WEDNESDAY
McCombo of the
Day
i’m lovin’ it!
HIGH 83ºF LOW 69ºF
The Tribune Established 1903
24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM
Biggest And Best!
VOLUME:117 No.61, FEBRUARY 19TH, 2020
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
ALICIA WALLACE: STORY BEHIND WHISPERED SECRETS
Nygard: ‘Dozens more victims’ Lawyers reveal over 100 women have come forward to accuse him By TRIBUNE REPORTER DOZENS of women have come forward to accuse Peter Nygard of sexual misconduct since lawyers in New York filed a class action lawsuit against the fashion mogul, according to a lawyer in the case. In a statement to The Tribune yesterday in response to emailed questions, Greg Gutzler, co-counsel for the women, said: “Since filing a rape and sex trafficking class action lawsuit last week against Canadian fashion mogul, Peter Nygard, on behalf
of ten women, we have received information from over 100 witnesses, including dozens of (alleged) victims, who have come forward with additional evidence relating to alleged rape and sexual abuse. “In addition, the allegations in the complaint are accurate, verified and corroborated, following years of independent investigation. The brave women who have stepped forward thus far made the choice to hold Nygard responsible for his actions, regardless of his attempts to intimidate them into silence.” SEE PAGE THREE
NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday confirmed the Royal Bahamas Police Force has arrested people in relation to a spate of recent armed robberies and home invasions in the capital. He made the statement at a press conference with the National Neighbourhood Watch Council (NNWC), where he highlighted how the
organisation has contributed to “some positive turn of events” in local communities. “Just recently we would have had a few incidents – very alarming incidents – of great concern to all of us in a number of our communities,” he said. “Where there are neighbourhood watch groups they have been very active (and) the co-chairs as well as the police liaison officers have been in these communities. SEE PAGE TEN
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net DEPUTY prime minister Peter Turnquest is “very confident” The Bahamas will resolve its blacklisting by individual European Union (EU) members after it yesterday completed its escape from the bloc’s tax watch-list. Mr Turnquest told Tribune Business that this nation was “making progress in addressing the issues” - including “distrust” - that led both France and the Netherlands to place it on their own individual “blacklists” of countries deemed non cooperative on tax matters. Disclosing that their concerns have now been identified, Mr Turnquest said they related to “similar issues that we’ve had in the past with respect to the exchange of [tax] information”. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
JOHNSON’S $220M HIT FOR CLAIMS IN DORIAN
SUSPECTS HELD FOR STRING OF RECENT HOME INVASIONS
By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
EU’S LISTING LIFTED - NOW FOR FRANCE AND HOLLAND
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
11 YEARS FOR ERICKA KILLER LEO RODERICK JOHNSON, above outside court yesterday, was sentenced to 11 years in jail for stabbing former Tribune employee Ericka Fowler to death in August 2006. Full story - Page 5 Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
MILLER - I’LL WIN EASILY IN TALL PINES By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
FORMER PLP Member of Parliament Leslie Miller says he’s certain he can win the Tall Pines constituency by at least 500 votes in the 2022 general election. Mr Miller told The Tribune he can do it whether or not the PLP allows him to run on its ticket. He said his prospects are just as good under party affiliation as
EX-PLP MP Leslie Miller they are being an independent candidate. Representing the party is
his first preference, but the 70-year-old politician said he has no issues with running as an independent if the party chooses someone else. Mr Miller was contacted yesterday after photos circulated on social media of him visiting residents in Tall Pines. The former Bahamas Electricity Corporation executive chairman said constituents have been calling and asking him when they could receive another visit.
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE SEVEN
JS JOHNSON’S underwriting affiliate suffered just a $105,787 net loss for 2020 despite incurring more than $220m in insurance claims, it was revealed yesterday. The BISX-listed broker and agent, unveiling its results for the full year and fourth quarter, said its reinsurance programme had minimised the losses sustained by Insurance Company of The Bahamas (ICB) due to the category five storm. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY
SPACEX AIMS FOR SUPER HIGH ORBIT
SEE PAGE NINE
PAGE 2, Wednesday, February 19, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Dames: DNA identification of storm victims ‘well underway’ By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net DNA identification for storm victims who died during Hurricane Dorian is well underway, according to National Security Minister Marvin Dames. Mr Dames confirmed that officials are “moving ahead” with victim identification yesterday during a press conference at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre. “We would have identified victims already,” he said. “There are some as you would know due to the level of decomposition and things of that nature, it’s not very easy to identify. And again from a technological
standpoint, getting DNA becomes that much more trickier. “But the police are on top of it, they are working with the FBI in getting DNA, we’re working with the Ministry of Health, as well as the Attorney General Office.” Insisting that victim identification is “well in hand,” Mr Dames said officials are taking the matter very seriously. “This is a very delicate process and it must be well thought out. Any time you’re dealing with the death of someone, that person has a loved one....we have to sit back, pause for a second and let the process take its course.”
Asked to respond to persons criticising the length of the identification process, he added: “It’s okay to criticise. Criticism is good, but we’re explaining the process as well and this is something that we have been explaining from day one. “…We have never been here before. We would have just experienced the most devastating natural disaster in our country’s history and maybe this region and as a country of this size, you’re going to have growing pains. “Look at Katrina in the United States and look at Matthew in Puerto Rico and Dominica, many of these nations are still
addressing the impact of these storms.” Stating officials’ number one concern was bringing relief to persons who would have lost their “loved ones, homes and communities” in the wake of the storm, he added: “For example in Grand Bahama most of the bodies had already been identified and turned over. “When you have this kind of catastrophe (or) disaster, sometimes the identification of bodies given...the state of decomposition...becomes that much more complicated. And that’s my point when I say that we have to understand that that is the process.” Mr Dames said immediately after the storm, he and
Health Minister Dr Duane Sands met with an American expert who “deals with the recovery of bodies in natural disasters all over the world.” He told reporters that the US official commended Bahamian officials for the way they were executing the process. “We invite criticism,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about because criticism is important (and) it makes us better especially when it comes from those persons who would have experienced and lived the storm.” Still, Mr Dames did not share a timeline for the completion of storm victim identification. “I can’t give a date on
that because that’s a process,” he said. “Even when you would have gone through that process you still may come back. (When) you have your DNA, you still may not be in the position to identify certain people.” “...Any nation that would have faced a disaster of this magnitude they will tell you from their experience that this is not a simple (or) easy process, but rest assured that we’re working (and) as quickly as we can, as hard as we can to identify as many persons as we can so that we can return them to their relatives. That’s very important for us and we take that very seriously.”
6,000 volunteers to help rebuild Abaco OVER the next two years over 6,000 volunteers will use their own work holidays to help Abaco residents rebuild and recover from Hurricane Dorian. This is according to Jess Thompson, a member of the All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) Bahamas Dart Team. He also credits local companies like Bahamas Waste for making it happen. Mr Thompson, a 29-year visitor to the Abacos, was one of the first of the NGO’s volunteers on the ground after the storm, as he had knowledge of the area. “I sold my business two years ago and my wife and I joined All Hands and Hearts in the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma. It was a logical decision to add me to the assessment (DART) team, I knew AHAH and I knew the Abacos well,” he said. “AHAH focuses on delivering a smart response to those suffering from disasters both domestically and internationally. The Dart Team was tasked with finding a basecamp and preparing for incoming volunteers with safe housing, water supply, kitchen area, and sanitary needs.” Mr Thompson and his team were given St Francis Catholic School as their base, located in Marsh Harbour. Once the location was realised, he knew he needed latrine and large
OVER the next two years, All Hands and Hearts will see as many as 6,000 volunteers pass through their base of operations in Abaco. Photos: courtesy of All Hands and Hearts for Barefoot Marketing water storage. A veteran of the waste industry, Mr Thompson reached out to Francisco de Cardenas, managing director of Bahamas Waste – a name in the waste industry, but one he had never met. “I just called him from Abaco, and explained I was there and what I needed,” said Mr Thompson. “I was expecting directions on
where to get stuff, what Franny said was ‘What do you need?” According to Mr Thompson, later that day the first Porta-Potty was delivered, by the end of the week this became three and now they are at eight units. Bahamas Waste also donated four 250 gallon totes, all arriving within days. “It takes people like
Franny to step up, despite us not knowing each other, and to help us solve what was one of the new base’s largest concerns,” Mr Thompson added. Mr Thompson estimates that Bahamas Waste has donated in-kind over $15,000 of free services and equipment to All Hands and Hearts, allowing the team to cater to the 60
volunteers who resided there. “AHAH provides three meals a day, freshly cleaned t-shirts for workers houses them and provides shower and bathroom facilities. This donation has been priceless to help us keep going and assisting the community,” he said. Now five months later, Bahamas Waste is still
providing the necessary sanitation equipment and water storage for the base camp which has relocated to a permanent location adjacent to Every Child Counts (ECC), a school for challenged Abaconian children. The AHAH is totally rebuilding the ECC campus and working on five other schools on Great Abaco. The basecamp is now 90 volunteers strong and their website still has over 6,000 volunteers from across America signed up to help for free until 2021. Mr Thompson and his wife Sharon are just back home from a second volunteer stint to help AHAH efforts, he remains amazed by these dedicated volunteers who get no pay just the reward of giving back. “I made it a point to stop in Nassau to thank Franny and the Bahamas Waste team on our most recent trip – it was like meeting family – and we couldn’t thank them enough.”
