10272020 BUSINESS AND FEATURES

business@tribunemedia.net

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020

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BRANVILLE MCCARTNEY

Bran: ‘Talk cheap, money buy land’ on ganja sector By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) ex-leader has urged The Bahamas to move “post haste” on developing a medical marijuana and hemp industry, saying: “Talk is cheap and money buy land.” Branville McCartney, who headed the party when it placed the creation of such a sector on its 2017 general election campaign platform, told Tribune Business that The Bahamas needed to move “in the direction of decriminalisation and legalisation” as suggested by the government-appointed Economic Recovery Committee’s (ERC) report. Calling for medical marijuana, in particular, to be a focus, Mr McCartney said its production and export could evolve into a $500m industry for The Bahamas at a time when reviving its economy post-COVID-19 is becoming ever-more critical. “It is an industry that can help our economy tremendously,” he argued. “It has already strengthened into a multi-billion dollar industry in Canada. It’s a natural resource that grows everywhere. It’s a good move but, of course, we want to make sure it’s done in a way that is beneficial to the selling, export and use of it for medicinal purposes. “It’s good for these things to be said, but we need to have it acted on and acted on as soon as possible. I think that if we can act on it quickly we can still catch the boat, or catch the ferry as they say.” Mr McCartney said the DNA’s medical marijuana plans were “looked down upon by other members of the political regime”, including the present government, when they were articulated during the 2017 general election campaign. “I’m certainly glad they’re looking at it now in a positive light,” he added, “but at the end of the day talk is cheap and money buy land. It will be difficult, but I am

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Grand Lucaya sale needs ‘double deal’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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HE Grand Lucayan’s sale will not close until Royal Caribbean and its joint venture partner have sealed the deal for Freeport Harbour, a Cabinet minister disclosed to Tribune Business. Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, confirmed that ITM Group and the cruise line want to seal “the entire transaction at once” to protect their commercial interests and not hand an advantage to either Freeport Harbour Company or the government. “We would obviously like to conclude the entire transaction at the same time,” Mr D’Aguilar told this newspaper. “So, yes, ITM wants to conclude the entire transaction at once. They don’t want to close on one part of the deal and the other part of the deal is still pending.” The minister’s confirmation adds another twist to long-running negotiations

• ITM/Royal Caribbean won’t buy hotel without harbour • Govt lost Hutchison leverage via 20-year tax break • December 10 targeted to close critical $300m deal

THE GRAND LUCAYAN HOTEL

DIONISIO D’AGUILAR that are attempting to get an agreement perceived as vital to Freeport’s economic and tourism revival over the line amid the devastation

inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ITM Group/Royal Caribbean joint venture, known as Holistica, is understandably reluctant to close the Grand Lucayan’s purchase without first sealing an agreement with Freeport Harbour Company, and its 50 percent shareholder and manager, Hutchison Whampoa. Securing the hotel without the harbour, and the proposed additional cruise berths and water-based adventure theme park,

SOME 75 percent of small Bahamian businesses face a persistent competitive disadvantage because they are up against rivals in an “informal economy” that generates up to 30 percent of Bahamian GDP. An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report, accompanying its recent $200m loan to the government, drew on International Monetary Fund (IMF) research to reveal that more than of this nation’s legitimate mediumsized firms face similar challenges from unregulated competitors able to undercut them on price due to tax evasion and other factors. Describing the so-called “underground” or informal economy as one of the key “structural factors affecting the competitiveness of

would hand the advantage to Hutchison. Knowing that ITM/Royal Caribbean will now be desperate to tie down terms for the harbour to complement the Grand Lucayan, Hutchison could seek to alter the deal to its commercial advantage and extract extra concessions from the joint venture. Thus ITM/Royal Caribbean’s interest in sealing both aspects of its $300m project simultaneously. However, sources familiar with developments, speaking on condition of anonymity, argued that the government has done too little to push Freeport Harbour Company and Hutchison to close their end of a complex deal. And Tribune Business can reveal that the government has little negotiating leverage with Hutchison Whampoa

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Rebranded bank targets 40% managed asset rise By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN investment bank is targeting up to 40 percent growth for its assets under management by the mid-2020s as it eyes expansion into territories such as Jamaica “over the next year”. Michael Anderson, the former RoyalFidelity Merchant Bank & Trust’s president, told Tribune Business it is poised to act on its ambitions to become a panCaribbean player after it was approved for a banking and securities licence in the Cayman Islands last week. The institution, which has now been renamed RF Bank & Trust more than a year after it completed its management-led buyout from Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) and Royal Bank of Canada, believes the Cayman regulatory approvals represent the final piece in the platform that will provide the

• Former RoyalFidelity eyes Jamaica, T&C • Cayman licence completes uniform product platform • Territory’s US$ offering boost for regional ambitions

MICHAEL ANDERSON springboard for further regional growth. Mr Anderson, in a recent interview, said it now has the ability to “fully market” the RF Bank & Trust name in The Bahamas, Barbados and Cayman Islands - the three markets it currently serves - backed by a consistent product portfolio that offers the exact same menu in all three territories. Sensing opportunities to offer staff pension

management and administration services to Caribbean companies with a presence in multiple territories, he added that Cayman’s open currency system - in contrast to the closed structures in The Bahamas and Barbados - will give RF Bank & Trust the platform to offer US dollar services across multiple jurisdictions. Disclosing that the Bahamian-headquartered institution’s plan was to grow its asset base “by more than ten percent per annum across the three countries”, Mr Anderson acknowledged that achieving such expansion will depend heavily on the pace at which this nation’s economy and those of the region recovery from COVID-19.

‘Informal economy’: 75% of SMES at disadvantage By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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• Undercut by rivals avoiding tax and regulation • More than half of medium firms hit by same trends • Just 0.5% of Bahamas firms using ‘advanced tech’ small-scale private businesses”, the IDB document said this unregulated, untaxed sector was likely to account for “about 20-30 percent of GDP” or economic output in The Bahamas. “The costs and consequences of informality are well known: Unfair competition due to avoidance of social and fiscal obligations, lack of access to credit markets or to public financing, low productivity firms with limited capacities to grow and innovate,” the IDB said. “High business registration costs can generate perverse incentives towards maintaining informality, especially among micro-enterprises. “Currently, the percentage

of firms competing against unregistered or informal firms is 74.6 percent in the small firms’ segment, and 52.6 percent among medium firms. To reduce the level of informality, changes in start-up regulation should also include specific mechanisms to incentivise formalisation through simplified registration.” As for business capacity, the IDB report added: “Bahamian firms face challenges derived from their low use of technology and low capacity for innovation. Bahamian firms experience low complexity - existing industries are not closely connected and face challenges in upgrading products or moving into

more complex parts of the supply chain.” It said there was “insufficient innovative activity”, as only 22 percent of Bahamian companies are involved in innovation that “is more prevalent in the manufacturing sector”, while there is “practically non-existent use of high technology”. The report said just 0.5 percent of Bahamian companies “have adopted advanced technology” such as licensed technologies. “In addition, Bahamian micro, small and mediumsized businesses (MSMEs) lag in the adoption of digital technology, and therefore miss out on the potential

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While the pandemic has deterred many would-be investors, the RF Bank & Trust chief said it has also created “opportunities that come with change, and it’s how you take advantage of it”. He added that the merchant bank’s new name had been “rolled out fairly quietly” from late August/ early September 2020 as it waited to obtain all the necessary regulatory approvals in The Bahamas, Barbados and Cayman so that it could finally achieve a uniform brand and product portfolio. “We finally got this approved late last week,” Mr Anderson told Tribune Business of the Cayman banking and securities investment

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$3.95 Tourism losing $8.5m yearly to plastic pollution By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamian tourism industry is losing up to $8.5m annually to plastic beach pollution, an InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) report has revealed, undermining the sector’s key attraction. The report, accompanying the multilateral lender’s recent $200m loan to the government, said plastics had been shown to account for more than 90 percent of marine debris on Eleuthera by recent research. “Plastic waste can have negative impacts on tourism, recreational activities, and damage vessels. In The Bahamas, it is estimated that plastic beach pollution could cause up to $8.5m in tourism losses annually,” the IDB said. “In 2010, plastic marine debris accumulation for The Bahamas was estimated between 200 and 533m metric tons. A recent study carried out in Eleuthera Island shows that 93 percent of all marine debris corresponds to plastic. Until 2019, there was no legislation nor regulations in place to manage or ban the use of plastics in The Bahamas.” That refers to the legislation banning plastic bags, with the IDB adding: “Governments can influence manufacturing of products and provisions of services that are less harmful to the environment by including legal and regulatory frameworks that incentivise green solutions. “Until 2019, The Bahamas had no clear legal guidance regarding sustainable procurement practices for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) for the reduction of the adverse environmental and social impacts of purchased products, nor incentives for suppliers to adopt practices that minimise the negative impacts. “Prior to 2019, the BEST Commission oversaw the approval of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environmental Management Plans (EMP), but had no strong mechanisms for their enforcement by, for example, issuing fines or requiring restoration. In addition, the procedures for EIAs needed to be strengthened in terms of providing greater transparency and enhancing consultation measures.”

