08152018 NEWS

WEDNESDAY i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 90ºF LOW 79ºF

The Tribune Established 1903

24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM

Biggest And Best!

VOLUME:115 No.182, AUGUST 15TH, 2018

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

BACK TO SCHOOL: 16-PAGE SPECIAL TODAY

BPL WIPEOUT

Resignations lead Bannister to ask ALL board to quit

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Power and Light plummeted to a state of uncertainty and chaos yesterday after the entire board of directors resigned following several months of “dysfunction” and purported infighting, stagnating the action needed to turn things around for the electricity provider.

Several sources yesterday confirmed the board disintegrated following a meeting with Works Minister Desmond Bannister, who was said to have demanded the resignations after months of attempting to mediate issues with Chairwoman Darnell Osborne and other board members.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, one

ex-board member who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said had Ms Osborne resigned long ago, the board would have had no issues in successfully carrying out its work. Under her leadership, the source claimed the board was without direction, leaving much of BPL’s critical issues unaddressed.

While Mr Bannister could not be reached for comment and in the absence of an official explanation from government, Ms Osborne rejected the allegations telling The Tribune her record spoke for itself, but she would not speak to the resignations or what caused them.

However, The Tribune was told three board members – vice chairman Patrick Rollins, Ferron Bethel and SEE PAGE THREE

THE government is considering an increase to the allotment for scholarships and tuition assistance in the next fiscal budget after less than 15 percent of applicants received funding for the upcoming school year, according to Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd.

Mr Lloyd told media outside Cabinet his ministry awarded grants and scholarships to 500 students but

received 3,500 applications.

He lamented the burden the antiquated system placed on students and parents as the timeline was far behind requirements of most universities and visa applications.

“I understand that the Bahamian people are impatient, frustrated,” he said.

“So we are looking at the system, we are going to review the system because many universities have already begun.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

$3 A PATIENT - TRUTH OF HOSPITAL BILLS CRISIS

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE Princess Margaret Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department collected less than $200,000 in revenue for services provided in 2017, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands, who said the figure amounted to an average bill of just $3 per patient.

Dr Sands confirmed the Public Hospital’s Authority antiquated billing system could not track medical charges in real time, and was entirely dependent on manual records - an environment that has resulted in an estimated loss of $40m in potential insurance claims per year.

SEE PAGE FIVE

CLOSURE THREAT FORCED OUR HAND

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

STUDENTS: JUST 1 IN 7 CHANCE OF FINANCE

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

L1BACK TO SCHOOL

UNIVERSAL APPEAL TWELVE ladies will be vying for the coveted title of Miss Universe Bahamas this year. They made their debut on Sunday at the National Art Gallery’s amphitheatre. The winner will walk away with a $70,000 prize package and represent the Bahamas in Thailand this December. See Friday’s Weekend section for more.

Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday the government was forced to act to save the Grand Lucayan hotel properties because its owner Hutchison Whampoa has been threatening to shut down the property.

Mr D’Aguilar stressed the move was “the best of a bad choice” in an “emergency” situation.

He told media outside Cabinet he personally discouraged such acquisitions as a former private sector professional, adding it was too early to tell whether the government’s purchase would increase tourism revenue for the island.

SEE PAGE SIX

MOODY’S STILL HAS THE BLUES

By NATARIO MCKENZIE Tribune Business Reporter nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

MOODY’s said yesterday strengthening in The Bahamas’ tourism sector and continued foreign direct investment projects will help sustain growth in the range of 1.5 to two percent over 2018-2019.

Despite this, the credit ratings agency in its updated credit opinion on this nation yesterday

BAHA MAR - maintained the country’s Baa3 credit rating with a negative outlook.

This outlook, it said, “reflects potential downside risks to the fiscal

consolidation process posed by weaker-than-expected growth, exposure to climate-related shocks in the form of hurricanes, and implementation risks associated with measures to rein in expenditure growth and increase revenue intake”.

Moody’s’ warned that absent successful fiscal consolidation, The Bahamas’ fiscal and credit profile would likely weaken.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

ALICIA WALLACE: TIME AFTER TIME - A STORY OF NEGLECT

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Wednesday, August 15, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

AN OFFICIAL ceremony was held yesterday for the handover of a safeboat and accessories by the United States to the the Royal Bahamas Defence Force at their Harbour Patrol Unit on East Bay Street.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Joint agency task force planned to guard borders

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE government will soon propose the creation of a “multi-agency task force” whose focus will be protecting the nation’s borders, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said yesterday.

“We’re looking at probably proposing very shortly – we have already done all of the background work – on proposing a multiagency task force, whose responsibility will be to protect our shores; especially New Providence, Grand Bahama, and those islands that are very active,” the Mount Moriah MP said.

“And this will go after all of those persons who are trafficking in illicit contraband... who are trafficking in persons, and who are doing any other thing that may be illegal. So we’re working at bringing a greater degree of coordination of cooperation and synergy to our law enforcement hence the reason why we’re aggressively pursuing this multi-agency task force (whose) sole responsibility will be to protect our borders.

“We’ll have the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, we’ll have the Royal

MINISTER of National Security Marvin Dames speaking yesterday.

Bahamas Police Force, we’ll Foreign Military Fundprogramme, also have customs and immigra- ing represented the “continued tion that is the idea.”

His comments came to investment in the security reporters after the Har- partnership” between the bour Patrol Unit of the two countries.

“This gift will further Royal Bahamas Defence Force held a handover cer- strengthen our national emony to receive a SAFE resolve to secure our through the response boat and accesso- borders ries donated to the country enhancement of maritime by the government of the interdiction capabilities of the defence force’s Harbour United States.

Expressing his gratitude Patrol Unit,” he stated.

Mr Dames revealed the to the US Embassy, Mr Dames said the event donation is worth over marked a “significant $1 million and includes a milestone in the bilateral 25-foot full cabin response relationship” between the boat “capable of speeds of over 40 knots, and a crew Bahamas and America.

He added that the and passenger capacity of equipment, which was up to ten persons.”

He also shared that the provided through the US

gift is inclusive of a twoweek training programme spearheaded by SAFE (Secure All-around Flotation Equipped) Boats International on “familiarisation, operation, boat-handling and maintenance of the vessel for up to 20 persons,” and explained that it also comes with a 2018 Ford F-350 extended cab truck “with a boat trailer for launching and retrieving boat spares and safety equipment for up to two years of operations.”

“With over six million visitors to our shores annually, mostly arriving by cruise ships that berth at Nassau Harbour, it is critical that the Harbour Patrol Unit, a first responder at the harbour, be equipped to respond to any and all incidents,” he said.

“Apart from being tasked with preventing breaches in the cruise ship basin, monitoring boating activities or patrolling neighbourhood beaches, the Harbour Patrol personnel are also tasked with providing critical security against terrorist activity; illegal migration; and firearms and drug trafficking,” he said.

Mr Dames acknowledged these tasks would not be possible without “adequate maritime patrol assets”.

Also expressing his appreciation, Captain Clyde Sawyer, principal officer of administration, mentioned the “long and mutually beneficial relationship “ between the country and the United States in the area of “counternarcotics and maritime safety”.

“This gift, this specialised craft will no doubt serve the Harbour Patrol Unit in its essential daily operations and we are thankful for that,” he said.

Representing the US Embassy, Stephanie L Bowers, chargé d’affaires, said that she was “delighted” to present the equipment.

“This patrol craft represents the continued commitment of the US government and the US Northern Command to the Bahamian government and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force,” she said.

“Today’s donation highlights the mutual alignment of the goals and priorities of our governments,” she added.

Stating that the 25-foot boat was the second safe boat donated to the RBDF by the US government, Ms Bowers explained the vessels were provided to help secure the cruise ship terminals in Nassau.

“The 25-foot SAFE Response Boat is perfectly suited for both inner harbour and coastal patrol missions. I am confident the presence of these patrol crafts will increase the RBDF’s ability to ensure a safe and secure passage of the cruise ships that visit Nassau.

“This ceremony marks a milestone in our investment in RBDF maritime operational readiness. As part of this project we previously provided another boat as well as trucks and trailers to support the safety and maintenance of these resources,” she stated.

