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标签： Dominica
多米尼克
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Bellevue Chopin resident appeals to authorities to follow up on sanitation predicament
A Bellevue Chopin resident on the Caribbean island of Dominica is escalating a public appeal to local waste management authorities and environmental officials, demanding immediate action to clear a large pile of bagged household waste that has sat on her property for months, despite repeated formal requests and a pre-agreed payment for the service.
Frances Harvey, the property owner, told local media outlet Dominica News Online that the waste accumulated after she hosted a three-day end-of-term retreat for 25 students from Dominica Grammar School, which is based in the capital city of Roseau. After the event concluded, Harvey sorted and bagged all leftover waste to be collected, placing the pile in her garden, where it has remained untouched ever since.
In the months following the retreat, Harvey has pursued multiple avenues to secure collection, making repeated in-person visits to the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC)’s Roseau office and sending multiple follow-up emails to request the special pickup. She confirmed that during these communications, a DSWMC staff member agreed to dispatch a collection truck for a paid special collection, and Harvey immediately committed to covering all associated service costs. To date, however, no collection team has arrived to remove the waste.
The months-long delay has spawned growing public health risks for Harvey’s household and the surrounding neighborhood. Rodent populations have already been drawn to the uncollected waste pile, creating unsanitary conditions that threaten the well-being of local residents. Beyond the immediate impacts on her own property, Harvey warns the broken promise of collection highlights systemic gaps in the island’s waste management infrastructure.
She argues that when residents take the initiative to properly sort, bag and store waste for collection, only to be ignored for months on end, it erodes incentives for responsible waste disposal. This breakdown in service, she says, ultimately contributes to a rise in illegal dumping across local communities, exacerbating broader environmental and public health challenges island-wide.
Harvey reaffirmed that she remains fully willing and ready to pay the agreed cost for the special collection service, and is only asking authorities to fulfill their commitment. She has now issued a formal public call for the DSWMC and Dominica’s Ministry of Environment to intervene immediately, end the unnecessary delay, and arrange for the waste to be removed from her Bellevue Chopin residence without further postponement.
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Asa Bantan’s 10th annual Summer Daybreak Breakfast Fete set to mark milestone weekend in Grand Bay
One of Dominica’s most beloved summer entertainment traditions is preparing to mark a major milestone this August, as Asa Bantan’s Summer Daybreak Breakfast Fete returns to Grand Bay to celebrate a full decade of cultural celebration, community connection, and Caribbean fun. What began 10 years ago as a single local gathering has evolved into a cornerstone of the island nation’s summer events calendar, and for its 10th anniversary, organizers have expanded the celebration into a full four-day lineup packed with performances, cultural experiences, and cross-regional gatherings that draw attendees from across the Caribbean and the Dominican diaspora worldwide.
Backed by the Government of Dominica through the Ministry of Tourism and the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), the 2026 anniversary edition is expected to deliver far-reaching economic benefits beyond just entertainment. Organizers project the weekend event will boost revenue for local microbusinesses and community stakeholders, including hotels, independent guesthouses, family-owned restaurants, neighborhood bars, local transportation providers, and street vendors across Grand Bay and its surrounding areas. This aligns with the island’s broader tourism strategy to drive summer travel and distribute economic opportunity across local communities.
Reflecting on the event’s 10-year growth trajectory, DDA Chief Executive Officer and Director of Tourism Marva Williams emphasized the critical role community-led festivals play in strengthening Dominica’s global tourism profile. “Festivals and events continue to play an important role in strengthening Dominica’s tourism offering by encouraging travel during the summer season and creating opportunities for businesses and communities,” Williams said. “The continued growth of Summer Daybreak Breakfast Fete over the past decade reflects the value of investing in local events that attract regional visitors, support entrepreneurs and encourage more visitors to choose Dominica during the summer season.”
For event founder Asa Bantan, reaching the 10-year milestone is a point of deep collective pride. “Celebrating 10 years of Breakfast Fete is a proud moment for all of us,” he shared. “I am grateful to everyone who has supported the event over the years, and my team and I are looking forward to welcoming returning patrons and first-time visitors to Grandbay for this special anniversary weekend.” To mark the anniversary, organizers have asked all attendees to wear red, the official celebratory color for this year’s edition.
The full four-day schedule of festivities kicks off on the evening of Friday, August 7, with a vibrant Lighting Parade that travels from the Grand Bay Community Centre to Lalay, running from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM. The opening night will feature live sets from TK International, Asa Bantan himself, and DJ Shil, with a paid beverage package available for attendees.
