AGRICULTURAL REVITALIZATION TEAM FOR TOBAGO

Assemblyman Marslyn Melville-Jack Secretary of
 Community Development Enterprise Development and Labor
 and Assemblyman Hayden Spencer Secretary
 of Food Production and Fisheries at Wednesday’s
post Executive Council media briefing (March 9, 2017).

The Division of Food Production and Fisheries will soon establish an Agricultural Revitalization Team, which will help drive the Division’s efforts to enhance food security on the island.

At Wednesday’s post Executive Council media briefing (March 9, 2017), Food Production and Fisheries Secretary Hayden Spencer announced that the Executive Council approved the initiative.

“[The team will] formulate an agricultural revitalization plan to position the agricultural sector in Tobago as a major driver for delivering sustained economic growth,” Spencer said. He added that the team will also guide public and private sector efforts to address “major development challenges facing the sector”.

The team will draw on a “network of partners, consultants and facilitate the best practices in areas” such as diversified production and the management of natural resources.

The Secretary said the agriculture revitalization team will promote a “culture of learning” in his Division, and place focus on “evidence-based programs”.

Spencer said an example of this culture of learning included the Youth Apprenticeship Program in Agriculture ((YAPA) at the Kendal Farm School, which trains young people in both crop and livestock production.

Source: THA

Health Saga in Tobago

Dr. Maria Dillon-Remy 

The Director of Medicine on the Tobago Regional Health Authority Board, Dr Maria Dillon-Remy yesterday tendered her resignation from the board with immediate effect.

The T&T Guardian understands that Dillon-Remy cited personal reasons for her resignation. 

However, the decision comes on the heels of the announcement that three doctors had been suspended by the TRHA over their involvement in the c-section surgery and subsequent death of nursery school principal Rose Gordon 35, of Charlotteville. 

Dillon-Remy, a pediatrician, has been attached to the TRHA since 1997 and reportedly plans to return to her private practice.

Dillon-Remy was a part of a nine-member board which was given their instruments of appointment in March 2014. The life of the board was expected to last two years and was scheduled to be dissolved in March this year.

In November 2014, mere eight months after the board was constituted, the chairman, Trevor Craig, also resigned. 

At the time, Craig said the “dishonest” actions of the Secretary of Health and Social Services, Claudia Groome-Duke, prompted his resignation. 

His resignation came after a row over the payment of a $1,000 telephone allowance to the board members. 

Since then, deputy chair Lydia Peters has been acting as board chair.

With the loss of two board members, however, the TRHA board is now not properly constituted and can no longer function.

Efforts to contact Groome-Duke yesterday were unsuccessful as she did not answer her cellphone nor return messages.

Source:TrinidadGuardian

200 Million Budget Cut for Tobago

Budget Cut: The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of Finance & Enterprise Development, Joel Jack, has announced that there would be a huge cut of up to 200 million for Tobago's Budgetary allocations for fiscal 2015/2016.

Cuts to the budget came after Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley stated that all Ministries and the THA would be required to make a 7% cut across the board.

The Chief Secretary, Orville London has stated that cuts would be made to Tobago Carnival, Tobago Jazz Experience and the Tobago Heritage Show among other areas.

Doctors Suspended after Bothced Caesarean Section of Tobago Woman

ACTION TAKEN: In response to the botched caesarean section, New Years Maternal death of Rose Gordon, THREE doctors have been suspended from duty yesterday.

After several hours of deliberation, the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) Board decided to suspend the three-member medical team involved in the C-section surgery and subsequent death of Rose Gordon, 35, of Charlotteville, Tobago.

The suspension comes on the heels of the Chief Secretary's assurance that no stone would be left unturned.

Gordon, former principal of the Charlotteville Nursery School, died on New Year's Day at the hospital following a second surgery to stop uncontrolled bleeding which started after the C-section via which she gave birth to a baby girl.

An investigation has been launched into the death. 

