04042017 business

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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

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‘Dock tax’ crackdown on gated communities

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Port Department yesterday confirmed it is cracking down on fees owed by private/residential dock owners in New Providence’s gated communities, and issuing warnings of site visits to inspect “unregistered” facilities.

Captain Cyril Roker, the Department’s controller, told Tribune Business that it had been given the goahead from the Attorney General’s Office to initiate the tax crackdown.

The move has prompted residents of Sandyport, the private residential com-

Port Dept warns on ‘unregistered’ facility visits Sandyport residents seek legal advice AG gives legal advice to proceed munity at Cable Beach, to seek their own legal advice over the Port Department’s decision to enforce the fee/ taxarion measures in its own Act. A signed letter from Captain Roker, which has

D’Aguilar: ‘Where has the $3bn gone?’

By NEI L HAR T NELL Tribune Bu siness Ed i tor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Government has little to show for $3 billion of borrowing and increased tax revenues, an FNM candidate charged yesterday, describing as “egregious” its persistent failure to hit fiscal targets.

Dionisio D’Aguilar, the FNM’s Freetown representative, told Tribune Business that Bahamians “can’t see where the money’s gone”, as he accused the Christie administration of being “always wrong” in its annual Budget deficit projections.

He argued that Prime Minister Perry Christie’s presentation on VAT to Parliament last week had given precious little detail on how the Government’s ‘revenue windfall’ had been used, despite suggestions it had reduced total deficit spending by $500 million over the past three years.

“The bottom line is that they’ve spent the money,” Mr D’Aguilar argued.

“They know where they’ve spent the money, but they want to keep it as vague and elusive as possible.

“You can always come up with 1,000 reasons to spend money, and they [the Government] clearly have, but as Bahamians look around they can’t see where it’s gone.”

Tribune Business’s own research previously revealed that despite VAT’s introduction on January 1, 2015, the Christie adminis-

Says Govt has little to show for borrowing, VAT Constant fiscal forecast misses are ‘egregious’ Govt adding $2bn to debt; predecessor at $1.5bn

Dionisio D’Aguilar, FNM candidate for Freetown. tration will have increased the national debt by more than $2 billion during its current term in office.

It criticised the previous Ingraham government for adding more than $1.5 billion to the national debt during its 2007-2012 term in office, but official Budget data shows that the $310 million deficit incurred in 2015-2016, and the $350 See pg b4

been issued to dock owners, states: “Please be advised that in accordance with the Port Authority Act, Chapter 259 section 40A, the Port Controller is sanctioned and obligated to collect an annual tax from any/ all owners of private piers, wharfs or abutments on the island of New Providence.

“Therefore, the Port Department is requesting a site visit at your earliest convenience to conduct a survey of all unregistered docks and abutments.”

Speaking with Tribune Business on condition of anonymity, one Sandyport resident said: “Everyone in Sandyport received a letter from the Port Department

about a site visit and registration of private docks.

“They want to charge people with docks or access to the canal a fee, which for private homes would be $2 per linear foot. I don’t know if that’s per month or what.

We are taking legal advice on this. We don’t know if it’s just Sandyport or what.

Obviously this is a concern because property values get affected if we’re the only ones affected by this. We don’t know if this is retroactive or not.”

Captain Roker yesterday confirmed that the Port Department has been issuing letters to private dock owners across New Providence, See pg b4

Next Govt urged: Break ‘constant borrowing mindset’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Chamber of Commerce’s chairman yesterday urged the next Government to “break the mindset of constant borrowing” and enable the Bahamas to finally get a grip on its recurring fiscal deficits.

Gowon Bowe told Tribune Business that whoever won the upcoming general election would “have to make the hard decisions” and live within its means to bring the $7 billion-plus national debt under control.

And he also warned that Bahamians would have to moderate their demands for expanded government, and ever-increasing public services, to ease the pressure on the Public Treasury.

Speaking after Tribune Business last week revealed that the Government had increased its full-year 2016-

Chamber chief: Must ‘make the hard decisions’ Warns Bahamians: Moderate public service demands Calls for election ‘discipline’ to hit $350m target 2017 spending estimates by a total $285 million in the mid-year Budget, Mr Bowe said the rise was one issue that MP’s “can certainly take to task”.

“They certainly can be critical of the spending of the Government, but what we should be looking for is how those opposing them will be better and different,” See pg b4

Cates Farm and Petting Zoo experienced significant loss and damage as a result of Hurricane Matthew.

Farming chair: ‘I feel like throwing in towel’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The chairman of the newly-formed Farmers United Association (FUA) yesterday said he “feels like throwing in the towel” on agriculture, accusing the Government of neglecting the sector by focusing solely on BAMSI. Dennis Cates, proprietor See pg b4

Association chief: Govt ‘don’t give two hoots’ Says BAMSI focus leaves front-line farmers neglected Likens situation to ‘hamster on a treadmill’

Labour reforms get ‘far greater balance’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The private sector was able to achieve “far greater balance” on the labour law reforms passed by the Senate yesterday, the Chamber’s chairman saying “all parties” had accepted its cost-related concerns.

Gowon Bowe told Tribune Business that the private sector’s week-long lobbying efforts, led by the Chamber and hotel industry, ultimately created “appreciation” among the Government and trade unions

Private sector’s cost concerns ‘accepted by all’ Union chief: ‘Some improvement for workers’ that great care needed to be taken on the cost of doing business.

Speaking after major changes were made to the Bills amending the Employment Act and Industrial Relations Acts, Mr Bowe See pg b5

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 4, 2017, PAGE 3

Port Dept ‘clears up’ $5m in owed revenue

By NATARIO McKENZIE

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Welcomes AuditorGeneral ‘follow-up’

The Port Department has “cleared up” the nearly $5 million in outstanding revenues highlighted by an Auditor General’s report last November, its acting Controller yesterday welcoming a follow-up assessment.

A recent Auditor General’s report, which examined the agency’s accounts over a two-year period to endJune 2016, had expressed “great concern” over “weak internal controls” and its failure to enforce the law.

The report revealed that at end-June 2016 some

$3.868 million in annual fees and tariffs for services provided by the Port Department had not been collected in New Providence or the Family Islands.

And a further $921,390 in due revenues was outstanding at Potter’s Cay, with the monies due including pierage fees for mailboats and fishing vessels, plus water provided by the Port Department.

Providing an update on the Department’s response, Captain Cyril Roker told

Tribune Business Reporter

Tribune Business: “One of the biggest problems we have in this country is that there is a lot of revenue collected in the Family Islands, but it is not reported as Port revenue.

“Customs collected revenue at the Price George Dock for us. When they collect it, it is there but doesn’t go in as the Port’s. When my team came into office we recognised that, and we made amendments.

“So now whatever revenue Customs collects on behalf of the Port, it goes in as Port revenue. One of our biggest businesses in this country is foreign yacht charters. The first agency they meet is Customs, and

so whatever their charter fee is, if Customs collects that it is never reported on our books. Maybe 90 per cent of the monies was there. It was not being reflected as being collected as Port revenue.”

The Auditor General’s report had noted that the world’s two leading cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, owed the Port Department some $628,284 for water supplied to them at Prince George Wharf.

Some of those debts dated back to 2010, with the cruise lines’ accounting for 86.5 per cent of the total $725,535 owed for water usage at the Bahamas’ main cruise port.

Captain Roker said: “You can’t blame the auditors because when they come in and see the books there was no document to support the revenue being collected, but it was.

“There are one or two write-offs.

There was also a computer procedure that the ships have that we didn’t have.

Them supposedly being delinquent in payment had nothing to do with them.

They wanted to pay but we were not forwarding the receipts as we should have.

Whatever was mentioned in the auditor’s report has been cleared up. We would invite them to come and do another report.”

$30m PI condo project hitting budget, schedule

A $30 million Paradise Island condominium project is ahead of schedule on construction more than halfway through, and has yet to incur a single cost overrun.

“What is happening is the dream of every developer and every company financing a project,” said David Kosoy, chairman and chief executive of Sterling Global Financial, which partnered with Aristo Development to develop THIRTY SIX. In November, when Khaalis Rolle, minister of state for investments, toured the site with Sterling and Aristo, the only things visible above ground were a vision and Baker Construction’s heavy equipment sinking infrastructure and pilings below ground. Now, by late March, the glass, block and steel structure was up to penthouse level.

“The efficiency, speed, workmanship - the delivery of promises on time and on budget on this project - have just been incredible,” said Matthew Marco, Aristo’s director of sales and marketing. “I’ve marketed projects in many locations around the world, including elsewhere in the Bahamas. and I

Four months after investments minister Khaalis Rolle, second from right, toured the site where a $30 million condominium would be built on Paradise Island, the project called THIRTY SIX is up to penthouse level. Pictured L to R: Aristo sales and marketing director, Matthew Marco; Sterling Global Financial chairman and chief executive, David Kosoy; Mr Rolle; and Sterling Global Financial president and chief operating officer, Stephen Tiller. don’t think I have ever seen one go any smoother than this.”

