More development needed, says McLaughlin

| 03/02/2021 | 144 Comments
Cayman News Service
Premier Alden McLaughlin at the Chamber of Commerce Q&A

(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin has sent a message to environmental activists and conservationists after making it clear that if his team leads the next coalition government, it will seek to keep the pace of development going. Despite clear evidence that Grand Cayman’s coastline, especially along Seven Mile Beach, is already eroding and the sea level rise threat will only get worse, he said Cayman’s economy depends on inward investment.

“Cayman continues to need further development,” McLaughlin said at a roundtable Q&A session at a Chamber of Commerce meeting last week. The premier implied that shifting Cayman away from its increasing dependence on development and construction to sustain economic growth and jobs will not happen on his watch.

Even in the face of ever-growing public concern across the Cayman Islands about the negative impact that coastal over-development is now having on the islands, the premier spelled out a bleak future for nature.

The unsustainable level of development over the last three decades, but especially post Hurricane Ivan, has fuelled a population growth that has taken a toll on all resources, especially natural ones. Development has had a terrible effect on the environment, with the subsequent shoreline erosion and the islands’ endemic, indigenous and native bio-diversity under real threat, as land is cleared of natural habitat to make way for hotels, condos, luxury homes and rental units.

However, McLaughlin raised no concerns about the environmental issues that await the entire planet, and not just vulnerable low-lying islands like Cayman, much sooner than scientists have previously predicted.

Asked by the outgoing Chamber president Woody Foster if there was some kind of plan to control future development, McLaughlin implied that there was no plan, saying he wished he “had an answer to that” but, more development was coming, even if the government became more choosy about where and how.

“The difficulty with the economic model that we have… is that there are no convenient taps that you can turn on or turn off at will, because Cayman relies on inward investment for just about everything,” he said, as he pointed to the impact of the world economic cycles on unemployment. He said that when the world economy was in a slump and inward investment dried up, people were screaming at the government about jobs and simulating the economy.

“I think Cayman continues to need further development but we just need to be more choosy about the kind of development we want and where we want it,” he said.

The discussion drew to a close, however, when Foster pointed out that he was trying to find out what government’s plan was, as apposed to what appears to be “a free for all for whoever comes with a lot of money who can spend it wherever they want”.

Both McLaughlin and his planning minister, like their predecessors, have been guilty of misusing the term ‘sustainable development’, which is the concept that communities must meet their needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs, and it is clear that the current pace of development here is doing exactly that.

In his main address to the Chamber, he lauded the success of the construction sector here, saying that nearly 750 development projects were approved in 2019, with a combined total value of more than $890 million.

“That is a track record of success that I am proud of, that my government is proud of and that all of Cayman can be proud of,” he said, adding that he and the government had worked hard to get “more projects over the line” before the election.

“Our construction industry continues to do well and the flow of projects coming through the planning process is testament to ongoing investor confidence in these Islands and in this government,” McLaughlin added as he underscored the ongoing commitment to more of the same.


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Category: development, Local News, Politics

Comments (144)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    All right, there’s the aquaduct. But apart from that, roads, better sanitation, public health and a couple of other things, what has Alden ever done for us?

    • Anonymous says:

      Very funny. If he had actually provided better sanitation, roads or public health. The dump? The Eastern commute? We could of course point to the complete collapse of public education, wholesale waste of tax payers money on government projects and a complete collapse in the public perception of the integrity of parliament and the civil service by repeated scandals that go completely unpunished, but I guess that wouldn’t chime with your cheap Monty Python quote. If Alden is a Roman, he’s more a Nero than an Augustus.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Name all wanna be politicians who condemned violence against women.

    That is THE starting point for qualification.

    No woman in her right mind would vote for a politician who condones violence against women.

