Tel: (473) 435-0981/5685 Email: [email protected] Web: …thebarnaclenews.com/Paper/Barnacle Nov 19.pdf · Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). In keeping with the

G’DA BUREAU OF STANDARDS REFLECTS ON THE PAST 30 YEARS

VOL. 29 NO. 09 - NOVEMBER 2019 Tel: (473) 435-0981/5685 Email: [email protected] Web: www.thebarnaclenews.com

• Message from the Director, Robert Medford • Significant Events, Achievements and Milestones 1989-2019

02 BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019 BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019 31.

BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019 03.WWW.THEBARNACLENEWS.COM

News

8th November 2019, Bridgetown, Barbados. CIBC today announced that they have reached agreement on the pur-chase of a portion of CIBC’s shares in its Caribbean entity, First-Caribbean International Bank Limited (“First-Caribbean”) by GNB Financial Group Lim-ited. (“GNB”). GNB will purchase 66.73% of the shares of FirstCaribbean, subject to the approval of local regulators, while CIBC will retain a 24.9% interest in the Caribbean bank.

“FirstCaribbean is a strong, well-performing business that continues to grow across the region. FirstCaribbean remains

laser focused on deliver-ing on its strategy – pro-viding its clients with first class service through a modern everyday bank-ing experience and pro-viding its employees with the best possible work experience,” said Colette Delaney, CEO, FirstCarib-bean.

“FirstCaribbean will remain the strong entity it is today, committed to servicing its clients in the region,” said Jaime Gi-linski, Chairman of GNB Financial Group Limited. “I have been impressed by the strength and stabil-ity of FirstCaribbean and am excited about its pros-pects for the future.” GNB is wholly owned by Starmites Corpora-

tion S.ar.L, the financial holding company of the Gilinski Group. The Gil-inski Group has banking operations in Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, and Cayman Islands with approximately US $15 billion in combined assets.

FirstCaribbean is one of the largest regionally list-ed financial services insti-tutions in the English and Dutch speaking Carib-bean, with US$11.5 bil-lion in assets and market capitalization of US$2.1 billion, as at 31st July 2019. FirstCaribbean also has a representative office in Hong Kong providing business development, relationship management and fund administration.

CIBC AND GNB FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED REACH AGREEMENT FOR PURCHASE OF SHARES IN FIRSTCARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK LIMITEDCIBC remains significant shareholder as new entity chaired by Jaime Gilinski acquires majority stake; both parties committed to continued growth for FirstCaribbean

The Ministry of Agricul-ture is reassuring the public that it is com-mitted to protecting the local industry and steps are being taken to resuscitate the livestock sector.The reassurance comes in the wake of recent news reports that Grenada is expected to receive its largest ever shipment of livestock from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which was negotiated by a local businessman.The ministry acknowledges that the Memorandum of Understanding between

the Governments of Gre-nada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines provides for the trade between both islands in livestock and agricultural commodities, in a bid to enhance trade in commodities originating in member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).In keeping with the provi-sions of the MOU, the Ministry of Agriculture will not seek to restrict trade, but it has an obligation to protect local farmers and to ensure that food safety requirements are met, in accordance with the

regulations governing the importation of animals.The Ministry of Agriculture recognises that there is a shortage of livestock in Grenada to meet the demands of the festive season. Therefore, a permit will be issued for a quota of animals from St. Vincent. The Ministry of Agriculture through the Veterinary and Livestock Division is responsible for granting permits for the importation of livestock and meat products into Grenada.As part of its efforts to resuscitate the livestock sector, the Ministry of Agriculture will develop and implement a live-stock policy; introduce new genetic stock at the Laura Livestock Sta-tion; strengthen the small ruminant programme at the Limlair Livestock Station in Carriacou and reintroduce the artificial insemination programme among other ongoing initiatives.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Secretary-General of the Caribbean Com-munity (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has called for the cost of insurance to be more affordable.

Ambassador LaRocque was speaking on Tues-day on a panel at the Insurance Colloquium: Insurance in the age of

climate change organ-ised by the Inter-Amer-ican development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean De-velopment Bank (CDB) and the Government of Barbados and held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbados.

The Secretary-General stated that governments in the region lacked the fiscal space to afford the insurance required to provide adequate finan-cial resilience given the increase in in intensity and frequency of natural disasters due to climate change. He pointed out that in our region there was a 66 percent protec-tion gap between the economic costs of dam-ages and insured losses as against 55 percent in developed countries.

He stated that it was the most vulnerable in

the society who were most affected and who had the least capacity to afford the insurance which increased the responsibility of govern-ments to provide the necessary relief. “This at a time when insur-ance premiums keep rising,” he added.

Speaking on the Chal-lenge of Climate Change, the Secretary-General said the real need for the region was to address its vulner-ability prior to a disas-ter. He pointed out that each dollar spent on resilience saves between four and seven dollars of reconstruction and rebuilding costs after a disaster. He reiterated his call for using vulner-ability as the criterion in determining conces-sional development financing instead of GDP per capita.

Make Insurance More Affordable says SG

Livestock Coming from St. Vincent

News 04 BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019

The Ministry of Agri-culture is reassuring the public that it is commit-ted to protecting the local industry and steps are being taken to resuscitate the livestock sector.

The reassurance comes in the wake of recent news

reports that Grenada is expected to receive its largest ever shipment of livestock from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which was negotiated by a local businessman.

The ministry acknowl-edges that the Memoran-

dum of Understanding between the Governments of Grenada and St. Vin-cent and the Grenadines provides for the trade between both islands in livestock and agricul-tural commodities, in a bid to enhance trade in commodities originating in member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

In keeping with the pro-

visions of the MOU, the Ministry of Agriculture will not seek to restrict trade, but it has an obliga-tion to protect local farm-ers and to ensure that food safety requirements are met, in accordance with the regulations gov-erning the importation of animals.

The Ministry of Agricul-ture recognises that there is a shortage of livestock

in Grenada to meet the demands of the festive season. Therefore, a per-mit will be issued for a quota of animals from St. Vincent. The Ministry of Agriculture through the Veterinary and Livestock Division is responsible for granting permits for the importation of live-stock and meat products into Grenada.

As part of its efforts to

resuscitate the livestock sector, the Ministry of Agriculture will develop and implement a live-stock policy; introduce new genetic stock at the Laura Livestock Station; strengthen the small ruminant programme at the Limlair Livestock Station in Carriacou and reintroduce the artificial insemination programme among other ongoing initiatives.

PRESS STATEMENT ONICT MINISTERS MEETING

Strategies for Reducing Stress

Strategies for reducing stress are part of a health focus by officials who have organized activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Medical Plan of the Grenada Union of Teachers (GUT).The activities include a series of parish-based health walks, which have the

backing and collaboration of the Minis-try of Health, and which will target not just teachers but also members of the general public.“At the end of each of the parish walks, Ministry of Health personnel will be addressing what we call the cool-down

session, where they will be able to an-swer questions about particular health issues,’’ said Carlton Lendore, a member of the board of directors of the GUT Medical Plan.Lendore, the representative for Carriacou and Petite Martinique, is also chairper-son of the Social Event Committee for the 25th anniversary celebrations. He and two others, Alwyn Pierre and Carl Andall, met with reporters recently to outline the schedule of activities for the GUT Medical Plan on its anniversary.Pierre is the administrator of the Medical Plan and Andall is chairman of the board of directors.The Medical Plan started in February 1995 by the GUT executive then headed by Claris Charles, now Grenada’s Ambas-sador in Cuba.From an initial 483 policyholders, there are currently about 2,500 that include the spouses and children of teachers.The Medical Plan covers such things as air ambulance and dialysis services, physiotherapy and cancer treatment.The GUT initiative, described as “the only self-run medical plan by teachers throughout the Caribbean’’, also offers $5000 in death benefits.

The commemorative activities, which already have begun, will continue into

next year and include a January 16 “Health Education Day’’. It will be used to “educate our members and the general public on different aspects of health and encouraging them to remain healthy’’, Andall said.Among other events in the coming year are a special excursion to Carriacou for a sports day, a national church service and a “2525 national health walk’’.The theme of the celebrations is: “Creat-ing Balance, Journeying to a Healthier You’’.The parish-based health walks will tackle issues such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. The problem of stress, and how to deal with it, also will be highlighted, said Lendore.“We have found that our teachers, es-pecially these days, all are under stress; there is lots of stress on them,’’ he said. “We want them to be able to manage and handle it properly.’’Pierre disclosed that several teachers have been on long-term sick leave, add-ing that “we are trying to see how best we can assist’’.According to Pierre, “what we are trying is a proactive approach; it will be more beneficial for us if we have less claims’’.Pierre said: “If for us, (we) could see a re-duction in claims, that is a sign we have healthier persons.’’He promised that efforts “will continue to improve the services we provide’’ and to increase membership of the GUT Medical Plan.

GUT Medical Plan Celebrates 25th Anniversary

CARL ANDALL, PRESIDENT (CENTER) FLANKED BY ALWYN PIERRE (LEFT) AND CARLTON LENDORE


News


By Lincoln DePradine

St George’s, November 5, 2019: Senior officials in the Grenada Minis-try of Foreign Affairs want nationals in the Diaspora, dubbed the country’s “16th constitu-ency’’, to participate in an ongoing initiative that will conclude with parliamentary passage of a “Grenada Diaspora Engagement Policy’’.

Among the components of the initiative are the conducting of a “skills gap analysis’’ and the completing of a “Dias-pora Mapping Project’’, which involves using an online survey tool to collect information about the socio-economic pro-file of Grenadians in the Diaspora.

“I want to urge everyone in the Diaspora to get online and engage in that survey,’’ Hon. Peter David, Grenada’s Min-ister of Foreign Affairs, appealed on Tuesday.

David was speaking at the official launch of the website for the Grenadi-an Diaspora For Devel-opment (GD4D) project.