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PAGE 2, Tuesday, October 27, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

TIME TO REVISIT VEHICLE INSPECTION OUTSOURCING By YOURI KEMP and NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Reporters A BAHAMIAN auto dealer yesterday suggested the COVID-related backlogs and shortages at the Road Traffic Department should reignite discussions on outsourcing the vehicle inspection process. Rick Lowe, the Bahamas Motor Dealers Association’s (BMDA) secretary, told Tribune Business “maybe it’s the right time to outsource” the annual inspections to licensed auto dealers and mechanic shops even as the Association was yesterday forced to dispel claims this has already been set in motion. Ben Albury, the BMDA’s vice-president, said in a statement issued to this newspaper: “The Bahamas Motor Dealers Association (BMDA) is aware of a meme circulating on social media that states the Road Traffic Department has signed an arrangement for three of our member firms

to carry out vehicle inspections for annual licensing. “While the BMDA thinks it a good idea to privatise the inspection process, as it is done all over the world, we have not been invited to any further meetings on this subject since we were approached by the thenminister of transport, the controller of Road Traffic and others in 2008.” The social media posting, which Tribune Business has obtained, states: “Starting next year, the Road Traffic Department will not be doing inspections for vehicles any more. Companies like Sanpin Motors, Auto Mall, Nassau Motor Company and Quality Auto have signed an arrangement with the government to do all the inspections.” Quality Auto is part of Auto Mall, hence the BMDA statement’s reference to three companies. While the social media posting was dismissed by the BMDA as ‘fake news’, Mr Lowe said it nevertheless presented an opportunity to reignite

decade-old discussions on outsourcing the vehicle inspection process given the Road Traffic Department’s present difficulties. “Maybe it’s the right time to privatise,” he said. “I’d hate for them to miss the opportunity. It [the fake social media posting] certainly opens the discussion, or should open the discussion, instead of formenting silliness. “Privatisation doesn’t mean just two or three people doing it, but we’ve been down this road before in 2008 when the government wanted to change the inspection process to a service.” Multiple countries, such as the UK, have outsourced their vehicle inspection process to private auto dealers, garages and mechanics. They perform a complete check of a vehicle, collecting the inspection fee and remitting the government’s share to it while keeping a portion to cover their costs. Mr Lowe said such a system, while beneficial for road safety since it would

apply far greater scrutiny to a vehicle’s worthiness than the present rudimentary Road Traffic inspection, would likely also involve a rise in inspection fees to cover the provider’s costs as well as ensure the government receives no less revenue than it does presently. The political implications of imposing such a increase on Bahamians likely deterred the government in 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on jobs and incomes may have a similar effect now. Public-private partnerships (PPPs), such as that submitted by Franklyn Robinson and Charles Beneby, principals in Bahamas Automobile Safety and Inspection Centre Ltd (BASIC), for a $25m new Road Traffic Department and inspection centre have also been proposed to the government over the years. Multiple sources have told Tribune Business that the Road Traffic Department’s (RTD) curb-side system is not working, with

the half-day vehicle inspection process resulting in long lines building up at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. Drivers towards the back of the queue are frequently being told to come back another day as they will not be seen before the 1pm cut-off. The department is also understood to have been out of new and replacement vehicle licence plates for three to four weeks, although this was denied by its controller, Bradley Sands. However, one Tribune reporter, who applied and paid to replace a single license plate on August 17, and was told to return to the Department at the end of October to pick up the plate, was told last week to return in January 2021 because it was “not ready”. When confronted, Mr Sands replied: “I am not aware of that. Well, if that is your story then run with that.” Calls to the minister for transport, Dion Foulkes, were unsuccessful up to

press time as well as calls placed to the ministry. However, in his national address late yesterday, Mr Foulkes admitted that COVID-19 had “taken its toll on operations” at the Road Traffic Department. “One of the positive outcomes has been the implementation of the drive-through system which has sought to reduce the need for ‘in-person’ interaction, eliminating the congestion of long lines and the resultant overflow of customers wishing to access the department’s services,” he said. “With the continued lockdowns, this aspect of the department’s revised service delivery continues to work smoothly. Additionally, recognising the importance of servicing motorists in these challenging times, we will soon re-open a satellite agency in New Providence for licensing and inspection of vehicles. This Road Traffic facility will be located at West Bay Street, adjacent to Clifford Park.”

BTC provides tablets to aid online learning THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has provided tablets to students in Grand Bahama and Eleuthera to aid their transition to virtual learning in the COVID-19 pandemic. Garfield “Garry” Sinclair, BTC’s chief executive, said: “Access to education is a right and not a privilege, so we at BTC are investing in tomorrow by supporting our students today. We’ve provided them with quality tablets in several islands to assist with addressing the access to technology gap.” The company also provided a new desktop computer to supplement

the equipment at the Old Bight Mission Home in Cat Island. Ivan Butler, district superintendent for the Ministry of Education in Grand Bahama and Bimini, said: “Grand Bahama has been challenged by continued natural disasters and now the pandemic. Your donation is timely and appropriate, and will greatly advance the education of several students in our district. The Ministry of Education is committed to embracing technology through its virtual platform as a means of educating our students.” BTC also provided branded protective masks

FROM left: Vanessa Cartwright (BTC); Tenecia Wood (BTC retail store manager; Tamina Anderson, Ministry of Education, Grand Bahama; students from Jack Hayward Junior High School; Ivan Butler, district superintendent, Ministry of Education, Grand Bahama; Angelica Rolle, BTC; and Leteasha Lord, marketing and communications, BTC. for Oakes Field Primary, Stapeldon School,

Gambier Primary, H.O. Nash and Thelma Gibson.

Tablets were provided to Thelma Gibson Primary

and students in Abaco and Eleuthera.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 27, 2020, PAGE 3

DENY LONG Water Corp chief: Cut-off SUPPLIERS CONTRACTOR WAIT TIME supplier was given $4m By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE reverse osmosis plant operator that cut-off Central Eleuthera’s water supply has been paid $4m this year to cover debts owed by the Water & Sewerage Corporation, it was disclosed yesterday. Adrian Gibson, the state-owned water utility’s executive chairman, told the House of Assembly that Aqua Design Bahamas had threatened to disrupt water supply on the Family Islands where it operates “on at least five occasions” before taking last week’s action on Eleuthera. He revealed that the company, a subsidiary of SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions, had previously written a letter warning that it would cut-off supply on San Salvador and Inagua, as well as Eleuthera, because the Water & Sewerage Corporation had failed to pay the sums due to it. Echoing Desmond Bannister, minister of works, the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s executive chairman slammed Aqua Design’s actions as “cold and callous”, and “beyond the pale”. “We were stunned when one of our reverse osmosis operators, of foreign origin, deliberately and egregiously shut off the water supply to the people of Central Eleuthera. Such is especially condemnatory. It is beyond cold and callous; it is simply inhumane, and a flagrant and barbaric atrocity against the people of The Bahamas, and most especially the people of Central Eleuthera,” Mr Gibson blasted. He added that, based on the 2010 population census, some 2,363 persons out of Eleuthera’s 11,515-strong population were unable to bathe, cook, wash their hands and adhere to good hygiene practices for at least several days while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. “This company has a history of conducting themselves in a manner that can harm the Bahamian people,” Mr Gibson added of Aqua Design. “On at least five occasions the company’s general manager has callously threatened to disrupt the water supply to the