    • Anonymous says:

      You are concerned about persons not elected to office in order to give those current MP’s a pass for their silence and failure to show real leadership on a matter the world knows is wrong? That is another example of what is wrong with the Caymans

    • WomanStandingWithWaynePanton says:

      Wayne Panton condemned violence against women! “This was an unprovoked assault on a young lady which has been described by the court as worthy of condemnation. Those who are being objective are perfectly within their rights to agree with the court and condemn the Speaker of his egregious behavior and to demand that he resign from the office of Speaker of Parliament. In most other countries he would have done so within a week of the incident.” #sheISsupported

  3. Anonymous says:

    More greed

    More destruction of the natural environment

    More concrete

    More dilution of national identity

    More concessions for wealthy developers

    More unaffordable properties

    More congestion on the roads

    Alden, it is abundantly clear just how little you care about these islands and how much you just want to enrich the elite circles. What a tragedy. I wonder at what point you stopped caring? $ell out

    • Anonymous says:

      Did he ever care?

    • Anonymous says:

      Who are we developing for? Not Caymanians, to give them jobs as he would imply. Construction is booming as he is brags, but how many employed are Caymanians…a very small minority! He probably wants big development to match his big ego….that is HUGE! And to admit he does not have a development plan…people…even though he did good for the country with the Covid plan which is really his ONLY ace in the hole…do NOT vote this man back in! He is being driven around like a king in his fancy car and probably avoids high traffic times. It is crazy to think he wants more development. He is no better than the last premier. Vote him OUT!!!!

  4. Anonymous says:

    So that’s why the new CIREBA logo looks like a circle jerk.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why all this development when the island won’t be open for years and by that time tourists will have found other places to travel.

  5. Anonymous says:

    What a pathetic statement. He just voted himself out. If anyone agrees with him, they are clearly living in a bubble.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Who’s going to use new hotels, exactly? The “PLAN” seems to be to replace tourists with HNW settlers.

  7. Anonymous says:

    I’m voting for the politician who’s demanding another pension fund withdrawal. If the Cayman Government is too ultra right wing to give stimulus cheques like every other country then have another pension fund withdrawal. Need the funds and can get a far superior return investing myself than those pathetic pension funds returns. QQQ a $9 ETF had a 41% return last year. Much better having my money in QQQ than going into the pockets of the fat cat pathetic pension fund managers!!!!!!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes let’s empty the pensions this time the public one too.. Govt can use the 350 million to finance that shortfall and bring that liability on the books.

  8. Anonymous says:

    A subsidy isn’t just money given to someone, it can also be revenue forgone. If I eat at your restaurant and you tell me not to pay you are subsidizing my lifestyle.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Woody Foster for Premier.

  10. Anonymous says:

    We have skidded off from a market economy to moneyed society.

    The only thing that matters is how much money you have. The more money you have and the more you flash, the more important you are.

    The more money you have, the easier it is to buy things which were once not for sale. Today, everything is for sale.

    The rich people
    buy access to officials,
    buy preferential treatment for their proposals,
    buy protection from prosecution when they break the law,
    buy silence from the masses.

    The rich buy political power every election.

    • BeaumontZodecloun says:

      Perfectly said.

      I would only add that not ALL of the MPs are part of the power brokering. There are a scant few that actually care about the plight of the people. IMHO.

    • Anonymous says:

      Couldn’t agree more. They don’t even try to hide it.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Alden, here is what we need more of –

    More emphasis on educating our children properly;
    More emphasis on the provision of better health services;
    More emphasis on sorting out health insurance;
    More emphasis on sorting out the pension racket;
    More protection of our environment;
    More emphasis on waste management;
    More emphasis on getting rid of corruption and cronyism;
    More emphasis on getting rid of convicts in our Parliament;
    Etc., etc., etc.

    Time for you to pack your bag. And help the other 18 pack theirs with you!

    • Anonymous says:

      The Progressives have MADE PUBLIC EDUCATION WORSE, throwing good money after bad solutions from preschool to UCCI; failing our children year after year and granting more and more work permits each month.

      Check how many new permits have been approved since July 1.

    • Anonymous says:

      How will this wish list be paid for?

