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The Tribune

Volume:117 No.228, OCTOBER 23RD, 2020

Established 1903

Weekend

WEEKEND: MURAL WELCOME FOR RETURNING CHILDREN

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

Weekend

Friday, October 23, 2020 photography interview art gardening history crafts puzzles animals

Faces in the frame

Artist June Collie opens new

BPL PULLS PLUG ON 8,700 LATE PAYERS

MURAL WELCOME FOR CHILDREN

Pages 08 + 09

gallery

pg 16

WATCH OUT, IT’S SILLY SEASON

SEE PAGE EIGHT

Families who failed to deal with overdue bills cut off as another 9,000 under threat

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

SINCE announcing it would resume customer disconnections back in July, Bahamas Power and Light has turned off 8,741 residential accounts in New Providence and the Family Islands.

According to BPL’s Public Relations Director Quincy Parker, the company began those disconnections on July 1.

Since then, 369 customers signed up for payment plans.

BPL said it has no plans

to ramp up disconnections, however 9,262 customer accounts still face being shut off for non-payment — that is 7,068 residential and 2,194 commercial customers.

These figures come after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told Parliament on Wednesday that BPL’s leadership had been successful in reducing the electricity rate by 30 percent.

Dr Minnis also praised the company’s leadership for a summer free of load shedding.

While this may have been SEE PAGE FIVE

ECONOMIC ‘REBIRTH’ JUDGED REHASH AND WASTED CHANCE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Economic Recovery Committee’s report is an admission The Bahamas has “wasted three to four years” that may have given it a head-start on COVID19 recovery, a top banker said yesterday.

Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, told Tribune Business the 60-page summary report on the committee’s proposals largely mirrored and “regurgitated” many of the recommendations in the National Development Plan (NDP) unveiled in 2016 under the former Christie administration.

Suggesting the committee’s work was akin to “reinventing the wheel”, Mr Bowe said the failure to start implementing the reforms outlined in the NDP was “an indictment” of wider Bahamian society.

He added that Bahamians should have “demanded” political leaders embrace the NDP, and commit to following through on it, rather than allow the initiative to be shelved after a change of government.

Mr Bowe turned to Bible scripture and Ecclesiastes 1:9’s verse of “nothing new under the sun” to describe the contents of the committee’s report.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

RETRIAL FOR VASYLI THE COURT of Appeal yesterday ordered a retrial for Donna Vasyli, who is accused of killing her husband in 2015 in Old Fort Bay. See page seven for the full story. She is pictured here at an earlier court appearance.

LYFORD CAY’S TOTAL VALUE GOVERNMENT URGED TO SPEED TO COUNTRY PUT AT $450M UP DOWNTOWN DEMOLITIONS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net LYFORD Cay’s annual wage bill generates the equivalent of $2,858 for every New Providence household as part of a total $453m economic impact, a government-appointed committee has revealed.

The Economic Recovery Committee said the exclusive community and associated businesses/

facilities were responsible for providing more than 7,000 annual jobs and a $201m annual wage bill.

Drawing on a 2019 economic impact study produced by an Oxford Economics affiliate, the committee said each New Providence household would have to be “taxed an additional $1,286” per year to replace the $90m in annual taxes generated by Lyford Cay. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

THE Downtown Nassau Partnership has called on the government to get serious with owners of abandoned and dilapidated buildings on Bay Street.

In a statement released yesterday, DNP managing director Ed Fields, speaking on behalf of the group, called on the Ministry of Works to act on provisions afforded to the minister under the Building Regulations Act and to take a

wrecking ball to abandoned buildings.

“If we are going to truly clean up the blight that we see east of East Street, the government will have to be aggressive, and it has the tools to do it,” Mr Fields said.

Under Chapter 200 Section 10 of the Act, the minister may take action if it appears that any building, structure or part of a SEE PAGE THREE

CONSULAR STAFF ABUSED FINANCES

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE Auditor General has highlighted abuse of educational allowance in the amount of $167,000 at the Consulate General of the Bahamas’ Miami office.

In a report tabled in the House of Assembly, Auditor General Terrence Bastian noted that an

THE BUILDING housing the consulate in Miami. officer stationed at the office received allowance

for a child’s educational expenses, but that child did not go to a school that required tuition fees.

Further, cheques for tuition were not made out to the education institutions, but rather printed in the officers’ names.

Seconded employees with children are given an educational allowance of $22,000 per child annually.

SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

‘TWAS THE DAY BEFORE LOCKDOWN

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Friday, October 23, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

WATCH OUT - MORE BAD WEATHER ON THE WAY

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THUNDERSTORMS and showers are forecast to linger for the next few days into Monday, according to local meteorologist Shezelle Mather.

Over the past week, New Providence has been experiencing heavy downpours causing flooding in low lying and flood prone areas. The meteorologist explained some low to upper level troughs have been creating showers and thunderstorms across the area.

“What troughing does is it sets up atmospheric dynamics whereas you have…. moisture and the atmosphere is more unstable and that instability causes showers and thunderstorms to be created,” she said.

“Those showers and thunderstorms are going to linger around for the next few days into Monday or Tuesday with some isolated showers mostly concentrated around the northwest and central islands.

“By next Tuesday, Wednesday it looks like a lot of the moisture should be out of the area and we should be expecting some small drying conditions, however the further out your forecast is the less accurate the forecast it is.”

Throughout the weekend, it is expected to be partly cloudy skies but some isolated showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be heavy at times, are also predicted.

While Ms Mather could not predict the amount of rainfall expected, she said it should not be anything “too significant”.

Limited rain is expected this FLOODING in the Pinewood area after recent rain. morning.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 23, 2020, PAGE 3 DILAPIDATED buildings in Downtown.

Photos: Donovan McIntosh

Government urged to speed up Downtown demolitions from page one building or structure is in such a condition or is used to carry such loads as to be dangerous or is by reason of its ruinous or dilapidated condition “seriously detrimental to the amenities of the neighbourhood”.

The DNP said most of the structures east of Elizabeth Avenue fall into the category of being detrimental to the neighbourhood’s amenities.

“In layman’s terms, those buildings are eyesores and they need to be demolished,” Mr Fields said.

The DNP said property owners have not improved or cleaned up the properties in question for decades.

The group said tax concessions are in place to incentivise improvements

or developments, yet little to nothing has occurred in this regard.

“If the carrot has not worked, it is an appropriate time to apply the stick,” Mr Fields said.

“We cannot continue post-COVID in the same manner. Change has to happen, and the Act can be the agent for the changes needed.”

The DNP said it recognises there will be challenges in carrying out such a move, but said the law is clear.

It added that ridding downtown of these “eyesores” will not only make the area more attractive to local and international investors, but will aid the country’s national psyche, as the “condition east of Elizabeth (Avenue) is depressing for all”.

CONSULAR STAFF ABUSED FINANCES from page one

“There were two officers in the Miami consulate that received this allowance, Officer A has three children and Officer B has one child,” the report for the period July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018 noted.

“Upon requesting documentary evidence on the payment of these allowances, neither the Miami Consulate, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could produce evidence to support enrollment and attendance of these officers’ children.

“Further we observed that one of Officer A’s children did not attend private high school but a public

high school for which tuition is not required.

“It was also observed that allowance cheques in the amount of $167,445 were written in the officers’ names rather than the educational institution. This did not appear to be in accordance with government procedures.”

Officer A received a total of $137,800, while Officer B was given $29,645 for educational allowance.

The auditor general recommended that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide documentation to support the expenditure.

In addition, officials at the Miami office were found to be using debit cards improperly.

There were a number of

purchases made by debit cardholders that had no supporting documentation, the report said.

“There were no quotes, requisitions, purchase orders and invoices evidenced for these transactions, which is not in accordance with Public Treasury procedures.

“We also noted that the debit cards did not have assigned limits and four cardholders spent $156,290 during the two fiscal periods under audit.”

A further breakdown into the spending found that one officer spent $91,857.10 over the two fiscal periods. Another officer spent $32,157.81.

Officer three spent $26,408.43, while officer

four spent $5,867.30.

The government’s chief auditor also found that there had been haphazard deposits and cash kept by a supervisor.

During the examination of the office’s accounting records, Mr Bastian said cash collected was inconsistently deposited into the revenue bank account.

“Upon review of the bank deposit slips, we noted that cash amounting to $17,215 and $13,890 was allowed to accumulate in the two deposit examples cited in this finding. This appeared to be a common occurrence at the Miami Consulate.

“Upon inquiry as to the safeguarding of cash, it was revealed that the cash held was being kept in the

desk drawer of the revenue supervisor.

“This supervisor was responsible for safeguarding the cash at the end of the day, checking the receiving officers’ daily receipts, writing up the bank deposit slips, depositing the case and posting the revenue transactions to the general ledger.

“One person performing all of these functions presents a significant segregation of duties issue in the revenue process.”

In some instances, cash was being held at the office for 21 days, 17 days and 16 days. The largest holding period was 28 days.

Mr Bastian recommended that management implement strong controls

around the safeguarding of the government’s cash.

He said: “Whenever an employee has custody of cash and cash equivalents there is a risk of loss through employee errors and/or misappropriation of the asset if the appropriate monitoring is not occurring.”

He said policies and procedures around the handling of assets should be documented and implemented among other improvements.

An official at the consulate office could not be reached up to press time.

However, Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield said the officers in question are no longer employed at the consulate.

PAGE 4, Friday, October 23, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Relative of infected police officer hits out at lack of contact tracing

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net A RELATIVE of a COVID-19 positive police officer has claimed officials have not done any contact tracing or checked on members of his household for possible infection spread.

“How can you send a COVID patient home not checking for anybody else in the house to see whether they were infected and whether they should be isolated or stay at home also?” the relative, who asked to

remain anonymous to protect the officer’s identity, asked.

“Not one health official, not one police officer, nobody from the COVID team – nothing. Nobody went to that home to make sure you are isolated from your family, to give you proper guidelines on how to keep your family safe,” the relative claimed.

The individual revealed to The Tribune yesterday the officer has been back and forth to the hospital about two to three times. He couldn’t breathe and had to be put on a

ventilator. As soon as he was stable, the officer was sent back home.

Most recently, the officer went to the hospital on Wednesday as he had trouble breathing.

“Last night the ambulance took him, but all the other times his family had to take him and bring him back,” the relative claimed.

The officer’s symptoms started last week after work.

The relative explained: “One night, he worked and they got wet in the rain. So he felt he just had a sinus

conditions, which ended up worsening. He felt fluish one day and then the next day he couldn’t breathe. He was having problems with breathing and then he had a terrible fever.

“He stayed at home because he wasn’t feeling well…. His thing was whenever he gets wet in the rain that’s the normal sinus condition that he experiences. So, he didn’t even suspect that he might’ve contracted the virus. The only place that he’s been is to work and home.”

He was diagnosed with

the virus last weekend.

The relative said the officer and two other household members have an underlying condition and claimed the officer got one call believed to be from the health bay at the Royal Bahamas Police Force, but said that was it.

“Up to now they have not got a listing of persons who he might have been in contact with. He didn’t do any sort of tracing,” the relative said.

When contacted, police press liaison officer Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters said that the force

is following protocols put in place by the competent authority when it comes to quarantine.

“When persons are contacted by the Ministry of Health, they go out on a 14-day quarantine. For the individual to return to work, they have to present a letter from the Ministry of Health to the Commissioner of Police to return to work,” he said.

“The department has been doing its part in sanitising each area that might have been affected to prevent and minimise further infections.”

‘REPORTS THAT I HAVE COVID ARE GROSSLY EXAGGERATED’

PRIME MINISTER DR HUBERT MINNIS

Death Notice for

LAMPHEIR LEONARDO MAYCOCK, 50 of West Avenue, Millar’s Heights, died at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Tuesday, October 13th, 2020.