ADRIAN GIBSON Bahamian public. “In a letter sent to us a few months ago, they threatened the water supply in Eleuthera, San Salvador and Inagua. Even now, in the face of all they have done, to them it is still all about the money.” The Water & Sewerage Corporation was forced last Thursday night to obtain an emergency Supreme Court injunction forcing Aqua Design to resume supply, after a recent $1.7m payment on its debt - made in two tranches - proved insufficient incentive for it to cut the water back on. However, Aqua Design and its parent revealed in a statement to Tribune Business that they plan to challenge the injunction obtained by the Water & Sewerage Corporation on the basis that “inaccurate statements” had been made to the Supreme Court to obtain it. WSC had obtained an injunction to get the company to begin producing water again, however the company, Aqua Design along with its parent SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions, said that they will challenge the injunction claiming that inaccurate statements were made by the WSC to obtain it from the supreme court. Acknowledging that the timing of its actions was “unfortunate”, Aqua Design blamed the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s delinquency in paying debts due to the company for leaving it with no choice but to act as it did. “Water & Sewerage Corporation has consistently, and for many years, been delinquent in paying for the service provided,” Aqua Design said. “With regard to Central Eleuthera, there have been multiple attempts

to work diligently with Water & Sewerage Corporation to avoid having to cease production at the plant and resolve the matter. “However, they have generally been non-responsive. We have sent multiple communications over the course of several months, but it was only after the plant was shut down that Water & Sewerage Corporation acted. “Rest assured we did not make the decision lightly. By not paying their bills, Water & Sewerage Corporation has risked water supply for the people of Eleuthera, and their non-payment has now brought this to a head at an unfortunate time.” In response, Mr Gibson said yesterday: “I have been instructed that, last Thursday night, Water & Sewerage Corporation lawyers appeared before Supreme Court justice Indra Charles and successfully obtained an interlocutory injunction. “An order was filed and served, and water was restored to the people of Central Eleuthera on Friday past. That order compelled the immediate reinstatement of production and supply of water to the Central Eleuthera settlement, and we urge that there should be no demobilisation process or further interference. “They [Aqua Design] are talking about setting aside an injunction that allows people to get water based on legal technicalities rather than apologising to the people of Eleuthera. They’re not saying that they have any merit; they’re saying that they are going to apply to set aside on a minor technical point,” Mr Gibson continued. “Let me say that any threat to disconnect any island of this country would be beyond the pale. We have had similar threats in south Eleuthera, and are being told that in order to increase water output we would have to sign a two-year contract extension for an increased guaranteed amount and pay more money. It was never contemplated that a guaranteed amount under a contract would fluctuate in accordance with a state of arrears.” Mr Gibson said there was a contractual provision in the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s agreement with

Eleuthera businesses suffer ‘tremendous’ water cut-off hit By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net BUSINESSES in central Eleuthera yesterday complained that their operations were affected “tremendously” by the water supply cut-off over the past week. Keithra Sands, owner/ operator of C&K Car Rental, told Tribune Business: “The water disconnections have been affecting us tremendously because we cannot clean our cars, and we cannot do anything we needed to do. I think we were off for about six days. “I’m not to work right now because, as I said, without the water we were unable to wash cars or anything like that, or any necessities like bathe or wash dishes, and the only water we could have gotten was the water that we paid for from the water truck. Thank God it is back on now, it has affected us tremendously.” Water supply was interrupted in Central Eleuthera last week due to a payment dispute between the Water and Sewerage Corporation and its reverse osmosis plant operator, which resulted in the latter cutting off supplies. Michaela Wells, owner/ operator of Sentry Shield Security & Locksmith, said: “Our water is on, so I can’t say that I honestly experienced a disconnection, but what I can say is that the quality of the water is horrible. It’s brackish and it has an odour. The quality of it is bad.”

Ms Wells, whose business is in Lower Bouge, added: “Our water is on currently, so I wasn’t even aware disconnections were happening, but the only thing I can say is the quality of the water, it’s bad. In Current at home where we live, the water was turned off by 7pm in the night-time and then turned back on later. That has been happening. “But in Lower Bogue, where the business is concerned, it was consistent; it was on. In our home, we don’t know if the water is going to be on or water is going to be off. Monday night it went off at about 7pm, and when we woke up yesterday morning it was back on.” Jermaine Cancino, general manager of Lutra Pure, said: “The water disconnections haven’t impacted

our business and we have been getting water. It’s just a brief delay of actually a day. It’s sporadic as one day it was off and one day it was on, and so on and so forth, but it hasn’t affected our business.” “The locals and stuff like that have been complaining about the water being on and off, and it’s kind of inconveniencing because obviously during this time of COVID you would need water to wash your hands and that shouldn’t be. “But mostly this has affected Governor’s Harbour from my understanding, and that’s about two settlements down from us in Hatchet Bay. During this time it is paramount that they should keep the water services on, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Aqua Design that deal with any accumulation of arrears owed by the former. Arguing that there was no justification for the cut-off, as the corporation has been making inroads into the arrears, he added: “We have made 12 payments this year. One was made in September for $1m, and another being a week ago of $700,000. Those payments this year amount to roughly $4m. “Deals that gave contracts for terms of 15 years to 20 years, just like we see here now, called upon Water & Sewerage Corporation to provide the land, called upon Water & Sewerage Corporation to pay for the electricity for the water production, and saw Water & Sewerage Corporation grant Customs concessions to these entities. “That saw Water & Sewerage Corporation pay for all consumables and even drill wells. That demanded Water & Sewerage Corporation pay every time they start their generators. That was one fee, just the cranking of the generator, and then they paid separately for fuel plus a mark-up of 15 percent, so the generator was one fee and the fuel was another fee, plus a mark-up of 15 percent on the fuel. A number of other ridiculous, grossly skewed clauses, were seen.” Mr Gibson said that the majority of these “skewed contracts” were signed under the first Christie administration between 2004 and 2005.

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

BUILDING supply and hardware stores say contractors are not having to endure long wait times in their efforts to secure essential supplies. Brent Burrows, CBS Bahamas (Commonwealth Building Supplies) principal, told Tribune Business: “We are not having any big issues as it relates to long lines, but my advantage is that we do have the online shopping, so all of our contractors can go online and charge to their accounts. So that’s not an issue with us. “I would assume that the other building supply stores don’t have the ability for the online. I know with the other stores that is a problem, and even contractors who don’t have an account with us, they go online and print out the order that they want so when they come to the curbside they have an order in their hand ready to go and it takes us a very quick time to get it filled. “We have seen a huge decline in sales, however, with just curbside, but I would say for our customers that I don’t see a very long delay in getting supplies. We have not had that experience and we are turning our customers around pretty quickly. I have to say that the success of this is because our customers can go to our e-commerce site and practically order whatever it is they want and then they only have to come and collect.” Mr Burrows and others were responding to

complaints voiced by exBahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president, Leonard Sands, that delays involved in obtaining essential building materials due to COVID-19’s curbside restrictions had cut construction job site productivity by 30-40 percent. Raymond Collins, general manager of Tops Lumber and Plumbing, said: “Just looking at what we did this week, it hasn’t been bad and our curbside works so well because we have a unique set-up here. “People drive in with their cars. We serve them from our trucks and they don’t even have to get out. I can’t say we have been doing badly at all to be honest with you, but I have seen the actual figures and I see the daily sales and they are not bad at all. “I have heard some situations where some contractors have long waiting periods, and a lot of that depends on the set-up of each company and how they handle the situation. Some are not as fortunate as we are; we have a drive through situation which makes it really easy. “You just drive in for your lumber, you get served and you drive out. We also have a drive-through at our front door for anything from the inside of the store, so there is no real wait time for any of our customers.”

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PAGE 4, Tuesday, October 27, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Grand Lucaya sale needs ‘double deal’ FROM PAGE ONE and its Freeport-based entities due to the tradeoff deal struck by the former Christie administration to secure Carnival’s Grand Bahama cruise port investment. An “agreement for waiver of exclusivity”, signed on May 3, 2016, saw Freeport Harbour Company agree to give up the monopoly it has held on the ownership/operation of all cruise ports, offshore cruise moorings and container ports on Grand Bahama since June 28, 1994. This removed a major obstacle to Carnival’s investment but, in return, the Christie administration gave up its best leverage/ negotiating tool by giving most of Hutchison Whampoa’s Freeport entities - the Freeport Harbour Company, Grand Bahama Airport Company and, most crucially, Grand Bahama Development