The momentum continues straight into the early hours of Saturday, with the Pre-Breakfast Fete Party hosted at Hyland in Grand Bay from 1:00 AM to 7:00 AM. The weekend’s iconic signature event, the 10th Annual Summer Daybreak Breakfast Fete, will take place on Sunday, August 9, from 1:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Grand Bay’s Savannah. Dubbed “The People’s Fete,” this year’s marquee event boasts a stacked lineup of more than a dozen performers from across the Caribbean and beyond, including headline Jamaican dancehall artiste Valiant, alongside Dominican acts Asa Bantan, Trilla G, Jixel, Gwada G, Kenny G, BRG Hollywood, Reo Ok Boom, Eddy, Little Boy, Lestef KJF, Pudaz, Freddy, Fifin & Wotlis, Faithii, and Devon, plus international guests King Kembé of St. Maarten, and Strosey and SMS of Guadeloupe. Attendees can choose from three experience tiers: Dry Zone, Wet Zone, and premium VIP access.
Sunday evening brings a laid-back wrap-up to the main fete activities with the Breakfast Fete Cool Off at Hyland, running from 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM, with a soundtrack spanning the best of bouyon, soca, reggae, and dancehall. The anniversary celebration concludes on Monday, August 10, with an Island Tour and Wet Fete Finale. The guided tour departs from Roseau, makes scenic stops in Massacre, St. Joseph, and Mero, before returning to Grand Bay for the closing celebration.
The DDA is encouraging all interested attendees to purchase tickets early to secure their spot, and is urging out-of-town visitors to extend their stay to explore Dominica’s full range of natural attractions, local dining, and hospitality offerings while on island. Real-time updates on the event, including schedule changes and additional announcements, are posted to the official Asa Bantan and Dominica Festivals social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
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Caribbean nations cannot confront global challenges alone, says President Burton
In a landmark address to Dominica’s Parliament this Wednesday, President Her Excellency Sylvanie Burton has issued a urgent call for deepened regional cooperation among Caribbean nations, arguing that no individual Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in the region can tackle the overlapping crises they face in isolation.
Burton outlined a suite of pressing interconnected challenges that demand coordinated collective response from Caribbean governments, including accelerating climate change, gaps in public health infrastructure, persistent food insecurity, fragile economic resilience, and inadequate cross-border disaster preparedness. For SIDS like those scattered across the Caribbean, she emphasized, regional integration and collaboration are not just a practical convenience—they are an existential strategic requirement for long-term survival and progress.
The President specifically called for ongoing investment in and strengthening of collaborative frameworks through established regional bodies, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). She identified six core priority areas where cooperation must be accelerated: unified climate advocacy, cross-border health security, expanded intra-regional trade, improved connected transportation infrastructure, coordinated disaster risk management, and the unrestricted free movement of people, skilled labor and innovative ideas across national borders.
Beyond regional benefits, Burton argued that unified action also gives Caribbean states far greater global influence. When the region speaks with one voice on issues that shape their collective future, their shared history of overcoming adversity, proven community resilience, and aligned common goals grant them unique credibility and moral authority in international negotiations, she said.
In addition to pushing for regional coordination, the President also called on the broader global community to step up and deliver more effective support to vulnerable small island states. She highlighted critical global actions that are long overdue: ambitious, tangible climate action to curb global temperature rise, expanded access to affordable climate finance for developing small states, comprehensive reform of outdated international financial institutions, and a renewed global commitment to multilateral cooperation and the peaceful resolution of cross-border disputes.
Closing her address, Burton reaffirmed Dominica’s ongoing international advocacy commitments. The country will continue to push for global fairness, justice and cross-national solidarity, while actively championing the specific interests of small developing states, she said. Dominica will also sustain its collaborative work with both regional and international partners to advance inclusive sustainable development and build a more equitable, secure future for all Caribbean people.
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International airport on track for 2028 completion; more than 400 Dominicans employed
Dominica’s flagship infrastructure initiative — the construction of its new international airport — is progressing according to schedule and is set to open to the public in the second quarter of 2028, government officials confirmed during the recent 2026/2027 national budget presentation. Touted as the single largest infrastructure investment in the island nation’s modern history, the project has already hit key construction milestones that put it firmly on track to meet its delivery timeline.
