‘Staggering’ population growth must be managed

| 29/07/2022 | 162 Comments

(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton couldn’t say “how many is too many” people, as he revealed that the population of the Cayman Islands in October 2021 was 71,432. At a press conference on Thursday to mark the release of the Cayman Islands’ 2021 Census of Population and Housing Report, Panton said that the target population of 100,000 cited by the PPM-led government was arbitrary since many will feel that today’s census figure is already too high. The premier said the number was less important than managing expectations and delivering the right balance and quality of life in the future around the country’s “staggering population growth”.

However, he warned that a static population could undermine economic growth as the Cayman Islands would still have to find a way to increase productivity and create jobs and business opportunities.

Panton said the data from the full report, which was released today (Friday), was essential for shaping future policy and the development of the country. But he said it was clear that Cayman needed to properly plan its populati,on growth because alongside the benefits there have been concerns and negative consequences from the “unplanned, unrestrained” growth.

“We, as a country, have to decide on what is an appropriate rate of growth and try to design policies that are in line with that instead of just leaving it to the market to generate unrestrained and uncontrolled growth, which is effectively what has happened until now,” he said.

Panton said that over the years, the population increase has been largely fuelled by immigration policies, which were fundamental to the country’s economic growth and success but had led to unintended consequences.

“This has brought many economic opportunities… but because much of that growth was ad hoc… it has left us without proper systems to optimise the growth,” he said, noting the struggling infrastructure and the lack of a national development plan.

The premier stressed that the growth has sustained government revenue and created jobs and business opportunities but has also created problems, especially when it comes to affordable housing and the impact on the environment.

“It has brought us much in the way of economic benefits,” he said. “But… the staggering pace of growth has left many Caymanians and long-term residents feeling a sense of frustration that is only exacerbated today by the issues we’ve been having with significant increases in the cost of living, soaring cost of housing, traffic issues and lack of school spaces.”

How the population will grow in future has important implications, he added, and the Cayman Islands will need more managed and paced growth as it addresses the negative consequences with a sustainable development strategy. Panton said that was the challenge now facing the PACT Government, and the information from the census would form the basis of those plans.

The premier said the next step is to create policies that reflect the desire of the people because it is important that they have input on the direction the country should be going. The census data is expected to provide the basis for such an exercise, not unlike Vision 2008.

“We need to make plans that reflect the wishes of the country,” Panton said, in order to improve the quality of people’s lives and get the balance right.

Stressing the dangers of citing an arbitrary number, he added, “I don’t know that we can ever say what the number should be, but we should be planning and trying to ensure a reasonable level of growth instead of this uncontrolled and unpredictable growth, leaving us behind and trying to catch up in terms of services.”

Panton said the information from the census will be important across all the ministries because the results have extensive policy implications for all social and economic areas, noting that the national development plan was an important part of this management. He said that he expected the plan to be halfway completed by the end of this administration.

See the full census report on the ESO website.

See Thursday’s Census Press Conference on CIGTV below:


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Category: Politics

Comments (162)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    As far as i can remember, it was his Deputy(when in opposition) that was crying for people to make more babies. Are these guys for real????

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Calling all environmentalists, why aren’t you demanding the Government stop the runaway population on this island? Or you still believe that we need more economic pirates?!

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  3. Anonymous says:

    If what you want from politicians are quick and easy answers, someone is sure to supply them regardless of which party you follow. History can tell you where quick and easy answers lead. But if you don’t want to bother reading history you can just wait and relive its catastrophes.

    • Anonymous says:

      Quick amd easy is what has lead to this situation…Aldart made it policy with WORC to ignored comprehensive immigration regulations and was proud of his record wp revenues. He seemed surprised that otjer politicians before him hadn’t seen this source of money that could be siphoned off. Now PACT has done nothing….they seem to be as greedy and selfishly comflicted as PPM.

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      • Anonymous says:

        lmao you say this when they arent even in office for 2 years yet after inheriting PPM trash… lol

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  4. Anonymous says:

    So if all of the WP holders that work in bars and restaurants were to go home as many have suggested would Caymanians do these jobs that pay minimum wage or less – known as modern day slavery. I don’t think so. Plus Caymanian’s believe it’s beneath them to be in this industry. Plus all of the construction workers. Can’t see many Caymanians working those hours in that intense heat. If they were I interested in this line of work perhaps there wouldn’t be so many WP holders doing these roles. So what would happen to the hospitality and construction industries. They would collapse. That’s the reason there here and you can’t blame them for sending money home. Isn’t that what the Caymanian men did in years gone bye. What about the layabouts sat on Coe Wood beach everyday being financed by the government. They could be helping to clear the sargassum rather than sat drinking every day.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Can add 700 to Brac.population

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Yes there needs to be a cap on the number or work permits, the number of permanent Residencies the number of status holders and the number of naturalizations given out. Just stop them now please! We as Caymanians are outnumbered in our own country and there are certain expats who come here and have the audacity to look down on us as Caymanians after we give them the chance to have a better life for themselves. Because they certainly would not have such a good life where they come from. The Government need to put a control on these things now before everything get more out of control. That’s why the Caymanian people elected them as we did not need more of PPM and there certainly is a big change needed here. Where we as Caymanians can feel more at home in our own country and given the first priority in everything as in the way it should be.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I do sympathize. Sorry, none of your wishes will come to past. Our successive Govts have plumb sold us out, didn’t have any foresight AND didn’t ever truly care about the L/Caymanian/Cayman. We/Government has been OFFICIALLY INFILTRATED We are now in decent and nothing WILL be done to correct this f’ng mess. It’s GAME OVER for the Local Caymanians. My advice… Make it a point to ENJOY your life until you can’t any longer!

