Government

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will recall that on November 12^th, I gave a Ministerial Statement on the 2021/22 Half-Year Performance. I also committed to report to this Honourable House on the updated 2021/22 Revised Estimates of revenues and expenditure, resulting from a detailed 2021/22 Mid-Year performance assessment. Further, I undertook to provide an update on the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Government’s revenues and expenditures for fiscal 2021/22.

Mr Speaker, I rise today to inform this Honourable House of recent travels to London and Brussels, along with the Acting Financial Secretary, as part of the Ministry of Finance’s ongoing program of engagement and advocacy with key stakeholders and trading partners. I will also provide an update on my work last week in New York, as I again provided support to the Bermuda Business Development Agency, in their promotion of Bermuda as a centre of excellence in climate risk finance.

Mr. Speaker, progress in any society can be achieved in several ways. The history of many nations and peoples has shown that the past, no matter how painful or controversial, must be openly and fearlessly addressed. There is no requirement for people to agree a common history as shared experiences are often differently perceived and recalled. However, too much of history has been whispered or unrecorded.

Mr. Speaker,

Introduction

I rise before this Honourable House to provide you with an update on the Process Improvements made within the Department of Immigration under Immigration Reform.  I will speak on:

1. The Process Improvements made;
2. The Automation Project already underway; and
3. The vital policy role of the Board of Immigration moving forward.

Mr. Speaker,

Process Improvements

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 3529 test results, and four were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.1%.

These results are from testing done on:

•        Sunday: 0 positive out of 1020 results (0.0% positivity)

•        Monday: 2 positive out of 1303 results (0.2% positivity)

•        Tuesday: 2 positive out of 1206 results (0.2% positivity)

All four new cases are classified as imported with a history of travel in the previous 14 days.

Recently, the Minister of Labour, the Hon Jason Hayward, JP, MP, and his team attended the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) joint hotelier stakeholder meeting hosted at The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.

The group held roundtable discussions about employment opportunities in the hotels and attracting Bermudians to the industry. They also reviewed the findings from the Hospitality Needs assessment conducted by PwC and will continue holding regular meetings to keep the effort on track.

The Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP was pleased to announce yesterday to school Principals and Administrators that schools have now been shifted into Phase 3 of the COVID-19 Phases for School Protocols, effective Wednesday, December 8^th, 2021.

The Minister said, “We are pleased to see that the work undertaken to get our students back to a normal learning environment is progressing. School staff, principals, parents and students must be commended for their efforts in creating a safe learning community.”

The Flora Duffy Hill sign has been officially installed, the Ministry of Public Works confirmed today.

The public will be aware that the renaming of Corkscrew Hill was part of a series of recognition events to honour Ms. Duffy following her historic Gold Medal achievement at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It should be noted that the name change is in accordance with the Road Renaming Notice under Sections 15 & 16 of the Public Lands Act 1984.

The notice was Officially Gazetted in October.

Yesterday, the Minister of National Security, the Hon. Renee Ming recognized the incredible bravery of two very special children during the inaugural Fire Service Community Heroism Awards ceremony.

The event, which took place at the Hamilton Fire Station, was organised by the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service. And it was an opportunity to honour the Oduntan family who averted a tragedy when Mrs. Yemi Oduntan and children Zoe and Eli Oduntan (ages 9 and 6 respectively) jumped into action to save the life of their father during a near drowning incident earlier this year.

Today the Head of the Public Service, Dr Derrick Binns, announced the appointment of Malika D. Cartwright MSc, BSc, as the Director for the Department of Workforce Development.

 Mrs Cartwright assumed the post-effective Monday, November 1, 2021.

 Mrs Cartwright will report to the Ministry of Labour, Permanent Secretary, Mr Collin Anderson. 

The Ministry of Public works is pleased to advise that work will resume tomorrow to complete the structural repairs to the section of Harbour Road, between Lover’s Lane and Highwood Lane. Agreements have been finalised with the area resident this week, allowing for the work to get underway.

Acting Minister for Public Works Wayne Furbert added, “I really want to thank the motoring public for their patience and understanding while the necessary talks with an area resident were completed.

Good afternoon members of the media, 

In March of this year, during the Budget debate, I announced that as part of the Government’s commitment to protecting the island’s environment, the Ministry of Transport is starting by purchasing 30 electric buses.  