Tobago's West Coast escapes SeaWeed Invasion

Tobago Western Coast Escapes SeaWeed: ALL is not lost this tourist season as Tobago’s Caribbean Sea coast has remained seaweed-free, Secretary of Tourism and Transportation Tracey Davidson-Celestine has said.

The mounds of stinky, reddish Sargassum deposits making news in the region have heavily impacted Tobago’s Atlantic side, however, prompting the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to pledge up to $3 million for clean-ups in the coming months.

Davidson-Celestine said in a media release yesterday that the Caribbean side of the island is still “all rays of sunshine, clean sandy beaches and clear waters for visitors”.

“People who come to Tobago don’t come only for the sun and sea the island has to offer,” Davidson-Celestine said. “They also come for the warmth, for the culture and activities Tobago is so well known for, and for the authentic island experience.

“Even though the Atlantic side is affected by the Sargassum, beachgoers and divers are enjoying our beautiful beaches and clear waters, which have remained unaffected by the seaweed. We are optimistic that through our collaboration we will be able to cope with this natural phenomenon.”

The THA has declared the naturally-occurring algae bloom, which has been washing ashore in massive volumes since earlier this year, as a “natural disaster”.

The Assembly has engaged the services of a number of heavy equipment operators, who are working every day to remove the mounds of seaweed that have washed ashore.

Director of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Linford Beckles, has spearheaded efforts to relieve those communities most affected and has reiterated the commitment of the Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment to work until the beaches are cleared.

Beckles said the seaweed that has washed ashore has formed a “wall”, preventing the remaining seaweed from coming inland.

Removing the seaweed from the beach will allow the THA to collect all of the seaweed and dispose of it responsibly.

Sites at remote areas near Speyside — at the Laow Estate and at Murchiston — have already been identified and the seaweed is being transported to those locations for disposal.

Beckles said residents have also joined the campaign to clear the beaches.

“I have been in Speyside every single day since we had this amount of seaweed coming in and I’ve observed quite a number of the residents manually removing a lot of the stuff,” Beckles said.

Turned off tourists

“They would have been able to do a tremendous amount of work and they should be congratulated. We look forward to this kind of involvement.”

Sargassum is one of two species of brown algae commonly found in the Caribbean.

It does not attach to the ocean floor and is free-moving with ocean currents.

It originates from the Sargasso Sea in the open North Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda, as well as the Northern Gulf of Mexico, which is estimated to hold up to ten million metric tonnes of sargassum.

The current proliferation affecting the Caribbean, including Trinidad’s east coast, is due to a rise in water temperatures and low winds, which affect ocean currents. However, some research has linked the spread to pollution and global climate change.

Decomposing sargassum emits a strong, foul odour and leaves a layer of blackened deposit after it breaks down but is not toxic.

It does not typically cause skin or other irritation but is a nuisance to beachgoers and its presence is reportedly turning off potential tourists this season.

Sargassum does not necessarily affect the same location in the Caribbean all year and it is not known whether next year could bring another influx.

Signs from the Eastern Caribbean suggest there will be sargassum in the region periodically in 2015 and proposals are ongoing for the creation of a prediction system.

Though problematic to an unprepared Caribbean, sargassum occurs naturally on beaches in smaller quantities and plays a vital role in beach nourishment and shoreline stability.

Excerpt taken from T&Texpress.

Domestic violence charges against AssemblyMan Hilton Sandy

At Top, AssemblyMan Hilton Sandy,
At Bottom his Wife Candice Chang-Sandy

Infirmed Assemblyman, Hilton Sandy, appeared before the Scarborough magistrate Court yesterday on a Charge of domestic violence brought against him by his wife, Candice Chang-Sandy.

Sandy, age 69, is the non functioning representative for Roxborough/Delaford, having suffered a stroke in September 2013.

He was represented by attorney Joy Phillips while his wife Candice Chang-Sandy, age 29, was represented by attorney Deborah Moore-Miggins.