THE TRIBUNE By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A TAX lawyer testified yesterday how her car was stolen while she was at work and was allegedly used by suspects to execute the 2013 Fox Hill mass shooting. Erica Culmer-Curry said her charcoal grey Honda was stolen out of her employer’s parking lot just hours before Freedom Park was sprayed with a hail of bullets in December 2013. Mrs Culmer-Curry’s testimony came during Peter Rolle’s, Jermaine Curry’s and Justin Williams’ trial concerning the December 27, 2013 shooting at Freedom Park before Justice Deborah Fraser. Williams, Rolle and Curry are accused of murdering four people – Claudezino Davis, Shaquille Demeritte, Eric Morrison and Shenique Sands on that date. They are also charged with attempting to murder Janet Davis, Samuel Ferguson, Chino Davis, John Davis, Jermaine Pratt and Leroy Taylor. According to reports, around 6pm, occupants of a small, dark vehicle opened fire in the area just behind the basketball court where several people were gathered. Davis was pronounced dead on the scene while 10 others were taken to hospital. Demeritte, Morrison and Sands later died in hospital of their injuries. Taking the witness stand yesterday, Mrs CulmerCurry said sometime after
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, PAGE 3
Lawyer tells court her car was used at Fox Hill shootings the lunch hour on the date in question, she arrived at her office in the Montagu area and parked her 2000 Honda sedan in the parking lot. After locking the car’s doors, she went upstairs and started working. Mrs Culmer-Curry said her husband, Maxwell Curry, had plans to drop their niece at the airport, and so he went to her East Bay Street office to get the car for that purpose. However, Mrs Culmer-Curry said when her husband got there, he could not find the car. That prompted her to go back downstairs to the parking lot, where she realised her car was not where she had parked it. She consequently reported the matter to the Wulff Road Police Station, whose officers instructed her to make a formal report at the station.
Mrs Culmer-Curry said she did so that evening. At some point however, she said she asked the security guard stationed at her office to allow her to view the surveillance footage of the parking lot area. She said when she did, she realised that the branches of a tree were blocking the camera that could have captured the theft in its entirety. However, she said she was able to see when the thieves moved her car and drove off with it. Mrs Culmer-Curry said that around 2.45pm on January 3, 2014, she was called to the Central Detective Unit (CDU) where she was asked to identify her vehicle. She said she walked around in a parking lot that contained a number of other vehicles before finally identifying her car. According to evidence previously led, the vehicle
allegedly used to execute the shooting was a silver coloured, four-door Honda Accord registered to Maxwell and Eric Culmer Curry. Mrs Culmer-Curry said the persons who wrote up the licence disc for the car misspelled her name, hence why “Eric Culmer” was listed on the document. Detective Corporal Navar Neely, the crime scene investigator who processed the vehicle in question, said the car was a right-hand drive. Mrs Culmer-Curry also confirmed yesterday that her car was in fact a right-hand drive. In testifying previously, D/Cpl Neely said he made checks of the vehicle and observed the ignition switch appeared to be damaged. Various parts of the ignition switch were also observed in a compartment on the driver’s door. The officer
said he also observed a screwdriver on the back seat, and that several sunglasses as well as a number of fired casings of different calibres were scattered about the car. D/Cpl Neely said he also observed “bullet fragments” in the vehicle. Yesterday, while being cross-examined by defence attorney Sonia Timothy, Mrs Culmer-Curry said she couldn’t recall if she observed the numerous fired casings in her car. She said she remembered giving her car a general look over, and observing that her vehicle had not sustained any “new” damages. Concerning the ignition switch, Mrs Culmer-Curry said she did have issues with the device previously, as thieves tried to steal her car on two occasions prior to December 27, 2013. She
‘Over 100 women have now come forward to accuse Nygard’ from page one He said many of the new alleged victims are from the United States and Canada. “We knew that we were likely to hear very quickly from other victims, but the outpouring has been simply overwhelming,” he said. “Women are contacting Lisa and me by telephone, email and social media...” A lawsuit filed in New York alleges Mr Nygard raped ten women, including nine Bahamians, and covered it up through payoffs and intimidation tactics. Mr Nygard’s lawyer, Jay Prober, has dismissed the claims as false, telling Global News, a Canadian news outlet, that the complaints have been paid for by people involved in a criminal conspiracy against his client. “(The allegations) are completely false. I’ve seen a lot of false allegations… but I’ve never seen such false allegations that are so nasty,” he said. Eight of Mr Nygard’s Bahamian victims were between 14 and 18 when he allegedly raped them, according to the lawsuit. Six
of the alleged incidents happened between 2008 and 2011 while the other three happened in 2003, 2014 and 2015. The women said the alleged offences were committed mostly at Mr Nygard’s “pamper parties” at his Nygard Cay home. Meanwhile, The Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement continued to lock horns over the issue yesterday. The lawsuit argues Mr Nygard evaded accountability for his crimes by bribing law enforcement officials and certain PLP politicians. Evidence supporting this claim was not included in the documents. In a statement, the FNM accused the PLP of callously ignoring Mr Nygard’s accusers. “Their defensive release all but ignores the innocent victims who’ve made claims against the PLP’s top donor, a man accused of the most perverted acts,” the FNM said. “When will the PLP learn that this tragedy impacted so many lives and their knee-jerk reaction to deflecting any and all responsibility shows that Brave Davis and his party continue to put their ambitions first regardless of who
has been hurt? Simply put, the PLP’s top donor––Peter Nygard––is accused of being the Jefferey Epstein of The Bahamas. This is who the PLP associated with and still stands with, casting aside the brave women who have come forward to seek justice. This is how this abomination continued for so long. The PLP’s angry, defensive release on the sex trafficking ring lawsuit doesn’t give the Bahamian people any confidence that the PLP under Davis will come forward with the facts and start putting the needs of the people they serve ahead of Peter Nygard – their top donor accused of harming children!” In response, PLP
chairman Fred Mitchell stressed that there are two “things at work in this badly written writ: first, the allegations of trafficking and secondly, abusive language about the PLP.” “We said nothing about the first save whoever has a right in law to sue: God bless them; go for it. As for the second issue, the FNM is trying to stick the two together. Clearly that is a phoney logic. We say again this is all a political conception by a set of nasty, filthy, slimy, dirty minds in the FNM who now unfortunately have hijacked the party of Ingraham and Whitfield. We feel sorry for these incompetent, dumb and hapless jokers.”
said she could not recall the extent to which the ignition switch was damaged in those two instances. However, she said she didn’t recall the ignition switch looking the way it did prior to the date in question. She also confirmed that her car used a standard key to start it, and did not feature a keyless ignition. Defence attorney Geoffrey Farquharson thus asked Mrs Culmer-Curry how she managed to start her car if according to the evidence, the ignition switch was damaged and parts of it were found in a compartment on the driver’s door. In response, Mrs Culmer-Curry said she did not personally move the car while at the CDU that day. Mrs Culmer-Curry said she has since sold the car. The matter continues today.
FASHION mogul Peter Nygard
“If the FNM is so concerned about trafficking victims then they should ask their Minister of National Security, who was on the police force and in charge of CDU when six of the alleged rapes occurred, (if he will) account for that dereliction of duty. When he answers that then maybe these idiots who write press releases for the FNM can talk. Until then all of it is senseless babble. “The PLP is proud of its record on solving the public policy issues in human trafficking. When the FNM lost office in 2012, they left the country at tier two status and on the US government’s watch list. We stood to lose US security
assistance because of the FNM’s dereliction of duty. During our term we were not only taken off the list but elevated to tier one status - the status we handed to this incompetent Minnis led administration in 2017. “Further, there is in the public domain the names of a steady stream of FNM ministers going to ask for political donations or being entertained at Nygard Cay. These FNM press writers and the FNM chairman should ask the prime minister how much the FNM got from the Nygard connection,” the PLP statement said. Editorial View - Page 4
PAGE 4, Wednesday, February 19, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,
jamaaltheartist@gmail.com
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991
EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,
C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-
Published daily Monday to Friday
Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES
News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax
(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348
WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com
@tribune242
tribune news network
We must concentrate on the victims, not the politics TODAY’S developments in the allegations against Canadian businessman Peter Nygard make shocking reading. Since American lawyers filed suit in a New York court last week more than 100 women have come forward either as witnesses to or victims of Nygard’s alleged reign of rape and perversion. If all of these allegations prove to be true the stench will long lie over The Bahamas for seemingly allowing this abuse to continue for so many years. In the filed suit the lawyers’ finger of blame for allowing Nygard to prey on young Bahamian women was pointed squarely at the PLP and Bahamian police claiming a cover up of his alleged crimes in return for certain ministers and officers lining their pockets with a share of his wealth. PLP chairman Fred Mitchell of course sprang into action on Monday morning with a recorded message to the party’s supporters. “Stay focussed. Eyes front. Straight ahead,” barked Mr Mitchell. As ever the stones being thrown at the PLP, he insisted, are all part of a FNM-Save the Bays-Tribune conspiracy. Normally he’d have named Louis Bacon outright as the Financier-in-Chief of this conspiracy and Fred Smith as his attack dog but for once he left their names out. Maybe he’s getting forgetful as the years take their toll. Mr Mitchell had some handy soundbites for his supporters - “The Devil was busy... a propaganda onslaught... irrelevant claims... Most of these alleged rapes happened when the FNM was in power.” This last point is the most telling and disappointing. What Mr Mitchell – who hardly mentions the alleged victims and the ordeal they claim they have suffered – is doing is simply wiping the PLP’s hands of having anything to do with Nygard’s alleged activities, instead pass it on to the governing party. If it happened at all, he’s saying, it wasn’t on the PLP’s watch. Now, putting Mr Mitchell’s political game playing aside, there is something that needs addressing.
