Aaron

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Experienced Caribbean hotelier Daryl Aaron has been appointed general manager of the newly opened Bay Gardens Marina Haven hotel in St. Lucia.

Aaron, who has worked across the Caribbean in a variety of hospitality management positions, joins the leadership team of Bay Gardens Resorts, which expanded its portfolio to four hotels with the acquisition of the property, located within close proximity to Rodney Bay Marina.

Bay Gardens Marina Haven opened in mid-July following a soft renovation and staff training to align service delivery at the property with Bay Gardens’ award-winning standards. Located in St. Lucia’s Rodney Bay area, Bay Gardens Resorts also includes three Green Globe-certified hotels: Bay Gardens Inn, Bay Gardens Hotel and Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa.

Aaron, who was educated and trained in London, Trinidad, St. Lucia and her native Dominica, holds two decades of hospitality experience and has worked at Chaguaramas Hotel & Convention Centre, and Paria Suites & Conference Center in Trinidad; as well as Castaways Beach Hotel, Rosalie Bay Resort, and Anchorage Hotel, Whale Watch & Dive Centre in Dominica.

A former executive member of the Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association, Aaron said the hotel is a great location for groups, including weddings, anniversary celebrations and meetings. “We are also right across from the marina, with numerous restaurants and bars, where you can have a diverse St. Lucian food and beverage experience,” she said, noting that the hotel serves many yachties, who “after being on a boat for an entire week or two, look forward to a nice hot shower, comfortable bed and a good St. Lucian meal.”

The hotel, which has a nautical theme, has been receiving positive reviews during the first few weeks of operations. Writing on TripAdvisor, a New Jersey guest conveyed: “My family stayed at the hotel for four nights over the weekend. The management and staff were excellent – very professional, welcoming, friendly, and helpful. The amenities were all quite good. Breakfast was excellent with varied Caribbean healthy choices every day. We got passes to the Splash Water Park which was a fun experience and more challenging than it looks. Overall, a satisfying stay. Will definitely stay there again.”

Bay Gardens Marina Haven is within a five-minute drive of Bay Gardens Inn and Bay Gardens Hotel and 10 minutes from the Beach Resort.

Marina Haven guests enjoy the full benefits of a Bay Gardens experience, including six complimentary one-hour passes to Splash Island Water Park, the use of beach chairs, the ability to charge consumption across properties to their rooms, and free non-motorized water sports.

Complimentary shuttle service is provided between all Bay Gardens Resorts facilities.

About Bay Gardens Resorts

Bay Gardens Resorts is a group of locally owned and operated award-winning hotels all located within, or near, Rodney Bay Village, St. Lucia’s entertainment capital. All four of Bay Gardens Resorts’ properties – Bay Gardens Inn, Bay Gardens Hotel, Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa and Bay Gardens Marina Haven – are close to more than 40 restaurants, entertainment venues, duty-free shopping malls, Treasure Bay Casino and Rodney Bay Marina. All properties offer comfortable accommodations, traditional Caribbean cuisine, and warm Caribbean service and hospitality. Bay Gardens’ Splash Island Water Park, the first open water sports park in the nation, is a popular attraction off St. Lucia’s Reduit Beach.

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Barbados PM Mia Mottley & Adtalem CEO Lisa Wardell at press conference announcing Ross’s move to Barbados

(DOMINICA NEWS ONLINE) – In a joint press conference held with Lisa W. Wardell president and CEO of Adtalem Global Education ,the parent company of Ross University, Mia Motley Prime Minister of Barbados has announced that Ross University will be moving to their shores.

Wardell said that the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) considers Dominican people as part of the Ross family and that “Prime Minister SKerrit is both a partner and a friend to Adtalem Global Education.”

She further stated, “As a CEO I sometimes have to make very difficult decisions it is with a heavy heart I make the decision to leave Dominica.” She went on, “…But my job is to position RUSM for the future and for us the future is Barbados.”

Motley announced the possibility of providing scholarships to Dominican students in Barbados.

This is in keeping with Prime Minister Skerrit’s disclosure in his announcement today of the Ross departure that Dominica had sought to ensure that Ross will continue to provide scholarships to Dominican students.

UPDATE: Ross University to shut down operation in Dominica

Dominica PM Skerrit

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has told the nation that Ross University has taken a decision to leave Dominica.

Skerrit said in an address to the nation on Friday morning, that very soon the university will announce its departure from the country.

This disclosure from the prime minister comes against the background of mounting speculation over the past several months as to whether Ross would return to Dominica after the university, following the devastating passage of Hurricane Maria, relocated its operations to St. Kitts and the state of Tennessee in the US.

Government received formal notification of Ross’s decision a few days ago.

“Since Hurricane Maria, the officials of Dominica have been in constant contact with officials from Ross to see how we could cushion the impact of Maria. Over the last ten months, we explored all options that one could think of in our discussions with Ross, At the end of the day, the officials of Ross, like any other business person, reserve and exercise the right of the shareholders and many interests to include but not limited to parents, students, faculty and sponsors,” Skerrit remarked.

The prime minister directly attributed Ross’s departure from storm-battered Dominica, to the passage of Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria and insists that had it not been for these two weather systems, “there would never have been any consideration of Ross’s departure from Dominica.”

