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Bermuda's
History from 2000 to 2005
Significant events and social consequences
covering this five-year period
By Keith
Archibald Forbes (see About
Us) exclusively for Bermuda
Online
When referring to
this web file, use "bermuda-online.org/history2000to2005.htm"
as your Subject
2000
- The German color mini TV
series "Inselfeiber" was filmed partly in Bermuda. It was written
and produced by Jens Fintelmann and Thomas Seekamp.
-
Bear
Stearns was ordered pay out $125 million to investors who were left
high-and-dry by the collapse of Bermuda-administered Manhattan Investment
Fund in 2000.
The
New York broker continued to accept $125 million in margin payments from the
fund's Bank of Bermuda account during the final year leading up to the
collapse of the fund in March 2000, which left investors with more than $400
million of losses. It has been argued in
court that Bear Stearns continued to extend margin to the boss of the fund
Michael Berger, up to a year or more after it should have known he was
acting in a fraudulent manner. Austrian-born Berger pleaded guilty to fraud
in November 2000, some eight months after the fund collapsed. Investors
lost more than $400 million when the fund collapsed seven years ago after
being exposed as a "Ponzi" scheme that cheated around 300
investors. Companies involved in
administering and auditing for the fund were ordered to pay out tens of
millions of dollars in liabilities. Deloitte
& Touche, the fund's Bermuda auditors agreed to pay $32 million in a
settlement relating to its part in the collapse, while Fund Administration
Services (Bermuda) Limited, an affiliate of Ernst & Young who
administered the fund, paid out $40.8 million. The
Manhattan Investment Fund fraud came to light when Deloitte & Touche
withdrew approval for the fund's financial statements for 1996, 1997 and
1998.
-
March
6. Tributes poured in for the
"daddy'' of entertainment in Bermuda, Sydney Bean, who died this week
at the age of 92. Fellow performers said Mr. Bean was a pioneer of
Island music and the first Bermudian to regularly play abroad. Mr.
Bean wrote hundreds of songs, including Bermuda's Still Paradise, Where Did
You Stay Last Night Caroline?, and Spend Your Money on Me, which was
co-authored by Ted Ming of the Bermuda Strollers. He
used to entertain in the US before local entertainers even thought about it.
One job he had in Philadelphia, he was the entertainer and (TV superstar)
Bill Cosby was the barman. He sang, he
played guitar, played bass, he did everything. He was an all-round great
entertainer, and well-liked. He was easy-going, always smiling and saying
hello, and he loved to be out where things were happening.' Mr. Bean, a
leading calypsonian, had his own band, the Sydney Bean Trio, but also played
jazz at weekends with Rex Richardson. He
played in hotels across the island and was the entertainer for Bermuda
Island Cruises before becoming its cruise director -- a position he held
until the early 1990's. He was still working on the boats when he was in his
eighties. He was known as the first local
entertainer who could do impersonations of jazz legends such as Louis
Armstrong. Sydney
was the pioneer of island music in Bermuda because he was older than Hubert
Smith or the Talbot Brothers. Mr. Bean, who was married three times, lived
for many years in Greene's Guest House in Middle Road Southampton, but last
year he moved to a nearby rest home.
June.
Tall Ships arrived in Bermuda for the Tall Shops 2000 Race, second leg,
Cadiz to Bermuda, June 9 to 12. The Bermuda Monetary Authority issued
three commemorative coins, the Gold 0.5 oz for $300; the Silver Proof 1 oz
for $40;; and the Cupro-Nickel 1 oz for $15.Vessels that arrived in Bermuda
were splendid.
-
July 1. Saul
Froomkin, Queen's Council, a former Attorney General of Bermuda, was
appointed Canada's Honorary Consul to Bermuda. This was requested by Canada
in 1999.
- Sorry, but other 2000
information is not
available here.
2001
- NASA's Cooper's Island base was
closed. It was first established in 1961 and
used as a tracking and communications facility for various space programmes,
including the Mercury and Apollo missions and space shuttle flights because
of its key geographical position in relation to launch trajectories for
space vehicles blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. After shut
down, it became a collection of abandoned buildings and related structures.
