Tag: Chris Saunders
Angry Beach Bay residents rail against developers
(CNS): Residents in the Beach Bay area expressed their anger and frustration over a proposed major resort development in their quiet residential community when they came face to face with a representative for the overseas developers at a meeting Tuesday evening. The ever-changing hotel project by SJP Development first received planning permission in 2017 but […]
Visitors returning but challenges still ahead
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ tourism sector is beginning to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with stay-over visitor arrivals in April reaching over 25,000, which is around 55% of 2019 numbers. But the signs of recovery are still beset with challenges, from airlift to the cost of living, according to both industry and […]
Cubans awaiting claims accused of working illegally
(CNS): The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is warning employers not to hire “irregular migrants” because it is against the law. According to a joint press release issued Tuesday by the ministry and Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC), there have been allegations that some of the Cuban migrants in Cayman who are living […]
CIG rakes in near $447 million in just the first quarter
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government earned a record $446,906,000 in the first three months of this year, the most it has ever collected, surpassing budget predictions and resulting in a whopping first-quarter surplus of almost $221 million. CIG collected over $73M more at the start of 2022 than in pre-pandemic 2019. As well as the […]
Data exposé uncovers tourism stipend fraud
(CNS): An embarrassing error for the Ministry of Labour last month, when around 3,000 names and email addresses of tourism stipend recipients were accidentally made public by staff at the ministry for border control, exposed a number of fraudulent claims, Labour Minister Chris Saunders has said. The data breach will lead to several people being […]
Deputy premier among 900 people with COVID-19
(CNS): Many workplaces were missing employees again when the work-week started Monday, including Deputy Premier Chris Saunders. Public Health officials confirmed that almost 900 people are currently isolating as a result of the continued and steady increase in the numbers infected by the virus. The seven-day rolling average has increased to 68, and 186 new […]
CINICO to offer insurance to all in major expansion
(CNS): The government-owned insurance company, CINICO, is being expanded to provide affordable health insurance for more people outside of the public sector, including the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. Finance Minister Chris Saunders also said CINICO will be refunded to allow it to provide auto and home insurance for government workers. The main aim […]
Two women appointed to OfReg board
(CNS): Two women have been appointed as non-executive members of the OfReg board, filling up the empty seats on the previously entirely male environment. Accountant Bonnie Anglin and lawyer Natasha Bodden will serve for a period of three years on the beleaguered governing body at a time when public attention is likely to remain focused […]
WORC levies $1M fines with whistleblower help
(CNS): Officials from Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) have published some details of the administrative fines it levied in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on rogue employers and employees. WORC said it doled out fines worth collectively CI$1,045,154 to companies and individuals for over 400 breaches of immigration laws, and has so far collected around $740,000 […]
Board chair says bosses are abusing WP process
(CNS): Richard Barton, chair of the Business Staffing Plan Board (BSPB), said in a letter to the labour minister that he had seen clear evidence of employers abusing Cayman’s work permit process and dodging their legal responsibility to recruit and retain Caymanian workers or those with a Residency and Employment Rights Certificate (RERC) before seeking […]
Panton: Work permit imbalance will be addressed
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton appeared to be singing from a different song sheet than his deputy and labour minister on Friday when he said that the PACT Government might have got the balance between encouraging employers in tourism to recruit Caymanians and allowing those employers to access work permits wrong.