Aristo’s president and chief executive, Jason Kinsale, credited both the steady financing from equity partner, Sterling Global Financial, and recent work on its other project, ONE Ca-

ble Beach, for the progress.

“We have just gone through a project that in many ways is similar to this, so we knew what the costings were for the quality we wanted,” said Mr Kinsale.

“That was a big help.

Then having a partner like Sterling Global Financial,

with all its expertise in real estate construction and development financing, is the dream of any developer.”

While construction progress has been “amazing,” according to the partners, so have sales. “We are still about one year away from completion, so to be just

over 60 per cent sold is well beyond projected budgets,” said Mr Marco.

“Every time I visit the site the work reaffirms my initial reasons for partnering in the project,” said Mr Kosoy. “We liked it because it was in the right place, Paradise Island, designed for the right price, units starting at a little over $700,000, ranging to a little over a million, and being built by the right company, Aristo, which has a solid track record of success.

“We believe the demand is driven by all the right reasons – location, price point and quality – and will remain high. There is no other place quite like Paradise Island, and there has not been a new condominium offering on the island in more than a decade.”

Sterling has acted as an equity partner in THIRTY SIX, while its investment funds have backed other projects as a lender, including the redevelopment of the recently rebranded Marriott Courtyard in downtown Nassau, and Ocean Terraces, a major overhaul and revitalisation of an abandoned West Bay Street project.

Keith Davies

BISX breaks 50 fund listings mark The Bahamas International Securities Exchange (BISX) yesterday revealed it is now home to more than 50 investment funds, after receiving three more listings.

The exchange announced that the Panorama Fund LDC and two sub-funds of Matrix Fund Investments - Matrix Fund Investment Class AG and Matrix Fund Investment Ltd Class MK - have completed its listing process.

Keith Davies, BISX’s chief executive, said: “We continue to be pleased with the faith that our service provider partners place in BISX for listing their mutual funds, especially Credit Suisse, the sponsor member that brought these three funds to BISX. “We are also thrilled that with these listings we have crossed the 50 fund threshold and now have 51 funds listed on the exchange. We now look with optimism to crossing the 100-plus fund threshold.”

Matrix Fund Investments Ltd is an International Business Company (IBC) registered as a Segregated Accounts Company (SAC) under the Segregated Accounts Companies Act 2004.

Panorama Fund LDC is registered as a Limited Duration Company under the International Business Companies Act 2000.

Credit Suisse’s Nassau branch served as the BISX sponsor member that brought these funds to the Exchange.

BTC: 2,000 clients make LTE switch

Exuma set to catch ‘Fyre’ with festival Exuma will receive a late April economic boost from the Fyre Festival, which promises to deliver a combined music, culture, art and culinary experience over two weekends.

The Ministry of Tourism is working with with festival organisers to ensure the 2017 festival matches the expectations of 5,000 guests expected to arrive on the island between April 28-30, and again on May 5-7.

“We are proud that Exuma has been selected as the 2017 festival location, and official Fyre Festival launch pad,” said Carla Stuart, the Ministry of Tourism’s senior director of national planning and special events.

“We are even more proud that within a very short period of time the festival is a first for the group, and has sold out its first weekend.

Organisers have attracted more than 100,000 interests on the event, and we realise that the exposure from a festival of this magnitude is already tremendous.”

The Ministry of Tourism is a partner for the festival, and serves as liaison between the organisers and various government and Bahamian entities on Exuma.

Ms Stuart said: “Our goal is to work with the organisers to ensure that the festival meets all of the local standards in safety, security, environmental, etc.

“We will also ensure that all local approvals required to co-ordinate a successful event of this magnitude are secured.

“Of course, ultimately, with a minimum of 3,000 persons on the island, we would wish to work together with the community to

provide greater opportunities and ensure maximum benefit for locals. Exuma and its residents are jewels, and event organisers will have an opportunity to explore the same.”.

Mr Stuart continued: “The Fyre team is committed to ensure that guests have the opportunity to explore Exuma and the Bahamas as a whole.

“The Fyre team has agreed to provide links to various tour offerings, as provided by the Exuma community. As an incentive, transportation will be provided during the daytime for the free movement of persons to various sites around Exuma, including downtown, the fish fry, regatta site and any other popular attractions.

“The idea is to create as many opportunities for persons to explore while on island, as opposed to being confined to the site.

Once the festival climaxes on the Sunday, the benefits will extend to the islands, as persons who stay for the week may purchase numerous package offerings to explore other islands.”

The musical performances will feature artists such as the G.O.O.D. Music Family, Major Lazer, Disclosure, Blink 182, Migos, Lil Yachty, Matoma, Claptone and Le Youth.

Fyre Festival has partnered with ZERO to bring artists Lee Burridge, Rampue, Bedouin, Niconé, Daniel Cowel, Jan Blomqvist, Lovecraft, Bo and Stephanie Roxanne to Fyre’s ‘Pirate’s Cove’ stage. Thug******, Blond:ISH, Tensnake and Beto Abrahão will also perform.

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) says 2,000 customers switchhed to its new LTE network on Saturday through a one-day special offer.

Alphanique Duncombe, BTC’s vicepresident for mobile, said: “We were able to move an additional 2,000 customers to our 4G LTE network. We had a special instore offer for all of our customers, where they were able to purchase the Samsung J2 Prime at an affordable rate.

“As an extra value add, each customer received a free data trial. The J2 Prime is one of the premium LTE devices from the Samsung suite. This device is a customer favourite as it is brand new, with impeccable quality, great features and an even better price point.”

In 2011, BTC was one of the first countries in the Caribbean to possess a 4G network. In 2014, it became one of the first to offer 4G LTE data services.

BTC’s LTE (Long Term Evolution) network offers increased data speeds, clearer voice calls and the ability to use a smart phone and browse the Internet

seamlessly.

BTC added that it is currently working with its providers as it eyes the new 5G platform. Internationally, 5G services are expected to be launched late 2018.

“These new customers that have moved over to our LTE network are enjoying limitless possibilities that LTE provides,” Ms Duncombe said. “Our data and video traffic, especially, have grown by leaps and bounds over the last two years.

“The new generation of smart device users are on our data network. Voice traffic has slowed tremendously, so it is imperative that we continue to push our customers to move over to the LTE network. More than 90 per cent of our customer base are using the LTE network, and with the special offer, that number has increased.”

BTC offers 4G LTE mobile services throughout the Bahamas. It has begun introducing its new mobile plans. Two new prepaid plans were released, along with a special roaming centric plan for business customers.

Compliance Officer The Compliance Officer will be responsible for providing overall support to the Head, Compliance and the Compliance Department.

Requirements • A diploma in compliance from the ICA as first option or alternatively an advanced certificate in compliance also issued by the ICA; • At least three years of experience in a related field; • High work ethics and reliability; • Attention to detail; • Ability to plan, and prioritize; • Ability to work in a team structure; • Ability to manage and oversee projects as designated by the Head, Compliance; • Ability to take initiative and propose recommendations to enhance existing or, developing new procedures; • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; and • Self-motivational work attitude and absolute honesty.

Send resume to: c/o The Tribune P.O. Box N-3207 DA# 113762 Nassau, Bahamas

Alphanique Duncombe

PAGE 4, Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Farming chair: ‘I feel like throwing in towel’

and another $20 million for BAMSI by 2021. They ain’t talking about a dollar for the farmers; not a dollar.

“No attention is paid to us. That makes me feel like throwing in the towel; to hell with farming. The Government should be the one to help you up, the crutch when you fall down, but they’re not giving out any sort of relief. I might as well throw in the towel.”

Mr Cates reiterated the belief, widely held by farmers, that contaminated feed from the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) run feed mill was responsible for the recent livestock deaths on New Providence.

“We haven’t received any compensation from BAIC for the bad feed, which we purchased from them, and that killed all our livestock,”he said. “It’s appalling.”

Mr Gray previously suggested it had not been proven that contaminated feed from the BAIC-run mill was the cause of widespread livestock deaths, with a sample having been sent off for testing.

THE TRIBUNE

The results have yet to be disclosed, but Mr Cates said yesterday he had lost livestock “in all areas”, including eight breeding sows, goats, sheep, chicken and ducks.

“The hurricane was another devastating blow which the farmers suffered, and we haven’t recovered from this yet. There seems to be no way out,” he told Tribune Business.

Pointing out that the Government was still helping farmers in the southern Bahamas to recover from Hurricane Joaquin, Mr Cates said the Ministry of Agriculture and other agencies had to-date made “empty promises” of Matthew assistance.

