Caribbean News
Sandals Corporate University Signs MOU with prestigious Toronto Metropolitan University
The Sandals Corporate University (SCU) has taken a bold and inspiring step in the development of its team members by collaborating with yet another prestigious international institution, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
On Friday, March 7, SCU signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Canada-based university at Sandals Montego Bay. This MOU aims to enhance academic and workforce development in hospitality, tourism, business and management fields through TMU’s Ted Rogers School of Management.
As part of this collaboration, both institutions will facilitate internships and placements at Sandals and Beaches Resorts while developing specialised executive training programmes to further strengthen the skills and expertise of team members.
Senior Corporate Director of the SCU, Dr. Luz Longsworth, highlighted that the MOU is already bearing fruit, with new projects in development.
“These initiatives will include an exciting suite of courses on cutting-edge topics for our leaders and team members in areas such as digital innovation, strategic communication, mindfulness in leadership and big data in strategic decision-making,” Dr. Longsworth stated.
These initiatives are set to launch later this year. Meanwhile, Provost and Vice President of Toronto Metropolitan University, Dr. Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano, said she had the opportunity to witness Sandals’ operations firsthand over the past few days, including the resort brand’s annual Prestige Awards, which honour outstanding team members.
“It was clear the importance Sandals places on community and well-being. I can see that reflected in your team, and you should be really proud,” Iannacito-Provenzano expressed to Sandals Resorts’ Executive Chairman, Adam Stewart. “What I saw is that people truly care for each other. We are proud to collaborate with institutions like Sandals that embody these values.”
This marks the third such MOU for SCU, following similar engagements with the UWI Global Campus and the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College. Notable collaborations also include ongoing initiatives with Florida International University and Les Roches School of Global Hospitality.
Delivering the keynote address at the signing, Stewart underscored SCU’s commitment to aligning with internationally recognised universities to enhance hospitality training and create learning pathways for team members.
He expressed pride in the impact of the Sandals Corporate University on its team members not just in Jamaica, but across the Caribbean. “This is the Caribbean Dream. This company has demonstrated that what originates from the Caribbean can stand proudly on the world stage—provided we give our people the opportunity,” Stewart stated. “Being able to create connections like this with TMU is truly impactful. On behalf of our 18,000-plus team members and the students who will benefit from exchange programmes, I say thank you for the confidence and the opportunity to collaborate with Toronto Metropolitan University.”
Captions:
Header – From left: Dean of Ted Rogers School of Management Dr. Cynthia Holmes, Provost and Vice President of the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Dr. Roberto Ianncito-Provenzano, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts Adam Stewart, Senior Corporate Director of the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) Dr Luz Longsworth, and Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang after signing a memorandum of understanding between SCU and TMU recently.
1st insert – Provost and Vice President of the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Dr. Roberto Ianncito-Provenzano, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts Adam Stewart, and Senior Corporate Director of the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) Dr Luz Longsworth sign a memorandum of understanding between SCU and TMU.
2nd insert – General Manager of Sandals Montego Bay, Christopher Elliott, an alumnus of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), receives a piece of memorabilia from the university, presented by Provost and Vice President Dr. Roberto Iannicito-Provenzano (left). Looking on is Dr. Cynthia Holmes, Dean of TMU’s Ted Rogers School of Management (right).
3rd insert – Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts Adam Stewart (third from left) is captured in the audience at the signing of the MOU between the Sandals Corporate University and Toronto Metropolitan University.
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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