Hew heads to Bahamas to discuss planning resilience

| 03/12/2018 | 19 Comments
Cayman News Service

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Bahamas, where CARIF2018 will be held 4-5 December

(CNS): Planning and Infrastructure Minister Joey Hew is on his way to the Bahamas this week to join fellow planning ministers from around the region to discuss how resiliency and climate change issues are shaping regional policy making. The third Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF2018) opens on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar resort, where the role of infrastructure, energy development and finance in building resilience — one year after the catastrophic 2017 hurricane season — will be on the agenda.

Ministers are expected to address and agree the next steps towards a long-term sustainable infrastructure plan, an island-by-island look at infrastructure and energy, the role of clean energy and how regional governments are developing public-private partnerships.

The trip follows the recent announcement by the planning ministry to review the national development plan. Government is asking for public input on “Plan Cayman”, which is supposed to be a long-range, comprehensive strategy covering the natural environment, transportation, infrastructure, recreation and open spaces giving consideration to climate change.

“In this context resilience means the ability to adapt to, or rapidly recover from, a disaster or catastrophic event,” Hew said in a release about the trip. “CARIF offers an opportunity to inform local policies while sharing our own perspective and needs with many of the same people with whom we might expect to interact in the aftermath of a disaster.”

The minister said Cayman had been lucky over the last few years, seeing little to no activity during several hurricane seasons.

“Yet we have only to look at our regional neighbours to remember how Hurricanes Paloma and Ivan impacted our infrastructure,” he said. “If we can act now in tandem with regional partners to proactively plan for and mitigate similar disasters in the future, then we should take every opportunity to do so.”

CARIF attracts representatives of regional governments and multi-lateral organisations, bankers, investors and project developers to its solutions-oriented discussions. These routinely explore the potential for sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure planning that meets the needs of local populations and creates attractive opportunities for investors.

Other topics on the 2018 agenda include: trends in financing Caribbean infrastructure, developing climate resilient water infrastructure, positioning islands for growth and the creation of Caribbean smart cities.

President of the Cayman Renewable Energy Association and entrepreneur, James Whittaker, is among speakers on this year’s programme. Whittaker will talk about whether recent weather events have altered perspectives on how energy is generated.

Following the CARIF conference, Hew will travel to London to join Premier Alden McLaughlin as part of the delegation taking part in the Joint Ministerial Council meetings and Constitutional talks.

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Category: Business, Construction, development, Local News

Comments (19)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Shame… waste of our money. We took care of our business well – we donot need to get caught up in other people’s shit. There is just no need to folllow the world. We did it ourselves was always unique and apart. But you all surly found out quick to to live the good life at our expense. No shame … sad. My God when is this madness going to stop!!!!!

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps negative posters should get the facts first before passing judgement and making allegations.

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  3. Jotnar says:

    https://bahamar.com/casino/

    Surprised the Speaker isn’t going too

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  4. Anonymous says:

    More globetrotting on the tax payer’s dollars.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Whatever happened to the CI Waste Management Project?

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Just not happy with these politicians.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Irony of the headline, picture of Joey with a shovel ready bulldoze a 53 acre for another senseless project did smack into a residential and school area. What ever happened to the go east initiative? Why not stop making town so congested?

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  8. Anonymous says:

    LOL, there’s a certain amount of irony in the fact this is being held at the Baha Mar.

    Check out this story on Bloomberg – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-26/baha-mar-developer-claims-to-be-victim-of-massive-china-fraud

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    • Anonymous says:

      Lesson to be learned on how to get screwed by the Chinese, with the help of one of our local residents who is now trying to get into business with CHEC.

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  9. Crab Claw says:

    I wonder how come the banks are still lending money in low lying areas which is a lot of the world mass if the mortgage is for 20 to 40 years and based on the doomsayers we are all due to be underwater in the next ten years, someone got their facts messed up, because as we know a banker never lends without the possibility of getting it back.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    1. Build minimum 10 feet above sea level
    2. Place utilities, including electricity underground
    3. Plant Mangroves

    Now stay at home and stop wasting money.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Probably going there to meet with the Chinese firms that are turning Grand Bahama into a concrete jungle.

    Start leaning Cantonese and Mandarin people the Chinese tsunami is about to begin.

    This message proudly sponsored by WORC.

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  12. ppm Distress Signal says:

    Alden cannot seriously be trying to promote Hew as the next leader of the party by taking him to London, he has less qualifications and formal education than McKeeva Bush.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Joey Who?

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Cayman will not be embarrassed if Joey does the right thing and does not speak at all.

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