As Alicia Wallace writes today the minute the suit against Nygard became public knowledge virtually no one was surprised. We’d all heard the stories of Nygard’s wild parties – and that’s whether you are PLP or FNM, Mr Mitchell. You’d have to have been in quarantine for years to be ignorant of Nygard’s “pamper parties”. So who did anything about these rumours over the decades? If they did nothing - policeman and politicians why was this? Or did they simply not care, better to look the other way. Wouldn’t be the first time, would it? The Tribune reported last summer how six women had made formal allegations of rape against Nygard but outside of The Bahamas our report attracted little attention. It was only when the alleged victims took it to New York that the world’s press woke up to the story. The fact that today there are now dozens more alleged victims – and lawyers fear the final number could run into hundreds – is only going to stoke this fire up. We have already called for a full government inquiry to be held but we accept this is going to be a long way off. Nygard will undoubtedly drag the current allegations through the US courts for years to come – just look at this record here over the alleged illegal dredging he carried out at Lyford Cay. Any inquiry is going to have to wait until the US legal process is complete and Nygard’s guilt – or innocence – established. In the meantime rather than comment on the veracity of the allegations Mr Mitchell and everyone else should do what The Tribune has simply done: report the facts as they develop and not try to spin them for your own agenda. Remember it takes incredible courage for a woman to come forward and say they have been raped, knowing a new ordeal lies ahead in convincing a court they are telling the truth. Dozens of women have now made that decision to accuse Nygard. Let’s concentrate on them.
Family can now try to move on IN remembering victims yesterday we at The Tribune finally saw closure on the murder of our former colleague, Ericka Fowler. Her partner Leo Johnson - who stabbed her to death nearly 14 years ago in front of her mother and children - was jailed for 11 years. The sentence reflected how the whole case has been handled since Ericka was killed in August, 2006. For it to take so long to bring this matter to a close was unforgivable. We accept, for Johnson too, the years
of having this issue hanging over him was unfair. In addressing sentencing following Johnson’s guilty plea to manslaughter, the defence had appealed for mercy and parole, the prosecution for 18 years in line with what the Director of Public Prosecutions believed was in line with sentencing guidelines. Eleven years was Justice Renea McKay’s decision and we suspect this leaves no-one satisfied. At least the matter is now closed and Ericka’s family can try and move on with their lives.
This silence is deafening EDITOR, The Tribune. YEARS have passed since the late Dr. B. J. Nottage, former Minister of National Security, committed himself to legislation his government would introduce, that he called “Marco’s Law”. It was after the death of Marco, whose body was found in a garbage bin in Cable Beach. The law was to include the Sexual Offenders Register, which could be very effective in the prevention and detection of sex crimes against women and children. The law was to be retroactive from the date of Marco’s death so as to provide names and information for the Sexual Offenders Register. The silence of our women
and women’s organization on the subject is deafening. The same applies to our politicians. The Trinidad & Tobago has said, that perpetrators of sex crimes will face the full brunt of the law, aimed at deterring, punishing and shaming rapists, paedophiles and others with a propensity to commit sexual assaults and offences, and for the first time, information on sex beasts will be shown online for public access to their names, addresses, photographs and offences committed. The Commissioner of Police can also publicize this information for the public to be aware of sex beasts in their communities and better protect themselves and their children. The new law, which went
into effect on January 31, 2020 provides for victims of sex crimes to seek compensation from offenders if they contract a sexual disease. The law also emphasizes the protection of children by widening the category of persons who must mandatorily report cases of sexual abuse, failing which a crime is committed. It is hoped, that the above information would end the silence on the subject. We have spent months and years debating same sex marriage and husbands raping wives. We serve with Honour – We remember with pride. PAUL THOMPSON Sr. ACP- Retired Nassau February 17, 2020
Police need our support EDITOR, The Tribune CAN you imagine going to work each day and not being sure you’ll survive your shift and see your family again? Most of us can’t. But for police officers and their families, that is an everyday fact of life. Police officers aren’t perfect, they make mistakes like everyone else. But recently there have been a lot of careless misinformation, and undeserving negativity directed at them from the public. A public that demands protection but is unwilling to respect the law and give it its full support. One such occasion that comes to mind. During one of the Junkanoo parades we are told that a few policemen paddled the behinds of some unruly young men. What was not told is how there were several groups of such young men roaming the spectators areas misbehaving. It is alleged that they were being aggressive towards the young girls touching and pawing all over their bodies. These young men/boys left home with intentions of creating mischief. Speaking from a personal point of view I have no objections to what the officers did because if my son was carrying on in such a manner I would have no problem with him taking a whack on his behind to straighten him out. Better that than to have him spend 48-96 hours in a cell and have to appear before the courts charged with unruly public behaviour or worse, aggravated sexual assault for one. Instead of bashing these officers parents should be thankful for their leniency. And to use this as an opening to have more meaningful communications with their kids. While I cannot speak for Commissioner Ferguson, I can identify with his comments on how police officers are recruited. Because in both my professional and private life my input was required in charting the future of many young people. I have always tried to be as forthright as possible, but unfortunately
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net with no intent to deceive there were one or two persons that failed to live up to my recommendations and to my embarrassment fell through the cracks. Maybe it did not come out right but the Commissioner was only speaking the truth when he insinuated that some people were not completely truthful when queried about the background of recruit candidates for the force. For as far back as I can remember security checks were mostly done by talking to the neighbours, teachers, and pastors of the candidates. Sadly sometimes information is withheld giving undeserving candidates a pass. Most of the times those questioned don’t mean any harm just trying to be helpful and praying for the best. Giving the youth a chance to turn his life around. The police force is an institution comprised of dedicated men and women of integrity, but like in most such institutions there will be one or two who do not meet that criteria. The police are duty bound to uphold the law, but they need the public’s help if they are to be successful. The men and women of this profession and their families sacrifice far too much. They are the guardians of our families, homes, communities, and our way of life. Simply put, they deserve a lot better than they’ve received from many in our country lately. Two such outstanding retired police officers who have dedicated their entire lives to making the Bahamas a better place to live are assistant superintendent Edmund Lewis and chief superintendent Irvin Taylor. Officer Taylor who is 81 is at the “it was a very good year” stage of his life is no longer active on the force. Has left a legacy that others can only attempt to emulate and will
go down in history as one of the officers that raised the Bahamian flag on independence morning. Officer Lewis whose dedication extends far beyond the call of duty is at the “I’m having the time of of my life” stage is a reservist and at the age of 82 is the oldest serving police officer on the force. These gentlemen served when at the height of their career The Bahamas was being characterised as a corrupt country labeled a “nation for sale”. For all of my adult life I have had the good fortune of being friends with and mentored by both of them. And can say without a shadow of a doubt that throughout their tenure they were impeccable men of distinction who have always been above reproach and served their country with dignity and pride. Not only were they role models on the police force, they were great sportsmen who excelled in the sport of cricket and represented the country all over the world. And are recognised today as some of the best that have ever graced the cricket fields, both in The Bahamas and internationally. These two heroes should have been honoured years ago. But because they are not politicians or some in your face all of the time persons, we will have to wait for their demise to read in the obituaries of their sacrificial contributions and how valuable they were to the nation. But until then I appeal to the patriotic people of The Bahamas to join me in saluting these two great men of our Royal Bahamas Police Force. Officer Edmund Lewis and Officer Irvin Taylor we are confident that history will be as kind to you as you were to us. Thank you for your unselfish contribution in building our nation. Well done my dear friends. God bless you. ANTHONY PRATT Nassau February 18, 2020
