Carib Scope

分类： society

  • Where are the San Pedro Artisan Market Vendors?

    Where are the San Pedro Artisan Market Vendors?

    Months after being inaugurated with great fanfare and high expectations, San Pedro’s brand-new artisan market sits completely vacant, leaving community members and local vendors questioning the logic behind the project and its chosen location.

    The core of the controversy stems from widespread pushback among the artisans and small-scale vendors the market was built to serve. Many of these sellers have made it clear they prefer to remain at their long-standing original selling locations, rather than relocate to the newly constructed facility, leaving the modern building unused.

    Andre Perez, the Area Representative for Belize Rural South, has defended the government’s decision to greenlight the move, framing the relocation as a long-term strategic play rather than a misstep. In an interview with local reporters, Perez explained that the vacancy is temporary, tied to a broader multi-use development project planned for the Sacatchepas area. The upcoming project includes construction of a regional events center that will host a wide range of activities, from local sports tournaments to large-scale public concerts. Once completed, the development will also add a dedicated public parking lot and an upper-story multi-purpose space, requiring vendors to ultimately vacate their current spots to make way for the new amenities.

    Perez rejected claims that the new artisan market project is a failure, pointing out that the completed facility is structurally sound, aesthetically appealing, and offers scenic views that will draw visitors once vendors move in. “The building is there, it’s beautiful, it has an excellent view. When the time comes, they need to prepare. They know that they have to move. They will not be staying,” Perez told reporters.

    When pressed for a concrete timeline for the broader development project, Perez confirmed that local officials have targeted a completion window within the current calendar year, but acknowledged that funding constraints have slowed progress. While the events center project is considered a critical community need, other pressing public priorities have taken precedent for budget allocations, pushing back some phases of construction. Even so, Perez reaffirmed that the project remains on track to be completed, and once finished, vendors will be required to relocate to the already-built new artisan market.

    In a separate but related comment on local infrastructure development, Belize’s Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler used San Pedro’s ongoing dock project as a cautionary example, urging the country to accelerate upgrades to its public infrastructure. Mahler warned that if Belize fails to modernize its key tourism-related facilities, it risks losing its standing as one of the world’s top travel destinations.

    This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast, with original Kriol language speech transcribed using a standardized spelling system for publication.

  • CEO Almendarez Defends BEL

    CEO Almendarez Defends BEL

    In a press briefing addressing widespread public anger over unprecedented spikes in household electricity costs across Belize, Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics, pushed back against criticism on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, by breaking down the structural factors driving the steep rate increases that have left some families paying two to three times their typical monthly bills.

    Almendarez emphasized that Belize’s energy grid is disproportionately dependent on imported power, with more than half of the nation’s electricity supply brought in from neighboring Mexico. Unlike domestically generated energy, imported power prices are set by international and regional market forces beyond the control of Belizean regulators or the national energy provider. Under the country’s existing regulatory framework, these fluctuating import costs are directly passed through to end consumers, meaning any upward shift in global energy prices immediately translates to higher bills for households.

    To meet total national energy demand, Belize currently combines three primary sources: cogeneration from domestic sugarcane production, local hydropower, and the Mexican power imports. When lower-cost domestic sources such as hydropower fall short of meeting demand, the system must rely on more expensive imported power to fill the gap – and that extra cost is absorbed directly by consumers, Almendarez explained.

    Complicating the debate over rising rates is the unique structure of Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), which operates as a regulated natural monopoly, Almendarez added. He argued that introducing competing grid operators would not drive down costs, noting that duplicate infrastructure would only spread fixed costs across a smaller customer base, ultimately pushing per-unit rates even higher than they are today. He also pushed back against claims that BEL unilaterally set the current higher rates, clarifying that all electricity pricing adjustments must receive formal approval from the independent Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The current rate of $0.4427 per kilowatt-hour, implemented in January 2026, was approved by the PUC to cover a projected $108 million in total annual energy supply costs.

    Beyond structural factors, BEL attributes part of the recent sticker shock for consumers to seasonal changes: warmer-than-average temperatures this year have driven higher residential energy use, particularly for air conditioning, which has pushed monthly bills far above their typical seasonal averages. Looking ahead, the outlook could grow even more challenging: the rapidly developing El Niño weather pattern is expected to bring prolonged drought conditions to Belize in the coming months, which would reduce output from the country’s hydropower facilities and force the nation to increase its reliance on more expensive imported Mexican power.

