TCI News
From Removal to Redevelopment: ISU Announces 27 Concepts
Turks and Caicos, December 12, 2025 – For the Turks and Caicos Islands, the shift from removal to redevelopment marks a profound national pivot — one that redefines how the country confronts a problem that has quietly reshaped its landscape for more than a decade.
At a media briefing held Tuesday, December 11, the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) confirmed that it has now reviewed 35 informal settlement sites for full redevelopment and is advancing 27 conceptual redevelopment designs, signalling a move beyond enforcement toward long-term planning and land re-imagination.
The announcement comes after nearly three years of intensive work under the leadership of Carlos Simons KC, a former justice of the Supreme Court and one of the country’s most respected legal minds. For Simons, who is himself a Turks and Caicos Islander, the mandate has never been cosmetic. Informal settlements, he has repeatedly stressed, are not simply unsightly — they pose public safety risks, strain infrastructure, undermine land ownership regimes, and create environments vulnerable to criminal activity.
Turks and Caicos remains the only British Overseas Territory grappling with informal settlements at this scale.
From Clearance to Control of Land
Since its inception, the ISU has focused first on reclaiming land that had fallen outside the bounds of planning and regulation. According to data presented, more than 800 informal structures have been addressed across Crown land, private land, and other properties, with the bulk of activity concentrated in Providenciales, and additional operations carried out in Grand Turk and North Caicos.
Providenciales accounts for the largest share of reclaimed acreage and enforcement actions, reflecting both population density and the concentration of informal developments. In Grand Turk, ISU interventions have been more targeted, often tied to flood-prone or environmentally sensitive areas. North Caicos, while hosting fewer informal settlements, has now been formally incorporated into the Unit’s monitoring and redevelopment framework.
To date, the ISU reports approximately 35 acres of land reclaimed, creating, for the first time, a realistic platform for planned redevelopment rather than ad-hoc clearance.
Redevelopment, Not Replacement
What distinguishes this phase of the ISU’s work is not simply the scale of removal, but the clarity of what comes next.
Officials confirmed that 27 redevelopment concepts are now in progress, supported by land already under government control. These are
housing-led but not housing-only designs, incorporating infrastructure layouts, access routes, drainage, and green space — a deliberate break from the sprawl and density that defined informal settlements.
One example shared, illustrated the potential of vertical, modular development: a 2.5-acre site, previously crowded with informal structures, re-imagined to accommodate 105 formal housing units, alongside communal space and planned utilities. The intent, ISU officials said, is to replace disorder with density done right — preserving land while increasing livability.
The Survey Behind the Strategy
Central to the ISU’s evolving approach is a comprehensive Social Needs Assessment Survey, designed not merely to count structures, but to understand the people who lived within them.
The survey spanned multiple islands and dozens of informal settlement sites, collecting data on household size, age distribution, employment status, length of residence, access to utilities, sanitation conditions, flood exposure, and vulnerability factors. It captured information across genders and age groups, with particular attention to working-age adults, children, and households headed by single earners.
Officials described the survey as essential to avoiding a blunt enforcement model. Instead, the data is being used to inform redevelopment planning, guide social interventions, and identify patterns — including how long informal settlements persist, how residents integrate into the labour force, and where the greatest risks to health and safety lie.
The findings reinforced what authorities had long suspected: informal settlements are not transient. Many households had occupied land for years, often without basic services, and in conditions that posed escalating risks during heavy rains or storms. The survey now forms a baseline against which future redevelopment and resettlement outcomes will be measured.
Targeting the Next Generation
Recognising that enforcement alone cannot dismantle a culture of informal construction, the ISU launched youth-focused initiatives over the past year, aimed squarely at prevention.
Through school engagement, creative challenges, and public education campaigns, the Unit has begun addressing the mindset that normalises shanty-style building. Officials described the youth programmes as an investment in long-term cultural change, encouraging young people to see planning, legality, and design as non-negotiable elements of national development.
The initiatives also seek to foster pride in place — reframing orderly development not as exclusionary, but as essential to safety, dignity, and opportunity.
A National Turning Point
The ISU’s presentation makes clear that Turks and Caicos has entered a new phase in confronting informal settlements — one grounded in data, planning, and land control, rather than reaction.