He described this as “adding insult to injury”, given that pledges to help repair animal cages and roofs, and provide seedlings, had yet to materialise.

Emphasising that farming was in his blood from both sides of his family, Mr Cates told Tribune Business: “It’s devastating and very upsetting to go through this with no assistance whatsoever.

“The hurricane and feed ain’t the only whammy.

We’re getting hit with theft on a weekly basis. It don’t make sense going to the police station; you might as well go and buy a gun and shoot those people stealing from you.”

The FUA’s letter to Mr Gray highlighted the damage being inflicted on many New Providence farmers by rampant, widespread theft, which it described as “despicable and a total annoyance”.

When asked by Tribune Business how much he personally had been impacted by theft, Mr Cates yesterday replied: “If I start to talk now, we’ll be on the phone till morning. I keep detailed records.”

He revealed that more than 200 goats had been stolen from his Golden Isles Road site over a two-year period, and added: “Who am I? Another farmer so disgusted with the Bahamas when it comes to farming.

It’s sickening.

“BAIC gets $6-$8 million per annum to pay staff who sit down and do what? That $6-$8 million doesn’t even go to help farming.”

Mr Cates charged that

the price of cattle wire had increased by 83.3 per cent, from $180 per roll to $330, since BAIC took over the Gladstone Road feed mill five years ago.

“Where are we going?” he asked. “We’re like a hamster in a treadmill.

We’re just here to say we’re farmers. It’s not an industry to make a living from any more.

“I’m pumping funds into my farm from other businesses to keep it breathing, keep it alive. I’m on life support. If I didn’t have some type of other business to pump money in, I’d have been out of business a long time ago.”

Mr Cates, who earns rental income from leasing property to an auto body repair business, said redistributing funds earmarked for BAMSI to assist front-line farmers would be the best way to revive the agricultural sector.

“Get that to the farmers as life support,” he argued, “and to take food security to the next level so we are able to feed ourselves.”

D’Aguilar: ‘Where has the $3bn gone?’

Next Govt urged: Break ‘constant borrowing mindset’

From pg B1

From pg B1

a country going on after the election, so they have to take very prudent steps.”

Mr Bowe said the Prime Minister’s House of Assembly address on how ValueAdded Tax (VAT) revenues were used had “candidly” identified where increased spending was incurred, such as the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s (RBDF) re-equipping and on recruitment to expand the security services and border control personnel.

“It set out a very clear message,” Mr Bowe said.

“It moved away from saying where the VAT money’s gone to how the VAT money has been allocated and spent.

“It was candidly saying this is where the expenditure increased.... The focus now is whether the monies were spent on what we want to see.”

Mr Christie last week said 40 per cent of the $1.14 billion in gross VAT revenues collected during the tax’s first two years had gone to narrowing the deficit, reducing the Government’s borrowing needs by $500 million over 2015-2016.

Of the remainder, he added that $344 million had replaced other taxes that had been abolished or decreased to make way for VAT’s arrival, and reduce the taxation burden on Bahamian.

The final $256 million, Mr Christie said, had financed

additional spending deemed vital by the Government, such as upgrading the security services and financing social programmes.

Mr Bowe said the key figure was the net $756 million increase in the Government’s revenues over that two-year period as a result of VAT - gains that he now said needed to be consolidated by spending restraint.

“The main point is that we really need to contain expenditure, and be of the mindset that any additional revenue is surplus,” he told Tribune Business.

“The success of the revenue reforms and initiatives to ensure higher compliance are very visible in terms of what they’re collecting.

I don’t think there’s any doubt as to the programme’s success.”

Mr Bowe added that the other two elements necessary for a successful fiscal consolidation programme spending restraint and economic growth - “will take time to sort out”.

He urged the Government to focus on providing the enabling environment to facilitate growth by the private sector, rather than seeking to generate this itself.

“The Government should make sure it is not getting in the way of growth, as opposed to promoting growth,” he said.

lawyers make sure that, at the end of the day, whatever fees are owed they pay them up. Our job is to not be negligent on our part. We send out reminders because sometimes people forget.”

The Port Department’s crackdown could impact owners in some of New Providence’s most prestigous communities, such as the likes of Old Fort Bay and Lyford Cay. The move is again likely to raise questions as to why another government agency has seemingly waited for some time to enforce the revenue laws, and be interpreted as another sign of the Government’s determination to collect every cent of revenue due to it amid the ongoing fiscal crisis.

Captain Roker said the issue of fee collection was under control, adding: “There were some who felt as though their development was outside the Government’s scope, even though they were paying their sea bed leases.

“Everyone is pretty much in compliance. At the end of the day, when it comes to revenue loss sometimes it’s our own locals who you have to run down. We have no challenges, more or less, in that area. We may be late in collecting the fee payment because persons would have to mail their stuff in and, at least for now, we don’t take online credit card payments.”

According to the Act: “There shall be a charge levied and paid in respect to the financial year commencing July 1, 2003, and each succeeding financial year.”

For private jetties on New Providence, the fee is listed as $2 per linear foot. For commercial jetties it is $6.32 per linear foot, and for industrial jetties it is set at $4 per linear foot.

Private jetties situated on a Family Island are assessed a fee of $1.94 per linear foot; commercial jetties at $6.13 per linear foot; and industrial jetties at $3.88 per linear foot.

From pg B1 of Cates Farm and Petting Zoo, told Tribune Business that the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant government agencies “don’t give two hoots” about frontline farmers who have been in the field for years.

He contrasted the Government’s lack of support for veteran farmers, and seeming absence of a coherent policy strategy for Bahamian agriculture, with the multi-million dollar financial support given to the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI).

Suggesting that the marked difference in treatment was demoralising many farmers, including himself, Mr Cates said the Government’s agriculturesupport agencies had done nothing to help the New Providence industry recover from a triple blow.

Besides Hurricane Matthew-related damages and

million now projected for the current fiscal year, will take the Christie administration’s total deficit spending to $2.067 billion.

As a result, Mr D’Aguilar said the Government had little to show for $2 billionplus in borrowing, plus $1.14 billion in gross VAT revenues during the tax’s first two years, other than a national debt that now exceeded $7 billion.

“The PLP tried to make the case the FNM was fiscally irresponsible, but the evidence shows they’re fiscally irresponsible,” he told Tribune Business.

“What is most egregious is if you look at the past Budget, the deficit for this year was initially supposed to be $74 million two years ago. In the 2016-2017 Budget they projected it would be $100 million, so they’ve eased it up.

“Now they’re estimating it will be $350 million.

They’re always wrong. It’s [the deficit] always way more than they say it’s going to be. It’s never right. I can understand it being off by a little bit, but I’m not buying this Matthew thing.”

The Prime Minister, in unveiling the mid-year Budget last week, blamed the projected 250 per cent increase in the 2016-2017 full-year deficit solely on Hurricane Matthew, which he said had delivered a $300 million blow to the Government’s finances.

The Christie administration has also blamed the $105 million worth of damages resulting from Hurricane Joaquin, which struck in October 2015, for a 20152016 deficit that ended up at $310 million, as opposed to a forecast $150 million.

However, recent Central Bank reports have revealed that the increased 20162017 deficit is also a result of greater recurrent (fixed cost) spending, due to outlays on social programmes such as National Health Insurance (NHI).

And the Government was already missing its deficit projections prior to the hurricanes, having projected $196 million worth of ‘red ink’ in its 2014-2015 Budget, only for the final outcome to come in at $381 million.

Mr Christie gave no ex-

livestock deaths resulting from suspected contaminated feed at the Governmentrun mill, Mr Cates said he and other farmers were “getting hit with theft on a weekly basis”.

Tribune Business revealed last week how these problems led to a meeting between the FUA and V. Alfred Gray, minister of agriculture and marine resources, during which the Association sought a $60 million government subsidy to help it recover from these woes.

However, Mr Cates told this newspaper that it was “absolutely right” when it asked whether farmers felt neglected by the Government’s seeming laser-like focus on BAMSI as the sole cure for all agricultural problems.

“They really don’t give two hoots about us,” he told Tribune Business. “They’re talking about another $20 million for BAMSI now,

planation as to why the Government’s fiscal and deficit forecasts have been so consistently off by such wide margins throughout its term in office, or for why the pace of fiscal consolidation has been much slower than projected.

However, the Government’s new website, understandingVAT.org, makes it clear that the new tax is financing spending on programmes it sees as essential, as well as helping to narrow the deficit.

“Governments have to make hard choices. An important goal is to reduce our country’s debt, but at the same time we have to continue to invest in people and make the changes we need to improve our security and our economy,” the Government explained.

“If we cared only about reducing the debt, we would not be funding new scholarships, building new sports stadiums, fixing roads and docks, or introducing National Health Insurance, for example. But all these things are important to a nation’s health and wellbeing.”