Thanking the US representatives again for their contributions, the minister confirmed the new equipment will be utilised to achieve and maintain “a high level of safety and security” in the Nassau Harbour for both visitors and citizens.

“The commander of the defence force has advised that the SAFE Boat will be used for the continued execution of maritime operations in the Nassau Harbour area including anti-terrorist activity; cruise ship waterside security; maritime patrol and search and rescue operations,” he explained.

BPL WIPEOUT

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, PAGE 3

from page one

Whitney Heastie, BPL’s CEO – resigned first, prompting the minister to demand the remaining members follow suit.

This comes as the stateowned electricity provider continues to grapple with power generation challenges and load shedding, frustrating consumers who have been forced to suffer brutal temperatures this summer.

These resignations have also happened as the liquefied natural gas (LNG) deal with Shell North American has yet to be finalised. Shell is seeking to meet New Providence’s long-term energy needs by constructing an LNG driven power plant at Clifton by 2021.

‘Dysfunction’ “I am a champion for good corporate governance, transparency and accountability,” Ms Osborne said in response to questions from The Tribune. “My record speaks for itself. I work on behalf of the Bahamian people and transparency and accountability is how I conduct business.”

She maintained that claims to the contrary were part of an effort to “spin” the true picture of what took place concerning the board and its members.

In recent months, The Tribune was told it became extremely difficult for the board of directors to make major decisions.

“The board was selected with high hopes that they could resolve the surmountable issues facing BPL and the board had a lot of talent on it,” the anonymous source explained.

“Just recently it got difficult for many of the major issues to get through the board. We had 31 megawatts of generation at Clifton Pier that needed a part for board approval and

THE BPL headquarters and, inset, outgoing BPL chairwoman Darnell Osborne and CEO Whitney Heastie. a lot of other critical issues that was just stuck with the board.

“So the minister called the board in today (yesterday) and asked for the resignations and said they were going to appoint a new board.

“There was lack of leadership. The board really turned dysfunctional because we weren’t getting anything (done). Nothing was happening and there was a lot of critical issues that were not being addressed.”

In the midst of uncertainty, the LNG deal still stands, and had nothing to do with the resignations, The Tribune was told.

“There was a lot of unity on the board to get the contract signed, but there were just a lot of little things that was holding up the singing of that contract. The Shell deal is still on,” the source added.

“All and all, the minister was not satisfied with the

recent performance of the board after he made several attempts to get over the hurdles and was not able to do so.”

Another board member insisted there was a power struggle between Ms Osborne and “powers that be” in the Ministry of Works.

This struggle began about five months ago, the board member claimed.

“We were getting some interference from the Ministry of Works and instructions were given to some board members to do certain things behind Darnell’s back,” the second former board member claimed.

“That was brought up to him in a meeting and she was scolded for it.

This resulted in a turf war

SANDALS PRAISED FOR ACTION ON ILLNESS

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday praised the “excellent” mitigation plan implemented by Sandals Royal Bahamian in the wake of reports a gastrointestinal illness has affected scores of the all-inclusive resort’s guests and staff.

Speaking to reporters outside of Cabinet, Mr D’Aguilar said the owners and senior executives of the resort are abreast of the situation and developed a mitigation strategy after eight cases were reported initially.

The tourism minister added outbreaks “will happen from time to time” and said he was “impressed” with the way the executives handled the situation.

He also claimed the number of incidents has declined significantly.

On Monday, Health Minister Duane Sands told The Tribune that “just under 100” people have been affected by the illness, the majority “over the last four or five days”.

According to a Ministry of Health statement released the same day, both guests and staff reported “experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea”.

“What I can say is that Sandals had an excellent mitigation plan,” Mr D’Aguilar said yesterday.

“So when I spoke to the senior executives, the owners of Sandals, and I appraised them of the situation on the ground they said, ‘look D’Aguilar, we

way ahead of you, we knew about this as it commenced.

As soon as we had eight cases we have a mitigation plan, swooped into action, all of our senior executives flew up here from Jamaica,’” Mr D’Aguilar continued.

He added the company’s chief operating officer is “on the ground” and was among the executives carrying out the mitigation plan.

“I’m happy to report that the number of incidences has declined significantly and they are on top of the situation,” the Free Town MP added.

“So these things will happen from time to time.

You’ll get an outbreak of this, and an outbreak of that, and as best as possible it’s how you react to them,” he said.

“And I’m very impressed with the way Sandals jumped on it, moved expeditiously to deal with it, and we’re having the positive result that we’re having now.”

These remarks echoed those of Dr Sands, who told The Tribune on Monday that such occurrences are very common in hotels and cruise ships the world-over.

The Ministry of Health was notified of the Sandals’

issue on August 7, according to the statement it released on Monday.

Since then, teams from the Ministry of Health and Department of Environmental Health have made “multiple visits” to the property.

These teams “can report that recommended prevention and control measures have been or are being implemented by hotel management,” the statement continued.

“These interventions are consistent with local and international guidelines.”

It added many of the cases of gastrointestinal illness were treated by the hotel’s healthcare providers and people who required medical attention at local hospitals have been treated and released.

“As of today, the number of cases has decreased significantly. Guests and staff have been advised on the importance of regular hand hygiene, either with soap and water or with alcohol containing sanitisers,” the ministry had said earlier.

The ministry reported being “satisfied” with the way the situation is being controlled and said it is not currently aware of any other cluster of cases.

between the ministry and the BPL chairman.

“There was also the executive director post issues with there being questions over what his job description was. This was never addressed to the board.

“And then there were issues from the employees when it came to morale.

The chairman had enough and she asked the PM to intervene.

“But there were a number of problems and Darnell was not one of them,” the source added.

A new board is to be appointed by this Friday, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Paul Maynard said yesterday. Considering there have been issues for a long time, Mr Maynard said he was not surprised the situation came to this.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis demanded an explanation from the government and questioned the Minnis administration’s plan for power generation in The Bahamas.

Mr Davis said: “Today I reached out to the prime minister when I received

a credible report that the entire board of Bahamas Power and Light had either resigned or been dismissed, this coming at a time when the company’s power generating capacity is collapsing nationwide.

“I wanted to hear for myself what on earth was going on with his government. This latest news simply confirms that he and his colleagues do not have a plan on power generation for this country. They also seem to be lurching from one crisis to the next.

“We need an explanation. What is the backstory?

Has corruption been uncovered? Is incompetence the problem? I have spoken to the union’s leadership and they are very concerned that the company is rudderless.”

PAGE 4,Wednesday, August 15, 2018

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,

jrolle@tribunemedia.net

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

Where are the funds to be found for PMH? “WHY did they sign a contract with us when they knew that there were not enough funds to honour it?”

This was the question recently asked by an incredulous nurse when told that after the May election the new government discovered that there was more than an $89m public healthcare funding shortage – certainly not enough to cover an increase in salaries or other benefits for doctors, nurses and other staff. The mission for the new government was to cut costs in an attempt to keep the hospital operational and be able to provide the minimum of care for patients.

But why? the nurse persisted. To answer that question, one would have to understand politicians and to know that when they talk about “everything for the people” their main ambition is really to secure that five-year seat in the House of Assembly, whatever the cost.

The signing of increased contracts with the medical staff only a few months before the election would obviously clinch their all-important vote. That, in short, is the measure of politics and most politicians.

When the Minnis government swept to power in 2017, leaving a fourmember PLP to represent a soundly defeated former-government in the House, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands was left with a crumbling medical structure, a mountain of unpaid bills and other financial commitments — such as the nurses’ contract with its increased benefits.

It was also discovered that from 2012 through 2017 Princess Margaret Hospital bills had neither been sent out nor what should have been collected from insurance companies had not even been billed. It was estimated that this collapsed department, essential to keep open the doors of any sound business, could have brought in an estimated $251m for the hospital. However, considering the statute of limitations for debt, it is doubtful that any part of this is collectible.

As a result, an attempt has been made to renegotiate the nurses’ contract, particularly in the hopes of reducing overtime.

Of course, the nurses are dissatisfied. The Prime Minister was their only recourse. After meeting with him on Friday, they announced that they had “high expectations” that their concerns would be resolved in their favour. The prime minister has asked for two weeks to consider their concerns.