“Let us make it very clear that Ross loves Dominica and Dominica loves Ross,” Skerrit said pointing out that just about three years ago, the partnership agreement between Ross and the Dominica government was renewed for twenty-five more years.

He said he is satisfied that Ross “tried everything” to remain in Dominica and because of their continued “love and connection with Dominica,” they had agreed to keep open the door for the return of several aspects of their US five billion dollar operation. He said government is now positioning itself to take advantage of such opportunities in the future.

“However, notwithstanding our understanding of the decision, we made the point to them that the forty years of our association is not forty days and it’s only fair that in any marriage of forty years, that if there is to be a parting of ways, there should be at least a sharing of the fruit of those forty years. Ross has agreed to this in principle and we are now at an advanced stage of negotiations as to how best Ross can thank Dominica for those forty years,” the prime minister revealed.

While admitting that it would be presumptuous of him to anticipate what the final decision will be as the specifics were still being discussed, Skerrit said he and his team had made some very strong and reasonable suggestions that he hopes will be accepted by Ross University.

“Suffice to say that the first and foremost in my consideration was for Ross to leave a lasting tangible monument to the warmth of the friendship that existed between Dominica and Ross University…….secondly, Ross is into education. Ross has benefited hundreds of Dominicans over the years. So, henceforth ordinary Dominicans desirous of pursuing studies in medicine or related studies will continue to access the relevant scholarships at Ross University,”

The Prime Minister and his team are also seeking some “tangible assistance” from Ross for many businesses that will be negatively impacted by the University’s departure from Dominica, to help those businesses re-position themselves in the economy.

Government plans to meet with the individuals affected and to discuss the future, and to share with them the plans for them specifically, and the country in general, the prime minister promised.

Below is a video of the entire address by the Prime Minister.

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Prime Minister Allen Chastanet (left) and OJO Co-Founder David Rubin

(SNO) – Things are going so good for OJO Labs, the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven company headquartered in Austin, Texas with a branch in Vieux Fort, that they currently on a hiring frenzy of sorts.

Starting this month – yes, August – they are expecting to hire and train at least 24 full-time employees EVERY month, and over 200 full-time employees by the end of the year.

Of note, the company announced in late June 2018 that it had 78 full-time employees.

And no, the OJO hiring news does not stop there. It plans to hire 500 full-time people by the end of 2019 and 700 by 2020.

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, in a post on his Facebook page on July 31, 2018, stated: “Every month commencing this August, Ojo Labs will be employing 24 new Saint Lucians. Below is the link to apply. All the best!”

When the company opened its “start-of-the-art” AI contact centre – arguably the first of its kind in the Caribbean – at the Hewanorra Freezone in November 2017, its co-founder David Rubin had reported that the company intended to hire 200 to 300 full-time people within the first two to three years of operation.

However, at a press conference in late June this year, fresh from meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers, Rubin gave reporters the much higher employment numbers.

“I am very happy to report that the Saint Lucians have exceeded our expectations, both in terms of speed and accuracy for the AI training jobs. And it exceeded our expectations for our customer engagement jobs as well

“So like I said we have 78 full-time employees now. We will be hiring a minimum of 24 people per month starting next month (August). So our current plans, assuming everything goes as we expect… to have over 200 full-time employees by the end of this year, 500 full-time employees by the end of next year, and 700, which will put us at full capacity in the south by the end of 2020. So this is two to three times the amount of employment that we originally talked about bringing to the island,” he explained.

Rubin said the company has continued to promote employees in entry-level positions, noting that because Saint Lucian workers have far exceeded expectations, 15 promotions were issued within the first nine months of operation, with an additional eight expected in July 2018.

But OJO labs has not been in the Saint Lucian market without scrutiny. The company and its ‘local partner’, the Government of Saint Lucia, have been criticised for the government’s reportedly large contribution to the payment of wages to OJO employees, as well as the concessions to the company.

Responding to questions from the media on this matter, Rubin said “initially” the company needed “subsidies” but pointed out that OJO Labs obtained USD$20 million in funding in May 2018. He did not say where those monies came from and likely he was not asked.

David Rubin

“Initially we did need subsides. We are a start-up. The prime minister (Allen Chastanet) came to us and asked us to come back to the island, knowing we had operated on the island previously, knowing that we have built a culture that is caring for the employees,” he said.

The media did however asked Rubin to disclose the amount of money the company has invested in the project versus that of the government.

He said: “So your question is how much money are we gonna put back. So we’ve already, in terms of the software that we’ve built, we’ve put in over EC$8 million into that development of that software. This year, net of any subsidies from the government – so this is our money – we’ll have over EC$5.4 million. And if you look at our plan for hiring this year, and up until 2020, starting in 2020, we will be providing over EC$14 million on a yearly basis when you look at compensation, the technology we’re building, and other costs involved. Our intention is to give a significant return of investment to the island, and it is important to us personally to do that.”

Rubin along with his American counterpart John Berkowitz are the founders of OJO, and they both have ties to the island, according to the “Our Saint Lucia” government magazine, which further stated that John not only got married here but his previous company Yodle boasted 180 employees. The publication said Rubin owns property in Saint Lucia.

