Bahamas forms Shanty Action Task Force, promises to tear down substandard housing

Treasure Cay, Abaco, #Bahamas – March 20, 2018 – A tougher stance on shanty construction in The Bahamas is turning out to be an eye-opener for the Minister of Labour, who on Sunday learned that there are thousands of people living in the sub-par housing on the island of Abaco.

The Minister of Labour of The Bahamas, Dion Foulkes says the government will tear down any building or community where the quality of construction deviates from the set building codes of the country.

In a newly established entity called the Shantytown Action Task Force, #SATF Minister was talking to media as he toured three areas where shanty villages are festering and have twice this year, turned into raging infernos due to dangerous fires.

Minister Foulkes Chairs the SATF and explained, “The objective that my committee is charged with by the government [is] to regulate all unregulated communities, so any structure, for example, that has not been built according to our laws, the building code [set out] by the Ministry of Works, they will be removed.”

The decades old problem has led to controversial confrontations and polarizing headlines over the years, but Minister Foulkes explained that “We are going to enforce all of our environmental laws in terms of any environmental concerns with respect to outdoor toilets and septic tanks, and any other environmental issue.”

The often contentious assignment has led to emotional exchanges between government enforcers and members of the Haitian community, who largely reside in the shanty housing.

The Minister shared, when asked what his team will do in the event of negative push back from the residents that “…The question of [what will happen] if persons do not move, then we will have to deal with that when that happens. We do not anticipate that is going to be the case.  We have full cooperation with the Haitian community.”

In advance of the inspections which on Sunday took place in the Mudd, Pigeon Peas and the Sand Banks areas – there were meetings held as ground work.  

“We have consulted the Christian Council, the Bahamian Haitian Pastors Association, the Catholic church, the Anglican church, the Seventh Day Adventist church, the Methodists, Mount Tabor and the Bahamian Haitian Association. We have their support.”

It was reported that the Minister was shocked to learn that the three Haitian communities are with residents numbering some 6,000 people.  A survey is announced to determine who lives in these shanty villages and their living conditions.

“We are going to conduct a scientific survey to determine exactly, not only how many people live there, but also in terms of the ages, whether the children are in school, whether the residents are working; whether there are any environmental issues we have to be concerned about, and also questions like disabilities,”  said Minister #DionFoulkes.

Two fires this year have left over 100 people homeless in #TheMudd.  It was determined that the Mudd fire in late January 2018 was indeed arson.