Minister looks forward to valuable advice from NCC
(CNS): Sustainability Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks has welcomed Cabinet’s appointment of the new National Conservation Council, which was the very first matter of business for the new coalition government. The appointments were made partway through a legal challenge to those made by the minority UPM just before the election that had stripped the NCC of its experts and scientists.
But the quick change by the Cabinet put a stop to the courtroom battle, which the minister said demonstrated the new government’s commitment to good governance and balanced decision-making that prioritises national well-being and sustainability for all Caymanians.
“The new members ensure representation from all districts and the Sister Islands and bring valuable technical and scientific expertise on conservation and environmental issues, while ensuring inclusion across gender, age, expertise and experience,” Ebanks-Wilks stated in a press release about the new members. “Now that the council has been re-established, I look forward to having them provide their valuable advice to the government.”
Ebanks-Wilks thanked the outgoing team, chaired by Stuart Mailer, most of whom were fired by the UPM Cabinet to circumvent its failure to ammend the National Conservation Act. The minority government failed because the PPM opposition, which propped it up for over six months before the election, would not support the proposed bill.
The membership of the NCC is established in the National Conservation Act. It comprises 13 voting members, four of which are ex-officio statutory members representing the government Departments of Agriculture, Environment and Planning. In addition, the Department of Environment also provides a non-voting secretary to support the council.
There are eight voting members appointed by the Cabinet, of which at least four must have relevant scientific or technical expertise, and at least one person must be from each of the following districts: West Bay, George Town, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, Bodden Town, North Side, and East End. Additionally, the National Trust for the Cayman Islands nominates a member who is appointed by the Cabinet.
The Cabinet has appointed Dr Ian Kirkham as the new chair, the only scientist not fired by the former government.
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Category: Government Administration, Politics, Science & Nature
Hmm wasn’t Kirkham responsible for demolishing the fish stack overnight before anyone could object?
I checked the Airports Master Plan. The long term costs – $129 Million for Little Cayman and $800 Million total – are in black and white on page 214 of that official document.
Please reverse the decision to allow Heather’s family to dredge North Sound!
Mr environmentalist Wayne will never let that happen
My understanding is that Wayne was not in support of it. I heard that it was Katherine who assisted them because it had been approved years ago. If that is true you can forget it being overturned by her. Greed is a bad thing and some Caymanian families will happily destroy our environment for their own gain.
Wayne’s silence equates to consent.
Yet still you are more probably than not one of the many hypocrites who have no problem inhabiting or otherwise patronizing Dartville and the Shitz whilst complaining about and castigating Caymanians for the destruction of mangrove estuaries, all of which represent the largest swathes of Grand Cayman’s now destroyed and polluted coastal ecosystems.
Yeah, uh huh.
Ya poncy bunch of naked emperors.
Little Cayman airport relocation would also require relocating the dump there. That’s being swept under the rug and is not mentioned in the body of the TOR. Should have it’s own EIA and TOR to relocate the dump, which is not even in the costs put forth.
What a waste of time.
We already have the DOE to advise , and don’t need another layer of unelected officials to express their learned opinions.
Well they put Jay back in charge of planning eventhough he was part of the UPM government, paid lawyers to gut the NCC and put all ousted politicians on the board.
Let’s see if Andre and Katherine can keep him in line but then they allowed him back. Things that make you go hmmmm.
So you would’ve been happier if a PPM led coalition had pulled Jay in?
The point is he shouldn’t be a Minister regardless of which party. This election just taught us once again that the politicians are self serving and all that matters is forming the government and not caring who you form it with. It is a numbers game. Doesn’t matter if it is CINP,TCCP or PPM. The new government didn’t need Jay to form the government they chose to eventhough he was one of the reasons some of them quit!!
Great news… have the project at the Wyndham stopped immediately. a complete destruction of the shoreline, and a turtle was caught in the mess already while trying to nest!!!
Proposed airports developments are way overboard, mostly unnecessary and is purely grandstanding!
National Coalition must review and revise these!
That is excellent news. A big thank you to the new government!
It is my hope that the new government will review all of the bad decisions made by what is now the PPM opposition.
In particular I am very concerned by Kenny’s plan to spend $800 million that we cannot afford on expanding expanding all 3 airports. I find it particularly ridiculous that we are continuing to spending huge amounts of money for consultants to tell us how to pave over Little Cayman in order to build a huge $129 million million airport to benefit the development cabal that only sees dollar signs.
$129 million for an airport on Little Cayman is truly ridiculous but par for the course for Kenny’s decision making. I too am hoping that our new government will overrule that Cabinet decision as well.
Please let’s have real numbers and real reasons for LCM airport move.
Without official announcements and facts, keyboard warriors will spew ridiculous numbers and comments.