The two-year project is funded in the amount of US$200,000 from the International Develop-ment Fund and ad-ministered through the Guyana-based regional coordinating office of the International Organiza-tion for Migration (IOM), a UN member-agency.

The Mapping Project is a data collection exercise “to learn more about the socio-economic profile of the Grenadian Dias-pora in North America

and the Caribbean – and to begin the creation of a database of skills for knowledge transfer”, said Trisha Mitchell-Darius, the IOM’s Project Officer for Grenada.

“The survey is online at www.grenadiandiaspora.gd, “Please tell your fam-ily and friends out in the Diaspora,” she urged. “It’s open and available for all persons of Grena-dian origin globally.”

Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Alva Browne, underscoring the impor-tance of the Mapping Project, said that “with-out the mapping exer-cise, we would not be able to achieve much’’.

The IOM-administered

GD4D initiative began in February of this year. To date, Minister David and other members of the project team have hosted Diaspora outreach meet-ings in London, England, and Washington, USA. The next meeting, with David scheduled to be the keynote speaker, is Saturday, November 16, in Toronto, Canada.

“This project seeks to engage the Grenadian Diaspora globally. The project will facilitate a collection of data on skills, resources and the return interest and plans of those willing to sup-port the development of Grenada, through organi-zations and institutions here in Grenada. The information collected through the project will

help to guide govern-ment policies aimed at engaging the Diaspora,’’ Mitchell-Darius said Tuesday.

Apart from the mapping component, a consul-tant soon is to be hired, she said, “to assist us in gathering informa-tion regarding current and future skills gaps in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and to facilitate a matching with the Diaspora.”

Another key activity planned is a Remittance workshop, with banks, credit unions and com-panies such as Western Union and MoneyGram, to discuss ways of reduc-ing the cost sending remittances to Grenada and on how remittances

can be structured for national development.

“The talents and skills within the Diaspora are wide and varied,’’ said Permanent Secretary Browne. “It is our firm view, though, that if we engage in an organized and strategic manner, we can harness those skills and resources in national development.’’

According to Minister David, “the Diaspora is not just a group of people out there who sometimes we rely on just to send this and send that for us. They should be engaged as a part of our development process’’.

He added that the Grena-da Diaspora is “our 16th

constituency and must be treated as our 16th constituency, in that they must be integrated into national development’’.

No reason exists, said the minister, why Gre-nadians abroad “cannot invest in hotels, indi-vidually or as a group. They can get involved in health. We have excel-lent health practitioners in the Diaspora’’.

He emphasized that, “all areas of investment are open to persons in the Diaspora’’, reiterating that he wants “all Grena-dians – in the Diaspora, in Grenada – to become involved in the project’’.

As far as the online survey is concerned, Mitchell-Darius said the highlights will include job, volunteer and in-vestment opportunities.

“Please take the survey so that Grenada knows how to connect with you when any of these oppor-tunities arise,’’ Mitchell-Darius said.

She referred to it as a chance to “allow Grena-da to be able to connect’’ with its overseas nation-als “on a holistic level. As well, in terms of the draft Grenada Diaspora Engagement Policy, it is downloadable on the website www.grenadi-andiaspora.gd Please, take the opportunity to review that,’’ she said.

“If you have feedback, we’re accepting submis-sions until December 31st and/or if you are in a city near where the project team will be visiting, please come on out.’’

Integrating Diaspora in National Development

HON. PETER DAVID, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF GRENADA


Commentary

By Dr. John N. Telesford

The idea of ‘rum shop politics’ suggests to many, including many politi-cians and potential ones, that drinking rum and eating biscuit and corned beef in a rum shop is a ‘bad thing’. This feeling I believe, has its roots in

the general image of a ‘rum shop’ being an unac-ceptable place to be. Rum shops do tend to project an image of persons who are of low life and do not have a care in the world. And this image is height-ed around elections, when the expectations from many who frequent a rum shop, is that the potential candidate should shower them with rum and cutter too- usually ‘corned beef and crix’. Many candidates find this to be repulsive and will therefore shy away from the rum shop. These politicians will determine that spending money on ‘rum and corned beef’ is not a good investment. Additionally, they may be thinking that just been in

the rum shop may tarnish their character and place them in the same category as the ‘rumsons’. If for their part, all rum shops can disappear during elec-tions, then this will be a blessing in disguise. This argument may hold true in many situations that occur in rum shops. In there, and I know because I spend time in many of them, you will find the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’. Many bad and ugly things can happen in rum shops, as the ‘spirits’ fill some people, driving them out of control. We have heard of murders, heated argu-ments and lots of other foolish things happening in rum shops. But as I indicated, the

‘good’ can also be found in the rum shop. And in this regard, been filled with the spirit can loosen the tongue of many. As a matter of fact, not every-body in a rum shop drinks rum (alcohol), so the spirit filled person can find themselves in a very civil discussion/argument with persons not filled with the spirit. In this situation, the rum shop becomes a place of higher learner or a university, where serious ideas are traded and debated. From this perspective, the sacred politician/candidate who sees the rum shop as unholy ground, may find ‘divine’ inspiration in the rum shop. I have been to many rum shops all over the island

and I have met diverse personalities in them. I have met politicians, aca-demics, teachers, carpen-ters, preachers, fishermen, economists, engineers, food technologists, the unemployed and many other persons from differ-ent walks of life. Indeed the rum shop is a ‘pep-per pot’ of people. I have been to many rum shops through-out the Carib-bean, the pubs in Scotland and London, the sidewalk bars in Paris and Geneva, bars in Singapore, the bars of New York, Berkley, and Waterloo and I can go on, and the rum shop idea is the same. Like a fraternity, the bar or rum shop brings even strangers together in normal debates and discussions and brotherly/

sisterly love. In fact, in many universities, many problems were solved over a glass of alcohol in the bar or ‘rum shop’, that exists on the campus. So the politician who thinks that the rum shop is a place of bad and ugly people, in whom spend-ing a dime for a drink is ‘poor political judgement’, I urge you to think twice. Just remember that many people in a rum shop do not depend on you the politician to buy them a drink (rum) and corned beef. Believe me, a rum shop has its ‘good’ that you need to seek out on your own. To the politician who strives to change the rum shop politics strategy, let me say that this is almost an impossibility. At least, I suggest that you attempt to enhance it or improve it. Go in with an open mind, share with an open mind, learn with an open mind, preach positivity and collaboration, receive ideas with an open mind, educate and build po-litical consciousness, you may be surprised by the results. There can be a very positive and good side to rum shop politics that you the politician can exploit. Definitely the rum shop moves beyond rum and corned beef politics!!!!!!

Rum shop politics is about much more than ‘rum and corned beef’ …

Dr. John N. TelesfordAssociate Dean and LecturerTAMCC

In recent times we have heard and continue to hear our author-ities lamenting the fact that the incidence of sexual abuse of our children is rising. Usually, these offences are committed by fa-miliar faces to the children and these persons may even be trust-ed family members. In some cases, the parents, sometimes the mother of the child, are well aware of the situation, but for some reason(s), they will turn a blind eye. Also, many of our innocent children are enticed by ‘duty men’ to engage in sexual acts. Like hawks, they prey and pounce on innocent children, who for circumstances beyond their control cannot meet basic needs like food, clothing and shelter. This rather unfortunate and devilish action by our male folks must be condemned and the attempts to banish this from our society must continue

relentlessly. As a Lecturer and Associate Dean within the T. A. Marryshow Community College, I feel obliged to add my voice to the firm condemnation of these actions, and plead with the law to deal with guilty men in a manner that they will be afraid to commit such actions again. And once it can be proven that parents are aware of these ac-tions and turn away, they too should be dealt with to the full-est extent of the law. One of the strongest lyrical pieces I have heard condemning this action is the song by one of my favorite modern reggae Artiste - Romain Virgo. In his rendition- ‘Dutty Man’ he warns mothers, our young girls and

the ‘dutty men’ of our society. The song begins with calling on young girls to not fall victim to these disgraceful men, it says: “Mi know time ruff like grater, plus yuh mommi doh have it,but please mi ah beg yuh, nuh mek dem come mess up yuh body”Yes, many of our children are living under strenuous eco-nomic circumstances, and if in a single parent family, this strain can be on the verge of breaking. But like Romain, I beg you to not allow your circumstances make you a victim of these ‘dutty men’ out there. Then he goes on to the mothers and cries out to them:“Hey mommy yuh fi listen to

your daughter, when she tell yuh she nuh happy,yuh see the signs and turn a blind eye…that man weh yuh have come check yuh, when yuh left him still ah tarry,yuh left yuh young girl all alone, nuh take yuh daughter sell out to .. no dutty man”Parents, you have full respon-sibility for your children, and no one else. The obligation is on you to ensure that they are protected at all times. No one else has that responsibility. The many other institutions, schools, police, church etc. are there to support you, providing protection and other support for our children.

Romain then appeals to the pub-lic to talk out and report these ‘dutty’ actions when you see them and are aware of them. In this regard, he sings: “An if yuh know and yuh doh say ah thing! You worser than the dutty man”Finally, I will like to join with Romain to ‘chant down’ the ‘dutty men’ in our society with this powerful chorus: Yuh dutty man! Leave dem people pickney dem Alone!!!!Yuh dutty man! Yuh know it wrong, so leave the people pickney dem alone!!!!It’s a disgrace man… you’re just a waste man, A WATSE MAN!!!!!!!I appeal again to all our soci-etal pillars: the individual, the home, the village, the parish, the churches, government, civil society organizations, schools and post-secondary/tertiary institutes, the legal fraternity, the police and more… let us join together to stamp-out the actions of all DUTTY MEN in our little Grenada!

