Page 2 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | The BVI Beacon
JANUARY 2015
Year in Review
Jan. 8, 2015
Jan. 15, 2015
Jan. 22, 2015
AT A GLANCE...
• Leslie-Ann Sam gave birth at Peebles Hospital on Jan. 1 to the territory’s first baby of the year, a six-pound eight-ounce girl. The experience was not a first for Ms. Sam, whose oldest son was born on Jan. 1, 2005. • After years of delays and other obstacles, the Biwater plant in Paraquita Bay came on stream around the holidays. The plant’s daily production capacity is 2.3 million gallons per day, and Biwater’s supply could cost some $18 million annually, officials have said. • H. Lavity Stoutt Community College celebrated its 25th anniversary on Jan. 25. When the school opened in 1990, 135 students signed up to take classes. Now there are more than 800. • Though the trial of Violet “Letty” Hodge for alleged involvement in an international cocaine trafficking organisation technically began in 2014, much of the major testimony was heard the week of Jan. 19-23. During the trial, James Springette – a convicted drug lord who once had a place on the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s tenmost-wanted-fugitives list next to al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden – testified from a US prison that Ms. Hodge served as a translator for him and her husband, Earl “Bob” Hodge, in the early 2000s. Ms. Hodge, who along with her husband has denied involvement in the drug ring, was later found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine, but her sentencing has been postponed pending an appeal. • Baba Aziz, a lawyer with 25 years of experience, was appointed in January to serve as government’s attorney general for three years as of Feb. 10. Mr. Aziz, who previously acted as the territory’s AG for more than a year beginning in 2010, has in the
Jan. 29, 2015
WATER, SEWERAGE PROJECTS SEE RESULTS By CHRYSTALL KANYUCK ckanyuck@bvibeacon.com
Photo: PROVIDED Leslie-Ann Sam gave birth at Peebles Hospital on Jan. 1 to the territory’s first baby of the year.
past worked for the AG’s Chambers for more than 10 years. He left the organisation in 2011 when he was replaced by Dr. Christopher Malcolm, whose three-year contract as AG ended in December 2014. • Former at-large representative Irene Penn-O’Neal, her
daughter and another man pleaded not guilty in Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 23 to charges of unlawful possession of guns and ammunition. All three were later exonerated. • Two people – Kari Anne Way, 27, a native of Michigan, and Jamaican man Howard An-
derson, whose age and hometown weren’t released – were killed early in the morning of Jan. 24 when the boat Inevitable crashed off rocks near Mountain Point on Virgin Gorda. The vessel’s captain, Stephen Fossi, was later charged with manslaughter, and he is currently awaiting trial.
The territory’s first large-scale public sewerage treatment plant came on stream in October, fulfilling one of the components of Biwater’s 2010 contract with government. Although work is still ongoing to install new pipes, officials said the Burt Point project was more straightforward than the sewage plant being constructed in Paraquita Bay: While Road Town had a sewage collection system in place, the East End and Long Look areas haven’t ever had one. The Paraquita Bay plant, however, should be up and running by the middle of next year, according to the Ministry of Communications and Works. This year also saw the ramping up of production at the Paraquita Bay desalination plant, which opened late last year. Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool said in September that the territory is now utilising all 2.3 million gallons of water per day that it is required to purchase under its 2010 contract with Biwater. Biwater, however, won’t be managing the water production anymore: The company sold the rights to its 15-year contract to Seven Seas, a division of AquaVenture based in Florida, officials announced in August. Meanwhile, after experiencing lock-offs and shortages during the summer months, Virgin Gorda’s water plants are also set to get upgraded by next year after the October signing of a new water production agreement. Aqua Design will also be producing 160,000 more gallons per day under the new contract, officials said at the signing.
FEBRUARY 2015
Year in Review
Feb. 5, 2015
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 3
Feb. 12, 2015
Feb. 19, 2015
Feb. 26, 2015
AT A GLANCE...
