Bermuda News Updates

News Release: HAMILTON, Bermuda – The United States CDC has changed Bermuda’s country classification from ‘Alert Level 2: Moderate Risk’ to ‘No Travel Health Notice: Covid-19 Risk is Very Low’, the US Consulate announced today.

This is, in effect, the best ranking the CDC can give a jurisdiction as their system uses 4-tiers; Level 3 is high risk, Level 2 moderate, Level 1 is low risk, and then they have a ‘No Travel Health Notice, Very Low Risk’ tier, which Bermuda is now classified as.

The CDC has changed Bermuda’s country classification from ‘Alert Level 2: Moderate Risk’ to ‘No Travel Health Notice: COVID-19 Risk is Very Low’.

US Consul General to Bermuda Lee Rizzuto said: “The U.S Consulate has been heavily engaged on this issue, advocating for the island’s safety and highlighting protocols implemented by the Government of Bermuda to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The extensive protocols and testing regime continue to make the island safe for travelers and residents.

“The Government of Bermuda is doing an incredible job managing the island’s safety, and we’re happy to announce the CDC’s adjustment to the country classification in light of Bermuda’s low risk assessment.

“The removal from the Travel Health Advisory List is beneficial to the island as the Government, Tourism and International Business sectors seek to attract more visitors to the island.”

All US citizens are advised to read country specific Travel Advisories and US Embassy and Consulate COVID-19 pages for updates on the impact of the virus worldwide. We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. Visit the CDC’s website for more information.

US citizens are encouraged to stay informed and follow updates on Travel.state.gov and to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program [STEP] to receive timely Alerts about evolving health and safety conditions in their planned destinations. Official guidance for visitors can be found on the Government of Bermuda’s website.”

The change was welcomed as a “very positive assessment” by Bermuda Tourism Authority Interim CEO Glenn Jones, who said it “underscores Bermuda’s robust health and safety record on managing the pandemic over the past eight months”.

“Bermuda is one of the safest places in the world right now, thanks to diligent testing and contact-tracing protocols. Surveys found half our visitors chose Bermuda for that reason and an overwhelming 94 percent feel safe or very safe here,” he said.

“We welcome all travellers to visit our island safely and responsibly.”

Minister of Transport Lawrence Scott visited Dockyard for the “official handover” of Bermuda’s two newest tugs this month.

The new Powerful and Faithful are fuel-efficient Damen ASD 2811 Azimuth Stern Drive tugs to replace the old tugs, which were 31 and 32-years-old respectively.

They arrived in Bermuda onboard the special heavy lift ship M/V Anne-Sofie on September 26.

The Minister was joined “on his familiarisation tour by Marine and Ports Services’ personnel, including the Director of Marine and Ports Services Rudolph Cann; Department of Marine & Ports Services Fleet Manager Jean Lemaire as well as Mr Romans Maksjutovs – an engineer from the tugs’ manufacturer, Damen.

Mr Scott said the two new tugs “are impressive vessels and a welcome addition to the Marine and Ports Services’ fleet”.

He also acknowledged former Minister Zane DeSilva, “who was instrumental in negotiating the deal that allowed for their purchase”.

• Top Feature Photo: Minister of Transport Lawrence Scott; Marine and Ports Services Tugboat Captains Dale Brangman, Melvin Martin and Donald McMahon; Damen engineer Romans Maksjutovs

Hard on the heels of a party at Somerset Cricket Club that ended up with a fight that escalated to a fatal stabbing incident, Minister of National Security, Renée Ming reinforced “some of the guidelines for large group gatherings”.

Speaking at a news conference held this afternoon, the Minister said: “I think it’s becoming critically important to reinforce some of the guidelines for large group gatherings and the approval process for such events.

“Additionally, we have seen a number of events and activities taking place over the last few months, and there has been concerns raised that individuals at these events are not following the appropriate guidelines,” she added.

“But before I speak to this, I wish to once again take this opportunity to extend condolences to the family of the young man who was killed this weekend.

“As a mother of a son, I cannot imagine the hurt, the pain and the grief that this young man’s mother must be going through.