Part of the area was earmarked by Government as a future nature reserve and
visitor centre.
- June
8. The cost of parking in Hamilton is to go up by as much as 50 percent in a
bid to raise more money to provide additional parking.
The move is also aimed at encouraging residents to
use public transport to travel into the city to work and shop. The
Corporation of Hamilton, however, sweetened the pill of price hikes by
announcing that it is to put up an extra floor of parking at Bulls Head Car
Park (subject to planning approval) and is actively looking into providing
more spaces within the City. The cost of
the extra floor at Bulls Head is believed to be about $3 million and will be
met by the hike in the cost, which will hit all forms of parking as of June
25. Parking vouchers and the cost of
parking at Cavendish, King Street and Number Seven car park will go up from
50 cents to 75 cents. City Hall, Par-la-Ville, Number One and Number Five
car parks will all go up from 75 cents to $1 and all day parking at Bulls
Head, Bulls Head North, Laffan Street and Elliott Street car parks will rise
from $3 a day to $4 per day. The issue of
parking has been a heated topic of debate in the city since the City of
Hamilton 2001 Plan was published. In this, a form of pedestrianization of
Reid Street is proposed. But there has been
opposition to the plan because some retailers state that it would reduce the
already small number of parking spaces available in the City. The
Corporation and the Ministry of Transport have been meeting with retailers
and the Chamber of Commerce to find a solution to the problem. Corporation
of Hamilton Secretary Roger Sherratt, said: "The Corporation is seeking
to put an extra floor of parking at Bulls Head Car Park subject to receiving
approval from the Development Applications Board and is also actively
investigating the feasibility of providing additional parking spaces at
other pay and display car parks, including a multi-storey car park at
Cavendish. Revenue from the increased fees
will help to meet the cost of providing additional public parking in the
city." He added that the Corporation
was still servicing the debt of the $6 million bond issue raised for the
Bulls Head Car Park and is also having to borrow to fund the cost of
constructing the new $7.8 million preliminary sewage treatment and pumping
facility on Front Street which is due to be completed later this year.
Mr. Sherratt said the city was faced with an ever
increasing number of vehicles pouring into the city, both four-wheeled and
two-wheeled, and with a limited capacity to park them and no possibility of
building new roads in and out of Hamilton, traffic congestion will continue
to be a major problem for the Corporation "unless more people can be
encouraged to use public transportation. It is certainly hoped that with the
last new fast ferry service due to come on-line early 2002, and an expansion
of the public bus service, more people will seek alternative forms of
transportation into the City." The
Corporation pointed out that in a study conducted in 1997, the consultants
STM said they considered the city's parking charges "to be very low for
an Island with such a high standard of living". The
increases have to be first approved by Parliament through the
"affirmative resolution" procedure. It is anticipated the
Government will support the Corporation's application to increase the
parking fees. Although the Corporation says it does not at this time intend
to raise the vouchers to $2, Parliamentary approval for the move has also
been applied for by the Corporation.
- July. Tucker’s Point Club Hotel & Spa, St. George’s was approved via
a Special Development Order
- September 9. Legendary
Travel Journalist Arthur Frommer was in Bermuda at the Society of American
Travel Writers Bermuda conference and advised people to stop
"trivial" travel writing. He
abhors the kind of "trivial" travel writing that does not make
waves; is not relevant; does not believe in travel criticisms when due; and
encourages journalist and travel writers to write uncritical pieces after
enjoying "junkets" - free trips - from hotels or airlines but at
local or overseas taxpayers' expense.
- September
11. The world's worst terrorist attack occured at the World Trade Center,
New York. More
than 2,974 people were killed when 19 al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four
passenger jets. Two aircraft flew into the World Trade Center in New York
while another hit the Pentagon and a fourth crashed into a field in
Pennsylvania. Among the dead were Boyd
Gatton and Rhondelle Cherie Tankard of Bermuda. Mr. Gatton, 38, was working
on the 97th floor of the World Trade Center with the Fiduciary Trust Company
when the attacks took place. Ms Tankard, an employee with Bermuda-based
insurance company AON, had started work there just two days earlier.
