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TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT

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#TurksandCaicos, March 25, 2021 – His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin, chaired the 4th meeting of Cabinet on Monday 15 March 2021 at the Office of the Premier on Providenciales.

All members were present.

At this meeting Cabinet:

·         Were updated on the state of the nation and discussed measures to further address and mitigate against any escalation of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and discussed increased testing of front line staff and the population at large.

  • Approved the extension of existing control measures (curfew, business hours, capacity or persons allowed in named establishments/scenarios and ban on public and private gatherings, sporting or social activity of any description on all islands save for training for CARIFTA and by the TCIFA) on the basis of expert modelling advice.
  • Approved the following new measures with effect from Wednesday 17 March until Friday 2 April unless otherwise stated:

a)    Suspension of business operations for 8 or 15 days for repeat non-compliance with measures,

b)    Extending the use of logbooks until 30th June 2021, and

c)    Extending the ban on cruise ship arrivals until 31st August 2021.

·         Approved amendments to facilitate the operation of pleasure craft. These include:

a)     Pleasure craft are permitted to operate at a maximum occupancy of 30%,

b)     Vessels with a capacity of 10 persons or less be limited to a maximum of six persons from outside the same household,

c)     A ban on all boat parties,

d)     All pleasure craft are required to register with DECR, who will also be responsible for determining the capacity of each vessel.

·         Approved the appointment of Attorney Ms Elizabeth Charlton, Senior Crown Counsel, AG Chambers as a Member of the Allied Health and Pharmacy Council until 21 July 2021, replacing Ms. Chassidy Swann (Attorney).

·         Approved the discontinuation of the Social Stimulus Program within the Ministry of Education, with the balance of funds to be reallocated to the purchasing of food vouchers with distribution by the TCI Conglomerate of NGOs to assist vulnerable persons.

·         Noted progress with the provision of online education for all students. Approved a phased approach to the reopening of schools commencing on 22 March and 3 May 2021 depending on size of school and state of readiness.  All schools with less than 200 students are allowed to return to face to face learning with schools with 200 or more students to utilize a blended approach.

·         Approved the use of the Gaming Control Commission Board as a Commission appointed under the Casinos Ordinance and following the requirements of the Gaming Control Ordinance to consider an application from Desarollos Hotelco Ritz Carlton for the establishment of an in-house casino.   

·         Approved Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 relating to FY 20/21 reducing funding from the Public Sector Investment Program; reducing funding for specific capital projects; the transfer of funds from the Contingency Fund; and an adjustment to the recurrent expenditure. Some of the funds recovered will be used to cover the increase in retirement benefits and the increase in allocation to the economic stimulus program.   

·         Members discussed the implications of Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 and agreed next steps on a number of existing and new capital projects along with their associated human/funding requirements.   

·         In line with the process under the provisions of the Public Procurement Ordinance, approved the Procurement Board’s recommendations on the award of the following contracts:    

a)     TR 20/31, Consultancy Services for Valuation of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) Fixed Assets,

b)     PN 005577, Furniture for Road Safety – Providenciales (TR 20/49) and

c)     TCICAA 01/2020, Automobiles for the Turks and Caicos Civil Aviation Authority – Grand Turk (TR 20/27)

·         Approved the terms of settlement, as proposed by the Attorney General, to an ongoing claim against the TCI Government.

Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.

Bahamas News

Camp Inclusion tours Nassau Cruise Port

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NASSAU, The Bahamas – Participants of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting’s Camp Inclusion, including the camp’s student advocates, recently toured Nassau Cruise Port in a move designed to produce multiple benefits for the children.

Camp officials said the tour was part of the “moving away” from the old tradition of keeping children with disabilities locked away at home, and towards greater social inclusion for persons with disabilities – especially children.

Facilitated by the Community Affairs Division of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting at the Flamingo Gardens Family Life Centre, the camp is a collaborative effort between the Ministry, its Community Affairs and Disability Affairs Divisions, the Bahamas Coalition of Advocates for Disability Awareness and Service (BaCADAS), and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). The majority of the Camp Instructors are persons with disabilities.

The Camp is in keeping with the Global Family Day 2024 theme of “Embracing Diversity, Strengthening Families,” and is an extension of the Ministry’s continued efforts to take the lead in ensuring access and inclusion for all — particularly the community of persons with disabilities — in every aspect of society.

Children with different levels and types of disabilities, along with student advocates, participated. Its focus was to ensure that participating youth learn about living with mobility and intellectual disabilities, advocacy, inclusion and accessibility.

Mr. Townsley Roberts, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, said the visit is expected to have a number of expected outcomes.

“It was very important to get the kids out and for them to see parts of the island that they rarely get a chance to experience,” Mr. Roberts said. “It was also an opportunity for them to feel a part of the Bahamian society because many times they are kept at home or just in the classroom (and) so this gives them a chance to spread their wings; an opportunity to dream. You never know, something they saw today can spark their imaginations and some may become artists, want to work in the tourism field or even just to try and experience a cruise. The ability to dream, to feel a part of society, to feel included, is important to the growth of all children, including persons with disabilities.”

Mr. Roberts applauded officials at Nassau Cruise Port for agreeing to the tour, which he said also allowed chaperones to inform the student advocates of some of the aspects that makes a facility accessible and inclusive.