After the meeting, the nurses’ spokesperson said it would be “sad if he

doesn’t come through”. However, given the serious financial situation, we would be surprised if he is able to. After all, it was only in the Bible that we read that Moses “raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank”. We don’t consider the Prime Minister a Moses.

It was also observed that the state of the PMH was such that those in The Bahamas who could afford it were spending their money at the Cleveland Clinic and other Miami hospitals. As for Abaco residents, they all looked to Miami for medical care, the Princess Margaret was not even considered.

Last year, Dr Sands observed that the new government was faced with contracts that the former government had signed with no “out clauses”. They are wrestling with one now on which millions have gone out, but nothing has been done at the site to justify it. It should be mandated that no government contract over a certain amount should be agreed without it having been first vetted by the Attorney General’s office. This one certainty needs close investigation.

At the moment, the PHA has received a proposal that would get it out of this crisis. We hope the board is wise enough to sign on to it.

Also over the years there has been much talk among the medical profession and others to introduce medical tourism to The Bahamas. In researching this, we were surprised to discover the number of Bahamians of all walks of life who fly all the way to Bangkok, Thailand, to enjoy the expertise, comfort and special care provided at the Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok.

“The doctors and nurses there are unbelievable and the medical care is fantastic,” said a young Bahamian businessman. “The rooms are breathtaking — they even have suites with two or three bedrooms, 24-hour nursing, and butler service – it’s not very expensive.

And they are doing a roaring business.”

We knew of a Bahamian businessman who used to go there for his annual physical.

This is what The Bahamas needs — even Abaconians might turn their eyes towards Nassau — if the PHA aligned itself with a large American hospital that could establish this service here.

This would end the need to cross the Gulf Stream for want of the necessary equipment at PMH, or if here is gathering dust in some corner because no one has either had the expertise or initiative to install it.

Guard our borders EDITOR, The Tribune.

I AM offended when an agency like the Royal Bahamas Defence Force uses straight-up public relations releases to pat themselves on the back that they can defend our borders and resources, fishing sector. Reality is they can’t.

Their charge under law is precisely to defend our sovereignty but over the past we have been grossly embarrassed that sailing sloops from Haiti carrying in some cases hundreds could sail quietly through the night the length of The Bahamas to the door of the Defence Force Base and not be seen.

There seems to be growing evidence that the RBDF relies now on the public - private yachting and fishing boats to give the RBDF intel as to where the Dominican fishing boats are and where the Haitian sailing sloops are.

To me, the RBDF has to be very close to impotency in their charge.

Yes, we have OPBAT but surely we, the RBDF must have control have total sight of intrusions from our southern waters and from Dominican Republic if not why not and if falling then what are we going to do about it?

New leadership?

Slick public relations releases are not the way…

Bahamians on cruise boats sailing close to our southern waters have been calling into the RBDF intel - sorry Minister, sorry Prime Minister, this is beyond acceptable that the RBDF cannot create appropriate surveillance before a Haitian sailing sloop passes and heads to safety around Nassau with the RBDF totally blind to it and its occurrence…

Many are talking - how can this happen? I agree but the serious issue what is going to happen to stop it?

We spent $240m on boats and new harbours!

W THOMPSON Nassau, July 16, 2018.

Small acts of love EDITOR, The Tribune.

NO matter how much love we give away there’s more than enough left.

Have we ever paid attention to two groups of people who God looks out for more than he does for others? One would never think he’d have special categories for certain people, but he does, they are orphans and widows.

They are not on the bandwagon anyone wants to join. There’s no line to get on it, that is why God keeps an eye on these two.

He promises to be their Daddy and Husband. Not only does he protect them but He’s moved with so much compassion that it runs over into the lives of the majority of us. So much we can’t resist the urge to go the extra mile in helping the child without a father and especially the at risk elderly lady without a husband, who is neglected by her children.

Like the senior whose children found out of her passing after concerned persons inquired at the hospital only to find out she had been in the morgue for awhile. They look just like you and me but once we learn of their condition we can’t help but reach out to them, touched by God for us to become involved in their lives.

Small acts of love confirms our heavenly Father’s goodness, and the proof that He cares and works through us, his people.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net This is what Jesus’s brother James tells us about being kind. He admonishes us to look after widows and orphans in their distress. It’s a loving embrace received by the boy who is no longer hugged by an absent daddy, or running errands and doing chores around the yard for Mama.

Just like God. No matter how much love we give away, He guarantees us we will never run out. As school prepares to reopen let us remember to thank God for being our Father and keeping us from being orphans and widows. Let us reach out to the ones that fall in these categories by helping with back-toschool products, shoes and clothes. Scores of parents are actually depending on the annual back-to-school give-aways by ILCARE and FOX FOUNDATION and other concerned corporate citizens.

And now that there is no Vat on bread basket items a little groceries would go a long way in making their lives less unpleasant. We know that in many cases a lot of us are unable to provide either of the above, but the one thing we can give and should not withhold is a kind word filled with love and compassion.

Let us always be reminded that it’s only by the grace of Our Heavenly Father that

our parents and husband is alive and has not abandoned us.

I pause to say a special prayer for the young couple with the handicapped child in the shopping cart that was collecting bottles as they walked on East Street South near the beach a few weeks ago. The mother, who is also severely impeded by a limp caused by a birth defect, joined her partner in telling me of their predicament of how he had been recently released from prison, could not find a job and this is their only means of support. He would rather do this than steal. He is definitely not going back to jail.

I appeal to all who pass them to be as kind as you possibly can. As we manoeuvre through the spindle of life do not let an opportunity to make a difference slip through your grasp. This is your moment.

Embrace it, bearing in mind it could’ve been me.

In the words of Kahlil Gibran from his book of prose the Prophet said: Be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, pain and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

ANTHONY PRATT Victoria Boulevard, East Street South, Nassau, Bahamas.

Why no loans?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I SAW in one of the dailies about two weeks ago a statement regarding Bahamians doing more to pay their bills.

The article mentioned the Education Loan Authority and the fact that many Bahamians have not repaid tens of million of dollars.

However, I recall the former chairman saying some months ago, in the House of Assembly that in

spite of the poor payment record of so many people, it was anticipated that very soon, the loan programme would recommence for the first time for many years. A lot of people were looking forward to it.

Now it appears that there will be no loans or restarting of the loan programme this school year. Hence, college bound students will not have the opportunity to obtain these funds and make application for

tertiary education more widely available to them.

It is a major disappointment that the chairman made no mention in her budget speech, about reinstating the programme or why it would not happen this year. That is unacceptable, we as a people, can and should do better.

CONCERNED PARENT Nassau, August 9, 2018.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, PAGE 5

$3 a patient - truth of hospital bills crisis from page one A source told The Tribune in the years 2012 to 2017 as much as $251m worth of services provided

by Princess Margaret Hospital may not have been billed. However, Dr Sands said he had no information on that figure.

Dr Sands said the government was currently engaged in multiple and simultaneous initiatives, which included strengthening the billing and collection programme but also revising the fee schedule.

“The IT system that currently exists is strictly a medical record system. It may be tied to the laboratory or ICE system but it is certainly not connected to any other charging ability,” he said.

“It certainly won’t be automatically recorded so very expensive items may be used which may or may not be recorded on a charge master. So it’s impossible in real time to have a bill so you can’t charge the patient and in terms of insurance charges, you lack ability to verify that what you’re billing is real.”

Dr Sands also said: “So it speaks to a lack of capacity and we estimate, and there is very little way to verify this number, except to say fairly reliable sources would suggest that it’s true there may be as much $40m per year in insurance claims we don’t pursue.

“That’s at least four times what we currently collect across the system – the total revenue of PHA is around $10m. If we are able to collect that revenue - and this is before you go after cash paying persons who are paying the gazetted fees – you can increase your

revenue legitimately by 400 percent.”

Dr Sands said the PHA has received complaints from insurance companies who acknowledge the need to pay claims but have either not received the bill, or it’s not coded properly, or lacks supporting documentation.

The billing system also presented significant challenges for the management of medical supply inventory, he said.

“So ‘John Brown’ is in the Intensive Care Unit and IV fluid bag goes up, it may or may not be recorded. In the operating room, certain expensive devices may be inserted or used in a patient, some of them causing hundreds or thousands of dollars and the charge slips are issued manually.