    To help households manage their current costs, Almendarez offered practical steps consumers can take to reduce their monthly bills, saying residents do have agency to lower their energy use. His recommendations include unplugging appliances that are not in use to eliminate phantom energy drain, upgrading to ENERGY STAR-certified efficient devices, and applying for a PUC license to install residential solar panels for self-generation. He framed the adjustment to higher energy prices as similar to cutting back on discretionary grocery spending to manage a higher grocery bill: by evaluating personal energy use and cutting unnecessary consumption, households can bring down their monthly costs.

    Despite these recommendations, many Belizean households have pushed back against the advice, saying that most families have already cut non-essential energy use to the bone, leaving little to no room for additional reductions. Critics argue that Almendarez’s guidance is disconnected from the realities of working-class household budgets, noting that up-front investments in energy-efficient technology and residential solar are out of reach for most low- and middle-income families already struggling to cover basic expenses.

  • Police Say Fatal Corozal Shooting May Be Drug-Related

    Police Say Fatal Corozal Shooting May Be Drug-Related

    A deadly drive-by shooting in Corozal Town left a 36-year-old DJ dead and a second man hospitalized this Tuesday, with law enforcement officials pointing to drug ties as the most likely motive for the attack. The incident unfolded at approximately 7:40 p.m. on May 26, 2026, in the Corozal District, after local police received urgent reports of multiple gunshots being fired on Flamboyant Street.

    When first responders arrived at the residential scene, they found Roger Escalante unresponsive, with multiple visible gunshot wounds, and 25-year-old Ezer Alcoser suffering from non-life-threatening injuries. Alcoser was immediately transported to a local medical facility for treatment, where he was later confirmed to be in stable condition.

    Preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation outline a clear sequence of events: Escalante and a companion had just arrived at a Flamboyant Street residence when an unidentified SUV pulled up to the property. A lone gunman exited the vehicle, fired several rounds toward the group, and quickly fled the area. The shooting fatally struck Escalante and left Alcoser wounded.

    In an official confirmation of the investigation’s early direction, Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, a staff officer with the local police force, revealed that Escalante was already a person of interest in an active drug trafficking probe at the time of his killing. While investigators have not yet verified whether both injured men were the intended targets of the attack, Smith confirmed that drug-related gang activity or retaliation is the leading working hypothesis.

    “We are suspecting that may be the motive in this incident,” Smith told reporters in a press briefing Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, no suspects have been taken into custody, and law enforcement is asking any members of the public with information about the SUV or the gunman’s identity to contact the Corozal District police station to advance the case.

  • Flood aid for farmers from November deluge

    Flood aid for farmers from November deluge

    Six months after an unseasonal flash flood devastated agricultural communities across multiple farming districts in Barbados, the country’s Ministry of Agriculture has finalized a multi-layered support programme to help impacted growers rebuild their operations and recoup crippling losses, Agriculture Minister Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight confirmed Wednesday.

    The rare November 10 flood was far from a minor weather event: it claimed the life of one local man, submerged dozens of residential properties under toxic water, mud and debris, and wiped out standing crops and entire livestock herds across vast swathes of the island’s farmland. In a candid press briefing, Dr. Munro-Knight issued a public apology to farmers who had yet to receive official support in the months following the disaster, acknowledging the government’s delayed response.

    “I want to say publicly, right now, let me apologise to all those farmers that we haven’t gotten back to, that we haven’t been responsive enough to. Lots of things have happened, but that is no excuse,” the minister told reporters. She added that ministry teams have completed island-wide damage assessments, though impacted growers were still submitting loss claims as recently as earlier this month to account for unrecorded damage.

    As the first wave of support, the minister confirmed that flood-impacted farmers will be the top priority group to receive free fertiliser through the government’s existing agricultural input programme, with outreach to all eligible growers scheduled to roll out throughout the month of June. Beyond immediate input support, the disaster has underscored the urgent need for broad, systemic upgrades to Barbados’ agricultural sector to address increasing climate volatility, Dr. Munro-Knight said.

    Beyond emergency relief, the government is integrating long-term climate resilience into its recovery framework through the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) crop escalation plan. The initiative will not only focus on restoring production but also upgrade critical rural road infrastructure, expand access to precision agricultural technology, and increase adoption of climate-controlled shade houses and greenhouses to mitigate future flood damage. Previous investments in infrastructure such as the national onion dryer are already part of this strategy, designed to address ongoing challenges from intensified seasonal rainfall that is only expected to continue in coming years.