An Ode to our children- our future: Celebrating Romain Virgo’s stamping out

all ‘DUTTY MAN’ actions in our society


‘Without standards, there can be no improvement’ (Taiichi Ono). This has been our goal for the past thirty years – to improve the quality of life of Grenadians through standardization. A major accomplishment in the history of the Bureau was the accreditation of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory in 2016 for moisture content and pH analyses in foods and drinking water. This is the first Laboratory in Grenada to receive ISO/IEC 17025 accredita-tion. It is also the first Laboratory within a National Standards Body in the Organization of Eastern Carib-

bean States (OECS) to attain such an achievement. This means that through established Mutual Recognition Agree-ments (MRAs) parties automatically accept test results from accredited laboratories where an MRA exists. Therefore, costs are reduced because there is no need for duplicate test-ing by both exporters and importers and this serves to eliminate technical barriers to trade. We are now focused on upgrading that accreditation and obtaining accreditation for our other laboratories.

Since the Bureau’s inception in 1989, we have worked assiduously through-out the past thirty years to improve the quality competitiveness of Grenadian industries. In 1991, the first set of standards were developed for label-ling, packaging and consumer prod-ucts. To date, we now have over 200 standards, which range in topics from the labelling of animal feeds to code of practice for taxi service providers. Twenty-seven of these standards are technical regulations or as they are commonly referred, compulsory stan-dards. The Bureau is currently working with a regional body to harmonize the local standards with regional and inter-national standards.

The desire to develop a quality consciousness in Grenada led to the opening of the Library and Resource Centre in 1994, affording Grenadians the opportunity to familiarize them-selves with the catalogue of local, regional and international standards housed at the Centre. The Bureau is the national Contact Point for Codex Alimentarius Commission and the WTO/TBT Enquiry Point/Notification Authority. We are an affiliate member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), a member of the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM), the Pan American Standards

Commission (COPANT) and a mem-ber of the CARICOM Organization for Standards & Quality (CROSQ). We have a cooperative relationship with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International. Publications surrounding these asso-ciations are available at the Resource Centre.

The enactment of the Weights and Measures Act in 1997 gave the Bu-reau the responsibility for regulating all weighing and measuring devices. The aim is to build confidence in trade by ensuring value for money and to promote international competitiveness of Grenadian industries. This calibra-tion/verification programme is held an-nually throughout the state of Grenada and in 2013, we recorded the highest number of weighing and measuring devices verified; which was 2,485 for the period January to December.

Another memorable event was the merger of the Central Materials Laboratory to the Bureau in 2007. The Materials Laboratory was a unit of the Ministry of Works, now called the Min-istry of Infrastructure Development. Since then the Materials Laboratory has expanded its scope to incorporate a number of services requested by the construction sector. Additionally, the Bureau has strengthened its other laboratory capacities in the areas of metrology, analytical chemistry, micro-biology and electricity. The Bureau is now equipped to perform services like lottery balls verification, which is one of our lesser known services.

In February of 2008, the national Tourism Registration, Assessment and Certification Programme for the Accommodation Sector was launched, in collaboration with the Grenada Board of Tourism, now known as the Grenada Tourism Authority. The aim of

this programme is to aid in providing high visitor satisfaction and to ensure the continual promotion and protection of the tourism industry on the interna-tional market. The first thirteen hotels were certified in 2009. For the year 2019, forty-two properties have been audited, with twenty-one re-inspec-tions, six of which were certified.

With the enhancement of the qual-ity of life of Grenadians as our focus, we are currently participating in a Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) funded programme ‘Strengthening of Regional Quality Infrastructure’ to develop a National Quality Policy for Grenada. A Quality Infrastructure relies on standardization, metrology (scientific, industrial and legal), ac-creditation and conformity assessment services (inspection, testing and prod-uct & system certification). The Quality Policy will bind all the policies of the country together, in order to provide the country with an effective, efficient and internationally recognized quality infrastructure system. The CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) facilitates the programme and it is anticipated that by 2030 Grenada has a quality culture where producers and service provid-ers ensure that they meet regulatory and sustainability requirements.

I wish to place on record my appre-ciation and gratitude to the staff, past and present, for years of dedicated service towards assuring that the mission of the Bureau is met and where possible exceeded on a daily basis. Additionally, I wish to thank the Standards Council, past and present, for their directive and guidance with the operations of the Grenada Bureau of Standards. Lastly, to our external customers, who have looked to the Bureau as the guardian of quality in their lives, I thank you!

Grenada Bureau of Standards (GDBS) Reflects On the Past 30 YearsMessage from the Director, Robert Medford


News

1989• Passage of Standards Act #6 of 1989 allowing for the creation of the Grenada Bureau of Standards (GDBS);• The first Standards Council appointed, with Mr. Albert Xavier as Chairman;• Dr. Peter Radix is seconded from the Produce Chemist Laboratory to the Bureau of Standards as Director;• The new GDBS logo is unveiled. The logo was designed by Mr. Gordon Lashley of Woodlands, St. George’s;• The Bureau is temporarily based in the Science & Tech-nology Building, Tanteen, St. George’s;

1990• The Bureau begins to recruit technical staff with the ap-pointment of Mr. Simeon Collins as Technical Manager;• The national standards development process begins with the establishment of five (5) technical committees;• Mr. Vaughn Renwick is appointed as Chairman of the Standards Council;• The Bureau’s office is re-located to rented properties on H.A. Blaize Street;

1991• The first set of national standards are developed. These standards cover labelling, packaging and consumer products;• Grenada becomes a member of the Caribbean Com-mon Market Standards Council, a forum through whichre-gional standards are developed and harmonized;

1992• Ms. Lucia Andall is appointed as Chairperson of the Standards Council;• The Bureau begins to provide assistance in the field of standardization, quality assurance and Metrology to public and private sector organizations;

1993• Grenada joins the International Organization for Stan-dardization (ISO) as a subscriber member;• Interest in ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems begins to take root locally with the hosting of the first ever ISO 9000 workshop. This workshop was facilitated by Mr. Lionel Stebbing of the United Kingdom.

1994• GDBS Library and Resource Centre opens;• CFTC Metrology Consultant, Dr. de Silva, prepares a new Metrology Act for Grenada, together with a complete set of weights and measures regulations;• National Survey of Weighing and Measuring equipment carried out;

1995• Grenada joins the World Trade Organization (WTO) and GDBS is appointed as the official WTO Notification and National Enquiry Point for all matters relating to stan-dards and technical barriers to trade;• GDBS becomes a member of the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM). This body is responsible for Inter-American and regional co-operation in Metrology (Weights and Measures) and the implementation of a

Global Measurement System within the Americas;• Dr. Guido Marcelle is appointed as Chairman of the Standards Council;

1996• Grenada Bureau of Standards becomes the Codex Contact Point for the International Food Standards Com-mission of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Orga-nization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO);• Grenada signs the International Code of Good Practice for the Development, Adaptation and Implementation of standards;• A Directory of Food Processing Establishments in Gre-nada is developed;

1997• A survey is conducted on the technological, hygienic and sanitary conditions at the four fish exporting estab-lishments and plans for the implementation of the HACCP at these plant commences;• A national standard for the Assessment, Licensing and Registration of the Accommodation Sector is developed to guide the development of the local tourism sector;• GDBS commences surveillance of compulsory stan-dards for labelling and wheat flour;• GDBS becomes a member of the Pan American Stan-dards Commission (COPANT)• The Metrology Act is enacted, giving the Bureau respon-sibility for regulating all weighing and measuring devices used in trade;

1998• The Weights & Measures Regulations are promulgated;• Verification of scales, gas pumps and fuel dispensers under the Metrology Act commences. Stickers are affixed to these equipment indicating whether they have passed the inspection or have been rejected;

1999• The Exportation of Fresh Produce Act is promulgated;• The GDBS Tyre Inspection Programme commences. This programme involves 100% inspection of used tyres entering the country as well as batch inspection on new tyres;

2000• GDBS offices are relocated to rented properties at the GCNA building at Lagoon Road, St. George’s;• Mr. Simeon Collins is appointed as Acting Director of GDBS;• The number of technical committees increase to ten as standardization activities become more responsive for national and economic developments;• GDBS heads the implementation of a Windward Islands Fresh Produce Project funded by the Caribbean Regional Development Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC) aimed at increasing the competitiveness of fresh produce in the Windward Islands;

2001• Interest in HACCP begins to take root locally with the hosting of the first ever HACCP Workshop in Grenada

and the conducting of HACCP Audits at a number of local plants;• First ever catalogue of national standards is published. The catalogue gives a full listing of all national standards and what they entail;• The GDBS Compulsory Standards Programme is extended to include rice, wet seasoning, toilet tissue and labels of domestic electrical appliances;• Mr. Simeon Collins is appointed Director;

2002• Fish Exporting Plants assist in putting measures in place to meet EU standards;• The total number of national standards in force reaches 140;• GDBS commences its Water Quality Assurance Pro-gramme through which periodic sampling and testing of bottled water is done for compliance with the National Standard for Bottled Water;• The Bureau begins a batch certification programme, through which it provides third party testimony to the fact that a particular batch of products meets national and regional standard;

2003• GDBS secures a grant from GDB/TASU to purchase a Compression Tester to monitor the quality of hollow concrete blocks;• All packing houses for Fresh Produce are inspected and officers are trained to conduct inspection of fresh agricul-tural produce;• Grenada gets more involved in the work of Codex Alimentarius (the International Food Standards Develop-ment body) with the appointment of a National Codex Committee;

2004• GDBS undertakes organizational and programme restructuring and moves to new offices at Queen’s Park. This results in an increase in the scope of services to the public, greater efficiency and productivity;• A national standard for the Licensing and Approval of Child Care Homes is developed and implemented;• Hurricane Ivan damages GDBS offices and laboratories on September 7;

2005• GDBS reconstructs its offices and laboratories following the destruction done by Hurricane Ivan;• The Bureau places emphasis on the development of a national quality infrastructure for Grenada through an OAS-sponsored project. A framework document and an action plan for modernizing the quality infrastructure is developed;• GDBS receives from CTRADECOM much needed equipment to further implement its Metrology Pro-gramme;• A data base for the computerization of the Bureau’s library is developed This has greatly facilitated the speed at which documents can be retrieved;

Grenada Bureau of Standards Significant Events, Achievements and Milestones 1989 - 2019