He is survived by his Wife: Mornette Maycock; Sons: Orlando, Lampheir Lance and Lavant; Stepdaughters: Gabriel Rolle and Tahj Thurston; Sisters: Euricka Rolle, Christine Heastie, Joy Dean and Arizona Rolle; Brothers: Arthur Leroy, Herman, Anthony, Audley, Lynden, Dereo, Richmond and Mark; Grand Children: Javado and Olivia Maycock; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Funeral will be announced at a later date.

84 NEW CASES AND THREE MORE DEATHS AS SURGE CONTINUES EIGHTY-FOUR additional COVID-19 cases were recorded on Wednesday along with three more deaths.

Of the new cases, there were 77 in New Providence, one in Abaco, one in Exuma, one in Grand Bahama, and seven cases listed as location pending.

“It is important to note that for newly confirmed cases results of samples were recorded 24 to 48 hours after the swabbing date,” the Ministry of Health said.

“During another data cleaning exercise, it was discovered that three cases were from the island of New Providence and not

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from the island of Andros.

Hence, the three cases were subtracted from Andros, marked with an asterisk and added to the total confirmed cases for New Providence.”

The death toll is now 130.

The new deaths include a 75-year-old New Providence man who died on October 20, a 52-year-old Abaco man who died on October 21 and an 80-yearold New Providence man who died on October 20.

There are 102 cases in hospital, 91 of which are listed as moderately ill while 11 cases are in the ICU. Up to press time, 3,705 people have recovered with 72 of them listed as recovered on Wednesday.

Health officials said 32,666 tests have been completed. Four hundred and twenty-four of them were completed on Wednesday.

Of that figure, there were 84 positive tests.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has insisted he has not contracted COVID-19.

Speaking from his home where he is under self-isolation, Dr Minnis said: “No, it is not true that I contracted COVID-19.”

He was responding to claims on social media.

Dr Minnis said his most recent COVID-19 test was last week. At that time, he said the result was negative. However, it is not clear when he will be tested again. He was scheduled to visit Abaco on the weekend, but that trip has been postponed.

The Prime Minister and several Cabinet ministers are in isolation after being in contact with Works Minister Desmond Bannister, who tested positive for the disease. The result was confirmed in a press statement Wednesday night from the Ministry of Works.

The Killarney MP explained that Mr Bannister was made aware that he contracted the virus after he took a test in preparation for a trip to a Family Island. “(Mr) Bannister and his permanent secretary were supposed to travel to a Family Island and so as is the requirement, he went and did a test in preparation for that trip,” Dr Minnis said. “It was then when he found out that he was positive.

“The Ministry of Health called me and informed me that he was positive and out of an abundance of caution all who were at Cabinet on Tuesday were told to self-isolate.

“I spoke to (Mr) Bannister this morning (Thursday) and he is fine and doesn’t have any symptoms.”

Asked if this latest incident has prompted him and officials to make the switch to full virtual Cabinet meetings, the Prime Minister said this had not been decided. However he said Cabinet had undergone full digitisation so that files are sent to ministers electronically.

“Yes, we’ll only be doing digital for these events right

now. Fortunately, we have already commenced digitisation of the government section and of Cabinet so we don’t have to travel with big bags and cases anymore.

So, everything is sent to me and I can conduct Cabinet from my home. So, we are very fortunate in that we have transitioned.”

Earlier this month, Environment Minister Romauld Ferriera tested positive for the disease.

As a precautionary measure all Cabinet ministers who came in “direct contact” with Mr Ferreira were tested and self-quarantined.

In this instance, the prime minister did not have direct contact with Mr Ferreira, who reportedly did not have symptoms at the time of his positive diagnosis.

Amid rising COVID numbers, Dr Minnis suggested the issue is not that police are not enforcing current coronavirus protocols, but people are finding ways to have gatherings under the radar.

“One of the big challenges we have is people are saying police aren’t doing their jobs, but I say that the police are doing an excellent job. The issue is people continue to sneak around and have activities in Airbnb.

“Bahamians have gotten wiser. What they are doing is dropping each other off so police cannot determine where the activities are. In other words, they are ensuring there aren’t several cars parked at a location.

“They have their gatherings and parties in there and after curfew they come and pick each other up and drop each other home.

“In these scenarios they can be asymptomatic and they go to work and spread it there. Then they go home and spread it there, so that’s the circle and cycle that we are trying to break.”

A statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister last night said Dr Minnis has received four negative COVID-19 test results to date.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest said he planned to be tested yesterday while Education Minister Jeff Lloyd said he has tested negative.

TOTAL CASES TOTAL DEATHS NEW CASES: NEW PROVIDENCE ABACO EXUMA GRAND BAHAMA PENDING

6135 130 77 1 1 1 7

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 23, 2020, PAGE 5

BPL pulls plug on 8,700 late payers from page one the case, customers still had to weather dozens of service disruptions this summer for various reasons.

Dr Minnis told Parliament: “All Bahamians would remember last year what we went through during the summer with load shedding.

“BPL under the leadership of our Minister of Works (Desmond Bannister) and chairman Donovan (Moxey) and leadership Whitney Heastie have succeeded in eradicating load shedding.

“We’ve had no load shedding this summer and in fact many of us have not even recognised that we’ve gone through the summer period (with) no load shedding.

“There were many complaints also about the cost of electricity. I am happy to announce that that team and BPL again were

successful in decreasing the electricity rate.

“Now, you will still hear individuals’ bills are lower than previously, but still high, but why is that so?

Because we are still affected by the pandemic (and) most of our kids and others are staying indoors utilising more air condition(ing).”

Back in July, Tribune Business reported that less than one percent of the 16,000 BPL customers threatened with disconnection had yet to pay off their arrears or agree to a payment plan.

At the time, Mr Parker confirmed in an emailed response that just 78 clients had visited BPL and agreed payment plans across all three categories facing loss of their electricity services.

He confirmed then that disconnections had already started for customers who were $500 or more in arrears, and 90 days past due, prior to April 1 and

the full onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic plus associated lockdown.

“Disconnections began on July 6,” he said at the time. “[There were] 362 total up to Friday, July 17.

Across all three categories, 78 persons have come in and made payment plans.”

The reference to “three categories” reflects that BPL has segmented its delinquent customers into three groups.

Besides those who were $500-plus in arrears for 90 days or more pre-April 1, there is also the group who accumulated the same level of debt during the three-month COVID-19 lockdown which occurred during the first wave of the disease. The final category consists of customers who have applied, and were approved, for the three-month BPL bill deferral programme implemented at the government’s request.

THE BAHAMAS Power and Light head office.

Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

A DELIVERY of produce from BAMSI to the Ranfurly Homes for Children yesterday.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh

BAMSI BRINGS FRESH PRODUCE FOR RANFURLY CHILDREN THE Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute donated produce from its North Andros farm to the Ranfurly Homes for Children yesterday.

The donation came as BAMSI joined the global

community in recognising and celebrating the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) World Food Day 2020 on October 16.

In alignment with the FAO’s efforts to promote

awareness and encourage action for those who suffer from hunger, ensure healthy diets for every community, and as part of its “give back” programme, BAMSI donated cases of sweet potatoes,

papaya, eggplant and pumpkin.

BAMSI chairman Stephen Turnquest noted in a press release that with COVID-19 affecting countless lives, the call to action presented by World Food

Day becomes even more urgent.

As one of the agencies tasked with improving food security and increasing the availability of safe and nutritious foods, BAMSI relies on the

engines of research education and public engagement to achieve its mission of improving the quality, variety, and quantity of food being produced in The Bahamas.

‘NO ONE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE ASKED FOR NEW DOCUMENTS’ IMMIGRATION Director Clarence Russell said yesterday that no one affected by Hurricane Dorian has come forward seeking to have destroyed documents replaced.

After the category five storm last year, there were many reports of people losing key documents, especially those in informal settlements in Abaco.

However, during a press conference yesterday, Mr Russell said no one has come forward with official claims of this.

“During the post-Dorian period,” he said, “everyone who would’ve fallen under our voice and would’ve listened to our minister during his presentations, he indicated very clearly, the government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas’ position was, any individual who had lost, misplaced or had their documents destroyed was quite privileged to come into the

Immigration Department and seek to have those documents restored, free of charge.

“Suffice it to say, to date, though we extended that privilege, we have had no one come in to suggest that their documents were lost, misplaced.

“I would say to you, ladies and gentlemen, that in my personal experience, documents of that sort are very cherished by persons who are of a foreign ethnicity and very rarely would you find that their documents are lost so I’m proud to say having served in (the) Passport (Office) as well and Immigration that to date though our doors have been open to all and sundry, we’ve had absolutely no reports of persons who required that free privilege but it has been made available and remains available.”

Mr Russell also revealed that despite COVID-19, 829

people have been deported from the country this year.

Last year his department facilitated the deportation of 2,664 people.

“We are very active in the community in spite of COVID-19 but not as before,” he said. “I think you know the Defence Force has tightened the border control and so we’ve had very few, to the best of my knowledge, landings.”

Mr Russell said the Detention Centre, which has capacity for 350 people, currently has 65 people in custody, including 24 Cubans set to be repatriated next week, 15 Haitians, six Cameroonians, four Nigerians, and one person each from the following countries: China, Gambia, Sierra Leone, the United States of America, Kazakhstan, Guyana, Romania, Suriname, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Turkey and Columbia.

Mr Russell further

revealed that to date, 70 immigration officers have been in quarantine because of COVID-19, with 11 currently quarantined. He said a significant number of officers have tested positive for the virus, though he declined to say how many.

For his part, Financial Services and Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson said his ministry is actively pursuing ways to improve its operations for a wide range of services.

He said one key plank of the Department of Immigration is full implementation of cashless transactions.

“The benefits of this system include improved efficiency, resulting in shorter wait times, and reduced opportunities for corruption due to transactions being traceable, leaving no room for secret deals or theft,” he said. “This is a part of our zero-tolerance policy for

corruption. The cashless platform was soft launched for public testing at the

beginning of this month and became fully operational this week.

PAGE 6, Friday, October 23, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Time to breathe life into Downtown WE don’t need to tell you about the number of rundown buildings in Downtown Nassau.

You’ll know for yourself from the number of times you’ve walked past a shuttered building with the shutters hanging half off, or under a balcony that you’ve not been entirely sure would hold up long enough for you to get to the other side.

Put simply, a lot of Downtown is a mess.

If you’re a passenger coming off a cruise ship, you don’t admire the classic old lines, you wonder why on Earth anyone allows this place to get so rundown.

If you’re a local, you’re not remembering when it was so vibrant, you’re wondering when it’s going to get some life breathed into it again.

A rundown building helps no one.

It’s an eyesore, it sucks up space where a successful business could be instead – it’s even a health hazard.

It even affects the businesses around you – if a passenger comes off a ship and turns left when they get to Bay Street instead of right, they’ll see a succession of shuttered properties and have no reason to keep on walking in search of those shops that are still open further down.

Of course, we have no such passengers right now – which makes it the best time in the world to take action to revive such an area. Why wait and disrupt traffic when it comes back when we can do something now?

So it is past time that some of those buildings that have done nothing but sit there and decay for years as owners failed to take action on their own are removed. We don’t know why owners are doing so – perhaps their hogging the land for its sale value, perhaps they’re hoping to one day build on it themselves if they’re allowed to build higher – but doing nothing is no help to anyone.

The Downtown Nassau Partnership is pushing for action – asking the government to use regulations already in place to bring in the wrecking ball.

As the partnership’s managing director, Ed Fields, says: “If the carrot has not worked, it is an appropriate time to

apply the stick.”

Let’s start, as he suggests, with all those eyesores east of Elizabeth Avenue. It would open up the area to development, and there are plenty of people who would bring better ideas than the current wasteland.

We often use the phrase It’s Better In The Bahamas – but that’s not been true of Downtown for a long time. If we want to live up to our words, then we should support the partnership and get on with making it better for all of us.

Left in the dark

Since July, Bahamas Power & Light has disconnected 8,741 residential accounts. In that same time, just 369 customers signed up for payment plans.