“The possibility of loss is significant,” Dr Sands continued, “but we also have very limited ability to protect from shrinkage.

“It’s less an issue of drug shortages, than disposable medical supplies. For example, some of these clips that are used for invasive procedures are disposable kits but cost hundreds of dollars.

“It’s not uncommon for health staff to be searching around the hospital for such a kit because there’s none on the ward but no record it has been used at any given time, so you literally have staff walking around the hospital looking.”

The health minister raised concerns over $782m in unpaid bills on the books at PMH since the late 1980s during his recent budget contribution, along with the limitations of the Billing & Medical Coding Department.

He was contacted by The Tribune to provide an

MINISTER of Heath Dr Duane Sands during a tour of the Princess Margaret Hospital recently. update on the impact of the understaffed department said to have been reduced from a complement of 50 to five - on revenue collection.

Yesterday, Dr Sands said: “This is a serious challenge of capacity and in the absence of an IT system which is able to relate the patient record to billing, to pharmacy, to imaging etc, then it’s just a random occurrence that you’re going to be able to get a reasonable assessment of charges. You may have been able to do a reasonable task a few decades ago but if you see we now have accounts receivables of more than $780m then clearly we are not doing a good job.

“We see just under 60,000

CAR IMPORTER TOLD TO PAY BACK CLIENTS OR FACE JAIL

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net A 30-YEAR-OLD used car importer was yesterday ordered to fully reimburse two of her clients after she was unable to provide a Magistrate’s Court with an account of their funds or produce the vehicles she was paid to import.

Cecelia Ford, of Cowpen Road, stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney faced with two counts of stealing by reason of service in connection with her inability to produce a Nissan Cube and a Nissan Teana she was paid to import between April 14 and May 1.

Prosecutors in the matter alleged that during the period in question, Ford accepted $3,610 from Nasia Adderley with an agreement to purchase a Nissan Cube via the internet and have the car imported into New Providence within six to eight weeks.

It is also alleged that

during the same period, Ford also accepted $4,100 from Neska Strachan with an agreement to purchase a Nissan Teana online and have it imported into New Providence within six to eight weeks.

Court dockets indicated that both women later approached police to file separate complaints after the period of purchase expired.

Ford was later arrested and quizzed on her involvement in both matters.

It was during these lines of questioning when she was given the opportunity to present the vehicles or the funds given as agreed.

She was unable to do so and therefore was arraigned yesterday.

Ford, when asked to enter pleas to the two charges, maintained her innocence.

Magistrate McKinney, after being apprised of all the facts in the matter, ordered Ford to reimburse her clients straight away.

In his ruling, Magistrate

McKinney ordered Ford to, prior to her release from custody yesterday, pay into the court $1,805 for Ms Adderley and $2,000 for Ms Strachan.

Ford was ordered to service the rest of the balances - $1,805 for Ms Adderley and $2,100 for Ms Adderley - before September 17 or face six months in prison on each charge.

It was at the point that a man, who identified himself as Ford’s fiancé, requested an opportunity to address the court.

In that address, the man indicated that given the fact that Ford is pregnant and her financial dilemma, he would take responsibility for the funds ordered by the court prior to release - a total of $3,905.

However, he maintained the outstanding balances would have to be furnished

by Ford in the period of time prescribed by the court.

The matter was adjourned to September 17.

patients per year at Accident and Emergency,” he continued, “and in the last fiscal year we collected less than $200,000 for services provided for 2017. That is about $3 per person, these are people suffering from strokes, heart attacks, gunshot wounds, so that gives you an idea of how dismal the collection is. It basically means we don’t even pay the cost of the staff to collect that money.”

Dr Sands added: “Part of it is a system which is not geared to adequately pursue revenue, but another part of it is a cultural unwillingness to pay for medical services and a system that exempts huge segments of the population because they are either

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

too young, too old, or civil servants.”

Dr Sands explained the benefit for civil servants was created before the government began providing health insurance for its workers but now barred the public hospital from cashing in on the $75m Bahamian taxpayers pay for those insurance premiums.

Yesterday, Dr Sands stressed the issue was not partisan but systemic.

“This is not a PLP or FNM problem,” he said, “this is a systemic problem with inadequate capacity, as well as there has been no political will to fix it. When you have plenty of money and can borrow, the political will is to maintain the view that healthcare is free.

“We have a serious problem fundamentally,” Dr Sands said, “what we have to do is bring billing and collections of our facilities in the 21st century. This is not about making Ava pay more money, this is about ensuring if Ava has insurance and is a private patient, that we can send a bill so the hospital can benefit from that service rendered.

Dr Sands said: “So that it can provide new equipment or maintain existing equipment - if you’re providing a service you have to pay for it, and where is the money coming from? You can’t provide a service you can’t pay for, either you raise the fees, reduce services or simply don’t provide the service.”

PAGE 6, Wednesday, August 15, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE GRAND LUCAYAN RESORT

Impact of buying Grand Lucayan ‘like aftermath of a hurricane’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE government will have to revamp its fiscal projections with its purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold said yesterday, conceding that buying the hotel is akin to dealing with the aftermath of a major hurricane.

“It has to revise its fiscal projections and all of the expectations that it had,” he said.

“As you said, it’s been likened to a hurricane. That was one of the things the minister of finance said, ‘Please God, don’t send us a hurricane.’ Everything is going to have to be revamped and looked at in those terms.

“This is something the government didn’t expect that it would have to do.

There’s this hotel that’s sitting out there, a couple thousand people not working, we got to get involved so the government gets involved. Prime Minister said we got to buy this hotel, well everything that goes with that now has to be factored against what was planned for the fiscal health of the nation over the next several months.”

Since coming to office in 2017, the Minnis administration has embraced austerity measures, slashing budgets for government ministries by ten percent and raising value added tax to 12 percent.

During the budget debate, the government emphasised its three-year fiscal consolidation plan that would result in a gradual reduction of the deficit.

“We are one hurricane away from total

disaster,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said earlier this year as he defended the VAT increase.

Yesterday, former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said notwithstanding the cost of purchasing and renovating the Grand Lucayan properties, it could cost more than $60m per year to operate them. However, he said removing the current owner, Hutchinson Whampoa, provides a good opportunity for the government to act as broker and find either operators or a private buyer for the resort.

As for the $65m resort price tag, he said granting Hutchinson Whampoa a tax holiday is an option in the government’s tool-kit that could considerably lower the purchase cost.

“I can be corrected, but the Bahamas government today is contributing $15m to $17m a year to the operation,” Mr Wilchcombe said of the government’s subsidisation of the resort, “and this is down from when the two resorts were operational in 2011 when the government was spending $29m.

“On top of the purchase, which could result in payments of $5m over seven installments, it could cost around $10m to $20m for marketing when you consider that the government has had to contribute $10m to Baha Mar for their marketing.

“The general operations are going to run you into tens of millions of dollars. You’re talking about employing more than 1,000 people or more than 1,500 or 2,000 people when you put the three properties together. Then of course

CLOSURE THREAT FORCED OUR HAND from page one

“There are so many things you need to do to correct that property,” Mr D’Aguilar said, “but you know the purchaser is threatening every day to close it and lay off all these Bahamians and to close it, and once you close it, it’s so difficult to reopen.

So we’re making the best of a bad situation and we are trying as best as possible to be a kind and caring government.

“I know there are many naysayers out there. I’m from the private sector, trust me when I say I don’t want governments to buy assets like this. But the evidence is there, when we didn’t act in the past, the results were devastating. So we have to do something, we have to do something for the economy of Freeport.”

The Grand Lucayan resort, which consists of three properties, has been closed since Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Only the 200-room Lighthouse Point property re-opened in November of that year.

Another hotel on the island, the Royal Oasis Resort, was shuttered after Hurricanes Jeanne and Frances hit Grand Bahama in 2004. This had a devastating effect on the island’s economy.

When asked whether the government could afford the sale, Mr D’Aguilar insisted the government will still meet its budget targets.

“Life is about choices,” he said.

“There’s a certain amount in the budget, that we had put in the budget for the Grand Lucayan project, recognising from the outset that there would be the need to assist that project.”