CONTINUES ON PAGE 11



News

2006• The Bureau is integrally involved in major social and economic development projects such as the development of the National Export Strategy and the development of a National Strategic Plan;• GDBS conducts an island wide survey to determine the contingent conditions under which poultry is produced locally for sale;• The Bureau continues to place emphasis on services with the development of a national standard for Care and Protection of the Elderly;• A Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Certification Pro-gramme for farmers is established in collaboration with IICA;

2007• GDBS launches it Tourism Industry Certification Pro-gramme as a critical tool for improvement of the quality of tourism services offered in Grenada;• GDBS formalizes its relationship with ASTM International through a Memorandum of Understanding;• The Central Materials Laboratory is amalgamated with the Grenada Bureau of Standards. This leads to an increase in staff and a widening and diversification of the services offered by the Bureau particularly in the area of materials testing. Tests can be done on hollow concrete blocks, cement, ready-mix concrete, asphalt and soils;• GDBS commences the implementation of ISO/IEC 17025: General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories with the training of staff and the development of a Quality Manual, Operating Procedures, etc;

2008• A new five-year strategic plan for the period 2008 - 2012 is developed in keeping with the Grenada Export Strategy and other economic and social priorities outlined in the National Plan;• Food processors get an opportunity to improve the competitiveness of their products with the introduction of a Livelihood for Development in Agro-processing Project funded by the FAO;• Training workshop in support of Grenada Export Stratgy is held with the funding from the OAS in the following areas:- Market Entry Requirements- Implementation of ISO 9000 Management Standards- Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction- HACCP• The Bureau launches its new website: www.gdbs.gd;• Bureau’s personnel formed part of the team of Carib-bean facilitators who conducted workshops in Guyana, Suriname & Belize;• The Bureau collaborates with IICA to provide technical assistance to small agro processors culminating with theformation of Grenada Association of Small Agro proces-sors (GASAP);

2009• The first thirteen (13) hotels are certified under the Bu-reau’s Tourism Certification Programme;• Farmers, processors and herbalists get an opportunity to produce quality herbs for export through the introduction of the Bureau’s Herbal Project;• The Bureau partners with the Trade & Export Division of the Ministry of Finance to host a ‘How to Export’ Seminar;• The Bureau begins to undertake more strategic inter-ventions with local manufacturers and exporters, through technical assistance to support the formation of an Export-ers Association; this activity is funded by the OAS;• The Bureau partners with Caribbean Export and CROSQ to host a workshop on the ‘Use of Standards in Enhancing SMEs Competitiveness’;• The Bureau partners with the OAS and the Ministry of Finance to host a Solar Drying Workshop;

• GDBS signs Memorandum of Understanding with the Marketing & National Importing Board and the Ministry of Agriculture to provide technical support in the areas of standards and quality as part of the Grenada Commercial Agriculture Development Project;

2010• GDBS supports Agro-processors and Industry through the provision of barcodes and new packaging materials under FAO Livelihood Development via Agro Processing;• The Bureau collaborates with the Trade Export Develop-ment Division of the Ministry of Trade, through funding from the Organization of American States, to host training workshops on Good Agricultural Practices;• The Grenada Bureau of Standards partners with the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards & Qual-ity (CROSQ) to host a regional workshop on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) for Trade Facilitation under the IDB funded project for small and medium sized enterprises (SME);• GDBS, together with CROSQ, the German Institute for Metrology (PTB) and The International Technical Coop-eration (ITC) facilitates a workshop on International Best Practices in QI (Quality Infrastructure): Measurement Practice Improvement Guide for laboratory technicians;• GDBS nominated to hold the chairmanship of CARIMET sub-region of the SIM (Inter-American Metrology System);• Mr. John Auguste is appointed Chairman of the Stan-dards Council;

2011• GDBS Technical capabilities upgraded through Grenada Technical assistance Project (GTAC);• The project ‘Promoting Knowledge Management through Learning Communities: Improving Food Safety Manage-ment Practices among Food Vendors, Caterers & Proces-sors in Grenada’ is launched, an initiative of the Bureau of Standards, in collaboration with the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), with funding from the Multi-lateral Investment Fund (FOMIN);• The Bureau develops the capability of pertinent staff to conduct microbiological testing of food through a Project on Food Safety Management Practices implemented in Grenada, St. Vincent and Dominica by the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) with funding from the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF);• GDBS and the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards & Quality (CROSQ) hosts a workshop on Implementation, Maintenance and Assessment of a Qual-ity Management System, as is required by the Internation-ally Accepted Standard ISO/IEC 17025 General Require-ments for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories;• The Bureau, together with the Ministry of Trade and the National Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Imple-mentation Unit and with funding from the EDF Support Services Unit facilitates a workshop on ‘Food Safety and Quality for exporters to build awareness among producers of the requirements for accessing EU markets and assist producers to obtain HACCP certification;

2012• GDBS and GRENLEC establish protocol for testing of electrical meters;• The Grenada Bureau of Standards and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute conducts a workshop on Food Safety of Meat, Fish, Poultry and Vegetables;

2013• GDBS’ technical capabilities upgrade under Eastern Caribbean Energy Labelling Project;• GDBS establishes Electrical Metrology Unit;• Grenada Bureau of Standards collaborates with the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives to facilitate a workshop to provide training to poultry processors in Good Manu-facturing Processes and to introduce them to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) System;

• Staff of the Bureau participate in the workshops: Harmo-nized Tariff Schedule (HS) Code Classification and Risk Management for Inspections hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC);• The Grenada Bureau of Standards partners with the Grenada Board of Tourism to conduct a series of Fire Safety Training for staff of hotels, guest houses and apart-ments;• The Bureau together with the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standardization & Quality (CROSQ) and the German Metrology Institute (PTB) conducts a training of trainers’ workshop on the CALIDENA Methodology for Improving Competitiveness of a Value Chain;

2014• GDBS with support from CDF and CROSQ establishes its ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Management System;• The Grenada Bureau of Standards is the National Coordinator for a project on ‘Strengthening Capacity for a Rapid Response to Food Safety Events through Enhance-ment of the Food Traceability and Recall Legislation and System in the Caribbean Sub Region’, approved by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO);• The Bureau, in collaboration with the CARICOM Re-gional Organization for Standards & Quality (CROSQ) and Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and with funding provided by the 10th European Development Fund Programme hosts the workshop Calidena Diagnos-tic Workshop: Quality Infrastructure for Grenada’s Nutmeg Industry;• Mr. Robert Medford is appointed as Acting Director of the Bureau;

2015• GDBS Analytical laboratory assessed by TTLABS for compliance to ISO/IEC 17025;

2016• GDBS Analytical Laboratory becomes first ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory in Grenada;• GDBS establishes advanced analytical services;• Gap analysis to determine compliance with international food safety requirements by the industry in Grenada (CDF Project);• GDBS Metrology Laboratory participates in regional volume inter-comparison;

2017• GDBS establishes temperature metrology lab (calibra-tion of thermometers);• GDBS expands accreditation scope of laboratory;• Follow up assessment to determine further actions nec-essary to achieve the goal of bridging the identified gaps for compliance with international food safety requirements by the industry in Grenada;• GDBS participated in a training workshop on Hazardous Waste Management System under R3E Project – Promot-ing Innovation in the Green Economy by including Quality Infrastructure;• Materials Laboratory equipment upgrade through assis-tance from Japan grant Project 2018;• The Grenada Bureau of Standards, with financial and technical support from the Caribbean Regional Organisa-tion for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) through the 10th EDF-CRIP-EPA –TBT Programme hosts a workshop on ‘Good Standardisation Practices’ for technical committee members;• Mr. Robert Medford is appointed Director;

2018• GDBS hosts Hazardous Waste Management in Labora-tories Workshop;• The Grenada Bureau of Standards partners with the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and the Energy Programme of the CARICOM Secretariat to host a consultation on the draft Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code (REEBC);

2019• GDBS with support from CDB/CROSQ launches the development of National Quality Policy for Grenada;• Ms. Najar Andall is appointed Chairman of the Standards Council.

FROM PAGE 9

Grenada Bureau of Standards Significant Events, Achievements and Milestones 1989 - 2019


Port-of-Spain, Trinidad: November 7, 2019: The Chairman of Republic Fi-nancial Holdings Limited (RFHL), Ronald F. deC. Harford announced today that the Group recorded profit attributable to eq-uity holders of the parent of US$0.24 billion for the year ended September 30, 2019, an increase of US$38.66 million or 19.5% over the profit of US$0.20 billion reported in the previous financial year.Mr. Harford, in announc-ing the results said, “These results include two significant one-off items, the net impact of which increased profits by US$12.5 million. Firstly, the bank in Trinidad and Tobago amended the terms of its post-retire-ment medical benefits plan in line with market, resulting in a write back net of deferred taxes of US$41.21 million. Sec-

ondly, Barbados reduced its corporation tax rate from 30% to a range between 1% and 5%, which resulted in a charge to our income statement of US$28.71 million due

to the remeasurement of deferred tax assets at the lower tax rate. Exclud-ing the impact of these items, the Group’s core profit was US$0.22 bil-lion, US$26.17 million or 13.2% more than the prior period. The in-crease in core profit was driven mainly by Cayman National Corporation (US$13.86 million) and the RBL Trinidad and Tobago Group (US$5.87 million). Total assets stood at US$13.1 billion at September 30, 2019, an increase of US$2.54 bil-lion or 24.2% over that of the prior year.”The Board of Directors has declared a final divi-dend of US$0.49 (2018: US$0.47) per share, which brings the total dividend to US$0.67 per share or US$109.54 million (2018: US$0.66 per share and US$107.04 million in to-tal) for the fiscal year. The dividend combined with