Berkowitz had told Our Saint Lucia: “We are super thankful to have people that are passionate and want to work for us. It’s a great opportunity that we are proud of, and it’s a great responsibility. As the CEO, it is my job to ensure this company thrives, and there are a lot of people counting on our success. There are families in Austin, Texas, and Saint Lucia that need us to succeed, and we take tat responsibility seriously.”

Below is an article on OJO Labs by Senior Communications Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, Nicole McDonald. 

Progress Report: OJO Labs makes Saint Lucia a Caribbean leader in new technology (February 2018)

This is a feel good story. This is a story about real change; about opportunities; about young people on the move. This is a story about trips that show results and about having a vision and seeing it through. This is a story about sustainable employment. Employment you can take to the bank! The following is not about three month or six month contracts extended or ended at the whims and fancy of some. The following is about young people learning a skill that they can have all their life, to start their own businesses or rise through the ranks.

This is a story about Ojo Labs. This is a story about long-awaited southern development and the Government of Saint Lucia changing the status quo of concentrating efforts only in the north of the island.

Just over 14 months ago Prime Minister Honourable Allen Chastanet flew to Texas to meet with David Rubin about an idea to teach Saint Lucians something unique and cutting edge. All over the world we have seen developing countries take advantage of technology, under the current administration no longer will our country be left behind. This is inkeeping with the Government’s agenda to create diverse employment, including technology.

For those who don’t know, David Rubin was part of a successful company in Saint Lucia called Yodle, and was head of sales for three years, first as SVP of Sales and then as Chief Revenue Officer. David has a proven 20 year track record as a successful CEO and sales leader in the technology space. He has a record of several successful tech companies. An added incentive for his newest venture was that David also loves Saint Lucia.

In March of last year following several meetings with the prime minister and Invest Saint Lucia, what we now call Ojo Labs began to take shape. The joint venture between the Government of Saint Lucia and Ojo would be located in the south and focus on employing young people.

During a visit to Saint Lucia in March 2017 and following a presentation to Cabinet, Rubin said: “We have some experience in my pervious company employing Saint Lucians on the north side of the island. We employed 150 Saint Lucians in mostly call center operations and one of the things that really struck us with Saint Lucians was how good they were with computers and how good they were at multi-tasking. It turns out that the latest company we have started, Ojo Labs, is on the forefront of what we call Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).”

Mr. Rubin gave an overview of what the company does, stating: “We are building the first automated intelligence assistant for the real estate industry. The initial industry is real estate but it actually has applications across different industries. So it’s technology and neural networks that can respond to consumers’ questions and inquiries and do that mostly automatically.”

The Saint Lucia operation, he explained at the time would employ artificial intelligence trainers.

“These A.I. trainers will actually be tagging communications from consumers and teaching the machine what the intent of those consumers are. Based on what we saw in our experience in employing Saint Lucians previously we think they would be excellent at this job. We are going to combine that job with some opportunities on the call center side and think that we will be able to employ quite a few people down south and are quite excited about that.”

Flash to November 2017 and Saint Lucia opened the first artificial intelligence (A.I.) contact center to be established in the Caribbean. Forty agents have been employed at the facility which is housed in the Hewanorra Freezone within one of ISL’s factory shells, which was retrofitted to specifically accommodate the agents in a state-of-the-art facility.

However, since Ojo Labs was announced by the Government of Saint Lucia there have been those who have criticized the decision, with no real substance behind the objections.

Has the Government partnered with a private company to train Saint Lucians? Yes! Is Government contributing to the income of Saint Lucian young people in this cutting edge industry? Yes! Is Government making a sustainable investment with Ojo Labs? Yes!

It’s easier to dismiss the naysayers when you meet and see the faces of the vibrant first group of Saint Lucians employed at Ojo Labs.

Prime Minister Chastanet saw this first hand when he visited the facility this week and heard the stories from the excited youth who are learning a new trade at Ojo Labs.

In fact Ojo is on schedule to employ approximately 300 agents within the next few years. We have a feeling you will be hearing much more about this innovative initiative as more of our young Saint Lucian citizens continue to benefit!

VIDEO: Government of Saint Lucia announces the latest investment for the community of Vieux Fort (March 2017).

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Tedburt R. Theobalds elected president

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – At its recently held Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Surveyors (St. Lucia) Inc. (ISSLU), elected a new Board of Directors to manage the affairs and to plot the way forward for the ISSLU for the period 2018 – 2019.

The meeting took place at the conference room of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy, and Labour at Union Castries.

The ISSLU is the only recognised body that seeks to regulate and promote the standards of the Surveying Profession in Saint Lucia. It encompasses all surveying disciplines viz. Valuation, Quantity, Building, Land, Project Management and Agronomy.

The ISSLU rules of conduct provide a framework within which the members offer and deliver their services. These are designed to be a transparent system with regards to the professional conduct of all members.

These rules are applicable not only for performing their duties to the general public, but also to fellow members and financial institutions. This is applicable in as much as these rules and guidelines do not conflict with the Laws of Saint Lucia.

The ISSLU is a non-profit company in Saint Lucia, and was registered as such on the sixth day of September 2003 with the Registrar of Companies. It came into being with the merging of three (3) professional bodies.

