Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Update on the Territory of the Virgin Islands
Friday, September 15, 2017 — Due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma on the Territory of the Virgin Islands and the resultant damage/destruction of the High Court buildings coupled with disruption of essential services, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court announces the temporary relocation of the Commercial Division of the High Court to Saint Lucia.
The Judges of the Commercial Division will begin hearing matters in Saint Lucia on Monday, 25th September 2017 at a building in Castries which is being deemed a Court by order of the Chief Justice for the sitting of the Commercial Division of the Court of the Virgin Islands.
Urgent applications may be routed electronically to the Court’s Headquarters in Castries, Saint Lucia for matters requiring hearing before 25th September 2017.Legal practitioners are encouraged to have all documents in electronic form and documents should be filed with the Court electronically by email using the email address bvicommercial@eccourts.org. Full details on the procedures for filing by email including payment will be placed on the Court’s website (www.eccourts.org).All criminal matters before the Criminal Division Judge emanating from the Territory of the Virgin Islands will be adjourned until further notice. All other civil matters before the Civil Division Judge are also adjourned unless practitioners, litigants and witnesses can travel to Saint Lucia and can be accommodated on a pre–arranged basis. Matters may also be heard via videoconference if communications are restored to a satisfactory level. These matters will be assessed for hearing on a case by case basis.
The ECSC will be issuing further updates via the Court’s Website and in the print and electronic media as soon as more information becomes available.
Report from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as of 9PM AST on 14h September 2017
Friday, September 15, 2017 — SYNOPSIS OF HURRICANE IRMA:
Irma, the 9th named hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, became a category 5 hurricane in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday September 5, 2017. With maximum sustained winds near 185 mph, Irma a powerful Category 5 Hurricane impacted the CDEMA Participating States of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Virgin Islands (UK), Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat over Tuesday night into Wednesday evening, September 06, 2017. Irma continued its destructive path and impacted Turks and Caicos Islands and the northern border of Haiti. On Friday September 07, 2017, the southeastern Islands of the Bahamas were impacted.
Eastern Caribbean entrepreneurs to benefit from support in business development.
The OECS partners with Sidley, the 6th largest U.S based corporate law firm with 1,900 lawyers and offices in 20 cities worldwide that provides a full-service law firm especially regarding transaction and litigation matters. This partnership aims at making assistance from Pro Bono International Trade legal services available for selected Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within the Eeastern Caribbean. Entrepreneurs from the 10 Member States must submit their applications before September 29th
Fostering economic development through MSMEs
Since 2012, Sidley Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program provide free legal support to small and medium-sized enterprises, market-focused non-governmental organisations and non-profits organizations that have a clear social impact in developing countries across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
The program focuses on assisting the market-based growth of local businesses to boost the local economy, increase job opportunities, increase incomes and other social benefits, and ultimately improve the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest people. Sidley can provide a wide variety of legal assistance to these eligible enterprises to expand operations, lower costs, increase profits, successfully access new markets and become attractive partners for investors. Generally, the legal services provided include; corporate, transactional, financing, contract, intellectual property and international trade matters.
Sidley is particularly interested in supporting enterprises that are led-by or provide opportunities for women, the disabled, marginalized groups, farmers, and rural communities.
A major opportunity for selected Eastern Caribbean businesses
The program targets OECS Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Clusters, Sector Associations and Business Service Organisations in the Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Information Communication Technology, Fashion, Accessories, Craft, Music and Film Sectors.
Selected entrepreneurs will benefit from an assistance regarding major issues such as trade barriers for products in regional and international markets, compliance of regulatory requirements, protection of brand and technology, investment negociation with shareholders, creation of formal structures (eg. cooperatives or franchises) and the establishment of contratcs.
How to apply to the Program ?
Entrepreneurs compliants with the selection criteria must fullfill the OECS application formbefore September 29th 2017. All applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Sidley’s ability to provide assistance is dependent upon available resources, the ability to work with local counsel, and the full and active cooperation of the participating enterprises.
First-ever Regional Outsource to the Caribbean Conference to be held in December.
Over 100 industry leaders from the public and private sectors across the region are expected to converge in Jamaica this December to discuss how best to attract more business from international companies to the Caribbean in areas such as call centre operations, website and animation design, and legal and accounting services.