THE TRIBUNE By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net AFTER a 14-year delay, a 54-year-old man was finally sentenced to prison yesterday for stabbing his common-law wife to death in front of her mother and children over a decade ago. Justice Renea McKay sentenced Leo Roderick Johnson to 11 years behind bars for stabbing former Tribune employee Ericka Fowler to death on August 19, 2006. The sentence is to take effect from February 11, the day Johnson admitted to killing Fowler and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The time he spent on remand, just over a year, is factored into the prison sentence, Justice McKay said. Johnson’s sentencing marks the end of a 14-year wait for justice for Fowler’s family, who have been awaiting some sort of closure over their loved one’s death since Johnson snuffed out her life. Johnson has since expressed remorse for killing Fowler, the mother of five of his seven children, as he previously told the judge: “On August 19, 2006, my life turned around mostly on my own behalf, because I should have been stronger.” According to Justice McKay, Johnson also said he wished he could go back in time and undo what happened that night. Ericka Fowler, a former librarian and archivist at The Tribune, was 33 years old when she was fatally stabbed. She died from her injuries in the street in front of her parent’s Comet Terrace home in Golden Gates on a Saturday night. According to Justice McKay, on that fateful night, Ericka and Johnson got into a heated argument sometime after Johnson had gone to her parents’ home where Ericka and the children were staying. The reason for the argument is not clear, but Johnson maintains that he was provoked. Johnson ended up dragging Erika outside and stabbed her in her throat and about the body with a sharp object that police believed was a knife. Four of Ericka’s five children, as well as her mother, witnessed the crime. Johnson turned himself into the Cable Beach Police Station the next day. He was charged with unlawfully killing Ericka days after her death on August 24, 2006. Johnson was arraigned before the Supreme Court on July 27, 2007. However, the case was left dormant until 2014, when a trial date was set for October 24, 2016 before then-Senior Justice Jon Isaacs. In October 2016, Johnson tried to have the proceedings stayed permanently because of the 10-year delay in bringing the case forward, which he asserted breached his constitutional right to a trial within a reasonable time. However, Justice Isaacs ultimately ruled that “on a balance of probabilities, a
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, PAGE 5
At last! 11 years for Ericka’s killer
LEO RODERICK JOHNSON, above, was yesterday sentenced to 11 years in jail for stabbing former Tribune employee Ericka Fowler, left, to death on August 19, 2006 fair trial can be had despite the delay and breach of the applicant’s constitutional right to a trial within a reasonable time.” Johnson entered a guilty plea to manslaughter when he appeared before Justice McKay last Tuesday. At the time, his lawyer Crystal Rolle, in making a plea of mitigation on her client’s behalf, submitted that he suffered some form of diminished responsibility in the situation as he claims he was provoked. Additionally, Ms Rolle said Johnson had stable employment prior to the incident and had a spotless record. The defense attorney further noted that after committing the offence, Johnson was on bail for 15 years and did not have a single legal infraction. Ms Rolle also said that Johnson has since apologised to each of his children and sought to financially assist them to the best of his ability. For those reasons, Ms Rolle asked the court to temper justice with mercy and consider imposing a non-custodial sentence on her client. However, Crown attorney Kristan Stubbs asked for a prison sentence of 18 years, charging that Fowler’s death was a brutal one primarily because she was defenseless and unarmed. Ultimately, Justice McKay ruled that in all of the circumstances of the case, Johnson should
receive a custodial sentence of 11 years. After being sentenced, Justice McKay asked Johnson if he had anything to say to her. Johnson paused for a moment, before stating: “Ms Rolle could speak for me, because I (will) choke up.” Ms Rolle then told the court that while housed in maximum security at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services awaiting his sentence, Johnson was denied the opportunity to take a bath until he came to court yesterday. Justice McKay said such claims were “unfortunate” and “regrettable”. She said she would have her clerk address the matter with the head official at the Fox Hill facility. Ms Stubbs, meanwhile, asked the court to make a recommendation to the correctional facility that Johnson be housed in medium security for the duration of his sentence. Justice McKay said she had “no difficulty” doing so. Before being led away by two officers to start serving his sentence, Johnson was allowed to hug several of his loved ones, the majority of whom were in tears at the outcome. Fowler’s son, Tanrio Fowler, 26, last week said his family was desperate for closure. “Honestly, it’s been like a nightmare, you know,” Mr Fowler said. “It’s like all the years done past. I ain’t
NHIA LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC HEALTHCARE RECORD SYSTEM
By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE NATIONAL Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is going paperless as the agency launched its Electronic Health Record (EHR) system for primary healthcare providers yesterday. The EHR system eliminates the need for paper patient health records and acts as a single, central record of a patient’s health information, NHIA officials said. Using the EHR, NHI Bahamas providers will be able provide superior care and improve patient safety, a press release noted. Other benefits of the new system include reduced medical errors and improved access to information for both the provider and beneficiary, the press release noted. When the EHR is fully implemented by the end of 2020, NHIA expects over 250,000 Bahamians
to benefit from the record system. NHIA chairman Dr Robin Roberts called the move a “bold and ambitious programme,” that will help ensure NHI physician’s care and monitor diseases. “We can actually at any point in time be able to determine the extent of the health of the population, we can look at the present diseases; how commonly they are occurring; what is their prevalence within the community and that allows to shape programmes in order to better the health of community. “We can hold the physicians accountable for the care that they deliver, so at any point we can look and see what services are being rendered, whether they’re being done on a timely basis, whether we’re getting the outcomes we want in our patients.” Graham Whitmarsh, NHIA’s managing director and CEO, repeatedly stressed that users’
health information is closely protected and that only healthcare providers and staff involved in a patient’s care will access the electronic health record. “I know the biggest thing on everybody’s mind is about privacy and security and I want to assure everybody that this adheres to the highest standards. The information itself is kept on encrypted server. Access to that information is controlled by the physicians and patient - no one gets to see it without the patient’s permission,” he explained. The new system has several benefits including allowing for booking appointments; access to a Personal Health Portal for patients to learn more about their conditions and educational materials to better manage their health; and improved patient experience with healthcare providers. To date, 74,507 Bahamians are enrolled in NHI.
forget about (it), but it’s like no justice was coming out of it. So, I decide whatever happen, happens so just leave it and move on with my life. “And, then it coming back up, it just waking me back up to the tragic day you know. It’s a delicate situation and it’s not like something happened between strangers. This a family matter. This a domestic matter. This
mother and father and kids. People just look at the fact that this a bad person and you know, you need justice but it’s deeper than finding justice it’s a mental thing.” Last week, Director of Public Prosecutions Garvin Gaskin explained to The Tribune why his office had been willing to accept an admission of manslaughter by Johnson rather than to proceed with the original charge of murder.
He said given the delay in getting to last week’s hearing, which merits a reduction in sentence and bearing in mind Johnson’s version of events, the Department of Public Prosecutions settled on accepting a manslaughter plea. “When it was brought to my attention, you have to be mindful of a number of factors,” Mr Gaskin said. “The (convict) has had a charge hanging over him for nearly 15 years, not for any fault on his part. “His constitutional right has clearly been infringed. The law speaks to a reduction in sentence because of the delay in getting to trial. “There is never any kind of happy medium in these kinds of things. The reality is he was saying there was significant provocation - she treated him badly, infidelity, throwing it in his face,” Mr Gaskin added. “There was a little more to it than a husband who just decided to brutally murder his wife.” Mr Gaskin also said there was an established sentencing guide in murder and manslaughter cases and in his matter the Crown had asked for an 18 year sentence. He said in “extreme circumstances” where a defendant has previous offences or crimes of violence the sentence can go up to 35 years. He added: “If things had been different we would have clearly have wanted more but taking into account all of the issues we said we would do what we did.” Editorial View - Page 4
PAGE 6, Wednesday, February 19, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
‘CARNIVAL DOUBLE DEAL WILL HELP RECOVERY EFFORTS’ By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net DAYS after Carnival Corporation announced it will double its investment at the Grand Bahama cruise port, Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said yesterday the move will aid the recovery efforts on the storm-impacted island. “We’re certainly looking very much looking forward to the investment in that port as it will help with the turn around and the rebuilding process in Grand Bahama. As you know, we’ve had a significant catastrophic loss of investment in Grand Bahama,” he told reporters outside Cabinet yesterday. “This boost will help to bring confidence back to the residents of the island and to investors that Grand Bahama is open for business (and) that it is a place that is progressing and a good place to live and to earn a living as well as to create economic opportunities.” The new Carnival project, now worth at least $200m, will be built on 329 acres and will be capable of docking two of Carnival’s largest vessels at once––its Mardi Gras brand of ships which are currently under construction. It was originally valued at $100m when Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis hosted the heads of agreement signing for the project last September. Despite having doubled the investment since then, officials said it may further increase by the time the details are finalised. Noting that the move will allow for the creation of more jobs on the island, Mr Turnquest told reporters that it would also boost the country’s economy.