The new Executive is comprised as follows:

1. Tedburt R. Theobalds : President

2. Terrence St. Clair : Vice President

3. Clive Hippolyte : General Secretary

4. Sylvestre Sonson : Treasurer

5. Rufinus Baptiste : Immediate Past President

6. John Cenac : Director – Land Surveying

7. Ian Harris : Director – Quantity Surveying

8. Martin Satney : Director – Valuation Surveying

9. Dominic Mathurin : Director –Building Surveying and PRO

The new board pledged to further unify the surveying fraternity and strengthen the bonds between the ISSLU and the various other entities, including the public and financial and government by ensuring that all surveyors are duly qualified/trained and registered and authorised to practice in Saint Lucia.

It is hoped that as a result of this, the various institutions that depend on the surveying profession will be rely on accurate and up to date information to guide their decision making process.

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CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque (left) in talks with Deputy Chair of the African Union Commission HE Kwesi Quartey (2nd right)

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and Deputy Chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Kwesi Quartey discussed the need for continued ACP solidarity in the negotiations for the Post-Coutonou Agreement with the European Union (EU).

Negotiations for the Co-operation Agreement between the African Caribbean Pacific Group of Countries (ACP) and the EU were among the issues discussed when Mr Quartey and his delegation paid a courtesy call on the Secretary-General at the CARICOM Secretariat’s headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday.

The agreement, which was signed in 2000, governs trade and political relations but also cooperation between the EU and 79 ACP countries. The current agreement expires in 2020 and will have to be replaced with a new partnership agreement.

Ambassador LaRocque and Mr Quartey took the opportunity to consider some of the areas in which their two organisations could work together including the formalisation of an institutional relationship between the African Union and CARICOM to promote cooperation and to strengthen the deep bond of friendship between Africa and the Caribbean.

Ambassador LaRocque informed the AUC team on a number of the Community’s initiatives including the work of the CARICOM Reparations Commission.

Both sides agreed on the need for greater collaboration on matters of mutual interest in the international arena such as climate change.

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New Board of the Coalition of CSOs

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – An official launch ceremony of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) was held at the Finance Administrative Centre in Pointe Seraphine on Tuesday, 31st July 2018.

The Coalition of CSOs is the result of the expressed desire of CSOs to address their shortcomings by uniting under an umbrella organisation. The establishment of this umbrella body was also considered a strategy for enabling CSOs to develop synergies, pursue joint ventures, benefit more fully from capacity development interventions, and strengthen their collective voices in pursuit of their individual mandates.

Pursuant to this entreaty and recognising the opportunities that this Coalition can have for Saint Lucia’s CSOs, the Saint Lucia National Trust agreed to spearhead this process through a project entitled “Establishing a CSO Coalition for Sustainable Development in Saint Lucia”. The project is funded by Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (GEF-SGP UNDP) and has enabled the Coalition to undertake several initiatives including the development of its website and hosting of several sensitisation workshops.

The Coalition of CSOs received its initial endorsement by the then Ministry of Social Transformation, Local Government and Community Empowerment to operate as a bona fide organisation in May 2016. Since then the Coalition has organised several CSO consultations and is represented on various committees of the Government of Saint Lucia. One such consultation was held on 29th and 30th November 2016 with the aim of obtaining the views of Saint Lucia’s civil society on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the SAMOA Pathway. More recently, the Coalition of CSOs partnered with the Department of Sustainable Development to host a SDGs and SAMOA Pathway Sensitisation Seminar for private sector agencies on 7th June 2018.

In her remarks at the launch ceremony of the Coalition of CSOs, the Honourable Dr. Gale Rigobert mentioned that the Coalition of CSOs was a member of the Sustainable Development Goals National Coordinating Committee (SDGNCC) which was established by the Government of Saint Lucia to guide the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs in Saint Lucia. Dr. Rigobert indicated that the Coalition has been actively involved in the public education and awareness activities the SDGNCC.

Mr. Giles Romulus, National Coordinator for the GEF-SGP UNDP in Saint Lucia also delivered remarks at this ceremony. Mr. Romulus pointed out that development partners, including the UN System are increasingly promoting the involvement of CSOs in the development process and in this context, capacity development, which is one of the objectives of the Coalition, has emerged as a focal area for the Global Environment Facility. He noted that the myriad of challenges faced by local CSOs are not unique to Saint Lucia, and called for greater efforts at coaching and mentoring as one way out.

Present at the ceremony were twenty-five representatives from various CSOs. The day’s proceedings concluded with a nomination of the following CSOs to serve on the Board of Directors for the Coalition.

Chair – Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT)
Vice Chair – National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD)
Secretary – Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA)
Assistant Secretary – Laborie Development Foundation (LDF)
Treasurer – Ex-Police Association (ExPol)
Assistant Treasurer – Sacred Sports Foundation (SSF)
Public Relations Officer – Babonneau Youth Synergy (BYS)

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Minister Raymond

(SNO) – Minister responsible for Finance within the Office of the Prime Minister, Ubaldus Raymond, today (August 6, 2018) attempted to ease tensions among pensioners over government’s decision to borrow $100 million from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) to settle two of its bonds that matured last week.

He, at the same time, said the money will be repaid by the 26th day of this month.