The first-ever Outsource to the Caribbean Conference (OCC) under the theme “Leveraging the Nearshore Caribbean for Outsourcing Services” will be held on December 6, 2017 at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Hotel in Montego Bay, where representatives from international companies are also expected to attend.
The event is being organised by the Caribbean Export Development in conjunction with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) and funded by the EU via the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). It will focus on the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, specifically “nearshore outsourcing” which involves contracting the operations of specific business processes to third-party service providers in neighbouring or nearby countries.
Executive Director of Caribbean Export, Pamela Coke Hamilton, noted that outsourcing business to the Caribbean is beneficial not only to the region but to any international businesses investing here. “The Caribbean is an excellent place to do business. We have a highly skilled, educated multi-lingual and cost effective labour pool. There is also a flexible work environment and a supportive regulatory framework which allows for low operational costs. The Caribbean also has an advanced telecommunications infrastructure with all the necessary requirements for global connectivity,” the Executive Director stressed.
Ms. Coke Hamilton further pointed out those areas in which the Caribbean could offer excellent BPO services. They include: Voice Processing/Call Centres; Back Office Automation; Shared Services; Finance and Accounting; Human Resources; Legal Processes; Animation Services; Graphic Design; Web Design; and Data Entry Services.
Speaking directly to the conference, Senior Advisor, Investment Promotion, at Caribbean Export, Suzette Hudson, explained that OCC2017 was designed to increase awareness of the Caribbean as an outsourcing destination for business processes.
“It aims to bring together all the key BPO stakeholders in the region for the development of a targeted BPO Growth Strategy, which is expected to start in 2018. We also wish to enhance the visibility of the sector through increased communication about the value proposition of the Caribbean, generate investment leads, and increase the Caribbean’s insertion into BPO networks through connections with BPO journals, newsletters and key influencers”, Ms. Hudson noted.
Closure of a Section of Castries Gros Islet Highway Choc Bridge to Marisule Gap -September 16th and 17th 2017.
The Department of Infrastructure, Ports and Energy wishes to inform the motoring public that a section of the Castries – Gros Islet Highway, Choc Roundabout to Marisule Intersection will be closed from 4p.m. on Saturday 16th September 2017 to 5a.m on Monday 18th September 2017. This is to allow for repairs to the riding surface of the Choc Bridge.
All commuters are asked to be guided by road signs which will be placed for their information and guidance. The diversion will be via Corinth – Grande Riviere Main Road through to Postlewaithe Road onto Allan Bousquet Highway towards the Choc Roundabout and vice versa.
Note, residents between Marisule Gap and Choc Roundabout including vehicles wanting to access Morgan Bay hotel will be allowed from the Marisule gap to their destination.
The Department of Infrastructure, Ports and Energy wishes to apologize for any inconvenience which may be caused as a result of the road works.
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Sep 15 2017.
For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical
Storm Jose, located over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and on
newly developed Tropical Depression Fourteen, located over the
eastern Atlantic Ocean.
1. A tropical wave located about 1200 miles east-southeast of the
Lesser Antilles continues to produce disorganized showers and
thunderstorms. Environmental conditions are expected to be
conducive for gradual development, and a tropical depression is
likely to form early next week. Interests in the Lesser Antilles
should closely monitor the progress of this system while it moves
westward to west-northwestward at about 15 mph.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…40 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent.
Public Advisories on Tropical Depression Fourteen are issued under
WMO header WTNT34 KNHC and under AWIPS header MIATCPAT4.
Forecast/Advisories on Tropical Depression Fourteen are issued under
WMO header WTNT24 KNHC and under AWIPS header MIATCMAT4.
Forecaster Zelinsky
Barbados will be hosting the upcoming meeting of the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) from Tuesday, September 19, to Wednesday, September 20. Barbados will be hosting the upcoming meeting of the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) from Tuesday, September 19, to Wednesday, September 20. Representatives from the fellow member states of the Organization of American Atates are therefore expected to be in attendance.
The opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday, in the Bougainvillea Room, Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, at 9:00 A.M.
