TCI News
TCI’s Gabriel Saunders and Decomp win University of Waterloo’s Pandemic Challenge
Turks & Caicos – EDITORIAL SUBMISSION – November 9, 2020 – Turks and Caicos Islander, Gabriel Saunders, and his Co-Founders recently won University of Waterloo’s ‘Pandemic Challenge’ with their start-up, Decomp.
The pitch competition, which was held virtually, was co-hosted by entrepreneurial entities at the University of Waterloo – including the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, St. Paul’s GreenHouse (a social impact incubator), as well as Concept, the university’s pre-incubator program.
Rather than requiring student-led ventures to find a cure or focus solely on solving the issue of the novel coronavirus spreading, the Pandemic Challenge encouraged teams to tackle massive problems that have been brought on by the current pandemic.
Some of the problems that the competing start-ups were attempting to solve included food insecurity, health issues in long term care homes, and inefficiencies with remote work.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in single-use plastics. This includes take-out containers and plastic bags, along with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as throwaway gloves, as well as disposable masks, which often contain the plastic polypropylene.
Decomp aims to combat plastic waste pollution through their unique solution, which combines plastic-degrading microbes (i.e. fungi and bacteria) and custom bioreactor technology. The microbes identified have the capability of being able to degrade plastics that take 400-1,000 years to degrade in landfills, in weeks. Bioreactor technology facilitates Decomp creating and maintaining the optimal growing conditions (i.e. temperature, humidity, pH, etc) for the microbes. Plastics will be sorted, shredded and inputted into the bioreactors to be broken down by the microbes.
The biotechnology start-up was chosen as one of three winners of the Pandemic Challenge – winning $3,000 for research and development. Decomp was also selected to enter GreenHouse’s Workplace Innovation Program, which will provide them with funding opportunities, as well as opportunities to work with entities, such as the Region of Waterloo, as well as Environment and Climate Change Canada, in their efforts to build and test their prototypes.
“I’m extremely proud of our team and all of the work that we have put in,” said Saunders, who pitched for the competition. “It’s an honour to have been chosen as a winner and even more so to have been selected to enter GreenHouse’s Workplace Innovation Program. We’re excited for our next steps and to keep developing Decomp,” added Saunders.
Decomp previously won the University of Waterloo’s Hult Prize Finals in 2019 – the university round of the world’s largest social impact competition. University of Waterloo has consistently ranked as Canada’s most innovative university and is located in Waterloo, Ontario – a tech hub that is commonly referred to as ‘Canada’s Silicon Valley.’
At the time of the Pandemic Challenge, Gabriel was a 23-year-old Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) student at University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.
Gabriel attended The Ashcroft School (now The International School of the Turks and Caicos Islands) and British West Indies Collegiate (BWIC) in Providenciales, and graduated from Trinity College School in Port Hope, Canada.
He is the son of E. Jay and Drani Saunders.
Press Release
Turks and Caicos, October 28, 2025 – We are closely monitoring the impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica, and our thoughts and prayers are with our regional neighbours for their safety and well-being
We are now entering a critical period as Hurricane Melissa advances towards the Turks and Caicos Islands. Current projections indicate that Hurricane Melissa will begin to impact the Turks and Caicos Islands around midday tomorrow, Wednesday, 29th October.
This morning, Her Excellency the Governor and the Hon. Premier chaired a State of Preparedness Meeting. All Government agencies and critical services are mobilised. The safety and protection of every person across our Islands remains our highest priority. Our emergency response teams are prepared and the TCI Regiment is deployed across each of our Islands to support community readiness and immediate response. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force are on active duty, with additional officers in North Caicos, Salt Cay, South Caicos and Grand Turk.