    Chief Agricultural Officer Paul Lucas detailed additional components of the support package, including a flexible voucher system for the most severely impacted producers. Unlike one-size-fits-all aid, the vouchers allow growers to purchase the inputs most critical to their unique operations, from seeds and planting stock to irrigation equipment, putting recovery decision-making directly in the hands of farmers. The ministry is also finalizing targeted support for livestock producers, with a proposed restocking programme for small ruminant (sheep and goat) farmers that would provide two breeding ewes and one ram to help eligible producers rebuild their herds from scratch. Poultry farmers who lost entire flocks in the flood will also be able to access vouchers for starter feed and other critical inputs to restart production.

    Lucas noted that many resilient farmers have already begun rebuilding their operations independently, without waiting for government assistance. The ministry’s programme is designed to complement and support these existing efforts, with additional financial support allocated for the producers who suffered the worst losses. Officials are currently mapping individual need assessments to match farmers with appropriate levels of aid, and are proposing a free fertiliser allocation of two bags per acre for all impacted crop farmers as part of the recovery push.

    In closing, Lucas paid tribute to flood-impacted producers, saying: “We want to salute those farmers who have endured some of the worst experiences, and we hope that they could understand that it is a process, and sometimes we have to go through certain mechanisms and frameworks in order to provide this service.”

  • Second top official resigns from National Taxi Union

    Second top official resigns from National Taxi Union

    The National Taxi Union has been rocked by a second high-profile resignation in just 48 hours, with vice president Isidore Brisefert stepping down from his post Wednesday with immediate effect. His departure follows closely after public relations officer David Shakes Christopher exited the senior leadership team a day prior, marking the latest escalation of long-simmering internal tensions over current president Terry Valcin’s leadership.

    In an official public statement announcing his exit, Brisefert laid out clear, damning concerns about Valcin’s approach to leading the organization and the strategic trajectory the union has taken under his tenure, echoing the criticisms shared by Christopher in his own departure announcement Tuesday.

    Brisefert’s resignation letter centered on what he described as a persistent lack of collaborative, collective decision-making across the union’s executive body. He wrote that after careful, extended reflection, he could no longer remain in a leadership role under a president whose governing style increasingly leaned into authoritarianism rather than the democratic, consultative, collective representation that union members deserve.

    The departing vice president went on to question the transparency and fairness of internal decision-making processes, alleging that key issues affecting frontline taxi operators are regularly settled without meaningful debate or consideration of alternative perspectives from executive members. Brisefert noted that this top-down approach has fueled rising frustration among the union’s top governing body, with little willingness from Valcin to course-correct.

    “As vice president, I have always held that strong union leadership must be built on the foundations of fairness, openness, collaborative teamwork, and respect for every member’s voice,” Brisefert said in his statement.

    He added that the union has failed to unify its membership and grow its industry influence under current leadership, in large part because the input of executive committee members is routinely sidelined or ignored entirely. Frontline taxi operators, he argued, need far more inclusive, effective leadership that prioritizes their needs.

    “Our taxi operators deserve leadership that listens, includes all voices, and fights unapologetically for their best interests,” Brisefert said. “In these economically uncertain times, our members need unity, transparency, and trustworthy representation that shows up for them every day.”

    Though he is leaving his senior vice president post, Brisefert expressed gratitude to the members who have supported his work and confirmed he will continue advocating for taxi operators across the country in a new, non-leadership capacity.

    For his part, Christopher framed his own exit as the result of months of consideration, saying his decision reflected widespread, cross-executive concerns about the union’s current management structure. He argued that the core values that once anchored the union have eroded significantly under Valcin’s leadership, creating a situation where he could not in good conscience continue serving in his role.

    These latest departures are not an isolated incident, but the outcome of years of unresolved leadership friction within the union. Former president Lucien Joseph first publicly questioned the legitimacy of Valcin’s leadership before stepping down in 2022, shortly after he lost a no-confidence vote from union members. The organization most recently held its Annual General Meeting and Conference of Delegates in March 2025 to address ongoing internal and industry challenges.

    To date, President Valcin has declined to provide immediate comment on the dual resignations. He told local outlet St Lucia Times that he plans to deliver a full, detailed address on the situation at a general union meeting scheduled for June 1. That upcoming gathering will also tackle a slate of pressing industry-wide issues, including a proposed plan to launch a custom taxi service app and ongoing policy discussions about third-party transportation platforms such as Uber.