Raymond then apologised to pensioners for the fear and discomfort that he claimed were created by the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) and which existed amongst them when it became known that government sought the Corporation’s help in meeting its bonds obligation.

“You will recall that there was an attempt to create mayhem, fear among pensioners of the NIC. I want to reassure the pensioners that your investment is safe,” Raymond said.

The minister told reporters that he found it fitting to give an update on the two bonds “because of misinformation by the Opposition”.

He said that politicians should not try to create discomfort among individuals who have worked so hard on behalf of this country.

According to Raymond, the $70 million bond and the $50 million matured on July 31 and August 2 of this year. They were taken eight and 10 years ago.

He said the bonds were rolled over and that the $70 million bond was over-subscribed while the other was fully subscribed.

“The government went out to get $70 million and investors had such a great appetite for our bonds we actually raised $80 million, $10 million more,” Raymond said.

He claimed that this was a sign that the investment community has confidence in the economy and the government. He promised that the $100 million (Treasury bill) loaned from the NIC will be repaid on the 26th of this month.

Minister Raymond noted that when the bonds were taken eight and ten years ago they were taken at a 7.5 percent interest rate, however today, the Ministry of Finance was able to negotiate interest rates at 7.25 percent, a quarter of a percentage point less.

“This is actually good news seeing that this was done in an environment of growing interest rates,” Raymond said.

The SLP, last month, had some misgivings about government approaching the NIC for money to service these bonds.

The party’s leader Philip J. Pierre had asked several questions of the government regarding what at the time appeared to be the refusal of the bond holders to roll over the financial instruments.

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The Black Pool

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF) will undertake a project at the Sulphur Springs Park, in an effort to enhance the services offered.

The project will include the construction of three (3) additional pools, a deck, additional storage and changing rooms.

According to Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lester Cazaubon, “There has been an increase in demand for pools for a relatively long time. To this end, the organization wants to ensure that we meet these demands by increasing our ability to serve our patrons and to enhance the experience at the park.”

Mr. Cazaubon further noted that the additional pools will reduce the amount of congestion on very busy days to afford visitors an uncompromised service.

The works will commence on Wednesday, August 8th, 2018, consequently access to the black water pool will come to a halt at 3:00pm.

The SRDF solicits the cooperation of all patrons and urges all to be patient during execution. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that the project may cause.

The Soufriere Foundation is a not for profit organisation located in Soufriere. Its mandate is to undertake social, economic, cultural and other sustainable developments in the Soufriere region. The organization which was established in 1993 generates revenues from its operational sites: the Sulphur Springs Park, Gros Piton Nature Trail, Comfort Center, Soufriere jetties and 88.5 Soufriere FM.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) will host the official opening ceremony for its 3 megawatt (MW) solar farm in La Tourney, Vieux Fort on Thursday, August 9 from 3 p.m.

Governor General H.E. Sir Neville Cenac, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, Minister for Energy Stephenson King, and former US President Bill Clinton, along with LUCELEC officials will participate in the ribbon cutting to signify the formal opening of the solar farm.

The $20M project, located north of the Hewanorra International Airport is historic for Saint Lucia. It is the first utility-scale renewable energy project on the island and is funded, owned and operated by LUCELEC. Its nearly 15 thousand panels will generate approximately 7 million kWhs (or units) of electricity per year.

Construction of the solar farm began in November 2017 and the solar farm began feeding the grid in April this year when the entire 3 megawatts came online.

GRUPOTEC, an international firm with extensive, worldwide experience in developing solar plants undertook the engineering, procurement, and construction of the solar farm. The Clinton Climate Initiative, an initiative of the 42nd US President’s Clinton Foundation, provided technical assistance during the procurement process for the project.

Rocky Mountain Institute and global energy and engineering advisory firm DNV GL assisted with project development, bid evaluation and contract negotiations for the project.

The 3MW solar farm meets about 5% of St. Lucia’s electricity demand and will reduce the volume of fuel purchased by LUCELEC by about 300 thousand gallons per year. LUCELEC uses approximately 20 million gallons of fuel per year.

The solar farm builds on the work LUCELEC has been doing with grid-tied roof top solar PV systems since 2009. It is expected to provide the impetus for more renewable energy initiatives, and in more ways than one, will change St. Lucia’s energy landscape.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – OFFICIALS FROM THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE

REPRESENTATIVES FROM TEPA AND FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

PROJECT MANAGER – DR. LORRAINE NICHOLAS

WORKSHOP FACILITATORS

VENDORS

INVITED GUESTS

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA

LADIES & GENTLEMEN

GOOD MORNING

It was on May 22, 2018 I addressed you during the first workshop and strategic training aimed at enhancing the economic benefits for vendors.

As your humble servant, I take this pleasure once again to thank you for this opportunity.

I am pleased that the vendors are participating and gaining knowledge, yet confident that it will be used to build and mature a new culture.

A culture that showcases a difference in standards and your operational habits.

A culture that is fashioned after recognized and successful business models.

A culture which develops competencies and competitiveness.

A culture that breaks from the norm.

And one which displays open-mindedness and welcomes progressive change.

In fact, that culture should begin with critical partnerships and a structured association which will provide unlimited benefits to vendors.

