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TCI: Seats needed in Parliament to reflect the will of the people; and to address economic issues, crime, family islands exodus & illegals

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7 years ago

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#Providenciales, August 15, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Turks and Caicos unique geographical make up requires sustained economic activity on each island to ensure that our people can cultivate a life and thrive on the island they chose to live. Regrettably, the lack of focus, policy and investment resulting in limited economic activity on the family islands of North, Middle and South Caicos is causing the population to flee these islands for a better more prosperous way of life. Grand Turk has been fortunate not to experience the depopulation at the rate of the family islands largely because of the Government employment and in a surprisingly limited way, the cruise port; however, the Capital population numbers are dwindling fast and if action is not taken soon, Grand Turk too will begin to experience a brain drain. 

There are many policy tools to stem the flow of brain drain, but for now, I will focus on one: representation!  The first and most important undertaking to hear the concerns of our island nation is to change representation in parliament; especially where one member is a minister. Long standing issues in Grand Turk and simple ones – like its beautification, and shutting down of Expressions Radio Talk show – cannot be left to the whims of the party in power. Grand Turk & Salt Cay needs to be represented by another Electoral Seat.

As a people, we cannot go on, pretending day by day, that somehow change will soon be here. Eyes have not seen nor ears have not heard of a plan nor public policy to attract economic activity for anywhere other than Providenciales; and even that is not driven by any policy: the investor shows up and decides where to invest. There are no policies applied to incentivize the current employers on the family islands to grow the economic activities. Let’s look at the leading source of economic activities on each of the family islands and examine what is being done by Elected Members of Parliament to ensure our people can sustain themselves on these islands.

South Caicos – the main economic activity is fishing. though there are two fishing plants there. Neither can boast of government incentives to help spur on their expansion and growth. Their incremental growth is because of their own doing. Three hotels – the only all local hotel in South Caicos, East Bay Resort and Sailrock Resort – their growth are hamstrung because of the lack of Airport upgrades; The lack of which have in a number of cases agreement with Government that are subject of court proceedings for failure to honour development agreements. South Caicos needs to be represented by another Electoral Seat.

Middle & North Caicos – Sandy Point channel and the Bellfield landing Port is the gateway to spurring or blocking economic activities for North & Middle Caicos. We see that boats have to travel at high speed and do karate like manoeuvres just to get passengers into North Caicos daily. There are numerous proposals on the table to rectify this by dredging the Sandy Point Port and completion of Bellfield landing into a modern-day port. None of this has been acted upon by either Governments. These big islands need to be represented by another Electoral Seat to ensure at the minimum, there are competing visions being aired in their favour!

As a preliminary conclusion, one can begin to see how the lack of action to remedy the short list of major economic blockers for these islands is because of inadequate political representation. Parliament needs enlarging and just maybe at the expense of the Governor’s appointed members. These islands need their own representatives who will be held accountable for economic growth or the lack thereof. Its alarming and concerning to see the mass exodus of locals taking place from these islands whilst the PFA, some illegals are putting down a solid footing in these islands. In order words, as we flee, they flock!

Finally, Providenciales is not without its share of problems. The largest electoral districts are ridden with its share of problems which is increasingly urgent but manifested as a different dynamic; that of crime, smoking dump, illegals and the rapid construction of non-belonger buildings together with the shocking expansion of shanty towns. 

Let’s look at Five Cays – its being taken over by illegal Shanty Towns. Look at Chalk Sound – Residents are being smoked out nightly by toxic dump fumes. Cheshire Hall – the area is predominantly known for the illegal shanties of Dook yard and the likes. Wheeland is plagued with the smoking dumps and becoming crime infested where a man can be gunned down in his own home at three am, together with a host of crimes that are not reported because of loss of faith in the police establishment. 

In my view, the lack of action to adequately address these District’s and constituency problems is because these constituencies are so big, that the MP quickly points to other areas of the constituencies that are apparently flourishing – from mostly non-Belonger activity, since they can’t get funding – whilst turning a blind eye to these troubled areas; as if they don’t exist!  We can attribute these factors to the lack of adequate political representation for these oversized districts, which means their issues are not presented in the frequency and detail that is necessary. 