• Lower Estate man Kenyatta Boynes was charged with murder in relation to the Dec. 14, 2014 shooting of Paul Prentice in central Road Town. Mr. Boynes appeared in court on Feb. 3, where prosecutors accused him of shooting Mr. Prentice outside of Aaron Jeep, Car & Scooter Rentals. Mr. Boynes is currently serving time in prison for allegedly possessing an AK-47 assault rifle in an unrelated incident, but he has not stood trial for the murder charge. • Developers looking to build a $70 million marina in the Havers area held a meeting on Feb. 3 to hear feedback from the community. Some attendees were in favour of the economic activity the project would bring, while others expressed fears that it would damage the environment. The project is being undertaken by JSSR, a group of Virgin Islands developers led by Robert Wong. If it goes forward, it would see the construction of a 37-slip marina and a fourstorey, 36-room hotel with underground parking. However, the project still has not received approval from the Planning Authority. • Leading up to the May 7 parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom, then-Opposition Leader Ed Miliband announced on Feb. 13 that his party would force the UK’s overseas territories to establish public registries that identify the beneficial owners of companies. The same week, the VI released the results of a survey of industry practitioners’ opinions on the territory’s financial services regulatory system. More than 80 percent of respondants said the current system is adequate, according to the government. • Lawmakers approved a $35 million loan to fund the BVI Electricity Corporation’s Phase
Photo: NGOVOU GYANG Several children stare at a pig on display during Farmers’ Week at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
GOV’T CHAMPIONS FINANCIAL SERVICES AMIDST ATTACKS By KEN SILVA ksilva@bvibeacon.com Beneficial ownership was a hot topic in financial services this year, as the United Kingdom and transparency advocates called for the Virgin Islands to establish a public register listing the owners of the approximately 450,000 companies registered here. In February, Ed Miliband, then the UK opposition leader, announced that if his Labour Party won the May election it would force the VI and other overseas territories to take this step. Five Expansion project, which will expand the corporation’s ability to generate and transmit power. The expansion calls for installing new generators and transmission lines that will run from the main generating station in Pockwood Pond through Sea
Labour did not take the government, and Mr. Miliband stepped down, but the call for the VI to establish a public register did not disappear. However, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith maintained throughout the year that his government is not in favour of establishing a public register until it becomes an international standard. Instead, he said the territory will implement other measures to ensure that VI companies aren’t used for nefarious purposes. To that end, legislators have already gotten to work, passing laws and regulations in October and November designed to beef up the territory’s existing regulatory system. The VI continues to face international pressure, though, and
Cows Bay along the Paul Wattley Road to Long Bush. The process is expected to take about two years, according to Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool. • Detective Marlon Primo, one of the five police officers in-
the government launched the Financial Services Implementation Unit in September to reform the industry and expand its scope of services beyond primarily incorporating companies. The FSIU has been charged with guiding 10 tasks, including engaging the population, increasing financial services knowledge in VI students, and recommending reforms to immigration and labour policies. The agency is also working to transition BVI Forward, a government entity that promotes the industry, to a public-private partnership. This step, officials say, will allow BVI Forward to be more responsive to the needs of the private sector. As the pressure from abroad shows no signs of abating, the agency will have its work cut out for it in the coming year.
terdicted in October 2014 as a result of an ongoing corruption probe, was reinstated to the police force on Feb. 19. Though the allegations against Mr. Primo and the four other officers have yet to be made public, the detective’s attorney, Stephen Daniels,
said his client had been accused of “giving out information.” Four officers from the UK have been investigating the interdicted officers in a probe known as “Operation Lucan.” No charges have been announced against any of them.
Page 4 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | The BVI Beacon
MARCH 2015
Year in Review
March 5, 2015
March 12, 2015
March 19, 2015
March 26, 2015
AT A GLANCE...
GOV’T GETS
• The March 2 deadline for the cruise pier park’s landside developer, Tortola Pier Park, to raise $16.5 million in funding for the project came and went with only $6,326,000 raised. TPP had begun a public offering of non-voting shares in the project in October 2014 with the hope to raise the full $16.5 million. Of the funds raised, $5 million came from the Social Security Board, and the rest came from unnamed investors. • Barry Leon, a Canadian attorney with decades of experience in commercial law and international arbitration, succeeded Edward Bannister QC as Commercial Court justice. Dozens of lawyers packed the court on March 13 to say goodbye to Mr. Bannister and thank him for his six years of service. • Governor John Duncan announced on March 17 that he would not order a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of corruption in the cruise pier project. The announcement came in response to calls from the opposition-led Public Accounts Committee to investigate alleged abuses in the development, many of which centred around the early bidding process. Along with his decision, Mr. Duncan called for the government to pass a Freedom of Information Act and a Public Procurement Act, which he said would give the public insight into government spending. • Lawmakers approved a resolution to borrow $16 million for road repairs. The money was to be used for repairs on roads throughout Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and Anegada. Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool said in November that the $16 million might be insufficient for the scope of work
TOUGH ON GUNS By NGOVOU GYANG ngyang@bvibeacon.com For years legislators have been promising to crack down on gun crime. In March, they took action, amending the Firearms and Air Guns Act to strengthen penalties. The new law recommends a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment for a summary charge of possessing a prohibited firearm, and 10 years for an indictable charge. The law was largely supported, except for one problem: The original act, part of which appeared to have been copied verbatim from an Australian law, also criminalised the possession of nonlethal weapons including paintball guns and flare guns. That part of the ban drew criticism from residents including a paintball course owner and boat captains who use flare guns for safety purposes. Amid such complaints, legislators announced plans to revise the law, and in August acting Governor Inez Archibald amended the amendment, removing paintball guns, flare guns and pump-action shotguns from the list of prohibited weapons. Leaders have high hopes that the new law will reduce the number of gun crimes committed in the territory.
Photo: JASON SMITH BVI Electricity Corporation Plant Operator Noel Bent inspects equipment at the BVIEC’s Pockwood Pond power station in March. A planned $40 million expansion will boost the territory’s electrical supply.
being done. • The trial of Mitch Christopher, Wakeem Guishard and Marcus Lloyd for the 2010 murder Daren Allen “Tiger” Hodge began on March 12. Prosecutors described the act as a “gangland
style” killing, alleging that the men travelled up Joes Hill and fatally shot Mr. Hodge in his home. Jurors could not reach a strong enough majority – it was a sixthree split – so High Court Justice Nicola Byer dismissed the jury on
March 27 and ordered a retrial. • In three House of Assembly meetings spanning February and March, ministers answered several inquiries from opposition members non-verbally. Typically, legislators answer questions from the
opposition orally, but ministers passed hundreds of pages of answers in writing, claiming it would take too long to read out the answers. However, the documents — which include information about government consultants, loans and other topics — were not provided to the media or public. Though Speaker of the House Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe said the non-verbal information is public, the documents have yet to be provided to the Beacon, in spite of multiple requests.
