation by 2027. Caribbean Utilities Company announced its plans in a press release issued on Wednesday, 6 Sept., saying the gas is a cleaner burning fuel than diesel and produces 30% less CO2 emissions. The company explained that, in 2022, it began working on a project to upgrade 68 megawatts of diesel generation to enable the use of natural gas as a cleaner fuel. This is expected to conclude in 2025, a CUC spokesperson told the Compass, adding: “The upgrades will bring the engines up to the latest specification, and also improve their fuel efficiency when operating on diesel fuel.” Once that is completed, the company will then build the infrastructure needed to be able to receive the new fuel source. It is currently looking for natural gas suppliers and has asked prospective candidates to provide qualification submissions before 15 Sept. as the first step in the procurement process. “We expect that supply could be available as soon as 2027,” the spokesperson said. They added that natural gas will lower emissions, provide better air quality, and will lower and stabilise the cost of fuel so that electricity costs are lowered for customers. Transitional energy source According to its website, CUC’s power system is made up of 20 generating units with a combined capacity of 165.55 megawatts. The company recently released six megawatts for its rooftop solar programmes bringing the total capacity offered to 24 megawatts. “Our battery programme is well on its way and is targeted to be completed in early 2024 which will allow for increased solar energy on the grid,” the spokesperson said. They added that the company “will work in every way possible” to reach the National Energy Policy goal of a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. “The company and the National Energy Policy contemplates that in this transition period, it would be advantageous to utilise the cleanest and most cost-effective fuel and it has been determined that natural gas is that fuel. “With the conversion of the engines for efficiency and to run on natural gas, we are taking active, incremental steps to a greener Grand Cayman and lowering costs for our customers as soon as possible.” Private meeting In March 2021, the company gave a private presentation to the Central Planning Authority explaining its plans to introduce natural gas as a transitional energy source in Cayman. Members of the media or public were not allowed to attend because, as Ron Sanderson, then deputy director of planning, said, CUC was making a presentation, not a planning application. Environmental groups Amplify Cayman and the Mangrove Rangers were among those who had shown up to attend the meeting, and expressed concern it was restricted. However, Sacha Tibbetts, CUC’s vice president of customer service and technology, later told the Compass the company would have “been happy for members of the public to attend”. He described the presentation as “a consultation discussion” to seek feedback from stakeholders on issues or perceived issues on the importation of natural gas into Cayman. CUC had previously had similar discussions with OfReg, the Department of Environment, the Energy Policy Council and various on-island fuel suppliers, Tibbetts said at the time. In its 30-year Integrated Resource Plan released in 2019, CUC recommended several energy alternatives – including natural gas. Other options were investing in battery energy storage, converting diesel-fired engines to dual- fuel, assessing the viability of ocean thermal energy conversion, supporting the development of landfill gas facilities, and building more solar energy generators. Pace Global, the consultants which drew up the report, projected that Cayman would gradually use more natural gas starting around 2024 and existing generators would be retired. REBECCA BIRD rbird@compassmedia.ky Caribbean Utility Company’s latest moves towards using natural gas as part of its energy production have sparked concerns over fuel cost, sustainability and required infrastructure. Advocacy group Amplify Cayman is concerned that the company is not moving in the right direction. Emily DeCou, an Amplify Cayman leader, told the Compass that science does not support natural gas as a sustainable energy source and that it will not significantly lower energy bills. “We already have natural sources of energy in the Cayman Islands, such as the sun, which we can rely upon,” she said. “Renewable sources of energy are cleaner and safer, and shown to be more affordable for the everyday man in the long run.” DeCou suggested that fossil fuels such as diesel and natural gas are getting harder to source, making them more expensive in the long term. “The community agrees that we must act now to prioritise transitioning to a cleaner and sustainable energy source on a national level,” DeCou said. This, she suggested, will help to combat both the climate “breakdown” and cost-of-living crisis. Passing the risk James Whittaker, president of sustainability non-profit Cayman Renewable Energy Association, is also apprehensive about the use of natural gas as an energy source. He said the association believes the primary issue with the plan is the cost of the new infrastructure required and the need for CUC to make a guaranteed financial return. “[This] then passes the risk onto Cayman’s consumers of this ‘transitional fuel’ becoming obsolete thanks to the transition to renewables and storage,” he told the Compass. Whittaker is also sceptical of CUC’s stated reduction of emissions compared to diesel. He said the “total emissions” from extraction to production to shipping have to be accounted for when calculating emissions and environmental benefits, not just the burning of the gas itself. Whittaker said he has not seen a presentation which addresses these issues in