-
October. Harbour Court Tucker’s Point Club, St. George’s was approved via
a Special Development Order.
- November 9. Public Health Act
1949 was amended to ensure the regulation of businesses that practice
tattooing, electrolysis and body-piercing.
- December 4. Today
Bermuda mourned the passing of Hubert Smith Sr., one of Bermuda's pioneers
and legends of the local music scene.
And last night tributes and well-wishes poured in
to his family for the legendary musician, who was considered a ''true
ambassador of Bermuda.'' Mr. Smith died
suddenly yesterday of a massive heart attack, according to family members.
He was 83-years-old. And although Mr.
Smith's family said they are struggling with the tragic loss, they are also
celebrating his many contributions to shaping Bermuda's music scene and
culture. Mr. Smith 's daughter Velda Ming
said she last spoke to her father the night before his passing and said she
is coping with the shock. "He enjoyed
good health in his 83 years," she said. "Thursday night, I just
spoke to him - he sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. And then around 2 p.m. today,
they rushed him to the hospital. But he went peacefully - he would not have
wanted to linger." Mr. Smith, who has
spent close to 70 years in the business, was by all accounts a hero in his
own right throughout Bermuda's music scene. He
was a major influence in shaping the traditional sound of Bermudian music,
such as calypso and jazz, and is probably most remembered for crooning
'Bermuda Is Another World', which he wrote in 1969. But
his dedication to the local music scene went far beyond his singing and song
writing talents. And last night, his family
took the time to remember their "beloved Hubert", recounting a man
who was humble, giving and "a true gentleman." "I
spent about thirty years with him working with his band The Coral
Islanders," said his son George Smith. "He traveled extensively
for the Department of Tourism spreading the culture of Bermuda to the US,
England and Canada. He was a true ambassador for Bermuda. It
goes without saying that we all loved him dearly and he was always giving of
himself. He loved the traditions of Bermuda
and tried to impart his love of the Island to all he came into contact with.
He played in all the hotels of Bermuda. Every
Christmas he used to travel to the Brangman Home at 6.30 in the morning and
play Christmas music for the elderly. He used to travel to all the schools
playing for and talking to the children - he was a true gentleman, he never
refused any charity work. You could never forget his warmness - it won't be
the same without him, he was a real giant and he will be greatly
missed."
2002
-
February
12. An Olympic-sized cheer abounded across the Island yesterday on the news
from the Ministry of Telecommunications, CableVision and Bermuda
Broadcasting Company (BBC) that coverage of the Winter Games would be
expanded.
Three
local channels will now be broadcasting the 2002 Olympics from Salt Lake
City for the duration of the Games - ZFB channel 7 (which holds local
broadcast rights for the Games) and cable TV channels 6 (WDIV) and 25
(CNBC). Local coverage of the Salt Lake
City games first fell under heavy criticism when technical problems resulted
in complete blackout of coverage for a couple of hours Friday evening.
While that problem was rectified, hockey fans
continued to fume over the CNBC blackout because ZFB 7 was not airing any
Olympic coverage at all while the popular winter sport was being shown on
channel 25 - which CableVision subscribers pay for but were unable to watch.
Yesterday, however the Ministry of
Telecommunications brokered a deal to satisfy all fans of winter sports.
Although BBC hold exclusive rights to the Olympic
feed in Bermuda and originally intended to air coverage only on ZFB 7,
company CEO Rick Richardson instructed local cable TV provider CableVision
to end the blackout of CNBC last night. "We
are pleased that both parties were able to reach an amicable solution,"
said Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb yesterday. "We
believe this decision clearly reflects the Ministry's commitment to ensuring
that the best interest of the general public comes first."