It is a terrible situation to be in, with such a vast swathe of our country’s homes having the power switched off.

Each of those homes may have a family. Each of those homes may have school students trying to figure out how they are supposed to take part in virtual learning with no lights on in the house.

We’ve said before how deeply the pandemic is affecting our country, and here is another sign. A proposal to reduce unemployment to $75 a week isn’t going to go anywhere to pay off light bills either.

There is no easy solution here. BPL has its own bills to pay – salaries for workers, payments for fuel, money for equipment and so on. To cover those bills, it needs income – and if it isn’t receiving income from customers, it cannot keep supplying power forever without financial assistance of its own, or it’ll go bust.

But what of the people left behind?

Is Social Services stepping in to support those left sitting in darkness?

Turning off the power is just one piece of the puzzle – what comes next for those who are among the most in need in our country?

That’s the next step – and we haven’t heard how that will be addressed until people have money back in their pockets, and can turn those lights back on.

Importance of US vote EDITOR, The Tribune.

US election and Russia – Russia is again actively participating in the spread of disinformation in an attempt to get Trump reelected. Why would a dictator like Putin want Trump back in? There are a number of reasons why most dictators in the world want Trump to win this, including Xi in China. The reasons are in descending order of importance: 1) Isolationism. Trump thinks the USA is better off on its own. He has already removed the USA from the World Health Organisation and stopped funding them. WHO do immensely important work throughout the world, not just with this pandemic, but in a host of other ways. They provide food, clean water and vaccines to the poorest areas of the world. They combat other pandemics such as Ebola. Like a child Trump threw his toys out of the pram and left WHO to deflect criticism for his non-existent response to COVID which has left eight

million Americans infected and a quarter of a million dead.

Trump does not like other world organisations such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) which was formed in 1949 by 30 countries of Europe and North America. Its role is to provide strength in numbers and to maintain peace.

I suspect if Trump is reelected he will remove the USA from NATO. So what advantage is this to China and Russia?

We now enter the sphere of international politics.

Xi and Putin are in power for life . They don’t think in election cycles of four or five years. They think 20 to 50 years ahead. If Trump pulls the USA off the international stage it leaves a huge power vacuum which China and Russia will rush into.

The reason why Russia actively interfered with the Brexit vote and the removal of the UK from Europe. It’s very much in their interest to have a weakened fractured Europe as well as a weakened USA. You could

argue the exact opposite is true ref Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again”. He certainly is making the USA weaker on the world’s stage.

2) The other bonus for Russia and China is Trump is not a student of politics.

He shoots from the hip.

He rarely engages what brain he has before speaking. He is a lying machine.

If you interact with people from other countries he is regarded almost as a cartoon parody. Every utterance such as drink bleach and insert UV lights into your body are reported throughout the world to its amazement and amusement. It’s important for Russia and China to have the former most powerful nation on earth run by a buffoon.

This election coming up is the most important US election of our lifetime and its outcome will affect the long term future of every person on the planet.

THE REALIST Nassau, October 22, 2020.

We care EDITOR, The Tribune.

WE ARE living in uncertain times. For many the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer visible. A lack of planning infused with a massive dose of corruption has led to the destruction of the moral fabric and economy of The Bahamas. Fortunately there are people who genuinely care about The Bahamas and they are speaking up and being proactive to protect the country.

This article is written to express gratitude to everyone who is working in the best interest of The Bahamas and to encourage others to build on these positive milestones.

Thank you to the owners of Graycliff restaurant for thinking “outside the box” and teaming up with Bain and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson and with the dean of Bain Town Virtual School Graycliff Campus Felicia Carey to provide a safe environment for children to continue their education. Well-educated, creative and happy children are the future of The Bahamas and the world.

Thank you to everyone who is increasing awareness of domestic violence and providing assistance to those in need. Security in the home and close-knit families are vital to rebuilding The Bahamas.

Heartfelt thanks to

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net everyone who has spoken out against drilling for oil in The Bahamas and to everyone who created, signed and shared the petition “Help Save The Bahamas From Oil Drilling” which is available on the website www.change. org. Drilling for oil in The Bahamas will not help Bahamians, instead it will lead to more corruption and damage our precious ecosystem. Our lives and the future of the world depend on a biodiverse and healthy ocean.

A special thank you to Captain Prescott Smith of Stafford Creek Lodge in Andros for speaking out about mining projects in Andros. The Bahamas has unique, irreparable and irreplaceable natural resources. The health and wealth of our nation depends on clean air, clean water, and soil that is full of nutrients and free of toxic waste. Captain Smith’s philosophy that “no amount of money – be it millions or billions – can ever get me to sell out the interest of Bahamians or my country” is one that we should all live by.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed time and resources to feeding Bahamians. The basic

necessity of having access to healthy food and clean water is a reminder that we must protect the environment and our natural resources.

Thank you to Eyewitness News for the video that provides a better understanding of the Robin Hood building that has been vandalized and left to waste after the government reportedly failed to honour its contract. This case is another egregious example of apparent government corruption, broken contracts, destruction of Bahamian businesses and a scandalous waste of tax-payer money.

Revealing the truth, exposing corruption and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions is vital to rebuilding The Bahamas.

Positive change will never occur with a corrupt government. It will only occur through the collective effort of people working in the best interest of The Bahamas. So let’s continue to build momentum – community by community and island by island – to educate and instill strong values in the children, provide safety in the home, protect the environment, expose corruption and elect competent, honourable leaders.

FORWARD, UPWARD, ONWARD, TOGETHER Nassau, October 21, 2020

ZNS unmasked EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHY are reporters at ZNS interviewing people who are not wearing face masks? Could this be one of the reasons the station keeps shutting down with COVID-19 issues?

This is a taxpayer subsidised station. It constantly airs well thought out Ministry of Health informationals about mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing.

It is sending out mixed messages. People should not be given a platform to speak from if they are not wearing a proper face mask correctly.

It is ludicrous. People are being fined for not wearing masks.

We are caught in a tired cycle of lockdowns.

Thousands of people are out of work and struggling because too many aren’t taking this pandemic seriously.

We have lost the better part of a year of our lives, the economy is in deep, deep trouble, we can’t even swim at a beach. Science tells us the health protocols work. When will the penny finally drop and how long will the innocent suffer for the thoughtless?

• How long will the Minister of Transport allow the car licensing fiasco to continue without resolution?

This is not an insurmountable issue.

Instead of confronting the challenges of C-19, the minister seems content to simply reduce licensing hours in an already antiquated, overburdened system.

With all the schools and public parks closed, surely additional drive through inspection and cashless licensing points can be set up outdoors, including in the east.

Give motorists the option of paying online

(identifying themselves by driver’s licence #). They can upload a signed inspection pass to a portal, along with insurance papers, etc. with proof of payment (online deposit receipt).

Let them download a digital licence or something official to display on their windshield once all the requirements have been satisfied.

This is safer and more efficient than having to go into a potentially COVID infected building, plus it keeps government’s revenue stream going.

Come on Transport, move with the times! How can you ask people, especially seniors, to sit in a vehicle for four or five hours simply to licence it?

This is unacceptable and borders on inhumane. Show some giddy-up.

ATHENA DAMIANOS Nassau, October 21,2020

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 23, 2020, PAGE 7

Man who dragged ex-girlfriend onto road during row fined $500

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 30-YEAR-OLD man, accused of dragging his former girlfriend on the road during an argument earlier this month, was yesterday fined $500.

Police arrested Kristian McSweeney after he was accused of harming his exgirlfriend on October 7.

The court was told that the woman was at her residence on the morning in question, when she was assaulted by McSweeney.

She told police when the accused arrived at her home he pushed her, causing her to fall on a bottle which

resulted in her receiving lacerations to one of her knees.

She also claimed that the accused started to slap and punch her while telling her “You been sleeping out!”

The woman said McSweeny dragged her along the street causing her dress to tear off her body and causing her to suffer injuries to her knee, left forearm and neck. As a result of her complaint, McSweeney was arrested. In an interview with police, he said he met his ex-girlfriend outside that day and claimed he only pushed her because she pushed him first.

When given an opportunity to speak, McSweeney

denied dragging his ex-girlfriend on the road. Instead, he told the magistrate the woman shoved him so he shoved her back. He claimed this action caused both of them to fall near a garbage bin where a lot of broken glass bottles were on the ground.

He insisted he did not intend to push his ex-girlfriend into the garbage, but was only trying to get her away from him.

After listening to McSweeney’s explanation, Magistrate Armbrister accepted his guilty plea and fined him $500. He warned him if he didn’t pay the fine, he would spend four months behind bars.

RETRIAL FOR VASYLI

MAN FINED AND TOLD TO PAY DAMAGES FOR SMASHING WOMAN’S WINDSHIELD

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who threw a rock at a woman and damaged her car’s windshield was fined $200 and ordered to pay for the damage he had caused.

Antoine Butler, 28, was accused of causing $580 worth of damage to the rear windshield of a woman’s car on October 20. He was also accused of assaulting the woman with a rock that same day.

He pleaded guilty to one count each of causing harm

and assault with a dangerous instrument during a hearing before Magistrate Ambrose Armbrister yesterday.

The court was told the complainant was working from home. The prosecution said when the woman completed a business transaction, she went outside and noticed Butler, who picked up a rock with which to hit her. When she got in her vehicle, Butler threw the rock at it, shattering her rear windshield.

The defendant was arrested.

He admitted to the offences and told

officers he was intoxicated and did not know why he committed the acts.

Butler told the magistrate he was drinking and was “under the weather” since he had lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic. He insisted he was remorseful and willing to reimburse the complainant for the damage.

Magistrate Armbrister fined Butler $200 for assault. He further ordered the accused to compensate the complainant $580 and warned if he failed to do so, he could risk being fined $600 or being sentenced to two months in prison.

$2,000 FINE FOR FOUR OUNCES OF MARIJUANA

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN found with over four ounces of marijuana was yesterday fined $2,000.

Police arrested Javon Pinder after they found $420 worth of Indian hemp in his car on October 19.

He pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous drug possession with the intent

to supply during a hearing before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis.

The prosecution said that officers, acting on information and armed with a warrant, went to Pinder’s residence.

Officers did not find any contraband in the home, but a search of a Nissan Cube in the defendant’s yard revealed four ounces of suspected marijuana in a

black pouch. Pinder admitted being the owner of the drugs.

Pinder’s attorney, Ian Cargill, told the magistrate his client cooperated with officers from the onset of the investigation and had no previous convictions or pending matters.

Magistrate Rolle-Davis accepted Pinder’s guilty plea and fined him $2,000 or nine months in jail.

PROBATION FOR PUNCHING FATHER UNCONSCIOUS

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 20-YEAR-OLD, who punched his father unconscious last month during a domestic dispute, was put on probation for six months.

Jeffery Moxey Jr appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence RolleDavis yesterday after he was accused of harming his father, Jeffery Moxey Sr, on September 12.

The prosecution said Mr Moxey Sr told police he was at his home when the argument took place, reportedly over paying a portion of the light bill.

The accused was furious and started punching his father in the head, causing Mr Moxey Sr to fall to the ground. The court was told Moxey Jr continued to punch his father on the ground until he passed out.

The police were called and arrested the accused. In an interview, he admitted the offence.

Moxey Jr told the magistrate he was at his mother’s house at the time and his father came home drunk.

He claimed Mr Moxey Sr started threatening him, so he got mad and “hit him in the back of his head a few times”. Moxey Jr claimed his father got back up

“throwing blows”, so he pushed him. He added he realised now he was wrong for how he reacted.

Magistrate Rolle-Davis told the accused his explanation was one of the “strangest things he had heard in a while”. He told the accused if he realised that someone was not in their right frame of mind he should have walked away from the argument. Still, because Moxey Jr pleaded guilty at his first opportunity, he would only put him on six months’ probation.

He warned the accused that if he breached the conditions of his release, he would be fined $250.