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      • Anonymous says:

        This is sadly true. It started with the lie that EU Convention required that we grant residency to long term residents. That brought the roll over policy in 2003 which sounded good in theory but it became a gateway for large numbers to get status. It also created the new super elite New expat-Caymanian whilst at the same time widening the gap between the real Caymanians economically. At that stage ie 2003 Caymanians were already a minority. Where do you think we stand now in 2022? I read with interest the latest stats of over 500 persons going to bed hungry in a small Island with high net worth persons flooding in. How long before the very successful Cayman model dies because of social strife. Wayne hit the nail on the head. If he still leads his party they need to address this. Stop looking and complaining about past governments and do something now!

  7. Anonymous says:

    LMAO no way im seeing people mad at PACT over thissss?!?!
    when it was ALDENNNNN THAT SAID HE WANTED THE POPULATION TO BE 100K.

    People calling PACT out for having no plan when they were given all of PPM 8-year bullsh*t to deal with.

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    • Anonymous says:

      PACT did inherent a mess from the greedy amd selfish PPM but they have done nothimg except carry on the same destruction of our futures.

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      • Anonymous says:

        PPM had like 8 years had BS just passed down and you want them to come in and fix it in like two years
        be real wtf

        people screaming no plan pact for literally everything and want an overnight fix for 8+ years of bullsh*t.

        This is the problem with our people, and why we flip flop back and forth with no real results because they want instant fixes for things that didnt even happen instantly themselves. jesus…

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        • Anonymous says:

          DO SOMETHIMG TOWARDS A SOLUTION! They have done absolutely nothimg except continue the devastation of our futures.

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          • Anonymous says:

            THEY HAVENT EVEN BEEN IN TWO FULL YEARS YET YOU DRAFT FOOL. they inherited corruption, covid shit, population shit, and horrible development deals

            you make it sound to freaking easy when it took a long time to get where we are RIGHT NOW ….. LOGICALLY (even though i know you obviously lack logic) its not gunna all change in 1.5 YEARS wtf????????

            sounds like you should be the entire government since you can fix it all in one.

            WAKE UP

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            • Anon says:

              Are you PACT family member

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              • Anonymous says:

                thankfully not.
                i just have a brain and dont live my life complaining over shit that dont make any sense like you all lmao I’m sure youll complain again when a new party doesnt change the entire island in like 3 months lol but alas.

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            • Anonymous says:

              @8:22:
              You must be quite dyed-in-the-wool pro-Pactless judging by the tripe you spew.
              You have offered the usual PACTless share of lame excuses, now it is time to come clean. Here is a challenge for ya: Name three things the Panton-Pactless Clown Car has done to alleviate the anticipated population crunch. A year and a half is long enough to begin to begin to implement at least some small baby steps if the issue is that urgent. Other than doing what they do best–indulging in effusive pratting while remaining useless–what has PACT-less accomplished to alleviate runaway population growth? What is next? Toss a committee at the issue, and then wait another 18 months for the committee to “look into” the situation? (Watch for that ploy.) As 11:20 and 5:57 have indicated: Nuff damn hot air, time for some action!

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              • Anonymous says:

                You can say this about EVERY single issue that was left. and they are ALL important and a #1 priority to someone. so while you moaning about this someone else is moaning about why they havent changed building codes why another is moaning about why they havent capped gas prices. LIKE…. can you NOT see how you calling them pactless over this when everyone is screaming #1 priorities. fuck sake. lol obviously you are brainless but what can we do about people like una? lmao

                • Anonymous says:

                  @10:48:
                  More lame excuses.
                  Ok, name just ONE thing in their 18 months in office that the Panton-PACTless Clown Car has accomplished to curb runaway population growth. Panton gave it away in the concluding statement of the article: “He said that he expected the plan to be halfway completed by the end of this administration.” This is quite exemplary of PantonPACTless Clown Car playing one of their well-honed skills: planning to plan and doing things half-way. You missed this, dimbulb, and you spewed your tripe based on your faulty perception: this issue was not coming from people on the outside “screaming” about their #1 priority, it came from the Clown Car Driver-in-Chief himself, Panton. Try again, BoBo, your silly lame excuses and benightedness are wearing thin.

      • Anonymous says:

        if you can say this then you clearly havent paid any attention at all and what instant results which no one will ever do.

        Just the mere fact that he and pact even acknowledged theres a problem is better progress than anything PPM ever did.