    • Anonymous says:

      Add to that list –
      Proper Mental health services. Has anyone seen any progress on the mental health facility since the photo shoot of them pushing the shovels in the ground? Anyone can do that!😡

  12. Anonymous says:

    Approving surplus capacity for people who don’t live or visit here, while simultaneously diluting existing home owner equity, is not inward investment. That’s just playing to the developer and realtor angles. How dumb does Alden think we are? Get rid of these crooks!

  13. Tommy Goff says:

    There you go again Alden you and yeh Numb Nuts ideas fed to you no doubt by the pillsbury Dough man / building Consultant to fill his pocket and belly wid Turtle meat and Rundown ! Aaaaah boy just can’t keep off the sauce eh ? alden

  14. Anonymous for now says:

    Our future is being mismanaged to cater to the elite. Caymanians that really care about people over party interests have no funding and no vocal support to aide their campaigns. It is sad that people are swayed by the turkeys etc. When someone of substance wants to enter the political ring their chances are slim as they have too much integrity to vote buy and allow big corporates to control them. When someone of substance voices their opinion there is so much backlash too against family, friends and even their businesses. What happened to freedom of expression? If you are vocal against a candidate and they win then you are forever blacklisted. This bullying needs to stop. Won’t say anymore but that I hope someone cares enough to stand by these candidates that will fight for our future for the right the right reason – US!

    • BeaumontZodecloun says:

      I think there will have to be an austerity. For us to reset this great push for power, we will all have to live simpler. We can do it, but there will be growing pains. We don’t want to be any more overbuilt than we already are.

      I think we need to think about simpler times, when visitors walked or drove around the islands, saw the beauty, perhaps stopped in a brightly-painted small place for lunch, and we didn’t have the cruise passengers crowding downtown. Some of us will have to adjust.

      What I remember about that time is that Caymanians dominated the hospitality and dive industries. We can do that again, and no need to discriminate against Status Holders. Caymanian should be Caymanian.

      What we need SO badly are MPs with vision that look toward TRUE sustainability, not just more and more and more development. That isn’t progress. Not really. Trickle down economics seem to stall about halfway down.

      We need MPs that have at least quarterly public meeting to discover what their constituents want, what they need, what their concerns are. We need them to be accessible, and responsible to our needs.

  15. Catcha Fire says:

    If the days seem to be going by faster Cayman It’s just not your perception or imagination it’s actually cause by the displacement weight of all the Construction materials we have created which is actually causing our poles to shift and tilting the world’s axis. which is causing the world’s rotation to increase.These recent scientific discovers have only recently come to light by Satellites monitors this shift. So Alden I know this is a little beyond your Pea like brain and limited comprehension of the sawdust and cement mound in your head. please note your construction boom money in you and Kurt’s pocket is not going to help you nor you entitled children or your grand kids with the coming catastrophe you and China are creating . Ya feel me you friggin idiot! you destroy your environment you destroy yourself ?

  16. Anonymous says:

    He is so out of touch with reality and Caymanians. Destroying what brought us prosperity in the first place. Pompous ass!!!

  17. Anonymous says:

    Human-Made Stuff Now Outweighs All Life on Earth
    “Humanity has reached a new milestone in its dominance of the planet: human-made objects may now outweigh all of the living beings on Earth.The sheer scale of buildings, infrastructure and other anthropogenic objects underscores our impact on the planet”
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/human-made-stuff-now-outweighs-all-life-on-earth/

    It took only 120 years to get to this point. Prior to 20 century man made mass was only 3% Earth’s biomass.

  18. Mom of a Year 8 student says:

    Alden, let me ask you something: are the teenagers leaving high school strong enough in English and Math that they can even aspire to take over from the surveyors, foremen and contractors on work permit today? Will they be able to build like Caymanians built condos in the 70s and 80s along 7-Mile Beach but with more common sense? Will they be able to take the lead in our development come 15, 20 years from now? We do not need more buildings today, Alden. We need to build our people–our human capital. Government giving each public student a laptop is commendable, but make sure they have the education to use it wisely. Look here, I don’t want more lip service from you or anyone in either bull-crap party; I want people who plan today for 30 years down the road. KMT!

  19. Anonymous says:

    Name just one! thing he did to make Cayman a better place to live?

