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Draft Utility Policy Explained, Consultancy continues until May 24 

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Dana Malcolm 
Staff Writer 

The Multi-sector Utility Regulator Policy developed by the government is going to make utilities affordable and reliable for residents in the Turks and Caicos, at least that’s what the TCIG hopes.

Currently, in the consultation phase, when this policy is signed into law it will allow for the creation of a unified Regulatory Commission that oversees water and sewage, telecommunications, fuel, and electricity and makes sure that the monopolies or semi-monopolies that provide these services are doing so in the best interest of the residents who pay for their services.

The draft copy of the Policy lays out the specific objectives which are listed as:

  • Affordability which is measured by processes and outcomes during rate hearings.
  • Reliability which is measured by regulatory decisions enabling minimal service interruptions and timely service deliveries such as interconnections.
  • Economic Competitiveness which is measured by decisions on rates and service delivery compared to relevant jurisdictions.
  • Innovation which is measured by regulatory decisions enabling access to new technologies and business models, and finally
  •  Environmental Sustainability which is measured by regulatory decisions that advance/support regulatory service providers in meeting government goals on climate change and other aspects of sustainability.

All of this is geared toward value for money and better service for TC Residents but how will the Regulatory Commission operate to achieve the aims?

Firstly it won’t be directly controlled by the government. The document explains that TCIG alone will have the power to set the legislation that regulates the sector. The Commission is then bound to follow those rules and all its decisions must be based on law. However, The Commission will be independent of the Government in the operation of its duties and responsibilities.

Some of those legally established duties include: managing utility rates and tariffs; monitoring and compliance; granting and renewing licenses and Research and Development to advance the use of new technologies.

Another requirement of the body will be transparency, to ensure that both customers and investors trust and can substantiate the decisions being made.

The Multi-sector Agency will it be able to carry out inspections if providers fail to provide necessary information, and it has the authority to ‘collaborate with academic institutions, research organizations, and industry players to support innovation’.

Importantly the agency is to be charged with ensuring decisions advance the public interest for today and the future.

Additionally, according to the draft policy, it is to have a board made up of experts in utilities who must be ‘persons of integrity’ appointed by the government. With no need for a team of experts 24/7 The Commission will have a Chief Executive Officer who will manage a small team of regulatory officers and staff which will be supported by experts on an as-
needed basis.

The government is now undertaking consultation to get thoughts and concerns from all stakeholders including residents regarding the policy and eventual setup of the Agency. The need for the Regulatory body is crucial according to Kyle Knowles, Minister of Public Safety and Utilities.

“The Turks and Caicos Islands have witnessed unprecedented growth, bringing to the fore the urgent need for regulatory reform in our utility sector. The current challenges, including requests for rate increases and water shortages, underscore the limitations of our existing regulatory framework to effectively manage and mitigate such issues,” he said

The consultation will run until May 24, 2024.

 

Caribbean News

Government is “able to function” says Cayman Premier after Three Quit Cabinet

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Garfield Ekon

Staff Writer

 

Turks and Caicos, November 6, 2024 – The Government of the Cayman Islands, is in limbo, following the resignations of  three Cabinet Ministers, and one Parliamentary Secretary, but, the Premier, Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said the Cabinet remains “constitutionally quorate and therefore fully able to function.”

In a media statement, the Premier said the Cabinet had its weekly meeting on Friday, to discuss business agenda, and to fulfill “our constitutional duty”, with a majority of five sitting Ministers.

“The sacred duty of elected office remains top of mind for myself and my colleagues, despite the uncertainty of the present circumstances. Our earnest and primary desire is to maintain stability within our Government, for the benefit of the people we service, and  to maintain the confidence of you, the public, and those who conduct business with us,” the Premier declared.

On Thursday, the Ministers who left the Cabinet were: Deputy Premier, Andre Ebanks, Katrine Ebanks-Wilks, Sabrina Turner, and Parliamentary Secretary, Heather Bodden.  Their resignations have left the United People’s Movement (UPM) without a majority, it now has seven members, three short of a Parliamentary majority.

In a press release, the former Deputy Premier, described their leaving the Cabinet, as “untenable,” as in recent months, “in particular, the level of dysfunction and disorganisation, and a lack of professionalism, place the country at risk of erroneous decision making and reputational damage, which could have long term adverse consequences,” he said.

Adding that there was lack of parity between Ministers who are not afforded the same level of “transparency and involvement” to make informed decisions in the “best interest” of the people, he declared that it is leading to the “erosion of due process.