For partnerships and associations are essential.
They must always labour in your favour and not against you.

In that regard, I wish to inform you to take advantage of the soon to be launched Vendor’s Registration programme.
As a part of this programme, vendors will receive:

– Free access to public comfort stations.
– Issuances of job letters identifying them as an authorized vendor.
– Provisions to gain NIC retirement package and
– Provisions for medical/ health insurance, to name a few.

We are now tweaking our programme so that all vendors registered under our Vendor’s Registration Programme benefits significantly.

So while the ultimate objective is to revitalize Castries and facilitate enterprising, you must assist the marriage we are trying to create.

You must assist in the improvement to the service you offer.

So therefore, use this workshop effectively, efficiently and productively.

Ensure you fully participate to realise a better enterprising and vending system in the City of Castries.

To each and every one of you, I say welcome.

I thank you.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Thirty (30) Hotel and Tourism Sector workers employed with branches of the National Workers Union (NWU) will each receive a five hundred dollars ($500.00) bursary from the NWU for their children.

The amount will be handed out mainly to members of the Union’s Tourism related branches who are currently financial members and who have children attending seconding school for the first time in September 2018.

The payout comes from the NWU’s Education Fund to which hotel workers have made a significant contribution. The beneficiaries for this year are from Anse Chastanet Hotel, Caribbean Dispatch Services Ltd. (CDSL), Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, St. James’s Club Morgan Bay, St. Lucia Distillers Ltd., Barbay Ltd. and Ministry of Infrastructure.

The NWU will maintain its thrust at assisting in the education of its members. It will continue “to protect and defend the economic, social, educational, cultural and political interest of workers” as enshrined in Aims and Objective # 2 of its Constitution.

The Bursary Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday August 9, 2018 at the National Workers Union Head Office, Bourbon Street in Castries commencing at 10:00 a.m.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Negotiations between the Bank of Nova Scotia and the National Workers Union (NWU) have begun.

The parties have been discussing a Memorandum of Proposals submitted by the National Workers Union. These proposals are centred around the establishment of a new wage structure, the payment of merit increases due for 2018 and a new regime of fringe benefits.

Talks when concluded will benefit workers at the company’s operational units in Vieux Fort, Castries and Rodney Bay.

The talks are being held at the Coco Palm Hotel.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Msgr. Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) has been receiving donations of equipment following the destruction of its cultural assets and holdings by the fire of March 25th 2018.

On Tuesday August 7th, the FRC said thanks to a number of donors at a ceremony held at the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) Conference Room.

FRC’s work programme had been seriously affected by the loss of all its equipment and efforts are continuously being made to obtain the necessary equipment for business continuity. Efforts are also being made to rebuild the extensive collection of print and audio-visual materials that were lost.

A needs assessment list has been drawn up by the Organization. The items that are urgently required are being sourced locally and overseas.

Equipment donated thus far are as follow:

Two (2) scanners provided by St. Lucian Mr. Denis Ishmael who lives in Georgia USA.
One (1) desktop computer provided by Computer World (St. Lucia)
One (1) desktop computer provided by Computer Business Services
One (1) desktop computer provided by a concerned friend of FRC
One (1) Multi-function printer provided by J.E Bergasse & Company Ltd.
One (1) laptop computer donated by Flow

Remarks were made by representatives of several donors, including Mrs. Dorna Taylor of Computer World and Mr. Terry Finisterre of FLOW.

A cheque was presented to FRC by Mrs. Magaret Lubrin Aoki, a St. Lucian who lives in Japan. On hearing of the calamity that befell the FRC, she organized a fund-raising activity in Japan specifically to assist the FRC. St. Lucia foods, cultural items, talks were part of the activity organised in Mrs. Aoki’s home city of Toshima in Tokyo.

Msgr Patrick Anthony, after whom the Centre was named last year, summarized the further financial and equipment needs of FRC, as it prepares to move into new quarters at the building that formerly housed the Monroe College at Barnard Hill. He encouraged overseas St. Lucians to model the efforts of Mrs. Aoki in Japan, which not only raised resources for the FRC but brought St. Lucia and its culture to the attention of other nationalities.

All donors present expressed their readiness to continue supporting the FRC as it plans its re-building efforts.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – On Thursday, August 9, President Bill Clinton, Saint Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, and José María Figueres, former president of Costa Rica and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Trustee will participate in the official opening ceremony for the 3 megawatt (MW) solar farm of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) in La Tourney, Vieux Fort.

The $20 million project, located north of Hewanorra International Airport, is historic for Saint Lucia. It is the first utility-scale renewable energy project on the island and is funded, owned and operated by LUCELEC. Its nearly 15,000 panels will generate approximately 7 million kWhs (or units) of electricity per year.

Construction of the solar farm began in November 2017, and the solar farm began feeding the grid in April this year when the entire 3 MW of power came online. The preliminary work on the project, including the work done by Rocky Mountain Institute, has been made possible by the support of donors including the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Department of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs in collaboration with the Department of Labour hereby invite all nationals of locally owned landscaping businesses or involved in the provision of landscaping services to homes and businesses to a meeting at the Department of Commerce’s Conference Room on Monday, August 13th, 2018 at 2:00p.m.

