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  • Supa G to be Honoured as 2026 Living Legend

    Supa G to be Honoured as 2026 Living Legend

    As a centerpiece of Belize’s 2026 national September Celebrations, beloved homegrown entertainer Supa G will take the stage tonight at Belize City’s Lord Rhaburn Plaza as the year’s official Living Legends Concert honoree. The recognition caps a decades-long musical journey that began with humble childhood aspirations few could have predicted would reach this landmark milestone.

    Kim Vasquez, director of Belize’s Institute of Creative Arts, confirmed that beyond accepting the honor, Supa G will treat the audience to a live performance of a new track pulled from his upcoming album, giving attendees an exclusive preview of his latest creative work.

    For the artist himself, the distinction carries far more weight than any other industry award, because it comes directly from the community that supported him from his earliest days in music. “It’s a great feeling to be honored or to be noticed or recognized by your own people,” Supa G shared in comments ahead of the event. “This acknowledgement means more to me than any recognition from outside our country could.”

    Supa G’s path to legendary status started when he was just 12 years old, with an early dream of working as a radio announcer. That ambition shifted once he entered high school, where a formative encounter with iconic Belizean musician Andy Palacio reshaped his goals entirely. “When I started high school, I saw Andy Palacio and said I want to be just like this guy when I grow up,” he recalled of that life-changing moment.

    Even as his passion for music grew in his younger years, Supa G never imagined he would build a full-time professional career out of his craft. “I didn’t think about it to this level, probably just as a part time, something on the side, not as a professional,” he explained. Decades later, that side passion has turned into a legacy that has shaped Belize’s modern music landscape.

    To this day, the artist says his creative inspiration remains rooted in the everyday lives of Belizean people, and he prioritizes staying connected to the tastes and experiences of the audiences that support him. “I always make sure I have my ears on the ground, listening to what people like,” he said, noting that connection to community has been the core of his long and successful career.

  • Joshua Francis rejects Skerrit’s claim that Roseau North result is vote of confidence

    Joshua Francis rejects Skerrit’s claim that Roseau North result is vote of confidence

    Following the Dominica Labour Party’s (DLP) victory in the September 7 Roseau North by-election, a sharp political debate has emerged over how to frame the results, with opposition leader Joshua Francis challenging Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s attempt to cast the win as a nationwide endorsement of the incumbent government.

    Joshua Francis, head of the United Progressive Party (UPP), launched his rebuttal in an official statement released days after the vote, centering his argument on the unusually low voter turnout recorded in the constituency. Official electoral data shows the constituency has roughly 7,489 registered voters, but only 2,595 electors cast ballots in the by-election, translating to a turnout rate of just 34.6%. Preliminary vote counts put DLP candidate Ashma McDougall’s total at 1,506 votes — a figure that equals only one-fifth of all registered voters in the seat, Francis pointed out.

    Contrary to Skerrit’s framing of the outcome as a broad vote of confidence, Francis argued that the low participation rate is far more indicative of widespread voter disengagement and dissatisfaction with the current administration than it is an endorsement of government policy. While Francis explicitly extended congratulations to McDougall and confirmed the UPP respects the formal outcome of the by-election, he rejected the prime minister’s efforts to inflate a single constituency win into a national mandate for the DLP.

    Francis tied his criticism to a slate of ongoing, unresolved issues that he says continue to harm Dominican communities and households. These include skyrocketing cost of living, stagnant employment opportunities, underinvestment in neighborhood infrastructure and services, accelerating youth outmigration, and a lack of government transparency and accountability. He emphasized that these unaddressed concerns far outweigh the symbolic weight of one by-election victory.

    The UPP leader’s pushback came directly in response to post-election comments from Skerrit, who claimed that the Roseau North constituency had “spoken for the whole country” and that the result proved the Dominican government was “on the right track.” Francis pushed back against that narrative, arguing the by-election result should not be treated as a blank cheque that lets the administration avoid accountability or ignore pressing public needs. Instead, he called on the DLP government to prioritize raising worker salaries and wages, expanding accessible job opportunities, and refocusing governance on tangible improvements to ordinary Dominicans’ quality of life.

    Ahead of the September 7 contest, the UPP joined other opposition forces in a coordinated opposition cooperation effort, throwing its official endorsement behind United Workers Party candidate Daniel “Danny” Lugay. In his full public statement, Francis doubled down on framing Skerrit’s claims as political spin, noting that nearly two out of three registered voters chose to stay home on election day — what he called a clear signal of growing public apathy, frustration, and eroding trust in the country’s political establishment.