The Minnis administration previously allocated $25m in the 218-2019 budget for an equity stake in the resort.

“Is it enough, obviously not, so we’ll have to take from one area, tighten over here, but we will come in on budget,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

“I know that there are a lot of people complaining that look, we’ve jacked up our VAT, say we can’t

afford this and we can’t afford that. This is like a hurricane that has blown up and so we have to deal with it. This is an emergency situation and we are just going to have to belt tighten somewhere else to ensure that we keep within the budget.

So it’s tough choices, it’s not an easy decision, it’s a tough choice, I want the Bahamian people to know that.”

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is expected to make a detailed address this week explaining the government’s decision.

Dr Minnis told reporters on Saturday, failure to reopen the hotel will result in the loss of jobs for 400 workers and also unleash a ripple effect that forces the closure of stores, barbershops and other small businesses.

Yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar said: “So on the one hand if you do nothing, you run the possibility of another Royal Oasis debacle evolving. And I want to remind the Bahamian people what happened there. The government did not step forward. They were hoping

to have it sold and the rest is history.

“You have a hotel that’s dead, it then had the effects of destroying the International Bazaar and it died.

So there’s that decision,” he continued.

“Then there’s the decision of the government buying a hotel. The government does not want to buy a hotel. The government does not want to operate a hotel. The prime minister was chairman of the Hotel Corporation back in the day and he remembers when the government owned hotels, so this is not something that we are willingly wanting to do.

“But we feel compelled to step forward to do something. No one is willing to step forward to purchase the hotel, so the government must step in, to avoid the closure of that hotel and the economic consequences that may appear or that may happen. So it’s not a good decision, but we have to make a decision.”

“So that’s what we’re doing,” he added, “and we hope as quickly as possible to find another buyer to take it off our hands.”

there are the general things that go along with it, the food purchasing, etc; it will be too much for the government to carry.”

The former minister added: “The government has to find a way to become the broker. It has to find a way to lease-to-own then have in their back pocket a company that would come to the table immediately to take over the property

for the government. The difficulty many of the operators had was Hutchinson Whampoa. They thought Hutchinson didn’t really want to sell or relinquish its shares or ownership and they found the pricing to be too high for them, so the government, once it takes ownership, then becomes the broker and could find many interested parties.”

Asked yesterday if the

government is in discussions with an operator to run the hotels, Mr Newbold could not say but noted that is the goal.

“I don’t know how soon they will have someone there but you know governments don’t run hotels,” he said. “Governments never do. Someone else would run it so discussions are ongoing.”

On Saturday, Prime

Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said this week he will explain the government’s Grand Lucayan decision.

Yesterday, Mr Newbold could not say when this will happen.

He said Dr Minnis will give a national address next month on September 17 to discuss social programmes like the Over-the-Hill and the small business development initiatives.

DAVIS: FUNDS TO BUY HOTEL COULD HELP BAHAMIANS INSTEAD

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis says he doubts the government has properly thought about its plan to purchase the Grand Lucayan, adding any funds expended for this purpose could be best used to enhance the lives of Bahamians in many meaningful ways.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Davis said until the government is able to address the critical fundamentals of what the second city needs to fully jumpstart its economy, it is not prudent to purchase the hotel.

“Why would you want to engage yourself in such an expense if you say you have no money?” Mr Davis asked yesterday

OPPOSITION leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis. outside of the St Paul’s Church in Fox Hill following remarks in observance of Fox Hill Day. “The question is whether or not the sellers would be willing to grant them a mortgage.”

He was referring to reports in the Nassau Guardian yesterday that Cabinet was set to discuss

yesterday a $65m purchase of the Grand Lucayan. It was reported the terms would require the Minnis administration to come up with a portion of the money by the close of the sale.

Mr Davis also said: “I don’t know whether they have thought through what they are doing. Those funds could be better

deployed to touch lives of Bahamians, particularly those in Grand Bahama, than using it for the acquisition of the Grand Lucayan properties.

“It is fraught with challenges and the major challenge is until as such time as we address the critical fundamentals of what makes Grand Bahama tick or not tick, it’s not a prudent move to make such an investment.”

He encouraged the government to consider the same path of action the PLP considered during the former Christie administration’s term in office.

At the time, former Cabinet ministers privately pushed the Hayward and St George families to sell their interests in the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

Although it was never an option for the government to obtain a majority stake

in the port, Mr Davis told The Tribune the belief was that some equity participation by the government in the GBPA was feasible if necessary.

“I don’t think they would be faulted (for following this same course of action),” Mr Davis said.

“It’s a path that we were following. I will not criticise the government for adopting a path that we were following. In fact we encourage them to adopt our path.”

He added: “One of the things that we recognised while we were in office and having looked at the historical revolution of Grand Bahama over the many years it struck us and I think it’s clear that the present structure of ownership does not auger well for the economic benefit of the port or Grand Bahama as a whole and so we thought it

was necessary having new owners, with new vision, with a new vitality that will embrace opportunities that might present itself world wide for the benefit of Grand Bahama as a whole.

“As you would know and recognise that the owners have been in Grand Bahama from the late 60s and it appears that they are doing the same thing all the time expecting different results and as it’s been said if we do the same thing all the time to expect different results that result will never come.

“Yes we were talking and holding discussions with potential buyers with present owners with a view of moving them to selling and I think there was a willingness, though reluctantly maybe, to divest themselves to remove themselves from the way of progress for Grand Bahama.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, PAGE 7

MINISTER of Education Jeff Lloyd at the recent All Bahamas Merit and National Merit Scholars Award ceremony at Government House.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Government seeks to end contract worker system

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jeffrey Lloyd yesterday revealed the government has decided to bring an end to the contract worker system by the end of the next fiscal year.

He told media at Cabinet his ministry is conducting an audit of contract workers

to get a definitive number and related details - on the estimated 600 to 700 workers engaged with the ministry.

Workers on contract at the ministry had reportedly experienced payment delays; however, Mr Lloyd said payments were issued this week.

“Some have been paid last week,” he said.

“Please know that we

are going through yet again, an audit of contract workers. Why? Because we want to know who is there, who is working, where are they working, are you being properly registered in the system, being properly paid? Are you being paid by the Ministry of Education, are you being paid by the Ministry of Finance?

“We want to clarify this

STUDENTS: JUST 1 IN 7 CHANCE OF FINANCE from page one

“Many of those students have already passed…many of those students would have gone from June, July to the United States embassy to qualify for a student visa and they need to have some answer with regard to whether they are qualified or they are the recipient of a scholarship.

“So we understand that, we understand the frustration, we apologise for it.”

Mr Lloyd added: “That is the system it has been in train now for the last several years. We are going to correct it, we need to correct it because this simply cannot work. We are not as responsive as we need to be for the 21st (century) aspirations and requirements and the demands of the Bahamian people. It’s just not working.”

Mr Lloyd said the confirmation and disbursement of new scholarships for the

2018-2019 academic year hinged on 2018 BGCSE results, which were received last week, and should be resolved by the end of the week.

He said at first glance, it appears there has been a slight improvement in student performance in the BGSCEs, adding the ministry will likely release the national results early next week.

“When I say scholarships, I mean grants as well as scholarships, now please understand you’re looking at approximately 3,500 applications,” he said.

“We only got 500 scholarships so right off the back you only talking about 16, 17 percent of those who apply who are going to be eligible for a grant or some tuition assistance, and that’s naturally going to disappoint thousands of Bahamian students.

“That really breaks my heart because we would like to help as many as we can,

and we are going to look at that next year and see how we can up the budget for scholarships and tuition assistance.”

The Tribune reported earlier this month on processing irregularities at the Scholarships and Education Loans Division that were said to be the cause of delayed disbursement of renewed scholarships.

Yesterday, Mr Lloyd explained officials had been challenged by the lack of official transcripts but “virtually” all renewals for some 2,100 students had been completed.

The 2018 National Bursary Scholars award ceremony will be held at the Melia resort on Thursday.

Recipients will receive scholarships of $5,000 per year for up to four years, according to the ministry, which valued the government’s total investment for the period at around $8m.

COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR COSMETICS THIEF

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

A MAGISTRATE yesterday ordered a 29-year-old woman to serve 120 hours of community service after she pleaded guilty to stealing $632 in premium cosmetic products from a Paradise Island outlet.