As of the latest government update released on August 4, core construction work has advanced significantly across multiple project sites. Preliminary infrastructure works including earthworks and culvert installation are roughly 78 percent finished, while construction of the airport’s critical runway and connecting taxiway system has surpassed the 60 percent completion threshold. Work is also ongoing on other key airport facilities, including the main cargo handling terminal, air traffic control tower, aviation fuel storage farm, and dedicated aircraft rescue and firefighting facility, according to Dr. Irving McIntyre, Dominica’s Minister of Finance.
In his address to the nation during the budget presentation, McIntyre emphasized that the transformative project carries far greater importance than just expanding the country’s air travel capacity. Positioned as the cornerstone of Dominica’s long-term national development strategy, the new airport is expected to reshape the island’s economic trajectory by opening up increased direct international air access, boosting longer-term tourist arrivals, and expanding opportunities for local exports across multiple key sectors. Beyond travel and tourism, the government anticipates the facility will unlock new growth opportunities for Dominica’s agriculture, fisheries, ground transportation, construction, hospitality, and creative industries, creating sustained economic benefits for local communities.
A key social and economic benefit already emerging from the project is widespread local employment, McIntyre revealed. Currently, more than 400 Dominican nationals hold direct construction roles on the project site, giving local workers the chance to build hands-on expertise in a range of high-demand technical fields. These include heavy civil construction techniques, land surveying, heavy machinery operation, and skilled concrete and steel work. Government officials note that these marketable skills will continue to benefit workers and the broader national economy for decades after the airport’s construction is completed, supporting future infrastructure projects across the country.
To keep the project progressing on schedule, the Dominican government has earmarked an additional EC$250 million in funding for the international airport in the 2026/2027 fiscal year, cementing the administration’s commitment to delivering the transformative infrastructure project on time and on budget.
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Blackmoore urges public to stop spreading false information in search for missing Portsmouth teen
As the widespread search for a missing 16-year-old Portsmouth teenager enters its second week, top Dominican security officials are sounding an urgent alarm over harmful misinformation spreading on social media that is derailing official investigation efforts. Minister for National Security Rayburn Blackmoore has issued a public appeal calling on social media users and community members to halt the circulation of unvetted, false information related to the disappearance of Jerbiah Kaysia Paul, who has been missing for more than a week.
Paul was last seen leaving her family home in Portsmouth at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, July 24, 2026, and has not had any contact with her loved ones since that evening. In an official public statement addressing the case, Blackmoore confirmed that the Ministry of National Security has mobilized full resources to support local law enforcement, with the core priority of locating the missing teen safely and returning her to her family.
Against the backdrop of growing public concern over the case, Blackmoore emphasized that unfounded claims and unconfirmed details circulating across social platforms are actively damaging the investigation. He went further to note that some of the false content being shared appears to be a deliberate effort to slow down and obstruct police work, complicating what is already a sensitive, complex missing person case.
“Every report of a missing person is peculiar. We have peculiar circumstances in every report of a missing person, and those circumstances will inform the methodology of the investigation,” Blackmoore explained in his address. While urging anyone with credible, first-hand information about Paul’s whereabouts to contact law enforcement immediately to aid the search, he doubled down on his warning to social media users, stressing that bogus information undermines every step of the investigation.
The missing teen’s mother, Jacinta Paul, recently shared an emotional public video appeal as the search entered its ninth consecutive day. Opening her statement by thanking the hundreds of community members, volunteers, and officials who have supported search efforts over the past week, she asked anyone who knows anything about her daughter’s disappearance to step forward with information.
“Today marks nine days since she’s gone missing,” Jacinta Paul said. “I just want to reach out and tell the people who have been searching, contributing and praying that we are thankful. We are grateful for your prayers, your contribution, your visits and your check-ups. I am very thankful for this.”
Dominican police have released a basic physical description of Jerbiah Kaysia Paul to help the public identify her: she stands roughly 5 feet 3 inches tall, has brown skin, and was last seen wearing a blue blouse when she left her home on July 24.
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Government backs honey industry with new $1.5 million investment and branding initiative
The Commonwealth of Dominica is taking bold steps to grow its burgeoning beekeeping sector, with plans to develop an official national honey brand as a centerpiece of its agricultural modernization agenda. As part of this initiative, the island’s government has earmarked an additional EC$1.5 million to scale up operations, funding the installation of hundreds of new beehives and ramping up domestic honey production.
This new injection of capital builds on prior investments already rolled out across the country. To date, the administration has distributed 600 pre-assembled beehives, specialized beekeeping equipment, and full protective gear to apiarists working in every region of Dominica. Speaking during the official tabling of the 2026-2027 national budget, Minister of Finance Dr. Irving McIntyre confirmed that these earlier strategic investments have already doubled the nation’s total registered hive population, putting the industry on a strong growth trajectory.