    “That is not a resounding endorsement. It is a warning,” Francis wrote in the statement, adding: “Prime Minister, you won a by-election — not a blank cheque, not a national mandate and certainly not proof that Dominicans are satisfied. The UPP rejects this political spin. Dominica deserves improvement in salaries & wages, jobs and leadership that improves people’s lives. United in purpose. Committed to change. Putting Dominica first.”

  • Central Bank Stands by Dismissal of Employee After $27K Payout

    Central Bank Stands by Dismissal of Employee After $27K Payout

    Nearly three years from now, on September 9, 2026, a workplace dispute at one of Belize’s key financial institutions has sparked debate over procedural fairness versus institutional responsibility for workplace safety. The Central Bank of Belize has publicly clarified its stance following a ruling from the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal, which ordered the bank to pay former senior clerk Dapheen Bowen close to $27,000 in compensation for her unjustified dismissal.

    In an official statement released the same day as the tribunal’s decision, the central bank confirmed that it does not challenge the procedural findings that ruled against it. The tribunal determined that the bank failed to follow the formal disciplinary processes outlined in its Collective Bargaining Agreement when it terminated Bowen’s employment, a procedural misstep that the bank has not directly disputed.

    Despite acknowledging the procedural error, the financial regulator remains firm in its support of the original decision to terminate the senior clerk’s contract. The core of the conflict stems from a WhatsApp message posted by Bowen, which bank leadership interpreted as a reference to using a firearm in the context of expressing frustration with her working environment.

    “The Central Bank has always maintained that references suggesting the use of a firearm against others, particularly in the context of workplace frustrations, to be a serious matter,” the institution emphasized in its statement. Officials argue that regardless of procedural missteps, workplaces cannot overlook conduct that could generate fear among staff, erode mutual trust between colleagues, or spark legitimate security concerns for the organization and its employees.

    The bank added that its position aligns with a broader principle: all employers must retain the authority to respond appropriately to any behavior that raises valid questions about workplace safety and institutional security. The case now raises broader questions about the balance between employee rights, procedural labor protections, and an institution’s obligation to maintain a safe working environment for all its staff.

  • Kalinago Week 2026 to celebrate Dominica’s indigenous heritage

    Kalinago Week 2026 to celebrate Dominica’s indigenous heritage

    The Caribbean island of Dominica is preparing to shine a spotlight on its unique Indigenous identity this September, as government bodies and local community leaders join forces to host Kalinago Week 2026. Scheduled to run from September 11 to 19, the nine-day celebration of Kalinago culture is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernisation, Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerment and the Kalinago Council.

    According to an official press statement released by the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), the annual observance is designed to showcase the deep-rooted traditions, living culture and daily life of the Kalinago people, the only Indigenous group continuously inhabiting the Caribbean island. The entire event will kick off with an official media launch at 10 a.m. on September 11, hosted at Kalinago Barana Aute, the community’s open-air cultural village that draws visitors from across the globe each year.

    Key stakeholders set to speak and participate in the launch include Cozier Frederick, head of the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernisation, Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerment, Anette Sanford, the elected Kalinago Chief, and Alice Charles, the Kalinago Development Officer. Additional attendees will include senior representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, the DDA, and other partner organizations that support Indigenous cultural preservation and tourism development on the island.

    Nestled along Dominica’s dramatic, untamed northeastern coast, the Kalinago community is an integral pillar of both the island’s national identity and its fast-growing sustainable tourism sector. For decades, the community has welcomed both local residents and international travelers to experience its heritage firsthand, from learning the traditional Kalinago language and centuries of history to sampling authentic native cuisine and purchasing handcrafted traditional goods made by local artisans.

    To expand the reach of this year’s celebration, the Ministry of Tourism and DDA will leverage their popular Discover Dominica digital and social platforms to promote the full schedule of events, and share exclusive content that highlights the depth and diversity of Kalinago culture and heritage. Organizers have extended an open invitation to all local residents and visiting tourists to participate in the week’s activities, and immerse themselves in one of the most important cultural components of the Dominican nation.

    The annual Kalinago Week initiative not only honors the enduring legacy of the island’s first inhabitants but also supports community-led cultural preservation and economic development, reinforcing Dominica’s position as a leading destination for authentic, community-centered cultural travel.

  • One Million Trees: Belize Pushes for Greener Communities

    One Million Trees: Belize Pushes for Greener Communities

    On September 9, 2026, Belize kicked off a landmark national initiative to plant one million trees, marking a critical step forward in the country’s efforts to reverse land degradation and build more resilient defenses against the accelerating impacts of climate change.