a satisfactory way to support Cayman investing in natural gas. In its 6 Sept. statement, CUC said it was looking for natural gas suppliers and has asked prospective candidates to provide qualification submissions before 15 Sept. But Whittaker said the short one-week timeframe for a response to a project of this scale is “curious and suggests there’s already a desired partner or plan in place”. The upgrades of the diesel engines are expected to be completed by 2025 with the fuel in use by 2027. Large-scale solar Following CUC’s announcement, a spokesperson for the power company told the Compass it is committed to large- scale solar as the main energy source for Grand Cayman. The spokesperson explained that in 2019, the Utility Regulation and Competition Office said for large-scale solar to be offered, a competitive bid process needs to be held. Meanwhile, the power company has considered and drafted several different designs that will best suit the island’s needs. “The company anxiously awaits the bid process to be initiated by OfReg for the opportunity to implement low-cost, large- scale, clean solar energy,” the spokesperson said. “The bid process will allow CUC to openly provide details on the plans that the company has for renewable energy.” The Compass has reached out to OfReg for an update and is awaiting a response. Clean-energy advocates voice concern over natural gas CUC plans to use natural gas in energy production The price of diesel to power CUC’s generators has a direct impact on electricity bills. - Photo: File CUC headquarters in George Town. - Photo: FIle The year the National Energy Policy outlines as the deadline for transitioning to 100% renewable energy 2050 “Our battery programme is well on its way and is targeted to be completed in early 2024 which will allow for increased solar energy on the grid.” CUC spokesperson cayman compass 5 news N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky A charred and weathered family bible was all that Marva Bodden salvaged from the fire that destroyed her home in George Town. On a warm morning this week, she leafed through the tattered pages to find a favourite quote. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” In the three years since the fire, the 79-year-old has been through some trying times. She was initially homeless, staying on the sofas of family members at a time when fear of COVID-19 was rife throughout the community. Now she lives in a cramped but comfortable converted shipping container in the yard of the fire- ruined property on Diaz Lane. Through those times, she says, she never gave up hope. And as construction workers marked out the red outline of a planned new home in the dusty ground where the old buildings once stood, she was able to see her faith begin to be vindicated. Rebuilding Charity Acts of Random Kindness has coordinated a group of community donors and volunteers and raised funds to begin building a new ‘tiny home’ on the site. It is the second full-build project for ARK, which helps renovate unsafe housing for the most vulnerable in the community. There’s a long way to go, but once the project is complete, Bodden will have a new house, painted white with pink trim, funded and built by the Cayman community. “I just feel joy,” she said, as she watched preliminary work begin on the land where she has lived since she was a child. Additions and repairs had been made over the years, but the original structure, built by her father in the 1930s, had stayed in place till the fire in 2020. “I lived here all my life,” she said recently, recalling a sandy road, with periwinkles blossoming in the verges, that ran down to the sea, by Mr. Arthur’s shop. “That’s where we learned to swim – the big children used to throw us in and say ‘swim or drown’,” she laughed. “I just love it here. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it has changed.” Even now, she still manages to swim at the same spot every few weeks. “This is where all her memories are of her family, her children, her grandchildren,” said Tara Nielsen, of ARK, whose Cayman CASA project focuses on helping people hold on to their family land and rebuild homes where they have roots. “She’s just woven into this community here like the trees and the periwinkles,” said Nielsen. “That’s why it was so vitally important for us to rebuild right here.” Fire destroyed almost everything Bodden was sitting with her 2-year-old grandchild in the home, when the fire broke out. She lost everything in the blaze – all her clothes, her belongings and treasured family photo albums. Just the bible, handed down from her mother, survived. “I came back the next day and this were lying on the floor, not got a burn on it. I wiped it off and put it in the sun for a couple of days and it’s fine,” she said of the bible, which she keeps on her bedside stand. ARK plans to use the same basic design as its last tiny home – a strategy which will allow for expedited planning approval. The project is being sponsored by 1503 Property Group, NCB Group, ARTEX and ARCO architectural firm as well as donations from NCB Group’s construction partners. Workers from NCB Group were onsite last week to remove the foundations of the old home and mark out the perimeter of the new project. The tiny homes – which ARK hopes can eventually be used all over Cayman for families in need – are pre-designed and quick to build, meaning Bodden could be in her new home within just a few months. “We are praying to get her in by Christmas,” said Nielsen. Matthew Wight, managing director at NCB Group, said its multiple businesses and industry partnerships would help keep costs low. “We are so proud to partner with ARK to build a safe and comfortable home for Miss Marva,” he said. “Our aim is to build as much of Miss Marva’s Tiny Home as possible through the donation of materials and equipment, volunteer hours and the support of our valued partners, to save ARK’s funding for the next worthwhile project.” Marva Bodden stands in the outline of where her new home will be built. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay Țară Nielsen and Marva Bodden on the steps of the converted container on Diaz Lane. – Photo: Taneos Ramsay Community to build new house for senior who lost home in fire “She’s just woven into this community here like the trees and the periwinkles.” Tara Nielsen of ARK on Marva Bodden cayman compass 6 news N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023REBECCA BIRD rbird@compassmedia.ky The Opposition will be filing a private member’s motion at the next sitting of Parliament asking for MPs to support the legalisation of pepper spray and mace for self-defence. This comes just two months after a public meeting on crime during which several residents said those items would allow them to feel more confident and safe. The motion, moved by David Wight, George Town West MP, said incidents of armed robberies have increased significantly in recent times. “People are concerned about their safety and the need to defend themselves,” it said. However, according to the Penal Code (2022 Revision), “any weapon of any description or design, adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid or gas” is prohibited. Anyone who imports, manufactures, sells, hires or has in their possession a prohibited weapon risks a fine of up to $10,000 and 10 years in prison. Wight’s motion said the Penal Code, Firearms Act and other relevant legislation should be amended to permit the importation and sale of chemical sprays and mace, but only by duly licensed pharmacies and drug stores. The law should also allow the use of pepper spray and mace for “self-defence and personal protection”, subject to appropriate restrictions on age and other relevant criteria, the motion said. Past efforts The issue first came up in the then Legislative Assembly in October 2011, when lawmakers unanimously supported a similar private member’s motion – but no action was taken by the government at the time. Opposition MLA Ezzard Miller, in 2019, sought to renew that effort through another motion to have pepper spray legalised, after a woman was assaulted in North Side. Alden McLaughlin, as premier, supported the motion, but spoke of concerns that such weapons could be used by the “wrong persons for the wrong reasons”. In 2022, Infrastructure Minister Jay Ebanks attempted to get pepper spray legalised after a spate of crimes against women. But at the time he told the Opposition wants to legalise pepper spray Compass he was unable to get support from the National Security Council or police to move law changes forward. He said, as a “fighter for the people” he would “continue to push it until it becomes law”. The latest motion on pepper spray and mace was one of six from the Opposition that were stamped on Monday, 11 Sept., for presentation in Parliament. Legislators plan to examine if the use of non-lethal self-defence tools like mace and pepper spray should be legalised. cayman compass news N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023 7 Locl Minutes Interntionl Minutes Roming Dt + Free Incoming Clls Any Use Dt Socil Dt Entertinment Dt Supreme Shre 2 2 Line Get 2 Lines with the Postpid Supreme Shre Pln to Sty Connected with Endless Dt & Minutes Sign Up Tody FAMILY PLAN FOR $189.90NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky The annual coral-spawning phenomenon occurs on the reefs over two or three nights around the full moon in September, but in Grand Cayman last week a group of scientists gathered around glass tanks filled with relocated corals to watch it happen mid-afternoon. In a first for the Caribbean, they had managed to recreate the kinds of conditions necessary to trigger coral spawning in a lab. The Department of Environment has installed a new Coral Spawning Lab, containing 256 gallons of water, with the intention of growing coral in a laboratory that will eventually help to repopulate reefs. The corals spawned during daylight hours, responding to laboratory adjustments of temperature and solar cycles, as well as to the monthly lunar cycles telling them it was time to release their gametes – eggs and sperm. The spawning lab is run by DoE marine biologists, led by Marine Research Unit manager Croy McCoy and marine research officer Cody Panton. Also on hand to witness the lab-based spawning last week were Professor Mike Sweet of the UK’s University of Derby and Jamie Craggs of London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens. Sweet and Craggs, along with Vincent Thomas of Aquarium Connections, set up the Coral Spawning Lab company and supplied the tanks, sponsored by the Foster’s Group, to the DoE. Sweet, in an interview with the Compass, explained that two species of coral – Orbicella annularis and Orbicella faveolata, more commonly known as lobed star and mountainous star corals, respectively – had been chosen to undergo the artificial spawning process, as it corresponded with the times those species would have been spawning naturally on the reefs. He said the DoE now has “hundreds of thousands of baby larvae swimming around in the tanks”. Once they grow to a juvenile stage, they can be outplanted onto the reef, helping to replace some of the many corals lost to stony coral tissue loss disease in recent years. As the parents of these particular larvae have survived the deadly disease, it is hoped that they will have inherited that resistance. “The point behind the Coral Spawning Lab is to increase the genetic diversity on the reef,” Sweet explained. 