Year in Review
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 5
APRIL 2015
April 2, 2015
April 9, 2015
April 16, 2015
April 23, 2015
AT A GLANCE...
• The election season started April 2 with Virgin Islands Party officials releasing a list of 15 potential candidates for the General Election, which the party said it expected by the end of the summer. • Seventy-eight boats from 14 countries participated in the BVI Spring Regatta April 3-5. Land activities were held at Nanny Cay, with races for a variety of classes of boats throughout VI waters. • Forty-one anglers participated in Wahoo Madness and Fishermen’s Jamboree April 4 and 5. The tournament netted about a quarter ton of fish. • Residents and visitors flocked to Virgin Gorda April 6 for the annual Easter Monday Parade, which officials dubbed a success despite its late start. VG’s Easter Festival also included a calypso competition, food fair and fungi fest, and the village was named for Ninth District Representative Ralph O’Neal. • Six years after the Parole Board Act was passed, the Parole Board held its first meeting April 9. Board Chairman Denniston Fraser later told the Beacon that three cases were considered that day, and that the board would meet twice a year. • Biwater BVI director Richard Smith told the Beacon April 14 that he expected the company’s Paraquita Bay sewage treatment plant to be completed by July. • A rough swell pulled a charter vessel off anchor and washed it ashore in Josiahs Bay April 19. • Officials announced this month that government was in talks with International Busi-
April 30, 2015
GREENHOUSES STALLED AGAIN? By KATIE KING kking@bvibeacon.com
Photo: JASON SMITH Workers from the construction firm Rufred Forbes Associates work on building a sewage treatment plant at Paraquita Bay in April.
ness and Trade, LLC, to reach a new agreement to operate the Paraquita Bay greenhouses, which the company was first contracted to build in 2009. • Premier Dr. Orlando Smith announced on April 21 that government would distribute about 35 acres of land on Virgin Gorda to 60 of some 600 Virgin Islanders who applied for a plot. Dr. Smith said the successful applicants were
VG residents who have not previously owned property. • The tall ship Talofa sustained what owners described as “major damage” after it was struck by the barge Princess Samiah while moored near Virgin Gorda April 23. The Talofa owners have since sued to recover damages. • Terrance “Terry” Smith was shot on Flemming Street the same day. He was taken to Peebles Hospital and
treated for non-life-threatening injuries. • The territory’s extended cruise pier officially opened April 29, welcoming the 4,000passenger-capacity Norwegian Getaway. A ceremony to mark the opening included remarks from Norwegian and Disney cruise lines officials, whose preferential berthing agreement helped government fund the pier extension.
Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering, the minister of natural resources and labour, told the House of Assembly in July that the territory was moving ahead with the greenhouse project at Paraquita Bay. “We are poised to move forward in a very meaningful way with a view to having production by the end of the year,” he said. However, this goal was not met: The greenhouses stand empty, and an official at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour said last week that there are no updates to report. The project, which has been in the works since 2009, has experienced numerous delays and problems and was the subject of a scathing review by the auditor general last year. In April, the government terminated its previous $5.4 million development contract with International Business and Trade LLC, and announced that it was in talks with the company to reach an agreement to operate the greenhouses. On a positive note, Dr. Pickering said a “technical audit” performed earlier in the year by IBT showed that the structures in Paraquita Bay were in good condition. However, he also noted that some components of the greenhouses, such as the fogger system, thermal screen, and irrigation system, needed to be replaced, and that the electrical system needed to be connected to the power grid. Land was cleared to build more greenhouses at South Sound, Virgin Gorda, but Premier Dr. Orlando Smith said in June that officials had decided to explore other development options for the site.
Page 6 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | The BVI Beacon
MAY
2015 AT A GLANCE...
Year in Review
May 7, 2015
May 14, 2015
May 21, 2015
•Governor John Duncan dissolved the House of Assembly May 1, clearing the way for the June General Election. Candidates, including a record 12 women, launched campaigns throughout the month. • Also on May 1, the Triple Jack set a new record time for sailing around Tortola, completing the 37-mile trip in two hours, 33 minutes and 40 seconds. • The Virgin Islands watched as the United Kingdom went to the polls for its own election May 7. David Cameron’s Conservative government retained its power in Parliament with a strong showing that surprised many. • The Association for the Preservation of Virgin Islands Heritage and the Episcopal church held a ground-breaking ceremony for a planned memorial park on the site of the St. Philip’s Church in Kingstown. • Sheila Braithwaite was appointed to serve as the territory’s second complaints commissioner. Ms. Braithwaite formally took over from founding Complaints Commissioner Elton Georges on July 1. • The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal was scheduled to hear the case of Photo: KATIE KING the E.M. Watts Development Malkin Roberts, of Road Town, cranks up his boat’s sound system, which was named the Best Overall Boat at the Exquisite Company Ltd., which sued government for $7 million over Boat Show. a plot of land that government ment offices, ministries and waters, police said. Two other May 7. acquired for the site for a new departments participated in men were arrested. • Government announced West End ferry terminal that challenges, a pep rally and • The Exquisite Boat Show that speedbumps would be inhas since been scrapped. After other events under the kicked off May 21 at Village stalled in front of H. Lavity government lawyers missed a theme “Ser ve From the Stoutt Community College this Cay Marina. Events included a filing deadline, however, the Heart: O ur Public Ser vice, buyers’ cocktail hour and varimonth, more than five years case was postponed, a move O ur Week.” ous competitions. after a pedestrian was killed at that cost the government • The 14th annual Leverick • Nomination day on May the site. $20,000 in court fees. • Serge Jacques Sylvain Tin- 22 saw the formal registraBay Poker Run drew 225 vessels • Residents from across the tion of 42 contenders for the May 24. The event gives cash turie, a 47-year-old French naterritory united for the interterritory’s 13 House of Astional suspected of drug prizes for the best hand and other denominational International sembly seats. smuggling, died May 11 after a awards and donates the rest of its Day of Prayer in Noel Lloyd • Public Ser vice Week shootout with United States proceeds — about $14,000 in Positive Action Movement Park law enforcement officers in VI kicked off May 25. Govern2015 — to charity.