    The formal launch of the project took place during a public tree-planting event hosted by Belize’s Ministry of Sustainable Development, which drew a diverse group of stakeholders, including student ambassadors from the University of Belize. As an opening act for the national campaign, 50 native trees were planted across five separate sites spread throughout Belmopan, the nation’s capital, to set a community-level example for the rest of the country.

    Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, emphasized that even small-scale local tree-planting actions deliver tangible, daily improvements to urban quality of life that add up to large-scale change. “These are the small everyday benefits of planting trees that can make a real difference in how we experience our city,” Habet noted. He added that the one million tree goal is just one component of a much broader national strategy to restore degraded ecosystems across Belize. As a party to the global Bonn Challenge, Belize has already made a formal commitment to restore 130,000 hectares (more than 276,000 acres) of degraded land by 2030, aligning its national climate goals with global restoration targets.

    Habet stressed that such an ambitious goal cannot be achieved by a single government agency working alone. “One million trees will not be planted by one organisation in one day, it will happen through thousands of moments like this, one tree, one partnership, one community at a time,” he said, framing the initiative as a collective movement that relies on cross-sector collaboration and grassroots participation.

    Michael Lund, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Belize, echoed this call for national unity around the project. He pointed out that the initiative also carries deep cultural and historical significance, noting that trees have long been woven into the fabric of Belizean national identity. “Planting one million trees in Belize is a nice concrete goal that we can all rally around as one country,” Lund explained.

    Young people are positioned as core contributors to the campaign, with student leaders taking active roles in encouraging community participation. Sabrina Landaverde, a University of Belize student and student ambassador for the initiative, said the project creates meaningful pathways for the next generation to engage in tangible climate action. “What this project does is, we’re putting a foot forward into the one million trees project and getting the ball rolling and getting people and communities participating in this project,” Landaverde said. She added that every new tree planted brings multiple public benefits, from cleaner urban air to more robust ecosystems and healthier, more resilient communities that are better equipped to withstand climate shocks.

    As the campaign rolls out across the country over the coming months, organizers expect that thousands of community groups, businesses, schools, and individual volunteers will join the effort to hit the one million tree target, advancing both Belize’s climate commitments and its goal of building greener, more livable communities for all citizens.

  • Living Close to a Hospital May Just be Keeping Your Lights On

    Living Close to a Hospital May Just be Keeping Your Lights On

    As rolling blackouts continue to disrupt daily life across Belize, residents have grown frustrated with the unpredictable nature of scheduled power outages, many comparing the uncertainty of which neighborhoods will lose power to a game of chance. But according to top public utility officials, the process of selecting which power feeders to take offline is far from random — it is a calculated approach designed to protect the country’s most critical services first.

    In recent comments to local outlet News 5, Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Public Utilities Commission, explained that the location of hospitals is a top non-negotiable factor when Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) drafts its daily load shedding schedules. Cutting power to a medical facility that cares for intensive care patients or hosts ongoing surgical procedures would carry catastrophic consequences, so power access to these sites is always preserved in the rotation of outages.

    The current power shortage that forces load shedding is triggered when imported electricity from Mexico drops to zero, a recurring issue that has strained Belize’s domestic energy supply. When this happens, BEL first assesses the total available power generated from domestic sources, including facilities run by BSI, Santander, Hydro Maya, and Hydro Belize. After calculating how much power can be allocated to meet critical demand, the company then determines which non-critical feeders can be taken offline in rotation to balance the grid.

    Almendarez acknowledged that even with careful planning to protect medical sites, widespread rolling blackouts still cause major disruption across every sector of Belizean society. Schools struggle to continue classes and students cannot complete after-school homework, households face interrupted daily routines, and small businesses lose revenue amid unplanned outages. He admitted that no level of targeted load shedding makes the experience anything but a major inconvenience for the public.

    To address the root of the ongoing power crisis, Belize’s government is moving forward with plans to expand the country’s total energy generation capacity. BEL has been tasked with drafting a formal plan for the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, and Logistics, led by Minister Michel Chebat, that outlines how much additional power the country needs to procure to end disruptive rolling outages. Officials are also exploring expanding energy storage capacity through a framework Almendarez called “distribution generation” to build long-term resilience for the national grid.

