Politics
Ex-speaker accuses CIG of secrecy on port
(CNS): Mary Lawrence, who served as Speaker of the House during the last UDP administration, having been appointed by McKeeva Bush from outside the Legislative Assembly, has criticised the current Government of National Unity for the way it has handled the proposed cruise port project. “There has been this veil of secrecy,” she said about […]
Policy expert to take up UK-EU job
(CNS): André Ebanks, the deputy chief officer in the community affairs ministry, known for his policy expertise, has a new appointment. The senior civil servant is moving from tackling the ingrained social problems of Cayman’s community to representing the territory in the UK and Europe at a particularly challenging time. Ebanks will take up the […]
CPR petition over 85% confirmed
(CNS): The petition calling for a people’s initiated referendum on the controversial question of the cruise berthing project in George Town Harbour has surpassed the 85% mark in the verification process according to the latest update from the elections office. As of 8pm on Monday the team had confirmed the names of 4,501 people with […]
WORC portal will vet job ads
(CNS): The online job vacancy platform that will be central to government’s new approach to employment and immigration is about to enter the testing phase. Sharon Roulstone, the director of the National Workforce Development Agency (WORC), the new unit that emerged from the division of the immigration department into two new agencies, explained that this […]
DEH managers get up close with garbage
(CNS): Department of Environmental Health Director Richard Simms, Assistant Director-Solid Waste Michael Haworth and Acting Foreman Owen Henry got a little closer to the garbage they manage last week when they went on the rounds and experienced the daily struggles of the department’s waste collectors. The managers went on the road after the schedule had […]
CIG surplus surges to $200M
(CNS): Domestic levies on goods and services, such as bank licences and accommodation tax, has led to a much larger surplus than government had anticipated at the halfway point for 2019. The latest audited accounts from government show that the public purse took in 65% more than previously budgeted, resulting in another boost to the […]
Hardware store owner re-appointed CPA chair
(CNS): The Cabinet has re-appointed A. L. Thompson, the owner of Cayman’s largest hardware store, to chair the Central Planning Authority for another three years. Despite ongoing concerns from the Office of the Auditor General and across the community about the potential conflicts for this particular board, the Cabinet has also re-appointed Robert Watler, the […]
Opposition challenges constitutional reform
(CNS): The official opposition is challenging government’s attempts at constitutional reform. MLA Chris Saunders (BTW) has written to the overseas territories minister in the UK, Lord Tariq Ahmad, asking him not to allow any changes to the Cayman Islands Constitution without a referendum. The opposition MLA appears to be supported by other members of the […]
Roper rejects interference concerns
(CNS): Governor Martyn Roper has dismissed concerns that government is backing pro-port advocates pushing for people to withdraw their signatures from the Cruise Port Referendum petition. But the Elections Office has now revealed that it is allowing people to “un-verify” their names, even after their signatures and right to vote had been confirmed by the […]
Some petitioners are fed up PPM supporters
(CNS): Johann Moxam, one of the activists behind the petition to trigger a people-initiated referendum on the cruise berthing facility, has said that many people supporting it are disgruntled PPM supporters. Moxam told CNS that the signators are not all political opponents of the premier but regular voters, many of whom voted for government members. […]
WORC struggles as transition rolls on
(CNS): Workforce Opportunity and Residency Cayman (WORC), the new government agency that now deals with the employment side of immigration, is facing significant problems as the staff transitions into the new unit. Training on the new system is causing delays, with customers now queuing in tents outside the building as WORC officers struggle to keep […]