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        • Anonymous says:

          No examples giben….you must be PACT…talk without results

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          • Anonymous says:

            no im just someone with sense cuz i dont expect people who were handed years of bullshit to fix it all in this small space of time. we went from a party that didnt SAY anything and just did stuff constantly and people would bitch and cry. NOW we have a party that is at least commenting and acknowledging the issue, and one should hope that that means they are taking into their hands and now we can hold them responsible BECAUSE they verbally acknlowedged it… and people still bitch and moan. WAHT DO YOU WANT?? you want ppm and their bullshit back or do you wanna run for the government. f_cking hell

            you people just talk and complain. LOVE MY PEOPLE… -_-

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    • Anonymous says:

      F-Y-I…. MacKeeva Bush was first to suggest/request this back in early 2000’s

  8. Sam sam says:

    Did mr wayne panton spoke anything about the flow of expats that is flooding this small little islands .NO no .he spoke of the cayman born population .too much caymanians living in cayman but the expats are just fine .

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Quite simply unless you are at least 4th generation Caymanian you should be thrown off the island. All these big businesses should be told to leave. Cayman can thrive without any business and the ex-pats they bring. Paper Caymanians can go also. Come on Mr Panton, Caymanians first you promised.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    I say being as many people as we can until we fix the voting population. If Bush and Bryan get back in that will be sad. Very sad day indeed.

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    • Anonymous says:

      If only Caymanians were allowed to vote, perhaps the results would be different.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Only Caymanians are allowed to vote. Only multi generational Caymanians can run for office. Caymanians wrote the laws that allow convicted criminals to be elected. How about taking some responsibility for the decisions Caymanians make at the ballot box.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Stop quoting what the law says. I know that. I also know that some non Caymanians are able to be registered to vote despite what the law says.

          How cute. You actually believe we follow our laws.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Did the Census show how many born in JA or born of JA born parents? That is our biggest problem as they now control our streets, Judicial system, Hospital and Voters list to name a few.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The census took people at their word when they said they were Caymanian, and there were more work permits in October than the census says there were expatriates. There is a good chance the data is crap… I hope to God no one is actually going to base important decisions on it.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    6:16pm I would say 40.000 of these people make no contribution to the island because they are only here for the cayman tax free and cayman dollars and to get caymanian to married for convenient to stay here.

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    • Anon says:

      What about the caymanians that do nothing for their own island but walk around with a chip on their shoulder just because they were “fortunate” to be born in George Town hospital. Are they part of your 40k? Just asking for a friend who’s sitting on the wall by Ozzie gas station cussing about how dem foreignas teking ova his country 🙄

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      • Anonymous says:

        A nation’s citizens are going to resent expatriates when their interests are sold out by their own government. Try some other country and you will probably run into same resentment…worse case at least you’re gone.

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    • Anonymous says:

      As Al Gore would say, An Inconvenient Truth

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    • Anonymous says:

      See you are a proud product of the Caymanian educational system.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Rent controls NOW

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  14. Anonymous says:

    So… if it must be managed, why are we not managing it? Why do we require investors to run through a gauntlet of proving their economic value and social and educational contribution (as well we should) while at the same time holding open a back door and ushering in hundreds of impoverished dependents of civil servants, with no rules or accountability, and do not even apply term limits to them?

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  15. Anonymous says:

    We need to better manage the sheer number of Jamaicans of which we have a massive outnumbering of every other nationality here in Cayman? This would include the significant number of those come here illegally via drug canoe. I speak from information provided by a few credible sources who have been in the business of drug smuggling from Jamaica via boat dating back from the 80’s until latter years who have told me that they themselves or others have also done human trafficking to Cayman on their drug runs on a regular basis. And that was just a FEW that have been doing so.

    Now of course I could not report that info to authorities for fear of my own life.

    I like many others who are seeing this as a current and impending bigger threat to our national security when it comes to imported crime given the known criminality that exists in Jamaica.

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  16. Orrie Merren 🙏🏻🇰🇾 says:

    Our current population has brought with it growing pains, which proper planning and implementation of such plan will be required to prove effective.

    As it stands, it appears to be somewhat of a free for all without much effective controls. Immigration legislation is due for a facelift. Without better legislation in place, it’s going to be the same vicious cycle.

    The words from the Hon. Premier are encouraging. More encouraging, however, will be when legislation is in place to support a clear cut government policy.

    If we cannot properly provide for the needs of our current population, particularly Caymanians, it is wise to not grow the population anymore until that time, unless there is a justifiable need to do so in certain exceptional sectors.

    While foreign workers will still be needed and required, it’s important that Caymanians are not diluted in the workforce and engaging in business and professional services, which is what appears to be happening currently.

    Subsection 16(4)(b) of our Constitution’s Bill of Rights (under the “Non-Discrimination” section) reads:

    “Subsection (1) shall not apply to any law so far as that law makes provision…with respect to the entry into or exclusion from, or in the employment, engaging in business or profession, movement or residence within the Cayman Islands of persons who are not Caymanian”.

    For all intents and purposes, it appears that subsection 16(4)(b) of our Constitution’s Bill of Rights is (or appears potentially to have been) forgotten or ignored.