Mr D’Aguilar yesterday acknowledged that investing in people was important, but not at the expense “of bankrupting the country”.

“They’ve not been guarding the people’s money, and spending it wisely, prudently and economically,” he told Tribune Business.

“They say they’ve been investing in people, I get that, but not to the point you put the country into bankruptcy. If the economy is not growing you have to adjust, and they [the Government] will make us bankrupt at some stage.

“That’s why they’re dangerous. Dangerous as hell.

For the good of the nation, they have to say we can’t go bankrupt. The repercussions of that are far more than the benefits they will gain from re-election. Don’t put re-election first; put the country first.”

Mr D’Aguilar also urged the Government to focus on growing Bahamian GDP and the private sector, arguing that the latter’s ability to generate jobs and economic expansion was the only escape route from the present fiscal crisis.”

the Chamber chairman told Tribune Business.

“It’s a mindset to change.

For a very long time we’ve had the mindset of borrowing and the flexibility to do so, and it really is for the next government to break that mindset of constant borrowing.

“We have to make the hard decisions, and say we can only spend what we can afford. That’s not an easy one with social parties always believing the Government should do things for them,” Mr Bowe continued.

“I don’t think there’s always a correlation by the general population that the more you demand, the more the Government will have to raise taxes to pay for that.”

Although the Government is blaming Hurricane Matthew for a $300 million hit that is projected to increase the 2016-2017 deficit by 250 per cent over initial projections to $350 million, Mr Bowe said greater expenditure also “comes from the demands of the population”.

“We have to be careful what we ask for, as we might just get it,” he warned. “It’s about education and accepting a moderate level of so-

cial services.

“For me, the political platform I’ll be interested in hearing is how they intend to do that, instead of all the pie in the sky-type promises coming out of every mouth as to what they’ll do.”

Mr Bowe said the Government will now be held accountable, not just locally but also by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and credit rating agencies, for hitting its revised $350 million deficit target for the 2016-2017 full-year.

The new figure is just some $75 million higher than the half-year deficit of $275 million, and Mr Bowe warned against pre-election spending sprees that exacerbated - rather than contained - the ‘red ink’ on the Government’s income statement and balance sheet.

“That comes down to discipline,” he said of achieving the $350 million deficit target. “A large part of the increase was due to Hurricane Matthew, and they’re predicting to run a smaller deficit in the second half.

“To do so, it’s going to come down to keeping discipline on their [the Government’s] part to ensure that they do, and that they take it very seriously. While there’s an election going on, there’s

‘Dock tax’ crackdown on gated communities From pg B1 and not just at Sandyport.

He told this newspaper that while there had initially been a legal “back and forth” over the issue, it had been ‘ironed out’ with the Attorney General’s Office, effectively giving the Department the go-ahead to enforce the fees.

“One of the things we had lacked initially was enforcement,” Captain Roker said.

“We’re going in every nook and cranny. We’re putting port officers on every major island; not just a port officer, two port officers and a clerk.

“Their job is to enforce the regulations and collect the revenue. Sandyport was one of the classical examples that we had to iron out with the Attorney General’s Office. It is a development that is private land, and they were under the belief that

they didn’t have to pay the Government.

“Once the salt water hits your dock, if you have lake or whatever, that is Crown Land,” he continued. “The Government has a right to tax you on that. All those docks on Lake Cunningham and those gated communities, we are writing them and letting them know our intentions.

“Once we identified the owners we send them a bill.

There’s no discrimination.

Everyone has to pay. We want to make everyone current. We try to do that at least a month or two months in advance to give everyone a heads up.

“We’re not just here to collect money but we want to see what we could do to better the industry.

A lot pf persons try not to be delinquent. Sometimes the second homeowners sell their property and their

In the Estate of Isaac Leon Roker, late, of Charlotte Ridge, New Providence, Bahamas.

Deceased.

NOTICE is hereby given that Kelly Camille Roker of Petrea Avenue, Garden Hills 2 in the Southern District of the Island of New Providence, one of the Islands of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas will make application to the Supreme Court of The Bahamas after the expiration of fourteen (14) days from the date hereof, for a GRANT OF LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION of the real and personal Estate of Isaac Leon Roker, late of Charlotte Ridge in the Western District of the Island of New Providence, one of the Island of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas deceased.

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT (No.45 of 2000) In Voluntary Liquidation Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act, (No.45 of 2000), CAA INVESTMENT FUND LTD. (the “Company”) is in dissolution. The date of commencement of the dissolution is April 3rd, 2017. Luciane Ribeiro Moreno is the Liquidator and can be contacted at Rua Afonsa Braz, 747, AP 41D, Vila Nova Conceição, CEP 04511-011, São Paulo – SP, Brazil. All persons having claims against the above-named Company are required to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator before May 3rd, 2017.

Luciane Ribeiro Moreno Liquidator

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 4, 2017, PAGE 5

Labour reforms get ‘far greater balance’ From pg B1 said employers obtained their key demand, which was to drop the proposed 67 per cent increase in the redundancy pay cap.

“We certainly had quite a number of matters that we raised with them,” Mr Bowe said of negotiations between the private sector and the Government.

“The discussions were non-adversarial. It was really setting out some of the business parameters, and what the challenges facing the employers were.

“At the end of the day, there was appreciation that the costs of business have to be very carefully managed.

We were able to achieve far

greater balance than the first set of Bills produced” The revised Employment Act and Industrial Relations Act reforms completely dropped plans to alter the redundancy ‘cap’, deleting the clause dealing with this in the initial Bill in its entirety.

Line staff, currently entitled to a maximum 24 weeks or six months’ redundancy pay under the Employment Act, gaining two weeks for each year they have been employed up to the 12-year ‘cap’, will continue to receive such compensation.

Previous proposals to increase the ‘cap’ to 32 weeks (16 years) immediately, and 40 weeks after two years,

have been scrapped.

And managerial staff will continue to receive the existing 48 weeks (12 months/ one year) redundancy pay maximum that they are due under the Employment Act, rather than an immediate increase to 64 weeks, followed by 80 weeks after two years.

“We were certainly pleased that one found acceptance with them,” Mr Bowe said of the redundancy ‘cap’ pull back.

He added that the private sector also “understood” the Government’s desire to clearly define ‘redundancy’ due to “concerns over the actions of a few in the past”, saying: “We were able to work through that with them in a meaningful way.

“There was a delicate balance to be struck by all parties, and as it relates

to the primary concern of cost, that has been accepted by all parties, so we have to be positive that we were able to work together despite our differences.”

To balance the dropping of the redundancy ‘cap’ rise, the Government has made additional union-friendly reforms, with the changes allowing employees to obtain both redundancy pay and their non-contributory pension or gratuity.

The initial Employment Act draft required employees to choose one or the other, but now they can walk away with both - something permitted in the hotel industry for years, even though it is not law.

The Government has also agreed to another union demand by reducing the threshold for ‘agency shop’ from 60 per cent of workers voting in favour to 50 per

cent plus one.

Mr Bowe reiterated the Chamber’s belief that pension provision was the best long-term protection for workers who are made redundant, adding: “All employers want to treat employees fairly.”

He also emphasised the need to introduce empirical-based data evidence into the National Tripartite Council’s deliberations at a much earlier stage, adding: “We know our work is cut out in the future to make sure the deliberations at the National Tripartite Council are more robust empirically.”

Obie Ferguson, the Trades Union Congress’s (TUC) president, acknowledged that the labour movement did not get everything it wanted with the reforms, but said there had been “some positive movement’

in protections for Bahamian workers.

“There’s been some improvement for the workers,” he told Tribune Business.

“In this type of situation, where the employer is involved, one has to make an agreement having regard to all the social partners.

“In the approach to our new legislation we have to take everything into consideration, looking at what’s good for the union, what’s good for the employee, and what’s good for business and the economy.

“We would have preferred them [the Government] to so what they initially intended to do, but government tends to find a formula and balance and go straight down the alley, and in any negotiation it’s very rare you get precisely what you want.”

UN food program head warns of US budget cuts amid famine ROME (AP) — The outgoing head of the United Nations’ World Food Program said Monday she is certain the U.S. Congress will reject the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts for U.N. aid agencies, saying “No one in America believes that ‘America First’ means that other people must die.”

Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, whose friendship with former President Barack Obama predated his presidency, on Tuesday winds up five years of leading the world’s largest anti-hunger humanitarian organization.

The Trump administration tapped former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley to replace her, and U.N. officials appointed him last week.

In a blunt interview on the eve of her departure, Cousin joined Congressional Democrats and Republicans in criticizing the administration’s proposal to reduce funding for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development by roughly 31 percent in the next fiscal year. Congress, in negotiation with the administration, has the final say on the budget.

“I sincerely believe that no American wants to see images of starving babies,” Cousin said.