  • CDPF and Grand Bay community unite for Isidore Sunday Chill event

    CDPF and Grand Bay community unite for Isidore Sunday Chill event

    On Sunday, May 24, 2026, a unique community-focused gathering brought local law enforcement and residents together in Dominica’s Grand Bay district. The Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) partnered with the Grand Bay Village Council to host the Isidore Sunday Chill event, held at the scenic Geneva Playing Field, drawing hundreds of participants from across the region.

    Unlike traditional community events centered solely on leisure, the Isidore Sunday Chill was crafted with a clear purpose: to bridge the gap between police forces and the neighborhoods they serve, while fostering connection among local residents through friendly competition. Organizers structured the day around recreational activities that prioritized teamwork, mutual respect, and open dialogue, giving community members and law enforcement the chance to interact outside of formal, often high-stakes encounters.

    Three competitive highlight matches anchored the day’s schedule, each drawing enthusiastic crowds of supporters. The opening marquee event was a tightly contested football match between the Police Sports Club and local side South City Football Club. After 90 minutes of end-to-end energetic play, South City claimed a well-earned 3–1 win over the police team.

    Next up was a rounders tournament featuring three competing squads: ACS South Defenders, St. Joseph Phoenix, and the Police Sports Club. Through a series of back-and-forth matches that tested both skill and strategy, ACS South Defenders outperformed their opponents to take home the tournament championship title.

    The final contest of the day was a tense first-to-50 domino showdown, pitting CDPF officers against one of Grand Bay’s top-ranked domino teams. In a match that came down to the final round, the local Grand Bay side edged out the police team to secure victory.

    Following the conclusion of all activities, CDPF officials emphasized that events like Isidore Sunday Chill are far more than one-off recreational gatherings—they are a core part of the force’s long-term community policing strategy. The organization noted that effective policing extends far beyond enforcing laws and responding to incidents; it requires intentional trust-building, collaborative partnership, and active engagement with community members to create safer, more cohesive neighborhoods.

    In a closing statement, CDPF extended its gratitude to all stakeholders who made the event possible, saying: “A sincere thank you to the Grand Bay Village Council, all participating athletes and teams, event supporters, and every community member who turned out to make this initiative a resounding success.”

  • Taj Weekes recounts harrowing experience with gunmen

    Taj Weekes recounts harrowing experience with gunmen

    Known internationally as a Grammy-nominated reggae musician and dedicated social philanthropist, Taj Weekes has spent years advocating for marginalized communities across the Caribbean through his non-profit TUCO Foundation. After decades living abroad across the United States, Cuba, and multiple regions of Africa, Weekes made the choice to return to his home country of Saint Lucia earlier this year, settling into a quiet, isolated property tucked into the wooded coastline of Mon Repos on the island’s southeastern shore. What he expected to be a peaceful, reclusive life of quiet gardening and community-focused work was shattered dramatically last Sunday night, when four masked, armed intruders accessed his remote property.

    In a first-hand public account of the incident shared earlier this week, Weekes detailed the disorienting encounter that unfolded around 10:15 p.m. He had left his doors open — a habit he developed in the secluded, low-crime area he called home — and was speaking with his wife on the phone when he spotted four bright lights moving down his private driveway. Initially, he assumed the visitors were friends or family with access to the property, so he walked out casually to greet them, not raising his guard.

    As he drew closer, Weekes realized the figures were four adult men dressed in tactical military-style gear and fully masked to hide their identities. Two of the men held their flashlights pointed directly at Weekes, while the other two kept their lights aimed at the ground. When Weekes challenged them to state their purpose for being on his land, the men remained completely silent, only staring him down. After several seconds of tense silence, one of the intruders shifted his flashlight away from Weekes to reveal a loaded handgun he was carrying.

    Weekes recounted that he stood his ground, telling the intruders he had no fear and they could act if that was their plan. After a long, tense standoff, the group did not attack or rob him; instead, they silently moved past Weekes toward the back beach bordering his property. Moments later, Weekes said he heard what he is confident was a single gunshot. While Weekes’ wife — who remained on the phone throughout the entire encounter — alerted local family members, Weekes immediately contacted the Micoud District Police Service, which he confirmed arrived at the property within minutes to launch an investigation.