“This is such an unnecessary tragedy and again my heart truly goes out to this family during this extremely difficult time. I also take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest possible terms, the gun violence which took place in the Pembroke Park area this weekend.

“I met with the Police Commissioner earlier today to discuss all of this weekend’s violent activities and I am satisfied that all the necessary resources are being dedicated to bringing the perpetrators to justice,” she said.

“You also will have heard at the Police Press Conference earlier today that they are taking these events extremely seriously and they’re asking for the public’s support in their investigative efforts.

“As the Minister of National Security, I’m also making a plea to our community to please come together to help stamp out these acts of violence.

“This year sadly, we have recorded six murders. Two by fire arms, and this weekend’s fatal stabbing is the fourth stabbing murder this year.

“We cannot continue on in this way Bermuda. As I said in my message over the weekend, we must do better.”

Ms Ming also appealed to anyone who has “any information about this weekend’s stabbing fatality and fire arms incident, no matter how insignificant you think it is” to “please share what you know with the Police by calling 295-0011 or dialing 2-11”.

“You can also call the anonymous Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800 8477.”

On the issue of large group gatherings, social distancing; or the lack thereof, the Minister said: “Bermuda simply put… COVID-19 continues to be with us, and I’m urging residents not to become complacent.

“As a reminder, we all have a responsibility to do what we can to mitigate and limit the spread of the virus and comply with the policies in place.

“Regarding large group gatherings, it should be noted that the Public Health [COVID-19 Emergency Powers] Regulations [No. 2] 2020 prohibits any person from assembling in a group of more than 75 persons for any reason in any public or private place.

“And if you’re planning to have an event where more than 75 people will assemble, you must apply to the Ministry/Minister of National Security for an exemption.

“The Regulations also require all persons to take all reasonable precautions to maintain “appropriate physical distancing” at all times in any public or private place.”

She also provided a list of “specific reminders of the application and approval process” already in place:

• 1. Applications should be submitted by email to the Ministry of National Security at emogroup@gov.bm.

• 2. The application is reviewed against the following guidelines:
  • a. Venue dimensions.
  • b. The WHO / CDC guidelines.
  • c. Mass Gathering Guidelines which are found at government website and in this document.
  • d. Input from the Department of Health.
  • e. The applicant’s plan to address minimizing COVID-19 spread – this includes the type of event and having the required security at the event; and
  • f. The status of COVID-19 in community.

• 3. Lastly applicants should expect an approval by 10 business days, from date of application, provided there are no questions regarding the application.

Moving forward she said: “The Ministry of National Security is willing to work with any individual or entity who is wishes to hold a gathering of more than 75 people.

“However there must be a degree of responsibility on the part of the host or host organisations.

“Again Bermuda, we have managed this pandemic extremely well, thanks in large part to the health guidance and recommendations put in place, and we have done well to enforce these guidelines and polices.

“We are about to enter the cooler months and leading health experts and organisations are predicting a surge in those contracting COVID-19.

“We are already seeing this play out in the UK, Europe and the US,” said Ms Ming.

“So we’re asking people to please continue to follow the health guidelines in place to protect you and your families.

“This includes wearing a mask, hand sanitizing and maintaining the appropriate physical distancing.

“And finally, if you are in attendance at any establishment or location around the island and see any breaches of the COVID-19 regulations by persons or businesses – please do not hesitate to call 2-11 to report the violations.”

Police today named the man who tragically lost his life in a fatal stabbing incident on Sunday (October 25).

Daunte Woods, 27, died as result of a stab wound to his chest in a fight near Somerset Cricket Club.

Police responded to the scene shortly before 2am to find the victim lying on the ground outside of Bo’s Lawn Shop around 2:20am.

He was later pronounced dead by Emergency Room doctors at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Another 20-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen in that same disturbance that started inside the Somerset Cricket Club.

His death marked the sixth murder in Bermuda this year, marking the fourth fatal stabbing along with two gun murders.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Antoine Daniels pointed up what he termed the “tragic trend” of young men carrying knives for protection or as an offensive weapon.

He also stated that knives have become more popular due to the restricted access to guns in Bermuda.