    We need to have the right balance, where both Caymanians and residents are treated fairly, with the obvious consequence that Caymanians should be given certain justifiable preferential treatment over non-citizens.

    I certainly hope that the right balance can be struck, which promotes a health socio-economic balance, that is beneficial all in the Cayman Islands. I do wish CIG the very best with tackling such issues.

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    • Orrie Merren says:

      * Meant to say: “…healthy…”, not “…health…”.

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      • Beaumont Zodecloun says:

        There. A perfectly stated, well-researched statement. It has been so long that I almost didn’t recognise it.

        Thank you Mr. Orrie. I only disagree slightly with this statement of yours: “Immigration legislation is due for a facelift.” Immigration legislation needs an enema. I know, I know. You were being diplomatic. well done!

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        • Anonymous says:

          The problem is not so much the legislation. It is mostly the outright refusal of the civil service to follow it, often at the insistence of ministry higher-ups, and constant tinkering by self anointed experts who haven’t a clue what they are doing, or the harm it causes.

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          • Orrie Merren says:

            Whilst being focused, energetic and intelligent are often analyzed, a person with integrity is paramount.

            Might it be that the latter quality might be one of the biggest characteristic-culprits against good governance and the rule of law being upheld?

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          • Beaumont Zodecloun says:

            Agree. If only all our laws were diligently enforced, we would likely be well ahead of the game right now.

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        • Orrie Merren says:

          Thank you.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Geez you seem a lityle out of touch with caymanian experience in the professional environment….you have 1000s of caymanians with little advancement opportumity while more senior positions are filled by wp holders. Since Aldart days those work permits are secure as long as that person/company wants it. Considering this we don’t need a revision of immigration we need enforecemnet of existimg currently ignored systen.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Some prosecutions of the government officials that knowingly acted in breach of law, destroying the careers of many, would be helpful.

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        • Orrie Merren says:

          Private prosecution might be the only realistic route to achieve that.

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          • Anonymous says:

            Which is such a shame. Maladministration pervades whole areas of our governance, yet the police appear to see or know nothing. Is that intentional?

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          • Anonymous says:

            Every politician, lodge member, favored family had their owm lists so probably not going to get anywhere with Mac status sale….maybe start with agreement when financial service permit fees were increased to avoid community enhancement tax. I recall Roy represented FS industry.

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      • Anonymous says:

        When was the last time any senior position went to non Caymanian? I’ll wait …

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    • Anonymous says:

      Doesn’t help that those in authority are not from here and choose to interpret things in a manner against those who are from here.

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    • Anonymous says:

      **else

  17. Anonymous says:

    There’s alot of proof that an increasing population is beneficial, only thing is you need to keep up with infrastructure you need proper management You’d rather build a church than a school and devastate a wetland for selling crap then build a new prison or a functioning trade school. You have a bunch of people in government that have no experience and no accountability. Expats will take over and caymanians will be as maginalised. What people don’t realize this whole hire Caymanian thing is devistation the country on the back end. Alden and others know what needs to be done but they also need the votes. Its a mad cycle

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Build up not out. Affordable 20 story apartments with walkways and green space to regenerate GT. Trams or monorail FROM WB to prospect. and electric (solar powered EV charger ports like at fosters camana) cars only by 2030. This tiny island is perfect for it. Why is cayman doing nothing when every European country is banning petrol/ diesel cars by 2035. We have no distance to drive, endless solar power and charge stations. It’s obscene. The public transport system is non existent, those buses are a dangerous embarrassment.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Rent Controls NOW

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    • Anonymous says:

      They will never ban gasoline cars. They can think whatever they want. It will never succeed. The grids can’t handle it. Plus most electric cars on the market are junk right now. Check out Tesla and their quality issues. The battery only lasts 10 years also.

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      • Beaumont Zodecloun says:

        The U.S. is attempting to leverage the citizens into electric cars. The government there thinks that making fossil fuel companies more expensive will “encourage” more electric cars.

        Many families in the U.S. are struggling to feed their families. They don’t have a disposable $40,000 for an electric car, and making fuel cost more doesn’t benefit them or us a single bit. If they want people to take up electric cars, they have to make electric cars cheaper. When it saves money, people will flood to it and you won’t have to trick them into it.

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      • Anonymous says:

        So what? Replace the battery after 10 years. Millions of Toyota Prius owners are still on their original battery after many, many years.

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  19. SKEPTICAL says:

    A masterly statement of the obvious without a single word of what could be a solution. The planning Pantone mentions is 25/30 years too late. Frankly there is no solution and Cayman may be looking at a slow descent into social and economic implosion. For several years and with this government in particular, Cayman has descended into a pseudo Welfare State with constant government supported financial schemes to help people on the breadline. It is recognized on most places as “killing people with kindness” . Provide some sort of financial crutch and people merely spend to the limit of their new resources with no plan for what they will do when the crutch is taken away.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Just what are you politicians going to do for the senior citizens? We need an affordable health care system like Medicare because all these private companies do not want seniors and if you do have insurance they charge you thru the roof. Guess though politicians and high ranking civil servants do not care because they get their health care and cushy retirement benefits guaranteed for life.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You are wrong; they have a plan for when the gravy train stops. They simply vote out those who stopped them from dining at the trough and vote for those who promise to give. It’s been going on for donkey years.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Not a single word of outside investors creating luxury development as investments without living here.