In an effort to ensure sustainability and growth of the private sector, the Department of Commerce has embarked on an initiative to develop a database of all local trades’ men and women including landscapers. While concentration has been on the Manufacturing and Construction sectors, landscapers have become an important source of employment in Saint Lucia.

The Government of Saint Lucia therefore strives to promote diversification of Saint Lucia’s economy by making skills trade an important policy focus. Efforts towards achieving economic diversification have therefore brought to the forefront, the importance of private sector development, particularly the development of small to medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).

Persons providing services in the following categories of landscaping services are therefore invited to attend this important meeting:

Types of landscaping Services and Businesses:

Brick & Stone

Brick and Stone Patios, Walks, and Steps – Install
Brick, Stone or Block Wall Install

Concrete

Interlocking Pavers for Patios, Walks and Steps – Install

Landscaping

Landscaping for Yard or Garden Install
Landscape Curbing Install

Lawn & Garden Care

Lawn Seeding / Hydro seeding
Shrubs – Trim or Remove – For Business and Home
Lawn Care For Home and Business
Synthetic Grass for Play Area Install
Mow & Maintain a Lawn
Landscaping for Yards, Gardens & Curbing
Lawn Maintenance
Brick & Stone Flatwork

For further information on this initiative, please contact Ms. Augusta Joseph, Investment Coordination Officer, Investment Coordination Unit at telephone 468-4266 or email augusta.joseph@govt.lc.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – SLUDTERA would like to inform all interested persons and organizations in St. Lucia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, that the GEW 2018 themes have been announced!

With less than 100 days until the 11th Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Global Entrepreneurship Network is excited to announce four themes for this year’s GEW 2018 celebration, recognizing women, youth, and inclusion in entrepreneurship, as well as connecting ecosystems around the world.

During Global Entrepreneurship Week, which will be held November 12-18, hosts and organizers across 170 countries will mobilize their partners and communities to join the celebration. Each year, nearly 10 million people participate in 39,000 simultaneous events over the course of the week.

GEW headquarters in Washington, D.C. will use the four themes to highlight powerful voices, ambassadors and GEN partner organizations around the world that promote, encourage and support the development of entrepreneurs within each of the four spaces.

GEW WOMEN 

As communities and countries increasingly encourage entrepreneurs who create jobs, women can be a catalyst for large-scale economic growth – not just in countries where the basic rights of women are a struggle, but in developed economies as well. Studies have shown that women have lower levels of involvement in high-growth entrepreneurship than men, and research suggests that accelerating the rates of female entrepreneurship could have the same positive effect that the entry of women into the labor force had during the 20th century.

GEW Women celebrates female entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, investors and other startup champions, while offering opportunities to expand their networks, identify resources and share knowledge with other women around the world.

GEW YOUTH

As stronger entrepreneurship ecosystems emerge, young graduates unable to secure a job have more opportunities to leverage their economic freedom and create a job. As they choose to start and scale new businesses, they not only change their lives but also contribute to their communities and countries through job creation and economic renewal.

GEW Youth celebrates and shapes the next generation of innovators through activities and competitions to help them sharpen their skills and connect them to potential co-founders, mentors and even investors. This theme also celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship education and the teaching of innovative skills.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The call for applications is open for the 10th Americas Competitiveness Exchanges on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE) that will take place from Sunday, October 21 to Saturday, October 27, 2018 showcasing key Northern California destinations that are helping to move the success that is Silicon Valley’s Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem across the Golden State.

Participants will visit San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Salinas, Fresno, Sacramento, and Davis and explore potential partnerships with universities, private sector partners, state and local governments, and non-profits.
“Together, we can address some of the most significant challenges we face globally by embracing the new connections, partnerships, and possibilities.”

The 10th ACE is convened by the Organization of American States (OAS) as the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Technical Secretariat; the Government of the United States, through the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of State as the ACE Co-founders and ACE Committee Members; and the Government of Argentina, through its Ministry of Production, as Chair Pro Tempore of RIAC (September 2017-2019).

The deadline for applications is August 10, 2018

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Cable & Wireless Communications Limited (“C&W”) is a leading telecommunications operator in its consumer markets, which are predominantly located in the Caribbean and Latin America, providing entertainment, information and communication services to 3.3 million mobile, 0.6 million internet, 0.6 million fixed-line telephony and 0.4 million video subscribers.

In addition, C&W delivers B2B services and provides wholesale services over its sub-sea and terrestrial networks that connect over 40 markets across the region.

Operating highlights1:

Organic fixed RGU additions of 29,000 in Q2 2018, driven by product and service enhancements and continued network upgrade and expansion.

Broadband RGU additions of 11,000.

Significantly higher than prior-year period driven by (i) improved performance in Jamaica, where we added 4,000 RGUs through increased penetration in our upgraded network and (ii) Panama, where we continued to promote our Mast3r packages supporting 4,000 additions.

Rolling out enhanced in-home connectivity for subscribers through our WiFi “Connect Box”, now installed across over 20% of our broadband subscribers.

Video RGU additions of 8,000, our best quarterly performance since Q2 2016.

Momentum building as network expansion / upgrades and product enhancements, such as “Flow Evo”, drove quarterly additions. Jamaica had a particularly strong quarter, adding 5,000 video RGUs.