Company (DevCo), a 20-year real property tax break through to 2036. While DevCo’s concession was made conditional on it supplying a master plan for development of its 80,000 acre holdings, no administration has held it to account for this obligation either. The absence of real property tax means it faces no “carrying costs” for its assets until 2036, effectively robbing the government of critical negotiating leverage to push it to develop its real estate portfolio. The waiver, which bears the signature of Godfrey Smith, Hutchison’s top Freeport executive and head of the Harbour Company, also exempts the Hutchison-controlled entities from taxes on income/ earnings, capital gains and capital appreciation through 2036. Sources familiar with the Grand Lucayan negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government - after

many missed deal closing targets - was now eyeing December 10, 2020, to seal an agreement that was signed in early March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. Mr D’Aguilar, acknowledging that the talks have involved “many twists and turns”, also conceded: “It’s still very much a work in progress.” He referred Tribune Business to Kwasi Thompson, the temporarily-resigned minister of state for Grand Bahama, for further comment but he could not be contacted despite multiple attempts yesterday. Some contacts, though, are voicing concern that the original Grand Lucayan deal has been “watered down” amid a COVID19 environment that has shuttered the global cruise industry and inflicted major hardship on The Bahamas. One source argued that the March 2020 agreement has been diluted to the point where the hotel will

basically be used to support Royal Caribbean’s return and its cruise ship business, rather than provide an “anchor” for Freeport’s revival as a stopover destination. “The deal keeps getting watered down,” one contact, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “Some say it no longer resembles what was done in March 2020. They [Holistica] are using the hotel as a prop to support their cruise business. It’s good for the cruise ship business, but does not do anything for Port Lucaya and tourism on Grand Bahama. “The government must know when it’s time to hold and when it’s time to fold, and get up from the table and walk away. My understanding is that there’s nothing in it for the hotel, and they are almost giving it away. They have beaten it into submission.” Another wellplaced source, also speaking on condition of

anonymity, confirmed the targeted December close but confirmed that “a lot of conditions” were being attached by ITM/Royal Caribbean including the project’s revised development timelines going forward. This is in line with the prime minister’s recent House of Assembly speech, in which Dr Hubert Minnis said: “ITM and Royal Caribbean, as a joint venture partnership Holistica, have indicated their intention to carry out their investment in the Grand Lucayan project and redevelopment of the cruise port. “The developer has proposed an amended phased approach to the development which is presently under review by the government.” The source said the joint venture, due to the delays caused by COVID19 and the cruise industry’s closure, was now looking at a 2021 construction start and two-year build-out that

will take completion into 2023. “There’s no sense in opening at this time if we don’t have an airport,” they added, suggesting that ITM/ Royal Caribbean is the only group that can undertake the tourism transformation that Freeport needs. “Royal Caribbean is the only group that can pull this off in a zero tourism town and zero airport town,” the source said. “We may as well be realistic. It’s going to take three years. They’re not going to open the hotel with no cruise ship and no airport. “The government is looking at those dates because it’s being realistic. It’s not going to get anyone to buy the hotel and repair it now. If you buy the hotel, who’s coming? December is certainly being pushed as the government would like them to complete the purchase of the hotel and take it off their hands, so they can say they’ve closed the deal.”

Rebranded bank targets 40% managed asset rise FROM PAGE ONE licence. “We are now able to get the website upgraded with one brand for all three countries and have common services in all three. We now have the same products and services available in all three markets. “Up to last week we were unable to offer banking and securities services in Cayman. The full range of products that RoyalFidelity

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has been offering in Barbados and The Bahamas for the last 20 years is now going to be available in Cayman. It’s another big step for us getting into a new market. “Through our presence in Cayman we can offer banking services and pension services to the eastern Caribbean and other Caribbean islands we have not really focused on yet. As we go into Cayman and become more of a regional player, we want to expand our services into other Caribbean islands,” he continued. “It’s also more of a US dollar base, whereas in The Bahamas and Barbados we have a closed currency market, so Cayman will be more of an open currency market.”

Mr Anderson explained that the Cayman banking and securities licence represented the final step in a two-year process to create RF Bank & Trust, which began in late 2018 when it agreed terms to buy-out RBC’s 50 percent stake in the then-RoyalFidelity. The deal to purchase the remaining 50 percent equity interest from its BISX-listed affiliate soon followed. The RF Bank & Trust chief said the 10,000-strong pension client base, which it had acquired from Fidelity Bank’s Cayman affiliate, will provide a “good base of business” for it to crosssell banking, securities and investments products to. “We have a consistent brand so we can start

marketing across the entire region, which is what we’ve been waiting for,” Mr Anderson said. “Having got Cayman we are able to push the brand out across the region. Our Barbados and Bahamas markets are going to start rebranding to a greater extent. “We’ve managed to get approval for a name change, approval for three licences at three levels, so we’ve effectively finished putting the infrastructure in place for regional operations and to become a better known regional brand. “We’d like to see our services expand into the eastern Caribbean, Turks & Caicos and Jamaica over the next year as we’re able to get into these spaces with the US

dollar currency capability of Cayman. We see an opportunity where the services we offer in The Bahamas and Barbados will be just as marketable in other countries with a US dollar product.” While the COVID-19 pandemic’s fall-out had created significant uncertainty for Caribbean economies and capital markets, particularly around the timing and strength of any recovery, Mr Anderson said RF Bank & Trust aimed to use its multijurisdiction presence to offer itself as a sole pension provider for companies with a pan-regional offering. “We’ve very close to $1bn in assets under management at the moment, and over $2bn in assets under administration,” he told Tribune

Business. “What we’re looking to do is grow assets under management over the next three to four years to $1.3bn-$1.4bn... The target is to grow by more than ten percent per annum between the three countries based on asset base.” While achieving such growth targets will be heavily influenced by COVID-19 related factors, Mr Anderson said RF Bank & Trust will have enhanced its software capacity to enable it to become a regional player by 2021. “It’s an exciting time in a way as much as it’s daunting with all these other things taking place,” he added. “It’s the opportunity that comes with change, and it’s how you take advantage of it.”

CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE CHILDREN AT RANFURLY

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he Ranfurly Homes for Children has been a safe haven for thousands of Bahamian children since 1956. The Home provides a safe, structured environment for children who have been orphaned, abused, neglected or abandoned. YOU can make a difference in the lives of the children at Ranfurly. With your support children can have nutritious food, warm beds and a safe environment where they can discover the joy of being children. For years the children living and learning at Ranfurly have made great social and academic strides. Their further development requires additional support in the form of a Transitional Home, planned for construction on the Ranfurly property. This residence will cater to teenagers and young adults who are beyond school age, but need accommodation while they find work and gain independence from the Home. We look forward to your continued support in this worthwhile endeavour.

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For more information visit: www.ranfurlyhome.org Please “Like” us on Facebook Ranfurly Home for Children, Mackey Street P.O. Box 1413 Nassau, Bahamas 242-393-3115

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 27, 2020, PAGE 5

Bran: ‘Talk cheap, money buy land’ on ganja sector FROM PAGE ONE sure this industry can be comparable to the tourism industry when it started out. “I would venture to guess it could be $500m starting out in terms of medical marijuana and exporting it. It could start as a $500m industry for this country, and that could go a long, long way in terms of bringing this economy back.” The ERC committee’s report recommended that all Bahamas-based companies involved in the production, manufacturing, sale and export of cannabis must have a “minimum” of 50 percent Bahamian ownership.

Tourism losing $8.5m yearly to plastic pollution FROM PAGE ONE

As for The Bahamas’ efforts at marine conservation, the IDB said: “The Bahamas committed to achieve a healthy marine

YOUR

It also called for the government to “make crown land available to Bahamians to cultivate cannabis (with special provisions for small-scale farmers and the Rastafarian community), and manufacture cannabisbased products”. “The government should avoid over-regulation of the market, which will have the effect of sustaining a black market for smaller producers or retailers who do not have the means to navigate complex bureaucracies,” the ERC added. It also urged an exemption of CBD products - hemp and hemp derivative products with minimal or no THC levels - “from the regulatory ambit, and permit their trade with minimal restriction”.

Taking up the suggestion in the House of Assembly, the prime minister said both the ERC and National Commission on Marijuana were united in their belief that the marijuana laws “are outdated and must change”. “The commission recommended allowing medicinal marijuana use. The ERC has recommended the full legalisation of marijuana for medicinal, religious and recreational purposes coupled with an appropriate but nimble regulatory regime that oversees the production and manufacturing, sale, consumption,and export of marijuana,” Dr Hubert Minnis said. “The global legal cannabis market is already

in the billions of dollars with significant projected growth in the years to come. We are reviewing the possible legalisation of a hemp industry and will report back to the nation following greater public consultation. “A hemp industry would include variations of cannabis low in THC. Bahamian-owned or majority Bahamian-owned companies must - and will - lead any new hemp industry in The Bahamas. Hemp is used in multiple products from clothing to building materials and even in tea bags, such as some Lipton’s tea bags. There are potentially many opportunities for creative Bahamian businesspeople to get involved in this new industry.”

and coastal environment by creating a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In 2016, with 41 MPAs, The Bahamas achieved a protection of ten percent of its marine and coastal habitat and, in 2017, the country committed to protect 20 percent by 2020. “However, a gap analysis carried out in 2017

showed that only 20 percent of the spawning fish areas, 50 percent of tidal creeks, eight percent of seagrass beds and 30 percent of coral reefs were protected. In addition, there were no protected areas in critical zones such as Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island and the western Great Bahama Bank. “Once new MPAs have

been established, they require the development and execution of management plans that clearly define the conservation goals and actively involve the communities. In addition, the institutions in charge of declaring, managing and financing MPAs required clearer governance and financial mechanisms.”