    When asked if the incident could have been a case of mistaken identity, Weekes rejected the possibility entirely. His remote home is not marked on most casual maps, and accessing the private driveway requires intentional navigation through unmarked back roads. “You don’t stumble on this place by accident,” Weekes explained. “This was pre-planned. The whole point was to intimidate me. But I want to be clear: we will not be intimidated, and we are not leaving.”

    Weekes, who now spends most of his time growing food to feed local food-insecure families and tending to trees on his property, says he has no personal conflicts that would explain the attack. “I haven’t harmed anyone. All I do now is dig in the dirt, plant, and spend time with my dogs. I’ve done nothing to anyone,” he said.

    The incident comes amid a documented surge in violent crime across Saint Lucia, a trend Weekes called deeply disappointing for returning residents. “I’ve lived all over the world, and I’ve never had an encounter like this,” he said. “To come back home to do good work and face this? It’s devastating. But I also count my blessings — so many other people across the island haven’t survived similar encounters, so I’m grateful I’m here to talk about it today.”

    As someone who has spent decades running social programs for vulnerable and marginalized Saint Lucian communities, Weekes said that quick law enforcement crackdowns will never solve the country’s crime crisis. Long-term, holistic change that brings together government, civil society, faith groups, and local communities is the only path forward, he argued.

    Weekes stressed that people who commit crime are not outsiders to Saint Lucian society — they are members of our communities, shaped by the systems and gaps we all collectively allow to exist. “They didn’t come from another planet. They are us,” he said. “We can’t keep pointing fingers and blaming isolated neighborhoods. Crime is a national problem that we all share responsibility for fixing. When a child grows up without support, that’s our failure as a society, not just the failure of one community.”

    Even though the incident has left him feeling less secure than when he first returned home, Weekes says he has no plans to leave the country he has spent his career advocating for. “Home is where the heart is. I did all my work for Saint Lucia from abroad for decades — why would I leave now that I’m back?” he said. “Being here on the ground lets me speak to these issues firsthand, in a way I never could when I was living overseas.”

    Weekes acknowledged that he does not have a single step-by-step plan to end crime, but he remains optimistic that collective action can reverse the current trend of rising violence. “It’s not naive to believe we can build a Saint Lucia free of violent crime. It can happen — we just have to commit to working together to make it real,” he said. He pointed to intergenerational change as the core of any long-term solution, noting that the old African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” still holds true. “I was raised by a whole village that looked out for me. Today, that village doesn’t function like it used to,” he said. “We have to rebuild that support system if we want to stop children from growing into people who commit violence. If we don’t put a long-term plan in place now, by 2030 this crisis will be far worse than it is today. We can’t keep ignoring the problem and repeating the same failed approaches.”

  • Monkey raids on farms persist as ministry seeks regional, AI solutions

    Monkey raids on farms persist as ministry seeks regional, AI solutions

    Barbados’ agricultural sector is grappling with an escalating crisis of rampant monkey raids on commercial and small-scale farms, pushing the country’s Ministry of Agriculture to pursue cross-regional knowledge sharing and cutting-edge artificial intelligence interventions to curb mounting farmer losses. Agriculture Minister Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight openly admitted Wednesday during a press briefing at the ministry’s Graeme Hall headquarters that there is no silver bullet for this decades-long problem, which has plagued local farming alongside persistent praedial crop larceny for generations.

    Calling both issues systemic challenges that have undermined agricultural productivity for decades, the minister emphasized that neither monkey-related crop destruction nor crop theft can be resolved with a single, quick intervention. To build a context-appropriate solution, Dr. Munro-Knight has spent recent months researching mitigation strategies used across neighboring Caribbean and South American nations, including on official visits to Guyana and Suriname. She found that monkey crop raids are a shared struggle across the region: no country has yet developed a one-size-fits-all definitive solution, with territories testing a range of differing approaches to manage the problem.

    Currently, the Barbados Ministry of Agriculture is evaluating a suite of technology-driven mitigation tools, with artificial intelligence at the core of its exploratory work. Existing AI-powered options already deployed in other regions include AI-integrated drone monitoring, smart perimeter fencing that sends real-time alerts of intruding primates, and non-lethal deterrent systems that fire low-impact pellet sprays to scare monkeys away without causing harm. The minister stressed that cost accessibility is a non-negotiable factor during the evaluation process, noting that any effective solution must be affordable for working farmers to deliver real benefit.