“We expect that this investment will not only bring direct jobs, but it will also bring spin off business opportunities for Grand Bahamians and so that along with the hotel along with the redevelopment of the airport is going to be a tremendous stimulus to Grand Bahama and to the overall economy of the Bahamas,” he added. According to vice-president of development and operations, David Candib, construction is scheduled to begin in the early summer. He said up to 1,000 locals will be employed during the construction phase and between 500 and 1,000 will be employed during operations. Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, the subsidiary company that will use Grand Bahama’s new port the most, said the company’s commitment to the island never wavered despite Hurricane Dorian’s impact. “We see it as a partnership that is important and we want to be there no matter what,” she told reporters last week. “Hurricanes aren’t new. Obviously this one was devastating for the Bahamas which for us meant even more quickly what could we do to provide support first and foremost to the people of Grand Bahama and making sure we are able to bring supplies and food and whatever was needed by ship as quickly as we needed so we never once questioned amongst ourselves that we wouldn’t continue with the project.” The corporation is also planning a $100 million investment to build a new and bigger dock at the Grand Bahama shipyard.
TOOTE Shop Corner where a shooting incident occured on Monday night. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Victim was ‘nice, quiet young boy’ By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net A NEIGHBOUR of the man who was shot dead on Monday night is taken aback by his murder, describing the victim as a quiet and down-to-earth person. Kevin Storr, believed to be in his early twenties, was killed near his home on Toote Shop Corner off East Street. According to reports, the incident took place shortly before 8pm. Mr Storr was standing in front of a home when a Honda vehicle pulled up next to him, police said. An armed man came from the vehicle and shot him before getting back into the car and speeding off. Paramedics were called, but he
was pronounced dead at the scene. One neighbour, who said she has known Mr Storr since he was tenyears-old, was shocked by the news of his murder. “He was always a quiet, shy, down to earth person. He don’t talk much,” she said. “…He ain’t no bad boy per se. He ain’t that type of person that you would think that would be murdered, you know. Quiet, nice young boy. He wasn’t no problem in the community. He ain’t had no gang affliction….It’s more of a shock because he really don’t bother.” The neighbour said Storr’s mother was not taking the murder well. “She’s taken that hard because he was one of the favourites. I think he looked a lot like her. We use to call them twins.”
A resident of the area, who gave his name as Del, said he heard the gun shots that took the young man’s life. He said: “I was heading home, okay. While I (was) driving, I hear three shots fire, but I continued. The set speed that I was on, I wasn’t speeding or nothing, but I don’t know where the shots coming from. When I reach home and returned back, I hear somebody through the same area that I coming from get killed. “When I heard the first three shots, then I hear multiple shots. So I just continued driving going on and I see nobody. The only thing that I see is a straight road in front of me and I don’t see nobody – behind my car or nothing.”
Previous murders have occurred in the community. A similar incident happened in 2016 when a man was killed in front of a home when two men in a dark coloured vehicle armed with handguns approached and shot him. Del believes these shootings are motivated by retaliation. “Between me and you, everywhere you go people just come through and do whoever do them something – they just come through and do it. So, it’s happen here before already since I’ve been here,” Del said. The Tribune tried to speak to Storr’s relatives, however residents in the area said they were at the Central Detective Unit. An investigation is continuing.
Court ruling on 24 jobs delights former Gaming Board workers By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net A SUPREME Court ruling ordering the reinstatement of 24 workers from the Gaming Board has excited people like Meresha Walkes, a 46-year-old woman who was forced to find a new home and create a different lifestyle when she was fired from the board in 2017. The upheaval the termination sparked led workers, some of whom had college degrees, to struggle with their mortgages, utility bills and children’s private school fees, she said yesterday. Justice Indra Charles, in one of the first rulings challenging any part of the Minnis administration’s termination exercises, ordered Monday that the employees be reinstated and paid damages. She said the redundancy procedures outlined in the Employment Act were not followed, including its mandate that the relevant union be consulted before people are made redundant. Fired in November 2017, Ms Walkes was the longest serving member of the Gaming Board’s accounts department when she was fired, having worked there for nearly 11 years. She was also the chief shop steward of the union. She gave insight into the difficulties fired government workers encounter trying to get another job, saying it
took her six months to find new work with employers wary of hiring workers with a termination in their background. “Because it happened so suddenly we couldn’t prepare for it,” she said. “Other people had mortgages. People lost their power. A lot of the financial institutions were really brutal and I had people calling me in tears saying ‘What are we going to do?’ People tried finding employment all over the place. I sent out at least 50 resumes and most people were like, ‘Didn’t you get fired? Didn’t you get terminated?’ Employers were rejecting very good employees, persons with specialised skills, like a lady who was a CPA who still can’t find employment until this day. Most employers don’t want to know an employee is coming from a prestigious agency and was terminated. That’s not a good look. It makes them skeptical and makes them think maybe we did something wrong.” Adjusting to her new life was difficult, she said. “The lifestyle that we were used to was taken away drastically. Our residence, a really nice apartment, we don’t have that anymore, we had to find a different place to stay. Thanks to friends and family and their dad my girls were able to remain in private school but they were nervous about what they would do about college. We had plans. I had
to tell them everything would work out, don’t worry about it. Although I found employment, the salary wasn’t like what it was before. It was a huge adjustment for me, a lifechanging experience.” The Gaming Board fired the employees after performing a manpower audit. Ms Walkes said to date, at least 16 of the fired employees have said they will return to the Gaming Board in keeping with the judge’s reinstatement order. She said some workers who found new employment, however, are wary of returning because they fear the Gaming Board will seek to terminate them again using a different process. “Some of the fired workers, one or two who found jobs, decided they will stay where they are. Others say they don’t want to go back because they don’t know if they have the emotional strength to deal with going through that again,” she said. “While it is their right to terminate employees, the bargaining unit is governed by an Industrial Agreement that outlines how you are to determine who to let go. One thing it says is that the last in should be the first out. So for them to fire us again would be very surprising but if they do so the process would have to be different and therefore the result will be different. A lot of people affected this time won’t be affected that time but others would be.”
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, PAGE 7
I’ll easily win in Tall Pines, claims Miller from page one Asked if he had the party’s assurances that he will be its pick to represent the area in the next election, Mr Miller said: “I’m back. I don’t need any discussion with the PLP. I am a PLP. My status is like any other PLP in good standing - like the leader, the deputy or everybody else. “I don’t need no discussion. (But) nobody is sure they’ll be on the ticket until nomination night comes except those members of Parliament who are already there and you only got four so that’s all kinds of vacant seats. But, I intend to go in my area.” Mr Miller said in his opinion there is no reason why the PLP should not have a strong presence in Tall Pines, an area he represented for several years until the party lost in a landslide defeat in 2017 to the governing Free National Movement. “I don’t see no reason why we shouldn’t go there. The people want us there, we have a good team. We’ve
done our job and they welcome me with open arms. Some was crying when I went back in the area.” He also said: “(There are) no if, ands or buts. We will beat him (current MP Don Saunders) or whoever by at least 500 votes. “He is done, toast, finished. We lost by 212 the last time. Over 600 people didn’t vote. There are another 300 to 400 people going to be voting for the first time. He is gone and they will tell you that. “If we go independent we are going to win, but I expect to be on the ticket just like the rest. “So if they don’t run me that will be their problem and not mine,” he quipped. In the past it seems Mr Miller’s public confidence about a run in the area has caused some friction with the party. Last August, after he made similar comments, PLP Deputy Leader Chester Cooper issued a warning to Mr Miller, telling him the PLP’s leadership team “will not be bullied”. Mr Miller said at the time he was running in Tall
Pines no matter what, even if it meant doing so as an independent candidate. He said he supported Obie Wilchcombe in the PLP chairmanship race because he believed the former tourism minister would better look out for candidates like himself who lost in the last election and want to run again. Mr Wilchcombe was not successful in that bid. “We will not be bullied,” Mr Cooper told this newspaper in response last year. “There is a process for candidate selection and vetting. Anyone interested in a PLP candidacy should acquaint themselves with it. Our party is fresh off a successful convention and is in a period of renewal. We will do what we must to regain the trust, confidence and vote of the Bahamian people and we will not be distracted. Our process allows us to field credible candidates representative of the demographics of our country.” PLP officials want to run mostly new candidates in 2022, a desire that may collide with the ambitions of past candidates.