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  20. Anonymous says:

    The consequences were only “unintended” as we have had greedy and pretty dumb MLA’s for the last decade that ignored the regulation put in place to give future generations of Caymanian priority in their own country. PPM and PACT have destroyed the comprehensive system developed over decades to provide security to our citizens and we are now showing the resulting welfare state that has been created.
    We now have a labour minister begging industry for equal opportunity for Caymanians and young Caymanians in such positions they can no longer afford the housing market.
    You have sold our futures as you have intentionally failed and betrayed us.

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    • Anonymous says:

      3.11pm How could you not mention UDP who are responsible for 15,000 people becoming Caymanian in one fell swoop. Thereby changing the face of Cayman forever.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You know…… I feel the same way. Our leadership for the last dozen (or more)
      years has been “Get All You Can” for our leaders and don’t worry about it! I had hopes that we would get some honest Caymanians running the show, but it looks like it isn’t going to happen. Maybe it’s time to ask our Queen to help us out of this mess…..

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    • Anonymous says:

      The civil service is directly responsible. There should be a special place in hell for a couple of them. They literally did it on purpose.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Your last sentence says a lot, Mr. Anonymous 3:11 pm. It says plainly that the leadership for Caymanians for many years has been terrible for the people of the Cayman Islands! The leaders have been greedy and have never seemed to care about anyone but themselves. Anyone with a functioning brain can see that the leadership in our leaders is a farce! It has been the road to riches for these for too many years. Will it ever change? I don’t know. The only way that I am aware of would be to get rid of all the thieves in our leadership. ………. and that would be like getting ice cream in hell!

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    • Anonymous says:

      You are absolutely right. The conduct of some in our governance stopped little short of treasonous. They did abject harm to Cayman, and did it knowingly, for personal or political gain, or as petty affront to persons they did not like. Throw in a weak Governor, an absent FCO, and a little corruption here and there, and those of us that love Cayman must now tackle the consequences.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So why did you vote for them 3:11? Because they are all the same because of our limited brain pool when it comes to political figures? What other jobs could most of these politicians do if it weren’t for the cushy one they have now?

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      • Anonymous says:

        I did vote for them only as they were the only alternative. Sadly each has shown themselves more greedy than the last.

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  21. Anonymous says:

    Target # of people? 80,000
    1980s population of 40,000 and infrastructure was in balance. (Rough numbers, rough definition of in balance.) Double the infrastructure (about what we’re working on now) and we can double the population (slow growth up to 80,000 with that being the cap). While adding some of the infrastructure that we didn’t have in the 80s, e.g., mental health facilities.

    Cayman has advantages whereby we might be able to achieve a stable economy with a stable population number.

    a) Most of our money flows into the country (and then back out) from tourism & financial services bringing money in. So it doesn’t rely on internal wealth creation as much as other countries who foster the argument that you can’t have a stable population and a healthy economy.

    b) With such a large % of guest workers we can cap at 80,000 but take a while to reach 80,000 Caymanians. So its as if our cap were higher than it is.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    And yet the mass importation of poverty continues unabated. Hundreds of non Caymanians are receiving free services. Hundreds of non Caymanians continue to be granted PR despite an inability to support themselves. Thousands of non Caymanians continue to be granted and to hold work permits at salaries which guarantee their existence below the poverty line., and block employment opportunities for locals. The abject dereliction of duty by those responsible for managing immigration, housing, health insurance, education and housing is astounding.

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    • Anonymous says:

      2:45, you make all sorts of crowd pleasing statements as if they are factual but you could not offer objective evidence to prove any of your allegations. “Hundreds of non Caymanians are receiving free services” is as worthless a statement as, say, “hundreds of Caymanians are lazy and brainless” unless you can prove it.

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      • Anonymous says:

        I can prove it. Simply look and see how many non Caymanians are in government schools (for free). How many non Caymanians are provided with free lunch every day. How many non Caymanians are being supported by the NAU? How many non Caymanians obtain free healthcare at the hospital? How many non Caymanians are able to come and live here without any requirements as to their ability to support themselves.

        Of course all children living here should be fed and educated, and all lawful residents protected from the crap that life can dole out. The problem is that if it is apparent that people cannot or will not be able to sustain themselves or their dependents, out laws prohibit them from being able to come or remain. Doesn’t work that way though, does it?

        You understand that Alden’s PR System gives maximum points for being wealthy to unemployed people with a single dollar to their name? That fathering a child without having to care for it or provide for its mother gets you 40 points? That your sister being granted status automatically gets you 20 points and simply being a category of Cuban (without even being able to speak any English) guarantees you 100 points. That a common unskilled laborer and brain surgeon both get the same maximum points for their occupation? That a taxi license gets you more points than a degree from Harvard, and that the answers to the History/Culture test intended to recognize assimilation are for sale to anyone attending a course?

