A Smoke Free Cayman - Almost

Tobacco Law in Effect

(Grand Cayman - CITN) -


Cayman’s Tobacco Law, 2008 is in effect from today, Thursday, 31 December 2009.


Business owners are reminded that all legislated smoke-free areas must be clearly marked. These include enclosed bars, restaurants and pool halls, parks, any commercial transport, public toilets and public transportation terminals (e.g. the cruise terminals) and all shops and shopping centres.


Tobacco vendors must also display the necessary signs according to the law. Sample signs are available from the Public Health Department. For more information call 244-2621.

Armed Robbery - North Side

Bodden Town detectives are appealing for witnesses after a female cashier was robbed at gunpoint on Wednesday. At about 11.55 a.m. on Wednesday, 30 December 2009, a female cashier was working within the Nicho Norte liquor store in Frank Sound Road. At that time a masked man entered the store, presented what appeared to a firearm and demanded cash. The suspect then made off from the premises with a small amount of cash. No shots were fired and no one was injured as a result of the incident. The man is described as being approximately 5’11” in height with brown eyes and of skinny build. He was wearing a green and black mask which covered his head, a black top and blue pants. Detective Constable Alric Palmer is appealing for anyone who may have been in the area of the store around 11.55 a.m. on Wednesday and witnessed the robbery, or the suspect making off from the scene, to contact Bodden Town CID on 947-2220. Information can also be passed to Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).

Police Recover Stolen Vehicles & Arrest Suspects

Posted Thu, Dec 31st 2009, 16:31
(Grand Cayman - CITN) -

Comment: Really!!! Where are you going to go fast enough on an island to get rid of two high value cars? And everyone knows the cars are going by slow boat to Jamaica!

One man and two juveniles have been arrested following a police operation in the West Bay area last night (30 December) which resulted in the recovery of two “high value” stolen vehicles according to police.

A police spokesperson says at about 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, police received a report that two motor vehicles – a Nissan 350z convertible and a Nissan Murano - with a combined value of CI$70,000 had been stolen from Automotive Art on Shedden Road, George Town.

“About 5.00 p.m. that day officers from West Bay, CID and DTF raided several addresses in the West Bay area. During the operation both stolen cars, and various other items of stolen property including a number of tyres, were recovered by police.”

A 17-year-old man and two 16-year-old male juveniles have been arrested on suspicion of theft and burglary.

Police enquiries are ongoing.

Why Do Caymanian's Shirk Away from Work in the Tourist Sectors?

Faces of tourism

By: Cyril Perkins

Follow the comments here

I was in a very popular seaside bar on the other afternoon. I was served by a very pleasant young lady who spoke excellent English even though it was obviously not her first language. She told me that she was from Latvia and had only been on the island for two weeks.

This made me wonder how she had managed to get a work permit when there are a number of unemployed Caymanians perfectly capable of performing the unskilled and less than onerous duties that she has. Now that I come to think about it, I realise that every bar worker I have ever come across here, and there have been quite a few, has been an expat. They are American, Canadian, South African, Australian etc.

There is a similar situation in restaurants. I have never been served by a waiter or waitress who is not an expat. Austrians seem to dominate here, although there are many other Europeans. Never Caymanians.

Why are there no Caymanians?

This is an island that relies heavily on tourism and yet young Caymanians are not working in that industry. Certainly, working as a bartender or a waiter means starting at the bottom but there is experience to be gained that could be of benefit elsewhere and there is also the possibility of promotion. It must be a better prospect than unemployment.

I was talking to a restaurant owner recently about why he had no Caymanian staff. His response was interesting, instructive and depressing. He told me that he advertised a position and (as a long time resident and a status holder who is concerned about rising local unemployment levels) stipulated that only Caymanians should apply.

He received three applications; one from a young man and from two women whose ages ranged from 18 – 21. He interviewed them all. Then he made a difficult decision, as all three applicants were suitable. Later he phoned the successful candidate and told him that he could start the next day. The Caymanian applicant declined the offer. The reason, he told the restaurateur, was that he had not realised what the job involved when he applied and he did not want to work on Friday and Saturday evenings. That was when he went out with his friends. The other two gave the same response for the same reason when called to be offered the job.

Why they applied for the job in the first place is a question that I don’t have the answer to. Didn’t they realise that working in a restaurant was not a Monday to Friday, nine to five job? The restaurant owner has hired a Spaniard.