Following the launch of Flow Evo in January and other platform improvements, we have seen NPS gains across C&W’s largest video markets including Trinidad, Jamaica and Barbados.

Fixed-line telephony RGU additions of 10,000, driven by our successful bundling strategy.

Mobile subscribers declined by 89,000.

This was primarily driven by prepaid losses in Panama (51,000) and Jamaica (16,000) and mainly the result of competitive factors and a more targeted approach to promotional activity.

In the Bahamas, competitive intensity continued to drive subscriber declines, totaling 10,000 in Q2, as compared to a loss of 24,000 in Q2 2017.

New build and upgrade initiatives delivered over 40,000 premises in Q2 and over 80,000 YTD.

The full fixed income release for C&W Communications can be found on its parent company’s website: www.lla.com/ir

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Today, President Bill Clinton, Saint Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, and former President Figueres of Costa Rica and Board of Trustees for Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) officially opened the 3 megawatt (MW) solar farm of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) in La Tourney, Vieux Fort.

The utility-scale renewable energy project, the first of its kind in Saint Lucia, was made possible through technical assistance from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) which has received financial support from the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

“Today I applaud those who made this solar park into a reality – LUCELEC and the government – by working together are setting an example for other islands. Collaborating to solve your countries energy future is what we all should be doing,” said President Figueres.

“This solar farm is a major first step for Saint Lucia, and we can already see that it is paving the way for more renewable energy projects in the years to come,” said President Clinton. “The best way to reduce the risk of catastrophic power failures on an island during a storm is to ensure that all energy isn’t coming from one location. Projects like this solar farm help create a more resilient, more sustainable power grid while also lowering the cost of energy.”

“I know that this renewable energy project will be a great success and it represents a new promise and a new model that I hope to see replicated in the future,” said Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. “We remain very optimistic about the future of the development of the electricity sector and as a Government we are committed to projects such as these which are the key to facing the climate challenge that small islands like ours face. I congratulate LUCELEC on spearheading this project and we continue to be thankful for the support of the Rocky Mountain Institute and all who were involved in its successful implementation.”

On Thursday, President Clinton, Prime Minister Chastanet, and President Figueres were joined by Saint Lucia Governor General H.E. Sir Neville Cenac, Saint Lucia Minister for Energy Stephenson King, and officials from LUCELEC.

The solar farm builds on the work LUCELEC has been doing with grid-tied rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems since 2009. It is expected to provide the impetus for more renewable energy initiatives and change St. Lucia’s energy landscape:

The EC$20 million project, located north of Hewanorra International Airport, is funded, owned and operated by LUCELEC.

Construction of the solar farm began in November 2017, and the solar farm began feeding the grid in April this year when the entire 3 MW of alternating current (AC) power came online.

The solar farm’s nearly 15,000 panels, totaling 3.95 MW direct current (DC) installed power, will generate approximately 7 million kWhs (or units) of electricity per year.

The solar farm meets about 5 percent of St. Lucia’s peak electricity demand and will reduce the volume of fuel purchased by LUCELEC by about 300 thousand imperial gallons per year. LUCELEC uses approximately 20 million imperial gallons of fuel per year.

The solar farm is the product of collaborative international cooperation from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors:

GRUPOTEC, an international firm with extensive, worldwide experience in developing solar plants undertook the engineering, procurement, and construction of the solar farm.

Rocky Mountain Institute with global energy and engineering advisory firm DNV GL led project development, and supported bid evaluation and contract negotiations for the project.

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(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Empowerment, Youth Development, Sports, Culture and Local Government hosted a technical workshop for cross-sectorial stakeholders in the development of a Proxy Means Test (SL-Net) for the dispensation of appropriate social assistance to targeted segments of the population.

The workshop was held August 8, 2018 at the Ministry’s Conference room.

Research Director in the Ministry Mr. Tommy Descarte welcomed the reform and stated that the consultation comes at a time when poverty is no longer measured using one’s income.

“Saint Lucia has always used income as a measure of poverty but now we use a multi-dimensional approach. For instance if there are changes in health and education this would affect the end result. The new tool would in- cooperate targets which avoid duplication of information. This would therefore make the reformed SL-Net more effective in determining poverty levels and alleviating poverty in Saint Lucia.”

At the workshop participants were asked to critically review the Proxy Means Test (SL-NET) based on the analysis and recommendations from the World Bank Consultant and Economist-Ms. Yadira Diaz.

“The idea is to create a single registry for potential beneficiaries for all the different social protection programmes for the whole country. The registry will incorporate other Ministries, Agencies and institutions that have social programmes. The single registry of beneficiaries will make the SL-Net more efficient.”

Permanent Secretary, Mr. Donovan Williams was in high spirits as he expressed the Ministry’s satisfaction with the ongoing collaboration and interventions by the World Bank.

“What we want to do is to make changes to the SL-Net therefore making the tool applicable with societal and environmental changes. For instance, owning a mobile phone would be an important indicator, however everyone owns a mobile phone. The Ministry wants to create an instrument that will identify the poor from the non-poor and the indigent. The new tool will allow the Ministry to devote most of it resources to that group.”

The SL-NET or Proxy Means test serves as a scientific method of determining eligibility among persons requesting social assistance.

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