Government

“I join the community in condemning this weekend’s broad daylight shooting in St. David’s, which has left a young man in hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. I extend my thoughts to the victim and his family.

 “This shooting incident was very concerning, particularly as it happened with bystanders nearby and I can appreciate their distress and concern. We are asking for the public’s assistance and cooperation in this latest shooting incident. Please share any information with the Police.  

“The next two days will hurt those who can least afford it.” said Acting Premier Walter Roban, JP,MP on the eve of a two day work stoppage called for by the leadership of the Bermuda Industrial Union. “Families will be under more pressure, working women and men will have added stress and businesses will be faced with even more uncertainty. All of this at a time when we are doing our utmost to get people back to work, to move beyond the pandemic which has had a devastating impact on everyone’s finances and personal well-being.”

The Department of Planning will host an online panel discussion entitled “Draft North East Hamilton Local Plan 2021” on Thursday, 2 September at 6:00 p.m. live on Facebook, YouTube and CITV. 

The Ministry of Health received 8703 test results since the last update, and 52 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.6%. 

These results are from testing done on:

·Monday, August 23: 16 positive out of 2411 results (0.7% positivity)

·Tuesday, August 24: 17 positive out of 2710 results (0.6% positivity)

·Wednesday, August 25: 19 positive out of 3582 results (0.5% positivity)

10 of the new cases are classified as imported with history of travel in the previous 14 days, with details as follows:

A Government spokesman today advised that as there is no labour dispute any action taken, including any proposed work stoppage or strike is unlawful. Section 87 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act makes the position clear.

The Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon. Tinee Furbert, JP, MP, recently had the opportunity to attend The Family Centre’s Youth Leadership Academy’s Annual “Foundations Social Change Projects” Presentation.

Minister Furbert expressed, “Thank you to the Family Centre Team for creating this avenue for our youth.

“I applaud the youth who organised and participated in this presentation. It is not an easy task to build the confidence to present in front of others. Still, you all thoroughly presented with enthusiasm and brilliance.

Today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP, released the May 2021 Retail Sales report, which indicated that the overall volume of local retail sales increased by 10.4% year-over-year.  

May’s retail sales growth represents the 11^th straight month of increase.

“Bermuda’s trade with non-residents resulted in a $303 million surplus for the first quarter of 2021, increasing $98 million from a year ago. This increase was mainly due to a decrease in payments to non-residents which was larger than the fall in receipts from non-residents,” said the Minister for the Cabinet Office the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP, in releasing the 2021 Q1 Balance of Payments & International Investment Position publication from the Department of Statistics.

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

“The horrific impact of plastic on the environment is a global issue. In the era of the manifested impact of climate change, Bermuda must consistently act to preserve its oceans. To this end, single-use plastics will be eliminated by 2022, and the intervening years will be spent educating the community about recycling and reusable items and encouraging greater sensitivity to the ocean and its importance to our lives.” 

That is a quote from the 2018 Speech from the Throne. 

Today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Hon. Wayne Furbert released the April 2021 Retail Sales report. 

In April, the overall volume of local retail sales increased by 23.3% year-over-year.

In value terms, retail sales rose 25.4% to an estimated $82.5 million.  

April’s retail sales increase compares to the previous year’s local retail sales which reported a volume decrease of 28.9% due largely to the pandemic, as outlined in the Department of Statistics’ April 2021 Retail Sales report.

I take this opportunity to reiterate the Government of Bermuda’s position regarding the decertification procedure according to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 2021 (“the Act”).

The Act has brought about significant changes to the administration of labour and union-related matters within Bermuda, the majority of which specifically benefit the Unions and their membership. 

The Department of Education is expanding the preschool Bright Start Programme for 3 year old children during the 2021/2022 school year. 

This programme was introduced in alignment with Plan 2022 strategy 2.4, which calls for the expansion of preschool spaces to include children who are 3 years of age.  The programme has been run as a pilot programme at the Warwick Preschool for the last 3 years.

Through a joint partnership with the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and the Bermuda Cricket Board, individuals attending cricket matches will have the opportunity to complete a signup form provided as they enter, to obtain employment and career advancement opportunities and training facilitated by the DWD. 

The Ministry of Health received 9972 test results since the last update, and 42 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.4%. 

These results are from testing done on:

·Thursday, August 19: 16 positive out of 2931 results (0.5% positivity)

·Friday, August 20: 15 positive out of 2906 results (0.5% positivity)

·Saturday, August 21: 9 positive out of 2375 results (0.4% positivity)

·Sunday, August 22: 2 positive out of 1760 results (0.1% positivity)

The Department of Culture is advising of tomorrow’s (August 25) Bermudian Heartbeats event: A Visible Minority: Asian Diasporas in Bermuda.
 
And the Department is encouraging members of the public to join the discussion on Asian identity in Bermuda. Taking place 6.00 p.m. at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) panelists include Professor Anthony Ocampo, Gracie Edwards, Liana Hall and Dany Pen.
 

“This is welcoming news as we continue to provide the COVID-19 vaccine for a safer community,” commented Kim Wilson, JP, MP, Minister of Health, following the announcement that Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine wins full FDA approval.  “This is excellent news for those individuals who have delayed getting vaccinated until the FDA fully approved the vaccine.”