In order to avoid Providenciales – which some seem to think should be renamed to Turks and Caicos Islands – so it does not suffer from these family-island-like-problems, I call for the Electoral Boundaries Commission 2019 to create six seats for new areas in Parliament: Split Middle & North Caicos into North Caicos East & Middle Caicos for its own Seat. Create a new seat named North Caicos West and Parrot Cay. Split Five Cays and Chalk Sound into two seats to be named – Five Cays Electoral District and Chalk Sound Electoral District. Split Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill into Two Seats to be called – Cheshire Hall Electoral District and Kew Town Electoral District. Finally, split Wheeland into Two Seats – Wheeland East and Wheeland West Electoral Districts. Add another Seat in the Nations Capital & another one in South Caicos.

This solution will compel those who are elected for these areas to keep the pressure on the powers that be to address these bread and butter issues, which are quickly becoming matters of life and death in our beloved Turks and Caicos Islands. We don’t skimp on the taxation, therefore let’s not limit representation.

Mark A Fulford

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Multi-Agency Enforcement Exercise Targets Illegal Occupation of Crown Land in Five Cays

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1 hour ago

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October 25, 2026

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Crown Land Unit, with coordination and support from the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), conducted a multi-agency enforcement exercise in the Five Cays area on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as part of ongoing efforts to address the illegal occupation and unauthorised use of Crown land.

The exercise brought together representatives from the Crown Land Unit, ISU and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force. Security for the exercise was provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Inspections were conducted across several parcels of Crown land throughout Five Cays, where instances of illegal occupation and unauthorised use had been identified.

During the exercise, a total of forty (40) Section 22 Notices of Unauthorised Occupation were served in accordance with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance. The notices related to various forms of unauthorised occupation and use of Crown land, including incomplete structures, shipping containers, derelict vehicles, trailer chassis, building materials and other items.

Where persons were not present, notices were affixed to the relevant structures or items. The exercise forms part of the Crown Land Unit’s continuing efforts to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land and to ensure that identified instances of unauthorised occupation are appropriately addressed.

The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands reminds the public that Crown land must not be occupied, developed or otherwise used without lawful authority.

The Crown Land Unit, supported by the ISU and its other partner agencies, will continue to identify and address instances of illegal occupation of Crown land across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Persons affected by notices issued during enforcement exercises are encouraged to comply with the requirements outlined and to seek guidance from the relevant authorities where necessary.

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BermudAir Launches Service to the Turks and Caicos Islands on October 26th, Expanding Air Connectivity Ahead of Winter Season

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3 days ago

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October 22, 2026

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (October 22nd, 2026) – The Turks and Caicos Islands welcomes BermudAir as the airline begins its service to the destination on Monday, October 26th, marking the start of a wider expansion that will connect us with additional cities across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

BermudAir’s service will begin with a new nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Providenciales. The flight will depart from the Howard Hamilton International Airport at 8 am on Monday morning and arrives at 7.40 pm. Aboard the inaugural flight will be a delegation from the Turks and Caicos Islands led by Experience Turks and Caicos and the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA), and will include Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Zhavargo Jolly, as well s representatives of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA), the board of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourism Authority, Invest TC and local media.

BermudAir will operate the Fort Lauderdale–Providenciales route three times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, through May 3rd, 2027. making it easier for business travellers with the schedule offering the potential for same-day return trips. The airline is also launching nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Belize City, Belize, on the same schedule, offering travellers in South Florida direct access to both destinations.

The new service introduces BermudAir’s premium leisure inflight experience to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Flights will operate on Embraer E190 aircraft configured without middle seats, giving every passenger a window or aisle seat, alongside complimentary snacks and beverages.

Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Zhavargo Jolly, welcomed the airline’s arrival, noting the importance of expanding airlift to support the continued development of the destination’s tourism industry.

“Air connectivity remains one of the most important factors in the continued development of our tourism industry. BermudAir’s expansion represents an opportunity to strengthen our connections with key international markets while opening new doors for our sister islands. I am particularly encouraged by the planned direct service between Newark and South Caicos, which speaks directly to our vision of expanding tourism opportunities across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Our objective is to ensure that improved connectivity translates into greater economic activity, stronger local businesses and more opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders to participate in and benefit from tourism.” said Minister Jolly.