    • Anonymous says:

      His response to the pandemic has made Cayman quite possibly the best place to live in the world right now!

      • MI6 in Paradise says:

        Thank Governor Roper for his management of COVID and lock down protocols. It was an undeclared state of emergency where the Governor ran the show in Cayman.

      • Anonymous says:

        Response was mainly crafted by Opposition members, blueprint was executed by Government without a shred of giving due credit.

        Not politicial, just being observant. Go to the gazette and the LA session videos if you don’t know or believe.

      • Anonymous says:

        Really? Like when he allowed that cruise ship to come here (even after Jamaica banned them) so that the virus would spread around the island and he could make himself look like a hero? Wake up.

    • Anonymous says:

      Well, apart from medicine, irrigation,
      health, roads, cheese and education,
      baths and the Circus Maximus,
      what has Alden ever done for us?

    • Anonymous says:

      The aquaduct?

    • Anonymous says:

      The monorail!

  20. Anonymous says:

    So his messages are : Future generations be damned; Cancer growth among people residing in Cayman- who cares?; SMB disappearance – who cares?; The abcense of 21 century, (or even 20 century) Waste Management system – who cares?

    If any of the current politicians reelected- you’ll have no one to blame.

  21. Anonymous says:

    How ignorant can one really be?

  22. Anonymous says:

    Remember the Joni Mitchell song ‘Big Yellow Taxi’?

    Don’t it always seem to go
    That you don’t know what you’ve got
    ‘Til it’s gone
    They paved paradise
    And put up a parking lot

  23. Anonymous says:

    Thank you Alden and PPM for keeping the economy ticking over during difficult times and ensuring that we continue to thrive.

  24. Anonymous says:

    The only people who want more construction are Mckeeva’s 2003 status grant recipients.

    • Anonymous says:

      Generalizing is a bad habit. And a bad habit is a negative behaviour pattern.

    • Anonymous says:

      To 7:30 am: Beg your pardon? I am one of those (college educated, over 20 years in the private sector, own my house and willing to bet my pension is 3x yours) and I certainly do not support Mac. Do not insult me.

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe. But many are also multigenerational Caymanians like Alden himself.

  25. South Sounder says:

    “The difficulty with the economic model that we have… is that there are no convenient taps that you can turn on or turn off at will, because Cayman relies on inward investment for just about everything,” he said

    The difficulty with this staement is that there ARE alternative economic models, ones that make far more sense post-Covid for our small islands.

    The green economy is real. In a green economy, growth in employment and income are driven by public and private investment into economic activities, infrastructure and assets that allow reduced carbon emissions and pollution, enhanced energy and resource efficiency, and the prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This protects our tourism and improves our health and quality of life- the most priceless asset and we are all grateful for it. So let’s not destroy it and hit the pause button on development without community plans!

    Either the Premier’s speech has been taken out of context or he has not taken on board all the information available to him which includes the DOE paper
    http://doe.ky/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Seizing-the-Moment-to-Transition-to-a-Greener-Economy-FINAL-6-June-2020.pdf

    • Anonymous says:

      Excellent comment.

    • Anonymous says:

      The difficulty is, the alternative models all require direct taxation, which would be a killer to the Cayman economy.
      It would significantly raise the cost of government, the cost of doing business, the cost of living. Plus, they’d have to make Northward a five-storey building to house all of those business owners who would deduct taxes from their employees and then keep it.
      I agree that diversification into things like a green economy is worth a try, but no matter how you diversify, you need more people, which brings us back to more development. Development has always been the key to continuing GDP growth. If the GDP isn’t growing, then the social problems will probably outweigh the problems of continued development. Obviously, this model is unsustainable in the long run. But Cayman has decades to go before it hits critical mass in unsustainability.

      • Anonymous says:

        Just about the only sensible comment on this whole thread.

      • Anonymous says:

        Not all alternative models require taxation. Decriminalizing and properly regulating a cannabis industry; same for numbers/lottery/gambling. Yes, there would be significant set-up and operational costs but they would well be outweighed in short order.