To date, there have been more than 20 serious stabbing incidents on record for the year that resulted in wounding and attempted murder.

In the days ahead, he said there will be a stepped up police presence on the streets both “night and day throughout the coming days and weeks”.

He also stressed that “without information it makes it more difficult to resolve these quite serious crimes”, while he encouraged members of the public to “stand together” to help police tackle the prevalence of violent crime in Bermuda.

People should be “responsible and vigilant”, said Mr Daniels, who urged members of the community not to become desensitised to violence.

“There’s only a small minority of persons that are committing these acts – if we all stand together as a larger group I think we can remove this and prevent it from destabilising our society,” he said.

A Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to the Woods family “during this difficult time”, as police treating the death of Mr Woods as a murder investigation.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues into the shooting incident on Friday night (October 23) that left two men – both in their twenties with multiple gunshot wounds to their lower extremities.

They remain in hospital in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

That incident, which is thought to be gang-related, occurred on Pembroke Park Lane in Pembroke.

Mr Smith said the shooting was carried out by a lone gunman, who was riding a dark coloured motorcycle. The suspect fled east on St John’s Road towards Gorham’s.

He was said to be 5ft 8in tall, of slim to medium build, wearing a “fluorescent-type jacket”.

News Release: HAMILTON, Bermuda – Earlier today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Wayne Furbert joined representatives from AF Smith Ltd. and the Bermuda Post Office to announce a new and updated franking method.

Today’s official launch of the FRAMA franking meters took place at AF Smith offices. Speakers included, AF Smith VP Technology Mr Ian Nash, the Acting Post Master General Susan Moore Williams, and Head of Marketing, Af Smith – Ms Morgan Smith.

“Our partnership with AF Smith underscore’s our commitment to making your processing of incoming and outgoing mail as simple as possible,” said Mr Furbert.

“The launch of Frama franking systems enables us to further enhance services and grow revenue for businesses in Bermuda.

“The Bermuda Post Office as a trusted brand is well positioned to always deliver the right services at affordable prices to meet today’s business needs.”

The company’s Technology VP, Ian Nash added: “In successful collaboration with Frama, we have received the official postal approval from the Postmaster General for the introduction of the Matrix F Series range of franking systems in Bermuda.”

As the “provider of sales, maintenance and repairs of franking machines in Bermuda”, the company is also “the sole distributor of all Frama products for the entire Caribbean and Latin America”.

“Depending on the size of your business, we can provide you with a franking machine that ranges from a small office with minimal mail to larger company with mass mailing each month,” he said.

“When sending written communication, franked post has proven more beneficial than standard post over the years, especially with regards to costs, security, convenience, time-saving, and delivery speed. With a franking machine, businesses and entrepreneurs get to prepay for their postage costs, insert a date, and affix a customized business image before having the post

collected or dropped off at a local post office.

“Post sent via a franking machine is given more priority compared to standard letters or parcels. This is because much of the processing has already been handled by the time it gets to the post office. For your business, this only means faster handling and quicker delivery times.

Acting Postmaster General, Ms Susan Moore-Williams said: “The synergy of our newly combined services will deliver enhanced

solutions for professional communication combined with high efficiency and ease of use for our customers and the Bermuda Business market.

“The partnership between the Bermuda Post Office and AF Smith is a perfect combination to unlock further potential for a qualified approach in B2B and B2C communication.

“As current customers transition over to the new technology, the Bermuda Post Office will be de–certifying all Pitney Bowes, Postage by Phone franking meters which had an end of life for meter refills as of December 31st, 2019,in keeping with revenue protection initiatives and global trends in postage meter technology.

“All Pitney Bowes, Postage by Phone franking meters should be off-market with meters surrendered to the Bermuda Post Office by September 1st, 2020, for customers to receive a transfer or refund for any possible unused funds still remaining in the

meter,” she added.

“The Bermuda Post Office as part of the de-certification process will not refund any unused funds remaining in de-certified meters after September 1st, 2020. Any de-certified meter found to be in operations after September 1st, 2020 will be seized for revenue protection as stated in license agreements and in keeping with the Post Office Act 1900 and Regulation 1933.