Commenting on the significance of the new route for the country’s development, the Honourable Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID), stated: “The introduction of BermudAir’s new service is a testament to the continued growth and development of our aviation sector. The Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, alongside the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority, remains dedicated to enhancing our airport infrastructure to accommodate increased airlift. We are committed to working to ensure that our facilities provide a seamless, world-class experience for all incoming passengers and we warmly welcome BermudAir to our shores.”

The Fort Lauderdale launch is the first of several new services BermudAir plans to introduce to the Turks and Caicos Islands for the 2026–2027 winter season. Additional connections to Providenciales are scheduled from:

  • Bermuda to TCI and Grand Cayman: Beginning December 18th, 2026
  • Anguilla: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Boston, Massachusetts: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Toronto, Canada: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Beginning December 20th, 2026
  • Newark, New Jersey to South Caicos: Beginning December 20th, 2026
  • St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida: Beginning December 21st, 2026
  • Baltimore-Washington: Beginning December 24th, 2026

The expansion will give travellers more options for reaching the destination during the winter travel season, while broadening access from established and developing source markets. The additional routes also create opportunities for tourism stakeholders to reach new audiences and encourage visitors to explore more of the islands.

For flight schedules and bookings, visit www.flybermudair.com.

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DDME Celebrates International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

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3 days ago

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October 22, 2026

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Emcee and members of the panel (L-R): Ms. Arnisiqua Selver, Mistress of Ceremony; Mr. Andrew Gardiner, TCI Red Cross; Mr. Garry McLean, Department of Planning and Ms. Kevaun Lucas, Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Thursday, 22 October 2026: The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) joined the global observance of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) on October 13th.    Various initiatives were held throughout the islands to bring awareness to the public, including panel discussions, community engagement activities, school visits, essay writing and an original video submission from the Eliza Simons School in Grand Turk.

Disaster Risk Reduction is a people-centred endeavour; it emphasises that policies, systems and investments must be designed around the needs and capabilities of individuals and communities, according to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.  Each year, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), as the implementing agency for the Sendai Framework, issues a call to action encouraging individuals, communities, and countries to become resilient.

The 2026 IDDRR theme, ‘Resilience Starts at Home’ seeks to bring global and national awareness of the core role of households in disaster risk reduction, advocating for stronger governance and investment in resilient housing, reducing housing-related risk and empowering households to take risk-informed actions to protect themselves and strengthen community resilience.

The Turks and Caicos Islands, in an effort to reduce disaster risk, seeks to observe the concepts and core principles of the Sendai Framework 2015-2030. Throughout the years, many initiatives have been taken through the various stages of the disaster cycle from preparedness to recovery in an effort to strengthen the resilience of the Turks and Caicos Islands.  Initiatives such as the creation and consistent updating of building codes, the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Housing Project following major hurricanes such as Ike in 2008, the creation of an early recovery framework, as well as strengthening CCRIFF insurance were all implemented to ensure that the Turks and Caicos Islands were on the path to build back stronger and better.

This year’s theme underscores the roles governments, the private sector, and individuals play in ensuring communities and homes are safe and more resilient. The Turks and Caicos Islands Government has made significant strides in ensuring that homes are constructed through the use of risk-informed planning, land use planning and construction practices. The Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Housing Project, which facilitated the construction of twenty-four (24) completely rebuilt homes and repaired thirty-four (34) homes, provided a baseline for future housing initiatives such as Programme 3. This programme includes community renewal and infilling under the National Housing Policy and seeks to repair property that has sustained physical damage for vulnerable people.

Residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands are reminded of the individual role that they can play in ensuring that their homes are resilient.

  • Ensure that you obtain the proper approvals from the Planning Department before building.
  • Ensure that you utilise the standards and building codes of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
  • Include proper drainage systems and other methods to reduce flooding and water pooling near your home.
  • Update your family emergency plans and ensure that everyone in your household is aware of its contents.

Let us all do our part in ensuring that all homes across the Turks and Caicos Islands are resilient.

Highlights from IDDRR can be seen on the Official DDME Social media accounts: Facebook @ddme.tci_official and Instagram @ddm.tci

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