The United States is the largest contributor to the World Food Program, which serves some 80 million needy people with emergency food aid and other food assistance in conflict zones, refugee camps and natural disasters around the world.

The amount of money the administration has proposed for the food program hasn’t been released. The WFP enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, suggesting it won’t be as deeply cut as other U.N. programs.

But Cousin, who was Obama’s ambassador to the U.N.’s three food agencies before she was named to lead WFP, was clear that the White House’s proposal was inadequate and contrary to U.S. interests in her view.

“The budget that has been suggested by the administration does not reflect the generosity of the American people,” she said. “I’m hopeful that the administration will recognize that the security of the United States is directly related” to ensuring food security and development opportunities for poor people around the world.

“The policies of the Obama administration will reflect that they ‘got’ that,” Cousin added. “The policies of the Trump administration would suggest that they don’t believe that that is the case.”

The U.S. has provided the program with $2 billion a year for the past three years, more than Germany, Britain, Canada and Japan

combined. The WFP contributions are voluntary, unlike the assessed contributions the U.S. is billed for the U.N.’s general and peacekeeping budgets.

Cousin said Germany and the European Union have already stepped in to increase their voluntary contributions, as has the private sector.

“But that does not fill the gap of a significant reduction in U.S. contributions,” she said. “However, I do not believe at this point that this Congress will pass legislation where babies begin to die. I don’t think the American people will allow it. And that is what will happen.”

The United Nations has warned that the world is facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the U.N. was founded in 1945, with more than 20 million people in four countries facing possible famine: South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and northeast Nigeria. Already, famine has been declared in parts of South Sudan.

“No one in America believes that ‘America First’ means that other people must die,” she said.

Cousin said she plans to remain engaged in food security, access to clean water and related issues when she takes up a position as lecturer and visiting fellow at Stanford University starting in September.

WFP (World Food Program ) executive director Ertharin Cousin answers questions during an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome, yesterday. The outgoing head of the U.N. World Food Program says she is certain Congress will reject the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts that threaten funding for major U.N. aid agencies, saying “No one in America believes that ‘America First’ means that other people must die.” In an unusually blunt interview on the eve of her departure, Cousin joined Congressional Democrats and Republicans in rejecting the administration’s proposal to reduce funding for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development by roughly 31 percent in the next fiscal year. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Legal Notice NOTICE JOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:

WHERE HIT MUSIC LIVES W W W .

1 0 0 J A M Z

. C O M

@100JAMZ242

Company seeking to employ an

Experienced Security Officers Interested and serious persons should submit their resume, clean police record, NIB card, a recent photo and copy of passport and references to Chances Head office, Prince Charles Road (across from Restview)

NOTICE

FOR SALE - Double Apt 65/66 Silver Point Condo Property unit being sold subject to lien dated 20th March 2017.

Interested parties should submit offers to purchase in a sealed envelope with an email address, phone contact and P.O. Box address to: The Board of Directors / Manager Silver Point Condominium P.O. Box F40825 Freeport, GB The right is reserved to reject any and all offers.

Last date for offers April 15th, 2017.

(a)

Joan Asset Management Ltd., is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said Company commenced on the 30th March, 2017 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c)

The Liquidator of the said Company is Shareece E. Scott of Deltec Bank & Trust Limited, Deltec House, Lyford Cay, P.O. Box N-3229, Nassau, Bahamas.

Shareece E. Scott Liquidator

PAGE 6, Tuesday, April 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

US stocks fall as weak auto sales trouble investors

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks started the second quarter with a thud Monday after car makers reported disappointing March sales, a possible warning about other types of spending. But a late recovery helped stocks avoid bigger losses.

Stocks tumbled in morning trading after automakers including Ford and General Motors said passenger car sales slumped last month.

Auto parts and rental car companies also tumbled.

Spending by shoppers is a critical part of economic growth and investors found themselves wondering if spending will keep growing as it has in recent years.

Small companies slumped, as their performance is

closely linked to U.S. economic growth.

While stocks recovered most of their earlier losses, the weak car sales still sent a chill through the market.

Steven Ricchiuto, chief U.S. economist for Mizuho, said auto sales have been a major part of the U.S. economy recently, and if car sales fall, consumer spending would also weaken. That in turn might mean manufacturers and other companies won't open as many factories or hire as many workers.

“If we're starting to lose some of the momentum on autos, where is the momentum going to come from?” he said.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell as much as

18 points around midday, but finished down just 3.88 points, or 0.2 percent, at 2,358.84. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 145 points but wound up with a loss of 13.01 points, or 0.1 percent, to 20,650.21.

The Nasdaq composite shed 17.06 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,894.68. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks gave up 16.25 points, or 1.2 percent, to 1,369.67.

Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and Honda all said their overall sales decreased in March as passenger car sales kept falling. GM reported its sales were up thanks to stronger SUV sales, but its totals weren't as good as experts expected.

Auto sales have reached all-time highs in recent years, but companies are offering more cash, incentives, and low-interest loans to draw in buyers. Investors are getting worried that companies will be stuck with vehicles they'll have to sell for big discounts.

Fiat Chrysler lost 52 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $10.41 and General Motors stock fell $1.19, or 3.4 percent, to $34.17. Ford gave up 20 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $11.44.

Five of the eight worst performers in the S&P 500 Monday came from the auto industry. Auto parts retailer O'Reilly Automotive dropped $11.15, or 4.1 percent, to $258.69. Auto retailer AutoNation shed $1.45,

or 3.1 percent, to $40.84 and Goodyear Tire slid 73 cents, or 2 percent, to $35.28.

Tesla said over the weekend that its deliveries jumped 69 percent in the first quarter to a record 25,000.

The electric car company's stock climbed $20.22, or 7.3 percent, to $298.52. Tesla's market capitalization rose to $48.7 billion, greater than Ford's.

Bond prices rose sharply.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.33 percent from 2.39 percent.

When bond yields fall, interest rates also decrease, and that affected banks and financial institutions.

As investors felt less certain about the performance of the economy, they sold

stocks in companies that do the best when the economy is growing quickly. Retailers, technology companies, and industrial companies fell more than the rest of the market on Monday.

The dollar sank to 110.96 yen from 111.29 yen and the euro fell to $1.0665 from $1.0684.

Benchmark U.S. crude lost 36 cents to $50.24 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slipped 41 cents to $53.12 a barrel in London.

Health care companies finished with small gains as big health insurers traded higher. Cigna added $2.90, or 2 percent, to $149.39 and Humana picked up $3.63, or 1.8 percent, to $209.77.

Tumbling car sales drag down US auto market in March

Ford sales consultant Yanaisis Milian removes the dealer tag on a sold 2017 Ford Explorer at an auto dealership in Hialeah, Fla. Automakers are reporting financial results yesterday. (AP Photo)

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that LOUISANE MERTULIEN of Mathew St., Nassau Village, 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 4th day of April, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

DETROIT (AP) — Passenger car sales plummeted again in March, dragging U.S. auto sales to their third straight monthly decline, a strong indication that years of sales growth have come to an end.

Sales for the month fell 1.6 percent to just over 1.55 million vehicles, surprising analysts who expected a small increase.

For now, anyway, the auto industry isn’t worried. It’s making solid money selling reams of SUVs and trucks to consumers who are loading up on expensive features. But some analysts see large inventories of cars as a looming problem. Car sales were down almost 11 percent, while truck and SUV sales rose 5.2 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

“Trucks and SUVs, although they did well, it’s still hard to make up the

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that KAREN ALTHEA ELDEN of Queen’s Highway, Current, Eleuthera, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 28thday of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

MARKET REPORT FRIDAY, 31 MARCH 2017

t. 242.323.2330 | f. 242.323.2320 | www.bisxbahamas.com

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: CLOSE 1,902.75 | CHG 0.00 | %CHG 0.00 | YTD -35.46 | YTD% -1.83 BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.38 17.43 9.09 3.56 4.70 0.12 7.20 8.50 6.10 10.60 15.27 2.72 1.60 5.83 10.00 11.00 9.30 6.90 12.01 11.00

52WK LOW 3.20 17.43 8.19 3.50 1.64 0.12 3.80 8.15 5.56 8.50 11.00 2.18 1.31 5.80 6.79 8.56 7.00 6.35 11.92 10.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

900.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

PREFERENCE SHARES

1.00 106.00 100.00 106.00 105.00 105.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

1.00 105.50 100.00 100.00 105.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Bank of Bahamas Benchmark Cable Bahamas CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Colina Holdings Commonwealth Bank Commonwealth Brewery Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Famguard Fidelity Bank Finco Focol ICD Utilities J. S. Johnson Premier Real Estate Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Commonwealth Bank Class E Commonwealth Bank Class J Commonwealth Bank Class K Commonwealth Bank Class L Commonwealth Bank Class M Commonwealth Bank Class N Fidelity Bank Class A Focol Class B