Whether the country can sustain the political will, funding discipline, and cross-agency coordination required to move concepts into construction remains to be seen. But for the first time, the national conversation has shifted.
This is no longer only about what must be removed.
It is about what can — and should — be built in its place.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
By Magnetic Media Newsroom
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Islands Government says the breakdown of its relationship
with InterHealth Canada presents an opportunity to reshape healthcare delivery, with plans to expand local medical services, strengthen primary care and reduce dependence on overseas treatment.
During a national briefing following InterHealth Canada’s notice terminating its hospital contract, Premier Charles Washington Misick acknowledged publicly for the first time that Government and InterHealth had been negotiating an exit from the arrangement for more than a year after what he described as an “irretrievably broken down” relationship.
Despite the contractual dispute, Misick and Health Minister Kyle Knowles stressed that healthcare services will continue uninterrupted during the transition.
“Allow us to do our job,” Knowles appealed, assuring residents that Government is actively managing the transition and safeguarding patient care.
The Premier outlined what amounts to a broader healthcare transformation built around four connected levels of care: strengthened community-based primary healthcare; expanded polyclinic services; enhanced hospital-based secondary care with greater specialist capacity; and overseas tertiary treatment only for cases that cannot be managed locally.
Among the proposals are the long-discussed establishment of intensive care units, expanded use of currently unfinished hospital space,
recruitment of more resident specialist physicians and stronger contract management to oversee future healthcare agreements.
Knowles said the new polyclinic model will broaden services available outside the hospitals, including dentistry, ophthalmology, laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, gynaecology and preventative screening, helping to reduce pressure on emergency departments while improving early intervention.
Misick also acknowledged that while the hospital system significantly improved healthcare access after opening in 2010, Government believes further reform is necessary to improve affordability, sustainability and the range of services available within the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The briefing marked the Government’s most comprehensive explanation to date of its plans beyond the InterHealth contract, signalling that officials now see the transition as an opportunity to redesign healthcare delivery rather than simply replace one operator with another.
Turks and Caicos – Every thriving community tells a story long before the first home is built. The placement of roads, the routing of
utilities, the protection of natural resources and the provision of schools, healthcare and emergency services are all the result of decisions made through careful planning. While these elements are often taken for granted, they form the foundation of safe, functional and sustainable communities.
As populations grow and communities evolve, planning becomes increasingly important. It helps ensure that development takes place in locations that can support it, that infrastructure keeps pace with demand, and that public services remain accessible to those who depend on them. Good planning also considers the future, creating communities that can adapt to changing needs while preserving the quality of life enjoyed by current and future generations.
Where development occurs without adequate planning, however, the effects can be felt far beyond the boundaries of a single neighbourhood. Roads may be unable to accommodate emergency vehicles, utilities can become overstretched, and environmental resources may come under increasing pressure. Delivering public services in these circumstances often becomes more difficult and more costly, creating challenges that affect entire communities rather than individual properties alone.
For this reason, sustainable development can only emanate from careful planning. It must be ensured that homes, infrastructure and
essential services develop together in a coordinated and responsible way. Every planning decision contributes to the broader picture of how communities function, grow and respond to future demands.
Supporting that process requires reliable information. Accurate data helps planners and policymakers understand where growth is occurring, identify emerging needs and make informed decisions about infrastructure, housing and public services. It also strengthens collaboration among government agencies by providing a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing communities.
Within the Turks and Caicos Islands, this collaborative approach is reflected in the work of the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), which supports a range of initiatives aimed at improving the understanding of informal settlement development. Through activities such as GIS mapping, the Social Needs Assessment Survey and collaboration with partner agencies, the ISU contributes valuable information that helps support evidence-based planning and long-term decision-making.
Strong communities are not built overnight. They are shaped through thoughtful planning, informed decisions and cooperation across government and the wider community. As the Turks and Caicos Islands population continues to grow, maintaining that focus will be essential to creating communities that are safe, resilient and equipped to meet the needs of generations to come.