“The Bermuda Post Office appreciates its postage meter customer ’who see the benefits of being able to produce their postage stamps at their convenience.”

In closing, she said: “This initiative will allow you the opportunity to contact your vendor of postage meters to transfer any remaining funds to a new meter or collect the unused funds.

“The Bermuda Post Office is delighted to be partnering with AF Smith on an initiative which provides customers access to the best postal technology tailored to suit individual business needs.”

Associated Press: YONKERS, NY – With eight days before Election Day, more people already have cast ballots in this year’s presidential election than voted early or absentee in the 2016 race as the start of in-person early voting in big states led to a surge in turnout in recent days.Preview (opens in a new tab)

The opening of early voting locations in Florida, Texas and elsewhere has piled millions of new votes on top of the mail ballots arriving at election offices as voters try to avoid crowded places on Nov 3 during the coronavirus pandemic.

The result is a total of 58.6 million ballots cast so far, more than the 58 million that The Associated Press logged as being cast through the mail or at in-person early voting sites in 2016.

Democrats have continued to dominate the initial balloting, but Republicans are narrowing the gap. GOP voters have begun to show up at early in-person voting, a sign that many heeded President Donald Trump’s unfounded warnings about mail-voting fraud.

On October 15, Democrats registrants cast 51% of all ballots reported, compared with 25% from Republicans. On Sunday, Democrats had a slightly smaller lead, 51% to 31%.

The early vote totals, reported by state and local election officials and tracked by the AP, are an imperfect indicator of which party may be leading. The data only shows party registration, not which candidate voters support. Most GOP voters are expected to vote on Election Day.

Analysts said the still sizable Democratic turnout puts extra pressure on the Republican Party to push its voters out in the final week and on Nov 3. That’s especially clear in closely contested states such as Florida, Nevada and North Carolina.

“This is a glass half-full, glass half-empty situation,” said John Couvillon, a Republican pollster who tracks early voting closely. “They’re showing up more,” he added, but “Republicans need to rapidly narrow that gap.”

In Florida, for example, Democrats have outvoted Republicans by a 596,000 margin by mail, while Republicans only have a 230,000 edge in person. In Nevada, where Democrats usually dominate in-person early voting but the state decided to send a mail ballot to every voter this year, the GOP has a 42,600 voter edge in-person while Democrats have an 97,500 advantage in mail ballots.

“At some point, Republicans have to vote,” said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political scientist who tracks early voting on ElectProject.org. “You can’t force everyone through a vote center on Election Day. Are you going to expect all those Republicans to stand in line for eight hours?”

Campaigns typically push their voters to cast ballots early so they can focus scarce resources chasing more marginal voters as the days tick down to Election Day. That usually saves them money on mailers and digital ads — something the cash-strapped Trump campaign would likely want — and minimizes the impact of late surprises that could change the race.

Trump’s campaign has been pushing its voters to cast ballots early, but with limited success, delighting Democrats. “We see the Trump campaign, the RNC (Republican National Committee) and their state parties urging Trump’s supporters to vote by mail while the president’s Twitter account says it’s a fraud,” Tom Bonier, a Democratic data analyst, said on a recent call with reporters. “The Twitter account is going to win every time.”

But Bonier warned that he does not expect a one-sided election. “There are signs of Republicans being engaged,” he said. “We do expect them to come out in very high numbers on Election Day.”

That split in voting behavior — Democrats voting early, Republicans on Election Day — has led some Democrats to worry about Trump declaring victory because early votes are counted last in Rust Belt battlegrounds. But they’re counted swiftly in swing states such as Arizona, Florida and North Carolina, which may balance out which party seems ahead on election night.

Some of the record-setting turnout has led to long lines at early-vote locations, and there have been occasional examples of voters receiving mail ballots that are incorrectly formatted. But on a whole, voting has gone relatively smoothly. With more than one-third of the 150 million ballots that experts predict will be cast in the election, there have been no armed confrontations at polling places or massive disenfranchisement that have worried election experts for months.

One sign of enthusiasm is the large number of new or infrequent voters who have already voted — 25% of the total cast, according to an AP analysis of data from the political data firm L2. Those voters are younger than a typical voter and less likely to be white. So far similar shares of them are registering Democratic and Republican.