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

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00 100.00

SYMBOL AML APD BPF BWL BOB BBL CAB CIB CHL CBL CBB CWCB DHS FAM FBB FIN FCL ICD JSJ PRE CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA CBLE CBLJ CBLK CBLL CBLM CBLN FBBA FCLB

SECURITY Fidelity Bank Note 17 (Series A) + Fidelity Bank Note 18 (Series E) + Fidelity Bank Note 22 (Series B) +

SYMBOL FBB17 FBB18 FBB22

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-3Y BGS: 2015-1-3Y BGS: 2014-12-5Y BGS: 2015-1-5Y BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-3Y BGS: 2015-6-5Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-3Y BGS: 2015-10-5Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y

BAH29 BG0103 BG0203 BG0105 BG0205 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0303 BG0305 BG0307 BG0330 BG0403 BG0405 BG0407

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing) 115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

113.70 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.03 3.92 1.94 169.70 141.76 1.47 1.67 1.57 1.10 6.96 8.50 6.30 9.94 11.21 10.46

52WK LOW 1.67 3.04 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.41 1.61 1.52 1.03 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57

LAST CLOSE 4.38 15.85 9.09 3.54 1.77 0.12 4.50 8.50 6.00 10.44 11.86 2.29 1.55 5.83 9.75 9.85 9.25 6.90 12.01 10.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01 LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 100.00 105.78 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 4.38 15.85 9.09 3.54 1.77 0.12 4.50 8.50 6.00 10.44 11.86 2.29 1.55 5.83 9.75 9.85 9.25 6.90 12.01 10.00

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 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 100.00 100.00 100.11 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00

105.25 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

-0.53 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund FG Financial Preferred Income Fund FG Financial Growth Fund FG Financial Diversified Fund FG Financial 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

VOLUME 100

430

VOLUME

NAV 2.03 3.92 1.94 168.44 141.76 1.47 1.64 1.56 1.04 6.96 8.50 6.30 9.80 11.13 9.63

EPS$ 0.029 1.002 -0.144 0.170 -0.130 0.000 -0.030 0.607 0.430 0.450 0.110 0.102 0.080 0.300 0.520 0.960 0.820 0.294 0.610 0.000

DIV$ 0.080 1.000 0.000 0.210 0.000 0.000 0.090 0.300 0.220 0.360 0.490 0.060 0.060 0.240 0.400 0.000 0.330 0.140 0.640 0.000

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

P/E 151.0 15.8 N/M 20.8 N/M N/M -150.0 14.0 14.0 23.2 107.8 22.5 19.4 19.4 18.8 10.3 11.3 23.5 19.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

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

INTEREST 7.00% 6.00% Prime + 1.75%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2017 31-May-2018 19-Oct-2022

6.95% 4.00% 4.00% 4.25% 4.25% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.00% 4.25% 4.50% 6.25% 3.50% 3.88% 4.25%

20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2017 30-Jul-2018 16-Dec-2019 30-Jul-2020 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2018 26-Jun-2020 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2018 15-Oct-2020 15-Oct-2022

YTD% 12 MTH% 4.30% 4.30% 3.82% 3.82% 2.73% 2.73% 3.95% 3.95% 6.77% 6.77% 0.40% 4.04% -1.76% 1.06% -0.34% 2.70% -0.95% 1.55% 4.35% 4.69% 4.13% 4.28% 4.22% 4.64% 6.19% 3.43% 2.77% 2.98% -3.66% -3.90%

NAV Date 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Jan-2017 31-Jan-2017 31-Jan-2017 31-Jan-2017 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016

MARKET TERMS BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks 52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Change - Change in closing price from day to day Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

YIELD 1.83% 6.31% 0.00% 5.93% 0.00% 0.00% 2.00% 3.53% 3.67% 3.45% 4.13% 2.62% 3.87% 4.12% 4.10% 0.00% 3.57% 2.03% 5.33% 0.00%

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths NAV - Net Asset Value N/M - Not Meaningful

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | FG CAPITAL MARKETS 242-396-4000 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225

lack of car sales,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis for the Edmunds.com car-buying website. “You can’t have the other side of the industry completely not performing well.”

Hyundai suffered the biggest decline at 8 percent, followed by Ford at 7.5 percent, as popular car models such as the Sonata and Fusion suffered big decreases.

Fiat Chrysler sales tumbled 5 percent, Toyota fell 2 percent and Honda just under 1 percent. But Nissan sales rose over 3 percent, Volkswagen’s gained just under 3 percent and GM posted an increase of just under 2 percent, all helped by SUV sales.

Drawing in buyers required a lot of cash, lowinterest loans and other incentives, however. Dealer stocks are growing because cars and trucks aren’t moving off the lots as fast as they did in the past.

The LMC Automotive consulting firm said incentives hit a March record, averaging $3,768 per vehicle and the highest amount since March of 2009. In addition, cars and trucks are sitting on dealer lots for an average of 70 days, the highest level for any month since July of 2009 during the sharp economic downturn.

Caldwell predicts this year’s sales will drop to 17.2 million, still strong but down from last year’s record of 17.55 million. Through March, overall sales were down 1.5 percent.

If automakers can’t reduce inventories, they’ll have to offer even more incentives, which will reduce industry profits. Even some truck and SUV inventories

are starting to climb, she said.

Since vehicle values could fall if demand falters, that could mean an end to sweet lease deals for consumers, she said. That could mean lower sales, production cuts and a drag on the economy in a worst-case scenario, she said.

Yet even at Ford, which saw a 24 percent decline in car sales, executives were happy, largely because of a 10 percent increase in sales of the F-Series pickup.

Vice President of Sales Mark LaNeve said buyers are loading out the trucks with premium options, boosting average sale prices by $2,500 over a year ago. “(Sport) Utilities and trucks are trucks are very positive in terms of our economics,” he said. “If you think about it, it means revenue is up.”

Ford’s numbers were reflected in industry figures.

LMC says average prices rose to $31,074, beating the previous March high of $31,049 set last year.

Dealers concede inventories are on the rise, but Mark Scarpelli, owner of Chevrolet, Kia and Fiat Chrysler dealers north of Chicago, said he considers it a normal part of the business cycle.

In the Midwest, Scarpelli said, dealers build inventory during cold-weather months in preparation for spring and summer selling seasons. “There might be some higher inventory levels on certain car lines or truck lines, but that’s going to happen in good times or bad,” said Scarpelli, who also is chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that DERILIEN ALEXANDRE of Washington 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 4th day of April, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that ADRIANNA LOUIS of Plantol Street, New Providence, 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 28thday of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that CLARENCE GEORGE SAINT AUBYN MITCHELL of High Tree Estate, Carmichael Road, New Providence, 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 28thday of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that CHARLENE SAINTIL of Bacardi Road, New Providence, 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 28thday of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 4, 2017, PAGE 9

b o dy an d m in d

Praying for Anjalee

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

R

eceiving a cancer diagnosis will always be heart-breaking, but receiving the news that your child is battling the often deadly disease is devastating.

And it became a reality for Bahamian parents Ancella and Jamaal Thompson in 2014 when they were told that their daughter Anjalee, now six years old, has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

The Mayo Clinic describes the condition as a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. Acute lymphocytic leukaemia is the most common type of cancer in children, and treatments result in a good chance for a cure.

“We tell her that nothing lasts forever and God and His angels are always there, especially when we are not,” Ancella told Tribune Health.

“We pray beyond the basic, as if in another realm when

Six-yearold battles leukaemia with faith God intervenes; this cannot be explained. We leave God to God.” The treatments Anjalee receives often cause her muscle pains, alopecia (hair loss), fatigue and headaches.

“Treatment for girls lasts for two and a half years but can be delayed due to weakened immune systems and relapses,” Ancella explained.

“However, most days she is rambunctious and is competitive in her schoolwork.”

She said Anjalee hopes that her battle with leukaemia will soon be over. The six-year-old continuously prays and speaks to God when she experiences anxiety and uncertainty regarding her condition, her mother said. “ ‘Bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name’ – that is her mantra,” Ancella said.

Anjalee enjoys playing, arguing and having a good time with her sister. Her happiness also comes from food and tea time with her “Nana”, frolicking at the beach and at the park, and riding her bike.

“She wants to become a nurse, get married, have one kid and visit her parents’ house for dinner once in a while,” said Ancella of daughter’s clear plans for adulthood. Ancella hopes to raise awareness of Anjalee’s condition and garner support from relatives and church members, as well as school children.

“We tell her that nothing lasts forever and God and His angels are always there, especially when we are not.”

Anjalee Thompson, 6, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2014.

Cancer Society calls for increased colon screenings

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net THE Cancer Society of the Bahamas will raise awareness of colon cancer during its upcoming forum with the hopes of inspiring people to undergo early screening.