        A government needs to be bold enough to push them through!

  26. Anonymous says:

    The worst part is that we are yet to ascertain whether and to what extent this country has actually benefitted from all of these large projects that have been approved pursuant to secret development deals made directly with this Government.
    Because in addition to the environmental impacts, every development has an impact on infrastructure, and ours is already strained and it will cost us hundreds of millions to upgrade it to sustain the increased load caused by these projects. Who do you think will pay for that, if the developer isn’t paying for it?
    And if the government is waiving the usual planning fees, infrastructure fees, import duties, etc. we are LOSING the revenues that we would normally derive from any development.
    It should be borne in mind that compared to other countries, it is far easier and cheaper to get development approval here. Most other countries would be asking for development bonds and real infrastructural upgrades, whereas we are forgoing the revenues that will will need for those things.
    And if they grant every “developer” who steps off a plane an LCCL to build and sell his own project, that is depriving established local businesses who pay their dues the opportunity of that business.
    When you look at it in that light, you start to realize that we are not only recklessly developing without any regard for the environment, but we are recklessly setting ourselves up for economic destruction.
    That is what this Government has brought us. If that doesn’t change immediately, we will end up with a concrete jungle that we will be paying for, in every sense, forever.
    They have no plan, and no clue about what sustainable development is. Nor do they care. Alden has never successfully run a business and we can all see what a success he’s been at all of the government projects that has been proposed and built on his watch. He needs to go, and take his cronies with him.

  27. Anonymous says:

    construction is all they got left….and that house of cards will eventually collapse when international economies start their austerity and correction after covid.

  28. Anonymous says:

    McLaughlin has moved in very high circles. He has rubbed shoulders with the elite globalist policy makers at Chatham House, CFR etc.
    His agenda over the years has not been his, it has been the will of his foreign Lodge masters.
    Believe me, this man has had more than his fair share of the forbidden fruit and nothing has changed.
    Just as the first participants found out, the piper must be paid.
    Unlike Helen, Martyn Roper needs no supervision. He has Alden on a chain of perfectly-forged, colonial steel.
    The Cayman Islands have not yet begun to punish overtly, but that day is not far away.
    How odd that a militia has now been raised? Such a great idea for the youth of our Islands?
    Sure, if pigs fly and fairies are real.
    Just start paying a lot more attention, people. You will be amazed.
    Question everything. If the answer is genuinely benign, then move on, if not, ask more questions.
    If you have children, you must preserve their heritage of personal freedom. If you won’t look out for them, don’t have them.

  29. Anonymous says:

    We have successfully taken one of our few unique selling points (our environment) and managed in just a few short years to totally ruin it. 7 Mile’s Public Beach is a joke compared to what it use to be and the same with Boggy Sands…which should really now just be called Boggy. We have elected officials who have literally stated that environmental impact studies impede progress, at the end of the day it is really up to us to hold our elected officials accountable but no one seems to really care.

    For the me personally, the moment that Mclaughlin stated his distain for impact studies was the moment that it became clear that he shouldn’t be our leader. The Premier should have the country’s best interest in the forefront and that includes our environment. I would argue that this is why we need Island wide voting as the decisions made my an elected member from GT East will impact everyone on Island.

  30. Anonymous says:

    What about the Dump? More development, more construction debris that end up in the ever growing Dump.

    I don’t even want to start on his “more development needed” statement. political careers of these people must come to an end. All of them must be voted out. They are delusional.

    Grand Cayman is already an environmental disaster to continue any development.

  31. Anonymous says:

    We need more physical development like we need a hole in our heads.

    I had thought that COVID had given us a wake up call. Thought that we had yet another chance to get it right. Thought that we could make Cayman into something that our children and their children could be proud of.

    But oh no. The Almighty Dollar and Mr. Greed come to the forefront yet again.

    I hope that Caymanians listen to all this rhetoric and come out in our numbers on Election day and say NO with a loud voice to all these who sell us out at every opportunity. Say NO to the rampant disregard for our environment. Say NO to the corruption that has gone on for too long. Say no to convicts in high places. Say NO to those who keep them there and feed them well. Say NO to the likes of all 19 of these boneheads that we have elected.