May 28, 2015
TEMPERATURES RISING
By KATIE KING kking@bvibeacon.com Virgin Islands residents could see and, in some cases, smell, the effects of climate change in 2015. Most noticeably, the territory, like other Caribbean islands, was hit with an unprecedented influx of sargassum. The seaweed piled up on beaches, clogged harbours, released a foul odour, and was blamed for a large fish-kill off Virgin Gorda in October. According to Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering, the sargassum overload was just the latest of many impacts related to global warming that will affect the VI. Unusual weather was seen as another warning sign: The Department of Disaster Management reported that the territory got just 3.5 inches of rain in the first six months of 2015, compared to 13.5 inches for the same period last year. The government announced a “drought watch” in July, and DDM Director Sharleen DaBreo urged all residents to conserve water and inspect their homes and businesses for leaks. About five months later, Caribbean leaders headed to a United Nations conference on climate change in Paris this month to advocate for action on a global scale. “For small-island developing states like ours, the science has shown that any long-term global temperature increase above 1.5 degrees Celsius would be catastrophic,” said St. Lucia Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony. The VI government has promised to take further steps to prepare for such threats. Joseph Smith-Abbott, the deputy secretary in the Natural Resources and Labour Ministry, said a comprehensive environmental bill scheduled to come to the House of Assembly next year will help combat the adverse effects of climate change. The bill reportedly includes rules on development planning, disaster risk reduction, and waste and pollution control.
JUNE
2015
Year in Review
June 4, 2015
June 11, 2015
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 7
June 18, 2015
AT A GLANCE... • The hurricane season officially began June 1, with local and regional officials urging residents to be prepared despite predictions of a less-active-thannormal season. • Long-time volunteer and swim instructor Annie Gardner received a Queen’s honour June 4, when Governor John Duncan formally presented her with a medal signifying that she is a Member of the British Empire. • Early polling took place June 5 for poll workers, police officers, and disabled and elderly voters. • The National Democratic Party won 11 seats in the House of Assembly during the General Election June 8. In addition to the nine NDP representatives who reclaimed their seats, Dr. Hubert O’Neal won the Ninth District, and first-time candidate Mitch Turnbull won the Second District. Election officials estimated that 67.5 percent of registered voters cast ballots. • A six-member mission visited the territory to observe the final campaigning and the voting ahead of issuing a report on whether the territory’s election was in line with international standards. During a press conference June 10, the team said the elections were “free and fair.” • One hundred and forty-nine students graduated from H. Lavity Stoutt Community College June 11. Sixty-five of them were said to be “honour students.” • Ninety percent of the 253 VI students who took their schoolleaving exams passed. • The Biras Creek Resort closed abruptly June 16. Resort operator David Johnson said the closure came in part because of the owner’s refusal to renew a lease or sell him the resort. However, a representative for the owner de-
June 25, 2015
NDP BREAKS CYCLE OF ONE-AND-DONE By CHRYSTALL KANYUCK ckanyuck@bvibeacon.com
Photo: TODD VANSICKLE Dr. Hubert O’Neal is hoisted into the air by supporters after winning the Ninth District at the Catholic Community Centre in Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. The win, which came shortly after 4 a.m. on election night, meant that the National Democratic Party had retained control of the government. nied that claim. and government. • Police ordered residents to • The VI men’s national bas• VI residents celebrated turn in paintball guns, flare guns ketball team finished fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II’s official and other weapons that were 22nd Caribbean Basketball Con- birthday with a local version of banned in the territory’s new federation championships, which Trooping the Colour, a formal Firearms and Air Guns Act, were hosted at the Multi-purpose march-past by uniformed bodies which was later amended. Sports Complex. in the territory. Deputy Police • Newly elected and re• The Association of Reef Commissioner Alwin James and elected lawmakers were sworn in Keepers erected two coral reef Sergeant Simon Gilbert were before a crowd of hundreds on nurseries in the territory. They will among those honoured for long June 23 at the Multi-purpose be managed jointly by the ARK police service. Sports Complex.
This year for the first time since 1999, a Virgin Islands political party managed to hang on to the legislature in consecutive elections. From 1986 until 1999, the VI Party won four consecutive elections, but it traded power with the National Democratic Party each election beginning in 2003. In fact, NDP leaders made that point a pillar of their campaign this year. “Let us finish what we started” became their common refrain, with Premier Dr. Orlando Smith and his slate of candidates urging voters to give the administration time to see through the initiatives they’d been working on since 2011. Voters were apparently swayed, returning the NDP to power in the June 8 general election with an even greater majority — nine members to two — than the party held in the previous House of Assembly. Next year and in the years to come, the VI will watch closely to see how the NDP’s key initiatives pan out. Many of them are major, including the new hospital, the Tortola Pier Park, National Health Insurance, water-andsewerage work, and plansto build a new airport. Successes will be feathers in the NDP’s cap; failures will be the opposite. And voters’ perceptions of such initiatives will help determine whether the party continues its dominance for the long term.