I am not going to attempt to draw any conclusions from this but I do find it ominous and deeply depressing.

2009 economy went from bad to worse

By Michael Klein In 2009 signs of a recession were visible across Cayman’s key economic indicators and employment figures. Data released in November by the Economics and Statistics Office showed that the Cayman Islands’ gross domestic product had contracted at an annualised rate of 7.1 per cent during the first six months of 2009. The semi–annual report of economic indicators projected an overall shrinking of the Cayman economy by 5.8 per cent for the full year amidst “recessionary conditions in source markets” that impact the domestic economy. A year earlier in 2008 Cayman’s economy had still delivered modest growth of 1.1 per cent, compared to an average GDP of between 4.4 and 6.5 per cent in previous years. The recession impacted all of Cayman’s industry sectors. In the retail segment merchandise imports fell by 13 per cent revealing lower demand and sales volume. The tourism industry experienced a fall of air arrivals by 13.3 per cent and 6.1 per cent lower cruise passenger numbers than in the first half of 2008. The construction industry which on the whole is strongly influenced by tourism activity saw a decline in the total value of building permits of 17 per cent. The financial services sector, which is highly dependent on mutual fund and company registrations, had to deal with a drop in mutual fund registrations. In September 2009 the number of funds had gradually increased to 9,838 from its low of 9,705 in the first quarter. Although numbers are expected to have slowly picked up in the fourth quarter, they will still be down from a record 10,291 in 2008. New company registrations declined by an unprecedented 46.2 per cent compared to figures for the first half year of 2008. Bank and trust company registrations fell by 3.9 per cent while stock exchange listings contracted by 16.1 per cent. Only the number of insurance licenses increased, by 1.9 per cent. In the real estate market, property transfers fell by 21 per cent in number and 43.3 per cent in value. All the negative development in the economy had a significant impact on the job market. Unemployment rates were forecast to increase for the third straight year, reaching 5.5 per cent in 2009, the highest unemployment rate in a decade. Between November 2008 and November 2009 work permits and government contracts for non–Caymanian workers declined by 12.4 per cent or 3303 permits down from 26,659 permit holders. In addition to the deteriorating global economy and its implications for the tourism and financial services industry, the reduction of the Caymanian labour force by several thousand workers in turn exacerbated the crisis for the local economy, as it significantly reduced the amount of money that was spent for example in the in the retail and real estate industry. Government workers accounted for one of the largest drops in employment for foreign work permit holders in the Cayman Islands over the past year. The number of government contracts alone dropped by 10 per cent in 2009. The largest reduction in the workforce took place in the construction industry, showing a decline of over 15 per cent. The number of carpenters on permits fell from 923 to 773 in that time, heavy equipment operator permits went from 248 to 199, masons dropped from 629 to 545 and skilled and unskilled labourer permits went from 1,536 to 1,185. The tourism and hospitality industry also saw employment numbers decline by more than 10 per cent. In the financial services industry the number of accountants on work permits fell by more than 16 per cent, while professional managers declined by over 11 per cent. While the immediate economic outlook is still gloomy, Cayman Islands Financial Secretary Ken Jefferson expects an economic recovery for the latter half of 2010.

No help in cop shooting

By Brent Fuller Four officers were in shot up car Four Royal Cayman Islands Police officers will be thanking their lucky stars this holiday season that they get to spend Christmas Day with their families. Less than a month ago, the officers were driving down Shedden Road early Saturday morning when bullets pierced their patrol vehicle through the back windshield, grazing one officer in the neck. That officer, a special constable with the police service, was treated for minor injuries and released. The other three inside the patrol vehicle were unhurt. That’s the good news. The bad news from the police perspective is that not one tip has been phoned into the Crime Stoppers operation about the 28 November shooting in George Town. “The shots fired at police were non–provoked and set up as if the officers were being ambushed,” Crime Stoppers Chairman Eric Bush said. “The action and intent was to kill the police officers who were on routine patrol.” “This was an act of cowardice.” In the days following reports about the police officer’s shooting, Crime Stoppers received pledges of up to $50,000 from the business community for anyone whose information led to the arrest and conviction of those involved. Crime Stoppers tips are kept strictly anonymous and are answered by call centres located in Florida, USA, and Canada. Mr. Bush said Crime Stoppers is concerned about the perceived lack of response in connection with the shooting and doesn’t simply want this issue to go away. He and other Crime Stoppers board members are wondering whether the organisation’s message is reaching its intended audience. The group even went so far this week as to seek advice from members of the local press on how best to garner the public’s cooperation in the most serious criminal cases like the police shooting. “There are people in this community who know who are involved…and where the guns are hidden,” Mr. Bush said. “I am hopeful that our community will show that they are against acts of violence and support the police by giving them the information needed.” Mr. Bush said Crime Stoppers will be exploring new ways of communicating with the public in 2010, including urging the police to release photographs and even video of suspects believed to be involved in criminal activity when it is available and appropriate to do so. He said the organisation would consider using some of the new social media such as Facebook and Twitter to help get its message out. In relation to the police officer’s shooting on 28 November, Mr. Bush said he hoped to receive Crime Stoppers board approval to increase the available reward. According to its operating rules, Crime Stoppers can only offer up to $1,000 for information in any one case – but additional donations from the private sector can up the ante considerably. In more than 100 years in Cayman, the police service has never lost an officer in the line of duty. Comment: No one has come forward to help Cayman police because Caymanian police officers are not respected. Period. To earn respect they have to give respect, and that corrupt department should be ashamed of themselves.