    Put in another new 19. They cannot possibly do any worse.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agreed with you up to the last sentence. I agree we need a change and I pledge not to support any of the McKeeva stooges…but to say we can’t do worse…that’s just wrong. Things could be MUCH worse.

  32. Anonymous says:

    What a jackass. Please voters of Cayman, I urge you to not vote for any member of the People Promoting McKeeva (PPM) group. All they see are dollar signs. Talk about tunnel vision.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Cayman is a dump. There’s so many ways to improve this island but they don’t want to change. Just keep building and handing out jobs to the lazy locals collecting $$ for doing as little as possible

    • Anonymous says:

      lazy locals??..please do not generalize..There are many local people here that work damn hard for a living, some doing two and three jobs to put food on their families tables.

      As an expat that has been here for some 7 years now and working mostly with local people, I am so disgusted when I hear other expats like myself tearing down Caymanians. This is their island. We are merely guests and I have never felt unwelcome by any of them. We should be grateful for the opportunity to live and work on their beautiful covid free and safe island.

      Further if you don’t like the people then you are in the wrong place, not them. As I said before, I am grateful for this opportunity and If I felt differently, i would be on the next flight out.

      • Anonymous says:

        Gracious comment. You are the type of individual that is genuinely welcome.

      • Anonymous says:

        Always welcome here!!

        Many others do not realize how cooperative the locals would be if they thought the same way.

        Profits over people was never welcome in the Cayman Islands, people over profits always has been.

        Thank you for your gratuity. Locals will always stand with people like you that see the big picture.

  34. Anonymous says:

    something very familiar with those hand gestures & posture, and with the verbiage being delivered, something very familiar indeed; meme 45

  35. Anonymous says:

    The fly by night cowboy builders, the uninspiring cookie cutter concrete boxes being approved, the lack of any real environmental sympathy, the ridiculous prices that show no sign of abating, the almost criminal ruin of South Sound with horrifically nasty overpriced cubes. All of this with hundreds of cars being added to the island, many of which will be scrapped within 5 to 10 years.

    Just stop it.

    • Anonymous says:

      it’s not only the fly by night ones. established contractors are taking on these projects and dividing the contract into bit size pieces and giving it to small guys to, paying them pennies on the dollar, forcing them to cut every corner imaginable so they can turn over ridiculous profits. unsuspecting buyers think they’re getting a well built luxury condo/home, but little do they know.

    • Anonymous says:

      Agree
      I stayed in a San Sebastián condo once, was really shocked by the size of the bedrooms and bathrooms. I never realized that bedrooms the size of a closet were allowed to be built. And to enter an upstairs bathroom (with a shower stall) one has to turn sideway. The former Treasure Island bathrooms looked luxurious in comparison.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not to mention the substandard quality of construction of these boxes in South Sound. So many construction issues and leaks at XXXX projects and they will not accept responsibility.

  36. Anonymous says:

    For the most part his statements are sensible, but this time he is talking utter rubbish. More development for who, exactly?! Please, people, if you are Caymanian, professional, qualified and with a solid reputation, PLEASE RUN for public office. We need options; these incumbents are hell bent on destroying these islands before they even reach their full potential and we can already see that the aspiring candidates are more of the same BS.

  37. Anonymous says:

    So while the US rejoins the Paris Climate Accord, David Attenborough releases a new film with his starkest warning yet and 1,868 jurisdictions in 33 countries have declared a climate emergency, what does our Premier say, ‘XXXX that, no we don’t have a plan, more development needed and nobody’s going to stop us’

    I don’t know if Alden hungers to fill the vacancy of ‘global clown’ but he’s certainly lobbying himself right to the forefront, – idiot

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you realize that Cayman could go 100% carbon negative and we wouldn’t even put a dent in the total global pollution level.

      Let me repeat that. Cayman could completely reverse their pollution level and it would make 0.0016% difference to the Earth. I did the math.