    To advance this work, the ministry will convene a closed expert stakeholder meeting in the second week of June, bringing together internal ministry teams, external agricultural partners, environmental experts and other relevant stakeholders to review existing mitigation measures and hash out new potential solutions that address both monkey damage and praedial larceny simultaneously.

    Dr. Munro-Knight also addressed widespread public debate surrounding monkey culling, noting that while the government has already increased the financial bounty for approved culling operations, Barbados remains committed to balancing crop protection goals with humane wildlife management. She added that even with expanded culling, the current approach cannot address the scale of the primate population that is driving widespread crop damage across the island.

    In a step to build better data for evidence-based policy, the ministry launched a new agricultural data collection platform on Wednesday in partnership with the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC). Right now, officials lack the comprehensive data needed to accurately calculate the total economic loss that monkey raids inflict on the local agricultural sector each year. The new platform is designed to fix this gap by enabling systematic, comprehensive data collection in collaboration with local farming communities, giving officials clear figures to guide future strategy and resource allocation.

    Monkey raids often leave crops damaged beyond recovery, forcing many local farmers to absorb significant, uncompensated financial losses year after year. Closing out her remarks, Dr. Munro-Knight underlined that solving the crisis cannot fall to the Ministry of Agriculture alone. Long-term sustainable solutions will require coordinated cross-agency collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, local academic institutions, and international development partners to deliver results that work for both farmers and wildlife.

  • Community policing initiative removes derelict vehicles from Coco Bottom and Goodwill

    Community policing initiative removes derelict vehicles from Coco Bottom and Goodwill

    A coordinated clean-up initiative across two residential areas in Dominica has successfully cleared dozens of derelict abandoned vehicles, marking a key step forward in the island nation’s push for safer, healthier public spaces. The operation, carried out across the Coco Bottom and Goodwill communities, brought together multiple governmental and response organizations to address the long-standing issue of unclaimed vehicles blighting residential neighborhoods. Leading the effort was the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF), which partnered with the Solid Waste Division, the National Authorizing Office, and Rapid Response Recovery to execute the removal work.

    This initiative is not an isolated clean-up, but a core component of the CDPF’s broader Community Policing Strategy, a framework designed to foster collaborative public safety work between law enforcement, local stakeholders, and community members. The strategy centers on proactive problem-solving rather than reactive response, targeting visible environmental and safety hazards that erode quality of life for local residents.

    Law enforcement and public health officials have outlined a wide range of risks posed by derelict vehicles left on public roads, sidewalks, and community green spaces. Beyond the obvious aesthetic blight of decaying vehicles, these abandoned units create hidden public health threats: they frequently collect stagnant rainwater, creating ideal breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes, while decaying interiors and accumulated waste also attract rodent populations that can spread pathogens to nearby homes.

    Safety risks extend far beyond public health, officials added. Abandoned vehicles often block narrow residential roads and critical pedestrian pathways, creating hazards for drivers, cyclists, and walking residents, particularly children and elderly community members. In some cases, law enforcement has documented that these unused vehicles are repurposed as hiding spots for illegal activity, ranging from drug storage to trespassing, undermining community safety.

    Environmental and fire risks add another layer of concern. Leaking automotive fluids from decaying engine components can seep into local soil and groundwater, introducing toxic contaminants that harm local ecosystems and potentially impact residential water quality. Dry, decaying rubber and upholstery in derelict vehicles also create a significant fire hazard, especially during Dominica’s dry season, where a small spark can ignite a blaze that spreads to nearby vegetation or structures.

    Following the completion of this round of removals, the CDPF has issued a formal public advisory to all vehicle owners across Dominica. Residents who currently hold unused, non-operational vehicles on public land are urged to move and dispose of them properly through official waste channels immediately. Any unclaimed derelict vehicles remaining on public roads or community spaces after this notice will be removed by authorities without further advance warning and disposed of at the official municipal landfill, the CDPF confirmed.

    In a closing statement, the CDPF emphasized that maintaining safe, clean communities is a shared responsibility, calling for ongoing collaboration between residents, local businesses, and governmental agencies to address hazards before they escalate into larger public issues. “Let us work together to keep our communities safe, clean, and free from hazards,” the statement concluded.

  • Veteran education official pushes for more student talent platforms

    Veteran education official pushes for more student talent platforms

    As Barbados deepens its international cultural and educational collaboration networks, a seasoned senior education leader is making a final push to reshape how the country approaches student success, arguing that young people with talents outside traditional academics deserve the same resources and support to thrive as their academically gifted peers.