The latest EC$1.5 million allocation will advance two key priorities: rolling out hundreds of additional beehives to meet growing demand from new and existing beekeepers, and laying the groundwork for a nationally recognized Dominican honey brand that will highlight the island’s unique natural biodiversity. This investment forms a core plank of the current administration’s broader agricultural transformation strategy, which aims to shift Dominica’s farming sector away from its historical focus on raw commodity exports toward a modern, value-driven economy centered on local processing, intentional branding, and export of high-value finished goods.
Beyond expansion of the beekeeping and honey sectors, the government is also moving forward with plans to construct a new multipurpose agro-processing facility that will support a wide range of local agricultural producers. The purpose-built facility will be designed to process popular local crops including root vegetables and a wide variety of tropical fruits, and will include dedicated business incubation space for small and medium enterprises producing everything from honey and artisanal sauces to homemade jams and jellies, as well as local herbs and spices.
Administration officials argue that expanding domestic agro-processing capacity will deliver dual benefits for Dominica’s agricultural community: it will cut down on costly post-harvest losses that currently cut into producer profits, while opening up new higher-earning opportunities for local farmers and small business owners to capture more value from goods grown right on the island.
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Dominica targets Marine Tourism growth with planned Portsmouth Marina development
As the global yachting and luxury travel sector continues its post-pandemic expansion, the Caribbean island nation of Dominica is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the international marine tourism market through two landmark infrastructure projects designed to diversify its economy and strengthen its burgeoning blue economy.
In a recent address to the country’s Parliament, President Sylvanie Burton outlined plans for a state-of-the-art marina in the northern coastal town of Portsmouth, framing the project as a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to expand tourism offerings and unlock widespread economic opportunity across the island.
Burton explained that the modern marina facility is tailored to meet the needs of the fast-growing global yacht tourism segment, a market that has already shown rising interest in Dominica’s unspoiled coastal and marine ecosystems. Official data points to consistent growth in yacht arrivals to the island in recent years, a trend Burton says confirms the untapped potential of this high-value tourism niche.
Beyond attracting wealthy international visitors, the development is expected to generate tangible, long-term benefits for local communities. New job opportunities will be created both during the construction phase and through ongoing marina operations, while local small businesses — from restaurants and crafts retailers to tour operators — will gain access to a new stream of high-spending customers. Economic gains are projected to ripple outward from Portsmouth to surrounding coastal communities, lifting livelihoods across the region.
The Portsmouth marina will also complement Dominica’s existing world-renowned nature tourism offerings, including its top-tier diving sites and popular guided whale watching excursions, integrating the new development into the island’s unique brand of eco-conscious adventure travel.
Crucially, the project is aligned with a broader national planning framework that balances economic growth with environmental stewardship. Burton emphasized that all development work will prioritize protecting Dominica’s pristine natural landscapes and marine ecosystems — the very natural assets that set the island apart from competing Caribbean tourism destinations. This approach ensures the country can remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global tourism market while safeguarding the environmental resources that will sustain its economy for generations.
Alongside the Portsmouth marina, Burton highlighted the Roseau Valley Cable Car project as a second transformational tourism investment for the island. Once completed, the cable car system will grant visitors reliable, scenic access to the iconic Boiling Lake, a popular natural attraction that is currently difficult to reach for many travelers. When finished, the infrastructure will claim the title of the world’s longest detachable monocable cable car system, a distinction that is expected to draw adventure and nature tourists from across the globe.
Together, the two major developments reflect the government of Dominica’s overarching national vision, one centered on driving innovation, expanding inclusive economic opportunity, building long-term climate and economic resilience, and improving quality of life for all Dominican citizens, Burton noted.
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More than 1,100 hypertension cases diagnosed in Dominica over five years
In a stark address to the Dominican Parliament this week, President Sylvanie Burton has issued an urgent warning about the growing public health crisis driven by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the small island nation, releasing official surveillance data that underscores the severity of the issue.
Between 2020 and 2025, Dominican health systems recorded more than 1,100 new diagnoses of hypertension, alongside over 600 new cases of diabetes and close to 600 new cancer cases, according to data President Burton cited during her budget address Tuesday. For a nation of Dominica’s modest population size, the president emphasized, these statistics are deeply alarming.