The order by Magistrate Samuel McKinney came after the accused,

Natasha Georges of Coconut Grove, pleaded guilty to a single charge of theft and accepted the prosecution’s record of facts for the August 6 incident.

Georges, who indicated to the court that she was employed as a public servant, admitted that she, while at John Bull at the Coral Towers in the Atlantis resort stole MAC Cosmetics products from the store.

During her initial arrest and questioning, Georges

was presented with video evidence of her offence and later pointed herself out in the video.

She also turned over all the stolen goods to police, before being taken into custody.

Considering her admission and that she is a mother, Magistrate McKinney imposed his ruling of 120 hours of community service.

The matter was adjourned to December 18.

TWO BOYS CENTRE ESCAPEES STILL LOOSE TWO inmates of the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys remained at large up to press time last night, according to Police Superintendent Anton Rahming.

Thirteen juvenile inmates

escaped the centre on Saturday night after gaining access to the building’s ceiling.

The boys, aged 15-17, were unarmed and no one is reported to have been hurt as a result of the escape.

Police apprehended some of the inmates; others were returned by family.

Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell has said he will review the security mechanisms of the facility this week.

once and for all because the Cabinet of the Bahamas has decided that this contract worker business is going to come to an end sometime over the next fiscal year.

“We are going to put people in some proper status so they can either be on the way to permanent and pensionable or they are going to truly serve a contractual period and the period comes to the end,

then there is no longer an engagement with a particular individual.”

Mr Lloyd continued: “We want to know definitively how many people we have in the system, how many persons are coming to work on a regular basis, how many are being paid by the Ministry of Education because we are now being advised that some of the persons on the ministry

payroll may have retired or in fact may have left the system. We want to clarify that once and for all so that we can report to you.”

Mr Lloyd also provided an update on 2018 school repairs.

He confirmed Eva Hilton Primary School will not be ready for the start of school next month, along with Holmes Rock Primary in Grand Bahama.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, August 15, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Time after time all Grand Bahama has received is neglect

By Alicia Wallace

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis confirmed on Monday the government intends to buy the Grand Lucayan hotel properties — Memories, Breaker’s Cay, and Lighthouse Pointe — which closed for repairs following Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. Close to 1,000 people lost their jobs and Lighthouse Pointe was the only property to reopen, now employing approximately 320 people.

The decision to purchase, of course, has drawn mixed reviews from the Bahamian people. The announcement comes at an odd time, following the 60 percent increase in Value Added Tax and the $90,000 cut in school uniform assistance.

Bad business Those opposed to the purchase, including Leader of the Opposition Philip “Brave” Davis, believe buying the resort, making the necessary repairs and upgrades is too costly. They are of the opinion it would be better to find a private buyer.

In the estimation of Paul Wynn, previously interested in purchasing the resort, it would cost $120m to reopen (including a minimum of $45m for renovations). When his offer of $45m — reduced from $65m — was refused, he

considered it economically unviable, especially given the cost involved in increasing airlift into Freeport. He said he would require major subsidies to assist with this and other costs.

There is a 2018-2019 budget allocation for $25m which was originally intended for an equity stake in the Grand Lucayan. It remains unclear where the government intends to obtain additional funds for the purchase. Minnis has promised a report on the financial details will come this week. The government will certainly have to address the same issues private buyers would consider, from rebuilding airlift to getting rid of the mould.

Davis raised a number of issues with the government purchasing the resort. He said the government needs to know what is going to attract people to the resort, what it will offer, how it will be branded, as well as who will manage it and what the cost would be. Even so, no viable alternative has been suggested by the Opposition.

Pelican Bay managing director Magnus Alnebeck said in December 2017 that the buyer of Grand Bahama’s anchor hotel must have experience in destination development as they would be starting with

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis during a previous visit to Grand Bahama. nothing. He noted Pelican Bay has been getting by on corporate business.

He said: “Whoever comes in has to have the contacts to come in with the flights, charter flights and distribution channels, because by then we will have been off the map for two years.”

This is clearly not just about reopening a hotel or keeping a property open. More is required to improve Grand Bahama’s economic situation.

Saving face?

Minnis appears to be trying to make good on a promise, albeit a bit late.

The Grand Bahama economy has been suffering for years and the recovery many hoped for has not yet come. The Grand Lucayan

was to be open for the 20172018 winter season, but complications with the sale prevented it. The Grand Bahama economy remains desperate for a boost and, for whatever reason, people seem to think a hotel cures all ills.

As the clock ticks and the people of Grand Bahama demand attention and assistance, perhaps Minnis does not have the ability to devise a more sustainable, timely solution. Thus far, the only thing administration after administration has sustained in Grand Bahamas is neglect. Minnis made the connection between the Grand Lucayan and the Lucayan strip, the marketplace, tour buses and taxis.

As the latter depend on the former for work, the closure of the hotel would affect more than its direct employees.

Minnis admitted the government should not be in the hotel business, but believes it is critical the government take action to avoid an increase in unemployment. The people of Grand Bahama need relief now and all Bahamians need to know where the money is coming from to buy the hotel and how the tourism industry will be rebuilt there. Buying the hotel is only the beginning when we are taking about mushrooms growing on walls. What has been proposed in simple language is actually a massive undertaking.

Of course hotels provide employment and occupancy brings business to the surrounding area, but this still depends on guests. What, aside from rooms, will bring tourists to Grand Bahama?

Outside of tourism and hotels, what does Grand Bahama have? What does it need? What can it create?

It seems easy to fall back on the old methods, even

when they have failed us, but we need to look at the potential that exists and tap into it. The fate of Grand Bahama cannot rest with one resort.

Is there a choice?

On the other side of the argument is former GBPA in-house counsel Leonard Carey who, in his comments about the idea in July, said he considers purchase by the government the only remaining option. He sees it as a better than having no movement at all and an opportunity to negotiate with other potential buyers.

He also mentioned the rumour that Cheung Kong Property Holdings would close Lighthouse Pointe by the end of September if there is no buyer.

It is possible that, once the government does the spending and the work to make Grand Lucayan all it can be, the resort will be more attractive to investors. Maybe that is the plan. Would the government recoup its expenditure? Does it intend to, or is it committed to saving the resort at all costs? The questions are many and the answers, right now, are few. The conversation about the resort, Grand Bahama and their seemingly intertwined fate show the level of participation we want to have in these decisions and accountability we demand of the government. We do not expect one person or administration to make a decision without involving us or, at the very least, providing full details. If there is a choice, we are bringing our voices to it.

Expanding tourism We maintain a narrow view of tourism. Sun, sand and sea have worked for us for so long we unwilling to imagine our

potential to attract people for other reasons. We have seen sports tourism and religious tourism bring thousands and thousands of people to The Bahamas over the past few years.

The government’s decision to pull out of hosting the IAAF World Relays was a blow to many Bahamians who benefitted from the event in a range of ways. People look forward to these events, both for recreation and business opportunities. There are other industries that could contribute to and benefit from tourism, if only we commit to exploring and executing new ideas.

The Bahamas is home to scholars and experts in a wide range of fields and could easily become a destination for educational and training experiences. There are endless opportunities to promote our marine life and offer experiences that are unmatched. We have farmers developing innovative approaches to sustaining livestock and growing the food we need and love.

We have celebrated playwrights, world-renowned musicians, and award-winning chefs. People know their names, are familiar with their work and would jump at the opportunity to meet with and learn from them. They are flown out to conferences and workshops all the time. When will we host them and invite the world to come to their home?

In an article in Monday’s Tribune, Dr Desiree Cox made reference to the wellknown fact that our tourism model is outdated and there is more than enough room to grow. She noted The Bahamas “enacted into law its regulatory and ethics process for stem cell therapy”, and pointed to the subsequent potential to attract business development, entrepreneurship and investment. With research already taking place in Nassau and Freeport and the new Enterprise Bill, Cox suggests the opportunity for job creation in health and biotech has increased.

Advancements in this field could lead to a new tourist market. Dr Cox has also demonstrated, by organising the inaugural Future Health Innovation Summit to be held in October, how opportunities for educational advancement and networking can be combined with the work of other industries to diversify tourism in The Bahamas.