DONNA Vasyli outside court in 2015.

THE Court of Appeal ordered a retrial for Donna Vasyli yesterday regarding the murder of her husband.

The Vasylis were married for 34 years and lived in the exclusive gated community of Old Fort Bay. Australian podiatrist Philip Vasyli was found dead at his residence on March 24, 2015.

Ms Vasyli was convicted of killing him in October 2015. The Court of Appeal quashed her conviction in 2017 but ordered a retrial. This verdict was appealed to the Londonbased Privy Council.

In March of this year, the Privy Council sent the matter back to the Court of Appeal for decision on a retrial.

SAVED AFTER BEING ADRIFT FOR EIGHT DAYS Death Notice for

Retired Asst. Commissioner of Police

ALLAN DELEDORE GIBSON, 78

of Aloe Road, Winton Meadows, died at Doctors Hospital on Wednesday, October 21st, 2020.

TWO Turks and Caicos nationals were rescued off Inagua yesterday morning during a joint effort by members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, police and the US Coast Guard.

After receiving information from a US Coast Guard helo that a fishing vessel was spotted off Great

Inagua, a police patrol vessel with Defence Force Marines aboard went to investigate.

A 27ft open fishing vessel with two occupants was found drifting approximately seven miles west of the island.

The men, who were in fair health, reported that their boat had

experienced an engine problem, and was adrift for eight days.

They were escorted into Matthew Town alongside RBDF Maritime Facility, where they were transported to the medical facility to receive treatment before being handed over to immigration officials for further processing.

He is survived by his Daughter: Gezel GibsonFarrington; Son: Gavin Gibson; Grand Children: Latonya and Lateisha Gibson, Anthony Farrington Jr., Gavin Gibson Jr., Mark and Aaron Farrington and Kizzanae Arthur; Sisters: Ada Johnson and Bessie Serette; Brother: Ellerson Gibson; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Funeral will be announced at a later date.

PAGE 8, Friday, October 23, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

THE LEADERS of the FNM, DNA and PLP are jostling for position... that must mean it’s silly season.

Watch out, it’s silly season WHETHER some of you realise it or not, “silly season” is upon us again and the three major parties, FNM, PLP and DNA are already jostling for position.

VOTER BEWARE Not to be outdone by their respective parties’ machinery, incumbents are boisterously scurrying to protect their seats all the while past political failures, some dripping in scandal are resurfacing from their political graves in a bid to reclaim their seat on the PLP political gravy train.

In addition to all of this anticipated and expected madness from the “Big 3”, a whole new band of political “activists” and “independent” candidates with political aspirations, (delusional in some cases, but aspirations nonetheless) have arisen.

These political attention seekers are continually working social media, half the time regurgitating stale political talking points at nauseam and the other half spewing half facts on a myriad of political topics, with zero solutions or positive suggestions to rectify the problem they are ranting about.

FINGER POINTING AND INNUENDOS AT ITS FINEST All of it strategic to suit their end game – which is social media “clout chasing”, as the youngsters say.

A Comic’s View

By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA

It’s all about the number of “followers” one has.

Obviously the “spotlight” has hooked another batch of addicts.

Last time I checked though, if one isn’t monetising a vast following it’s all for naught.

Like my late mentor and one of my closest friends Richard Bethel would say: “If it isn’t making money, it isn’t making sense.”

Maybe that’s another part of these new breed of activists and independents’ end game, to turn a quick profit by inciting the masses and muddying the political waters as if the “Big 3” aren’t doing enough of that already.

FURTHER PROOF OF THE DIRE NEED OF A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT Watch how quickly all their routines would change for the better, starting with the “Big 3” right on down.

No more “fake news” – pertinent, factual information at our fingertips.

Sadly that is where we as a voting populace go horribly wrong by enabling these political “wannabes” with their hidden agendas and

ulterior motives their 15 minutes of fame, by entertaining their “conspiracy theories” and half truths blindly with not one grain of salt.

All to suit their aforementioned end game – there is absolutely nothing to do with genuinely and realistically creating positive political change on multiple levels to benefit the nation and all of its citizens presently and into the future.

Nothing of substance, just posturing and endless pontification.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, freedom of speech and to have political aspirations and dreams, but respect the protocol that comes with the political process.

Spewing half truths and half facts just to garner attention and lay some social media “clickbait” to deflect from the latest poorly organised and attended political demonstration (or should I say get together due to the paltry turn out) serves no purpose.

It does, however, reveal the true intentions and motives of some of these “overnight” activists and independents, which have been questioned on several prior occasions.

Always consider the source during “silly season”.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 23, 2020, PAGE 9

’Twas the day before lockdown

By Diane Phillips ’Twas the day before lockdown And all through the aisles Shoppers were frantic Skipping manners and smiles Oh, lockdown, oh lockdown, move aside Up November, December, January they cried Fly away COVID, fly away flu We’ve had enough and we’re over you.

It’s easy enough to joke about lockdowns and pretend that if they go away, they’ll carry the coronavirus with them and we can just get on with life as we knew it before.

The problem is after all these long months of full lockdowns, no lockdowns, curfews, restrictions, partial lockdowns and joyful re-openings, we are still experimenting.

Every time we have a hypothesis about how to kill what’s killing us, something comes along and kicks it in the behind. You say that we have to be fluid and dynamic because COVID is fluid and dynamic, not to mention toxic and deadly.

It’s already taken 1.12 million lives worldwide, more than 200,000 in the US and 130 as this time of writing.

It is little wonder leaders around the globe are wringing their hands, trying to balance the scale between economic collapse and death by disease.

In our desperate search for a success story so we can try whatever method they used to drive the unwanted contagion away, we had a glimmer of hope last week when New Zealand emerged triumphant. The isolated

island nation declared it had eliminated the virus.

It re-opened its economy and re-elected its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a landslide and among thunderous applause while Ardern warned the country would remain vigilant.

We celebrate New Zealand’s victory. It gives us a feeling of hope. We wonder, is there a lesson we can learn from the New Zealand experiment? Or is there as much to learn from countries that are living with COVID but managing because their basket contains more than one big fat fickle egg? (No offence, Minister, it’s not your fault.)

So here, for what it is worth, is this former journalist’s take on what we can learn from the success or failure of others and how best we can apply it in a country at disproportionately higher risk from COVID-19 given a population riddled with underlying conditions.

Take a quick virtual tour and check the figures. Tourist hotspots have been hit hard, yet few have been hit as hard as The Bahamas.

Why? Because our number one economic driver is the overwhelming producer of jobs and without visitors, we have little fuel to keep the engine of the nation running. In case there is any doubt, compare The Bahamas with these examples. In Mexico, the number one destination for tourists from the United States outside their country, tourism is huge. Yet it accounts for just 8.2 percent of the country’s GDP. Italy, the fifth most visited country in the world, boasts of its booming tourist industry,

POLICE on patrol during the weekend lockdown.

AND THE WORRY ABOUT OIL GROWS THREE days ago, inspectors from Trinidad and Tobago made their way to the Gulf of Paria, a vast body of water lying between their islands and Venezuela.

Their task – to determine if an all but abandoned tanker carrying 55 million gallons of crude oil was in imminent danger of sinking and spilling its unwanted crude in the Caribbean. The huge hulk of the Venezuelan-flagged ship carrying crude yet that sector accounts for just 13 percent of the country’s GDP. In Spain, tourism accounts for 11 percent, Portugal a slightly lower figure.

Each one of those popular hotspots has more going for it than the people who drop in for a short while.

Visitors and the business they drive from aviation to ports, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, retail and services add depth to the economy but they do not drive it almost singlehandedly.

The most potent antidote to any economic threat is diversification.

for an Italian supplier had been sitting there for 20 months ever since Donald Trump imposed sanctions that rendered the crude unprofitable.

If the ship were to break apart, sink and disgorge the oil in its tanks, the leak would create a spill five times greater than the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound off the coast of Alaska in 1989, More than 30 years later, the fishing industry is still recovering.

If COVID-19 teaches us anything, it is that agriculture, horticulture, mariculture and marine resources are not an adjunct, but a critical path forward.

Right-priced, right-built and rightmarketed real estate, development, commercial and residential projects, open to those local or from abroad who respect the Bahamian environment and culture, must be encouraged and incentivized with small island sustainability uppermost on the agenda.

Boutique, niche market projects on Family Islands, especially for long-term

stay, must be tax incentivized. A tech hub, business aviation complex, electric vehicles, light manufacturing all deserve careful attention.

We are rich in the arts and poor in creating space for them to flourish, rich in talent and latent entrepreneurship and poor in providing capital. We have a world of possibilities at our feet and we keep looking to a model created more than half a century ago.

And what’s really interesting is that developing these other sectors only serves to make us more interesting to those who come by

air or sea. We just won’t be so dependent upon their arrival that when they don’t come, our cupboards are bare and our government is forced to borrow. And if we show those cruise passengers more of the arts and culture, more tours of farmland and more undersea wonders, we may find they stay longer next time.

Finally, there is a lesson to be learned from New Zealand and it is this, in almost the exact words of its popular Prime Minister who said she “makes no apologies”. The country got a grip on COVID-19 when it hit. Worried about health facilities being overwhelmed, it slammed its border shut in March. One month of serious lockdown followed, after which it introduced strict travel policies and strategies based on science and testing ability.

New Zealand with a diversified economy had a plan and stuck with it.

Diversification plus strategic planning, sounds so yawn-worthy.

So what’s new? Only the punch in the jaw that made us open our eyes.

PAGE 10, Friday, October 23, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

FIRST DRUG TO TREAT COVID-19 APPROVED

US REGULATORS yesterday approved the first drug to treat COVID19: remdesivir, an antiviral medicine given to hospitalized patients through an IV. The drug, which California-based Gilead Sciences Inc. is calling Veklury, cut the time to recovery by five days — from 15 days to ten on average — in a large study led by the US National Institutes of Health.

It had been authorised for use on an emergency basis since spring, and now becomes the first drug to win full Food and Drug Administration approval for treating COVID-19.

President Donald Trump received it when he was sickened earlier this month.

Veklury is approved for people at least 12 years old and weighing at least 88 pounds (40 kilograms) who are hospitalised for a coronavirus infection. For patients younger than 12, the FDA will still allow the drug’s use in certain cases under its previous emergency authorisation.

The drug works by inhibiting a substance the virus uses to make copies of itself.

Certain kidney and liver tests are required before starting patients on it to ensure it’s safe for them and to monitor for any possible side effects. And the label warns against using it with the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, because that can curb its effectiveness.

SECOND WAVE HITS FRANCE, SAYS CASTEX PARIS Associated Press FRENCH Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday a vast extension of the nightly curfew that is intended to curb the spiraling spread of the coronavirus, saying “the second wave is here”.

The curfew imposed in eight regions of France last week, including Paris and its suburbs, is being extended to 38 more regions and Polynesia starting Friday at midnight, Castex said.

It is likely to last six weeks before a review, he said.

The extension means that 46 million of France’s 67 million people will be under 9pm-6am curfews that prohibit them from being out and about during those hours except for limited reasons, such as walking a dog, traveling to and from work and catching a train or flight.

BARRETT VOTE HELD AS DEMS HOLD BOYCOTT WASHINGTON Associated Press SENATE Judiciary Committee Republicans powered past a Democratic boycott yesterday to advance Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate, keeping President Donald Trump’s pick on track for confirmation before the Nov. 3 election.

Democratic senators refused to show up in protest of the GOP’s rush to install Trump’s nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Never has the Senate confirmed a Supreme Court nominee so close to a presidential election.

All 12 Republicans on the committee voted in favor of Barrett, a conservative judge. No-show Democrats left behind posters at their desks of Americans they say have benefited from the Affordable Care Act, now being challenged at the high court. Senators plan to convene a rare weekend session before a final confirmation vote expected on Monday.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden participate in the final presidential debate last night.