We purchased the new buses from Golden Dragon Bus Company Ltd in China during the summer. The Company recently completed the pre-delivery inspections and is currently preparing the buses to be shipped from Shanghai to Bermuda. 

With only a few weeks to go until Christmas, holiday parties will be taking place all over the island, which is why the Bermuda Road Safety Council’s slogan for December is – 

Designated Driver/Designate your Driver. 

A designated driver is crucial for everyone to have a safe holiday now more than any other time of the year. Designated drivers are an integral part of keeping roads safe, and by educating friends and family, we can work together to lower the number of accidents and even deaths. 

[Slide 1] Good Afternoon Bermuda,

[Slide 2] I am pleased to share with you an update of Bermuda’s current ability to detect new coronavirus variants.

[Slide 3] To recap, as of March 2021 Bermuda can identify certain strains using a 1 hr PCR test. Currently, MDL has 7 different tests that targets 9 different possible mutations within the S gene of the virus. The limitation is that these tests only look at 9 positions and not the entire genetic sequence.

Good afternoon.

I am joined today by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ayoola Oyinloye, and Dr Carika Weldon, Director of the Bermuda Molecular Diagnostics & Research Laboratory.

Bermuda currently has 31 active cases, all of which are persons under public health monitoring, with no-one in the hospital.

Of the active cases:

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 6109 test results, and 9 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.1%.
These results are from testing done on:

·                  Wednesday: 2 positive out of 1455 results (0.1% positivity)

·                  Thursday: 3 positive out of 2071 results (0.1% positivity)

·                  Friday: 0 positive out of 1697 results (0.0% positivity)

·                  Saturday: 4 positive out of 886 results (0.5% positivity)

~ Public encouraged to support local talent at safely distanced midday concert ~

On Friday, December 17, the Department of Culture will host a special holiday version of the popular Creatives Live! open air concert series, featuring the Bermuda Carolers.

Taking place on the steps of City Hall steps – this midday musical event is aimed at showcasing and supporting Bermuda’s talented artists. 

Next Friday’s special edition of Creatives Live! will showcase the songs of the season from 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm.

~ Slight decline in retail sales volume compared to 2020, value of purchases remains steady~

Today, the Cabinet Office released the August 2021 Retail Sales Index (RSI).

While August’s retail sales volume saw a slight decline of 2.9% compared to last year,  in value terms, retail sales remained unchanged at an estimated $99.6 million compared to last year (August 2020). There were some positive retail sales increases in a couple of sectors with the construction industry contributing a 16.0% jump in sales at Building Material stores.

Acting Minister of Public Works Wayne Furbert today confirmed that landfilling at Marsh Folly will end following a successful weekend’s trial of the repaired Unit at Tynes Bay. The Ministers said: “The single burner, which was returned to service last week continued to operate this weekend without any mechanical issues. This news means refuse collected can now be transported to the Tynes Bay facility and not to  Marsh Folly.”   

Acting Minister for National Security Tinee Furbert expressed concern following the stabbing that took place late yesterday afternoon on South Road near the Southampton Rangers Sports Club stating, “The reports of last night’s stabbing, which has left someone with serious injuries, is very concerning. We are mere weeks away from the Christmas holiday and have another incident of callous disregard for human life.  I strongly urge anyone who may have seen the incident happen, and or witnessed persons leaving the scene, to share what they know with Police.

Earlier today, the Acting Minister of Public Works, the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP, visited the Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility to receive a status update on the progress being made.

Mr. Nasir Wade, Plant Manager at Tynes Bay, briefed the Minister on the single functioning burner, the clearing of the tipping hall, the repair of the baling machine and when household waste can resume being processed at the facility.

The United States Government announced yesterday (December 2) that effective December 6, the United States will tighten pre-departure COVID-19 testing protocols by requiring all inbound international travellers to test within 24 hours of departure globally, regardless of nationality or vaccination status. To meet this requirement, through the MDL lab, the Ministry of Health will provide a quick turnaround of antigen test result certification beginning on December 5.

The Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP, MP, encourages all residents to get a flu shot to help contain the risks of influenza in the upcoming season.

Today, Minister Wilson received her annual flu shot at the Flu Express at National Stadium. The seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine is available for priority groups through their doctor or the Flu Express at the cost of $15.00 per shot (for both adults and children). Persons over the age of 65 will receive the seasonal flu vaccine free of charge.