Men Accused of Murdering Estella Scott Roberts in Court

Posted Fri, Dec 18th 2009, 18:01
(Grand Cayman - CITN) -

Both men accused of murdering Estella Scott-Roberts in October last year now have full legal representation.

The men appeared before the Judge this morning. Larry Ricketts will be represented by Jamaican QC Delano Harrison and Junior Counsel Lee Freeman. Kirkland Henry will have Ian Bourne as lead counsel and Ben Tonner will be the junior.

Trouble finding senior counsel to represent the two accused men pushed back the date of the trial. However, the trial will start on 21 January 2010.

The men are expected back in court before that date though, to elect whether they want a trial by jury or judge alone. That election will happen on the 14 January.

Beach erosion, reef & fish decline cited as priority

Posted on Wed, 12/09/2009

(CNS): While world leaders are still convening in Copenhagen to decide how humanity can address the problem of climate change on a global scale, the local national climate change strategy workshop has come to a close. According to a release from government, at the end of the three day event, beach erosion, reef and fisheries decline, rising energy, food and water costs, and higher insurance premiums were cited as the issues requiring priority attention in Cayman’s climate change strategy, which was described as a “big leap forward” by the environment minister.

Addressing participants at the end of the workshop, Minister of Environment Mark Scotland said much more work needed to be done but Cayman that had “taken a big leap forward in arriving at a climate change plan that lists priorities as well as possible mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies.”

He warned, however, that many other problems are vying for people’s attention, and communicating the strategy to the public will be a key factor in obtaining feedback and acceptance.

“For me, one of the best ways we can get climate change on the national agenda is to focus on the myriad opportunities it presents to all sectors,” he said.

Some of those opportunities highlighted at the workshop include a regional branding initiative wherein Caribbean nations sign up to become carbon neutral tourism destinations, diversifying into a ‘green’ economy, and reducing living costs through alternative energy sources.

“None of us living here can claim that we will be able to escape the impacts of climate change, and so I hope that the final strategies will include practical targets to involve the entire population,” Scotland added.

Cayman’s strategic priorities were established by members of Cayman’s National Climate Change Working Group and sector specific public and private sector stakeholders

Climate Change issues affecting Cayman had been identified in January through previous stakeholder consultations and these issues were ranked at the workshop according to four different indicators of importance to prioritise them.

In addition to setting national priorities, participants also discussed possible policies to address these issues, as well as an outreach campaign to obtain public input before drafting a Climate Change Green Paper, early next year. This Green Paper will be used to formulate the Draft Climate Change Strategy.

The workshop was funded by the UK Department for International Development as part of the Enhancing Capacity for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories (ECACC) Project. This project is managed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

Visiting experts were Dr. Neville Trotz, CCCCC science advisor; Judi Clarke, CCCCC public outreach specialist; George de Romilly, an environment law expert; and Ottis Joslyn, national coordinator of the Implementation of Adaptation Measures in Coastal Zones Project, also managed by CCCCC.