MITCHELL: WE’RE SEEING HUNDREDS OF INTERESTED PLP CANDIDATES By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Senator Fred Mitchell says the party is seeing interest from hundreds of people seeking to be potential candidates in Grand Bahama and New Providence. While in Grand Bahama Monday night, Mr Mitchell said at a Marco City branch meeting that he is very pleased with the level of interest in running for public office. He indicated that already 300 to 400 people have been through the course for candidates, and other courses are scheduled for Grand Bahama and New Providence. “I came to see how the branch (here) functions and to see what people’s responses are. . .I am glad the people are active and seeking to run for office,” Mr Mitchell said. He said another course for candidates will be held later in the year for Grand Bahama, and one will be held in Nassau on February 27 through March 1. “And all of this is trying to build a team so people have a common experience about the history of the party, the rules of Parliament, what it is to be a Cabinet minister, a backbencher or to serve on a statutory board, and how to work as a team because we want to hit the ground running when we win the next election,” said Mr Mitchell. Mr Mitchell is encouraging others to come forward and offer themselves as candidates. “There’s a young team coming up and there are a lot of ambitious young people, and we want to encourage more to come forward because the country needs them, and I shall lend my experience to anyone who ultimately emerges as the candidate for constituents,” he added. When asked about potential candidates in Grand Bahama, Mr Mitchell said the party is seeing interest from both men and women. “There are several… and there are at least two females here who are interested in running in the next
election. I think Grand Bahama can use their skills. They got a lot of experience in the civic life of Grand Bahama, and so it would be great if they can lend that to politics.” The PLP chairman also commented on the situation concerning the Grand Lucayan resort and the airport in Grand Bahama. He believes that the government was duped by the owner of the hotel property who had failed to live up its obligations to repair the hotel after collecting on the insurance, and now the same thing has happened with the airport. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis recently announced that his government will sign a heads of agreement for the sale of the Grand Lucayan to Royal Caribbean International and ITM Group for the redevelopment of the hotel and harbour. The project is expected to revive the Grand Bahama economy and provide about 2,000 to 3,000 jobs. Of the hotel purchase, Senator Mitchell stated: “The devil is always in the details. We thought that the government got hoodwinked by the people who owned the hotel by allowing them to get away with cashing in the insurance and not getting the hotel up and running. “So now we cross that bridge, the question is whether this deal that they have announced is actually a real deal or whether it would come off. “But what we do know is when it comes off, it is going to take them two and a half years to get up and ramping. So, they are a bit too late if they are trying to figure out something for this term.” He expressed a similar warning for the purchase of the Grand Bahama International Airport. “The advice we get is that the airport is in the wrong place. It is in a flood plain and the government essentially is going to be stuck with the $40m plus bill to fix that airport while the owners walk away and say ‘here, you take it for a $1.’ “Our view is that the Hawksbill Creek Agreement provides that they
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
(Hutchison Whampoa and Port Group Ltd) are supposed to supply an airport and harbour for this city and they should be made to follow that,” he said.
MINNIS THANKS STUDENTS OF BARBADOS PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday personally thanked high school students of Barbados for providing assistance to the Hurricane Dorian relief effort. He said: “Today I attended the official opening of the Thirty-First Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). At the meeting I was able to personally thank the high school students of Barbados for raising money to help with Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery efforts.” Photos: Yontalay Bowe/BIS
PAGE 8, Wednesday, February 19, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
MOVING TOWARDS A MORE EQUITABLE SOCIETY LAST week, Equality and Justice Alliance (EJA) held the Commonwealth Equality and Justice Forum on Mahe Island in the Seychelles, closing its two-year programme of support for countries working to reform laws that discriminate against women, girls, and LGBT+ people. The forum opened with a welcome from Dr Linda Yueh, Chair of the Royal Commonwealth Society, a short speech on the importance of human rights and fully participating in the forum which I delivered, and a keynote by President of the Seychelles Mr Danny Faure. Attended by representatives of non-governmental organisations and governments from Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Mauritius, South Africa,
Vanuatu, and Tonga among other countries, the three-day forum was a space for peer learning as participants shared their experiences in working toward legal reform and people had the opportunity to engage one-on-one outside of the sessions. Linda Yueh highlighted some of the successes over the past two years. Six Commonwealth governments have been benefiting from the EJA’s technical assistance programmes including Belize - an indication of their commitment to acting to reform discriminatory laws. Civil society coalitions have been formed across countries and evidence-based reports have been published – including the research on marital rape produced by Marion Bethel – and made
The
Alicia Wallace column EVERYONE is talking now, just as they were before, but with voices that are a little louder. It almost seems as though there is less fear. Memories are being jogged as stories are spilling and judgments are being made. People are finally saying, in spaces where more people can hear them, that they knew at least a part of what was allegedly happening behind the walls at Peter Nygard’s Lyford Cay home. “I knew.” “We all knew.” “Everyone knew it was true.” “I worked with someone who...” This is not the first time these stories have come to mind, been shared widely, or prompted a range of responses. Who could help but be horrified, disgusted, or angered when hearing about the ways girls have allegedly not only been sexually violated, but silenced by money? How
could we ignore the deeprooted issues that allow this to happen – in this large, publicised case and in other cases, smaller, that have also been shrouded in silence and buried by money and shame. Rape culture and victim blaming have allowed predators to get away with sexual violence. Sexual assault becomes normalised. Predatory behaviour becomes normalised. We forget what is and is not truly normal. We fall into the habit of finding reasons the survivor caused or deserved whatever happened, often in the attempt to convince ourselves that it could never be us because we would not have said or done whatever the survivor did. Surely it was something they said or did that put them in that position. We are smarter than them. We are better than them. We could never be them. This thinking comes from the illusion of safety combined
available in print and online. Yueh emphasised the importance and benefits of sharing information, experiences and good practices, pointing to India’s reference to Belize when it decriminalised same-sex acts. This has, perhaps, been the most impactful part of the programme – bringing government actors, non-governmental organisations and advocates together and creating opportunities for them to share expertise, successes, challenges and ideas. A panel discussion on legal reform in Belize was particularly insightful. The country’s Supreme Court ruled the criminalisation of same-sex relations unconstitutional in 2016, and it is now working on its Equal
Opportunities bill which will help to create a more equitable society. The bill is championed by the National AIDS Commission and the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation and the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children. The panel included a legal drafter from University of the West Indies, an LGBT+ rights advocate, representative of an LBT women’s organisation, the Special Envoy for Women and Children, a campaign expert, and a criminology professor. It was easily one of the most valuable sessions for me as it brought so many perspectives to the central theme of legal reform and, while specific to Belize, addressed issues
burdening many Commonwealth countries. It allowed for a productive conversation about the challenges Belize has had and how they are working to overcome them. The participants were able to share their thoughts on the process, be critical of systems and positioning, and takeaways that could guide other countries embarking on similar journeys. The Belize session was the picture of what has been missing from conversations about legal reform in The Bahamas – buy-in from multiple stakeholders, collaboration across sectors, willingness to learn from others and commitment to a single message. We need these elements in order to work more effectively toward to a more equitable society.
Whispered secrets which The Tribune tell a much Weekend deeper story A1MAIN
FRIDAY
Established 1903
McCombo of the
Day
i’m lovin’ it!
HIGH 82ºF LOW 69ºF
Volume:117 No.58, FEBRUARY 14TH, 2020
with a sense of superiority that allows us to ostracise and belittle the vulnerable. The acts described in the court document about Peter Nygard’s alleged violation of girls – children, all under the age of 18 – are vile. In them, we can easily recognise intent to cause
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
WEEKEND: SECRETS OF ‘BLACK FOOD’ FOR THE SOUL
Nygard hit with new US sex lawsuit
A CLASS action lawsuit was filed against Peter Nygard in New York yesterday
THE ALLEGATIONS
‘Engaged in ‘Bribed disgusting Bahamian sex acts with politicians & police for underage girls’ protection’ address the issue of mari- vulnerability is recognised, harm, the means to ‘Had cause secret ‘Trafficked file tal rape, then saying it is weaponised and used for harm and the way resourcesof 7,500 not a priority because the profit by people in positions ofgirls the rich and powerful to US potential economy is more RASHAD impor- ROLLE are used to keep them rich, of power. from Nassau’ victims’ REPORTS - PAGES 2&3 powerful and free. There tant. Think about what For some of us, the only that means, then review
are numerous people to blame, from the perpetrator himself to his operatives and enablers. It is both useless and wrong to blame to the survivors themselves. We have to recognise that some of the people complicit, having helped to bring more girls to the predator, are also survivors. Some of them were doing what they thought they had to do to get by. Some of them did not see any other choice. Recall Leader of the Opposition Philip “Brave” Davis saying the Progressive Liberal Party would
ANDROS EVICTION THREAT FOR sometimes 1,800 means the the allegations made This
IN HER newsletter this week, Stacy-Marie Ishmael, a Trinidadian writer and editor, challenged the strict dichotomy of “for” and “against” which exists even in the supposedly impartial sharing of information. She drew attention to the tendency to interpret challenges to the popular position as violence and challenges to those in positions of power as impolite. She encouraged readers to question the source of their feelings, but to also think beyond them. Ishmael said we need to shake off
preconceived notions and default positions in favour of truly assessing the information being shared. “It is hard to stop and think and question your own reactions when your possibilities are narrowed by ‘if not x, then y’[…] Watch more widely, more deliberately, more like a critic and less like either a cynic or a true-believer.” Ishmael suggests this is key to better understanding humanity. We understand ourselves to be on a certain side, but sometimes we need to “reduce our reflexive
thing we own is our bodies.