ZFB
7 will continue its broadcasting of the Olympics as originally scheduled and
that feed will also be carried on WDIV channel 6, the BBC statement added.
- February
19. Yesterday’s front
page story in the New York Times — “US companies file in Bermuda to
slash tax bills” made headlines. Some weeks ago, in the wake of a series of
negative press reports about Bermuda relating to the collapse of Enron and
Global Crossing Ltd. and the difficulties facing Tyco and Elan
International, the daily newspaper warned that Bermuda needed to mount a media
counter-attack. The need for a full
response became more pronounced yesterday when the New York Times described how one Bermuda-based company had moved from its New Jersey
headquarters to Bermuda and as a result paid $27,000 per year to Government
instead of $40 million in corporate income taxes to the United States.
Last week, another manufacturing company, the
hardware company Stanley Works, announced it was moving to Bermuda as well.
The primary reason was to reduce its tax bill. And it
said its profits would be $30 million higher in the next quarter as a
result. Bermuda has spent decades trying to
shed the tax-haven label. The
New York Times also added a new twist to the question, by quoting an expert
who said the issue for companies was, quite simply, patriotism or profit.
Investors and stock analysts may prefer reducing
taxes and raising profits, but many Americans, and almost all American
politicians, will prefer patriotism in the wake of September 11. The
truth is that companies like Stanley Works, which will have no corporate
presence in Bermuda, do very little to boost the Bermuda economy. It
is the companies with a physical presence — some three percent of the
total — that contribute 70 to 80 percent of the money international
companies bring to Bermuda. Then too, as
Bermuda was at pains to explain to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development last year, Bermuda does not have a preferential tax system.
No companies pay corporate income taxes in Bermuda. When
the OECD was tackling tax havens, the Bush Administration was reluctant to
give it much support , regarding Bermuda and other reputable offshore
financial centres as places that increased the efficiency of the global
economy. And companies like Stanley Works
move because they are at a disadvantage with their overseas competitors.
Reducing their tax rate helps them to compete in foreign markets, and that
is good news for the US economy. It is also
worth noting that companies that move offshore only reduce their tax bills
— they do not eliminate them. Even
companies like ACE and XL, which were founded in Bermuda and do business all
over the world, pay hundreds of millions of dollars in US taxes, they have
to do in order to do business there. But that does not mean they should pay
taxes to the US on business they do in the UK or Germany. That
message must be made to policy makers in Washington and elsewhere. It should
be recalled that one prime time TV programme effectively killed the US bases
in Bermuda. It is up to Government and the leaders of international
companies to ensure that one front page New York Times story does not do the
same for international business.
-
March 20.
The American Consulate submitted plans for multi-million dollar security
upgrade and is seeking a special development order from Government to
carry it out. Among the changes in store for the Middle Road, Devonshire
property will be a steel picket fence around the perimeter of the property,
a vehicle barrier at the gate and new controlled access centre (CAC)
building at set slightly back from the road. The United States Government
chose to revisit security provisions at its overseas embassies and
consulates following bombings at two African embassies four years ago.
"After the horrific bombings in the American embassy in Nairobi, Kenya,
and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in August 1998, the Department of State - by
mandate of the US Congress - undertook an ambitious project to upgrade the
security at all American diplomatic facilities around the world," wrote
acting US Consul General Karen Emmerson in a letter accompanying the
Planning application to Environment Permanent Secretary Brian Rowlinson .The
letter went on to state that the work began in 1999 but was undertaken in
order of priority. "The major upgrades needed to bring the Consulate
General up to congressionally-mandated worldwide security standards include;
construction of a nine foot perimeter wall/fence; a vehicle barrier and
access control centre at the entrance gate; `hardening' of the interior
walls on the ground floor of the building; and, installation of blast-proof
windows." Consulate staff also took measures to inform area neighbours
of the upcoming security changes. US Consul Jennifer Schools said every
effort had been made to keep the appearance of the Consulate in line with
Bermuda architecture. with the CAC building to resemble a small, Bermuda
cottage. Ms Schools also said many of the routine forms people seek at the
consulate, such as visa applications, will now be held in the CAC building.