“We are so happy that the Cruise Port allowed us the opportunity to come and tour the facility. As the name of the camp goes, what we are promoting is inclusion — total inclusion in all aspects of Bahamian society including the culture, and the open spaces. We want to make sure that all spaces are accessible and one of the things we know, because we had the opportunity to inspect the cruise port, is that the Port is accessible to persons with disabilities. So why not bring the children – including the student advocates — here as a means of helping them to understand and to witness first-hand what accessibility means and how it, or the lack of accessibility, affects the lives of persons with disabilities.”

Mr. Antoine Munroe, a Camp Instructor and employee of the Disability Affairs Division of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, said access and inclusion ensures that every person is able to achieve the same outcomes whether in social, educational, or employment settings, and are the best methods of ensuring that persons with disabilities are given the same opportunities to participate in society. He applauded the inclusion of the student advocates in the camp.

“It is a passion of my own to see young people included and exposed to the life of persons with disabilities. Being able to tour the facility gave me an understanding of how I can use my cane to move about with a little assistance and I thought that was very, very smooth. I congratulate those persons who were able to cause this to happen, and also the persons in charge of the Nassau Cruise Port.  I think this is a very good step in the right direction,” Mr. Munroe added.

 

Release: BIS

(BIS Photos/Patrice Johnson)

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Bahamas News

National Commission for Persons with Disabilities gauges ‘accessibility’ at ZNS, BIS as part of ongoing inspection schedule

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NASSAU, The Bahamas – Inspectors attached to the Inspectorate Division of the Secretariat of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) conducted assessments of the facilities at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas, and Bahamas Information Services, Tuesday (July 23) as part of their ongoing efforts to ensure that all public facilities, and those private facilities that provide services to members of the public, are accessible for all.

Both entities fall under the remit of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting as does the Secretariat.

The team was headed by Mr. Townsley Roberts, Deputy Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and included Mr. G. Michael Ellis, Senior Inspector; Mr. Wesley Paul, Inspector; and Mr. Thorne Clarke, Inspector.

Deputy Executive Secretary Roberts said the inspections were two-fold.

“Today we are inspecting ZNS and BIS which are both a part of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting to ensure that they are accessible because it is our belief that we cannot ask the public to do the things required by law without first ensuring that our entities are also in compliance,” Mr. Roberts said.

“People need to understand that accessibility to persons with disabilities is just as important as it is to persons without a disability. We want to be able to go about your day-to-day business without any obstacles in our way.

“What makes us disabled is the built environment, the barriers in front of us. If you remove those barriers, then we can do many of the same things persons without disabilities can do, and sometimes better. So this is what we are about. We are trying to make The Bahamas a place for all persons (and) where it will be comfortable for persons with disabilities to be able to manoeuvre through buildings and other spaces with the same ease and comfort expected by everyone else.”

The inspection team conducted assessments of wheelchair ramps, bathrooms, office spaces, and parking and reception areas, and measured doorway and hallway widths, in addition to other spaces to ensure that the requirements as set out in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, 2014, are met.

Mr. Ellis, who spent 34 years as a member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force before retiring as a Senior Police Officer and who brings that same knowledge of the law to his new role, said the inspections help to ensure that the community of persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights to accessibility as any other citizen.

“Persons with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs, persons with walkers, crutches and those who use other assistive devices such as canes, should be able to move around just like everyone else,” Mr. Ellis said.

“We were looking to make sure that there were accessible bathrooms for both males and females, to ensure that there are proper ramps and that the ramps are the proper sizes, to ensure that all of the offices are accessible and all of the other areas are accessible for persons with disabilities.

“The Act says whatever we, as able bodied persons can do, a person with a disability should be permitted or allowed to do the same without any hindrance. Our job is to ensure that these facilities are in compliance with the Act.”

Once inspections are completed, Adjustment Orders are sent to those facilities/businesses found not to be in compliance with the Act, advising them of any faults, and providing a time-frame for compliance.

 

(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson)

Release: Bahamas Information Services

 

PHOTO CAPTIONS

 

Header:  – ZNS/BCB

Left to right:

1:  G. Michael Ellis – Sr. Inspector (NCPD)
2:  Thorne Clarke – Inspector (NCPD)
3:  Townsley Roberts – Deputy Executive Secretary (NCPD)
4:  Wesley Paul – Inspector (NCPD)
5:  Carlton Smith – Chief Security Officer (BCB)

Insert:  – BIS
Left to right:

1:  Elcott Coleby – Director General (BIS)
2:  Wesley Paul – Inspector (NCPD)
3:  Townsley Roberts – Deputy Executive Secretary (NCPD)
4:  Carlton Smith – Chief Security Officer (BCB)
5:  Thorne Clarke – Inspector (NCPD)
6:  G. Michael Ellis – Sr. Inspector (NCPD)

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Crime

Shooting Incident

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***MEDIA RELEASE***

 

July 23rd, 2024.

 

Around 10:59 am, the Police Control Room received a call of gunshots at a location along the Millennium Highway, Providenciales.

Officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force were dispatched and, based on preliminary investigations, were told that the occupant (s) of a red Suzuki Swift was at a business place when another car pulled alongside it, and the occupants started shooting.

The driver of the Swift drove off while the other unidentified vehicle sped off in a separate direction. 

Officers found the Swift abandoned near Miracle Close, Blue Hills, shortly after.

Based on investigations, no injuries were reported.

This remains an active investigation.

The RT&CIPF is asking anyone with information or CCTV footage of the shooting that may assist the police with enquiries to contact 911, the closest police station, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 and anonymously give any information.

Additionally, persons are being asked to download the Crime Stoppers P3 app.

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