Members of the media and the public were instructed to clear the court when the matter was called, and it was advised that parties should settle the matter out of court.

Attorneys in the case were tight- lipped on the details of the matter, however, deliberations to strike a deal was said to have taken place.

Attorneys later visited the home of the Sandy's in Carnbee to allot restrictions to them, with respect to where each could traverse throughout the house.

When questioned about the domestic violence matter by media personnel, THA Chief Secretary, Orville London said he was not aware of the details.

“I am not aware of the matter and if I was aware of what transpired, I would not comment. I cannot remove Mr Sandy as an assemblyman. There is a difference between influence and authority, and I would not indicate how I would assert my influence in the matter. I will only deal with the facts,” he said.

The matter was adjourned.

Summary of an Excerpt from T&T Express
Photos are not the property of Tobago-Daily.

Tobago Urged to prepare for Financial Limbo due to General Elections

According to the Chief Secretary, Orville London, a September 7 general election means Tobago will be in a state of “Financial Limbo” for an extended period this coming fiscal year.

London made the statement last Thursday as he led off the debate of the Tobago House of Assembly’s (THA) fiscal 2016 budget request, which was presented by Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development Joel Jack on June 22 at the Assembly Legislature.

According to the Chief Secretary, the election date means the national budget will be presented in “late September for the earliest”, and as such “We will be in a state of financial limbo for even a longer period than in previous years, and, of course, this will present significant challenges for our planning as we move forward".

The Chief Secretary said it is important for Tobagonians to understand the constraints under which the THA has to operate.

Tobago Self Government Discussions Continue

THA Chief Secretary Orville London, left,
exchanges greetings with Arts and Multiculturalism Minister
Lincoln Douglas yesterday following their meeting on
 Tobago Self Governance at Hyatt Regency,
Port of Spain. —Photo: ISHMAEL SALANDY

The people of Tobago must have the right of self-determination, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London has said.

London was speaking at a news conference yesterday at the Hyatt Regency, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, following the second Dialogue Meeting on Tobago Self-Governance.

A team from Tobago met with a Cabinet-appointed committee led by Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Lincoln Douglas, who said a number of critical issues was discussed including the legislative powers of Tobago to make and implement its own laws, budgetary allocations and defining maritime boundaries.

Addressing reporters, London said the meeting surrounded 11 demands coming from the people of Tobago and that it is only a matter of time before there is closure to the issue of self-governance of Tobago.

He said however several points needed to be addressed such as equality of status between Trinidad and Tobago, a definition of the boundaries of each island and an effective law-making authority.

“We need an effective and meaningful law-making authority that cannot, in any way, be frustrated by the Cabinet or the Central Government,” he said.

London said there also needed to be an equitable sharing of the nation’s resources. 

He said Tobago self-governance must not be looked at as a favour or gift to Tobagonians, but rather about the island having the opportunity to operationalise their right to self-determination. 

“This is the right of the people.”

London added there were several areas of disagreement during the meeting, but he expressed hope these would be resolved.

“We did not agree on everything but I think it is a work in progress,” he said. 

Douglas said the meeting facilitated a clearer understanding of what is necessary to make Tobago self-governance a reality. 

Another meeting has been scheduled for May 6 to further talks on the matter.

The Tobago team included London, Tobago Platform of Truth (TPT) leader Hochoy Charles, Stanford Callender of the People’s National Movement (PNM) and Convenor of the Internal Self-Government Secretariat, Allan Richards, with Gilbert Peterson SC, as adviser.

Central government was represented by the committee headed by Douglas. Other members of the sub-committee include Minister of Water Resources and the Environment Ganga Singh, Minister of Food Production Devant Maharaj and Dr Delmon Baker, Minister of Tobago Development, along with advisers Ashworth Jack and Christo Gift SC.

Source: trinidadexpress 

THA Looks At Tourism Data Tracking

THE Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is currently examining the possibility of applying a satellite accounting system to evaluate the impact and contribution of tourism on the island’s economy.

Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development Joel Jack spoke of the benefits of collecting data that can be used to make strategic decisions regarding Tobago’s tourism.

The secretary met with various organisations on a trip to Barbados, including the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Barbados Productivity Council and The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill campus, to discuss the prospects for further partnerships between the two islands.

Jack said CTO representatives have committed to providing detailed, tourism-specific data for both Trinidad and Tobago.

“Once the methodology is utilised, we should have greater capability to track arrivals, occupancy and visitor expenditure and the overall impact of the tourism sector on the economy,” Jack said during last Thursday’s post-executive council media briefing at the Administrative Complex, Calder Hall.

“This data will prove invaluable and will satisfy some of the demands made by some industry-specific ­stakeholders,” Jack said.

Jack met with the CDB to discuss opportunities and assistance for funding Tobago’s development projects.

The Secretary said the bank’s representatives committed to meeting the THA and he expects a CDB delegation to visit the island.

Another objective of the trip was to identify a talent pool at UWI’s Cave Hill campus to assist the THA Fiscal Policy Unit with economic research.

“One of the challenges we have continuously faced is a shortage of Tobago’s specific economic data,” Jack explained, “and this arrangement with the university’s Department of Economics will strengthen the Fiscal Policy Unit and our ability to provide even more accurate fiscal projections and sound economic information to the Tobago public.”

The Finance Secretary stressed the urgent need to solve work force productivity and output level issues. He said the assembly is keen to set up a productivity council.

Source: Trinidadexpress

Scarborough Library Opened

The controversial decade-old Scarborough Library has now been completed  at a cost of over $86 million, double the original estimated cost. 

Construction of the spanking new building which started in 2004 was finally opened to members of the public yesterday.

It has been a long wait as many thought it would have never been a reality, but the final of three mega projects by the present PNM-led Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has been delivered to the people of Tobago. 

Following an earthquake in 1997, the library facility was damaged considerably and later demolished. Head of Library Services Tobago, Helen Johnson, told the Express the building is also accommodating wheelchair bound persons and the visually impaired. 

“It’s a big sense of relief. We have been in Signal Hill since 2000, so it’s good to be able to come back to Scarborough and once again offer the full range of services to the members of the public,” Johnson said. 

Education Secretary Huey Cadette was observed sitting through a story-telling session in the presence of former senator Dr Eastlyn McKenzie. 

He called the opening of the facility a significant one under his tenure.   “I am extremely proud. I think this is a step into the future, a significant step into the future for all of Tobago, young people, children, youth of yesterday, young adults, everyone. The visually impaired, everyone can find a peace at the library,” Huey Cadette said. 

Among the sections of the library are the Eastlyn McKenzie Children’s Library, the Anne Mitchell-Gift Auditorium,  the James  Biggart Adult Library and the Susan Graig-James Heritage Library.  

McKenzie had this message for the children of Tobago: “Let them come in, let them read, let them research and let them be inspired by the people who they would see.” 

The Library is open to members of the public from 8.30 a.m, Monday to Saturday. 

Source:trinidadexpress

Big Big Piece of Tobago for Sale

In the UK daily mail a sizable portion of the North East of Tobago was seen for sale. The parcel of land is a 300-acre estate off the coast of L'Anse Fourmi with a stunning market price of £10m or 106 Million TT. 

The add stated "Forget spending a few thousand pounds for a brief stay in paradise on a Caribbean island... buy your own piece of idyllic coastline....". The add further advised those with deep pockets to take advantage of this offer and secure a chance to own piece of the Island. 

The land in question is located near the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, which is one of the oldest protected national parks and is blessed with the scenic views of the Caribbean sea's coastline, sandy beaches and crystal clear blue waters. 

This sizable portion of Tobago is prime to fall in the hands of Aliens, who more or less may not have the best interest of the island at heart, but somehow sees this a profit making capitalist endeavor. Nevertheless, the current owners, Anse Fourmi Beach Resorts Ltd, are willing to consider a joint venture with suitable partners or an outright sale of their freehold interest. 