  • Skerrit Says UWP lost more than half its Roseau North support since 2019

    Skerrit Says UWP lost more than half its Roseau North support since 2019

    Following the Dominica Labour Party’s (DLP) decisive victory in the September 7 Roseau North by-election, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has publicly broken down the shifting electoral tides in the constituency, pointing to a dramatic collapse in support for the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) between the 2019 general election and the 2026 special vote.

    In a media briefing held September 9 at the Roseau Financial Centre’s conference room, Skerrit presented vote breakdowns showing the UWP has lost more than half of its electoral backing in the constituency in just seven years. Official figures from the 2019 general election put the UWP’s vote total at 2,134 in Roseau North. By the 2026 by-election, that number plummeted to just 998 — a drop of roughly 53% overall.

    By comparison, the ruling DLP saw a far more modest decline in its vote share over the same period. The party secured 1,638 votes in 2019, and dropped only to 1,473 in the September 2026 contest, marking a far smaller erosion of its local support base.

    The by-election was called to fill a vacant parliamentary seat for Roseau North. DLP candidate Ashma McDougall claimed victory in the contest, beating both UWP challenger Daniel Lugay and independent candidate Sherman Boston to take the position as the constituency’s new Parliamentary Representative. Skerrit’s analysis of the vote shifts underscores the growing traction of the DLP in the constituency, even as the opposition struggles to retain its traditional voter base.

  • The Push Beyond Mexican Electricity

    The Push Beyond Mexican Electricity

    For nearly 30 years, Belize has relied on imported electricity from Mexico’s state-owned power utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), a relationship that began as a supplementary power solution but has morphed into an unsustainable fiscal and energy challenge. Today, the small Central American nation carries a $30 million outstanding debt for imported power, driven by long-standing gaps between procurement costs and what consumers are actually charged for electricity.

    Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Chief Executive Officer of Belize Public Utilities, explained that the core issue stems from a failure to implement the long-standing “cost pass-through” model that governs utility pricing. Under standard industry practice, the full cost of purchased power is passed directly from the utility to end consumers, with no markup or absorption by the provider. For years, this model was not enforced in Belize, creating a persistent variance between what the country’s main utility BEL pays its two primary power suppliers — CFE and domestic provider Hydro Belize — and the revenue it collects from customer billing.

    Over time, that small annual gap has compounded, ballooning into the nine-figure debt Belize now confronts. “If you buy power for ten dollars per unit but consumers only pay a lower rate, you never recover the full cost of the energy you’ve procured,” Almendarez noted. “That unpaid amount just builds up year after year, but you still have an obligation to pay your supplier for the power you purchased.”

    Compounding the debt crisis is a growing energy security challenge: domestic demand for electricity continues to climb, and imported power from Mexico is increasingly unable to meet Belize’s peak energy needs at critical times. In response, Belize’s government has issued an emergency declaration over the country’s projected near-term electricity shortfall, opening the door for a sweeping shift in national energy strategy that prioritizes expanding domestic power generation.

    At the center of the country’s new approach is a push for distributed generation, a model centered on small-scale, local production including solar photovoltaic panels paired with grid-scale battery energy storage. Unlike large centralized power plants, distributed generation spreads production across multiple sites, feeding power directly into the national grid to reduce reliance on cross-border imports. The strategy is designed to both cut the growth of import debt and shore up the country’s energy independence.

    Almendarez emphasized that battery storage is a non-negotiable component of this expansion, as variable renewable energy sources like solar only generate power during daylight hours. Without adequate storage capacity to capture excess solar production for later dispatch during peak evening demand, the new domestic generation capacity will fail to resolve Belize’s supply gaps. As the country moves forward with procurement for new generation projects, the transition to local distributed energy is poised to reshape Belize’s energy landscape for decades to come.

  • What Replaces CFE? Belize Looks to “Distributed Generation”

    What Replaces CFE? Belize Looks to “Distributed Generation”

    For nearly 30 years, Belize has relied on imported electricity from Mexico’s state-owned power utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to meet its domestic energy needs. What began as a supplementary power source has now turned into a crippling dependence, accompanied by a mounting $30 million outstanding debt for the imported energy that threatens the stability of Belize’s entire power sector.

    Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Public Utilities Commission, explained the root cause behind the ballooning debt: the full cost of imported power has never been properly passed through to end consumers. Under standard energy sector pricing models, the cost of procured power is supposed to be transferred directly to customers, meaning the utility should recover exactly what it pays for wholesale energy. But for years, this mechanism has failed in Belize.