They have helped contribute to enormous turnouts in states such as Georgia, where 26.3% of the people who’ve voted are new or infrequent voters, and Texas, which is expected to set turnout record and where 30.5% are new or infrequent voters.

The strong share of new and infrequent voters in the early vote is part of what leads analysts to predict more than 150 million total votes will be cast and possibly the highest turnout in a U.S. presidential election since 1908.

“There’s a huge chunk of voters who didn’t cast ballots in 2016,” Bonier said. “They’re the best sign of intensity at this point.”

• Top Feature Photo: Voters line up in front of the Yonkers Public Library in Yonkers, NY, on Saturday, Oct 24, 2020 as the first day of early voting in the presidential election begins across New York state – Mark Vergari/The Journal News via AP

Associated Press: VATICAN CITY, Rome — Pope Francis on Sunday named 13 new cardinals, including Washington DC Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who would become the first Black US prelate to earn the coveted red hat.

In a surprise announcement from his studio window to faithful standing below in St Peter’s Square, Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on November 28.

Francis asked for prayers so the new cardinals “may help me in my ministry as bishop of Rome for the good of all God’s faithful holy people.”

The selection of Gregory won praise from LGBTQ advocates in the United States, days after Pope Francis grabbed headlines for voicing support for civil unions for gay couples.

Other new cardinals include an Italian who is the long-time papal preacher at the Vatican, the Rev Raniero Cantalamessa, who is a Franciscan friar; the Kigali, Rwanda, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; the Capiz, Philippines, Archbishop Jose Feurte Advincula, and the Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco.

Another Franciscan who was tapped is Friar Mauro Gambetti, in charge of the Sacred Convent in Assisi. The pope, when elected in 2013, chose St Francis of Assisi as his namesake saint. Earlier this month, the pontiff

journeyed to that hill town in Umbria to sign an encyclical, or important church teaching document, about brotherhood.

Gambetti was so surprised, at first he thought the pope was joking when he heard he was named, convent spokesperson the Rev Enzo Fortunato said. Gambetti quickly pledged to “put himself at the service of humanity at a time so difficult to us all,” including offering compassion to the needy, Fortunato said in reference to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a reflection of the pope’s stress on helping those in need, Francis also named the former director of the Rome Catholic charity, Caritas, the Rev Enrico Feroci, to be a cardinal.

The prestigious Washington archdiocese traditionally brings elevation to cardinal’s rank, so the appointment of Gregory, 73, last year by the pope had positioned him to be tapped for the honor.

Still, the timing of his rise to cardinal is noteworthy, coming in the thick of increased US attention on racial injustice following the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minnesota this year. Gregory was publicly critical of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the St John Paul II National Shrine in Washington a day after civil rights demonstrators were forcibly cleared from a square to facilitate the president’s visit to an Episcopal church in the US capital.

Gregory has had his pulse on factions in the US Catholic Church, which has both strong conservative and liberal veins since he served three times as the head of the US Conference of Bishops.

Conservative prelates in the United States have openly lambasted Francis for his more liberal stands, including his support for same-sex civil unions that came out in a new documentary this week.

Gregory said in a statement that becoming a cardinal would allow him to work more closely with the pontiff in caring for the Catholic Church.

While Gregory headed the Atlanta diocese earlier in his career, he wrote positively in a column about his conversations with Catholic parents of LGBTQ children. An advocate for LGBTQ Catholics, Francis DeBernardo, told The Associated Press that choosing Gregory for a cardinal’s post signals Francis wants “LGBTQ people to be part of the church, and he wants church people to respect them.”

DeBernardo linked the appointment to Francis’ recently reported comments supporting civil unions for same-sex couples.

He also praised the elevation to cardinal’s rank of a Vatican bishop who comes from Malta, a tiny, traditionally Catholic nation which has made significant progress in LGBTQ civil rights and protections in recent years.

DeBernardo was referring to Mario Grech, 63, who serves at the Vatican as secretary general of the Synod of Bishops office and who formerly headed the diocese on the Maltese island of Gozo.