Currently, the Tobago House of Assembly has made the process of land ownership by Aliens a tedious process. Through the Tobago land Acquisition Order 2007, all foreign investors desirous of purchasing any land in Tobago are required to obtain a licence. However, Six regions on the island of Tobago were designated as tourism related development areas they include: 

 Arnos Vale and Culloden Estate;

·    Bacolet Estate;

·    Buccoo and Golden Grove Estate;

·    Englishman’s Bay;

·    Lowlands (including the Tobago Plantations Development) and Diamond Estate; and

·    Mount Irvine and Grafton Estate. 

Currently, L' Ance Fourmi is not on the list and any application for investor may have to endure a process that is very lengthy.

READ MORE:Here

Tobago House of Assembly Now Threatened by Simple Majority Changes

THE Tobago House of Assembly stands threatened by the proposed constitutional changes laid in Parliament last Monday by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, THA Chief Secretary, Orville London said yesterday. 

Debate began on the bill yesterday in the House of Representatives.

In a statement yesterday, London said while the Assembly is protected in the constitution and cannot be disbanded without a two-thirds majority, the clauses in the THA Act which give the THA “teeth and credibility”  can be changed with a simple majority.

Persad-Bissessar is being criticised by a cross-section of political and civic voices over the proposed changes, which could make history in local politics by introducing the right of recall for MPs and more contentiously, a run-off system at elections that she said will ensure proportional representation. 

The possibility of sweeping changes with a simple majority has troubled London, who said: “We in Tobago have got to ask ourselves what happens to us if this Government or any future Government just gets up one day and says this thing called the THA, we don’t think it should exist anymore, we don’t think it should exist in that state, let’s change it and that would be end of the THA as we know it.”

London said it is in this context that Tobagonians need to “think back” to a week before the January 2013 THA election, “when there was a big charade about a THA Act being carried before the Parliament”.

Now, almost two years after the election, there has not been a single a “single peep” from the Prime Minister, London said.

He claimed, however, that the authority of the THA is being systematically eroded by the Ministry of Tobago Development and other ministries in central government, mostly with the “collusion or the instruction of the Prime Minister”.

“Tobagonians have got to send the signal very loud and clear that they will not be prepared to accept a situation where the rights and even the gains of the past are eroded and that they are thwarted in their efforts to get what Tobago has deserved for so many decades,” London said.

On Wednesday 6th August, 2014, London told media at the weekly post Executive Council media briefing that the constitutional amendments proposed by Persad-Bissessar is a signal that she and her team are not averse to forcing their views down the throats of the people of Trinidad and Tobago it suits the People’s Partnership’s political purposes. 

London said then he was concerned that what is being placed before the House for debate did not come from the people under circumstances where the whole issue was put before the population.

 He said it is “obvious” the proposed changes were meant to further the interests of the Prime Minister and her team.

London is urging Tobagonians to understand the significance of the current review of the THA.

Source:expresstrinidad

THA to adopt Private Public Partnership Model

The Division of Finance and Enterprise Development of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) will adopt a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) policy for the implementation of projects identified for the island's development programme.

Speaking at Wednesday's weekly post-Executive Council media briefing, Assemblyman Joel Jack, the Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development, said that the division and had sent a team to a training programme in Managing Social Infrastructure – Public Private Partnership, held in Miami in February. The THA was represented by Secretary of Settlements and Labour Deon Isaac, economist Carlos Hazel, and the Finance Secretary.

He added that the next step towards implementing a PPP model for Tobago will be the roll-out of a PPP policy framework and the establishment of a PPP unit within the division.

The Secretary of Finance said that the policy will also address the recommendations, including those relating to procurement policies, made by Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh in his judgement on the Milshirv/BOLT matter.