Opponents state case during final TV debate NASHVILLE, Tennessee Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden fought over how to tame the raging coronavirus during the campaign’s closing debate, largely shelving the rancor that overshadowed their previous face-off in favor of a more substantive exchange that highlighted their vastly different approaches to the major domestic and foreign challenges facing the nation.

The president declared the virus, which killed more than 1,000 Americans yesterday alone, will “go away”. Biden countered that the nation was heading toward “a dark winter”.

“Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America,” Biden said.

With less than two weeks until the election, Trump portrayed himself as the same outsider he first pitched to voters four years ago, repeatedly saying he wasn’t a politician. Biden, meanwhile, argued that Trump was an incompetent leader of a country facing multiple crises and tried to connect what he saw as the president’s failures to the everyday lives of Americans, especially when it comes to the pandemic.

The president, who promised a vaccine within weeks, said the worst problems are in states with Democratic governors, a contention at odds with rising cases in states that voted for Trump in 2016. Biden, meanwhile, vowed that his administration would defer to scientists on battling the pandemic and said that Trump’s divisive approach

on suffering states hindered the nation’s response.

“I don’t look at this in terms of the way he does — blue states and red states,” Biden said. “They’re all the United States. And look at all the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus - they’re the red states.”

After a first debate defined by angry interruptions, the event featured a mostly milder tone. And in a campaign defined by ugly personal attacks, the night featured a surprising amount of substantive policy debate as the two broke sharply on the environment, foreign policy, immigration and racial justice.

When Trump repeatedly asked Biden if he would “close down the oil industry”, the Democratic standardbearer said he “would transition from the oil industry, yes”, and that he would replace it by renewable energy “over time”. Trump, making a direct appeal to voters in energy producing states like Texas and the vital battleground of Pennsylvania, seized upon the remark as “a big statement”.

Perhaps sensing that the comment could soon appear in Trump campaign ads, Biden did a little clean-up boarding his plane after the debate, declaring “We’re not going to ban fossil fuels. We’ll get rid of the subsidies of fossil fuels but not going to get rid of fossil fuels for a long time.”

As the debate swept to climate change, Trump explained his decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord negotiated in 2015, declaring it was an unfair pact that would have cost the country trillions of

dollars and hurt businesses.

Trump repeatedly claimed Biden’s plan to tackle climate change and invest in green industries was developed by “AOC plus three,” referring to New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Biden chuckled during much of Trump’s answer and said, “I don’t know where he comes from.”

On race, Biden called out Trump’s previous refusals to condemn white supremacists and his attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement, declaring that the president “pours fuel on every single racist fire”.

“You know who I am.

You know who he is. You know his character. You know my character,” Biden said. The rivals’ reputations for “honor and for telling to truth” are clear, he said.

Trump countered by pointing out his efforts on criminal justice reform and blasting Biden’s support of a 1990s Crime Bill that many feel disproportionately incarcerated Black men. Staring into the crowd, he declared himself “the least racist person in this room”.

Turning to foreign policy, Biden accused Trump of dealing with a “thug” while holding summits with the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. And closer to home, the former vice president laced into the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents trying to illegally cross the southern border.

Biden said that America has learned from a New York Times report that Trump only paid $750 a year in federal taxes while holding “a secret bank account” in China. The

former vice president then noted he’s released all of his tax returns going back 22 years and challenged the president to release his returns, saying, “What are you hiding?”

Trump said he closed his former account in China and claimed his accountants told him he “prepaid tens of millions of dollars” in taxes.

However, as he has for the past four years after promising to release his taxes, he declined to say when he might do so.

Trump said that when it comes to health care, he would like “to terminate” the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, even amid a pandemic, and come up “with a brand new beautiful health care,” that protects coverage for preexisting conditions. Biden said the president has been talking about making such a move for years but “he’s never come up with a plan”.

He also denounced Trump’s claim that Biden wanted to socialise medicine, creating daylight between himself and the more liberal members of his party whom he defeated in the Democratic primaries.

“He thinks he’s running against somebody else,” the former vice president said.

“He’s running against Joe Biden. I beat all those other people because I disagreed with them.”

It remained to be seen if Trump, who is trailing in the race, managed to change the trajectory of the campaign. More than 47 million votes have already have been cast, and there are fewer undecided voters than at this point in previous election years.

The debate, moderated

by NBC’s Kristen Welker, was a final chance for each

man to make his case to a television audience of tens of millions. And questions swirled beforehand as to how Trump, whose hectoring performance at the first debate was viewed by aides as a mistake that turned off viewers, would perform amid a stretch of the campaign in which he has taken angry aim at the news media and unleashed deeply personal attacks on Biden and his adult son.

When he feels cornered, Trump has often lashed out, going as negative as possible. In one stunning moment during the 2016 campaign, in an effort to deflect from the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which he is heard boasting about groping women, Trump held a press conference just before a debate with Hillary Clinton during which he appeared with women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault. He then invited them to watch as audience members.

In a similar move, Trump’s campaign held another surprise pre-debate news conference, this time featuring Tony Bobulinski, a man who said he was Hunter Biden’s former business partner and made unproven allegations that the vice president’s son consulted with his father on China-related business dealings.

Trump made similar, if vague, accusations from the debate stage, but exchanges about Hunter Biden did not dominate the night as aides on both campaigns thought might happen.

Biden declared the discussion about family entanglements “malarkey” and accused Trump of not wanting to talk about the substantive issues.

RUSSIAN HACKERS ‘TARGET DATA’ AHEAD OF US VOTE WASHINGTON Associated Press

US OFFICIALS said yesterday that Russian hackers have targeted the networks of dozens of state and local governments in the United States in recent days, stealing data from at least two servers. The warning, less than two weeks before the election, amplified fears of the potential for tampering with the vote and undermining confidence in the results.

The advisory from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency describes an onslaught of recent activity by a Russian state-sponsored hacking group against a broad range of networks, some of which were successfully compromised. The alert functions as a reminder of Russia’s potent capabilities and ongoing interference in the election even as US officials publicly called out Iran on Wednesday night.

The advisory does not identify by name or location those who were targeted, but officials say they have no information that any election or government operations have been affected or that the integrity of elections data has been compromised.

“However, the actor may be seeking access to obtain future disruption options, to influence US policies and actions, or to delegitimise (state and local) government entities,” the advisory said.

US officials have repeatedly said it would be extremely difficult for hackers to alter vote tallies in a meaningful way, but they have warned about other methods of interference that could disrupt the election, including cyberattacks on networks meant to impede the voting process. The interference could continue during or after the tallying of ballots if Russians produce spoofed websites or fake content meant to confuse voters

about election results and lead them to doubt the legitimacy of the outcome.

A broad concern, particularly at the local government level, has been that hackers could infiltrate a county network and then work their way over to election-related systems unless certain defenses, such as firewalls, are in place. This is especially true for smaller counties that don’t have as much money and IT support as their bigger counterparts to fund security upgrades.

Officials have nonetheless sought to stress the integrity of the vote, with FBI Director Christopher Wray saying on Wednesday, “You should be confident that your vote counts. Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.”

Yesterday, Chris Krebs, the head of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said officials don’t have reason to believe that hackers were

looking for election infrastructure or election-related information, and aren’t aware of any activity “that would allow them to come anywhere near a vote”. He said the alert was issued in regard to the scanning of county networks for vulnerabilities, not specifically to the targeting of elections.

“The election-related risk is the fact that they were in or touching an election system,” he said.

The threat from the Kremlin was mentioned but not especially emphasised during a hastily called news conference on Wednesday night, when officials said Russia and Iran had obtained voting registration information — though such data is sometimes easily accessible.

But most of the focus was on Iran, which officials linked to a series of menacing but fake emails that purported to be from a far-right group and were aimed at intimidating voters in multiple battleground states.

PAGE 16, Friday, October 23, 2020

Recovery strategy exposes ‘lost years’ FROM PAGE 20 seemingly allow the initiative to be shelved as a result of the government changing hands on May 2017.

Arguing that the failure to follow through on what was billed as a bi-partisan initiative “really highlights the lost years” for The Bahamas, Mr Bowe turned to Bible scripture and Ecclesiastes 1:9’s verse of “nothing new under the sun” to describe the contents of the committee’s report.

Agreeing that the government and committee had to guard against “selling the dream of a silver bullet” that will instantly cure The Bahamas’ current hardship, he said the proposals outlined in the latest document “don’t swing or change the pendulum to any great degree”.

Mr Bowe, acknowledging that “talk is talk” and many elements in the committee’s recommendations have been talked about for decades, said the government needs to explain “what is going to be different in the execution” this time around.

Marlon Johnson, the Economic Recovery Committee’s co-chair, defended its work by arguing that good proposals never lost their merits even if they have yet to be enacted.

“The truth of the matter is a good idea will continue to be a good idea regardless of when it is put forward,” he told Tribune Business.

Paul Moss, president of Dominion Management Service, one of the few Bahamian-owned firms in the international financial services sector, also branded the Economic Recovery Committee’s report as “a missed opportunity” to reposition the financial services industry and chart a new economic course post-COVID-19.

A long-time advocate for a low-rate corporate

income tax, which he argues will enable The Bahamas to shed the stigma of the ‘tax haven’ label and escape scrutiny from the likes of the European Union (EU) and Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Mr Moss also argued that there is “nothing earth-shattering or swashbuckling” in the proposals.

Mr Bowe, meanwhile, told this newspaper: “While it may seem a bit critical, my question is: What is it that’s different from the National Development Plan? I would say that COVID-19 is not the impetus I would expect to drive national development planning.

“That should have been done many years ago, decades ago. The fact it commenced a few years ago and was not as aggressively followed through as it could have been, by changing and successive governments, is an indictment on wider society. It should have been a demand of society on our political leaders.

“My issue is if [the report’s] not completely revised for data and other numbers in the National Development Plan, all we’re admitting is we’ve wasted three years, maybe four years, from where we could have been at the implementation of the National Development Plan.”

“My criticism is that it’s by and large a regurgitation of what’s been done several years ago,” Mr Bowe added of the Economic Recovery Committee’s effort. “It really highlights the lost years. My personal view is that we’re not swinging or changing the pendulum to any great degree.

“We could have used those resources, time and energy in deploying some of the elements set out in the National Development Plan. To me, it’s where we have to demonstrate maturity as a country and set

aside political colours. To me, there are three colours - aqua marine, black and yellow. To me, it does not matter who sows and who reaps. It’s to the benefit of the country.”

The National Development Plan represented the first ever co-ordinated effort to plan the Bahamas’ development in a systematic manner using empirical data and analyses, while also obtaining input from private sector and civil society organisations.

Labelled ‘Vision 2040’, the Plan aimed to break with the Bahamas’ past ad hoc approach to national growth by setting a clear path towards a more sustainable future.

Designed a non-politically partisan initiative that was to survive changes in administration, it also set out a “road map” - containing measurable goals and objectives for the Bahamas to attain - so that this nation’s progress towards achieving its development targets can be judged according to set timelines.

Vision 2040 focused on four main policy pillars the economy, governance, social policy and the environment, both natural and built - in its first 400-page draft which was publicly disclosed. However, the effort was seemingly shelved after the Minnis administration took office, even though it was invited to provide input when in opposition.

Mr Bowe said The Bahamas needed to distinguish between COVID-19’s impact and “how we change the trajectory of the country for the foreseeable future”, arguing that this required a long-term outlook of 25 to 30 years into the future.

He added that the Economic Recovery Committee’s report was largely “conceptual” in nature, and “doesn’t give sufficient granuality” in terms of laying out the steps to implement its

THE TRIBUNE recommendations.

The prime minister on Wednesday alluded to the creation of an implementation unit to oversee the committee’s recommendations taking practical effect, but Mr Bowe reiterated: “We have to get beyond the conceptual stage and get to the tactical stage of how we do some of this.

“If it’s [the report] the driving force for the government to take the action it should have done upon taking office, I welcome the committee’s efforts, but if there’s going to be a repeat of what happened last time where it’s disappeared like the National Development Plan appears to have been, then I cry shame on all political leaders.”