The forum is one of many efforts by the organisation to ensure that members of the public are fully informed of the condition.

The forum will be held at the Cancer Society in Centreville on April 11, beginning at 5.30pm. It will feature a presentation by Dr Marcus Cooper, and colon cancer survivors Ryan McCartney or Denise Smith Kemp will share their story.

Dr Cooper will present a medical perspective on what key factors to look for when detecting colon cancer.

“Screening increases the chances of detecting colon cancer early.

Learn what screening tests are recommended and when you should have them. We also have colon cancer survivors telling their stories about their journey with cancer,” said Melissa Major, the programme’s coordinator at Cancer Society .

“Our mission is to educate and raise awareness on all types of cancers. Based on the Princess Margaret Hospital 2014 report, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer in the Bahamas. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, with nearly 1.4 million new cases diagnosed in 2012. Also, based on a report given in the New York Times, colorectal cancer is rising in young people,” she said.

During the forum, Ms Major said guests will also get information on facts and myths about colon cancer.

“We hope that persons will follow the screening guidelines and adhere to a healthy lifestyle regime to prevent the risk of colon cancer,” she said.

“Men and women, starting at age 45, should have one of these tests done that will find polyps and cancer: flexible sigmoidoscopy or double contract barium enema or colonoscopy. Early detection is key.”

Since May is Cancer Awareness Month, the theme for the Cancer Society is, “The Benefits of Healthy Lifestyle Choices”. The organisation is expected to host a number of events to spread awareness and disseminate information.

“We are providing cancer patients, survivors and their families as well as persons at risk across The Bahamas, with a wide variety of services and programs for the early detection and prevention of cancer,” Ms Major said.

An illustration of the sigmoidoscopy screening method.

Chatting it up with doc helps heart patients take meds

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS ARLINGTON, Virginia — Patients who communicate effectively with their healthcare providers are more likely to comply with their treatment for hardened arteries, according to a new study.

Those with good communication with their providers were 52 per cent more likely to report using prescribed cholesterollowering statin drugs and 26 per

cent more likely to report taking aspirin, researchers said Monday at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2017. They were also 41 per cent less likely to go to the emergency room.

In comparison, those who reported poor communication with their healthcare providers were twice as likely to report poorer outcomes and spent $1,243 more in healthcare costs.

In interviews with 6,810 adults

with atherosclerosis, researchers asked questions such as: “How often did your healthcare providers show respect for what you had to say?” and “How often did healthcare providers spend enough time with you?”

“A patient’s beliefs about their illness, their perception of the healthcare system, the extent to which a physician fulfills the patient’s requests and other obstacles can make it a challenge for patients and providers to connect,” said Dr Victor M Okunrintemi, a researcher at Baptist

Health South Florida in Miami.

“One cannot say for sure how communication exactly influences health outcomes. However, optimal communication between patients and their healthcare providers may yield better understanding of the medical condition, build trust and confidence, motivate patients and promote adherence to medication which could improve patients’ health status while reducing the need for unnecessary health resource utilization, which can lower healthcare expenditures.”

PAGE 10, Tuesday, April 4, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

(l-r) Linda Lafleur; Heart Foundation treasurer and trustee; Hope Sealey, Rotary president-elect; Erin Jones, Rotarian; Adrian White, Rotary secretary and director; Marilyn Cambridge, chairperson of the Heart Ball Committee; Roy E Barnes, Heart Foundation chair; Diane de Cardenas, Rotary president; Constance Gibson, Rotary director, and Keith Sands, Rotary director.

Rotary has heart The Rotary Club of East Nassau said it is honoured to be able to support the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Foundation in its mission to assist children in the Bahamas with heart disease.

Rotary clubs in the Eastern United States and across the Caribbean Basin are combining resources to promote community service projects reflecting Rotary International’s six areas of focus: basic education and literacy, economic and community develop-

Sir Victor Sassoon Heart Foundation targeted for special donation by the Rotary Club of East Nassau ment, disease prevention and treatment, peace and conflict prevention/resolution, water and sanitation, maternal and child health.

From Delaware to Trinidad, the Rotary Club of East Nassau (RCEN) has chosen the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart

Foundation to fulfill the organisation’s commitment.

Erin Jones, member of RCEN and the Heart Ball Committee, spearheaded the project. She said: “67,500 Rotarians in as many as approximately 1,600 clubs will be collectively making a difference

for thousands of families in hundreds of communities. All members in our club have already committed to helping the Heart Foundation in our community. We are hoping the citizens and businesses in our area embrace our mission and help us.”

The project, known as ‘Rotary Has Heart’, is being highlighted by Rotary clubs as the signature project in the first quarter of the year.

The mission of the Sassoon Heart Foundation is to assist children in the Baha-

mas with heart disease.

Just within the past three years, 32 children received life-saving surgeries through the foundation. Medical expenses have escalated over the past few years from $10,000 to $20,000 per case to an average of $55,000 - $75,000 (depending on the complexity of the lesion).

The Annual Heart Ball is the Foundation’s major fundraiser. Because of escalating costs, the help of corporate Bahamas and civic-minded residents is

needed for the foundation to continue making a difference in the lives of children.

RCEN encourages the public to give generously to the foundation year around and to support their events; the Heart Ball in the February and Annual Tea Party & Fashion Show in the Fall.

You can further assist the Heart Foundation by making donations. Memorial donations are welcomed, as well as contributions in honour of successful surgeries.

Why you may be sick and tired of being sick and tired Your immune system can suffer with as little as one hour of missed sleep With the unusual cold snap we experienced at this time of year, comes a seasonal cold or flu for some of us. But new research explains that sleep can be the best preventative medicine.

Most of us know that lack of sleep increases our risk of getting sick. But new research from the University of Washington School of Medicine helps to explain why.

Poor sleep blocks genetic processes in the cells of your immune system, which is responsible for fending off infections and disease, according to the study.

“Your immune system is not functioning the way it was meant to when you’re sleep deprived,” said Nathaniel Watson, a neurologist and sleep specialist at the University.

As far as they are aware, Watson and his colleagues believe that this is the first study that considers what happens to the DNA of the immune system with inadequate sleep.

“It’s further evidence of how important sleep is to human health and physiology,” Watson said.

Cellular damage can occur after one hour of lost sleep The study researched 11 pairs of identical twins. In each pair, one twin reported sleeping at least seven hours per night, with the other twin sleeping approximately one hour less.

Watson explained that using identical twins helped to control for the fact that sleep needs varies amongst individuals. Genetics

Bettyjoe Cooper determine about 50 per cent of sleep needs. So, using identical twins creates the best-case scenario for comparison.

The participants wore a movement-tracking device for two weeks. This confirmed that one twin per pair slept, on average, an hour less than their sibling. Sleep time factored in daytime naps.

Blood samples were taken at the end of the study. They revealed that the twin who slept less also had a less active immune system, when compared to the twin who slept more. Those who slept less were making fewer proteins, essential molecules our bodies depend on.

“They had an underperforming immune system,” Watson said of the shorter sleepers, “which would put them at higher risk of getting sick.”

To control for other factors that could impact sleep need or immune health, people with diabetes, depression or other mental health problems and sleep disorders were excluded from the study. Shift workers, smokers, drug users and drinkers were also excluded.

The big lesson is that getting a good sleep – in quality and quantity – is important for our health.

Add the risk of infection to the many reasons why sleep deprivation is bad for you. A list that already includes issues such as reduced performance during the day, depression, hypertension,

Strenghen your immune system by getting sufficient sleep. cardiovascular disease, diabetes and irritability.

• Bettyjoe Cooper is a self-published author and the founder of Brand New Mattress Co, a retailer of bedding products located in the Hummingbird Plaza, Coral Harbour Road, Nassau, Call 698 4609 for more information.

Share your news

The Tribune wants to hear from people who are making news in their neighbourhoods. Perhaps you are raising funds for a good cause, campaigning for improvements in the area or have won an award. If so, call us on 322-1986 and share your story.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, April 4, 2017, PAGE 11

Faith or fear – which do you choose?

The many excuses that some folks give as the reason why they are not maximising their potential, or not living an empowered life, are vast and varied, colourful even.

For the most part, it’s not their fault. They are a victim of the blame game.

Somebody did or didn’t do something that resulted in their current station in life.

Indeed, the blame game never seems to get old for some. And while all of our lives will have their share of ups and downs, you are the driver of your life. Whether you choose to drive it to your desired outcome or just become a passenger in your life, it is entirely up to you.

Plain and simple, it’s nobody’s fault. You are responsible for what you do you’re yourself, with your life. You can choose to look back with fear or look forward with faith. It’s your call. Faith or fear – which do you choose?

Truth be told, most people will choose fear, simply because they live and breathe fear-based oxygen.