Following this, the officials will tour the Nightengale Children’s Home, Black Rock, St. Michael, on Wednesday, September 20, at 6:00 P.M.You are asked to forward the names of your representatives and the events they will be attending to deirdre.gittens@barbados.gov.bb no later than Monday, September 18, at noon.The IIN is a specialized organization of the Organization of American states (OAS), which deals with childhood and adolescence to assist the states in the development of public policies to be taken for the benefit of children and adolescents in the region.
IMF staff concludes visit to Jamaica to discuss progress of Economic Program.
All quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks at end-June 2017 were met.
The Jamaican economy is rebounding, despite weather swings.
Concluding public sector wage negotiations and passing the pension bill are urgent for budgetary certainty and fiscal sustainability.
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team led by Uma Ramakrishnan visited Kingston from September 5–15, 2017, to conduct discussions on the second review of Jamaica’s financial and economic program supported by the IMF’s precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).
At the end of the visit, Ms. Ramakrishnan issued the following statement:
“The IMF team reached a preliminary agreement with the authorities on a set of policies that aims at completing the second review under the SBA. Consideration by the IMF’s Executive Board is tentatively scheduled for October 2017. Upon approval, an additional SDR 126 million (about US$180 million) will be made available for Jamaica, bringing the total accessible credit to about US$790 million. The Jamaican authorities continue to view the SBA as precautionary, and use it as an insurance policy against unforeseen external economic shocks beyond Jamaica’s control.
“Jamaica’s economic program continues to deliver strong results, supporting high confidence and increasing job creation. All quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks at end-June 2017 were met. The central government’s primary balance surplus exceeded the program target by a healthy margin, mainly from buoyant corporate income tax. Non-borrowed international reserves also over-performed, and inflation is anchored within the Bank of Jamaica’s target range of 4–6 percent.
“The Jamaican economy is rebounding, despite the impact of weather swings in 2017. Growth has been positive for 9 consecutive quarters, with strong performances especially in tourism, construction, and manufacturing. Unemployment reached 12.2 percent in April 2017, a 7-year low, along with a sustained expansion in the labor force. For FY17/18, economic activity is projected to expand by 1.6 percent, slightly lower than anticipated, as flooding adversely impacted agriculture. Over the medium-term, economic expansion is expected to be around 2½-3 percent, as sustained reforms yield higher investment and productivity dividends.
“There was broad agreement on the need to accelerate the public sector’s wage negotiations; further delays pose significant risks and uncertainty to the government’s fiscal accounts. It was also acknowledged that wage negotiations should be anchored on a forward-looking medium-term compensation framework to sustainably reduce the wage bill and release resources for the much needed social and growth-enhancing spending. Going forward, it is important to rethink the extensive and inequitable system of allowances and the overall pay structure in the public sector.
“More fundamentally, reforms to a large and inefficient public sector cannot be delayed any further. Achieving greater efficiency requires a scale back of the roles, responsibilities, and overall size of the public sector. Strengthening the procurement process would also ensure a timely execution of capital projects.
“There was broad consensus on anchoring monetary policy on price stability, with a flexible and market-determined exchange rate. In this regard, the team commends the BOJ for the successful introduction of the BOJ Foreign Exchange Intervention and Trading Tool (B-FXITT) in June, creating a transparent and market-based exchange rate price discovery mechanism. Going forward, the BOJ intends to limit FX interventions to smoothing volatility and countering disorderly FX market conditions. Ongoing improvements in the monetary policy toolkit and introducing FX buy auctions to build reserves, combined with clarity in the BOJ’s policy and communication, will improve liquidity management and policy signaling.
“Major institutional reforms in the financial sector are underway. In addition to the resolution regime for financial institutions, revisions to the BOJ Act are under consideration to crystalize the central bank’s mandate around price stability, along with a governance framework and balance sheet strength that support that mandate.”
“The IMF team met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Finance Minister Audley Shaw, Bank of Jamaica Governor Brian Wynter, State Minister Fayval Williams, State Minister Rudyard Spencer, Ambassador Nigel Clarke, Acting Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison, Planning Institute Director General, Wayne Henry, senior government officials, as well as members of the private sector, labor unions and civil society. The team would like to thank the Jamaican authorities for their hospitality and collaboration.”