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

‘Informal economy’: 75% of SMES at disadvantage FROM PAGE ONE benefits in productivity and competitiveness,” the IDB added. “As businesses around the world are becoming digital at an accelerated pace, companies that do not strengthen their digital capabilities are at risk of being disrupted and sent out of business by other companies that do acquire advanced digital capabilities.” This, the multilateral lender said, was occurring at a global as well as national and regional level as digitisation gave access to goods and services across borders. Failure to keep up with the pace of digital evolution, it added, will make it difficult for Bahamian companies to add value and integrate into supply chains, leaving them vulnerable to “stagnation” and losing opportunities provided by the shared economy and cloud-based services. Acknowledging the government’s efforts to reform via the introduction of the provisional business licence for “low risk” businesses, and the launch of its e-business portal, the IDB nevertheless said present indicators suggested obtaining a licence still cost the equivalent of 13.8 percent of per capita income. “Changes to business regulation affect the number and size of firms

in the market. The number of days and procedures taken to register firms that are ready to begin operations equates to standstill capital and forgone profits. In addition, entry of new firms results in higher productivity because of the reallocation of resources from inefficient firms to new entrants,” the IDB report said. Adding that minority investor protections “are still not enough” despite recent reforms to the Companies Act, Securities Industry Act and accompanying regulations, it added: “Minority shareholder protection has long been seen as a point to strengthen in Bahamian capital markets’ regulation, especially when it comes to takeovers of publicly-traded companies. “It has been challenging for minority investors to obtain influence on the boards of publicly-traded companies via independent directors and achieve more even-handed consideration when controlling/majority investors were bought out. “In order to promote the growth of capital markets, investments will have to be more attractive and provide sources of finance to small, rapidly growing firms, and the current legal and regulatory framework will need to provide a stronger framework on disclosure of conflict of interest, shareholder governance and rules regarding takeover of companies.”

PAGE 6, Tuesday, October 27, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

As virus resurges, so does fear of more economic pain ahead WASHINGTON Associated Press WITH winter looming and confirmed viral cases rising, Bob Szuter’s craft brewery and restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, could use another government lifeline to help survive until spring. So could many restaurants and bars that buy his beer. Szuter knows of nearly 20 in the region that have folded, with many others “limping along”. As a small businessman, Szuter benefited from the multi-trillion-dollar stimulus aid that Congress passed in March after the pandemic recession flattened the economy. Countless other business people did, too, along with millions of laidoff workers, struggling states and localities and individual Americans. All that aid is gone. Yet prospects for more federal stimulus this year appear all but dead, clouding the future for the unemployed, for small businesses like Szuter’s and for the economy as a whole. Now, with confirmed COVID cases surging across the United States, so is the risk that the economy could weaken again as more

IN this April 23, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump’s name is seen on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, in San Antonio. All that aid is now gone. Yet prospects for more federal stimulus this year appear all but dead, clouding the future for the unemployed, for small businesses and for the economy as a whole. Photo: Eric Gay/AP people choose to hunker down at home — and that even more stimulus might be needed next year than negotiators in Washington are contemplating. Johns Hopkins University data shows that more than 83,000 infections were reported both Friday and Saturday — well above the previous record high. The University of Washington’s Institute for

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that ELTA SAINTVIL of Sun Light Cottage Off East Street, Nassau, 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 20th day of October 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that the US death toll, now roughly 225,000, could top 318,000 by Jan 1. Since early September, Szuter’s restaurant has enjoyed a modest revival with outdoor dining on a street converted to a patio. Szuter, the co-owner with his father of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, is investing in tents and heaters. But he worries that cold weather and the resurgence of the virus will depress business again as more people stay away. “It’s been a struggle,” said Szuter, 35. “Any sort

of additional support would be extremely helpful at this point, especially going into the cooler months.” It’s possible, if unlikely, that a small economic-relief package will be approved in a post-election “lame duck” session of Congress. More likely, a broad rescue measure could be enacted early next year, particularly if Joe Biden wins the presidency and his fellow Democrats capture the Senate. Even if President Donald Trump were to win re-election, most analysts foresee at least a modest stimulus next year.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, DEZJA D’ANTE GIBSON of New Providence and #7 Wellington Street, intend to change my name to DEZJA D’ANTE GIBSON to DEJAH D’ANTE ROLLE. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

MONDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2020

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:

CLOSE

CHANGE

2080.91

-0.34

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

-0.02 -150.69

-6.75

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

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.07 22.66 2.00 1.79 2.46 6.00 6.75 4.70 8.59 4.50 6.16 12.77 3.64 5.65 10.88 8.44 16.99 4.25 9.33 15.21

52WK LOW 3.13 22.65 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 3.76 5.99 11.26 2.15 5.60 10.43 8.44 14.30 3.96 8.19 15.20

CLOSE 4.05 17.43 1.62 1.79 1.67 6.00 6.75 2.99 4.75 3.76 5.99 11.26 2.14 5.65 10.30 8.44 14.30 3.95 8.19 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 (0.01) 0.05 (0.13) 0.00 0.00 (0.01) 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 50

1,000

4,000

2,000

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 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

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

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 9.28 11.86

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 20.4 13.3 15.6 21.0 12.1 15.9 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% 3.19% 3.67% 6.39% 20.28% 1.06% 3.18% 2.84% 3.78% 3.04% 2.44% 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 -0.50% 3.70% -3.80% 4.10%

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-Sep-2020 30-Sep-2020 30-Sep-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

Until then, economists worry that the United States risks repeating a mistake made after the 2008-2009 Great Recession, when limits on federal spending and layoffs by states and localities hindered a recovery. More aid to states and cities could forestall further layoffs. States, which are generally required to balance their budgets, must now do so with less revenue. With no stimulus likely the rest of this year, economists at Goldman Sachs have slashed their growth forecast for the OctoberDecember quarter to a 3% annual rate from 6%. Eric Winograd, chief US economist at AllianceBernstein, likened federal aid to a bridge being built from just before the pandemic struck to the point where it has been controlled and business can return to normal — most likely after a vaccine is developed and widely distributed. “How long does the bridge have to be, and will policymakers have the will and ability to build it?” he asked. “It’s premature to withdraw stimulus now.” Winograd predicts that more federal aid will be approved early next year and that the economy will grow 3.4% for 2021, a solid pace. Yet even at that rate, the economy wouldn’t regain its pre-pandemic level until perhaps early 2022. Without more stimulus, Winograd forecasts that growth for 2020 could erode to a sluggish 1.5%. For now, Szuter sells craft beer online and has reopened indoor dining. But indoor dining is generating less than half the business he enjoyed before the pandemic. Fear of the virus, Szuter thinks, has kept many customers away. His staff, which has shrunk from 77 to 55, worries about getting sick, too. The persistence of the virus and the government’s failure so far to control it have convinced Szuter that more government aid is needed. Federal Reserve officials have expressed similar concerns. Lael Brainard, a Fed

board member, warned last week that the economy’s most severe risks are the lack of further stimulus and the persistent viral outbreak. A premature end to federal aid would depress hiring and spending and cause more business failures, Brainard told the Society of Professional Economists. The $2tn CARES Act that Congress enacted in March managed to ease the pain of the recession by boosting incomes and spending, and supporting small businesses. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the stimulus prevented a recessionary “downward spiral”, in which unemployed Americans would slash spending, triggering further job cuts and spending reductions. Without additional aid, Powell warned, those dynamics could re-emerge. Back in April, Americans’ overall income actually soared even though tens of millions of people had lost jobs. That was thanks to a $600-a-week federal unemployment benefit and $1,200 stimulus checks that went to most individuals under the CARES Act. Those payments enabled many of the jobless to rebuild savings, allowing them to keep spending even after the $600 supplement expired in July. A study by the JPMorgan Chase Institute found that the unemployed roughly doubled their savings from March to July and boosted their spending by 22% during that period. But by August, once the $600-aweek benefit had lapsed, they cut spending back 14%. Thanks in part to the stimulus money, the pace of retail sales has fully regained its pre-pandemic level. Yet the savings for many will eventually run out, forcing the jobless to cut spending and slow growth. Michael Brey, the president of Hobby Works, with two stores in Maryland that sell jigsaw puzzles, model trains and other hobby equipment, has enjoyed exponential growth in his online sales since the pandemic struck, thanks in part to the CARES Act.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that ESTHER MORTIMER of #50 James Close, Jubilee Gardens P.O.Box GT 2808, Nassau, 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 20th day of October 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