the increase in the share price of US$2.71 during the year means that the total RFHL sharehold-ers’ return was 21.81%. The final dividend will be paid on December 2, 2019 to all shareholders of record on November 18, 2019.Mr. Harford went onto say “The Group continues to progress with its strategy of acquisition and diversi-fication of income sources with two major acquisi-tions:1. On March 13, 2019, Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago (Barbados) Limited (a subsidiary of RFHL), acquired 74.99% of the outstanding ordi-nary shares of Cayman National Corporation (CNC). This acquisition increased RFHL’s asset base by US$1.66 billion and added US$13.86 million in profits (after minority interest) for the seven months period un-

der RFHL’s ownership.2. On November 1, 2019, the Group completed the acquisition of Scotia-bank’s banking operations in St. Maarten, Anguilla, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On a pro-forma basis, the acquisition will add 350 team members to our staff complement US$1.51 bil-lion to total asset size and we anticipate net profits in the region of US$20 million.We are very pleased to welcome the new staff members and clients to the Republic family. The outlook for the economies in which we operate are generally positive and we expect continued growth in our subsidiar-ies in those territories. This combined with our recent acquisition of CNC and completion of the acquisition of Scotia-

bank’s operations in the Eastern Caribbean and St. Maarten, and the imple-mentation of a number of efficiency initiatives will boost profitability over the coming years. I take this opportunity to advise of my retire-ment from the Boards of Directors of Republic Bank Limited and Repub-lic Financial Holdings Limited on December 31, 2019. I wish to extend a warm welcome to Mr. Vincent Pereira who was appointed to the Board of Republic Bank Limited on July 1, 2019 and is the Chairman designate for both companies in 2020. I thank my fellow direc-tors, committed staff and faithful customers for their dedication over the past year and indeed for the last 57 years of my career with the bank, the last sixteen of which was spent as Chairman of this great organization.

RFHL RECORDS US$0.24 BILLION IN END OF YEAR PROFITS

MR. RONALD F. DEC. HARFORD, CHAIRMAN OF REPUBLIC FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED (RFHL)

The Management & Staff ofRepublic Bank (Grenada) Limited

congratulate theMaurice Bishop International Airport

for 35 years of the distinguishedservice of connecting Grenada

to the gateways of the world.


Feature

By Lincoln DePradine

The importance of Maurice Bishop In-ternational Airport (MBIA) to Grenada, and our economy in particular, cannot be denied, shrugged away or dismissed by even the worst skeptics and naysayers among us.

The international airport construction was undertaken by the People’s Revolution-ary Government (PRG), following a November 1979 project announce-ment by then Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. At the time, the small Pearls Airport in Grenville, St Andrew, was the takeoff and entry points for aircraft flying the Grenada route.

Bishop and the PRG can, by no means, take credit for conjuring up the dream of an in-ternational airport for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Many say the dream, and an international airport plan, were in the Gairy vision; former Prime Minister Sir Eric Mat-thew Gairy, who was re-sponsible for the intro-duction of roundabouts in Grenada, hosting of an international expo and a general assembly of the Organization of American States here in our country.

In fact, Bishop himself admitted that the idea of an international air-port had been a dream of Grenadians for “gen-erations’’.

Now, MBIA is celebrat-ing 35 years; getting to that milestone was never easy. But Wendy Francette-Williams, CEO of the Grenada Air-ports Authority (GAA), says it’s a “commend-able’’ achievement and she and her staff are “grateful for the support from the government and all its stakehold-

ers’’.

Prior to the completion and commissioning of MBIA, Grenada-bound passengers – including tourists – were forced to transit through Barba-dos or Trinidad, often

having to sleep over in those countries because there was no night land-ing at Pearls.

The situation worsened after the PRG came to office, with many would-be Grenada

visitors complaining of being harassed and deliberately delayed by immigration officials, especially at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados. Bishop blamed Tom Adams, the Bajan Prime

Minister at the time, and publicly rebuked him.

Certainly, an airport construction is a costly venture. Bishop and the PRG were generously gifted with technical

and material assistance from President Fidel Castro and the govern-ment and people of Cuba.

The rest of the initial airport project of the PRG was financed through Grenadian citizen bonds, as well as funding from Ven-ezuela, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Algeria, the Or-ganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and what’s now the European Union – formerly the European Economic Community.

Contracts for design and other aspects of the airport work were awarded to Canadian and European compa-nies.

While financing always for large projects, it was not the only airport dif-ficulty and, perhaps to the PRG, not the biggest one. The United States was not too pleased with the PRG nor its airport construction.

US President Ronald Reagan claimed the airport was a military facility for Cuban/So-viet refueling and trans-shipment. It was one of the pretexts he used to justify the October 1983 US invasion of Grenada.

The international airport though, from the first day of work by teams including Gre-nadian volunteers, was intended to make travel to Grenada more hassle-free and to make access to the country easier to attract a higher volume of North American and European tourists.

Bishop, in a letter of September 1983, said the airport is of “ex-treme importance’’, with its official opening scheduled for “March 13, 1984, the 5th An-niversary of our Revolu-tion’’.

MBIA AT 35

“A COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT” WILLIAMS

HAND IN HAND: GAA CEO WENDY FRANCETTE-WILLIAMS (RIGHT) MEETS IRAIDA GUERRERO,AMBASSADOR OF REPUBLIC OF CUBA (LEFT) IN THE PRESENCE OF MRS ARLENE BUCKMIRE-OUTRAM, PS MIN. OF TOURISM, CIVIL AVIATION AT THE 35TH AWARD CEREMONY.

CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

Feature 14 BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019

The airport was still unfinished when US forces, backed by peacekeeping person-nel from some Carib-bean countries, landed here in October 1983. It was completed with US and Canadian funding and officially opened, for jet aircraft and night landing as Point Salines International Airport (PSIA), on Oc-tober 28, 1984.

Reporting on the open-ing ceremony, New York Times journalist Joseph B. Treaster, said two-thirds of PSAI’s terminal was “unfin-ished’’ and “most of the roads unpaved and acres of raw dirt wait-ing to be landscaped’’.

A quarter-century would elapse before PSIA was named in honour of the man who initiated the air-port project, Maurice

Bishop.

The name, Maurice Bishop International Airport, was formally

adopted on May 29, 2009, which would have been Bishop’s 65th birthday. Vincen-tian Prime Minister Dr

Ralph Gonsalves, in delivering the keynote address, described the airport’s renaming as “an act of the Grena-

dian people coming home to themselves’’. He said the “belated honour’’ to Bishop, “an outstanding Caribbean son, will bring closure to a chapter of denial in Grenada’s history’’.

Bishop, in several public statement of the critical need for an international airport, said it will be “Gre-nada’s gateway to the world’’. Truer words have not been spoken. MBIA has been a key pillar in the economic life of Grenada; from supporting the import and export of goods, to its role in tourism and related industries such as sports and culture.

Francette-Williams, who has been Airports Authority CEO since 2013, says MBIA has been “profitable over the last six years, and consistently so, as a

government entity’’.

“We don’t see our-selves privatizing our airport,’’ Francette-Williams emphasized. “The airport will con-tinue to press forward with the development and enhancement of its runway system and supporting airfield infrastructure; improve traffic flow, terminal services and infrastruc-ture; and boost custom-er service to all of our stakeholders.’’

In post-1974 indepen-dent Grenada, some initiatives have been taken to develop the country and improve the lives of the nation’s people. Surely, one of the most brilliant and beneficial initiatives must be the construc-tion of our interna-tional airport: MBIA at Point Salines, St George’s.

MBIA AT 35


Feature


18 BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019



Maurice Bishop Inter-national Airport (MBIA) Grenada’s only interna-tional airport celebrates more than three de-cades of operations this year.

The airport which was built by the Peoples’ Rev-olutionary Government of 1979-1983 turns 35 later this year, and according to top management officials, the occasion is a great achievement for all Grena-dians.

Already, the party started with staff fun and sports day at the Beausejour playing Field in St. George North West, where the management and staff unveiled the theme and logo.

General Manager Mrs Wendy Francette-Williams in a brief address to the gathering, said that the 35th anniversary of the MBIA is an opportunity for all to rejoice while accept-ing the gains that have been achieved over the years.

Williams said that the MBIA was born out of a (revolution) unique situa-tion and had a great his-tory worthy of celebrating.Williams said “ We are celebrating this our 35th anniversary, and our theme is “Celebrating our history, embracing our future.”

Williams, who has spent the last six years as General Manager of the MBIA, highlighted some of the reasons for a grand celebration. She explained that at 35 the Airport is

enjoying good financial success.“We are at a juncture today, where we could say; we are an airport that is moving into a new dispensation; we are a Government-owned Air-port and we are profitable. We know where we are going next, and we are very comfortable that we will achieve the vision we set ourselves to achieve” she added.

The gains of the MBIA is the envy of many in the Caribbean claims Wil-liams, who noted that very few airports in the region could make the same claim to success.

“What this Airport has been able to achieve in three decades, very few airports in the Caribbean Region have been able to accomplish, and we must thank ourselves, and thank God that we have been able to do that” says Williams, who encourages all her staff and Grenadi-ans in general to unite for greater growth and nation-building.

“I give thanks to the staff of the MBIA family for the support they have given to management and the country. As we move ahead, I’m saying united we stand, divided we fall. Let us move ahead as one, celebrating our his-tory and embracing our future” she ended.

Other major activities are planned in the coming months to celebrate over three decades of growth and development in the aviation industry.

MBIA Celebratestheir 35th Anniversary

FLASHBACK


Operated byGrenada Airports Author-ity (GAA), constituted under the Grenada Air-ports Authority Act No. 9 of 1985.

LocationPoint Salines, St. George’s, Grenada. Seven (7) kilometers by road to and from St. George’s on the southern most point of the Island. It is adja-cent to the Grand Anse area, which is the main hotel belt. The Frequente Industrial Park is 2 km away on the main road

leading to and from the Airport.

PrefixIATA - GNDICAO - TGPY

OpenedOctober 28, 1984

Employment The airport provides employment for ap-proximately 249 workers directly employed with the GAA. The Airlines, Immigration, Customs, Shops and offices provide additional employment.