Page 8 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | The BVI Beacon
2015: Cartoons
2015: Cartoons
T.V. 7/2/15
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 9
Page 10 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | The BVI Beacon
JULY
2015
July 2, 2015
Year in Review
July 9, 2015
July 16, 2015
July 23, 2015
July 30, 2015
HIGH HOPES FOR EDUCATION By NGOVOU GYANG ngyang@bvibeacon.com Fifth-year students in public high schools won’t graduate next summer. Instead, they’ll head back to class in September, as the first class required by government to complete a sixth year of secondary education. To prepare, Elmore Stoutt High School has already taken measures to separate younger and older students, including different uniforms and schedules. Much more will need to be done in the coming months, however: New staff will doubtlessly be needed to accommodate an extra class of students next September, and space will be limited. But education officials say the change will be well worth the effort because it will give youths, who have tradi-
Photo: CHRYSTALL KANYUCK Youth Empowerment Project summer programme participants gather up dry leaves on Moviene Fahie’s plot in Paraquita Bay. Like many other drought-stricken farms in the area, it was virtually covered in dry foliage.
AT A GLANCE... • During a House of Assembly meeting on July 6, legislators signed off on a $15 million bank loan for the completion of the cruise pier landside development. They said the government-guaranteed loan should suffice to cover funding shortfalls, but the project continues to face major cost overruns, as
well as lost passenger-tax revenue that could already exceed $1 million. • Two hundred eighty-two high school students graduated from the territory’s secondary schools in June and July. • Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering announced government’s plans to move ahead with the greenhouse project in Paraquita Bay. Production was scheduled to begin at the end of this year, Dr. Pickering
told the HOA in July. • The HOA unanimously passed a law on July 7 designed in part to allow the Tortola Pier Park to become a dutyfree zone. • The Virgin Islands was placed on a “drought watch” after only 3.5 inches of rain were recorded over the first six months of the year. The Department of Disaster Management urged residents to conserve water.
• Work began July 9 on a project to expand and redevelop Nanny Cay Resort and Marina. It was temporarily halted shortly thereafter while coral was relocated from the area, but it resumed about six weeks later. • Governor John Duncan appointed Julian Fraser (RD3) leader of the opposition on July 21 after Mr. Fraser and his opposition colleague Andrew Fahie (R-D1) failed to agree on a leader following the June election. • Several journalists were summoned to the criminal court on July 24 via an order that described them as “defendants.” There, however, the judge said that most of them had done nothing wrong: She had called them to appear, she explained, because two online media outlets had violated an order not to host online comments about ongoing trials. • On July 25, the Supreme
tionally graduated at age 16 in the Virgin Islands, an extra year to prepare for life after school. Other ongoing reforms will work toward the same goal, officials have said. The Ministry of Education and Culture, for example, has been ramping up requirements for teachers and principals, who soon will have to be certified under a new government system. Regulations for early childhood education are also in the works, as are plans to bring technology such as Smart Boards into more classrooms. Officials say that such steps will further plans to accredit VI schools, thus elevating their status on an increasingly global playing field. But the reforms won’t be easy, and their success will doubtlessly depend on progress made in 2016.
Court of the United States legalised gay marriage throughout the US, overturning more than a dozen state and territorial laws that prohibited such unions from being legally recognised. Though gay marriages aren’t permitted here in the VI, they could be legal under the current laws, civil rights attorneys told the Beacon at the time. • The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s annual conference was held in the VI beginning July 27. Twenty-two young people from seven countries also participated the Regional Youth Parliament meeting on July 30. • Thirteen recruits became the first new police officers trained in this territory. In the past, new recruits were trained in Barbados. The accomplishment was celebrated during a graduation ceremony on July 30 at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
AUGUST 2015
AT A GLANCE...
• About 30 entries participated in the August Monday Parade, which was about half the number that took part in the 60th anniversary parade last year. However, many concerts and parties during the rest of the August Emancipation Festival got strong support. • Former magistrate Charmaine Rosan-Bunbury continued her legal battle against the government. In a series of challenges, Ms. Rosan-Bunbury has contested her 2011 interdiction and 2012 dismissal from the magistrate post. • Workers dredging in Road Harbour discovered an anchor that may have been used in the era of Napoleon, said Dr. Mitch Kent, an instructor with the Virgin Islands Studies Department at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College. • About 15 Virgin Gorda teenagers were arrested between June and August for repeatedly stealing and damaging vehicles on the sister island, police said. • Charles “Nwokeoji” Peaker, a former civil rights organiser, was honoured by the Afrikan Studies Club during a ceremony held Aug. 16 on Virgin Gorda. The author of the book Black Nationalism, Mr. Peaker was a street corner speaker in Harlem, New York in the 1960s. • Former United States VI Governor John de Jongh Jr. was arrested on Aug. 18 and accused of embezzling public funds and using the money to renovate his private residence. He denied the charges, and the case continues. • Tropical Storm Erika spared the territory in mid-August after pounding Dominica, where at least 20 people died. Through various efforts, VI residents donated clothing, food and supplies, and a few public offi-
Year in Review
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 11
Aug. 13, 2015
Aug. 20, 2015
Aug. 27, 2015
NOW ACCREDITED, COLLEGE THINKS BIG By NGOVOU GYANG ngyang@bvibeacon.com There was more than one reason to celebrate at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College this year. Apart from its 25th anniversary, in July the college also earned accreditation from the United Statesbased Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The status, which had been in the making for almost a decade, will improve the school’s international profile at a critical time in its history, officials said. “This sends a message to the community that we’ve been meeting an international standard,” HLSCC President Dr. Karl Dawson said shortly after the achievement. “I feel proud. This is very significant for the college.” Besides helping facilitate partnerships between HLSCC and US institutions, the accreditation will give graduates more opportunities to transfer credit abroad, according to Dr. Dawson. But as the college expands its offerings in the coming years, it will have to stay at the top of its game, he added: The accreditation process was extensive, and HLSCC will have to work continuously to maintain the standards that earned the status. cials traveled to the storm-ravished country to assist in the recovery effort. • The University of the West Indies hosted a symposium in Barbados to discuss how to handle the unprecedented influx of sargassum washing ashore in the region. Caribbean leaders were urged to take proactive steps to clean up the algae, which was described as a major threat to the tourism industry.
