Archive for September, 2023
Costly beach replenishment project still in the works
(CNS): The proposal to replenish the sand on parts of Seven Mile Beach is going through the business case process, Lands Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connnolly revealed in parliament Tuesday. Funding for the controversial plan to replenish the southern end of Seven Mile Beach between the Marriot hotel and Dart’s private house, which will cost more than […]
BOTC passport holders will not need ETA for UK
(CNS): The UK Government will “soon” introduce its Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement for travellers who do not need a visa to enter Britain. However, the office of Cayman Islands Governor Jane Owen has worked with the Home Office to ensure that people who hold a British Overseas Territory Citizen (BOTC) passport will not need an […]
Bill to allow more pension raids goes public
(CNS): The National Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2023 has been published and is now open for public consultation. The legislation provides for more people to take out more cash from their pensions in relation to buying a home. It increases the maximum amount of withdrawals from plans for deposits on buying or building a house, or […]
7MB vendors due to get licences in October
(CNS): People who have applied to trade on the Seven Mile Public Beach, one of a dwindling number of places where visitors and residents are still able to access the famous beach, can expect to receive their licences to set up shop officially next month. The minister responsible for public lands, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, told parliament […]
Private school bus proposal proves challenging
(CNS): Hope for a reprieve from traffic congestion with the introduction of buses for private schools was dashed in parliament Tuesday when Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly revealed that little progress had been made on a private member’s motion proposing the idea. Answering questions from Sir Alden McLaughlin (RED), who presented it in April, O’Connor-Connolly said […]
Blue Belt will help conservation effort
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ marine environment and ecosystems have an estimated value of at least $1.1 billion, according to Premier Wane Panton, and becoming the latest British Overseas Territory to join the UK’s Blue Belt Programme will help expand the necessary conservation and protections in the face of climate change, which is predicted to exacerbate existing […]
Minister gives conflicting views on immigration
(CNS): Labour Minister Dwayne Seymour, as a guest on Radio Cayman on Monday, failed to outline any specific plans the PACT government has to solve Cayman’s growing immigration challenges. Claiming he knew nothing about Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan’s controversial billboard demanding “Immigration Reform Now!”, Seymour expressed very mixed views about what needs to be reformed […]
Would-be students in fight at UCCI
(CNS): Police are investigating another assault that took place at an educational establishment on Grand Cayman, this time at the UCCI campus. The RCIPS said that on Monday morning, officers were called to a disturbance in the car park of the college on Olympic Way, where two men known to each other were involved in […]
DoT drip feed disclosure unacceptable, says Ombudsman
(CNS): The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has ordered the Department of Tourism to release details of the partnerships and sponsorship agreements it made with various overseas entities to promote the Cayman Islands to potential visitors between 2020 and 2022. More than 18 months after a local reporter made an FOI request for the records, […]
Thompson to retain staff in acquisition of Cox
(CNS): A.L. Thompson Building Supplies Ltd, the largest hardware merchant in the Cayman Islands, got even bigger last week with the purchase of Cox Lumber Ltd. The new owners have said that all staff at the Cox store in Bodden Town and the merchant yard in George Town will be retained in the merger of […]
Ed director says assault doesn’t define JGHS
(CNS): In a video message following an assault on a John Gray High School student by two of his peers last week, Department of Education Services (DES) Director Mark Ray outlined what the Ministry of Education, the DES, schools and the police are doing to ensure safe learning environments for students and staff. Last Friday, […]