-
April 5.
Surf Side Beach Club last night opened three new luxury three bedroom
apartments, which are part of a $5 million facelift at the Warwick resort.
Owner Naval Mehra also revealed he is hoping for
final planning approval for an additional identical three storey
development, which will take the resort to 49 units. The
three bedroom seafront units, which cover an entire floor, include sitting
room, full kitchen and laundry facilities, are available from April 13 at
$850 a night. Alternatively, a one bedroom unit on the floor can be let
separately for $350 a night. Mr. Mehra's
company, Bermuda Resort Hotels - which also owns the Harmony Club and new
Wharf executive suite hotel in Paget that is due to open next month - has
spent a total of $5 building the new units and upgrading ten executive
suites. At the opening last night, he paid
tribute to Tourism Minister David Allen's Hotel Concessions Act for making
the new projects possible. "The
Minister of Tourism came up with the brilliant idea of the Concessions Act
and we did a lot of work with his department to make this happen," he
said. "The Government has encouraged people to invest in Bermuda, and
this product is the result of the Hotel Concessions Act. My sincere thanks
to the Government and Ministry of Tourism for helping us achieve this dream
and this goal. We're now bringing Surf Side
to the standard we always wanted the property. When we took over, it was 30
years old, but it is a great jewel and we are polishing it and bringing it
back to life." Mr. Mehra denied he was
involved in moves to buy White Sands in Paget. Mr. Allen, who was at the
opening, said the new units at Surf Side were one of the "first
fruits" of the Concessions Act, which gives tax breaks to hotel owners
to upgrade their property and to rebuild. `I
am very happy to say this is an early product of the Hotel Concession Act
and I want to congratulate Naval for his faith in the future of Bermuda by
investing in Bermuda's future," said Mr. Allen. "This
demonstrates what we want to accomplish, not just by reinventing the tourism
industry, but also the physical structure and the service."
- June. The Queen's
Golden Jubilee was celebrated in Bermuda. at Government House. Thousands of
Bermudians were invited.
- June 18. In its
"Exchange of Notes" when everything was formally handed back
following the end of the US Bases in Bermuda in May 1995, Item 5
reads:....."The Government of the USA will pay the Government of the UK
for the benefit of the Government of Bermuda, the sum of Eleven Million
Dollars in consideration of the termination of all obligations relating to
the maintenance and repair of the Longbird Bridge......"
- June. The Bermuda
Government's National Office for Seniors and
the Physically Challenged was formed to provide a central point of access to
government services.
- Tourism Minister David
Allen was airlifted to the United States for medical treatment after
undergoing tests in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. The nature of his
illness was not disclosed, but Acting Tourism Minister Alex Scott last night
dismissed a report on VSB that Mr. Allen had undergone a five-hour operation
for kidney failure. He said Mr. Allen was advised by doctors to get further
tests in the United States after he underwent treatment at KEMH. He added
that he spoke to Mr. Allen on Saturday evening and he had improved and was
in better spirits than when he left Bermuda on Friday. Mr. Allen should be
back in Bermuda “shortly” although he could not say when. And Premier
Jennifer Smith, who is due back on the Island this week, will decide who
will take up his post in the meantime. Mr. Allen was taken out on an air
ambulance on Friday to the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts, which is regarded
as one of the top hospitals in the US.
- Tourism Minister David Allen
died, of
cancer. Minister of Tourism, he was the only white Cabinet member of the PLP
Government and had supported it for decades. He had a full state funeral.
Late Tourism
Minister David Allen
- August
19. Patients facing the daunting and ridiculous prospect of having to pay up
front to have their babies delivered and for other surgical procedures can,
apparently rest easy again after Government announced on Friday that a
settlement had been reached between insurers and physicians.
But this "settlement" does not constitute
a final agreement, merely a ceasefire while a new fee schedule is worked out.