Something must be done about Grand Lucayan resort. The unemployment rate in Grand Bahama needs to be decreased. The people of Grand Bahama need opportunities and we need to remember they do not only exist in resorts.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, PAGE 9

To fend off Netflix, movie theaters try 3-screen immersion LONDON Associated Press SIT AT the back of the movie theater, and it’s possible to see the appeal of ScreenX, the latest attempt to drag film lovers off the sofa and away from Netflix.

Instead of one screen, there are three - one at the front, and two on the sides - to add to the immersive experience you can’t get from the home TV. First adopted in South Korea in 2012, the system is being launched in the UK and theatre chain

Cineworld plans to add over 100 new screens to the worldwide count of 151.

The technology is the latest attempt by cinema operators to attract film viewers amid the growing popularity of online subscription services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

They’ve ranged from 3D screens launched almost a decade ago to ultrahigh resolution IMAX projectors and 4DX - which features moving chairs and real-life special effects like snow falling on the audience.

The focus on innovation

A TRAILER shows a car speeding through traffic as part of a demonstration for ScreenX at Cineworld in London. Sit at the back of the movie theater, and it’s possible to see the appeal of ScreenX, the latest attempt to drag film lovers off the sofa and away from Netflix. Instead of one screen, there are three, creating a 270-degree view meant to add to the immersive experience you can’t get from the home TV. Photo: Robert Stevens/AP has helped in the past. Since 3D was popularised at big cinema theaters in 2009 with the release of films like James Cameron’s “Avatar”, revenue has grown. Global box office revenue has increased by $14.4bn in the past decade to $40.6bn, according Motion Picture Association of America.

But that growth seems to be fading and movie theaters are being overtaken by internet video. Revenue from internet video like Netflix is forecast to be the fastest growing part of the entertainment and media industry through 2021,

according to consultancy PwC. Its estimated annual growth of six percent compares with a projected annual drop in cinema of 1.2 percent.

It’s unclear whether this latest innovation will help or stand out.

Cineworld says the idea is “it makes you feel like you’re sitting in the action”, Robert Mitchell, a film journalist for Variety magazine, notes that was the point of 3D in the first place.

“In 2009, when films like ‘Ice Age’ and ‘Avatar’ were coming out, it was the

great new thing,” he says.

“That lasted for a couple of years until people started to realise that some films were being made that didn’t really use the enhancements well. And it started to put people off going.”

Love it or hate it, the number of cinemas that offer these new types of experiences grows globally every year.

“We’re really confident that by offering customers as much choice as possible that it’s going to bring people into the cinemas,” says Kelly Drew, an operations director at Cineworld.

‘Touch the sun’: NASA spacecraft hurtles toward our star to explore CAPE CANAVERAL Associated Press EMBARKING on a mission that scientists have been dreaming of since the Sputnik era, a NASA spacecraft hurtled Sunday toward the sun on a quest to unlock some of its mysteries by getting closer than any object sent before.

If all goes well, the Parker Solar Probe will fly straight through the wispy edges of the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, in November.

In the years ahead, it will gradually get within 3.8 million miles (six million kilometres) of the surface, its instruments protected from the extreme heat and radiation by a revolutionary new carbon heat shield and other high-tech wizardry.

Altogether, the Parker probe will make 24 close approaches to our star during the seven-year, $1.5bn journey.

“Wow, here we go. We’re in for some learning over the next several years,” said Eugene Parker, the 91-yearold astrophysicist for whom the spacecraft is named.

It was Parker who accurately theorised 60 years ago the existence of solar wind — the supersonic stream of charged particles blasting

is the corona hundreds of times hotter than the surface, which is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius)?

And why is the sun’s atmosphere continually EUGENE expanding and PARKER, a pioneer accelerating, as in heliophysics, Parker theowatches the launch of rised in 1958? the Delta IV rocket “The only carrying the Parker way we can do Solar Probe. that is to finally go up and touch the sun,” said proTHE MOBILE Service Tower is rolled back to reveal the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with the Parker Solar Probe onboard on Saturday, launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force ject scientist Nicola Fox, of Station in Fla. Photo: Bill Ingalls/AP Johns Hopkins University.

“We’ve looked at it. We’ve off the sun and coursing 23-story rocket, plus a third said it was like looking at studied it from missions through space, sometimes stage, to get the Parker photos of the Taj Mahal for that are close in, even as wreaking havoc on electri- probe — the size of a small years and then beholding close as the planet Mercury.

But we have to go there.” car and well under a ton — the real thing in India. cal systems on Earth.

A better understanding “I really have to turn This is the first time racing toward the sun, 93 NASA has named a space- million miles (150 million from biting my nails in get- of the sun’s life-giving and kilometres) from Earth. ting it launched, to thinking sometimes violent nature craft after a living person.

A Saturday morning about all the interesting could also enable earthlings As Parker and thousands of others watched, a Delta launch attempt was foiled things which I don’t know to better protect satellites IV Heavy rocket carried the by last-minute technical yet and which will be made and astronauts in orbit, probe aloft, thundering into trouble. But Sunday gave clear, I assume, over the along with the power grids the clear, star-studded sky way to complete success. next five or six or seven so vital to today’s technolon three pillars of fire that It was the first rocket years,” Parker said on ogy-dependent society, lit up the middle-of-the- launch ever witnessed by NASA TV. said Thomas Zurbuchen, night darkness.

Parker, a retired University Among the mysteries sci- NASA’s science mission NASA needed the mighty of Chicago professor. He entists hope to solve: Why chief.

• LOS ANGELES’ subway will become the first mass transit system in the US to install body scanners that screen passengers for weapons and explosives, officials said yesterday.

The deployment of the portable scanners, which project waves to do full-body screenings of passengers walking through a station without slowing them down, will happen in the coming months, said Alex Wiggins, who runs the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s law enforcement division.

The machines scan for metallic and non-metallic objects on a person’s body, can detect suspicious items from 30 feet (nine metres) away and have the capability of scanning more than 2,000 passengers per hour.

“We’re dealing with persistent threats to our transportation systems in our country,” said Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske. “Our job is to ensure security in the transportation systems so that a terrorist incident does not happen on our watch.”

On yesterday, Pekoske and other officials demonstrated the new machines, which are being purchased from Thruvision, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom.

“We’re looking specifically for weapons that have the ability to cause a masscasualty event,” Wiggins said. “We’re looking for explosive vests, we’re looking for assault rifles. We’re not necessarily looking for smaller weapons that don’t have the ability to inflict mass casualties.”

In addition to the Thruvision scanners, the agency is also planning to purchase other body scanners — which resemble white television cameras on tripods — that have the ability to move around and hone in on specific people and angles, Wiggins said.

• NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine expressed full support on Monday for President Donald Trump’s proposed military “Space Force” but added that it will have a role separate from NASA. Bridenstine said in New Orleans that NASA’s responsibilities involve science, space exploration and technology development.

As for defense and national security, he told reporters in New Orleans: “We want to be an agency that maintains its independence from those capabilities.”

Bridenstine was touring the Michoud Assembly Center, where workers are putting together major parts of systems that are planned to return Americans to the moon and, eventually, take them to Mars. In a towering building, Boeing workers are building parts of the 322-foot (98-metre) rocket known as the Space Launch System. Lockheed Martin workers are building the spacecraft called Orion.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, August 15, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE PALMDALE branch of RBC - with an empty line in front of the ATM.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

RBC customers concerned after card skimming alert

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

THE Office of the Data Protection Commissioner yesterday expressed “grave concerns” over Royal Bank of Canada’s confirmation that some of its Bahamian Visa debit and Visa credit card holders have fallen victim to “skimming,” as it called on the bank to provide “further assurances” that it is taking sufficient measures to protect clients’ personal information.

The data protection commissioner called for all customers who have

MAGGIE been directly affected by the Royal Bank of Canada ATM scam to formalise their complaints by writing to the ODPC. Tribune Business

WALLACE reported on Tuesday that RBC Director of Strategic and Corporate Communications for the Caribbean Jacqueline Taggart referred to the skimming incident as

DK a “coordinated and aggressive criminal effort.”

