Government

Good day to members of the media and the listening public. I thank  you for your attendance and for watching this Press Conference.

Good day to members of the media and the listening public.

I am pleased to stand before you today to share the work that the Ministry of Economy and Labour will carry out over the upcoming parliamentary session.  The Ministry will work to further enhance the quality of life for many Bermudian families by expanding social protections and advancing workers’ rights.

Following the 2022 Speech from the Throne, the Ministry of Economy and Labour will focus on executing the following initiatives:

–   Implementing a minimum wage;

–   Creating a Department of Labour;

“The Government remains committed to ensuring that our families receive support and resources as we return to normalcy,” said the Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain

“The $150 Relief is a part of the Bermuda Government’s overall economic relief package. It is being made as a one-time payment to parents and guardians to help ease the financial burden on public school families.”

Good day Bermuda,

I would like to echo the Premier’s comments by also acknowledging the incredible achievement of McKenzie-Kohl Tuckett, a 2021 Ministry of Education Scholarship Recipient who spoke in the House of Commons in London on Friday. Ms. Tuckett is a role model for all young Bermudians, and I look forward to actively watching her achieve all that she is destined to.

The Chief Medical Officer, in partnership with the Bermuda Health Council, hosted an event on November 1, 2022 that brought together professionals from health and social care with representatives from the government, the non-profit sector and patient representatives to launch the process of developing Bermuda’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

Almost 200 high school students recently attended Tech Education Day, hosted by the Economic Development Department (EDD), on October 31st. The event, part of Bermuda’s annual Techweek, was sponsored by Nimble, Circle, and Relm. It featured presentations and demonstrations from leaders in the tech and Fintech industries.

The Government of Bermuda London Office confirmed today that a young person from Bermuda spoke to the necessity of cultivating opportunities on-island for young Bermudians in the first ever session of the UK Youth Parliament to feature the British Overseas Territories.

19 year old McKenzie-Kohl Tuckett, Bermuda’s former Youth Premier, spoke to the House of Commons about the importance of Bermudians returning home after education overseas during a special sitting today, 4 November.

Today, the Bermuda Government is pleased toannounce the elimination of the travel authorisation (TA) process three weeks earlier than previously announced, a move which will streamline the overall travel experience for visitors.

 The Department of Public Transportation (DPT) advises that there will be detours in effect for Route 1,2,3,7 and 8  buses due to road closures associated with the World Triathlon. The detours will be in effect on Saturday, November 5^th and Sunday November 6^th. Journey times on all affected routes will be impacted by the detours.

Saturday November 5^th 6:00 am to approximately 2:00pm

“It is crucial for our fathers and all the men in our community to feel supported, understood, and heard,” said the Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP. 

“Earlier this week, I attended the launch of the 5-week Fatherhood Series, hosted by the Child Development Programme.” 

“The first topic was ‘Fathers Stand Up,’ where veteran fathers shared experiences highlighting the importance and benefits of fatherhood while providing specific tips for being an active parent.”

The Customs Department will launch an online auction of imported goods that have been abandoned or seized in order to recover the duty owed on them.

The website www.customs.bm has been established to provide further details on the available items and as a way to submit offers for these items.

Starting today, Thursday, 3 November 2022, and subject to availability, new items will be displayed on the site periodically.

Tomorrow (Nov. 4) the Convening of the Legislature will take place on the Cabinet Lawn, where the Deputy Governor, Mr. Tom Oppenheim will read the Speech from the Throne setting out the Government’s legislative agenda for the year.

Starting at 10.15 a.m. tomorrow morning, members of the public can tune in to watch the ceremony live on CITV (ONECOMM Ch. 2 / WOW Ch. 102), and via the Government’s FaceBook and YouTube pages.

The Cabinet Office today confirmed that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has now postponed the annual Joint Ministerial Council set for next week in London.It 

This meeting of Overseas Territories (OT) Heads of Government with UK Government Ministers ordinarily addresses key issues related to the OTs and provides direct interaction between Heads of Government, OT Ministers, officials and their counterparts in the UK. Following the change in leadership in the UK a Minister of State for the OTs has only been appointed today (November 2)

Government House can advise that Her Excellency the Governor has tested positive for COVID-19. The Governor will continue to work remotely but will not be attending any in-person events or meetings until she receives a negative test result. 

Under Section 19A of the Constitution, the Governor has authorised the Deputy Governor, Mr Tom Oppenheim, to attend the Convening of the Legislature scheduled for Friday 4 November 2022 and to read the Throne Speech on her behalf. 

Under the Consumer Protection Act 1999, Part IV  Section 23 (1), the Office of Consumer Affairs (Consumer Affairs) has undertaken the necessary recall procedures, in co-operation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), following the recall of several cleaning products manufactured by The Clorox Company (“Clorox”).

The recall:

The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors would like to invite the public to express an interest in becoming a member of the Ageing Well Committee.

The Ageing Well Committee is an advisory board that focuses on recommendations for an ageing demographic, including areas of best practice, policies, procedures, and services. 

The committee will be comprised of a maximum of fourteen (14) members, inclusive of the Chairman, appointed by the Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon. Tinee Furbert, JP, MP.

The Department of Parks is pleased to work with Bermudian artist Nicky Gurret in displaying an eye-popping art installation at the Crow Lane roundabout in honour of the upcoming Remembrance Day holiday.

Under the theme “Remember Forever”, Ms Gurret’s public exhibit uses the symbolic red poppy to pay tribute to those who died during past and present wars.

To complete her design, she cut out approximately 1,000 plastic bottles from around the Island, including a large donation from Butterfield and Vallis that were painted red and attached to green sticks to resemble poppies.

As the significant upgrades to Bermuda’s water and sewage infrastructure continue, the Ministry of Public Works today advised that a water main determined to be past its useful life is to be repaired.

“Significant water loss is experienced every minute of every day as a result of this issue and so this work must be carried out to ensure the water supply is more resilient and reliable for area residents and businesses” said Minister of Public Works Col. David Burch.

October 27th is World Occupational Therapy Day, which allows us to highlight the different types of Occupational Therapy (OT) and feature some of the incredible clinicians working under the Department of Health.

Good morning, Your Excellency, Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues, members of the media, ladies, and gentlemen.

This week, as tributes pour in from the community recognizing the life and contributions of Mr. Charles E. Marshall, MBE, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, Dr. Ernest Peets offered the following.