Antigua is back to offering world-class excursions and adventures. Tour operators, restaurants and bars have re-opened following Hurricane Irma including popular beach establishments such as Beach Limers, Coconut Grove, Sheer Rocks, Turners, Darkwood Beach Bar and Restaurant, Trappas, Le Bistro, and the over 150 dining options to choose from in Antigua.
Antigua was impacted minimally and the V.C. Bird International Airport has been open since 7 September.On the other hand, Barbuda, with its approximately 1,800 residents, was severely impacted by the hurricane which passed directly over the small island. Prime Minister, Gaston Browne said 90 percent of homes were destroyed. Barbuda’s hotel infrastructure was also damaged, but with less than 100 hotel rooms the overall effect on tourism as a whole is minimal.
Updates from individual hotels on Antigua are as follows:
Blue Waters: Staff and guests are safe. The island & Hotel escaped severe damages, they are currently doing full assessments.
Carlisle Bay: Was closed for the season. No significant damage. Will reopen October 15.
Cocobay Resort: Open for business
Cocos Hotel: No long term damages
Copper and Lumber Store Hotel: Open for business.
Curtain Bluff: Property emerged from the tail of the storm without any damage. Most importantly, all our staff and their families are unharmed. We have already begun to clean up the property and communications will soon be restored. Reopen on October 28 as previously planned.
Galley Bay: We wish to inform everyone that the guests are doing just fine and are safe. Galley Bay Resort and Spa will complete an in-depth assessment of the property on September 21 and
then advise if they are ready to begin accepting guests.
Hermitage Bay: Little water logged from the swells which came up but other than that we are fine.
Jumby Bay Island: Members of the Jumby Bay Island team have assessed the island and at present there is no structural damage to any of the resort or homes that we can identify. A landscaping clean-up will need to be done however this is the extent that can be seen. Jumby Bay Island is currently closed as part of its annual maintenance program and therefore no guests were on the island when Hurricane Irma passed. Jumby Bay Island did have a skeleton team of facility and security staff present throughout the storm. The reopening remains scheduled as planned for 9th October 2017.
Keyonna Beach Resort: Happy to share we have no long term damages.
Ocean Point Resort and Spa: No severe Damage. Open for business
Pineapple Beach Club: We wish to inform everyone that the guests are doing just fine and are safe. Scheduled to begin receiving guests on September 14th.
Sandals Antigua: Superficial damage. Will remain closed through previously scheduled date of December 20.
Siboney Beach Club: Back to business as usual.
South Point Antigua: Closed for the season
St. James Club: We wish to inform everyone that the guests are doing just fine and are safe. Scheduled to begin receiving guests on September 14th.
Tradewinds Hotel: Staff and guests are safe and secure. Some damages. Most services have resumed.
Verandah: Will reopen as scheduled on 14 October after renovations.
Farmers who are part of the banana productivity improvement project, are aiming to surpass production targets.
Saint Lucia’s farmers are being encouraged to increase the production of bananas, as one of the objectives of the Banana Productivity Improvement Project of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Kerde Severin, Project Manager for the Banana Productivity Improvement Project, said increased production can have a significant impact on the country’s earnings.
“We have a mandate to increase productivity from about five or 10 tons, to a minimum of 15 to 20 tons per acre. This is what we’re aiming for. Recently there was a study by the EU for countries in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean that assessed the countries that are the most productive. It revealed that to be competitive you need to be able to produce somewhere between 15 and 20 tons per acre. It can be done, because in the days of the Roseau model farms, the farmers were producing in excess of 20 tons per acre.”
The production increase can boost Saint Lucia’s export income by an estimated EC$100 million, he added.
“While we do not believe that we will be able to achieve the 130,000 tons that we did in the 1990s, we do believe that we can manage somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000 tons on 5000 or 6000 acres of land, and if we do that we could easily contribute about EC$100 million to the economy.”
Saint Lucia’s government has already lent its support to the initiative.
“The government has agreed to support inputs because inputs are critical if we are to increase productivity, so the government will provide support for fertilizer, drainage, land preparation, fungicide, and the protection of the fruit by providing sleeves. Another thing we’re considering is twine, because after you have produced the bunch you don’t want it to fall off,” Mr Severin said.
Farmers, buoyed by the prospects, have already indicated their ability to produce more than the targeted figure.