Operating Hours 6:00 am - 10:30 pm (1000 - 0230 UTC)(Additional hours on request).

Time reference – UTC -4

Government ServicesCustoms, Immigration, Plant and Animal Quar-antine.

Tourist OfficeSituated left of the Ar-rival exit - landside, is a representative office from the Ministry of Tourism on hand to assist anyone

seeking information on hotels, places of interest and generally requiring assistance.

RunwayThe Runway System con-sist of two runways (10, 28) on one strip with both being LCN 86 asphalt surface.The runways are equipped with airfield lighting systems for night operations.They have a length of 2743 metres and 45 me-tres wide, an elevation of 12 metres situated within reference points:

• Latitude 12° 00’ 15”• Longitude 61° 47’ 17”

It is constructed based on a design to accommodate Boeing 747- 400.

Air Navigation EquipmentAir navigation equip-ment installed at MBIA includes:

• Runway lights, ICAO simple approach (300 metres) lighting system, NDB – PA-PIS, DVOR/DME

Meteorological ServicesSituated at the airport are the National Meteorolog-ical Services providing:

• Weather observation.• Briefing and docu-

mentation for pilots.• Climatological Ser-

vices.

Crash, Fire and Rescue(CFR) – The airport oper-ates at a Category 9 status with a limited marine rescue capacity.

Central Generating System(CGS) – Houses electrical generating equipment, which acts a back up in the event of failure of regular power supplies.

Executive HangarSituated to the west of the ATB. It has its own taxiway and apron. How-ever, it is now used for the Cargo hub operation of Amerijet Int’l Inc.

Car ParkingThe public car parking lot is situated northeast of the ATB with easy access to the Terminal. It has a capacity of approx-

imately 200 cars.

Fuel Tank FarmThe Fuel Tank Farm is operated by Chevron West Indies Ltd. and pro-vides for AV JET and AV Gas fuel. Storage capac-ity: 100’000AG (AVJET); 10’000AG (AVGAS)

Air Terminal Building(ATB) – Constitute the main building within the airport complex. The ATB has a total of 89,358 sq feet, featuring five boarding gates, two de-parture lounges, VIP and First Class Facilities

Shopping and Catering FacilitiesThe airport has a number of shops in the departure lounge and in the public concourse offering duty free liquor, perfume, jewelry, crystal, craft etc. Restaurant and cafeteria facilities are also avail-able.

Airline catering service is provided by Goddard Caterers (Grenada) Ltd.

SecurityThe security unit is equipped with a modern X-ray scanner for the purpose of screening passengers and baggage entering the sterile area. The unit is also equipped with manually operated screening devices. CCTV is available. The Author-ity maintains a comple-ment of full time security officers, together with the presence of officers from the Royal Grenada Police Force.


MBIA Fact Sheet

MISSION STATEMENT

To provide safe, secure, efficient and profitable world class airport facilities and services, consistent with international standards through a highly skilled and committed workforce in support of the economic devel-opment of Grenada.

OBJECTIVES

• To provide adequate capacity for the aircraft and their passengers, air cargo and vehicle move-ments in a safe environment;

• To provide for and facilitate passengers, operators and staff convenience;

• To ensure continued financial viability;• To ensure that physical development plans are

flexible allowing for future expansion.

VISIONTo be a leader in providing world class airport facilities and services in the Caribbean.


MATHEMATICS

1. A way of writing 3 divided by y is ___________. (a)3/y (b) 3xy (c) 3+y (d)3y (a) (b) (c) (d)

2. The missing number in the sequence 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, _______is (a) 36 (b) 41 (c) 50 (d) 55 (a) (b) (c) (d)

3. The number that lies midway between 2.7 and 3.0 is _______. (a) 2.85 (b) 2.8 (c) 2.9 (d) 2.5 (a) (b) (c) (d)

4. Choose the one that is arranged in ascending order from least to greatest.

(a) 2.05, 0.52, 2.50, 0.25 (b) 0.25, 2.50, 0.52, 2.05

(c) 0.25, 2.05, 2.50, 0.52 (d) 0.25, 0.52, 2.05, 2.50 (a) (b) (c) (d)

5. Litres can be used to measure all of these except (a) oil (b) cloth (c) gasoline (d) fruit juice (a) (b) (c) (d)

6. 1500 hours is the same as (a)3:00pm (b) 3:15pm (c) 3:15am (d) 3:00am (a) (b) (c) (d)

7. The square root of 36 is (a) 6 (b) 3 (c) 9 (d) 18 (a) (b) (c) (d)

8. The L.C.M. of 12 and 20 is (a) 120 (b) 60 (c) 48 (d) 400 (a) (b) (c) (d)

9. Two identical triangles can form all of these except (a) pentagon (b) square (c) rectangle (d) rhombus (a) (b) (c) (d)

10. The Venn diagram below shows the number of students in grade 6 who are good at Maths and Art. How many students are good at Maths?

(a) 16 (b) 21 (c) 9 (d) 5 (a) (b) (c) (d)

SCIENCE

1. Birds and fish both lay eggs and have _________ . (a) wings (b) feet (c) scales (d) fins (a) (b) (c) (d)

2. An animal that captures other animals for food is a ___________ . (a) predator (b) prey (c) omnivore (d) cannibal (a) (b) (c) (d)

3. Which one of these animals can be destructive? (a) Honey bee (b) termite (c) earth worm (d) butterfly (a) (b) (c) (d)

4. Which is not a main part of the plant? (a) stem (b) root (c) root hairs (d) leaves (a) (b) (c) (d)

5. Green plants take in ______________ in the presence of sunlight. (a)carbon dioxide (b) oxygen (c) nitrogen (d) air (a) (b) (c) (d)

6. Cabbage and lettuce are green, leafy ___________ . (a) vegetables (b) roots (c) shoots (d) trees (a) (b) (c) (d)

7. The green pigment in the plant is called _________ . (a) chlorophyll (b) perennial (c) odour (d) colour (a) (b) (c) (d)

8. The process of __________ changes a liquid into a gas. (a) condensation (b) evaporation (c) melting (d) precipitation (a) (b) (c) (d)

9. These two will form a solution when mixed. (a) water & salt (b) water & chalk (c) sand & water (d) oil & water (a) (b) (c) (d)

10. The instrument used for measuring atmospheric pressure is the _____ . (a) thermometer (b) barometer (c) anemometer (d) meter (a) (b) (c) (d)

Read the questions carefully. Choose the correct answer and blacken the circle with the corresponding letter. Please follow this example:-

1. The Olympic Games are held every ----years. (a) two (b) four (c) ten (d) five (a) (b) (c) (d)

16 5 9

Maths Art

CPEA Practice


CPEA Practice

LANGUAGE ARTS

READING

GOATS I match as the goats come running down the gully, Quick,agile,fighting,tailswagging, Eyes like marbles which twinkle in the sun. One stops, eats for a while, Bucking and bleating to rejoin the herd. They all stop, hop on their hind legs, and start eating.

A goat bleats and a dog rushes out. They all scatter, running down the gully in a cloud of dust, Leaving the dog standing like a fool, Not able to follow them.

1. The collective noun found in verse one is ____________. . (a) goats (b) hind (c) herd (d) marbles (a) (b) (c) (d)

2. What part of speech is the word ‘agile’ ______________. (a) noun (b) verb (c) adjective (d) adverb (a) (b) (c) (d)

3. The figure of speech ‘eyes like marble’ is a ______________. (a) simile (b) metaphor (c) personification (d) paradox (a) (b) (c) (d)

4. ‘I’ in line one refers to the _____________. (a) author (b) reader (c) poet (d) dog (a) (b) (c) (d)

5. The word ‘scatter’ means ______________. (a) move (b) disappear (c) spread out (d) run off very quickly (a) (b) (c) (d)

SPELLING

From the choices given after each sentence, choose the correct spelling of the word to fill each blank space.

1. His ____________ are reading, singing and dancing. (a) hobbys (b) hobbies (c) hobies (d) hobyes (a) (b) (c) (d)

2. Tom’s frequent __________at the games led to his removal from the team. (a) absence (b) absense (c) abscence (d) abcense (a) (b) (c) (d)

3. The _________area looked inviting after it was painted. (a) dinning (b) dineing (c) dining (d) dyening (a) (b) (c) (d)

4. The athletes were __________ to hear the results (a) anxious (b) anscious (c) anxtious (d) ansctious (a) (b) (c) (d)

5. One should study hard in order to __________. (a) suceed (b) succed (c) sucseed (d) succeed (a) (b) (c) (d)

GRAMMAR 1. On Saturdays I _________ some housework to help my mother. (a) do (b) did (c) does (d) am doing (a) (b) (c) (d)

2. Where did he __________? (a) went (b) go (c) gone (d) going (a) (b) (c) (d)

3. When I turned the corner I ___________ a dog in the road. (a) was notice (b) notice (c) noticed (d) notices (a) (b) (c) (d)

4. She was sure that he did not ___________ the money. (a) stole (b) steal (c) stolen (d) stealing (a) (b) (c) (d)

5. John and Mary _________ listening to the radio. (a) likes (b) like (c) do likes (d) does like (a) (b) (c) (d)

VOCABULARY

Choose the correct meaning for the word/words that are underlined.

1. The teacher allowed the boys to leave early. (a) called (b) permitted (c) told (d) wanted (a) (b) (c) (d)

2. The sentences were put in sequence. (a) in a jumbled manner (b) in columns (c) in order (d) in rows (a) (b) (c) (d)

3. I am famished so I am going to eat. (a) energetic (b) hungry (c) tired (d) weak (a) (b) (c) (d)

4. Francis pleaded with his mother to purchase a new computer. (a) buy (b) get (c) receive (d) make (a) (b) (c) (d)

5. Rose has great affection for Steve. (a) love (b) joy (c) dislike (d) hope (a) (b) (c) (d)


Child Abuse can be referred to as doing, or failing to do, something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm. Child Abuse can happen to any boy or girl and it is, therefore, our duty as a society to protect them.