    Idamay Denny, a former deputy chief education officer who led the Barbadian government’s flagship education reform initiative and currently serves as a strategic policy advisor for the Ministry of Education Transformation, shared her vision Wednesday during a cultural exchange showcase at the Oceana Innovation Hub. The event brought together students from New York’s Performing Arts Technology High School (PATHS) and two local Barbadian secondary schools, St Leonard’s Boys’ School and Coleridge and Parry School, for cross-cultural collaborative performances and skill-sharing.

    Denny, who is set to officially retire from her government post this Friday, told attendees that the energy and creativity on display at the showcase reinforced her longstanding argument for overhauling education investment priorities. “What I saw here this morning reinforces what I tell the people in the ministry about investing in our students in terms of transformation,” she said. “We have to give you things that when you wake up in the morning, you want to get to school, and activities like what we saw here this morning are those kinds of activities.”

    The showcase itself is a core component of a formal partnership between the Ministry of Education Transformation and the non-profit initiative I WILL GRADUATE, which hosted the PATHS student band on the island for a week of cultural exploration and collaborative learning with local young people. A reciprocal trip for Barbadian students to visit New York is already planned for the coming months.

    A central pillar of Denny’s advocacy is challenging the outdated perception that creative fields like music and the arts are secondary extracurriculars rather than viable long-term career pathways. She emphasized that today, creative industries represent one of the most reliable routes to sustainable, well-paying employment for young people — a far cry from the norm when she was a student.

    “Once upon a time when I was a girl going to school, nobody thought that music was going to be the thing that was going to carry you somewhere in life. We saw that as a little extra thing by the side. But nowadays, music is one of the biggest pathways to sustainable employment,” she explained.

    Denny pointed to standout performances from PATHS students during the showcase to illustrate how the creative industries are evolving and opening doors for underrepresented groups. Highlighting a young female trumpet player who took the stage, she noted that the historically male-dominated professional music space is becoming far more inclusive. “Once upon a time then we saw bands… All men. But can you see from her that we can have some real good women playing in these bands. I will not be surprised if God allows me to live another 10 years to turn on my TV one day and see her playing in a band. She’s that good. Her heart is in it.”

    She also reserved praise for a young PATHS vocalist, telling the audience she has the raw talent to become a global entertainment star. “When I saw you, I thought I would see you in one of those shows X Factor, The Voice… all of those things where people go and their whole career gets made in that moment while they’re there performing. I could see you on one of those shows winning and then becoming a big-time star.”

    Across all her remarks, Denny stressed that schools must expand their definition of success to recognize and nurture skills beyond core academic subjects. “Yes, we want you to go to school and we want you to do well academically, but we don’t want you to think that academics is all. There are other things. You have other talents and we want to provide the mechanisms; we want to provide the infrastructure for you to do well with all those talents that you have,” she said.

    Even as she prepares to leave her formal government role, Denny made clear she has no plans to step away from advancing arts-integrated education and international exchange. “This is only the beginning,” she said. “As I said, I am leaving this job… But I won’t be gone from this because I want to see this develop.”

    She added that centering non-academic talent has been a core goal of her work shaping the ministry’s ongoing education transformation agenda. “We know that we have children who are not the best academically… We know there are children who have other talents. We know there are children who want to do other things. Why don’t we put the infrastructure in place to help those children do those things?”

    The exchange also offered a powerful example of how creative collaboration builds soft skills like leadership that traditional classroom learning often struggles to foster, Denny noted. During the event, a student from St Leonard’s Boys’ led a workshop teaching visiting PATHS students how to play the traditional Barbadian steel pan — an experience Denny called a clear display of emerging leadership.

    “That was leadership. We want children to develop leadership skills. It doesn’t only come from learning English and History and Science; it comes from this sort of activity too,” she said. “When I saw the boys from St Leonard’s standing beside their counterparts from PATHS, guiding them into how to play the scale on the steel pans, I saw leadership in action. These children are bright, brilliant children, but we don’t feel so. So we have to expand what we call brilliance.”

    Closing her remarks, Denny thanked the PATHS delegation for selecting Barbados as the host for the exchange initiative and reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the growing partnership, including the upcoming reciprocal student trip to New York. “I am going to spend some time helping to develop this collaboration,” she said.