He said that the policy document, which will be unveiled in the coming months, will see the Assembly's implementation of the PPP model and will take into consideration the definition and scope of PPP projects, especially in relation to size and duration; priority areas in the implementation of PPP arrangements; the objectives of the PPP projects, especially in relation to the Comprehensive Development Plan; principles governing PPP agreements; procedures for procurement; the management of PPP projects; risk allocation policy; and monitoring and evaluation.

Jack said that this policy document will outline the parameters under which the PPP model should be employed and also set the legal and administrative framework for the model. He added that, in anticipation of Justice Boodoosingh's ruling, much work has been done and the division will shortly be presenting a policy document to the Executive Council after consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

Source:THA

Rehabilitation Centre Opens at Fort King George

The Tobago Rehabilitation and Empowerment Centre (TREC) has been officially opened, six weeks behind schedule.

Based at Fort King George, the centre will provide residential support for those affected by the misuse of alcohol and other drugs. It means that patients will no longer have to travel to Trinidad for treatment.

Manager of the TREC, Garvin Cole indicated that a “trek is a journey that is long and challenging, yet rewarding and exciting at the same time.” He stated that the meaning was true to the establishment of the centre.

“At TREC we are a family and our programme is based on the spiritual principle of man helping man to help himself,” says Cole, who stresses that programme clients will be referred to as residents.

The manager stated that caring for their residents was just a small part of the overall programme. “The success of this programme would be measured by how well we are able to reintegrate our clients into main stream society,” says Cole.

The facility, which should have been commissioned on April 15, aims to “provide the ideal therapeutic environment for the restoration of an individual’s perspective on life.” It offers an opportunity to rebuild the lives of those individuals who wish to take control of their affairs.

The main focus of the programmes is to ensure that the clients are able to return to society after treatment without prejudice. TREC will also create opportunities for individuals to improve their lives.

There are a range of programmes on offer to clients, lasting from six weeks to a year. Residents will be offered individual and group counselling, and will be working with professional counsellors as well as those who have been successfully through the recovery experience.

An advocate for the centre and a recovering drug addict, Fitzberth Phillips states that in the past addicts who were seeking treatment would have to go to Trinidad and many would not return to Tobago.

Philips says there is still a lot of misunderstanding about addiction. “People still think that people who use drugs are bad people. They are not sick people but it is a disease from which there is no known cure and the only way we get rehabilitated is by staying away from it one day at a time,” he says.

“Under the Tobago House of Assembly, they have put their money where their mouth is and they have ensured that Tobagonians don’t have to travel to Trinidad as they used to but they could get help and rehabilitated right here,” adds Phillips.

An aftercare programme will also be run, which aims to minimise the potential for clients to return to their negative lifestyles. Secretary of Division of Health and Social Services, Claudia Groome-Duke says, “After their release from the drug rehabilitation centres, halfway homes serve as a transitional place with the necessary support structure for the eventual re- integration into society.”

The Secretary furthers, “Our approach has been and remains, to address the drug abuse problem holistically with preventative education.”

source: tobagonews

Shaw Park Roundabout Opened

CUTTING THE RIBBON: Gary Melville, second from right, 

Secretary of Division of Infrastructure & Public Utilities, 

cuts the ribbon on Friday to formally open the Shaw Park

 Roundabout in Tobago. Looking on from left are

 Secretary of Tourism and Transportation Tracy Davidson-Celestine, 

Assistant Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Utilities Handel Beckles

 and THA Chief Secretary Orville London.

The Shaw Park Roundabout was officially opened yesterday, the third on the island, to help facilitate an easier flow of traffic into Scarborough.  

To further improve the commute into Tobago’s main town, Secretary for the Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities at the Tobago House of Assembly Gary Melville said Milford Road’s bridges will be rebuilt to give motorists an alternative route into and out of Scarborough.

In a release from the THA yesterday, Melville said: “Within the next 12 months we plan to re-develop Milford Road as a parallel route to the Claude Noel Highway. 