AUCTION Caterpillar Forklift – Broken Phone: (242) 352-7606 ******** Catepillar Forklift P600 – Broken Phone: (242) 698-7402 ************ (2) Tractor truck 2005 Marck – Broken Manlift 1999 JLG - Broken Dodge RAM 1500 2005 - Broken (2) Dump truck (tripper)

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

Phone: (242) 601-5328

PAGE 8, Tuesday, October 27, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

BODY AND MIND

Cancer isn’t a death sentence By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

my journey. Please keep me and my family in your prayers because it’s rough at the moment. Also I’m always giving advice to my friends on how to examine themselves or if they feel it’s serious, seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Zitalia. She said it is a great joy to be part of awareness organisations like the GD Cancer Caring and Sharing Cancer Support Group. Through the group, she has gained a few sisters, whom she can always call up on at any time. “Being a part of the GD group has brought awareness to young females like myself. Cancer doesn’t have an age, it can affect anyone, no matter how young or old you are. It was also a privilege to have known Mrs Genie Dean, she was the one who introduced me to the group. “As young as I was at the age of 22, I never once dreamed I would’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer and to make a difficult decision to remove both breasts at a young age of 22 at that. Young ladies, please be aware of your body and examine yourself frequently. Ask questions and do check ups frequently. Preventive is better than cure.” Zitalia added that it had been a struggle at times to live a healthier lifestyle. She said: “I know a change of diet is hard, even for me, I’m not the healthiest person. But try incorporate fruits and vegetables in your meals every day. Drinking lots of water and exercising is good. Even if it’s 20 mins, three times per week, find an exercising routine or the time to exercise. Lots of sleep is important too.”

F

OR 28-year-old breast cancer survivor Zitalia Fox, the journey was not an easy one.

“I was diagnosed at the age of 22, in 2015, with stage three invasive breast cancer,” she said. “I’m 28 years of age and I’m a double mastectomy. I’ve always been asked if I will ever get breast implants and my question will always be no, I’m comfortable the way I am,” said Zitalia. She said going through breast cancer has indeed affected her life daily, but she believes it is more in a positive way than negative. Zitalia said she looks at life as a blessing, and while she may have challenges, she doesn’t let them keep her down for long. She said: “I am pushing, because failure isn’t an option. My thoughts and feedback on what I have learned on my journey thus far is to have a strong support system, even if it’s just one friend or family member. Talk, never keep things a secret. Always ask questions when you’re unsure of something. “At the end of the day, it’s your life and you have to take control and live it to the best of your ability. Cancer isn’t a death sentence. “I would also say try to eat something healthy, change your diet, drink more water and exercise, get check ups frequently, as early detection is good. And most importantly, live life to the fullest.”

She is keeping herself motivated and focused by reflecting on things that is often needed to get done on her to-do lists; starting with whatever little she could, until reaching her goal. Zitalia said listening to uplifting music also helps her get through. Most importantly, her support system of friends and family are important in her life, as they always encourage her to keep pushing and never give up. “I enjoy doing things like reading, watching Harry Potter movies and just the simple things in life. “I love watching action-packed movies, thrillers, sci-fi movies, and again, anything Harry Potter related. I also enjoy going to the beach for a good swim. Besides sleeping, I enjoy watching nail tutorials and learning new stuff, because I’m a certified nail tech. My boyfriend also kept me grounded, as we would talk and enjoy watching movies together. I usually post on my social media pages about the awareness of breast cancer. “And I also would talk about my journey, along with my mom and aunt’s journey. Both my mom and aunt passed away on August 31, 2020, from cancer. They both fought side by side for 14 years. It’s really tough not having them by my side because they were with me every step of the way during

outcomes. This COVID 19 pandemic has negatively impacted people emotionally. Therefore, not addressing one’s mental health could lead to sustained psychological issues and exacerbate preexisting ones,” she told Tribune Health. Latoya Ferguson said at the start of the pandemic in The Bahamas back in March she managed to keep things together however as time went by, remaining unfazed proved difficult.

Lockdown’s mental toll By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

We are eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, little has changed, and lockdowns are still the go-to method to curbing the spread of the new coronavirus. And with restricted movement being the order of the day, many people say they are becoming fatigued, with their lives on pause - and it has taken a mental toll. Earlier, local clinical psychologists Dr Tracey King told Tribune Health that while measures should be met to keep one’s healthy, she encouraged Bahamians not to overlook their mental state which is also being threatened at this time. “Initial interventions focused only on one’s physical health. However, this has shifted to include mental health,” Dr King said. “It is important to remember that our physical and mental health is intertwined and ignoring either can lead to detrimental

“The most difficult thing for me has been keeping myself entertained. I am an outgoing person and since we have been subjected to our homes it has been rough to keep happy and to keep my joy. “There is only so much Netflix I can watch, there is only so much reading of books I can do. So, I am finding myself at this point which is eight months in feeling stifled,” she said. Dr King emphasised emotional reactions to stressful situations, like the COVID 19 crisis, will differ from person to person. Some may experience worry, fear, panic, anger, sadness, loneliness, and anxiety. However, underlining most of these emotions is the uncertainty.

ZITALIA Fox

There are many unknowns, and Niqua Bowe told The Tribune that has been driving the feelings she has had. “I made it through the first lockdown okay, but for the second and third time it had me feeling extremely down and sad at times. I am a self-employed stylist and from the start of things I have been out of work or having very inconsistent work. Taking care of myself and family financially was a real challenge that made me super stressed and depressed a times.” The ray of light came when the restrictions were relaxed in August. “That made me feel happy in a way because that meant plans I had to expand my business and take on more clients could come to fruition, I could finally have some stable income.” But her hopes were dashed when the curfews and lockdowns were once again reinstated earlier this month. “I instantly felt burdened and saddened by it all. And I feel that way a lot of the times. I hated being restricted because it is affecting my business and affecting my livelihood. How can you be mentally okay when the future is not looking bright for you?” Alexander is a hotel employee, and has been out of work, and said he has been doing all he knows to keep himself in a sound frame of mind.

“I speak to a therapist because I have had to deal with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) before and being out of work has certainly been playing a toll on me,” he said. “An outlet for me was going to the beach and enjoying the fresh open air, but now it has been a real kill joy since the beaches are closed.” As for Susan Munroe, she is in high spirits and rolling with the punches of the pandemic. “There is nothing we can do about being lockdown. According to the professionals this is what is required to curb the spread of the virus. I am

trying my best to be content in whatever state I am in. It is not ideal because being able to get out there, socialise and enjoy the thing that make me happy is what made my life fulfilling so now I must find other things to do that. “I encourage those who struggling and mentally and emotional is try to look at things from a different perspective and find the good in what may be the seemingly bad,” she said.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 27, 2020, PAGE 9

Viagra for Women The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 21, 2019, approved the new “female Viagra”, a sexual libido enhancing medication called Vyleesi. Vyleesi is not a pill; it is a self or partner-administered injectable that should be given 45 minutes before sexual intercourse. It has been recommended that Vyleesi should not be administered more than once in a 24-hour period and it should not be used more than eight times in a given month. Vyleesi is the second FDAapproved sexual libido enhancer, following the approval in 2015 of the drug Addyi. Addyi is a pill that works by modifying serotonin levels in the brain. Both medications are prescribed to treat premenopausal Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) in women. HSDD is a condition characterised by low or non-existent female sexual desire. Female hypoactive sexual disorder may occur in ten percent to as many as one third of premenopausal women. The main feature of this disorder is the deficiency or absence of sexual desire of sexual intercourse and the deficiency or absence of sexual fantasies in women that leads

to severe distress and relationship problems; often negatively affecting the quality of these afflicted women’s lives. HSDD is not caused by co-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes or by any psychiatric conditions or as the result of other medications that are being taken. Female desire is complex and multifactorial, and such it is often difficult to evaluate and interpret. Female sexuality can’t be measured in the same way as the sexual desire of men, as simply put, either a man gets an erection and maintains it or he does not. Vyleesi, known as bremelanotide, is not truly a female version of Viagra as Viagra enhances the blood supply to the penis. Vyleesi works by activating melanocortin receptors that are involved in multiple brain functions including regulating moods and cognitive thoughts. The medication is a synthetic hormone that activates important brain receptors involved in sexual responses by reducing inhibition and increasing excitation of neurons. The complete pathway by which Vyleesi works, is still not completely understood. It has not yet been approved for use by

THE UROLOGY DOCTOR IS IN...