      CNS: The same can be said by every individual in the world, and about every town in every country and every small island in the world. Small countries much larger than Cayman, made up of small towns and villages could also argue that they hardly make a difference, and large countries can argue can argue that it’s impossible to make a change unless everyone else does. There’s even a large contingent in the USA that make a similar argument. That’s why every single person, every small town, large city, small country and large country must make a commitment to switch to a greener economy. The alternative is that everyone waits for everyone else to do something, which is the stupid approach.

      • Anonymous says:

        that’s a dumb comment 8:23. You do realise that current research from Imperial College of London suggests that if everyone’ goes CO2 zero the climate would stabilise within a decade of two, they’ve done the math. Haughty individuals like yourself are also ignorant that populations in Africa are being severely impacted the most by climate change despite contributing the least.

      • Anonymous says:

        CNS we applaud you for putting together such a sensible, strategic and passionate response to the Village Idiot @8.23am above!

      • Anonymous says:

        thumbs up for cns.
        what a stupid small minded opinion by the original poster.

      • Anonymous says:

        I never know whether I should upvote because of CNS’s response, or downvote because of the OP’s comment. This is an upvote for CNS.

      • Anonymous says:

        • open dumping sites around the world are adding to the global warming issue. This is because of the existence of the main greenhouse gases in landfill gas (LFG); namely, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
        • at the dumping site, the food and yard waste that trash contains is decomposing and releasing methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
        • typically, one million tons of landfill waste emit approximately 432,000 cubic feet of LFG per DAY, enough to produce either 0.78 MW of electricity or 216 MMBtu of heat.

      • Seymour says:

        “That’s why every single person, every small town, large city, small country and large country must make a commitment to switch to a greener economy.”

        We are actually in agreement here, CNS. Thanks for your response.

        “The alternative is that everyone waits for everyone else to do something, which is the stupid approach.”

        Tell me, where does new renewable energy research and equipment come from? Larger countries. They implemented renewables before us. The USA will have widespread, fully electric, self driving cars before us. If they were serious about moving away from fossil fuels, then more work would be put into reducing the $/mWh cost of renewables. The cost of solar has steadily dropped over the years as more funds and research was put into it.

        When I went lived abroad, half of the people I met didn’t even know where to find Cayman on a map. Yet the commenters in this thread think we can be a shiny beacon of cleanliness for the world. Cayman does not lead the world in renewable energy research and carbon neutrality, nor should it feel like it has to act like it. We will follow in due course as the technology becomes available and economically viable.

        In the mean time, building higher foundations here might actually be a good idea. Like I said originally, we can stop all of our pollution if we want and go negative. However if the big players don’t, we’ll still be underwater in a century.

  38. Anonymous says:

    Time to vote out all ppm and udp MLA’s they all need to go. Alden and McKeeva plus their puppets cannot be trusted.

  39. Anonymous says:

    The more developers, the more concessions, the more concessions, the more for the corrupt politicians to pocket of the people’s money..

    Follow the money people, follow the money…

    If anyone believes that $100K+ they make a year is all they are getting, you are only fooling yourselves..

  40. Anonymous says:

    forever an underdeveloped island

    • Kaya Now says:

      McLaughlin like Mckeeva have gotten fat around the head as well as around the waist , and I don’t think there is anyone that doesn’t now realize who and what they really are, “PUPPETS”!

      It is evident by the pronouncements made that we have been not sold out, that’s too mild a word but screwed is really the correct term. Screwed by fast talking conniving shysters whose only goal of getting elected has been and is self serving and to ride off in the sunset on whatever vessel and in whatever territory their little puppet hearts desire.

      It has been said before and needs to be said again, these money maniacs are creators of the future demise of these islands. There will be a serious uprising here one day, and there will be no holds barred, all because of the greed and actions and inactions particularly of those who have led this country and their minions over the last 16 years. Not much more an be said for there are no real Heroes amongst the populace none willing to really make this place a better place for all and not just some greedy selfish Development Masters their puppets.Inshallah.