Two culverts in Lambeau and two bridges will be reconstructed at a cost of $26 million to create more options for motorists. We also plan to build more roundabouts at major intersections over the next financial year or two.”

Melville said the Shaw Park Roundabout, Tobago’s third modern roundabout in two years, came in on budget at $8 million.

London announces changes for THA Executive Council

TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London has made three changes to his

executive council as a result of the absence of Roxborough/Delaford West Assemblyman Hilton Sandy, who is recovering from a stroke.

Sandy will be replaced as Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Utilities by Councillor Gary Melville, who has been overseeing his constituency.

Secretary of Settlements and Labour Huey Ca­dette will replace Melville as Secretary of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport while Assistant Sec­retary Councillor Deon Isaac will replace Cadette.

Isaac, who is also the deputy presiding officer, will be sworn in as secretary by President Anthony Carmona in Tobago next Thursday.

The Assembly will elect a new deputy presiding officer at its next plenary sitting on Thursday, February 27.

The changes were announced by London at his weekly media briefing on Wednesday.

The Chief Secretary also revealed that Sandy, who suffered a stroke on his right side last September, will be going to the Bap­tist Medical Centre Rehabilitation Unit in South Florida, USA, for rehabilitation, assessment and management.

London said he was ho­ping for an improvement in his physical condition. He said the decision to send San­dy to Florida was on the recommendation of hospital medical director Dr Nathaniel Noel.

The Assembly will foot the bill for Sandy’s accommodation, rehabilitation and other related issues.

London said Sandy had shown advancement in his physical condition, but a lot more improvement had to be made fom him to return to his former condition.

He said he was hoping for an improvement in Sandy’s condition and wanted to wish him all the best on behalf of all Tobagonians.

Ashworth: THA to blame for Cost Overruns

Ashworth Jack: Leader of the TOP

“The PNM-led Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is passing the buck, knowing fully well that it is its own incompetence, in terms of project man­agement and delivery, that is responsible for the cost overruns and delays associated with the Shaw Park Cultural Complex.”

So stated Ashworth Jack, leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), yesterday as he responded to news that the THA had terminated its project management contract with Nipdec on the multimillion-dollar Shaw Park Cultural Complex.

The cost of the project has ballooned from $194 million to $552 million. 

Both Jack and Member for Tobago East and Minister in the Minis­try of the People Vernella Al­leyne-

Top­pin, in separate interviews, blamed the THA for the failure to deliver the project nine years after construction began.

“They have cost the country over $300 million because of their (the THA) incompetence,” Jack said.

 He added this meant less money for health, education and other key requirements.

Recalling he had warned the country about the potential for cost overruns since 2006, Jack said the pro­ject could not have been well thought out.

“The smallest child in Tobago knows that the land on which that project is being constructed is shifting land,” he said. “Everyone knew the land was moving.”

 Jack said the THA, which had to scrap the original building and do over the foundation, would have known by then about the instability of the land.

Alleyne-Toppin said the handling of the project showed the gross incompetence of the PNM (People’s National Movement)-led THA.

“Everybody knows that whole area to be shifting land, sinking land. That whole area is very unstable,” she said. The MP said when Scarborough Secondary School was built there more than 40 years ago, AP James said the school would eventually have to be moved because it would sink.

 “And we have seen that happen. Scarborough Secondary just going down into the sea. The walls have been cracking, the field that was (once) there is now all in the water,” she said, adding she played netball and taught at the school. 

Alleyne-Toppin said another problem was there was no final design for the cultural complex. 

“And that is one of the ways that people cause variations which extend contacts inordinately. They had a design that had no roof, so that they built up the whole thing and afterwards decided to find a way to put a roof on. They put on a roof that was too heavy, it had too much steel and they had to take it off and try again to put on something lighter. And all of this on a piece of land that everybody knows to be shifting.” 

She said another problem was the Fire Service did not grant approval for the building. 

Alleyne-Toppin said the THA has 34 estates in Tobago and, therefore, the Assembly had alternative sites on which a cultural complex could have been constructed. 