        The system is and has been insane since its inception.

        23
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      • Anonymous says:

        Ummm, ESO puts poverty line at CI$10.00 an hour with a 37.5 hour week. How many THOUSANDS of persons do you recon we have brought in to live here and pay them only CI$6.00 an hour, sometimes only for a small number of hours each week? How many of them in fact have the pensions and health insurances required by law? How many of them are living in safe, clean housing? How many of them are undercutting willing capable Caymanians for entry level jobs? How many of them are being forced to turn to charity or work outside their permissions or even turn to illegal activities, just to make ends meet. The Emperor has no clothes. Everyone can see it. The status quo with its reliance on underpaid labour is a farce and a scam that profits a small few, to the detriment of the whole country.

        17
        1
      • Anonymous says:

        Every statement made is provable. It is factual, and only the blind do not see it.

        14
        4
  23. ELVIS says:

    Lets face it around 10,000 people offer absolutely nothing to Cayman and need to go home

    38
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    • Anonymous says:

      2.44pm At least 20,000 not 10,000. Many already have Status attained through underhanded tactics and their Status needs revoking. Also stop this foolishness of giving everyone rights the minute they get married.

      17
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    • Anonymous says:

      They were born here

      5
      15
    • Anonymous says:

      17,745 is a more accurate figure Elvis parasitic interlopers living directly off our economic and social development.A an enormous burden on our infrastructure and adding more weekly by inviting friends and family to join their melee against Caymanians!

      13
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    • Anonymous says:

      to West Bay

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  24. Anonymous says:

    Wayne, the CNS readers/commentators plagiarist – the upside, at least it’s official

  25. Anonymous says:

    Limit the amt cars work permir holders can own to one…

    43
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    • Anonymous says:

      How many do you imagine they drive at once?

      17
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    • Anonymous says:

      Why ??? When we get PR can we own more cars?

      9
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    • Anonymous says:

      Limit the amount of cars ALL FAMILIES or HOUSEHOLDS can own, no need to single out the work permit holders, we can all do our part.

      23
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    • Anonymous says:

      A ludicrous and unhelpful solution. The problem is not the number of cars. It is the number of drivers. No matter how many cars a driver may have, they can only ever be taking up one space on the road in front of you. People importing multiple cars are paying much needed revenue to government without using up any extra road or services. Think it through!

      Now come up with a way for people to be effectively encouraged to leave their car at home and use public transport, ride share etc.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Limit the work permit holders.

      Less people = lessened for transport = less cars!

      The is not smart, that is reality.

      8
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      • Anonymous says:

        And actually, may be smart as well, depending on what categories of work permit holders become curtailed.

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  26. Anonymous says:

    This article is welcomed news! I am delighted to hear the Premier has turned his mind to the out of control population boom, the dilution (to the verge of extinction) of the Caymanian, and the Premiers rown environmental mandate. How much is too much? Well that shouldn’t be difficult to figure out. It’s a small Island and there is only so much land mass that isnt mangrove and our Premier wants to preserve mangroves. You have to acknowledge the outnumbered Caymanian population and what an ongoing unbridled growth of the population means. The Premier has got to the tip of the iceberg with the impact on housing costs that have created a chokehold on our children and our grandchild. The focus on High Net Worth persons relocating to Cayman and the framework that grants permanent residency/status to them, needs to capped. Same with Permanent Residency in general. Cayman prospers, our crime use to be low but above all our social harmony was like no other in the entire Caribbean. This encourages all and sundry to want to move to Cayman to share in the prosperity and rightfully so. But if we do not maintain the social harmony that we have been so blessed with for so long and if Caymanians cannot afford to live in their own country and if the crime rate continues to soar – no one will win or benefit and once the Cayman model dies only Caymanians wil be left with the misery.

    47
    9
    • Anonymous says:

      There has never been any ONE type of Caymanian though. People came from all over and have family here for generations. From Britain, to Latin America and Jamaica. That’s why Caymanians are so many different colors. There’s never been one type of us.

      19
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      • Anonymous says:

        Nonsense! This is why other OTs have been slow to grant status in the manner Cayman did. They know exactly who Belongers are and preserved it. I’m not advocating their reluctance to absolutely encourage status grant holders but it needs to be managed and Caymanians need to remain the main stakeholders in their own country. This is neither unreasonable nor difficult to understand.

        14
        6
        • Anonymous says:

          And, er, other OTs, compared to us, are pretty backward. Could it be our more sensible approach to the Belonger issue over the years?

          6
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        • Anonymous says:

          The Caymanian government relegated that to others years ago. Sorry but that train left the track thanks to the many Caymanians who willingly sold their land to non-Caymanian developers. The Cayman Islands only sees green and that is all that matters. As far as those who only come here to work and live tax free, there is no incentive to stay here as the aspersions placed on ex-pats make it clear they are not wanted.

          5
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      • Anonymous says:

        There absolutely was. Right through the to the 1980’s. It was something to behold.

        9
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      • Anonymous says:

        Shows how little you know.