Dr Greggory Pinto

postmenopausal women but trials continue involving such women. Vyleesi has been evaluated in scientific trials by having participants fill out sexual desire score and sexual distress score questionnaires, which are highly subjective. The effectiveness of Vyleesi was studied in two 24 weeks randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trials involving more than 1,200 premenopausal

women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). Female sexuality and desire is very complex and there are many factors that contribute. Unfortunately, female sexuality remains a grossly understudied condition. Low sexual desire in premenopausal women might be secondary to external factors such as marital strife, financial stressors, marital infidelity, emotional or physical abuse within the relationship or poor body self-image, amongst multiple potential causes. Simply prescribing medication to all women with low sexual desire, greatly underestimates the potential complexity of the condition. The measured success of Vyleesi has been underwhelming thus far but for women living in severe distress because of low sexual desire, any small improvement in sexual desire may provide a substantial improvement in the quality of their lives. Most women, like their male counterparts, rarely seek medical urological assistance for sexual dysfunction, due to embarrassment and lack of understanding that medical treatment does exist to improve the quality of one’s lives.

Many women have low desire for sexual intercourse due to them having stress urinary incontinence, whereby they uncontrollably leak urine with any exertion, including sexual intercourse. As many as one in four women have a urinary issue that negatively impacts the quality of their lives and in turn potentially can negatively impact their sexual desire and happiness. Modern urology provides pharmaceutical treatments, physiotherapy and minimally invasive procedures that can effectively treat all female urinary issues. Seek confidential, compassionate and comprehensive urological care for any female or male sexual dysfunction and/or urinary complaint. • Dr Greggory Pinto is a board certi ed Bahamian urologist and laparoscopic surgeon. He has trained in Germany, South Africa and France, and is a member of the European Association of Urology. He can be reached at the OakTree Medical Center, #2 Fifth Terrace and Mount Royal Avenue. Call (242) 322-1145-7. E-mail welcome@urologycarebahamas.com or visit the website www.urologycarebahamas.com.

Win the morning Health coach Ethan Quant, CEO of Elite Wellness Solutions, has succeeded in his weight loss journey and now wants to share his methods with the Bahamas in an effort to foster a culture of wellness and conquer the obesity epidemic.

ETHAN QUANT

HEALTH COACH

3

. Better Mood – Training in the morning automatically put me in a better mood. I guess its because I felt that I already accomplished something important for me. Studies do show that early morning training releases endorphins in the brain though. . Cooler Temperature – This may sound silly but I cant take heat. So jogging or even going out to the gym was more pleasant simply because it was cooler. The sun wasn’t up and the world hadn’t started with its craziness yet. There is a cool calming peace and stillness early in the morning. That’s why I became a morning person! If you would like help navigating this or any part of your health wellness and fitness journey, feel free to reach out to me directly.

4

Despite what many people think I was never really a morning person. I was always one of those people who struggled to get out of bed during the week and never really got around to life until early afternoon on the weekend. I loved my bed and I was unheard of for me to leave it before the sun came up. When I started my health wellness and fitness journey, I used to train in the evening, well I used to try and train in the evening. I would do good for a couple of days and maybe even a week, but then life would happen. I would have to stay late at work or I would have some event that I had to go to in

the evening, or I would have to deal with stuff at home. Almost anything that came up was enough to throw my gym life on the back burner. It wasn’t until I really started looking at changing my lifestyle to change my body that I entertained the idea of early morning training. I accepted the fact that if I wanted to change my body and my life, that meant changing what things I did, and how I did things. So I started my process of reconditioning myself to become one of those crazy people who wake up early in the morning to exercise. The first thing I did was stopped saying that I wasn’t a

morning person. I had to become a morning person and that was a challenge at first, but I saw that once I stopped saying that I wasn’t a morning person it became easier. I was introducing the new behavior of waking up early and it was becoming an essential part of my process of transforming my body and my life. I am not saying that the morning is the only time to train or that its even the best. The truth is you have to find out what works best for you. Look at selecting a time that you can be most consistent at because at the end of the day consistency is key.

With that said, these are some ways that I benefited from early morning training.

1

. Its gave me more time to fit regular exercise into my day. Waking up earlier to train gave me an extra hour or two in my day, simply because I got up two hours before I would regularly get up. More time means you can get more done. Not just in health wellness and fitness, but in life. . Mental Clarity – I found that I was able to focus more once I got to the other task of the day. The clarity of mind really did making me more efficient with everything else that I did.

2

• If you would like help navigating any part of your health, wellness and tness process, you can contact Ethan Quant at ethan@elite-wellnesssolu- tions. com or on Instagram at @ ethanquant.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, October 27, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

16 days to prevent violence Standing against the recent spike in domestic violence incidences in the country, the Zonta Club of New Providence is readying to launch a campaign to “Stop Violence against Women, Girls and Children”. Kicking off in November, the ‘16-Days of Activism’ initiative will work to bring awareness to the issues facing women and children in the nation and around the world. The organisation, in collaboration with other local women’s associations, will advocate for domestic violence laws to be strengthened and given priority in the development of GBV (Gender-Based Violence) legislation, among other goals. “Violence against women and girls is a grave violation of human rights,” said ZCNP president Theresa Moxey-Adderley Smith. “We will continue to pursue aggressive community and legislative advocacy until we see the change that is so desperately needed. We cannot sit idly by and watch as mothers and daughters are murdered in their homes in this country and allow this feeling of hopelessness to persist for any other woman or child that may be in similar volatile situations.” The organisation head said the death of Alicia Sawyer, 30, and her eight-year-old daughter Ednique Wallace, reportedly victims of a fatal domestic dispute in September should be a wake-up call for the country to do more in protecting its most vulnerable citizens. She said as a nation, The Bahamas needed continuous education and training to sensitize the public on gender-based violence. “In particular, our armed agencies, NGOs, the social, educational and Christian communities need to be trained on how to identify the signs and ways to handle victims of violence and to know when a situation needs to be escalated for intervention. Innocent lives of children have been lost and we, as Zontians, are asking the nation to stand with us and say no to violence against women and girls.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 126 (124 women and two men) reported cases in domestic violence and intimate partner violence in The Bahamas. This increase is four times higher than what was reported during 2019. Within the local communities, several children have been killed and wounded in an apparent increase in violent attacks this year. Details about the 16-Day of Activism will be released in the upcoming weeks and the public is asked to follow the organization on social media for frequent updates. The Zonta Club of New Providence has been on the forefront of “Saying no to Violence” and does so all year round, because violence – or the pervasive threat of violence – affects women and girls every single day. Zonta International is a leader in the international campaign to end violence against women and girls.

THERESA Moxey-Adderley Smith

MEMBERS of the Zonta Clubs of The Bahamas pictured last year taking their message of ending violence against women and girls to the Upper and Lower House of The Bahamas. Governor General C A Smith, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, and Senators and parliamentarian all heard from Zontians about the importance of eradicating violence in the country.

Chairman of the Advocacy Committee Marisa D MasonSmith called on all NGOs, churches, corporations and civil society to join in Zonta’s national

campaign and to say no to violence in all its forms. “We are working assiduously to advance the conversation on GBV legislation, education and

training awareness. In particular, we are focusing on sensitivity training for our law enforcement officers, teachers… everyone to know how to deal with persons who may have challenges with domestic violence, whether they are the perpetrator or the victim. As a nation we need to be concerned about each other, because one death is just too many!” Zonta has sought to bring awareness to the issue of violence in The Bahamas. The orange hand and orange bows you see around town are the symbols that represent activism; this is our impassioned plea; this is our call for the perpetrators to stop ruining their lives and the lives of others; this is a call for policy and legislative change that will make an impact in our communities. Stop the violence against women, children, and stop all forms of violence! Zonta International envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognided as human rights and every woman is able to reach her full potential. Zonta has more than 30,000 members in 68 countries, working together to make gender equality a reality for women and girls worldwide. Zonta International, is a leader in the international campaign to end violence against women and girls.

perpetrator can be housed, particularly when a mother and children are involved,” said Dr Dean-Patterson, because many times there is a single offender but the victims are often women and their children. Re-housing a family is much more difficult than having a single person moved to another location. A temporary place to house the offender would allow for intervention by a counsellor so

that individual can be helped, she said. One such programme, now on hiatus due to COVID-19, is the 26-week GBV perpetrator counselling initiative run by the Catholic Church, which has reportedly helped many men who committed acts of violence against their partners. When asked what the Crisis Centre most urgently needed, Dr Dean-Patterson said, “A national awareness campaign to raise consciousness and understanding about domestic violence. We need to confront the belief systems that fuel and underpin our tolerance and tacit acceptance of violence in intimate relationships.” Another problem faced by victims of domestic violence is the processing of summons. The courts regard this as a civil matter, so when a summons is served for the accused to appear before a magistrate, the victim, often someone of limited means, needs to pay for that summons to be served. The Bahamas Crisis Centre believes that if bailiffs are entrusted to do this as they do in criminal matters, more domestic violence filings would find their way through the court system and hopefully be resolved. There are real social, economic and political consequences for ‘waiting on time’ to paraphrase Dr King, to solve this pervasive problem, said the Rotary Clubs in a statement. They added: “With a pandemic raging we can see the structural cracks in many of our institutions and the way challenges are often left unmet. We should not seek to just plaster them over and carry on as usual but make the changes necessary and build back better to embrace a more equitable society where everyone can live free from the fear of violence and abuse.”