    • Anonymous says:

      All this development and none for locals. But any appliance
      = vote? Smh.

      I implore every sensible voter ensures the $30k self-issued severance checks are the last dollars this government of self-enriched politicians is ever allowed to pay themselves and their friends from the public purse. Period.

  41. Anonymous says:

    Winning campaign promise to voters is have another pension plan withdrawal. Need the funds!

  42. Bean Counter says:

    What is the total value of concessions given to developers by McLaughlin & Hew’s government since 2013 to date? The development industry must pay its way instead of being subsidized by the public purse.

    • Anonymous says:

      a tiny fraction of the the overall contribution to the economy.
      btw it is not a subsidy.

    • Anonymous says:

      Paid to start and paid to finish. $8mil concessions for $30mil closes.

      Screwed twice with every “development”.

      McLaughlin and Hew need to pack up and move to Monaco already.

  43. Anonymous says:

    Cayman no longer belongs to the People of Cayman this government are paving paradise to create the new Miami Beach in the Cayman’s which is really dumb.

  44. Anonymous says:

    Please retire Premier McLaughlin you have been a complete sellout to your people

  45. ppm DISTRESS SIGNAL says:

    Alden McLaughlin’s PPM has become just like McKeeva Bush’s UDP in the race to a population 100,000 with NO real plans. Who are they building this for it is not Caymanians?

  46. Anonymous says:

    What else would he say?? I know how about preserving some land??? Not!

  47. Paved Paradise says:

    Hold up. Already there is a glut in the market of tiny overpriced condos that will be sitting empty; office and retail space sitting empty; roads congested; schools over capacity and you want to build MORE?
    Will there be requirements that every sqf of concrete needs x sqf of green space and x number of trees? Has cayman looked at the green requirements that places like Singapore have put in effect to ensure cayman is environmentally friendly?

    What will be the real attraction for tourists when they going to be stuck in traffic trying to get to the somewhat decent attractions; beaches will be overshadowed by 10 story apartment blocks; public beaches will be non-existent or restrictive and the “island feel” will be lost to a concrete jungle and parking lot. And just where will the youth of Cayman get to be able to just hang out when there is no free open spaces left.

    Of there are no initiatives to GoGreen, then Cayman May as well change the anthem now to say “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot” Johnny Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi song. Governments poor decisions now will to the detriment of future generations.

    • Anonymous says:

      Although I really want to agree with this, not so sure about the glut of apartments. Or, at least reasonably priced in a safe neighborhood. Still looking and the cheapest I can find is $1400. Doesn’t cut it on my $2700 per month salary. So…33 and living with Mom.

      • Anonymous says:

        Get this straight 6:53am… There IS indeed a glut of empty apartments. They are all ones that you cannot afford. But do you not understand (or just open your eye holes and look),they are NOT building new places for YOU to afford. Nothing that is being built is for young Caymanians trying to make their place in their country.
        These units all start in the upper 6 figures +

        Who do you think is buying and living in … new builds on the sea side of WB Rd. I can tell you it is not the regular people that live and work here.
        Haven’t you heard that money hiding/laundering using real estate is the Wild West here??!! (I’m sure world wide)

    • Anonymous says:

      I think more developments like the Botanic Park need to happen…but never mind yhat doesn’t make any money

  48. Anonymous says:

    This says it all “McLaughlin implied that there was no plan”

    • Anonymous says:

      no-plan-alden.
      the more i read about his chamber performance…the more shambolic it becomes.
      the memebers should have walked out.
      now what is the chamber’s response?

      • Anonymous says:

        They are just as complicit as CITA and CIREBA.

        Even sell your momma for a dolla. No morals, no integrity, no conscience, just greed and profits at all costs.

        Short-sighted selfish leeches that only intend to leave when everything of value is absolutely gone and they move to the next vulnerable target without consequence.

    • Anonymous says:

      For how long I been telling you all this?

  49. Anonymous says:

    It’s obvious then that the solution is to ensure that Mr.Mclaughlin and his supporters are voted out in May.

  50. Anonymous says:

    Nail in coffin PPM

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