Jack said the same problem existed with the Scarborough library project, which was supposed to cost $28 million and was now costing $200 million. 

He said the THA had to terminate the original contract for the library as well and sought to unjustly blame the contractor.

Alleyne-Toppin also said the THA mismanaged the library project.

She said that project started in May 2004, shortly after the old library had been given a $10 million upgrade by the same THA.

Then the THA demolished the old building and began a new structure, she said.

“We have shifting dates for completion for both the library and the cultural complex. Every now and then, we are given new dates (by the THA),” Alleyne-Toppin said.

THA Chief Secretary Orville Lon­don said the decision to fire Nipdec came after the presentation of a status report by EQS Ltd (chartered quantity surveyors and construction cost consultants). 

But Jack said the THA was was­ting a lot of money.

He said London had more advi­sers who were highly paid than any prime minister in this country ever had

Sourse:trinidadexpress

Chief Secretary Commission Calder Hall Multi purpose Centre

Community Development and Culture Secretary
Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus is assisted in unveiling the plaque
 at the opening of the Calder Hall Multi Purpose
Community Centre on Sunday: Photo by THA

Chief Secretary Orville London on Sunday commissioned the Calder Hall Multi Purpose Community Centre on Calder Hall Road, Scarborough which was refurbished at a cost of $1 million to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

The centre is located within the Scarborough/Calder Hall electoral district represented by London. It is part of a $5 million development consisting of a Y Zone, Children's Play Park, lighted recreational facilities and the centre, all within a stone's throw of each other.

The refurbished centre includes a spacious auditorium, computer room fitted with ten desktop computers with the latest programs, kitchen, change rooms and wash rooms.

London said the community centre was not for one particular group and urged the groups in the community to make full use of its facilities adding that the return on the investment in this particular centre was the number of lives that were transformed and the number of groups that come together. He said the return on the investment would not be judged by the number of weddings that were held in the centre.

He said a community centre was not known for collaborating among the different age groups but this must change and therefore the people of Calder Hall must embrace change. "If you continue doing the same thing then we would have wasted our investment," he said.

Tobago Police Officers Strip Search Woman at Work in the Division of Education

nightmares: Carla Batson-Orr is suing the Division of Education,
Youth Affairs and Sport (DEYAS)
after she said she was forced to undergo a strip search. 
photo courtesy express

Monitoring and evaluation officer at the Division of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport (DEYAS), Carla Batson-Orr, is suing the division, after claiming she was forced to undergo a strip search by the police at an office of the division in Tobago, on Monday. 

Her private parts were also searched by two female police officers. The police were searching for  a flash drive that went missing last Thursday, Batson-Orr claims.   

When she got to work Batson-Orr was approached by the human resource co-ordinator of the Division of Education, Ginelle Williams, who told her a flash drive was missing.

  

Her lawyers, Martin George and Company, told the Express Batson-Orr was also immediately summoned to the office of DEYAS administrator, Allison Lawrence.

Joel Jack on the Attack, Seeking Budget Back Pay from Central Government

Joel Jack, Secretary of Finance THA

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) may trigger provisions of the Dispute Resolution Commission (DRC) in the THA Act to seek arrears of funding of hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary allocations dating back to 2010. The statement was made by THA Finance and Enterprise Development Secretary, Assemblyman Joel Jack, at yesterday’s post — executive council media briefing. 

Jack said: “We have that mechanism at our disposal and I believe that at the conclusion of our deliberation (with the Minister of Finance) that might be one of the options available to us. “In addition to getting this year’s arithmetic correct we also have the issue of previous year’s balances that are owed to the THA.”

Jack said beyond the legal measure in terms of financing Tobago’s developmental agenda a THA team, led by Chief Secretary Orville London, recommended to the minister, if he was unable to fund Tobago’s development needs, to  allow the THA under the law to float two Tobago Development Bonds, a billion dollars this year and a billion dollars in another year.