That means that doctors and insurance companies may again disagree on what
constitutes fair payment for their services. But
the row is a chilling sign of how fragile the Island's health insurance system
can be and how easily it can be turned on its head. And it is worrying that
the dispute could have led to a person being denied an essential medical
service because they could not pay up front. It
did not come to that, and it is difficult to imagine a physician actually
taking this dispute that far; but the possibility nonetheless remained.
While the argument between the physicians and the
insurance companies has been the most public dispute, it is only one of the
potential flashpoints in the health care system. Health
Minister Nelson Bascome said on Friday that the health system has worked well,
and for the most part he is correct. No one
in Bermuda is denied health care. The young and the elderly receive high
quality basic care at little or no cost, while Government's Health Insurance
Plan (HIP) does the same for people of working age. The private insurance
companies provide higher levels of service to people who are employed. The
hospital and Government's other health clinics provide a high standard of
care, especially given the Island's size. This
mixture of public and privately funded health care has served Bermuda well, as
Mr. Bascome said. It has avoided the worst problems of 100 percent publicly
funded health care, like the years-long waits for "non-emergency"
surgery that have come to epitomize Britain's National Health Service. It has
avoided the inequities of private health care, as epitomized by the refusal of
some US hospitals to treat uninsured patients. Nonetheless,
Bermuda's system does face a number of challenges. Clearly, the question of
how much insurance companies are prepared to pay physicians is one issue that
has to be resolved. More seriously, the issue
of elderly patients whose access to major medical health insurance is cut off
then they retire has to be addressed, either in conjunction with pension
schemes or via some other from of group health insurance. But
the notion that a person can pay health insurance premiums for upwards of 40
years, only to be cut off when they most need insurance is invidious. The
problem of skyrocketing medical costs is next. Generally speaking, medical
costs have risen at three or four times the general rate of inflation in the
last five of six years. That's why physicians
are arguing with insurers and it is why the insurers are arguing with the
hospital, it is also why the hospital runs at a deficit every year and,
finally, it is why the consumer keeps having to pay more for health insurance
and health treatments. While
Mr. Bascome needs to resolve the question of a new rate of payments between
the insurance companies and physicians, he needs to solve the more serious
issues which are looming for health care.
- September 9. Death, in
Canada, at the age of 82, of Edward DeJean, one of the founding fathers of the
Progressive Labour Party in Bermuda. Although a Canadian, in Bermuda he was a
teacher, school principal, football (soccer) coach, political activist, role
model and mentor to many.
-
October 23.
The Bermudian Business magazine, once a quarterly publication, will now be
publishing six issues a year.
The
issues will be produced every other month starting with the February/March
issue, and the first issue will highlight the top ten businesses in Bermuda.
- The
Government was given $11 million as part of the Baselands deal signed in
Washington D.C. In the deal, the US refused to pay to clean up the pollution
of its two former bases, but did give the Island $11 million for Longbird
Bridge, which US troops built and which has been plagued with mechanical
problems.