Photo: NGOVOU GYANG The BVI Ports Authority’s Jewels of Anegada troupe performs during the August Monday Parade on Aug. 3.
• A Svitzer tugboat was registered here, after many years of the VI Shipping Registry pushing to advertise the territory as a hub for registering big ships. At
a ceremony on Aug. 19, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith said he hopes more businesses will register their vessels here. • H. Lavity Stoutt Commu-
nity College began the new school year on a high note: It achieved accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Page 12 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | The BVI Beacon
SEPTEMBER 2015
Year in Review
Sept. 3, 2015
Sept. 10, 2015
Sept. 17, 2015
Sept. 24, 2015
NHI TO START IN JANUARY By KEN SILVA ksilva@bvibeacon.com
Photo: CHRYSTALL KANYUCK Workers build a wall surrounding the historic St. Philip’s Church in Kingstown.
AT A GLANCE... • Registration for National Health Insurance kicked off with a ceremony at the Social Security Building on Sept. 1. The event came amid controversy, as private health insurers released a statement the same week voicing concerns about NHI’s sustainability and asking for more information. • The Association for the Preservation of Virgin Islands Heritage got a step closer to converting the burial ground at St. Philip’s Church into a public heritage site. Using donated funds, the association built a stone wall separating the church from the road. • During a House of Assembly sitting, Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn an-
nounced government’s plan to draft a policy to guide horse racing in the territory. He also made a case for allowing regulated parimutuel betting on the sport. • At the start of the new school year, Elmore Stoutt High School launched new initiatives, including a system of separating junior and senior students. The lower three grades now wear yellow shirts instead of the traditional blue. • The East End Fire Station reopened after about three years. The facility had closed in part because fire trucks had fallen into disrepair and Fire and Rescue Services could not afford to replace them, said Chief Fire Officer Zebalon McLean. • Prison inmates volunteered at sites including the Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly as part of a revamped rehabilitation programme.
• Some businesses around the territory stayed opened longer than usual during this year’s slow season. “What we are seeing is an extension of the season, which is something that we’re all happy about,” BVI Tourist Board Director Sharon FlaxMars told the Beacon. • Some 100 delegates from postal agencies around the world participated in the 18th Caribbean Postal Union Conference held in the territory from Sept. 14-18th. • An independent report released this month found that the territory’s June 8 general election conformed to international standards of free and fair elections. However, the report added that the VI lags behind in some key areas of best practice, such as regulations for political parties and campaign finance. • Volunteers from government,
non-profit organisations and businesses took part in the International Coastal Cleanup, which began Sept. 17. • The Financial Services Implementation Unit was unveiled. Led by Director Kedrick Malone, the FSIU’s six members are charged with crafting policy recommendations to improve the financial services sector in keeping with recommendations made in a report produced by McKinsey & Company. • Chief Justice Dame Janice Pereira issued a strong warning to attorneys and judges during the start of the 2015-2016 law year. Dame Janice urged lawyers to show respect to clients, colleagues and the courts by being well prepared and courteous. Adjournments, she added, should only be for “rare and exceptional” circumstances, and persistent lateness should not be tolerated.
After more than two decades of discussions and delays, government said in July that National Health Insurance would take effect on New Year’s Day. But while officials touted the impending launch as a major step that will finally provide health care to the 60 percent of the population they claim are uninsured, the announcement was met with mixed reactions. Some residents praised the plan, but others felt there were too many unanswered questions. Health care providers, for example, asked about reimbursements and coverage limits. Meanwhile, private insurers questioned NHI’s financial sustainability and said the scheme would result in layoffs in their industry. They also disputed government’s claim that 60 percent of the population is uninsured. Other residents protested against the mandatory requirement to participate in NHI, with more than 700 people signing a petition asking government to redesign the programme. However, officials maintained that the launch will take place on Jan. 1, and they kicked off an information campaign in September in an attempt to address concerns. But despite some new information about how NHI will work, many questions remain, including the programme’s cost in the long run, whether the 7.5 percent tax will have to be raised at any time to match medical inflation, and how NHI’s medical advisory board will handle all the claims. Last week, government said 17,157 of the territory’s approximately 28,000 residents were registered for NHI. And officials have not wavered from their intended launch date, which is now two weeks away.