One way of protecting children from abuse and neglect is by reporting.

Within our society, there are certain professional groups who are legally required to report actual and suspected cases of child abuse and neglect to the relevant authori-ties. They are called Mandated Reporters.

To learn more about the duties of a Mandated Re-porter, keep on reading this article.

Who is a Mandated Reporter?

Section 27 of the Child Protection and Adoption Act, 2010, designates the following professionals as Mandated Reporters:• Medical Practitioners, Nurses, Dentists and other health/mental health practitioners;• Hospital Administra-tors;• School Principals, Teachers and other teaching professionals;• Social Workers and other social service pro-fessionals;• Owners, operators and employees of childcare

services;• Guidance Counsellors; and• Any other person who by virtue of his/her em-ployment or occupation has a responsibility to care for a child.

What are Mandated Re-porters required to do?

Section 27 further states that Mandated Report-ers must notify the proper authorities in any case in which they have reason to believe that a child is being abused or neglected or that conditions exist in a child’s environment that may result in abuse or neglect. The report must be made immediately,

or as soon as reasonably possible.

Who do Mandated Re-porters contact?

Information regarding actual or suspected cases child abuse and neglect must be reported to the Child Protection Author-ity (CPA), or to a police officer who is to report the information to the CPA.

The CPA is responsible for all investigations of a child protection nature, and the Police Depart-ment is responsible for all investigations of child abuse that are of a criminal nature. However, joint investiga-

tions involving both the police and the CPA is advisable in almost all cases of child abuse and neglect.

Types of abuse that must be reported include;• Verbal abuse• Physical abuse• Sexual abuse• Emotional/ psycho-logical abuse• Neglect and abandon-ment• Exposure to domestic violence

Responsibilities of Man-dated Reporters

Mandated Reporters are required only to report cases, and not investi-gate them. The correct

course of action is to report to the relevant au-thorities so that trained personnel can investi-gate the matter and take the steps necessary.

The report should in-clude;• The child’s name• The child’s age• The child’s home ad-dress or address where the child can be reached;• The child’s parents’ names, phone numbers, and addresses, if known;• The type of suspected abuse;• The alleged perpetra-tor, if known;• The specific physical and behavioral signs or indicators of the mal-treatment;

Please Note: You can report anonymously.You do not have to disclose your identity if you do not wish to.

Why does Mandatory Reporting exist?

Mandatory Reporting is in place to prevent chil-dren from being further abused and to end any possible abuse or neglect at the earliest possible stage.

About Failure to Report

A mandated reporter who fails to comply commits an offence.

The penalty for failing to report is a fine not exceeding five thousand

dollars or to a term of imprisonment not ex-ceeding three months.

Can a person who is not a Mandated Reporter make a report?

Certainly! Even if you are not considered a mandated reporter, you are still encouraged to report child abuse. Consider it your social responsibility as your report can contribute to the end of abuse in a child’s life.

Please note that the CPA cannot effectively per-form its role when there is failure to report.

A famous African proverb says “It takes a village to raise a child”, but it also takes a village to look out for a child, and part of looking out children is reporting ac-tual and suspected cases of child abuse.

Reporting may be hard to do, but it is necessary.

We look forward to your wholehearted support as we join forces to steer Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the direction of zero toler-ance for child abuse and neglect.

For more information on reporting Child Abuse and Neglect, feel free to contact the Child Protec-tion Authority on 440-6980 or 435-0293.

ABOUT THE MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT


News

Ms. Lynda Douglas of Windsor For-est, St. David’s is the first recipient of the Dr. Khan Nedd Scholarship to Earth University. Following a review of applications, Ms. Douglas was one of the two applicants short-listed to whom the admissions test and interview were administered. The tests and interviews were ad-ministered by Earth University’s rep-resentative, Professor Amy Porter, who visited Grenada between Au-gust 23rd and 25th specifically for that purpose. Ms. Douglas travelled to Costa Rica on September 28th to commence her Spanish immersion programme.

Ms. Douglas graduated from T.A Mar-ryshow Community College IN 2014

with an Associate’s Degree in Agri-culture and Food Science and has di-verse experience in the management of farm businesses as well as being an entrepreneur herself, involved in bee-keeping business, LynBees. EARTH University describes Lynda as “a highly qualified candidate who meets EARTH’s admissions profile: she is passionate about agriculture and the environment; she has demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurial skills; she has a track record of achievement and meeting her goals; and she hopes to make positive change in Grenada”. The IAGDO and the Grouping of CSOs extends its congratulations to Ms. Douglas, a trail blazer, paving the way for other Grenadians to attend EARTH University.

My name is Lynda Douglas and I have been awarded a 100% scholarship to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture on the 11th of Septem-ber, 2019. For the past six years I have always been active in the field of Agriculture. It was at the age of 18 I decided to followmy grandfa-ther, the late Wilbert Everard Douglas, to pursue a career in the field of Agriculture.I graduated from T.A Marryshow Commu-nity College with an Associate’s Degree in Agriculture and Food Science on the 17th of July, 2014. I then went onto becoming the live-stockManager at Owen

Farms, a livestock farm located at La Digue St Andrews Grenada. From January, 2015 I became the General Manager of Green Forest Farms a mixed farm located at Morne Longue St An-drews. I have then been recently employed as the farm Manager of Is-land Farms Inc, located at Laura St David’s from June, 2019. Apart from being employed by these private Agricul-tural Business Entities . I have been investing my time in developing a beekeeping business call (LynBees) which is still in its early stages. However I’ve been graced with the oppor-tunity to leave it in the hands of a trustworthy

person and will contin-ue to invest in it when I return. Now I have been given this once in a lifetime opportunity, it is with great pleasure that I thank the follow-ing people responsible for doing so:• I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Khan Nedd and his foundation for awarding me a full scholarship to obtain my bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture. With the negative effects on our planet caused by man such as global warming due to defor-estation from extensive crop cultivation and the endangerment of wildlife species caused by pesticides and other

dangerous agricultural techniques applied, there is a definite need to develop and imple-ment innovative meth-ods to sustain our textile and agricultural needs without creating more long term damage to our environment. • I would also like to acknowledge my gratitude to the IAGDO/Grenada Civil Society Organization team. These are the people who have coordinated this scholarship and are the liaison between Earth University and other schools within my country so without them, I would not have been able to receive this opportunity to pursue my dreams. At Earth University, the programs consist of both theoretical and practical teaching with environ-mental stewardship being an integral part of the institution’s values - which will aid in the correcting of those prob-lems through further

innovations and sustain-able implementations in the field of Agriculture.To the Director of Admissions, Mr. Ramon Ariel Sanchez, and the other members of the selection process. I extend gratitude and will like to say thank you for selecting and admitting me into your prestigious Institution. With this well formulat-ed curriculum and your goals towards sustain-able rural development, there is no doubt that there were many quali-fied candidates that applied and after careful selection, math and reasoning logic tests and personal interviews, I am honoured that I have met your requirements and have been selected among the very few students to be enrolled in your university on a full scholarship.Finally, a special thank you to all my friends and family that have continued to support me throughout the years.

No words can describe how blessed I am for having you all as a part of my life. I am forever grateful for your contin-ued love and support.

To all the young stu-dents of my homeland Grenada, I urge you also take up the mantle and be pioneers in the devel-opment of a sustainable Agricultural sector here on our beautiful island and abroad.This is for the preservation of our Tri island state and with the aim of preserving humanity. Whoever is interested in applying for this opportunity, please visit the follow-ing site, https://www.earth.ac.cr/en/, for more information on thede-gree program available. If you have any ques-tions on the application process, feel free to contact me (https://m.facebook.com/Dougie-Doug94).

Sincerely,Lynda P. Douglas

Lynda Douglas to Pursue Studies in Sustainable Agriculture at EARTH University, Costa Rica

Thank You Message From Ms. Lynda Douglas: First Grenadian Recipient of the Dr Khan Nedd Scholarship

28 BARNACLE NOVEMBER 2019 News

Grenada Golf Course, St. George - , October 25th, 2019 saw the very first tournament sponsored by Guardian General Insur-ance ( OECS) Ltd.- Golf tournaments are held several times annually on the Spice Isles, but have historically been a well-kept secret, attended by the resident golfers, most of whom already play on a weekly basis.

In the last 12 – 18 months observant on lookers will have noted a number of visible improvements taking place on the golf course, in St. George, as the Golf Club Committee makes a concerted effort to gain more support, and awaken an increased interest in the sport from the resident and visitor market. The well docu-mented health benefits of the game, ranging from; mental well-being and stress reduction to physi-cal fitness and weight loss, should also provide added impetus for poten-tial players to try their hand at the game. An up-front investment in equip-ment is also not necessary as the club offers equip-ment rental(s) and visitors are very welcome.

Managing Director of Guardian General Insur-ance (OECS) Ltd, Ron-ald Hughes stated; “my involvement with golf is relatively recent but when the opportunity arose to sponsor an island tournament we were pleased to get involved, and utilize some of the marketing channels at our Company’s disposal,

in support of the club and the improvements they are undertaking. In my short time play-ing I have learned that the sport requires good focus and stamina, both very positive attributes. I would like to encourage other corporate entities to support the club by tak-ing partnering with them for sponsorship oppor-tunities.” The Guardian General Insurance (OECS) Ltd. tournament, which attracted 28 participants, is carded to take place an-nually on the Thanksgiv-ing holiday date.

The golf club committee has also commenced steps to increase their visibility and take their place as part of Grenada’s tourism basket. For the 2019 -2020 season they joined the pages of the very popular island publication Lime & Dine Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique. This has already been distrib-uted island-wide and is currently on display at the World Travel Market in London for Nov – 4th – 6th, 2019. The committee recognizes that although the scenic 9 hole course may not be the sole rea-son for a visit to Grenada, golf enthusiasts will be delighted at knowing that they can combine sun, sea, sand & spices with the much loved swing of their golf clubs, whilst visiting the Spice Isles!