9-5 spawning Being able to recreate conditions in a lab for spawning to occur at any time of the day or night, or any time of the year, is a game changer, he said. Before this was possible, the scientists had no other alternative than to dive late at night when the spawning typically occurs and collect gamete samples in nets, and then return to the lab with the samples, so often it would be 3am or 4am before they finished their work. “Being able to work 9-5 makes life a lot easier,” he said. Because the corals in the DoE lab had only been relocated recently, the scientists were unsure whether they would be healthy enough, or had had enough time to adjust to their new lab environment, to spawn successfully. So, when the lab-based coral spawning occurred – for the first recorded time in the region using this technology – it came as quite a relief to the team. “We were always hoping for the new lab corals to spawn because the lab was set up to maintain their annual cycle, which relies heavily on the moon, with a shift for them to spawn much earlier and in the day,” McCoy said in a DoE social media post. “But with relocation, there is always a risk of corals being stressed, and with two moons [last] month, we just weren’t sure if they were going to be established enough to spawn. “So I was elated to learn it had happened, more or less when we expected it to. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing the spark of an idea be supported enough to move forward, overcoming challenges and uncertainty, into fruition. And in this case, that fruition is the beginning of new research, which we hope could be foundational for marine conservation and coral restoration for our Cayman Islands.” McCoy added that the two spawning labs are another tool in the DoE’s toolbox to tackle the current regional and global coral reef crisis. Here in Cayman, bleaching due to record high ocean temperatures, and deadly stony coral tissue loss and other diseases are having a major impact on corals on the reefs. McCoy says now that it is apparent that the corals can spawn multiple times a year in the lab, instead of just once a year in the wild, the scientists can help reseed the reefs with baby corals. Meanwhile, on the reef The visiting scientists and members of the DoE team weren’t just stuck in the lab, though. They also joined the divers around Grand Cayman who were in water on several nights during the week on the lookout for the coral spawning. Spawning of species of certain hard corals occur each year following the full moon, usually in early September. During a small window in time on each night during the spawning period, the stony or hard corals release their eggs and sperm in a perfectly timed symphony. For a few short seconds, the gametes float just above the releasing coral, before mixing in the water column and then wafting away in the current. A tiny percentage will be fertilised, develop into coral larvae and settle on a reef. The majority are eaten by fish or will wash ashore or to the water’s surface and die. Their chance of survival is far higher when they’re released inside the lab, where there are none of the natural predators like the brittle stars on the reef that crawl over the corals moments before they release their gametes, primed for an easy feast. Sweet said the team dived two nights off George Town and one night with Ocean Frontiers in East End to capture some of the released gametes, so they could fertilise them in the lab and grow them into corals. This year’s spawning of the lobe star and mountainous star corals took place over three nights – 4, 5 and 6 Sept. As it has over the last several years, Ocean Frontiers took out boats of divers to a handful of dive sites to witness the spectacle. Over the last two decades, Ocean Frontiers’ Steve Broadbelt and his team, along with former marine biologist and underwater photographer Alex Mustard, have worked out, with precision, the formula to determine which corals will “go” and exactly when. Often this is late at night, like this year, when many of the corals spawned after 10:30pm, meaning it was well past midnight before divers went home. But for those, like Meelin Vernon, who captured photos of the incredible, rarely seen sight, it was worth it. “I’ve participated in the Ocean Frontiers coral spawning dives for several years now and never been disappointed,” she said. “Living in West Bay, it’s a very late night, particularly this year as the coral spawned a bit later than usual. This was the middle night of three and was spectacular. I got home at 1am, but it was absolutely worth it and I will be back to do it again next year.” This year, Broadbelt and his team put on three boats each night to transport divers to witness the spectacle. The mass bleaching of corals islandwide, due to record high sea temperatures this summer, impacted the amount of spawning this year, especially for the lobed star corals, he said. Of those, he said, “less than 20% spawned”. However, he did witness bleached lobed star corals, and Broadbelt says he’s hopeful the corals will recover once the water temperatures drop. Another reason for the small percentage of those types of corals spawning could be because many of them had spawned last month, as the calculations for when the spawning would occur were complicated by the fact that there were two full moons in August. “So, it’s possible some of them spawned after the second full moon, which was also a blue moon,” he said. Coral spawning in the wild and in a lab A brittle star feasts on eggs releasing from a lobed star coral during the annual spawning. - Photo: Meelin Vernon The team collecting gametes from a coral during last week’s spawning event to take back to the lab. - Photo: Supplied cayman compass news N news WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023 8cayman compass 9 WEEKLY, 15-21 SEPTEMBER 2023Next >