Uniting to bring peace The Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas are joining forces in an effort to end domestic violence. Members of the nation’s clubs took part in a Road To Peace Committee as part of their third Peace Conference, with expert panelists from the US and The Bahamas. One of the panelists was Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, founder of the Bahamas Crisis Centre,

which has been operating since 1982. She and a band of volunteers work with the Ministry of Social Services, the police and hospital personnel to be a refuge for people who find themselves in abusive situations. The centre has received twice as many calls since the lockdown began in March, compared to what they received in 2019 during the same time period.

While the high volume of calls this year is frightening enough, the incidents that make people reach out to the Crisis Centre for help are not new. In an IDB report from 2016, The Bahamas had the most reported incidents of domestic violence in the Caribbean, an area that already leads the world statistically in genderbased violence. “What would be really good is to have a place where the

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, October 27, 2020, PAGE 11

Angry women block traffic across Poland over abortion ban WARSAW, Poland Associated Press Women’s rights activists and many thousands of supporters held a fifth day of protests across Poland yesterday, defying pandemic restrictions to express their fury at a top court decision that tightens the predominantly Catholic nation’s already strict abortion law. In Warsaw, mostly young demonstrators — women and men — with drums, horns and firecrackers blocked rush-hour traffic for hours at a number of major

roundabouts. Some of them took off their shirts and stood topless on top of cars. Many held banners with an obscenity calling on the right-wing government to step down. A group of far-right supporters held a counter-protest in front of a church and police in riot gear kept the two groups apart, using pepper spray at one point. Some of the people protesting the court ruling were detained and others sat down in the street to stop the police van taking away the detainees.

A protesting woman was taken to hospital with slight injuries after she and another woman were hit by a car. The other woman was not injured. Organisers said people joined their protests in more than 150 cities in Poland, including Poznan, Lodz and Katowice. It was one of the biggest protests against the government in recent years. In Krakow protesters chanted “This is War!” — a slogan that demonstrators have repeated often in recent days. They also shouted obscenities against the country’s traditionally respected Roman Catholic bishops. Krakow archbishop Marek Jedraszewski said the protests were marked by “aggression unknown so far in Poland, when the sanctity of churches, of sacred places is being violated.” Protesters defied a nationwide ban on gatherings intended to

halt a spike in new coronavirus infections. They have taken to the streets each day since the Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Thursday that it was unconstitutional to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal

congenital defects. The ruling effectively bans almost all abortions in the country. The ruling has not taken effect yet, because it has not been officially published, which is a requirement of a law’s validity.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 75° F/24° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Partly sunny, showers around; humid

Mainly clear, warm and humid

Partly sunny and humid

Mostly sunny and humid

Sunny and humid

Partly sunny, a t‑storm possible

High: 86°

Low: 78°

High: 85° Low: 77°

High: 86° Low: 77°

High: 85° Low: 76°

High: 84° Low: 75°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

96° F

86° F

94°-86° F

95°-85° F

97°-83° F

94°-79° F

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 77° F/25° 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: 84° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

7‑14 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 86° F/30° C Low: 78° F/26° C

6‑12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 80° F/27° C

N

S

E

W

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 75° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 79° F/26° C

8‑16 knots

KEY WEST

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 80° F/27° C

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 78° F/26° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

N

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

tiDes For nassau High Today

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

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

7:10 a.m. 7:23 p.m.

3.0 2.8

1:00 a.m. 1:26 p.m.

0.5 0.6

Friday

7:47 a.m. 8:00 p.m.

3.1 2.8

1:35 a.m. 2:05 p.m.

0.4 0.5

Saturday

8:22 a.m. 8:36 p.m.

3.1 2.7

2:08 a.m. 2:43 p.m.

0.3 0.4

Sunday

7:57 a.m. 8:11 p.m.

3.2 2.6

1:42 a.m. 2:21 p.m.

0.3 0.4

Monday

8:32 a.m. 8:48 p.m.

3.1 2.5

2:15 a.m. 2:59 p.m.

0.4 0.5

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:15 a.m. 6:32 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

4:43 p.m. 3:49 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Oct. 31

Nov. 8

Nov. 14

Nov. 21

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

N

S

E

W

7‑14 knots

S

7‑14 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 ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 70° F/21° C Normal high ....................................... 84° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 72° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 90° F/32° C Last year’s low ................................... 77° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.99” Year to date ............................................... 59.07” Normal year to date ................................... 34.63”

uV inDex toDay

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 80° F/27° C

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 80° F/27° C

N

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 80° F/27° C

7‑14 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 85° F/29° C Low: 81° F/27° C

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 89° F/32° C Low: 81° F/27° C

N W

N E

W

E S

S

8‑16 knots

8‑16 knots

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

Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday: Today: Wednesday:

WINDS E at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots

WAVES 3‑5 Feet 3‑6 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑6 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑6 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑6 Feet 4‑7 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 4‑7 Feet 5‑9 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑6 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

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

SECTION B

Friends in deed

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

T

HE Friends of The Library Committee, Eleuthera, is stepping up to be friends for the community during the pandemic. The committee is best known for educational and community initiatives - including saving and restoring the now Haynes Library, which had been scheduled to be demolished in 1995. As president of the committee, Michele Johnson led the way in opening the doors of the library in August 1996, which was the first full service library in the Family Islands. Along with team members, she saw a great need on Eleuthera for a learning centre where students, and community members alike could access information, technology, and a shared community space. The committee members include Elizabeth Cairns, Tyika Moss, Linda Petitfrere, and Michele Johnson. “Our number one goal and priority has always been to provide students with the ability to realise their full potential, by eliminating barriers in access to information and technology. During FOTL’s 24 years of operation, we have tried our very best to ensure that students do not get left behind and lose out on valuable learning opportunities, solely based on a lack of access to resources. We firmly believe that if students have the tools that they need to succeed, students will have the ability to succeed. “Although the Haynes Library is now under the care and operation of the Ministry of Education, our committee has remained committed to carrying out our mandate within our island’s communities,” Ms Johnson told Tribune Woman. Over the years, the library has assisted with academic programming, homework assistance programmes, camps, school textbook programmes, access to technology, and educational and community outreach in many forms. FOTL also started a fiveday Jazz Festival to raise funds for the library. Eleuthera All that Jazz has provided a platform for Bahamian musicians, brought international musicians to The Bahamas, and promoted Eleuthera as a touristic destination for jazz lovers. She said living on such a small island where people all know each other very personally means that deficits become very apparent. And when this year’s global pandemic first started to impact the island communities, the committee members watched the rest of the world start to shift to remote and virtual work and learning. From this, the committee could foresee that they too, would have to adjust. “As our island’s primary source of income is tourism, and the travel restrictions due to the pandemic have resulted in a huge hit to our economy, we knew our parents and students would need assistance. We did not hesitate and we started making calls to raise the funds necessary to support a tablet donation. With the hard work and diligence of our team, along with our incredible funding partners, we were able to raise the funds for 200 tablets. It is something that went without a second thought. We have always been committed to filling voids within our island communities. While it feels good to give back, it is bittersweet because

LEFT to Right - Elizabeth Cairns, Tyika Moss, Michele Johnson, Linda Petitfrere

FRIENDS of The Library

YASMIN Johnson we always wish that we could do more and help every child on the island who is in need. We will continue to give our best efforts as our island continues to shift and sway through these unprecedented times,” said Ms Johnson. She said the feedback has been overwhelming. She said it has been emotional, touching, and heartwarming for the families,

TYIKA Moss and the committee members alike. They all were truly able to witness how committed the Eleutheran parents are to their children’s educational success, and during such a difficult financial time for so many, how excited they were to receive the tools necessary for their children to succeed in school.

MICHELE Johnson “For the remainder of the year, we will continue to carry out our mandate, and programmes that we have established, and always assisted with. To list a few initiatives, we are continuing with our tablet donation, as well as our textbook programme. Our goal is to continue raising funds for tablets and textbooks until we meet the remote learning needs of our

students. Additionally, although our 2020 and 2021 Jazz Festivals have been cancelled due to COVID-19, we are in the planning stages for our 2022 festival. We are continuing to maintain the computer centre at the Haynes Library, and work with our island’s education representatives to assist with student needs,” said Ms Johnson.