President Burton clarified that the burden of NCDs extends far beyond these case numbers: conditions including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity have cemented their place as the leading causes of both illness and premature death across the country, affecting far too many Dominican households and communities.
Against this backdrop, the president called for NCD prevention to be elevated to a top national priority. She encouraged all Dominican citizens to adopt sustainable healthier habits, centered on improved nutritional choices, consistent regular exercise, routine preventative health screenings, intentional stress reduction, and greater investment in mental well-being.
Crucially, President Burton stressed that addressing the country’s NCD epidemic cannot fall exclusively to public health authorities and government medical institutions. Instead, a collective cross-sector effort is required, with key roles for families, educational institutions, workplaces, faith-based organizations, local communities and every individual citizen.
The president also framed public health as a core component of national development, pushing back against the common narrative that progress is measured only by large-scale infrastructure projects or rapid economic expansion. As Dominica continues to invest in major public works including new road networks, expanded renewable energy infrastructure and upgraded tourism facilities, President Burton argued that equal investment must be directed toward building a healthier, more resilient population.
“Good health is not just a personal benefit – it is a national strategic advantage,” President Burton told Parliament. A healthy population is far more productive, more innovative, and better positioned to contribute to long-term inclusive national growth, she added. Ultimately, the true measure of Dominica’s success as a developing nation must include the well-being, vitality and quality of life of all its people.
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Dominican-French citizen pleads guilty in U.S. firearms smuggling case
A cross-border illicit arms trafficking ring that smuggled American firearms and components out of the United States to the Caribbean nation of Dominica has resulted in a guilty plea from its alleged ringleader, according to official statements from U.S. law enforcement and prosecution agencies.
Dimitri Beix, a 28-year-old dual Dominican-French citizen who resides permanently in Dominica, entered his guilty plea this Wednesday in the U.S. Federal District Court in Hartford, Connecticut. The charge against Beix is one count of conspiracy to violate the U.S. Export Control Reform Act, a federal law governing the lawful export of controlled goods including military and firearms-related technology.
U.S. law enforcement investigators have laid out a nearly four-year scheme that they say Beix organized and directed between January 2021 and September 2024. Per official court filings and statements, Beix built a coordinated network to source firearms, their components, and ammunition from sellers across the United States, then arrange for illegal shipment to Dominica without the mandatory export licenses required by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Court documents detail the operational structure of the network: Beix coordinated with suppliers, buyers, and intermediate shippers based in Connecticut and multiple other U.S. states, providing curated lists of specific firearm parts for suppliers to purchase through online platforms including eBay and mainstream retail outlets. Investigators add that Beix directly used his own personal eBay accounts to acquire more than 100 individual firearm components, which were first shipped to U.S.-based contacts before being re-packaged and forwarded on to his contacts in Dominica.
The first major break in the case came in February 2023, when Dominican customs authorities intercepted three inbound parcels addressed directly to Beix. Inside the packages, officials discovered six completed handguns, along with a cache of critical components including Glock pistol slides, trigger and sight assemblies, multiple magazines for rifles and pistols, receiver parts for AM15 rifles, a complete suppressor construction kit, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and dozens of additional unspecified firearms parts.
The charge Beix pleaded guilty to carries a severe statutory penalty: a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled at a later date per federal court procedure. Beix has been in continuous custody since his November 27, 2024 arrest in Sint Maarten, which was executed at the formal request of U.S. law enforcement authorities. He was extradited from Caribbean jurisdiction to the United States to face prosecution in February 2026.
The multi-year investigation was a joint transnational effort involving multiple U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. HSI Caribbean, the Dominica Customs and Excise Division, and the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force all provided critical local support for the investigation.
Prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Sean P. Mahard, alongside Trial Attorney Yifei Zheng of the U.S. Justice Department’s National Security Division. The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and law enforcement authorities in Sint Maarten also provided key coordination support for Beix’s arrest and extradition process.
Officials noted that this prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, a multi-agency anti-crime effort established under Executive Order 14159. The task force’s core mandate is targeting transnational criminal organizations, cracking down on illicit cross-border firearms trafficking, disrupting human smuggling networks, and prosecuting other international organized crime activities.
This is not the first time Beix has faced firearms-related charges in his home country of Dominica. On March 16, 2021, he entered a not guilty plea to four criminal counts brought by Dominican police and customs authorities, after being arrested for illegal possession of 100 live rounds of ammunition at Dominica’s Canefield Airport. Bail was denied by Dominican courts in that prior case.