- November
8. The first
Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival (BCAF) came to a close on Monday after a
weekend-long series of seminars, cooking demonstrations and tastings hosted by
celebrity chef and Food Network star Sara Moulton, and Gourmet magazine's wine
consultant Michael Green. The
three-day event, which was held at the Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel and
was developed to encourage visitors to travel to Bermuda, was hailed as a
fabulous success and is set to be even bigger next year, according to Graham
Redford, managing director of the firm that organized the BCAF, Total
Marketing & Communications. "It was
a great success. Visitors were absolutely raving about it. And they thought it
provided great value for money," said Mr. Redford, noting that he hopes
to attract more visitors and locals next year. "The
success of the event overall is not only that the visitors come and have a
good time, but that the locals accept it as part of the calendar and that they
support it and want to be involved," he said. "We definitely want to
get more locals to be a part of the festival next year." Presented
by the Department of Tourism, the Bermuda Electric Light Company, the Fairmont
Southampton Princess and Gourmet magazine, Bermuda's new culinary event was
planned to be similar in nature, but sufficiently different from other food
festivals around the world so as to differentiate Bermuda as a unique place to
visit, according to Mr. Redford. To that end,
the organizers partnered with global food and beverage publication Gourmet
magazine to garner international media exposure and reach an attractive target
market. "The demographics of the Gourmet
reader are similar to that of the customer that we were going after so it made
sense to partner with them," said Mr. Redford. "As well, we got the
added benefit of celebrity chef, Sara Moulton." While the gourmet event
was initially planned for November 2001, it was postponed due to the tragedy
of September 11 and eventually rescheduled for November 2002. With
a star-studded roster of world-renowned chefs from the United States and
England, festival visitors were able to see, hear, smell and taste the makings
of culinary masterpieces. As well, they were treated to authentic Bermudian
delicacies prepared by local chefs in addition to wine tastings, celebrity
chef hosted dinners and book signings with Sara Moulton. The
Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival also featured the People's Choice Awards, a
culinary competition between various Bermuda restaurants sponsored by
Butterfield & Vallis and Conagra Foods. The
competition, which ran from October 14 to November 2, enabled the
participating restaurants to feature a four-course fixed menu with wine
pairings. Diners were able to judge and score the People's Choice menu based
on specific criteria such as creativity, presentation and visual appeal,
culinary techniques, taste, texture, temperature and flavour, service and wine
pairing. The
epicurean weekend wrapped up with a charity golf tournament benefiting the
Windows of Hope relief fund and a local culinary scholarship.
2003
2004
2005
- 1st January. Bermuda's seniors
who own homes in their own names became exempt from paying
land tax from this date.
- February. Lt. Col. David
Burch of the Bermuda Government told foreigners trying to get involve in the Island's debate on
Independence to "butt out – this has nothing to do with you" when
he addressed the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton.
- 40th anniversary of riots
between Police and workers outside the BELCO gates. Former BIU organizer
Ottiwell Simmons was one of those involved. It proved to be a turning point in
labour relations in Bermuda in terms of addressing the inequalities between
black and white workers.
- St. George's residents and
Mayor E. Michael Jones expressed concern about raw sewage being pumped into
the sea near Tobacco Bay through a broken sewage pipe.
- Bermuda is to feature in
two documentary films about coral reefs. The films are part of "The Reef
Series" being made by award-winning filmmakers Guy and Anita Chaumette.
- New regulations were put
in place to prevent foreigners buying property on the Island unless they were
buying from non-Bermudians. The policy was criticised as working against
Bermudians by limiting their options to sell property.
- Celebration of the 400th
anniversary of the discovery of uninhabited Bermuda
by Juan de
Bermudez, Captain of La Garza, a Spanish vessel. Bermuda is named after him.
- 75th anniversary of birth
of radio broadcasting in Bermuda (1930) by Thomas Wadson.
-
April 13.
The Bank of Bermuda's controversial sale to multinational banking giant HSBC
Plc. more than a year ago made it part of a vast global network that spans 79
countries.
But
what does that mean for bank customers here? On
top of upgrades underway at all of the bank's Island branches, bank management
say Bank of Bermuda clients, through HSBC, have access to many services which
it wasn't possible for the bank to offer when it was a much smaller, albeit
global outfit. And in the next year or so, the day will come when bank
customers can be universally recognized throughout the multitude of countries
HSBC operates in. That means bank customers
will be able to get cash and account details from ATMs around the world - at
16,658 HSBC cash points, to be exact. The
bank says its integration into the HSBC network is well ahead of schedule -
and once the Bank of Bermuda completes its multi-million dollar migration on
to HSBC's technological (HUB) system, it will be possible for bank clients to
be recognized across the HSBC network. The
system is also designed to be more intuitive about customers' buying habits.
For example, there are certain dollar amount limits on how much money you can,
say, spend or withdraw with a Bank of Bermuda credit card. This
will all snap into place with the HSBC HUB system, which is designed to take
into consideration a client's individual buying habits. With that information,
the bank has the capacity to automatically authorize increases on credit card
limits reflective of spending patterns and overall financial stability.
