CARICOM trip to Haiti hailed a success by PM

a step in the right direction during a press conference held Monday night after he welcomed the group from their trip.

Earlier in the day, Mr Davis told reporters that the purpose of the mission was to help prepare them for an upcoming meeting that will be held in Jamaica surrounding issues in Haiti.

“From the briefing given to me, it was a successful trip,” he said. “I think they had identified the common denominators I think may lead to response to the challenges that are present in Haiti at the moment, particularly the issue relating to security which all of the stakeholders whom they have met - I think they were over 70 - have chimed in on.

“The base line here is ensuring that (the) security of Haiti is secured, and we hope to continue those conversations and at the very least dialogue has begun.”

Mr Davis also thanked each member of the delegation that travelled to Haiti to start what he described as “a journey towards creating the space for a free

STAKEHOLDERS EXPRESS CONCERNS AT MEETING ON $30M GLADSTONE RD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

“IT IS not our intention to do a Village Road,” officials with the Ministry of Works said last night in response to concerns from various Gladstone Road stakeholders yesterday about the estimated $30m Gladstone Road Improvement Project.

The comments were made yesterday evening at a town planning meeting for consultation with the public. The meeting was led by officials from the Ministry of Works and Utilities and was held at the National Training Agency on Gladstone Road.

The projected two-year road improvement project is set to allow for increased vehicle capacity through several changes: the widening of the road to allow for a dual carriageway, sidewalks, bus stops with bus shelters, street lighting, roadside drainage, the addition of five new roundabouts, the addition of a privacy wall near the Jubilee Gardens subdivision and a four feet wide emergency lane, which would also allow biking access.

Debbie Lightbourne, a resident of Jubilee Gardens subdivision, voiced concern about whether road works would be completed at night for the convenience of motorists.

“You were doing a pretty good job, when you did this roadworks presently, you were working after hours. It was very effective. Would you be using that same system because that was very effective,” she said.

To this, officials said they would keep her concerns in mind when in discussion with contractors.

Ron Hepburn, vice president and chief financial officer of Sysco Bahamas on Gladstone Road, mentioned concerns about ease of driving for big container carrying trucks travelling the road and needing to make wide turns.

“There is no easement from when you’re coming from Potter’s Cay to when you turn into Sysco Bahamas’ yard,” he said.

“I’m (also) asking if there is some way to bring the turning lane (near Fusion Superplex) further down so that persons don’t try to cut in front of you and cause accidents, which has happened,” he said.

Father Chester Burton, rector of St Ambrose Anglican Church, questioned whether the government would be replacing walls when and if they are taken down during road works.

Bishop Delton Fernander, president of the Bahamas Christian Council, also added that he is concerned about congestion on the road with the upcoming establishment of two new churches projected within the next two years.

Dion Munroe, assistant engineer of civil design at the Ministry of Works, responded to the concerns, adding that there is not yet a specific start date or source of funding.

“The utility corporations have to do some relocation works, so it won’t start before they start those relocation works. We don’t want to be tied down to a timeline but we’re looking to get that (road works) started before the end of this year. We want it to be started this year,” he said.

“We’re looking at either international funding or local funding, roughly between $25 (million) to $30m.”

Mr Munroe said he envisions that road works will begin from the Carmichael Road area, though discussions on this are still continuing.

He added that any and fair transparent election in Haiti”.

He could not say how long it could take for an election to be held but acknowledged that it could take a while, noting that people there need to feel safe in order to vote.

“We don’t think it’s an overnight fix, but we think that we’re on the right track,” the prime minister also said.

The group’s travel to Haiti comes amid a reported rise of kidnappings and gang violence in the country’s capital.

Mr Munroe was asked about what they saw on the ground in Haiti.

“The Haitian National Police ensured that our (travel) from the airport to the Hotel Montana, which is where we met, was without incident. There was a show on the streets. We saw the environs of people going about their business,” the minister said.

“I could say, and Minister

Bell says, they’re a lot more respectful of the police passing and pulling on the side than we are here in New Providence and so we were conducted quite safely and, of course, everyone travelled with their protection officers, so we encountered no difficulties.”

When contacted by The Tribune yesterday, Haitian Chargé d’Affaires Louis Harold Joseph said based on information he received, he also thought the meetings went well.

Mr Joseph also noted that he remains confident that a solution will be found to the crisis in Haiti following the return of the CARICOM delegation.

“We received a very large delegation from CARICOM,” he said.

“We had members from The Bahamas, a large delegation from The Bahamas, Jamaica and CARICOM and during that visit, they paid a courtesy call to the

Prime Minister and after that, they went to have a meeting with all the stakeholders in Port au Prince, particularly political parties and members from the civil society and also members from the private sector.

“I think the meeting went well and I know the Prime Minister of Jamaica made some comments. I don’t have them yet, but I can tell you that Haiti received that large delegation from CARICOM, and everything went well.”

Last month, The Bahamas hosted the 44th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting where regional leaders gathered to discuss the crisis in Haiti.

At the end of the threeday high-level talks, member states of CARICOM agreed to provide direct support to the Haitian National Police to help bolster security in the troubled country instead of putting extra boots on the ground there.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY MARCH RETURNS

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a two-year hiatus, Equality Bahamas is set to take the streets to demand women’s rights.

With International Women’s Day set for March 8, the advocacy group will host its third annual march and expo.

Since previously conducting the event virtually, Alicia Wallace, director of Equality Bahamas, is excited about this year’s event.

She said this year’s event will support the fight for the criminalisation of marital rape.

The event is set to kick-off on March 4, with the procession set to begin at 9am from Eastern Parade and ending at the IWD expo site at the Dundas Centre on Mackey Street.

“The expo is always a space where we invite different organisations, largely NGOs, to set up tables or booths where they can talk a bit about the work that they do, and in particular, any resources or services that they have available to women and girls,” the local activist said.

“It’s a space relief for women and girls to be able to walk around and really find out what exists in The

Bahamas for them. If they have a particular challenge, if they have a particular need, they can get a sense of where they can go for help.” infrastructure that is taken down for the road project will be restored to its previous state.

Some of the non-government agencies include: Hands for Hunger; Bahamas National Reparations Committee; Bahamas Crisis Centre; Bahamas National Breastfeeding Association; Access Accelerator and much more.

This family-friendly event is scheduled from 10am to 3pm, with various workshops. According to Ms Wallace, the workshops include: yoga; dance; Zumba; group therapy; and zine-making.

Yesterday, Minister of Works Alfred Sears added: “The African ExportImport Bank, we met with them during the Heads of Government Intersessional meeting of CARICOM. So that is the reason why Mr Munroe is uncertain in terms of a start date. Now that we have the input of stakeholders we will make a determination, that is the Ministry of Finance, in terms of sourcing the funds.”

Lambert Knowles, an engineering and technical consulting engineer for the road project, said: “It is not our intention to do a Village Road. There are going to be instances where you’re going to get an inconvenience, but the intention is to put two new lanes similar to the Airport Highway.”

The Village Road project has had numerous delays and caused frustration to the motoring public and businesses in the area.

Mr Sears added that another town planning meeting for consultation from the public would be held “from time to time” throughout the course of the next two years.