This means that they are inhaling fearful information through various mediums most of their waking hours.

Let it be understood that you cannot sit all day enjoying a buffet of fear and expect to live a faith-filled life.

It is impossible.

Faith is not a joke. You are either in or out. Those who live and breathe faith live a faithful life.

Whether you know it or not, your everyday conversations have a powerful influence on the train you get on. Conversations change lives, be it positively or negatively. If you think it’s a small thing to spend the bulk of your time listening to unsavory, negative conversations, you are sadly mistaken.

Words have unlimited power. They are the surgical tools with which we sculpt your mind and cement your behaviours.

If you want to know whether faith or fear is the driving force, take a listen to what you are listening to;

Michelle Miller Motivationals

Michelle M Miller

“Faith is a quiet power.

It does not require any shouting, hollering or group approval.

Faith has nothing to prove.

It just is.” what you are feeding your mind.

Ultimately, you stand where they sit. If you spend much of your valuable time sitting in a cesspool of blaming and complaining, this becomes the foundation and driving force of your life.

Language is the gateway to knowledge, wisdom and understanding. It literally shapes your life, builds your character, and develops your future. The power of language influences your mind. You are the gate keeper. You must stand guard at the gate of your mind.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen.

Fear, on the other hand, is more a belief in the absence of the substance. When you surrender to fear, you buy

into the delusion that there is not enough. You fall prey to lack and limitation.

Fear as a driving force causes anxiety, anger and aggression to prevail. Over time, you stay stuck in problem mode, never finding a solution. Sad thing is, the solution lies within the problem but fear blinds you from seeing it. The fact of the matter is, you have the power to master your life.

You can choose how you live and what moves you to move.

Faith is a muscle it needs exercise to be developed.

There is no meaningful living, without meaningful faith. Faith is a personal quality. You must believe and develop your faith for yourself if you wish to live faithfully. Let go of the idea that you can somehow live on other people’s faith.

Many believe this, thinking they can just go through motion of doing the group but never building their own faith. Faith is a quiet power. It does not require any shouting, hollering or group approval. Faith has nothing to prove. It just is.

Leader to leader, make up your mind and get to work building your faith.

Be willing to divorce yourself from fear, as fear by its very nature is an emotion which you can change. Living by faith instead of fear is a decision you must make. It requires a firm foundation of courage and confidence.

Be mindful of what you are listening to and how you invest your time. Remember, garbage in – garbage out. When you commit to building your faith, you start that solid foundation for living an empowered life. Yes, you definitely can do it.

What do you think?

Please send your comments to coaching242@yahoo. com or call 429-6770.

• Michelle M Miller is a certified life coach, communication and leadership expert. Visit www.talktomichellemiller.com or call 1-888-620-7894; mail can be sent to PO Box CB13060.

Misty Copeland’s next leap: Giving us all better bodies From pg B12 a deep dark hole, saying ‘I can’t have carbs’ and ‘I can’t have sweets.’”

for everyone... for someone who has never taken a dance class, for the mom or the college student.”

On the right mindset

Coming to terms with food

“I think it’s important to feel comfortable with who you are, no matter where you’re starting from. The mental discipline is so much a part of it, feeling strong, feeling in control. And just focusing on the journey and feeling good about yourself. I want this book to be

“We all have a difficult relationship with food. Especially in America where we have so much access to quantity. We were on food stamps for most of my childhood, so we were finding food to eat to survive, it wasn’t about the best and healthiest food. So when I

became a dancer, I pretty much was eating whatever I wanted. Once my body changed, that’s when I really started to evaluate what I was putting into my body. I cut out meat six or seven years ago. I’m a pescatarian. That works for me; it may not work for everyone. I eat sweets in moderation, and allow myself a glass of prosecco or wine.

I’m looking at what I put in my body as a lifelong nutritional state — it’s not about a diet.”

“Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You,” by Misty Copeland. (grand central Publishing via AP)

SECTION B

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

The ‘Rebirth’ of Bahamian women

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

J

acqueline Gardiner has been on a mission to raise a generation for authentic leaders who are fully equipped and prepared to fulfill their purpose in life.

As a result of this mission, Ms Gardiner launched the MG Rebirth International Ministry, a non-profit organisation helps transform people who want to be leaders in every sphere of life.

As part of MG Rebirth, Ms Gardiner is hosting a women’s empowerment retreat, open to women of all ages and backgrounds.

The signature event takes place on April 14 at SuperClubs Breezes under the theme “A Purpose-Driven Women”. It begins at 3pm.

There will be a tea party, a women’s empowerment forum called ‘Phenomenal Women’, and a youth empowerment session on the subjects of, ‘Whose Genes Are You Wearing?’ and ‘Shine Like a Diamond’.

During the retreat, Ms Gardiner said women will be given insight into how they can discover their purpose.

“Women come out to the retreat to give themselves opportunities to be permanently and positively changed as a result of being exposed to enlightening information that can assist them in finding and living out their true purpose,” she told Tribune Woman.

“I hope that each woman leaves from the retreat a better person than they came. For some, I want a total transformation in their minds, bodies, and spirits.”

MG Rebirth believes in providing an environment which cultivates a rebirth experience; a complete transformation. The aim of the ministry is to transform, inspire, mentor, motivate, restore, lead and empower people.

Ms Gardiner started the non-profit organisation with the goal of transforming members into authentic leaders. It was founded in late 2014 and since its inception it has led several successful initiatives.

These include ‘Joy in the Park’, an event held in collaboration with T G Glover Primary School to prepare underprivileged kids for the upcoming school year.

Jacqueline Gardiner, founder of MG Rebirth However, Ms Gardiner’s efforts have not been limited to her non-profit organisation; helping others has been a constant theme of her life.

She is an insurance professional by trade, and has been in the industry for over 30 years, whilst holding the highest distinctions in both life and general insurance. In her professional journey, she said, she has helped mould many successful insurance professionals, and in 2015 she was nominated for “Mentor of the Year” by the Bahamas Financial Services Board.

Ms Gardiner said her eagerness to help is linked directly to her love of God, and it evident in the many leadership roles she has played in various religious organisations. Her life’s mandate is to lead in the manner of two strongest influences in her life: the first being Nelson Mandela, who she said taught her the power of forgiveness, and her mother, who taught her the power of love.

Although she has achieved much in both her professional and spiritual life, Ms Gardiner said her proudest accomplishment is giving birth her twin sons – one who grew up to be lawyer and the other an insurance professional in Canada.

Misty Copeland’s next leap: Giving us all better bodies

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer If you’ve ever binged on a box of doughnuts — yep, the whole blessed thing — ballerina Misty Copeland can relate.

She’s done it too, lots.

No, really.

“I used to bury my hurt in a box of Krispy Kremes,” the dancer says in her new book, “Ballerina Body,” in which she aims to set us on the right path to better bodies — if not quite one like hers (and of course not one like hers!), then the best bodies we can have.

Which, she says, is enough, because recognising that your own body is perfect for you and just needs fine-tuning – something it took her years to realise herself – is the first big step. But before she got there, there was plenty of selfhatred. And it didn’t help, during those first tough years as a ballerina in New York, that she lived near a Krispy Kreme. “I would get a whole box of sugar-crusted pastries delivered to my door,” she says. “And I’d sit on my couch and eat the whole thing.”

Now, of course, Copeland

is not only one of the most famous ballerinas in the world – and the first black female principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre – but has crossed over into mainstream pop culture fame like no other.

Her best-selling book, “Life in Motion,” was a memoir, but in her new book she seeks to impart some of the wisdom that helped her along the way. She includes detailed exercises – classic ballet moves, starting on the floor – and also meal plans and favourite recipes.

Why the new book?

“Every woman struggles with their body at some point, especially as a dancer. (Also) I’ve been approached about what I eat, what other forms of exercise I do outside of class.

How do I mentally and emotionally stay strong in a field like this? So I felt like I needed to write about this ... also just debunking these awful stereotypes attributed to ballerinas, having eating disorders and not really being athletes. We work just as hard as athletes, if not harder, because we are also actresses and actors on-

stage. We’re not competing to win, but we’re competing to be ourselves, our best selves.

Everyone can benefit from that kind of structure in their lives.”

On body image “I never felt beautiful. In school I was really short and really thin and I had really big feet and this tiny little head, and long arms and really big hands, and felt like, this isn’t what society views as beautiful. And it wasn’t until I stepped into ballet class that it was like, ‘Wow, you have the perfect balance and physique for ballet.’ And so I became used to that.

And then I went through puberty and my body changed.

“It’s not talked about really openly, but every dancer goes through ups and downs in terms of being out of shape.

We need to treat our bodies like an instrument, and that’s a huge part of it, just finding a balance and not depriving yourself, finding things you enjoy and not going down See pg b11