For further information contact the Grenada Golf Club on 444 4128 or email;[email protected]

THE PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT AS OF SATURDAY, 21ST DECEMBER, 2019 AT 11:59 P.M., THE SCRATCH GAMES TABLED BELOW WILL NO LONGER BE ON SALE NOR WILL TICKETS OF THESE GAMES BE REDEEMABLE AT ANY NLA-AUTHORISED LOTTERY AGENT. THIS MEANS THAT AS OF 28TH OCTOBER, 2019, AUTHORISED AGENTS WHO MAY STILL HAVE THESE GAMES ON SALE AND PLAYERS WHO MAY STILL HAVE WIN-

NING TICKETS OF THESE GAMES TO REDEEM HAVE A PERIOD OF EIGHT (8) WEEKS TO SELL AND / OR REDEEM THEM BEFORE THEY ARE OFFICIALLY EXPIRED AND DEEMED

UNSELLABLE AND UNREDEEMABLE. MUST BE 18 OR OLDER TO PLAY.

GAME-NUMBER & GAME-NAME #320 – Fire & Dice #343 – Cash Blowout

#321 – Spicy Hot Cash #344 - Money See Money Do

#322 – EZ Money #345 – Hot 5’s

#323 – I Love Cash #346 - Gold Fever

#324 – Just Match #347 – Dollar Signs

#325 – Mad Money #357 – Stairway To Riches

#326 – Get In Line #358 – 925

#327 – Today Payday #359—$10,000 Gold Rush

#339 – White Hot 7s #360 - Triple Win

#341 - Wild Money #364 – 10X The Cash

#342 – Bank Roll

Guardian General Insurance (OECS) Ltd. Inaugural Golf Tournament TOURNAMENT WINNER; VALLAN TAYLOR RECEIVES PRIZE FROM RONALD

HUGHES, MD OF GUARDIAN GENERAL INSURANCE (OECS) LTD.


News

ST. GEORGE’S, GRE-NADA – 4th November, 2019 – A delegation led by Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen and Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) CEO, Ms Patricia Maher, are in the UK for World Travel Mar-ket (WTM), the world’s foremost global tourism showcase. Seven island stakeholders have joined GTA to exhibit in London this week at the three-day event, which attracts global travel brand decision makers including airlines, tour operators, hoteliers and attractions.

Her Excellency Kisha Alexander-Grant, Gre-nada’s High Commis-sioner to the UK offi-cially opened the Pure Grenada, Spice of the Caribbean booth with the Minister, GTA CEO and stakeholders.

Meeting over 25 air-lines and tour opera-tors, including senior

representatives from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Condor in addition to Kenwood Travel, Trailfinders and Lotus Dial-a-flight, provides opportunities to promote Grenada and further enhance the tri-island destination’s reputation and reach in key overseas markets. The Minister and CEO will undertake meetings and interviews with senior journalists and accredited social media influencers in addition to attending networking events.

Minister for Tour-ism and Civil Avia-tion, Hon. Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen, said: “World Travel Market provides a springboard for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique ensuring we continue to deliver sustainable and significant growth for the tourism sector.”

GTA CEO, Ms Patricia Maher, said: “The global buzz about Grenada

continues as we wel-come increasing num-bers of visitors and add more upscale accom-modation next year and beyond.”

She added: “Interac-tion with Grenadians, whether that’s at annual events like Spicemas and Grenada Chocolate Fest or during regattas and community events is at the heart of every visitor’s experience. World Travel Market provides an opportunity to showcase what makes our destination and our people stand out and ensure our success endures.”

Stakeholders exhibit-ing with GTA at WTM 2019 are: Blue Dia-mond Resorts/Royalton Grenada; Blue Horizons Garden Resort; Kalinago Beach Resort; Kimpton Kawana Bay; Mount Cinnamon Resort; Spice Island Beach Resort; St James Travel & Tours; and True Blue Bay Bou-tique Resort.

PURE GRENADA CENTRE STAGE AT GLOBAL TOURISM SHOWCASE

GROUP PHOTO- RENATTA FIELDEN AND MARIE FIELDEN, TRUE BLUE BAY BOUTIQUE RESORT; PATRICIA MAHER, GTA CEO; LYNN GIRLING, SPICE ISLAND BEACH RESORT & BLUE HORIZONS GARDEN RESORT; MINISTER FOR TOURISM & CIVIL AVIATION, HON. DR. CLARICE MODESTE-CURWEN; FRANCINE STEWART, GTA MARKETING MANAGER; SIR ROYSTON HOPKIN KCMG, SPICE ISLAND BEACH RESORT; MARIELLE ALEXANDER, ST JAMES TRAVEL & TOURS; SHARON BERNSTEIN, ROB BATES AND LISA BRAITHWAITE, GTA UK.


The Marine and Yachting Associa-tion of Grenada was formed in 1991 as a trade organisation to support and encour-age the development of the marine services industry in Grenada. We work with partners and stakeholders in Grenada to ensure any changes in legislation, the business and social environment continue to support this indus-try.

We wish to encourage yachting visitors to Gre-nada and ensure they make the most of their time on the island, ex-periencing the culture and diverse communi-ties of the host coun-try, having fun and co-existing peacefully with other visitors and permanent residents.

We have created some guidelines which you should find helpful. These guidelines will most likely be included in new proposed legis-lation and so it is im-portant that everyone is familiar with them in advance.

As always, we welcome positive feedback and suggestions from all concerned.

Anchoring: There are numerous sheltered bays with designated anchorages to enjoy a sundowner whilst your own anchor keeps you

safe. The following guidelines should be noted:• Ensure that you remain at least 100 metres from any water-front property.• Do not anchor adjacent to a mooring ball so as to render that mooring ball unusable.• Remember that anchoring is permit-ted in the St. George’s Marine Protected Area only in the designated area adjacent to Ross Point. Please stay within this designated area.• Avoid loud mu-sic which could cause a nuisance to your land neighbours and other yachts in the immedi-ate vicinity.• Ensure that someone has your contact details so that you can be alerted to any issue whilst you are temporarily away from your yacht at the grocery store or enjoy-ing an island tour.• Always display an anchor light from dusk to dawn.• Take every reasonable precaution to protect your prop-erty and any valuables when you leave your yacht and do not let yourself become a victim of a preventable opportunistic crime. This applies whether you are at anchor, on a mooring or in a marina.

Unoccupied yachts: For the purpose of clarity,

we define an unoc-cupied yacht as any vessel at anchor or at a mooring, not stored in a marina or boatyard and whose occupants will be absent for a period in excess of one month.

The authorities in Gre-nada (Ports Authority, Coast Guard, RGPF) do not encourage unoc-cupied yachts. Unoccu-pied yachts encourage opportunistic criminal behaviour on an easy target. This in turn can jeopardise the safety and security of your cruising neighbours and the local commu-nity.• We encourage persons planning to leave their yacht unoc-cupied for extended periods of time to move their yacht to one of the marinas or boatyards. All these services will provide safe monitoring of your yacht.

Dinghies: These guidelines should be observed at all times when operating a pow-ered dinghy in Grena-dian territorial waters• The Power Craft Act no 249 legislation states that persons under the age of 16 years may not operate a dinghy whilst under power.• The recom-mended speed within an anchorage or moor-ing field is 5 knots and speeds should be monitored elsewhere so

as not to create a wake which could cause a nuisance to other people.• No dinghy should be operated within 200 metres of any beach except where beach access is required. Access should be via dedi-cated buoyed channels (Grand Anse) or in the absence of a buoyed channel, at a dead slow speed.• Each dinghy should be fitted with an all-round white light with a visibility of 2 nautical miles and used for any powered operation from dusk to dawn.• Dinghy lights and other valuables should be removed or secured whilst the din-ghy is left unattended. This helps to prevent opportunist theft. • Dinghies should be secured in a safe manner on dinghy docks, being mindful of other users of the dinghy dock or jetty. • Operation of a dinghy whilst under the influence of alcohol is not permitted.

Waste Management: The seas around Grena-da are one of our most valuable resources and it is everyone’s respon-sibility to ensure that every effort is made to protect them. We are working closely with Government and in-ternational agencies to

put the necessary legal protections in place.

Our guidelines are as follows:• Please unsure that no solid waste is thrown overboard from your yacht. Even food waste and paper items can pollute.• There are several areas in Gre-nada where you can deposit waste oil so there is no reason to place it overboard. The environmental conse-quences are very real and disturbing.• If you don’t already have a holding tank then we recom-mend that you fit one and ensure your Y-valve is in the current position. Pump out facilities will be intro-duced but in advance we would request that you discharge your tank at least 3 miles offshore on a regular basis.

Marine Protected Areas: Grenada has several Marine Pro-tected Areas (MPA’s) which have special regulations to protect the fragile marine envi-ronment. • Day moorings have been installed in the MPA’s and are white for yachts. • Currently no overnight mooring is al-lowed in the MPA’s. • Absolutely no waste of any kind should be thrown or

discharged overboard within an MPA• More informa-tion about the MPA’s can be found on: http://www.mpatlas.org/re-gion/country/GRD/

If you follow these guidelines your cruis-ing neighbours will appreciate you, the local community will thank you and our coral reefs and sea life will applaud you. You can feel justifiably proud that you are doing your part to ensure that Gre-nada remains one of the safest and most pristine environments in the Caribbean.

Finally, the board of MAYAG would like to thank you for taking the time to read this mes-sage. One of our most important goals is to ensure that our yacht-ing visitors receive the best experience whilst staying with us and that you enjoy every-thing that Grenada has to offer. We are here to help so feel free to reach out if you need guidance.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marine-andyachtingassocia-tionofgrenada/

Website: www.gre-nadagrenadinesyacht-ing.com

Email: [email protected]

Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada – Guidelines for Visiting Yachts –

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Documents

Tel: (473) 435-0981/5685 Email: [email protected] Web: …thebarnaclenews.com/Paper/Barnacle Nov 19.pdf · Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). In keeping with the