        6
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    • Anonymous says:

      1:48 pm You, like the Premier, are only making statements. Whether those statements are fact or fiction, neither one of you has made any concrete statements, written policies or legislation to make any difference.

      9
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      • Anonymous says:

        Not so. I have made the above statements with the hope that it wil make a difference. Cap your number of PR holders now. As for writing laws and policies – I am not a politician.

        6
        1
  27. Anonymous says:

    Sorry, but isn’t it WORC’s job to keep track of work permits? How did this reality sneak up on the people that are supposed to be metering these out?

    34
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    • Anonymous says:

      You know there is no cap on the number of work permits, right? So they can keep track of them all they like, but they have no basis for rejecting them other than whether a qualified Caymanian wants the job. So there is no limit on a) low paid or anti social jobs Caymanians don’t want it b) professional jobs where the number of quailed Caymanins is limited – only so many accountants or lawyers in a native population of less than 40000 souls. The only brake on work permits ends up being employers demand, and the more successful financial services, tourism or catering to those with holiday homes or tax driven residence becomes, the greater the demand. And the larger the population the greater the demand for employees to service the larger population. It’s a runaway train. The only way it stops is a limit on head count. And with a government that won’t say boo to a goose, let alone confront the financial services leaders that run the economy or the real estate developers or the supermarket and stores merchants, that ain’t happening. 100k here we come.

      4
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    • Anonymous says:

      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

      Like all the other jobs for friends and family.

  28. Anonymous says:

    The population will grow regardless of what is done. So there must be planning. We are where we are due to the lack of real planning from the 70’s onwards.

    37
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  29. Anonymous says:

    Any more is too many. Can’t get a fart in peace around here.

    34
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  30. Anonymous says:

    Rising population = more development = need for more imported labour = more gov revenue = higher public expectations of gov = growing gov spending = need for higher gov revenue = need for more development = need for more imported labour = rising population!

    It’s a vicious cycle!

    When I was in High School (Cayman Islands High) in the 1970’s there were only two air-conditioned class rooms. Education standards were probably better then too – debatable. Today, John Gray HS is a US University style campus, with everything imaginable, including free lunches. This is just one example of expectations gone wild. Not saying today’s kids don’t deserve better than those in the 70’s, but we had to make sacrifices and manage with what we had. There are many other such examples across other sectors/services, (think NAU) that point to a gov finances train wreck ahead.

    We have to live within our means!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Put quotas back in place. No more than 2500 from any one place. Why should 12000 Jamaicans have permits when we’ve already given 20000+ Caymanian Status?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Sounds like something Sir Alden would say.

      3
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    • Anonymous says:

      That’s not vicious, if you want vicious, try taking away my morning coffee.

  31. Anonymous says:

    Mr Panton, you and that harem scarum bunch of people who became your government were elected to slow down the ridiculous pace of “development” evidenced in the proliferation of condos and townhouses being erected on every bit of two by four lot ( and bigger of course) with the accompanying huge costs to rent or own plus the increase in cars brought about by people living in them. The old Panton property on Crewe Road is a perfect example of “the new Cayman”. But every week I look at the agendas and minutes of the CPA you appointed and I see no, zero, zilch, nada change. The unsustainable madness continues.

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    • Anonymous says:

      1:03 pm How do you expect change to take place, unless the laws are changed. Simply appointing a new Board and paying lip service to so-called “overdevelopment” won’t change a thing, unless the Government actually does something to change the laws. That’s how government “policy” is enacted…state the policy, write it down and change the laws. Simple as that….but this motley bunch of cabinet ministers can’t decide who’s the leader much less agree on anything substantial.

      14
  32. Anonymous says:

    Should be happy…most elitists want the world population reduced by 98%.

    16
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    • Anonymous says:

      Alex Jones’ company filed for bankruptcy today, so stand down, soldier. The frogs are safe.

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  33. Anonymous says:

    When ‘economic growth’ has led to more foreigners working here than Caymanians, then maybe it is time to put some caps in place. It doesn’t always have to be about making more and more money. Our roads are choked with no viable alternate transportation, a greater divide between rich and poor and a decaying quality of life.

    44
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    • Anonymous says:

      Well over 6000 Caymanians are directly employed by CIG thousands more receive funds, stipends and other benefits. How do you imagine that is paid for?

      14
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    • Anonymous says:

      Agree. Lets just take a step back, halt new permits and establish making the current way it is work before trying to add more and more. Fix it things for 70k by keeping it at or around 70k for while then we can get back to importing as needed, WHEN needed.

      But lets be real, who in our world class civil service can even do something like this. The entire system is now so corrupt and gatekept that the only way to get in is to continue what is already happening. Too many people’s pocket rely on the current way of doing things.

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  34. Anonymous says:

    Finally the light bulb has gone on! This has been the biggest thing to happen in Cayman in the last 10 years but very little discussion or media coverage. It’s like England adding 15 million people in 10 years. But unlike prior population increases, this does not appear to be driven primarily by growth in financial services and tourism. More analysis needed and definitely some planning.

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  35. Anonymous says:

    population number is not the problem…the problem is the incompetence of cig and the civil service to manage this number and plan for the future.
    they can’t even run a car-parking tivcketing machine….what else do you expect?