“Since naming cardinals also affects who the next pontiff will be, the pope also shows that he is planning for the future of the church to continue in this affirming posture on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity,” the U.S.-based DeBernardo said in a written statement.

Not all of the pope’s picks might stir positive recollections.

In 2010, while preaching at a Good Friday service attended by the then-pope, Benedict XVI, Cantalamessa upset both Jewish and sex abuse survivors’ groups when he likened allegations that the pontiff had covered up sex abuse cases against clerics to the “more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.” The Vatican quickly distanced Benedict from Cantalamessa’s remarks.

Nine of the new cardinals are younger than 80, and thus eligible to elect the next pontiff in a secret conclave. Some cardinals head powerful Vatican offices, and pontiffs frequently turn to cardinals for advice.

No details were immediately given by the Vatican about the formal ceremony to make the churchmen cardinals, especially in view of travel restrictions involving many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As he has in other groups of cardinals he tapped in his papacy, Francis in this selection reflected the global nature of the Catholic Church and his flock of 1.2 billion Catholics.

Others receiving the honor include Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, an Italian serving as prefect of the Vatican office which runs the saint-making process; Bishop Cornelius Sim, a Brunei native who serves as apostolic vicar of Brunei; the Italian archbishop of Siena and nearby towns in Tuscany, Augusto Lojudice; the retired bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, Monsignor Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel; and an Italian former Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi.

Churchmen over 80 who are named cardinals are chosen to honor their life of service to the church. Those in this batch too old to vote in a conclave are Cantalamessa, Tomasi, Feroci and Arizmendi Esquivel.

• Top Feature Photo: In this Sunday Oct 6, 2019, file photo, Washington DC Archbishop Wilton Gregory greets churchgoers at St Mathews Cathedral after the annual Red Mass in Washington. Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct 25, 2020, named 13 new cardinals, including Washington DC Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who would become the first Black US prelate to earn the coveted red hat. In a surprise announcement from his studio window to faithful standing below in St Peter’s Square, Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on Nov 28 – AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File

New York Daily News: MANHATTAN, NY – Protesters hollered curses at former mayor Rudy Giuliani in Times Square, and hurled eggs at a caravan of Trump supporters driving through the city Sunday afternoon.

The caravan crawl eventually sparked a flareup that ended with fistfights, pepper-spray and seven arrests.

“You f—ing suck!” protesters scream as Giuliani rolls past them in the passenger seat of a black SUV, his window open, video posted on Twitter shows. At one point, he calls out to a nearby officer, “Lieutenant!” as he passes through.

Giuliani told the Daily News he wasn’t part of the “Jews for Trump” caravan that drove through Times Square. Instead, he was on his way home from a radio appearance.

“They recognized me,” said Giuliani, the president’s private lawyer. “They yelled the F-word in a number of different variations. I told them they were being so articulate.”

He said his car wasn’t struck by any eggs.

Members of the pro-Trump caravan clashed with counter-protesters just before 2:30 p.m. in a confrontation that devolved into a series of skirmishes, cops said. Members of both camps claimed on social media they were assaulted.

“A fight broke out at the MAGA/ Proud Boys rally in Times Square. A Trump supporter can be seen swinging a baton at counter-protesters,” wrote @protest_nyc, a Twitter account that chronicles Black Lives Matter protests in the city.

In all, police arrested five men and two women on a variety of charges.

• Top Feature Photo: Officers create a physical barrier at a Times Square march and rally for President Trump between the president’s supporters and critics Sunday – David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

News Release: ST GEORGE’S, Bermuda – Skyport, Aecon, the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and the Bermuda Airport Authority today announced that Substantial Completion has been achieved on Bermuda’s new Airport Terminal Facility at the LF Wade International Airport.

Aaron Adderley, President, Bermuda Skyport, says: “Achieving this milestone would not have been possible without the dedicated construction personnel who have proudly and tirelessly worked on the site for the past three and half years and to whom we extend our sincere appreciation.

Over the past six months, the workforce, a majority of which were Bermudian, remained focused even during a global pandemic and two hurricanes. The near $300 million terminal, built with expert craftmanship, by Bermudians and owned by Bermudians, will help foster an enhanced traveller experience for generations to come.”