Office issued the against Nygard. Consider General’s body will be used for econotices that gave the residents 30 days to move out. the connection between nomic gain. It sometimes Officials began posting the RESIDENTS living in on the shanty town structures illegally erected the economy and society. notices means wethem will do everystructures and handing on government land in out about one week ago. North Andros have been that the state Understand thing within Joseph Ferguson, North our power to issued eviction notices, a administrator, told move that could possibly Abody. COMIC’SThere VIEW of the economy affects and Andros Theprotect Tribune it wasthe estidisplace an estimated 1,800 mated that about 1,800 people. THE DAY OF LOVE is“In affected by social issues. are people live people, in two shanty however, who all cases we are MINISTER Michael Pintard towns in that portion of the WILL GOaway BETTERthe going to follow the law,” adding it was time One cannot separated find ways to take He confirmed that teams island, Agriculture and Marine be WITH HUMOUR the “law took its course”. Resources Minister Michael under his purview and on from the other, and one choice, to dominate SEE us, PAGE EIGHTto Pintard said yesterday. the advice of the Attorney SEE PAGE FIVE cannot be put ahead of the violate us, to attempt to other. turn sexual assault into an People experiencing economic transaction, and poverty are often preyed to use their resources to upon, and women, girls, ensure we are too afraid to and LGBT+ people are speak. often reduced to sexual Some of us, however, find objects, not by coincidence the place and support to Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper or because it is innate, but speak, even if it is decades because their economic later. By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HOW WE FEEL AND WHAT WE THINK
defense of the default,” as Ishmael puts it. We can hold positions without them preventing us from properly assessing new information, but it is a practice. It requires an intentional distance or, at the very least, a distinction between how we feel and what we think. When we can identify and separate the two, we can be objective. We can analyse. Question. Debate. Move beyond choosing sides, and toward full, meaningful participation in the conversations that need our attention.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, PAGE 9
TECHTALK
THIS ARTICLE IS BY EASY CAR SALES – TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BYD ELECTRIC VEHICLES, VISIT WWW.EASY242.COM OR CALL EASY CAR SALES AT 461-0100
PARTNERSHIP BRINGS ELECTRIC VEHICLES INTO DISASTER RELIEF OPERATIONS NOT only do electric vehicles revolutionise personal and professional transportation by reducing their carbon footprints, they can also support the mission and values of humanitarian organisations. A budding partnership between BYD Auto, the largest manufacturer and leading global brand of electric vehicles in the world, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, could lead to the use of electric vehicles in supporting relief operations around the world—starting here in The Bahamas. Easy Cars Sales, the sole
dealer in The Bahamas for BYD electric vehicles, has facilitated this partnership by leasing three BYD Yuan SUV cars to assist in relief and restoration efforts coordinated in New Providence by the IFRC after Hurricane Dorian. This marks the first time ever anywhere in the world that this organisation has used
STUDY SHOWS EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN TIME SPENT STREAMING TV
By DAVID BAUDER AP MEDIA WRITER
THREE 100% Electric SUVs from Easy Car Sales will be supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies with relief efforts in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. electric cars in their disaster response efforts. James Bellamy, Deputy Operations Manager for Hurricane Dorian with the IFRC, says this opportunity to test out the electric vehicles in a controlled environment could lead to a
shift in the future global operations of the IFRC as the humanitarian organisation works towards greener practices worldwide. “The organisation has a 2030 goal to get operations more carbon neutral,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy because a lot of the places we work don’t have the infrastructure, but we saw here an opportunity to take our first step using these electric vehicles and their user-friendly technology.” Pia Farmer, a Partner in Easy Car Sales. points out that such a milestone is to be expected as electric
vehicles are natural partners to the reusable energy systems that are being put in place around the globe as the world commits to cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable energy options. “Part of reconstruction efforts in Grand Bahama and Abaco are several plans for solar solutions in homes and businesses to restore power after Hurricane Dorian, and electric cars are one-hundred percent solar ready,” she said. “Electric vehicles provide a more sustainable solution as we reimagine the future of energy in our country.”
SPACEX AIMS TO LAUNCH UP TO 4 TOURISTS INTO SUPER HIGH ORBIT By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX aims to launch up to four tourists into a super high orbit, possibly by the end of next year. The private company is working with Space Adventures Inc. for the flight, officials announced Tuesday. Ticket prices are not being divulged but expected to be in the millions. Space Adventures already has helped put tourists into orbit with trips to the International Space Station, working with the Russian space programme. For this trip, paying customers will skip the space station and instead orbit two to three times higher, or roughly 500 miles to 750 miles (800 kilometres to 1,200 kilometres) above Earth. It’s a lofty goal that would approach the record 850-mile-high (1,370 kilometres) orbit achieved by Gemini 11’s Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon in 1966. The tourist flight “will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it,” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement. Elon Musk’s California-based SpaceX already is dabbling in space tourism, signing on a Japanese billionaire to fly to the moon in three or so years. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic also plan tourist trips to space, but these will be brief up-and-downs, not orbital. SpaceX will use the same kind of Dragon capsule that will launch NASA astronauts to the space station, possibly in another few months. The capsule has flown
THIS photo made available by SpaceX this month shows the Crew Dragon spacecraft undergoing acoustic testing in Florida. On Tuesday, SpaceX announced it is working with Space Adventures Inc. to take tourists into a high orbit. Ticket prices aren’t being divulged but are likely to be in the millions of dollars. (SpaceX via AP) only once in space so far, making its debut last year in a successful test flight without a crew. Space Adventures spokeswoman
Stacey Tearne said the tourist flight could occur in the last quarter of 2021. The company is in discussions
with “several potential clients.” No professional pilot or astronaut will be required, Tearne said, because the Dragon is fully autonomous. But passengers will be able to control the spacecraft if required, she said in an email. The cost will be in line with previous tourist flights, she said. Canadian billionaire Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, paid $35 million for a 1 1/2-week space station flight in 2009. He said from orbit that it was “worth every penny and more.” Like all previous space tourists, he launched on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan. This private Dragon flight from Cape Canaveral will be shorter, lasting up to five days, according to Tearne. Based in Vienna, Virginia, Space Adventures helped arrange the flight of the world’s first space tourist, Dennis Tito, founder and chairman of Wilshire Associates in California. He flew to the space station on a Russian capsule in 2001, igniting the wrath of top NASA officials who opposed visiting tourists. The company has arranged eight space missions, with one tourist going twice. Space Adventures’ goal is to create “unique and previously impossible opportunities for private citizens to experience space,” Eric Anderson, company chairman, said in a statement. NASA has softened its stance on space tourists, and is opening the station doors to paying customers once commercial crew flights by SpaceX and Boeing have been established.
NEW YORK (AP) — Streaming services like Netflix or Hulu account for 19% of television viewing in the United States now for people who have that capacity, virtually double what it was less than two years ago, a report out Wednesday said. A Nielsen company study illustrated how quickly consumers have embraced streaming as an alternative to live TV. The percentage of time spent streaming has gone from 10% in a Nielsen study from March 2018 to 19% during the last three months of 2019. More than half of consumers with the capacity to stream subscribe to two or more services, Nielsen found. And, in a survey, 93% said they planned to either increase or maintain that number. “There is room for growth there,” said Pete Katsingris, Nielsen’s senior vice president for audience insights. The average American spends a staggering 11 hours, 54 minutes each day connected to some form of media — TV, smartphones, radio, games — although that number is bloated because some of the usage is simultaneous, Nielsen said. That’s up nearly an hour and a half in only a year. Smartphone usage accounts for virtually all of the increase. People spent just under four hours a day on their phones in Nielsen’s most recent study, compared to 2 hours, 31 minutes in the last three months of 2018. A walk through the train on his daily commute shows Katsingris how absorbed people are in their phones, and they’re becoming increasingly comfortable using them to watch video, he said. “They are finding more and more ways to keep their attention occupied,” he said. Live television viewing is actually down in the past year (3 hours, 44 minutes to 3 hours, 27 minutes), explaining the worry in executive suites at television networks. Streaming time is up, from 29 minutes a day to 38 minutes in the same period. Nielsen’s report also illustrates a technological generation gap. People aged 18 to 34 spend five and a half hours a week on an Internet-connected device, compared to two and a half hours for people over age 65. Meanwhile, older folks spend nearly 50 hours a week in front of the television, compared to 20 hours for young people. It’s not like there’s nothing to watch: Nielsen said consumers had access to 646,152 different movies or TV programmes last year, up 10% in only a year. There’s something to be said for familiarity. Nielsen said the five most-watched programs on Netflix during the last three months of 2019 were episodes of programmes that began on broadcast network TV: “The Office,” “Friends,” “Criminal Minds,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “NCIS.”