Year in Review
OCTOBER 2015
Oct. 1, 2015
Oct. 8, 2015
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 13
Oct. 15, 2015
Oct. 22, 2015
Oct. 29, 2015
OPEN JUSTICE AT ISSUE By KATIE KING kking@bvibeacon.com
Photos: TODD VANSICKLE Work was under way in front of the Handsome Bay Desalination Plant on Virgin Gorda in October after sargassum seaweed hampered the plant’s ability to function. Officials also blamed the seaweed for the death of thousands of sea creatures that washed ashore at Handsome Bay.
ATAGLANCE... • Although more than 600 people signed a petition asking the government to rethink National Health Insurance, NHI officials continued working on the planned programme, joining an overseas health-care network on Oct. 1. • The Virgin Islands Youth Parliament held its first meeting on Oct. 2. The group’s premier, Sonniel Pickering, said the parliament believed that a consumer protection agency should be established to advocate for consumers’ rights. • In early October, an influx of sargassum seaweed prevented desali-
nation plants in Handsome Bay and Sea Cows Bay from functioning, and was blamed for a large fish-kill off Virgin Gorda. • Community meetings were held throughout October to inform parents about the Healthy Lifestyles School Intervention Programme. The initiative, which was launched in grades two and three at public primary schools, is designed to encourage children to improve their eating and exercise habits. • Despite financial hurdles and repeated delays, BVI Ports Authority officials said in October that they expected the Tortola Pier Park to achieve substantial completion by the Dec. 1 deadline. Even if the deadline was missed, they said, they weren’t
worried that Norwegian Cruise Lines would take advantage of its right to terminate a passenger-guarantee agreement on that date. • Police started investigating the territory’s first homicide of the year after Jason Leonard Vanterpool was found dead with gunshot wounds at his Butu Mountain home on Oct. 12. • The Governor’s Office announced on Oct. 15 that police commissioner designate Robin Smith had withdrawn from the post for personal and professional reasons. The office added that acting Commissioner Alwin James would continue to head the police force until further notice. • Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool an-
nounced on Oct. 15 that Huntums Ghut and Long Trench would be the next two areas to get road and drainage improvements funded by government’s $15.7 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank. • The Princess Samiah, a barge owned by Global Ocean Transporting, ran aground at Mosquito Rock near Mosquito Island on Oct. 15. The Conservation and Fisheries Department confirmed that the accident had caused “some damage” to the reef. • Alberto Rosa de la Rosa, who was accused of fatally stabbing Dennis Bautista Familia during a bar fight in 2012, was found guilty of manslaughter at the High Court
Throughout 2015, the media struggled at times to obtain information the courts and crime. This was due in part to recent measures that transparency advocates say are out of keeping with international standards of open justice: • Since November 2013, the High Court has regularly agreed to prosecutors’ requests to exclude journalists from sex-crime trials involving juvenile complainants; and • in October police started omitting names from their weekly arrest blotter, effectively withholding the identities of people charged with crimes until they appear in court. The High Court also continued an unusual blanket ban launched in March 2014 that prohibits media outlets from hosting online comments about ongoing trials. These measures, which officials have said are necessary in part because of irresponsible journalism in the territory, have drawn criticism from international transparency advocates. The court has given no indication that it might consider changing its policies in the future, but Governor John Duncan said the blotter matter will be reviewed when the new police commissioner arrives next year. on Oct. 16. • On Oct. 21, without any explanation, police started omitting names from their weekly arrest blotters. They have since explained that they took the step in part to protect the police force from liability. • The annual BVI-USVI Friendship Day was celebrated on Oct. 24 at the Central Administration Building in Road Town.
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NOVEMBER 2015
Year in Review
Nov. 5, 2015
Nov. 12, 2015
Nov. 19, 2015
Nov. 26, 2015
AT A GLANCE... • The Planning Authority issued a compliance notice on Nov. 2 ordering the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour to stop work on the Brandywine Bay Development Project pending planning approval. • Despite pressure from the United Kingdom, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith announced on Nov. 2 that the Virgin Islands has no plans to create a public register of beneficial ownership. • The Minimum Wage Advisory Committee released a report that recommended upping the territory’s minimum wage from $4 to $6. • Defence Attorneys Leroy Jones and Valerie Stephens-Gordon claimed that two of their clients were treated inhumanely at the Road Town Police Station after they were arrested on Nov. 7 for perjury allegations. • About 100 people honoured deceased veterans by attending the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on Nov. 8. • H. Lavity Stoutt Community College President Dr. Karl Dawson announced that an observatory that has been dormant for about two decades will be restored and reopened by March. • Government announced that anyone applying for a new work permit will be required to undergo an orientation session. • The BVI Humane Society raised about $29,000 during its annual Gaming Night fundraiser on Nov. 14 at Nanny Cay. During the event, Humane Society board member Nancy Woodfield-Pascoe announced that the Town and Country Planning Department had approved the society’s plans to build a new animal shelter in Josiahs Bay. • Students around the territory learned about VI traditions during Culture Week, which kicked off on Nov. 15. On Nov. 20, residents
Photo: CHRYSTALL KANYUCK Ebenezer Thomas Primary School students plait a maypole as part of Culture Week celebrations.