Education
Turks and Caicos Islands Students Excel at Cycle 13 WizdomCRM Regional AI Game National Awards Ceremony
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 22 July 2026: The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture proudly congratulates the students of the Turks and Caicos Islands on their outstanding performance at the Cycle 13 WizdomCRM Regional Virtual Sustainable Stock Market AI Game National Awards Ceremony.
The ceremony was held on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at the Blue Haven Resort, under the theme “Champions Today. AI Leaders Tomorrow.” It was hosted by the Ministry in collaboration with WizdomCRM.
Students across the Caribbean took part in the investment challenge, each beginning with a virtual portfolio of USD $25,000 and working to
grow it through simulated investments on regional and international stock markets. Throughout the competition, students were guided by Mr. Rabbit, WizdomCRM’s AI Tutor, and supported by E-Classroom sessions, building financial literacy, critical thinking and investment skills.
The Turks and Caicos Islands emerged as the region’s top-performing territory, claiming the top six regional positions, securing 14 of the Caribbean’s Top 20 places, and placing four schools on the regional leaderboard. Leading the region was Marc Roubentz-Perceus of TCIPS Comprehensive High School, who grew his portfolio to USD $370,336.63. He was followed by Joshua Creese of Raymond Gardiner High School in second place, and Stendro Chalas of TCIPS Comprehensive High School in third. Raymond Gardiner High School was also recognised as the Top School for Cycle 13.
Hon. Rachel M. Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, said: “I congratulate every student who took part in Cycle 13. You
have demonstrated the confidence to compete with the very best students regionally, and you have shown our country what is possible. This success is not luck; it is the result of an ecosystem built by students, teachers, parents, school leaders and partners who continue to invest in educational excellence. As we look ahead, the Ministry is in active discussions with WizdomCRM to expand access to its AI-powered learning tools, including Super AI, the AI Tutor, the Plagiarism Checker and the Grammar Checker, so that our young people are equipped with the future-ready skills they need to succeed.”
The Ministry extends sincere appreciation to the dedicated teachers who mentored the students, and to Rubis Turks and Caicos, whose sponsorship provided the cash prizes awarded to the top three regional champions. The Ministry also thanks WizdomCRM, participating schools, parents and stakeholders for their partnership in this achievement, which reflects the Ministry’s continued commitment to innovation, digital learning and youth development across the Turks and Caicos Islands.
WIZDOM CRM – Top Performers Cycle 13
| Position | Name | School | Portfolio Value | Regional Placement |
| 1st | Marc Roubentz-Perceus | TCIPS Comprehensive High School | $ 370,336.63 | 1st |
| 2nd | Joshua Creese | Raymond Gardiner High School | $ 264,841.31 | 2nd |
| 3rd | Stendro Chalas | TCIPS Comprehensive High School | $ 247,738.09 | 3rd |
| 4th | Ojed’harlie Jolissaint | Wesley Methodist School | $ 227,389.60 | 4th |
| 5th | Tyshawn Wright | Raymond Gardiner High School | $ 189,064.18 | 5th |
| 6th | Jah’keem Missick | Raymond Gardiner High School | $ 173,654.58 | 6th |
| 7th | Curvin Handfield | Raymond Gardiner High School | $ 156,984.89 | 8th |
| 8th | Chadazea Darville | Wesley Methodist School | $ 147,428.43 | 9th |
| 9th | Vivaan Castleton | British West Indies Collegiate | $ 120,833.83 | 14th |
| 10th | Damendine Simplus | TCIPS Comprehensive High School | $ 118,660.55 | 15th |
| 11th | Dyvion Louis | Raymond Gardiner High School | $ 111,572.81 | 16th |
| 12th | Colin Moriarty | British West Indies Collegiate | $ 106,854.81 | 17th |
| 13th | Kensley Felix | TCIPS Comprehensive High School | $ 101,285.06 | 18th |
| 14th | Redjino Saint-Louis | Raymond Gardiner High School | $ 99,927.39 | 19th |
TEACHERS
- Fexnel Colvert – TCIPS Comprehensive High School
- Valerie Olice – Raymond Gardiner High School
- Warren French – Wesley Methodist School
- Phyllis Boucher – British West Indies Collegiate
Top Performing School: Raymond Gardiner High School
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