    The gap between what the national utility BEL pays to its two core suppliers – CFE and domestic provider Hydro Belize – and the revenue it collects from customer bills has compounded year after year. “If you buy power for ten dollars per unit but consumers only pay a lower rate, that variance doesn’t disappear – you still have to pay the full procurement cost to your supplier, so the unpaid amount just keeps growing,” Almendarez elaborated.

    Compounding the debt crisis, Belize’s domestic electricity demand continues to climb, while imported supply from Mexico is increasingly unreliable, often falling short of what Belize needs to keep its grid running. In response, Belize’s Cabinet has issued an emergency declaration over the projected national electricity shortfall, and policymakers are now pursuing a radical shift: growing domestic power generation to replace reliance on Mexican imports.

    The centerpiece of Belize’s new energy strategy is expanded distributed generation, with a focus on utility-scale and small-scale solar power paired with grid-scale battery energy storage. This model, which spreads generation across multiple local sites rather than relying on large centralized imported supplies, would feed more locally produced power directly into the national grid, drastically cutting pressure to import energy from CFE.

    Almendarez emphasized that battery storage is a non-negotiable component of this expansion. Intermittent renewable sources like solar only generate power when the sun is shining, so without adequate storage capacity to hold excess energy for dispatch during peak demand or low-generation periods, the distributed generation model cannot deliver consistent, reliable power. As Belize moves forward with new procurement processes for additional generation capacity, the transition to distributed renewables is positioned to reshape the country’s energy future and resolve its long-standing import dependency and debt crisis.

  • UWP’s Daniel Lugay raises concerns over voter confirmation process in Roseau North

    UWP’s Daniel Lugay raises concerns over voter confirmation process in Roseau North

    As the United Workers Party (UWP) contender for the Roseau North Constituency, former parliamentary representative Daniel Lugay has emerged as a prominent critic of Dominica’s ongoing voter confirmation process, leveling serious claims of procedural mismanagement, unnecessary barriers for eligible voters, and potentially inequitable treatment of supporters across political lines.

    Lugay first flagged the issue to investigative journalist Richie Ferrol during an interview this Wednesday, outlining how his team’s preliminary review uncovered a glaring gap: roughly 500 constituents from Roseau North who had formally submitted voter confirmation applications were entirely missing from the first official list of confirmed voters published on the Electoral Office’s public website. Following this discovery, Lugay says he reached out to the Electoral Commission on multiple occasions to flag the discrepancy, but has yet to receive a resolution that addresses his concerns.

    Beyond the missing names, Lugay detailed widespread accounts of confusing, poorly communicated procedural hurdles that have left eligible applicants stranded mid-process. He pointed to his own wife’s experience as a clear example: she submitted her confirmation application at the exact same time as Lugay, only to be notified later that she was required to produce a marriage certificate to move forward. Lugay questioned why electoral officials, who already had his wife’s contact information on file, failed to reach out immediately to request the missing documentation when she first submitted her materials. While the certificate was ultimately provided and her ID card was issued, the delay and lack of proactive communication underscores deeper systemic issues, he argued.

    Another unnecessary barrier Lugay highlighted involves requirements for travel documentation. He says eligible voters who hold valid, unexpired traditional passports are still being ordered to upgrade to machine-readable electronic passports before their confirmation can be finalized, a step he calls completely unjustified.

    In Lugay’s view, the drawn-out, overly complex process – which has stretched on for more than a year, far longer than voter registration drives in larger Caribbean nations that complete the work in mere months – is directly responsible for the low number of confirmed voters on the latest electoral roll. He added that widespread voter frustration with the cumbersome process has likely driven down turnout enthusiasm, noting that roughly 40,000 Dominicans cast ballots in the 2019 General Election. Many eligible voters, he claimed, have essentially “revolted” against the unnecessarily convoluted confirmation exercise by opting out of the process entirely.

    The most serious allegation Lugay put forward centers on unequal access to assistance for voters with expired documentation. He claims that supporters of the ruling Dominica Labour Party are receiving targeted help to secure new passports when their old documents expire, and has raised questions about where the funding for this assistance comes from. Without presenting concrete public evidence, Lugay suggested that public state resources may be improperly diverted to fund this partisan support.

    He stressed that any taxpayer-funded assistance for passport acquisition should be extended equally to all Dominican citizens, regardless of which political party they support. “If you’re paying for passports, you’re paying for passports, and you make passports available to every citizen of the Commonwealth of Dominica,” Lugay said. He added that universal, equal access to this support would create a fair, level playing field for all candidates and ensure no eligible voter is disenfranchised simply because they face barriers to obtaining required documentation.