    27
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  36. Anonymous says:

    “We, as a country, have to decide on what is an appropriate rate of growth” – Wayne, I can tell you right now is NOT an appropriate rate of growth. How can Caymanians be so outnumbered in the Cayman Islands? Am I in wonderland?

    26
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  37. Anonymous says:

    They are putting the cart before the horse. Why not allow the population to grow as the market dictates and then upgrade the infrastructure and everything else to match it?

    Instead you’re going to limit the market’s desire for people and the government will effectively pick and chose which companies can grow and prosper and which are hampered by a lack of consumers and workers.

    All the crystal balls in the world and CIG couldn’t keep roads, schools, CUC, Water or Internet up to par with population growth. Get that together and the problem solves itself. Governments (worldwide) have never been particularly good at anything so why would we let them take control over this?

    13
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    • Junius says:

      Government regulation ensures that responsible capitalism is practiced.

      Letting the market sort itself out will not help Caymanians, who are in the minority and who share least fiscally in the prosperity.

      The Caymanian people have been a victim of the success of the Cayman Islands jurisdiction.

      It’s now time to put the breaks on growth of the population, which now needs to be refocused to have more proportionality in redistribution of wealth (based upon meritorious efforts).

      The Cayman Islands needs to stop being a jurisdiction that welcomes non-Caymanians to intercept employment, business and professional opportunities from Caymanians.

      8
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  38. Anonymous says:

    Solution is high rises and electric monorails from the airport to Camana along SMB then to George Town and back to the airport as a starting rail. If the Simpsons can do it then so can Cayman.

    21
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    • Anonymous says:

      just look at Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook, and, by gum, it put them on the map!

      15
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  39. Anonymous says:

    Caymanians always claim they are disdvantaged and expats take their jobs, but the census showed that Caymanians earng on average more ($55,220) than non-Caymanians ($45,594).

    23
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    • Corruption is endemic says:

      Well a bunch of non-Caymanians earn less than $30k and a much smaller bunch earn a lot more than that.

      The mean for each group doesn’t tell us much but more details about the distribution would.

      25
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    • Anonymous says:

      An average isn’t a practical way of looking at it, because the minority of super rich Caymanians will raise the average higher, it is the spread that is more useful.

      15
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  40. Lo-cal says:

    There needs to be more than just managing the population growth, they also need to manage the population demography.

    A large part of the problem for Cayman is that we are not balanced. When we source labor it is distributed un-evenly. This creates an issue where the country becomes dependent of only three labor source, which in turn causes resentment from the locals. No one country should have more people here than we have locals.

    We also need to look at what we want Cayman to look like culturally. (Not physically) as it is now we have mostly un educated people / with little manners or décor from other countries who received status as the face of the country. These are taxi drivers, low wage front end workers etc. This is not a good look for Cayman.

    We are a melting pot (This is good) but culturally we have lost what once made us great. Civilized, well mannered, friendly people on the front line.

    38
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    • Anonymous says:

      Stop giving away status grants for a short while to compensate for the disproportionality between Caymanians to non-Caymanians.

      This is a self-inflicted wound. The current equation welcomes all non-Caymanians to dilute Caymanians.

      8
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  41. Anonymous says:

    Can Wayne just stop trying to control everything and let people be? He would fit in well in communist china with his idiotic opinions.

    9
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    • Anonymous says:

      Agenda 2030 – the COP mission was delivered to Panton and this is the start of the lite ‘over-population’ propaganda.

      10
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  42. Anonymous says:

    The sleepy old Cayman is gone, never to return. Ever.

    Unfortunately, the growth seen hasn’t been matched with suitably improved policing, education, general infrastructure, and long term foresight.

    So, we now have a glut of concrete monstrosities selling for prices beyond reach of any 95% of the population.

    We have roads that are a nightmare of terrible driving and regular accidents, exacerbating the traffic issues.

    We have flora and fauna being lost forever due to short term capitalist developments.

    I can’t think of anything that’s actually better in the last few years. It makes me sad.

    53
    • Anonymous says:

      Yes and the same fools sticking us with Climate Change and Carbon Tax are the very ones who are responsible for over-development and the introduction of toxic chemicals….the governments and regulators.
      When they have lined their pockets, they will identify the culprits and tax them….us!

  43. Anonymous says:

    Lets cap it now! No more people please, Cayman is too small!!

    30
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  44. Anonymous says:

    Last year I was almost always home. No one knocked on the door to conduct the census, no one left a card. Add one more person to the population number.

    Actually, you could probably add 1000.

    37
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    • Anonymous says:

      Actually you can add 10,000.

      They did not include:

      Several hundred households they didn’t get to.

      Anyone on a Temporary Work Permit.

      Anyone with a visitor stamp even if they were not a tourist.

      Anyone on a PCW (Permission to continue working)

      Anyone on a WOL (working by operation of law).

      The negligence is shocking.

      26
      • Anonymous says:

        You can ad more than that if you count dependents and snowbird condo owners, as well as large numbers of overstayers.

        11

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