At this time, the hurricane is moving north-northeast. The country is expected to experience tropical storm conditions, heavy rainfall and
significant storm surge. The storm surge poses a serious concern for low-lying coastal areas especially along our western and southern coastlines, which may result in coastal flooding. Based on the most current weather projections and anticipated impacts for the Turks and Caicos Islands, the National Executive have agreed the following actions:
1. Evacuation Advisories
Residents in specific low-lying and flood-prone coastal areas are likely to experience significant storm surge of 2-4 feet with accompanying rainfall. Strong advice is now place for residents in these areas to relocate to designated shelters which will be open from 4pm this afternoon. These areas include:
Middle Caicos
- Conch Bar Nearest Shelter: The Community Centre
North Caicos
- Sandy Point Nearest Shelter : Sandy Point Community Centre
- Whitby Nearest Shelter: Adelaide Oemler Primary School
- Bottle Creek Nearest Shelter: Adelaide Oemler Primary School
Providenciales
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- Chalk Sound Nearest Shelter Enid Capron Primary School
- Five Cays Nearest Shelter: Enid Capron Primary School
- Discovery Bay Nearest Shelter: All Saints Church, Leeward Highway
- Juba Sound Nearest Shelter: A. Louise Garland High School
- Long Bay Nearest Shelter: A. Louise Garland High School
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South Caicos
- Cockburn Harbour Nearest Shelter: Community Centre
- Old Airport Road Nearest Shelter: Community Centre
Should an evacuation order become necessary, it will be issued following the 6:00 PM Advisory this evening from the TCI National Weather Service.
2. Activation of Emergency Operations Centre
The National Emergency Operations Centre in Providenciales and all Islands Emergency Operations Centres will be activated at 4:00 PM today.
3. Shelters Access
Shelters across all Islands will open today at 4:00 PM to receive members of the public.
4. Shelter-in-Place
A Strong Shelter-in-Place Advisory is in place for all islands, commencing at 10:00 PM tonight. This will be in place until the all clear has been issued.
This means that from 10:00 PM tonight, all residents should be off the road, in a safe location, either at home or a designated shelter.
Please note that this position may be revised following the 6:00 PM Advisory from the TCI National Weather Service, depending on updated storm projections.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) has confirmed that all airports remain fully operational for today. They will advise the public about ongoing operations dependent on the weather impacts.
In times such as this, the role of commercial entities extends beyond business – it becomes a vital part of the community’s resilience. All retailers and service providers are urged to uphold their humanitarian responsibilities by maintaining fair pricing and ensuring essential goods and services remain accessible to all.
Residents and visitors are reminded to adhere strictly to all official advisories and evacuation orders as they are issued. Avoid unnecessary movement, secure your property, and ensure that you and your family are prepared with essential supplies. Stay prepared and stay safe.
Turks and Caicos, October 24, 2025 – Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey delivered an impassioned address to male students at Clement Howell High School, calling on them to recognize their power, seize their potential, and “awaken the sleeping giants” within.
In a message that blended humility, faith, and personal experience, the Commissioner reminded the boys that the decisions they make today will shape their future.“The choices you make today determine who you become tomorrow,” he said.
Bailey, who revealed he was the first in his family to attend high school, urged the students to embrace education and discipline as tools of
transformation.“Knowledge is power. If you want to be a real man, you need to read,” he told them. “Remember your potential — if others can do it, so can you. Some of you are sleeping giants waiting to be awakened.”
He emphasized that circumstances of birth do not dictate destiny, challenging the young men to carry self-respect, faith, and moral conviction wherever they go. “Self-respect is key; respect yourself, respect others, and respect God,” he said. “The circumstances you were born into do not define who you are.”
The Commissioner also spoke about resilience, advising that true strength often lies in restraint.
“There will be challenges, and people may try to impede your development — but rise above negativity. Sometimes, strength means walking away,” he said. “Some of you are sleeping lions; it’s time to awaken that instinct and rediscover your true potential.”
In closing, Commissioner Bailey delivered a stirring challenge:
“Each morning, look in the mirror and remind yourself that you were created by God and are capable of great exploits. You are a possibility with potential. Step forward with confidence — this is your country, your islands. Be the best version of yourself.”
Following his speech, the Commissioner engaged the students in open dialogue, answering questions and listening to their perspectives on issues affecting young men in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Developed by Deandrea Hamilton • with ChatGPT (AI) • edited by Magnetic Media.
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