Agreeing that there was too much talking, rather than a “rolling up of sleeves” to implement profound structural reforms, Mr Bowe said some of the committee’s proposals - such as pensions legislation - have “been on the table all my working career, which is 20 years”.

“A lot of these elements have been spoken to before,” he added. “What is going to be different in the execution?” Reforms, he added, also needed to be based on empirical evidence.

Mr Moss, meanwhile, argued that the committee had not gone far enough.

“I don’t think they were bold,” he told Tribune Business. “They put some ideas together, spoke about some ideas, but I don’t think they were bold. They spoke to the obvious that people have been talking about for some time.

“It was a missed opportunity. It’s not earth-shattering or swashbuckling. It’s none of that at all. It’s a gloss over.

It’s not something that’s fully thought-out given the time and resources we have to put together these pieces.

They’ve failed to get the report to the level where people will say, yes, that’s innovative, bold and let’s go and explore it.”

In particular, Mr Moss said there was nothing in the report that spoke to the need for The Bahamas to take the lead and unite international financial centres (IFCs) against attacks from the likes of the EU and OECD.

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

THURSDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2020

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:

CLOSE

CHANGE

2055.93

-0.03

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

0.00 -175.67

-7.87

(242) 323-2330 (242) 323-2320

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.07 22.65 2.00 1.79 2.46 6.00 6.75 4.70 8.59 4.50 6.16 12.77 3.64 5.60 10.88 8.44 16.99 4.25 9.40 15.21

52WK LOW 3.13 20.91 0.67 1.65 1.67 5.40 5.39 2.70 4.75 3.50 5.60 11.05 2.71 3.85 9.60 7.50 13.04 3.20 8.15 13.90

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 0.90

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard RF Bank & Trust Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A RF Bank & Trust Limited Class A Focol Class B

BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

52WK HI 2.35 4.43 2.12 198.39 168.29 1.69 1.85 1.77 1.24 8.34 10.26 7.08 12.15 12.71 10.81 10.00 8.98 11.79

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.64 1.79 1.73 1.06 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

SECURITY RF Bank Note 22 (Series B) + Bahamas First Holdings Limited

SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing)

MUTUAL FUNDS

MARKET TERMS

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407

LAST CLOSE 4.05 17.43 1.62 1.79 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 4.75 3.57 5.99 11.26 2.13 5.60 10.35 8.44 14.30 3.96 8.16 15.20

CLOSE 4.05 17.43 1.62 1.79 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 4.75 3.57 5.99 11.26 2.10 5.60 10.35 8.44 14.30 3.96 8.16 15.20

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.03) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

LAST SALE 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

VOLUME

51,000

10,000

20

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

15

VOLUME

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Preferred Income Fund Leno Growth Fund Leno Diversified Fund Leno Global USD Bond Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - High Yield Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00

NAV 2.35 4.43 2.12 196.40 163.60 1.68 1.81 1.76 1.07 8.30 9.90 7.08 11.27 12.71 10.23 N/A 8.93 11.27

EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.000 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

P/E 16.9 18.7 N/M N/M N/M N/M 18.3 -6.8 33.9 19.4 13.3 15.6 20.6 12.0 16.0 11.6 17.5 19.5 8.7 24.1

YIELD 4.20% 7.23% 1.23% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 3.85% 0.00% 0.00% 3.36% 3.67% 6.39% 20.67% 1.07% 3.17% 2.84% 3.78% 3.03% 2.45% 4.01%

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025

6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25%

20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022

YTD% 12 MTH% 2.95% 4.23% 1.39% 3.17% 1.60% 2.52% 0.65% 2.50% -1.88% 3.33% 1.10% 2.34% -2.43% 1.49% 0.34% 2.43% -11.07% -9.92% -0.45% 8.36% -3.20% 11.46% 2.10% 5.15% -6.17% 3.54% 2.92% 5.55% -4.66% -3.81% N/A N/A -4.20% 0.20% -8.60% -2.90%

NAV Date 31-Aug-2020 31-Aug-2020 28-Aug-2020 30-Jun-2020 30-Jun-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-Jul-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 31-May-2020 30-Jun-2020 30-Jun-2020 30-Jun-2020

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price

52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks

Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity

52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks

Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity

Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume

Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price

Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume

Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week

Change - Change in closing price from day to day

EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths

Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today

NAV - Net Asset Value

DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months

N/M - Not Meaningful

P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

‘Curb-side killing construction’: 40% productivity decline FROM PAGE 20 “Something that should take ten minutes, 20 minutes in the store all of a sudden is taking one hour. I may be having the brunt of it because I am experiencing it, but I really thought the lumber and hardware suppliers would be better at it than they are. It’s really made the process unbelievably stressful. One or two of them have figured it out, but many have not.”

Mr Sands said contractors, especially medium-sized and small operators, were having to place construction materials orders via phone and then drive to the merchant’s location to pick them up. After paying via cash or card, contractors then had to rely on sales staff picking out what they required.

In many instances, workers were unfamiliar with the product or variety that builders wanted, and they had to be sent back to pick out the correct one. With contractors no longer in “control” of the process, Mr Sands said they often had to drive to multiple locations to obtain all they wanted, causing further delays.

He added that these holds ups meant “productivity is down because we’re not getting materials easily, which means slower results and companies are losing money.

The small guys are feeling the pinch”.

Mr Sands said COVID-19 had exposed the construction industry’s “lack of readiness” for the digital environment forced by the pandemic, as lumber and hardware merchants were only accepting debit and credit card payments over the phone for larger operators who have accounts with them. This meant construction firms

Lyford Cay wages equal $3k to all Nassau families FROM PAGE 20

The economic impact will likely have reduced in 2020, due both to the COVID19 pandemic and closure of the Lyford Cay Club for remodelling. Still, the Committee’s report said: “When looking at the direct impact the six arms of the Lyford Cay community have on the domestic economy, the study found that residents and affiliated businesses of the community spent some $238m in 2019 on a myriad of goods and services including retail, lodging, employees, transportation and other operations.

“Likewise, the residents and businesses of the community support over 4,400 jobs, which translated to some $135m in direct labour income.”

The $90.3m worth of taxes generated by Lyford Cay were broken down into $35.1m in VAT, which accounted for one-third of the Public Treasury contributions. Real property tax was next highest at $19.96m, with import duties and National Insurance Board (NIB) contributions accounting for $14.77m and

were being forced to drive to retailers just so their cards could be swiped for payment.

“The marketplace is not ready, and we are suffering for it,” the former BCA chief told this newspaper.

“The marketplace has to evolve. I can place an order with Home Depot in Florida but I cannot place an order over the phone in Nassau, Bahamas.

“We need to come together as an industry and get ready for a COVID-19 environment. The industry has to make it a bit easier to supply the contractors.” Mr Sands also acknowledged that demand was impacting curb-side efficiency, revealing that one building materials supplier on Gladstone Road had to recently lock their gate because there was no more space in the yard.

Calling on the government to switch from curb-side restrictions to limitations on how many persons can be in a store at any one time, he added that it was vital to facilitate the construction industry’s continued operations given the employment it provides amid the ongoing tourism industry shutdown.

“The economic engine hinges on construction, and we shouldn’t make it that difficult and hard,” Mr Sands said. “The small guys, the small contractors, are the engine. They’re the ones running around doing the work and an important part of the economic cycle right now.

“We need this to be sorted out. We need this to be a little smoother so the work flows better, the contractors not lose productivity, not lose money, stay out there and keep people employed and their families viable.” $13.21m respectively.

The balance included $6.2m in stamp duty, some $0.7m in business licence fees and $0.3m in departure taxes.

The committee’s report also focused on a 2016 economic impact assessment conducted on Atlantis, which is now slightly dated.

“According to a Tourism Economics study, the Atlantis resort sustained nearly 18,000 jobs in 2015, generated over $200m in taxes and fees, or some 12 percent of total tax revenue, and garnered over $900m in total visitor spend,” it added.

“The results of the study found that in 2015 the Atlantis resort generated 10.6 percent of GDP and 9.3 percent of total employment through direct, indirect and induced impact. From 2016 to 2026, the resort is expected to invest some $140m in capital infrastructure, which is anticipated to generate an additional $225m in local spending, $236m in GDP, $152m in wages, and $60m in taxes and fees.

“Thus, by 2026 the resort should sustain 18,666 jobs, which should translate into some $793m in wages and approximately $277m in tax revenue.” These estimates will now likely have been revised due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, HYACINTH ANEITA REID of Rum Street, Yellow Elder Nassau,The Bahamas, P.O. Box, General Post Office. Parent of DELTON ISAIAH REID A minor intend to change my child’s name to DELTON ISAIAH BONIMY If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that SHERWIKA JULMISTE of Lower Bougue Eleuthera, Bahamas., is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 16th day of October 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 23, 2020, PAGE 17

Activist ‘frankly horrified’ on environment proposals

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net AN activist yesterday accused the government-appointed Economic Recovery Committee (ERC) of “horrifying” proposals designed to weaken environmental oversight of major developments.

Sam Duncombe, reEarth’s president, also hit out at what she alleged was the committee’s failure to include environmental activists among its many sub-committees that helped produce the 60-page executive summary that released on Wednesday.

“For starters there were not enough environmental groups included in the process,” she argued. “The entire process does not favour our fragile environment. Rather, it looks to allow developers easier access to destroy our environment with impunity.

“There is no mention of ecosystem evaluation, which is a huge issue. On the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, a number of organisations presented robust comments for the EIA regulations,

SAM DUNCOMBE not one of which was incorporated.”

The Economic Recovery Committee’s energy and environmental stewardship sub-committee did, though, draw numerous members from the environmental community.

Apart from Eric Carey, the Bahamas National Trust’s executive director, it also included Debbie Deal, head of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce’s energy and environmental division.

Other members included Tim Hodge, the New Providence’s landfill manager, and Carlos Palacios, the Bahamian environmental engineer. However, there was no one from the non-profit and activist community as noted by Mrs Duncombe.

She was also particularly vexed by a section

Realtor chief ‘annoyed’ over tax hike proposals FROM PAGE 20 Bahamian-owned properties in the Family Islands, ending what has long been regarded as a major tax break for some, but Mrs WallaceWhitfield voiced concern that the first two proposals might “unnerve” wealthy foreign buyers just when this nation needed to capture all the foreign direct investment (FDI) it can get.

“The government has not reached out to BREA, so I don’t know what to tell you at this point,” she said of the committee’s report. “This is the problem we continue to have; they never reach out to us and ask us for our opinion, and what we should do. This is the disconnect we have. I was a little annoyed we weren’t reached out to once again.”

Mrs Wallace-Whitfield said that while the Association had just invited K Peter Turnquest, deputy prime minister, and Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, to help promote The Bahamas and real estate industry during a virtual trade mission involving realtors from Florida’s Royal Palm Coast, there was no reciprocity when it came to inviting industry feedback on government initiatives.

“We are the third largest industry in The Bahamas,” she added. “Why not reach out, discuss it and ask one of our members to come on the committee? Come on. We have to work at this together. We are a small country of 400,000 people.

Get our feedback, and have a few licensed realtors on the committee to give feedback.

Not necessarily myself, but there are brokers who have years of experience.”

No Bahamian realtor or member of BREA appears to have been represented on the Economic Recovery Committee, or its many sub-committees, which may explain why increased real estate-related taxation

appears to have been a consistent theme in its report.

However, many Bahamians will likely welcome increased fees and taxes being levied on wealthy foreign buyers as a means to generate some revenues for a cash-strapped Public Treasury that is facing a $1.327bn deficit for the 2020-2021 budget year.

They will perceive such buyers as having the means to afford such increases, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is an increasing view that taxation should be linked to ability to pay.

Mrs Wallace-Whitfield, though, said talk of fee and increases will be “unnerving” for foreign real estate buyers at a time when The Bahamas needs to grow this market as one of the few alternative foreign exchange earning sources to tourism.