“The (ODPC) considers this act one of significant concern and hereby advises any and all data subjects who may have been directly affected, to formalise its complaint to our office in written form, so that the necessary steps may be taken to remedy any irregularity, involving the breach of one’s personal information,” the organisation’s statement says.

It added this will help avoid any further risk exposure that could occur due to the reported “skimming” incident.

The ODPC said the protection of all data subjects’ personal information is a “high priority” and said there must be “further assurances provided by banking institutions in general and RBC in particular.”

It noted this is especially crucial as the number of cyber threats and data breach attempts continues to grow.

The ODPC said it has observed RBC’s “ongoing commitment” to digitising its retail and personal banking division, and urged the bank to implement “comparable security measures” to its data subjects “for their ongoing confidence in the protection of their personal information”.

In interviews with The Tribune yesterday, many RBC customers expressed concern following the bank’s announcement.

A 34-year-old South Beach constituent who wished to be identified only as “Wallace” said he was affected by the data breach.

“I’m doing a project for (a) construction company,

ERIC SAWYER III and I couldn’t get paid,” Centreville constituent he said. “So I have my Eric Sawyer III told The guys them home right now, Tribune he called the bank they’ve been home for a to check his accounts and couple days right now, until was told he wasn’t affected. further notice. So, I had just He added this is the first got a cheque from them incident of its kind he’s and I haven’t got sort out as been concerned about with yet.”

RBC. Wallace said RBC has A 60-year-old woman been working quickly on who wished to remain the issue and has estimated anonymous told The Tribhe will be able to receive his une she was the victim of a money in two or three days. data breach in July.

Hadassah Johnson, 43, When asked if she was said the incident has made informed of the matter by her question the safety of RBC, she said: “They didn’t using ATMs. have to tell me that, I could “I’ve not been a victim, find (it out) because I’m but I am a client,” she told online. I find it myself.”

The Tribune. “And I am The woman, who was right now going in there to living in Exuma at the time, use the (ATM). And my said RBC was “very accomfirst question was going to modating” and the money be ‘is it safe?’…It’s very was swiftly returned to her scary right now.” account.

Another RBC client who It is unclear how many wished to be identified people may have been as “DK” said he initially affected by this skimming thought the data breach attack. report was a hoax, as he Ms Taggart told Tribune received no information on Business on Monday the the matter from RBC. vast majority of the bank’s “I’ve gotten no email, clients were not affected. nothing on my online bankSkimming refers to the ing, because normally they use of fraudulent methods would send information to obtain customer details there,” the 35-year-old by “skimming” their debit South Beach constituent and credit cards at point of said. “So I figured it was a use, whether ATM or point scam.” of sale.

After realising the reports As to the method in this were true, DK said the issue instance she said: “I cannot concerned him, especially say conclusively as we are as he has banked with the still investigating, but tocompany for approximately date the skimming has been four years. isolated to ATMs.”

HADASSAH JOHNSON

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, PAGE 11

BAIN and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson at the uniform initiative.

Helping students go back to school 134 STUDENTS from the Bain and Grants Town constituency received coupons for school uniforms Monday as part of the Bain and Grants Town Sandy’s Uniform Initiative.

The coupons are valued at $80 to $350. The recipients had all received a 2.9 to 4.0 GPA in their recent semester.

According to area MP Travis Robinson, 103 students who did not make the GPA mark but are in dire need of help will also be assisted.

“I remain resolute in my continued efforts to bring about access, engagement and opportunity for my people,” he said.

MOBILE

APP

Take us with you Everywhere you go!

PAGE 12, Wednesday, August 15, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

SPY BOSS CONVICTED OF KILLING SATIRIST

26 KILLED IN BRIDGE GOLLAPSE

BOGOTA, Colombia Associated Press

A 51-YEAR-OLD highway bridge in the Italian port city of Genoa collapsed in a driving rain yesterday, killing at least 26 people and injuring 15 others as it sent dozens of vehicles tumbling into a heap of concrete and twisted steel.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte called it “an immense tragedy ... inconceivable in a modern system like ours, a modern country”.

What caused the Morandi Bridge to fall remained unknown, and prosecutors

THE former deputy head of Colombia’s intelligence agency was convicted Tuesday in the 1999 killing of beloved satirist Jaime Garzon and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Jose Miguel Narvaez’s conviction for aggravated homicide came a day after Colombians commemorated the 19th anniversary of Garzon’s slaying. The killing shocked Colombians who looked to Garzon as a trusted intermediary with leftist rebels at a time of rising political violence.

Colombia’s top administrative court in 2016 found the state responsible for Garzon’s killing. The now-disbanded DAS intelligence agency carried out illegal wiretaps on Garzon, and Narvaez shared the information with paramilitary leaders.

2.3M FLEE VENEZUELA UNITED NATIONS Associated Press

AN estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans had fled the crisis-wracked country as of June, mainly to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, the United Nations said yesterday.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that those fleeing — about 7 percent of Venezuela’s 32.8 million people — cite lack of food as the main reason for leaving.

UN humanitarian officials report that 1.3 million of those who fled were “suffering from malnourishment”, he said.

Venezuela has been sinking deeper into an economic and political crisis.

MILAN Associated Press

THE MORANDI highway bridge collapse in Genoa, northern Italy, yesterday.

Photo: Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP

said they were opening an investigation.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said the collapse was “unacceptable” and that if negligence played a role “whoever made a mistake must pay”.

Witnesses reported hearing a roar as the bridge collapsed in torrential rain during midday traffic.

One woman told RAI state TV that it crumbled as if it were a mound of baking flour. Video of the collapse, showing a misty scene of crumbled concrete, captured a man screaming: “Oh, God! Oh, God!”

Hundreds of priests molested children HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania Associated Press

HUNDREDS of Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania molested more than 1,000 children — and possibly many more — since the 1940s, and senior church officials, including a man who is now the archbishop of Washington, DC, systematically covered up the abuse, according to a grand jury report released yesterday.

The “real number” of abused children might be in the thousands since some secret church records were lost, and victims were afraid to come forward, the grand jury said.

“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing. They hid it all,”

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said at a news conference in Harrisburg.

The report put the number of abusive clergy at more than 300. In nearly all of the cases, the statute of limitations has run out, meaning that criminal charges cannot be filed.

More than 100 of the priests are dead, and many others are retired or have been dismissed from the priesthood or put on leave.

“We are sick over all the crimes that will go unpunished and uncompensated,” the grand jury said.

Authorities evaluated each suspect and were able to charge just two, including a priest who has since pleaded guilty. Shapiro said the investigation is ongoing.

Church officials “routinely and purposefully described the abuse as horseplay and wrestling”

and simply “inappropriate conduct,” Shapiro said.

“It was none of those things. It was child sexual abuse, including rape,” he said.

The grand jury accused Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who leads the Washington archdiocese, of helping to protect abusive priests when he was Pittsburgh’s bishop. Wuerl, who led the Pittsburgh diocese from 1988 to 2006, disputed the allegations.

“While I understand this report may be critical of some of my actions, I believe the report confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse,” he said in a statement. “I sincerely hope that a just assessment of my actions, past and present, and my continuing commitment to the protection of children will dispel any

notions otherwise made by this report.”

The grand jury probe was the most extensive investigation of Catholic clergy abuse by any state. Its findings echoed many earlier church investigations around the country, describing widespread sexual abuse and church officials’ concealment of it. US bishops have acknowledged that more than 17,000 people nationwide have reported being molested by priests and others in the church.

Most of the Pennsylvania victims were boys, but girls were abused, too, the report said.

The abuse ranged from groping and masturbation to anal, oral and vaginal rape.

One boy was forced to say confession to the priest who sexually abused him. A nineyear-old boy was forced to perform oral sex and then

had his mouth washed out with holy water. Another boy was made to pose naked as if being crucified and then was photographed by a group of priests who Shapiro said produced and shared child pornography on church grounds.

The grand jury concluded that a succession of Catholic bishops and other diocesan leaders tried to shield the church from bad publicity and financial liability. They failed to report accused clergy to police and sent abusive priests to so-called “treatment facilities,” which “laundered” the priests and “permitted hundreds of known offenders to return to ministry,” the report said. Shapiro said the investigation confirmed a “systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican”.