The new, purpose-built Airport Terminal will officially open for operations on December 9, 2020.

The 288,000 square foot facility will provide for improved passenger processing; increased passenger capacity; greater resilience to extreme weather conditions; modern amenities and infrastructure; greater energy efficiencies; enhanced security; enhanced specialty retail and food & beverage outlets; and covered, passenger jet bridges.

Lester Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of the Bermuda Airport Authority, says: ”The Airport Authority, as the owner of the LF Wade International Airport, is very pleased this complex project has achieved substantial completion in a year that has had many challenges. The Authority appreciates the hard work and collaboration by all those involved in the project including the Airport Authority’s team and technical advisor, Stantec, Skyport, Aecon, CCC, construction workers and Government Stakeholders.

The new terminal will also enable Bermuda to comply with the latest, most-advanced US facility requirements for Pre-Clearance. Pre-Clearance allows for US bound passengers to clear US Customs and Immigration in Bermuda, instead of on arrival in the US where longer lines often exist. This service, present in Bermuda for nearly 50 years, is extremely beneficial to passengers and provides the island with a competitive advantage when seeking new air services to and from the United States.

There were 885 Bermudians who worked on the site over the course of the airport redevelopment project, which began in March 2017 and a total of 1.6 million construction manhours. Additionally, the project engaged almost 400 Bermudian companies, vendors and suppliers in what became an extraordinary collaboration of local and international efforts.

Steve Nackan, President, Aecon Concessions, the project’s developer and financier, says: “The Aecon team is proud to have worked alongside so many talented Bermudians to deliver this world-class airport for Bermuda. Completing construction on this critical infrastructure project is a remarkable accomplishment and we thank the Government of Bermuda, the Canadian Commercial Corporation, our lenders and all the individuals that have contributed to this success. We are a proud investor in Bermuda – in this critical infrastructure project, but also through ongoing social investments to positively impact Bermuda’s economy.”

Ernie Briard, Interim President & CEO of CCC, highlights: “This is an important milestone in the shared history between our two countries. We are grateful to the people of Bermuda and the Bermuda Airport Authority for placing their trust in Aecon and CCC. The people of Bermuda will soon have a modern international airport that reflects their identity and their aspirations for economic prosperity. The Government of Canada, through CCC, is extremely proud to have partnered with the Government of Bermuda in this critical infrastructure endeavour, and we know that our friendship has been formidably strengthened throughout this project.

The completion – a critical milestone, allowed the next phase of the project of the project to commence earlier this month which involves operational trials and testing of integrated airport systems to ensure the facility is ready to welcome passengers for opening day.

In follow up to the Bermuda Real report published on Friday (October 23) the Bermuda Electric Light Company’s (Belco) spokesman has confirmed the dispute over non-payment of overtime incurred to restore power stripped by Hurricane Paulette.

We reported that workers downed tools shortly after 12 noon when those funds did not show up in the accounts of countless crewmen, who worked around the clock to restore power in the wake of the storm in September.

Now just days away from another month – November, the company spokesman issued a one-paragraph statement in response to our request for an official comment.

“Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (“Belco”) management is very appreciative of the dedication and hard work of all its crews in getting power restored to its customers following Hurricane Paulette,” he said.

“Members of the Electricity Supply Trade Union (the “ESTU”) attended a members meeting with the consent of management.

“Discussions are ongoing between management and the ESTU in relation to overtime pay during Hurricane Paulette restoration.

But he said: “Out of respect for those discussions and the ESTU, BELCO has no further comment on such discussions.”

What that means in terms of when the workers will receive the monies owed remains unknown.

Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Bermuda Real that the unionized tradesmen were thoroughly disgusted that they have yet to be paid after working around the clock to restore power to thousands of customers last month.

Members of the ESTU marched to Bermuda Industrial Union headquarters to discuss the issue.

Hurricane Paulette caused power outages across the island back in September, leaving 22,847 customers without power.

They were commended by Government officials for the quick restoration of power in the wake of the storm. As for when they will get paid for the work performed – the company is not saying a word on where’s the money owed.