“We have concerns for that,” she added. “Right now we’re trying to get foreign buyers. They are out there and looking. They’re looking to get away and have cash to spend. We can’t deter that. There are many Caribbean islands trying to attract foreign investors and investment. We have to be mindful of the competitive position.”

Mario Carey, the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate MCR Group Bahamas principal, told Tribune Business that increasing real property taxes by raising the existing $60,000 ceiling was “the wrong way to go” given the continuing problems with compliance and enforcement.

He instead argued that the government should instead focus on collecting more than $500m in real property tax arrears by first offering incentives for taxpayers to clear outstanding balances by year-end 2020, and then mandating all accounts be brought current by year-end 2021 otherwise enforcement measures will be taken.

in the committee’s report that she branded “frankly horrifying”, arguing that it signalled a proposal to weaken environmental regulation in favour of more rapid development.

The report said: “As part of the process for beginning a development project in The Bahamas, the project must obtain various permits from the BEST Commission based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

This process can be very onerous and prolonged, which delays development and its economic growth prospects.”

To address this, the commitee recommended “improving the transparency of the process for obtaining the necessary permit approvals by publishing a list of regulatory agencies, and what they are responsible for approving, within the context of building permit approvals, including the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plans”.

It suggested that the government publish a chart “which details the permitting process from the initial stage (Heads

of Agreement) to closing (occupancy certificates)”.

It added: “This is particularly not clear with Family Island projects that involve island administrators.

“Publish a checklist of requirements for Environmental Impact Assessments and Environmental Management Plans for different project types. These should also include any requirements for site visits from government agencies, stakeholder consultations and town hall meetings.”

The committee also urged the government to “publish more information on the process for local developers to obtain tax concessions. At present it is not clear whether such developers need to go through the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) if they wish to obtain concessions”.

In response, Mrs Duncombe blasted: ‘We should be making every effort to preserve our fragile ecosystems.” She also attacked the proposal to “examine the commercial viability of a timber mining industry in Abaco, North Andros and Grand Bahama, arguing: “Using our finite pine trees is also a dumb idea.

“They attract rain, and replenish our ground water, which is the only source of fresh water and, according to the United Nations, water is scarce in The Bahamas. Solar water heating should be subsidised as well as solar energy” “I see that the need to preserve orange economies, but it seems to outrank the environment. Why aren’t a portion of taxes used to make a contracted effort to preserve the environment?” she asked.

In fact, the Economic Recovery Committee proposed several means of generating revenues from the environment, including a subject close to Mrs Duncombe’s heart - “levies on cruise ships” that transit The Bahamas every day on their way to ports elsewhere in the western hemisphere.

“There are many avenues for new or improved government revenue streams within the environmental sector,” the report said.

“This increased revenue can support a more efficient use of public resources, as well as help to fund a number of critical environmental improvements.”

It called for “international fees on the trans-Caribbean cables that pass from Florida to Nassau through The Bahamas’ archipelagic chain to Hispaniola, and through the mona passage and on to South America”.

The committee also advocated for “levies on cruise ships, submarines and freighters coming into our ports every day on their way to destinations like America and Canada”.

“The proceeds of this fee should go towards efforts to mitigate environmental issues, such as ballast waters being released illegally from foreign vessels as the causative factor in the migration of invasive species (lionfish),” it said.

Other ideas included “a temporary taxation scheme for vacant property in subdivisions in New Providence in an effort to increase investment in redevelopment and to facilitate property sales”, and for the introduction of “a non-refundable deposit for foreign investment applications which would cover the government’s operational costs to examine site plans and to determine and list environmental concerns”.

“I know a lot of my clients, if they go up on taxes, they will leave. The message doesn’t sit well with them,” Mr Carey said. “They need to be sensible. If people get over-taxed they’ll leave.

They have many other places to go.”

However, levying real property tax on high-end Bahamian-owned real estate in the Family Islands could provide an economic boost by forcing persons to actually develop their holdings rather than sit on them in the absence of carrying costs.

The committee’s report proposed increasing the fees for economic permanent residency permits but offsetting the impact by “a stipulation/guaranteed processing time of 90 days from the date of submission of a completed application”. No suggestion was made as to the extent of the increase, though/ And, besides increasing the present $60,000 real property tax ceiling, the committee also recommended: “Expand the reach of real property tax by increasing the tax ceiling on high-end properties, introducing real property tax to higher end Bahamian properties on the Family Islands with funding of the same to support Family Island councils in those islands,” the committee urged.

However, the committee is likely to find some support for recommending that business licence fees be based on “gross profit” rather than revenue or turnover.

“The Bahamas’ historically regressive tax regime is viewed largely as both inequitable and unsustainable,” the report conceded.

“Tax contributions are disproportionately higher for lower income citizens/businesses largely because of the regressive nature of the country’s tax regime.

“Beyond this, the sustainability of the current regime in light of population growth, the rising cost of living and other factors remains an impediment to its growth and development prospects.”

Opposition: Recovery plan has few ‘revolutionary’ ideas

administration supports and will action.

“It is heartening to hear the government has listened and accepted my recommendation to expedite the approval process of foreign direct investment ,and also the investment of $250m to support entrepreneurs.

“The stark reality is that we cannot fix the economy until we get COVID-19 under control in The Bahamas. To realize this, you need look no further than the fact that Sandals is open across the Caribbean but not in The Bahamas. We are failing in the COVID-19 fight, and our tourism partners have noticed.

Mr Cooper also called for the prime minister to re-think the National Development Plan because it represents an already-mapped out strategy for where The Bahamas should go.

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE opposition’s deputy leader yesterday said the government-appointed Economic Recovery Committee had produced little that was “new or revolutionary” for turning The Bahamas around.

Chester Cooper, also the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) finance spokesman, branded the prime minister’s presentation of the committee’s 60-page executive summary as a “campaign speech” with “no actual plan or update on what is being done on economic recovery”.

He added: “It is unfortunate that it took the crippling of the global economy through a worldwide pandemic for the prime minister to assemble a committee of professionals to recommend how to drive our economy forward, but here we are.

“What we heard from the prime minister yesterday [Wednesday] sounded much more like a campaign speech than an actual plan or update on what is being done to spur economic recovery. He says the Grand Lucayan resort project is on track, but the sale is not closed and there is no definitive date. He boasts of the Wynn project starting construction on its second floor, not mentioning he delayed the PLP-approved project when he came to office.”

Mr Cooper continued: “He brags about BPL when, even though the major hotels are offline and thousands of businesses were repeatedly shuttered and operating at reduced hours for months, the power company still struggled to keep the lights on. He also neglected to mention that BPL’s rate reduction bond has yet to be placed, and we have had no update on the status of it.

“As for the executive summary, we plan to dissect it in detail, but there was not much new or revolutionary that was reported by the prime minister. He stated the obvious,

CHESTER COOPER while spouting off a wish list of many things we have heard before. An actual, sound plan is specific, measurable, achievable and result-oriented with a timeline.”

Mr Cooper also said: “We were given no details on when and how this wish list will be implemented. And we will now have to wait until next month to hear which recommendations this

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PAGE 18, Friday, October 23, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

LEARNING LESSONS IN CORPORATE LEADERSHIP WE reproduce here ten leadership lessons from successful businessmen: 1. Believe in your business Give your venture everything you have got. A passionate commitment to your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you are not proud of what you are doing, why should anybody else be? Do not get suckered into blindly pursuing profits and growth. If you stay focused on being the best at what you do, it is more likely that the rest will follow.

2. Prioritise and delegate.

As an entrepreneur, you live and die by your ability to prioritise. You must focus on the most important, mission-critical tasks each day and night, and then share, delegate, delay or skip the rest.

3. Hire people with superior skills

A leader should never compare his technical skills with his employee’s. Your employee should have superior technical skills to you. If he or she does not, it means you have hired the wrong person. Trust the skills of your technicians and never belittle their area of specialty.

your role, then others will follow your lead. And if you are burned out and tired, that energy will permeate everything. Leaders need to make sure they shape their role, and their company, to make them fulfilled and excited. If you put yourself last, you are hurting the entire organisation.

4. Give employees expectations and training Clear expectations and training tools are all about a better future for your business. Training success builds confidence in your team. People are more hopeful when they know what is expected of them and feel they have the tools they need to do the work at hand.

6. Be nice When your team likes and respects you, they will be more likely to rally behind you. Research suggests that the most successful companies are those where they stress the importance of hiring leaders with strong interpersonal skills.

5. Set the tone You can go through thousands of dollars in consultants to shape your culture, but it will still come back to the approach you take as a leader. If you are motivated and happy in

7. Plan for fun People are loyal to workplaces where they enjoy the assignments and the people they do them with. Eating and drinking together, having fun, having days off doing stupid things, dressing in ridiculous costumes - whatever you mandate as a company culture, what

happens is everyone really likes each other and you create a family.

8. Constantly evolve Being intentional and deliberate in exploring new areas for your business is crucial to your growth and development as a company.

Learn to get comfortable with change. It is the only thing constant, and the only thing that will ensure your viability and relevance in the marketplace.

9. Mentor and give back to the community At the end of the day, we are all part of a community. Establish a culture where your employees want to give back and mentor others coming up. Adopt a school, volunteer in inner city communities, engage in community development programmes. All these actions of corporate social responsibility will signal to your customers and the wider community that you are a good partner worth

Over 50% of Bahamians relying on food assistance MORE than 50 percent of the Bahamian population is now relying on food assistance due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Bahamas Feeding Network’s executive director said yesterday.

Philip Smith, pictured, a 14-year veteran of efforts to feed the hungry, said more than 220,000 persons - representing some 55,000 households - are now being fed with assistance from the government and nonprofit organisations under the National Food Security Task Force.

In a release yesterday, Mr Smith said he had never seen the extent of hunger explode as it has in the last seven months due to the mass unemployment caused by the tourism industry’s closure and widespread COVID-19 restrictions.

He added that one in seven Bahamians had suffered from food insecurity prior to the pandemic, but this number had increased three-fold due to COVID-19.

“Hunger, especially in households with young children and among the elderly, was a major problem before, but in many ways,

doing business with.

10. Stop talking and start listening “Leaders who listen are able to create trustworthy relationships that are transparent and breed loyalty.

You know the leaders who have their employees’ best interests at heart because they truly listen to them.

Effective communication, in particular listening to your team, is vital to your future and success.”

“As a leader, it’s difficult to really know what your employees are thinking about, what is troubling them or how to help them get out of a performance slump - unless you take the time listen to them.”

“Listening goes well beyond being quiet and giving someone your full attention. It requires you to be aware of body language, facial expressions, mood, and natural behavioural tendencies. Listening should be a full-time job when you consider the uncertainty

embedded in the workplace and the ongoing changes taking place.”

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@ coralwave.com.

it was a quiet problem,” Mr Smith said. “Now with the coronavirus pandemic, the stark reality of hunger is staring us in the face and we are extremely grateful to the Government of The Bahamas for their intervention which has made it possible to feed more than 55,000 households or 220,000 individuals.

“For organisations like the Bahamas Feeding Network and all of us who are currently working within the framework of the National Food Security Task Force, we need to pause, take a deep breath and thank the administration for recognising the depth and breadth of the extent of hunger, and funding its relief to the best of the government’s ability.”

Mr Smith said nearly one in every two households in The Bahamas is struggling to put food on the table, double the figure of just a few months ago. The Bahamas Feeding Network, Bahamas Red Cross, Hands for Hunger, Lend a Hand, One Eleuthera Foundation, The Grand Bahama Food Task Force and IDEA Relief in Abaco make up the National Food Security Task Force that is now providing food parcels and food vouchers for more than 55,000 households or an estimated 220,000 people every week.