SHIPPING REGISTRY SEEKS MORE BOATS By CHRYSTALL KANYUCK ckanyuck@bvibeacon.com
Although the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry was named a Category One register of ships in 2008, it wasn’t until this year that the Cabinet approved and Premier Dr. Orlando Smith signed the memorandum of understanding between the United Kingdom and the VI that grants the VISR authority to independently register the largest ships were urged to wear the official VI cultural wear. • Scrub Island Resort emerged from bankruptcy after striking a deal with creditor FirstBank that will see $18 million of new capital injected into the resort. • After four weeks of omitting
in the world. In August, the VISR welcomed Svitzer’s Hanne to the VI fleet with a ceremony at the Premier’s Office. Dr. Smith said at the time that he was pleased that VISR was making progress, while Svitzer’s regional operations manager said he expects the company to have about 20 ships registered here by the end of next year. Part of having Category One status is complying with stricter international marine safety regulations in accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention. The conven-
all names from their weekly arrest blotter, police adjusted their policy and started including the identity of suspects who have already appeared in court. • Government administrators continued working to register the population for National Health
tion, also known as the Seafarers Bill of Rights, came into force internationally in 2014. The VISR hosted a training session about the new standards in July. Next year will likely see the MLC ratified locally as well as the final UK Department of Transportation approval of the MOU Dr. Smith signed this year. Since registration in the VI under the “red ensign” makes the vessels officially British ships, the perks of UK diplomatic and safety support could mean the VI sees substantially more ships registering here.
Insurance by the Jan. 1 deadline, but they didn’t respond to questions about details including how many people were registered. • Bregado Flax Educational Centre’s Secondary Division in Virgin Gorda held its first Parent Involvement Day on Nov. 19.
• BVI Tourist Board officials said about 2,800 people attended the Nov. 28-29 Anegada Lobster Festival, which wrapped up a series of culinary activities during the month-long BVI Food Fete. Organisers dubbed the events a success.
DECEMBER
Year in Review
2015
The BVI Beacon | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | Page 15
Dec. 3, 2015
AT A GLANCE... • The BVI Ports Authority missed a key deadline included in its berthing agreement with Norwegian Cruise Lines. According to the contract, the Tortola Pier Park was supposed to reach “substantial completion” by Dec. 1. BVIPA officials have been tight-lipped about the implications. • Christmas on De Castro Street, a street fair that offered shopping and music, took place in early December. • The day before overseas territory leaders began their annual London meetings with United Kingdom officials, transparency advocates urged the UK to force the OTs to establish public registries of company ownership if they won’t do so willingly. The UK government has said that the OTs have agreed to keep ownership details on file and provide them to certain authorites on request, but the Conservative Party administration is not currently pushing for the information to be public. • The territory celebrated Arbour Day with a tree-planting ceremony at the Francis Lettsome Primary School on Dec. 4. • Boat captain Shawn Chinnery was awarded $502, 862 in damages after the High Court ruled that he was falsely imprisoned and his boat was illegally seized in 2013. • Two cruise ship tourists were killed and two others seriously injured in a tour bus accident on Dec. 6. The bus was descending Cane Garden Bay Hill when it collided with the hillside embankment. • David James, 28, was fatally wounded on Dec. 7 in a shooting incident at his home in Purcell Estate. His killing was the second homicide of the year. • As part of the BVI Tourist
Dec. 10, 2015
COSTS MOUNT AS PIER PARK DELAYED By KEN SILVA ksilva@bvibeacon.com
Photo: KEN SILVA Public Works Department crew work on a road that will extend from the pier park, run south of the Central Administration Building, and connect to Waterfront Drive by the Crafts Alive Village. The Ministry of Communications and Works started the project without any public notice, and before receiving approval from the Planning Authority.
Board’s ongoing efforts to market the territory to the Latin American market, a consultant met with tourism stakeholders to discuss how to cater to visitors from the region. • The Beacon learned in December that the Public Works Department had started building a 36-foot-wide $325,000 road
that will extend from the Tortola Pier Park, run south of the Central Administration Building and Maria’s by the Sea, and connect to Waterfront Drive. Work got under way before the Planning Authority gave its approval. • Police uncovered a marijuana plantation on Virgin Gorda in
early December. Officers said they seized 1,132 marijuana plants and more than 1.4 kilograms of cannabis from the property. • A court decision in Bermuda granted rights to samesex partners and spotlighted gay rights in the UK’s Caribbean overseas territories.
Controversy dogged the ongoing cruise pier park development this year, with opposition members calling for Governor John Duncan to launch an inquiry to explore allegations of impropriety. But Mr. Duncan said on March 17 that no inquiry would take place, and on April 29 the expanded pier officially opened with the berthing of the Norwegian Getaway. At the time, however, plenty of work remained to be completed on the nearby landside development, with only three shops open for business despite a contractual agreement that the entire project should have been largely completed by then. Because of the delay, Norwegian Cruise Lines has been paying a $7 passenger head tax instead of the originally agreed $15. In the summer, the BVI Ports Authority – the project’s developer – insisted that the pier park would be “substantially” completed by Oct. 31, at which time NCL would begin paying the full head tax. But that date came and went, and the park was still far from complete. Another missed deadline came on Dec. 1, giving NCL the legal right to cancel its agreement with government to bring more than 300,000 passengers to the territory annually for the next 15 years. NCL hasn’t cancelled its contract and probably won’t. However, the BVIPA and the cruise line have remained mum on whether Norwegian will receive more financial concessions from government because of the missed deadline. The BVIPA – which has continued to praise the project in spite of the delays – has maintained that the grand opening for the pier park will be on Tuesday, and work continues.
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