“Unchecked disrespect, particularly towards women in caucus,” the former Premier outlined, noting that many meetings failed to “foster objective analysis, or to provide a forum for respectful exchange of different views,” Mr. Ebanks stated.

The Islands’ Parliament has 19 members, and the Government needs at least 10 to have a majority. The coalition administration is now unable to past any legislation, due its minority status.

Governor, Hon. Jane Owen, said she is in “discussions” with the Premier, and assured that “our public service continues to discharge their duties to ensure continuity of service to the public,” the Governor said, while the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) said the Government is on the brink of “collapse,” and cautioned against any “chaotic coalition” being put in place.

This all unravels as the Cayman Islands are under Hurricane Warning; impact with Tropical Strom Raphael is expected tonight.

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Caribbean News

Caribbean Nations would not be sidelined; Reparations make agenda at CHOGM

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Garfield Ekon

Staff Writer

 

 

Samoa, November 6, 2024 – Caribbean nations forced conversations about restorative justice on the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Samoa, and drew up an agreement, demanding billions from the United Kingdon (UK).

Delegates from 56 countries who converged at the recent Conference, engaged in robust discussions at the biennial event, being dominated by the issue of reparations, after the Prime Minister of the UK, Keir Starmer fought, unsuccessfully, to keep reparations off the agenda of this summit.

Representatives of various Caribbean countries have continued to push for a “frank” conversation about transatlantic slavery and the “horrendous impact” it had on the African diaspora, and the Prime Minister appeared to have been moved by the pressure, as he pivoted slightly, saying that he is “open to discussing non-cash forms of reparatory justice for slavery.”

CARICOM, a political and economic bloc of 21 states across the Caribbean and Americas, has long had a 10-point plan for reparatory justice that includes, but is not limited to: a full formal apology, illiteracy eradication alleviation of public health crises, debt cancellation, and technology transfer.

The Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Hon. Philip Davis, has said: “For me, I don’t know that money, in and of itself, could adequately compensate for the wrongs of the past. The ghost that haunts us today cannot be, in my view, dispelled by a monetary gift.”

Estimates for how much Britain owes in reparations range from £200 billion, to £18 trillion.

PM Starmer continues to bat away the idea of a monetary payout, but a Downing Street source has reportedly suggested that the government could support other reparatory measures like restructuring financial institutions and providing debt relief.

The argument for reparations and reparatory justice is about tending to the enduring scars of transatlantic slavery on the social, economic and psychological outcomes of the region. The Bahamas’ foreign minister, Frederick Mitchell, told the BBC that it was “only a matter of time” before Starmer “changes” his position on reparations.

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Caribbean News

Hurricane Warnings on for many as Tropical Strom Raphael takes aim

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Garfield Ekon

Staff Writer

 

 

November 5, 2024 – A hurricane warning has been issued for the Cayman Islands and lesser alerts for parts of Cuba and Jamaica, as a weather system being monitored in the Caribbean developed into a tropical depression Monday morning.

The system was forecast to continue strengthening, the National Hurricane Center said, potentially becoming a tropical storm by the end of the day and a hurricane by Wednesday. Currently, Tropical Storm Raphael is moving at NW at 13 mph with tropical storm form winds extending outwards, 105 miles, from the centre.

The hurricane center said in an advisory Monday that the system was expected to approach the northwestern part of Cuba around the time it reaches hurricane strength. “On the forecast track, the system is expected to move near Jamaica late tonight, be near or over the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, and approach Cuba on Wednesday,” forecasters said.

They wrote in an earlier advisory that the system “could be near or at hurricane intensity when it passes near the Cayman Islands and Cuba.” As of 4 a.m., Tuesday, the tropical storm was about 170 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica and 425 miles southeast of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. It was moving with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, the center reported.

Maximum sustained winds of 74 mph are needed for classification as a hurricane.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said the heaviest rainfall is forecast to occur over Jamaica and parts of Cuba through mid-week. Rainfall will likely be accompanied by hurricane conditions in the Cayman Islands by Tuesday afternoon, and, possibly, in western Cuba and the Isle of Youth on Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions were expected to arrive in Jamaica by Monday night.

“Rainfall totals between 3 to 6 inches with locally up to 9 inches are expected. Flooding could occur over portions of Jamaica and Cuba, with mudslides possible,” the center noted. Heavy rainfall will spread north into Florida and adjacent areas of the southeast United States in the mid-to-late week, the center said.

“Models are in disagreement of where it will track after it reaches the Gulf,” Nolan says, “but the Gulf coasts from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida need to be on alert for impacts at the end of the week.”

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