“That is more than 50 percent of the population

of The Bahamas,” said Mr Smith, “and that does not include those who are too proud to ask for assistance or are surviving on a minimal diet heavy in starches and carbohydrates - inexpensive but not the healthiest of diets, which is another problem we are trying to deal with, using this crisis to encourage healthier choices.”

The current struggles of half of all Bahamian households to put food on the table is not much different from the overall global rise in hunger.

“By comparison,” Mr Smith said, “the estimate pre-pandemic was that one in every eight or about one billion people around the world suffer from either chronic or acute hunger during normal times with the highest numbers being in Africa. Recently, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme reported a tripling since the pandemic, mirroring what The Bahamas is experiencing.”

In the US, a Brookings Institute survey at the end of April, just months after the pandemic started, found that two in five households with mothers with children aged 12 and under were food insecure.

“And those figures are close to what we experienced in The Bahamas.

Prior to the pandemic, it was about one in every seven people and now it is three times that,” Mr Smith continued.

IAN FERGUSON BY

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 23, 2020, PAGE 19

Brewery expands distribution line-up THE Bahamian Brewery & Beverage (BBB) Company yesterday announced that it has added the Remy Cointreau spirits brand to its distribution portfolio.

The move, which took effect in April at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, will enable the Brewery’s retail arm, Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits, to expand its wines and spirits offering.

The French, family-run Remy Cointreau group, which was founded in 1724, has built its reputation on offering a variety of quality

spirits to markets across the globe.

“Just like the Remy Cointreau group, Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company is a family-owned business with similar values. At the very core of our company’s foundation are terroir (taste), people and time,” said Remy’s Bahamas’ business development manager, Keiani Thomas.

“We were attracted to Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Co because of similar values and objectives. Our goal is to work together with this dynamic

team to develop the premium product offering in The Bahamas, and further increase both visibility and distribution of our brands.”

Through Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits locations, Bahamians will have access to Remy’s international brands such as Remy Martin cognac and St Remy brandy, in addition to other premium spirits including Louis XIII, Mount Gay Rum, Botanist Gin, Bruichladdich, Ponche Kuba and Cointreau.

“Rémy Cointreau’s portfolio is exceptional. Each of these brands represents unique flavours and heritage, but all share the same culture of excellence,” said Ms Thomas.

“We are delighted to have such a prestigious

REMY’s Bahamas business development manager, Keiani Thomas, alongside some of the brand’s newest offerings Photo: BBB/Barefoot Marketing

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 71° F/22° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Breezy in the morn‑ ing; mostly sunny

Partly cloudy, warm; a shower late

Some sun with a thunderstorm

Cloudy, a t‑storm; winds subsiding

A t‑storm in spots in the morning

Clouds and sun, a t‑storm; humid

High: 85°

Low: 76°

High: 84° Low: 75°

High: 84° Low: 76°

High: 85° Low: 76°

High: 87° Low: 77°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

90° F

81° F

92°-76° F

90°-81° F

95°-81° F

96°-84° F

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 73° F/23° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

8‑16 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

7‑14 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

S

E

W

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

8‑16 knots

KEY WEST

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

uV inDex toDay

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

1:44 a.m.

2:17 p.m.

2.6 3.1

7:50 a.m.

8:54 p.m.

0.6 0.7

Saturday

2:52 a.m.

3:22 p.m.

2.5 3.0

8:58 a.m.

9:57 p.m.

0.8 0.8

Sunday

3:59 a.m.

4:23 p.m.

2.5 2.9

10:06 a.m. 0.9 10:53 p.m. 0.8

Monday

4:58 a.m.

5:17 p.m.

2.6 2.9

11:06 a.m. 0.9 11:41 p.m. 0.7

Tuesday

5:48 a.m.

6:04 p.m.

2.8 2.9

11:59 a.m. 0.8 ‑‑‑‑‑ ‑‑‑‑‑

Wednesday 6:31 a.m.

6:45 p.m.

2.9 2.8

12:23 a.m. 0.6 12:45 p.m. 0.7

Thursday

3.0 2.8

1:00 a.m.

1:26 p.m.

7:10 a.m.

7:23 p.m.

0.5 0.6

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:12 a.m.

6:36 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

2:10 p.m.

12:05 a.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Oct. 23

Oct. 31

Nov. 8

Nov. 14

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

S

E

W

8‑16 knots

S

8‑16 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 84° F/29° C Low .................................................... 73° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 84° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 72° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 91° F/33° C Last year’s low ................................... 77° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 1.61” Year to date ............................................... 57.22” Normal year to date ................................... 33.60”

portfolio as a part of our offering,” said Bahamian Brewery & Beverage (BBB) Company executive sales and marketing manager, Wellington Seymour.

“Remy Cointreau with its 300-year legacy has an incredible array of products with leading brands in key categories as rum, whiskey, liqueur, gin and cognac.

“Its addition complements our position with the ability to service clients - from East Street to Paradise Island - brands that are ‘a must’ on bars to brands that people are inspired to have on their bucket list. We welcome Remy Cointreau to the Bahamian Brewery family and look forward to satisfying our consumers’ distinctive taste.”

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

7‑14 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 86° F/30° C Low: 82° F/28° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 84° F/29° C Low: 82° F/28° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 81° F/27° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

7‑14 knots

4‑8 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 4‑8 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots

WAVES 8‑12 Feet 5‑9 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 5‑9 Feet 4‑7 Feet 4‑8 Feet 3‑6 Feet 6‑10 Feet 4‑8 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑6 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 6‑10 Feet 4‑8 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 4 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 82° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 85° F 83° F 83° F 80° F 79° F 83° F 82° F 85° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 85° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 83° F

business@tribunemedia.net

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020

$4.10

$4.03

Recovery strategy exposes ‘lost years’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

T

HE Economic Recovery Committee’s (ERC) report is an admission The Bahamas has “wasted three to four years” that may have given it a head-start on COVID-19 recovery, a top banker said yesterday.

Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, told Tribune Business that the 60-page summary report on the committee’s proposals largely mirrored and “regurgitated” many of the recommendations

• ‘Admission’ Bahamas wasted NDP head-start • Top banker says ‘nothing new under the sun’ • Provider: ‘Not earth-shattering, swashbuckling’

GOWON BOWE

that were contained in the National Development Plan (NDP) that was unveiled in 2016 under the former Christie administration.

Suggesting that the government-appointed committee’s work was effectively akin to ‘reinventing the wheel’, Mr Bowe said the failure to start implementing the structural reforms outlined in the National Development Plan represented “an

indictment” of wider Bahamian society.

The former Chamber of Commerce and Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) head added that Bahamians should have “demanded” that their political leaders embrace the National Development Plan, and commit to following through on it, rather than

SEE PAGE 16

Lyford Cay wages equal $3k to all Nassau families

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net LYFORD Cay’s annual wage bill generates the equivalent of $2,858 for every New Providence household as part of a total $453m economic impact, a government-appointed committee has revealed.

The Economic Recovery Committee (ERC), in an appendix to its 60-page executive summary, said the exclusive community on the island’s western tip and associated businesses/facilities were responsible for providing more than 7,000 annual jobs and a $201m annual wage bill.

Drawing on a 2019 economic impact study produced by an Oxford Economics affiliate, which produces similar assessments for other foreign

• Community’s impact pegged at $453m • Extra taxes of 1,286 per family if $90m lost • Over 7,000 jobs rely on west NP enclave direct investment (FDI) projects in The Bahamas, the committee said each New Providence household would have to be “taxed an additional $1,286” per year to replace the $90m in annual taxes generated by Lyford Cay. The study, which appears to have been disclosed to highlight both FDI’s importance and to dispel suggestions in some quarters that Lyford Cay and similar gated enclaves generate little for the Bahamian economy, said the community that is home to the likes of Baha Mar founder, Sarkis Izmirlian, accounted for 2.4 percent of Bahamian gross

Realtor chief ‘annoyed’ over tax hike proposals

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Real Estate Association’s (BREA) president yesterday admitted she was “a little annoyed” that proposals have been made to increase taxes related to the sector without its input.

Christine Wallace-Whitfield told Tribune Business there was too often a “disconnect” between the industry and government on matters affecting Bahamian real estate after the latter’s Economic Recovery Committee (ERC) recommended

Bahamas to eliminate abuse by tax dodgers

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas will eliminate all opportunities for tax dodgers to abuse its financial system by yearend 2020 with the launch of its Tax Residency Certificate (TRC), a Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Elsworth Johnson, minister of financial services, trade and industry and Immigration, said during his national address that The Bahamas will via the certificate give access to financial accounts and

CHRISTINE WALLACE-WHITFIELD

increases in economic permanent residency fees and the $60,000 real property tax “cap” or ceiling.

The committee also called for real property tax to be levied on “high end”

SEE PAGE 17 income records for foreign residents in compliance with global standards.

“By the end of 2020, the Ministry will launch the tax residency certificate,” he said. “This certificate will enable expatriate residents and investors to prove that they are resident in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

“Through this certificate, we will provide access to financial accounts and income records according to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s (OECD) Common Reporting Standards (CRS). The end result will be the elimination of opportunities for those who seek to use our financial systems for tax evasion and avoidance purposes.

domestic product (GDP) or economic output last year.

“In 2019, the Lyford Cay community generated over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, which constituted nearly five percent of the employment in New Providence,” the committee’s report said. “As for income, the community (residents and affiliated businesses) generated some $200m in total income, which is equivalent to some $2,858 for every household in New Providence.

“As for taxes, the residents and businesses of the community paid some $90m to the Public Treasury in 2019. To put this into

perspective, each household in New Providence would need to be taxed an additional $1,286 per year to replace the contribution of the Lyford Cay community and its affiliated businesses in taxes and fees.”

“Affiliated businesses” were defined as the Lyford Cay Property Owners Association; Lyford Cay Club; Lyford Cay Foundation; Lyford Cay International School; and the Lyford Cay Hospital. Besides Lyford Cay residents, sales from associated businesses were also included by Oxford’s Tourism Economics affiliate.

SEE PAGE 16

$4.03

$3.95

‘Curb-side killing construction’: 40% productivity decline

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net AN ex-Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president yesterday said the sector had suffered a 30-40 percent productivity fall due to COVID-19 restrictions, adding: “Curb-side is killing construction.”

Leonard Sands, who admitted practical experience had forced him to change the position he expressed to Tribune Business two weeks ago, said the curb-side limitations imposed on lumber and hardware suppliers had created “an unbelievably stressful” situation for contractors desperately seeking building materials.

Having previously argued that curb-side would have little impact, Mr Sands revealed his view had altered after what would normally be 10-20 minute visits to suppliers and retailers in-store turned into hour-long stays.

Arguing that no merchant appears to have “figured out” how to perform curb-side sales without any hitches, he urged the government to lift this restriction in favour of imposing limitations on how many customers stores are allowed to let in at any point in time based on their square footage size.

Mr Sands argued that it was “illogical” and “ridiculous” that Bahamian consumers were being allowed to pack supermarkets when lumber and hardware stores, which cover thousands of square feet and normally cater to 20-30 customers at a time, have been restricted to curbside only.

Suggesting that lumber and building materials

LEONARD SANDS suppliers have also been overwhelmed by demand, the ex-BCA chief said it was vital that the government adjust its COVID-19 restrictions given that The Bahamas” “economic engine hinges on construction” amid the ongoing tourism shutdown.

“Curb-side is killing the construction industry and all companies are having a hard time adjusting,” Mr Sands told Tribune Business.

“Contractors are frustrated.

This is not working at all. If this persists any longer I can see massive losses ahead for small contractors.”

With time equating to money, especially for smaller contractors, and delays in obtaining/receiving building materials supplies impeding the progress of their works, he conceded: “This is a different situation from what I told you two weeks ago.

I have unfortunately experienced, on the job I am on in western New Providence, having to deal with getting materials curb-side.

“Nobody has it right. It’s sad because the companies that are delivering or are responsible for providing the service, they are struggling. The best of them are struggling. It’s very convoluting and exhausting for the staff as they have to do all the running around.

SEE PAGE 16