PAGE 10, Wednesday, February 19, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
GN-2377
SUSPECTS HELD FOR A STRING OF RECENT HOME INVASIONS from page one
“... I think you’re seeing some positive signs because the police are following really good leads. They would have arrested some persons already in any number of these matters and so some good things are happening.” Mr Dames insisted the police have done a good job in preventing crime and identifying suspects quickly. Still, he admitted that while no one “wants to see an incident,” there are people who are “hell-bent on causing problems no matter what”. Asked what measures the NNWC have implemented in the wake of recent home invasions, he added: “When you look at, for example, the reported crime last year, crime in the communities were down significantly. When we look at shop break-ins and house breakins, the numbers were down in double digits. I think in one or two of the categories as high as 30-something percent. “We have not done any studies empirically to determine what impacted those numbers so positively, but I think I can go on the limb and say that when you look at some of the efforts that are currently being executed or done in many of these communities where there exist neighbourhood watch groups, some positive things are happening.” Mr Dames also spoke about how recent investments in CCTV and drones will “transform” the police force and “turn it into a real modern crime fighting machine.” “We’re going to integrate all of this technology,” he said. “So it means now that the drones will be integrated with ShotSpotter, it will be integrated with the CCTV cameras and will be able to pipe into (a) real time crime centre (which) will be monitored on a 24/7 basis. “So let’s say if someone fires a shot in Kemp Road, ShotSpotters (will) pick that up (and) all the cameras in that area trains on that area because these are smart cameras with analytics and the drones will be smart too. So the drones if they’re up there, they will move into that area with the view of locating the suspect or suspects involved.” Insisting crime is not just a police matter, but a
“national issue” that calls for collaboration between authorities and the public, he added: “The prescription (for crime) rests in measures beyond our January 23, 2019 $1.9 million contract that was implemented for ShotSpotter,” he said. “The solution exceeds our May 21, 2019 $3.1 million contract to create the Marco’s Alert System. “Indeed, the remedy surpasses the second phase of the expansion of the police fleet of vehicles at a cost of some $3.4 million... and although enforcement is needed at this time, the solution to our criminal challenges lie in each citizen of our chains of islands.” Mr Dames said his ministry plans to “raise new questions and embrace new possibilities” to find solutions for challenges with “collective and creative imagination.” “The National Neighbourhood Watch Council’s objective is to galvanise community support, work collaboratively with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and other agencies to reduce crime,” he explained. “…To make a long-term dent in crime, experts say the strategy has to include primary prevention. That means we must be engaged in the effort to reduce the temporary endemic violence we have seen in the past.” Mr Dames said his ministry’s goal is to “reshape policing” in the country in partnership of the NNWC. He added that they are “formulating, implementing and facilitating programmes and initiatives to remove deep rooted national hurdles.” “This year our primary focus includes crime deterrence, youth violence prevention, strategic intervention and educative programmes and initiatives and the implementation of the council’s youth arm,” he said. “We will not allow criminals to act in anonymity. We work not in independence, but in mutual dependence on each other.” As part of their efforts, the Ministry of National Security in conjunction with the NWCC will host their second annual peace march on Saturday, February 22. The public is also invited to their church service on Sunday, February 23, which will take place at Evangelistic Temple, Collins Avenue and Fourth Terrace.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, February 19, 2020, PAGE 11
TRUDEAU URGES PATIENCE AMID RAIL PROTESTS
LIZZO ON FIRE
TORONTO Associated Press
AMERICAN singer-songwritter Lizzo got the audience worked up with her Grammy-winning anthem “Truth Hurts” at last night’s Brit Awards in London
After spending $400m, Bloomberg to face foes Associated Press
BY spending more than $400 million of his own money and largely bypassing his opponents by skipping the early primary states, Mike Bloomberg has rocketed to double-digit support in enough national polls to qualify for tonight’s Nevada debate. But as Bloomberg’s support has risen, so has the criticism from his Democratic foes as well as the broader scrutiny of his past comments and record as New York City mayor. As he faces his rivals onstage for the first time, they’ve made it clear they’re eager to take him on. Yesterday, Elizabeth Warren offered a preview of one line of attack the billionaire can expect face to face. “It’s a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate,” she
MIKE BLOOMBERG tweeted, “but at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire.” It will be the first time he’s debated in over a decade. And the first time in this campaign that Bloomberg will have to answer before a national audience for racial and sexist comments he’s made in the past. Mark Green, the former New York City public advocate
who ran against Bloomberg for mayor in 2001, says that could be tough. “His insulting, wiseguyish comments on race and women and justice will not be easy to parry if the moderator or rival frames the questions correctly,” he said. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published yesterday showed Bloomberg with 19% support nationally in the Democratic nominating contest, a striking figure for a candidate who has joined no debates and competed in no primaries. The former New York City mayor, who launched his presidential campaign in November, will appear in Las Vegas alongside former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Warren, Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
TRUMP CELEBRATES TRIAL WIN BY GOING ON CLEMENCY SPREE
WASHINGTON Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting what he called a “ridiculous” 14-year prison sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former New York Police Department commissioner Bernie Kerik, among a long list of others. Others who got a break from Trump include financier Michael Milken, who served two years in prison in the early 1990s after pleading guilty to violating US securities laws, and Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal after building one of the most successful NFL teams in history. In all, Trump took clemency actions related to 11 people, his latest interventions in the justice system as he is under growing fire for weighing in on the cases of former aides. Trump made clear that he saw similarities between efforts to investigate his own conduct and those who took down
PRESIDENT TRUMP Blagojevich, a Democrat who appeared on Trump’s reality TV show, “Celebrity Apprentice.” “It was a prosecution by the same people — Comey, Fitzpatrick, the same group,” Trump said. He was referring to Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and now represents former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in May 2017. The clemency actions come as an emboldened Trump continues to test the limits of his office now that impeachment is over. The actions drew alarm from
Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. of New Jersey, who accused Trump of using his unfettered pardon power “to shield unrepentant felons, racists and corrupt scoundrels” Blagojevich was convicted on charges of political corruption, including seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and trying to shake down a children’s hospital. But Trump said the former governor had been subjected to a “ridiculous sentence” that didn’t fit his crimes. Trump also pardoned Kerik, who served just over three years for tax fraud and lying to the White House while being interviewed to serve as homeland security secretary. Trump’s White House lauded Kerik for having “courageously led the New York Police Department’s heroic response to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001” and said that, “Since his conviction, he has focused on improving the lives of others, including as a passionate advocate for criminal justice and prisoner reentry reform.”
ELTON JOHN CANCELS SHOWS AS HE BATTLES PNEUMONIA WELLINGTON, New Zealand Associated Press ELTON John canceled his two remaining New Zealand shows late last night as he continued to suffer from a bout of pneumonia. The shows have been rescheduled for next year. Earlier this week, John needed to cut short a performance in Auckland after he lost his voice and needed medical help on stage.
John said in a statement he was ‘incredibly disappointed’ and sent his sincerest apologies to his fans. He said that at this stage, he is planning to play his scheduled shows in Australia, which is where his farewell tour moves to next. Video clips posted online by fans at Sunday night’s performance showed the 72-year-old singerbreaking down in tears as he told the cheering crowd he couldn’t go on any longer.
Fellow billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is still hoping to qualify. While Bloomberg is appearing on the debate stage in Nevada, he still is not participating in Saturday’s state caucus. He’s skipping the first four voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — in favour of focusing on the multitude of states that vote on March 3, Super Tuesday. Trying to keep expectations in check, aides have repeatedly noted in recent
days that Bloomberg’s rivals have had multiple debates to hone their skills and talking points. On the campaign trail, he’s still using a teleprompter to deliver his short stump speeches, and he rarely takes questions directly from voters. His aides have also emphasized that the former mayor is expecting fire from all angles, particularly on his status as a billionaire self-funding his campaign and on the “stop-and-frisk” police practice he employed in New York.
CANADIAN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday urged patience and warned against using force as his government works to end nationwide rail blockades and protests over a British Columbia pipeline project. Demonstrators have set up blockades in British Columbia and Ontario in solidarity with opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that crosses the traditional territory of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in northwestern British Columbia. Hereditary chiefs in the Wet’suwet’en First Nation oppose the natural gas pipeline through their traditional territory, though it’s received approval from elected band councils. Since the Royal Canadian Mounted Police moved in to enforce an injunction and keep the hereditary chiefs and their supporters away from the pipeline work sites, protests by indigenous people and supporters have shut down the CN Rail network in eastern Canada and suspended most Via Rail passenger service. CN Rail said with over 400 trains cancelled during the last week and considering protests at strategic locations on their mainline they had to temporarily lay off about 450 workers in Eastern Canada. Dennis Darby, chief executive of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said the federal government needs to act as some $320m worth of goods are being held up for every day the blockade goes on. Trudeau said patience might be in short supply but said that makes it more valuable than ever. He said he’s against politicians ordering police to arrest people.
PAGE 12, Wednesday, February 19, 2020
THE TRIBUNE