For more information on Cayman’s sustainable development initiatives go to http://www.doe.ky/about/sustainable-development-unit/

Time for government to get serious about recycling

Commentary: By Patrick Chester Today I did something on this Island I would never have done during my time in the UK, the US or Europe. I threw a tin can in the garbage. I shouldn’t feel bad about not recycling it though. No-one on Grand Cayman should. Because until there’s a government sponsored home recycling drive in place, there’s nothing we can do. I threw the tin away, off to a life on top of what could be Cayman’s highest point; the landfill mountain outside of George Town. I found myself asking, as well as the main garbage bin for household rubbish that can’t be recycled, where are the separate boxes for paper, for tins and glass and for plant waste? I know many do recycle, many do take care to turn off lights and many still preach lessons taught by their elders to never waste clothes and food. But even in this age of consumerism there’s no room for ignoring the mountain of garbage on this island. Put simply, there’s no more reason to throw away a tin can than there is to follow it with a few dollar notes in the waste basket too. A quick search through Cayman’s newspaper archives shows that the majority of businesses on the island are working hard to be environmentally responsible. Recycling initiatives in schools, in bars and the Global Green Caribbean’s initiative to recycle old telephone directories shows there’s a growing will amongst Cayman’s citizens and businesses to work on this. But recycling should start in the home. We all have a hand to play in keeping the island clean. By allowing the government to ignore household waste, the mountain of trash will only grow. Although responsibility ultimately falls to us to dispose of recyclable trash in the proper way, it’s the government which has to step in to ensure there’s a service available to guarantee household waste will be discarded properly. The attitude of government has to be that if people take care in what they throw away, it will then ensure it’s properly collected and recycled. In Europe, the EU has pushed forward for the last decade with its Landfill Directive, a policy requiring European governments to commit to find new ways of dealing with their household waste. This has included the large scale composting of biodegradable material, something which Grand Cayman would have a ready use for, even if only to provide high quality compost for parks and wildlife areas. On June 16 of this year, the ever-sensible Dave Schudel and Jack Benz gave some good pointers on what we as citizens can do to reduce the size of the landfill: “Don’t buy what you don’t need, buy items with less packaging, reuse what you can, give to charity rather than throw away and so on.” Dave and Jack questioned whether this would make a difference to the size of the landfill. It seems a start, but the landfill should be a last resort for garbage. Better to put a system in place to categorize different materials before it leaves the home or business. A recycling plant would be an expensive upfront cost but once in place that landfill will be full of only materials, which can’t be recycled. A composting site for vegetable and fruits would cost even less, and could be used as high quality soil feed. Is there a reason then why the government has so far offered only half-hearted gestures to update what is an archaic way to dispose of household waste, simply allowing it to fester in the heat? Possibly it’s the economic cost of recycling. In truth, we make little on the island. What would Cayman do with the recycled metals, plastics and paper if it couldn’t be reused for products manufactured on the island? In other countries it could be fed back into the manufacturing industry, so what could our government do with it? Is it too costly to ship it out to where it could be sold for reuse? Caybrew’s pledge to collect empty bottles makes sense. It must lower its operating costs to be able to reuse the glass, rather than import bottles from abroad. On the other hand, it makes no economic sense for Crown Imports to collect up its empty Corona bottles, as it would have to ship them back to the US for reuse. It’s easier for the importers to simply ignore island recycling, to the detriment of the island. So could it be living on an island is holding the government back from updating its garbage disposal system? If it is a cost issue, ignoring Mount Trashmore will continue to unless it’s forced to put a recycling process in place by the people. Critics will say that this is not the time to be worrying about introducing costly new measures to protect the environment, when the island economy is facing economic losses as part of the global downturn. But our environmental actions should stand firm against the cost to our pockets. Never should we allow our civic duty to be pushed aside by economic pressure. Never should we discard good ideas to maintain a status quo that’s incompatible with the environment, and soon to be the rest of the world. Recycling is the most immediate way we can ensure Grand Cayman retains its beauty, and set an example to other Caribbean islands. Urge the government to make a stronger case for recycling. The future isn’t landfills, dumping garbage on cargo boats or burning it, it’s working smarter to minimize waste. Tins, bottles and paper should be in a separate box outside the home or apartment. The government should organize a separate collection after general garbage is collected, and it should subsidize the collection. It can sell the recyclable material it collects. All over the world and as Dave and Jack said on cruise ships too, people are starting to smarten up to the idea of recycling. Let’s not let Grand Cayman fall by the wayside in this new age of austerity. About the Author: As a researcher and writer for a marketing business consultancy, Patrick Chester worked in writing positions between Grand Cayman and London for the past two years.