But for some of the bank's preferred customers,
there is already greater access to the HSBC network through a service designed
to give “individual attention to you and your money”. The
service isn't something you can sign up for, but it's yours if you have
$250,000 and up on deposit or invested with the bank. The
service - HSBC Premier - was officially launched from a plush and dedicated
fifth floor space at the bank's Front Street headquarters on Monday. But the
Bank of Bermuda already knows customers like the service, having been
operating in a “soft” mode for several months. The
bank has already signed up about 500 clients locally for the Premier service -
a service offered in 33 global locations in which HSBC operates. David
Lunn, head of Premier in Bermuda, said: “We are a portal into the whole of
the HSBC network,” with clients being given personalized access to HSBC
products and services, as well as Premier facilities wherever they are
available around the world. Richard Brown,
head of Bank of Bermuda's Personal Financial Services, said taking part in
Premier has been attractive to “top tier” customers in Bermuda for
numerous reasons. “Firstly it is the
one-to-one service and the ability to have someone by name that you can talk
to, and who will get back to you, instead of dealing with a different person
every time. And there is a question of the branch environment: If you do have
the need to come into the bank, it is a nice environment to come into.”
Why set up the Premier service in Bermuda? Mr. Brown
said: “Every country has its fair share of affluent customers and Bermuda
has more than the average country....” Although
offering very personalized service: piping hot coffee is waiting for you in
the Premier Lounge, there are newspapers, an Internet terminal, business news
on the television, more private access to an ATM from the Premier facility -
you don't actually have to leave home to enjoy some of the Premier membership
services. Access to specialist help from a
dedicated relationship manager is at your fingertips through easy telephone
access, or in person at the Premier branch or by personal visit at your home,
if that is more convenient. Premier is apart
from the private client services the bank offers to its elite group of high
net-worth clients, but the former would ideally handle some of the banking
needs for private clients as well. As a
private client, the bank offers discretionary management of your affairs,
including access to trust services, Mr. Brown said. “We
are very much integrated. A key issue is
identifying the customer need, and that takes place in a conversation between
the customer and the relationship manager. If
in the course of that discussion we discover, the best opportunity is to have
discretionary management, our job is to refer them up to the private client
group,” Mr. Lunn said. “The approach is
very much to have direct conversations with customers. It is very important
that the service that we offer matches the needs of the clients. The Premier
banking service is very much personalized and there are some customers who are
very happy to do things for themselves, and may determine this is not right
for them.” Although the benefits of Premier
may not be of interest to all, Mr. Lunn said 99 percent of the bank's
conversations with those eligible for membership had been greeted with keen
interest. t is not hard to see why, with it
appearing that access to Premier services frees up its clients from many of
life's more mundane tasks. The job of a
Premier relationship manager is to help clients get the most out of what the
Bank of Bermuda and HSBC has to offer, and can ‘fast track' members to
specialist services within the vast HSBC network, a glossy 30-page brochure
tells prospective clients. The Bermuda
managers of Premier refer to it as “one stop” banking but stress that the personalized
services extend beyond the obvious ones like access to financial planning,
investment accounts, loans, multiple ways to access your money, and branded
Premier banking accounts, debit cards and credit cards. Really,
Premier is a bit like your personal assistant: the service can source
emergency cash for you (up to $1,000 in many locations around the world, and
around the clock), help you replace lost travel documents, arrange car hire
and hotel stays, even have gifts delivered to that special someone when you
are on the road. For the business traveler,
Premier representatives can help you make arrangements at your destination for
use of a conference room, a cell phone or pager, laptop computer, temporary
staff services and interpretative services. The
perks don't end there: A call from a Premier representative to a popular
restaurant may get you a hard-to-get dinner reservation on the spot, they'll
chase down lost luggage for you, arrange medical transport if a serious health
problem can't be dealt with where you are, and God forbid you die away from
home - Premier can assist in the return of your mortal remains.
- Tourism Minister Ewart
Brown came under fire from one of his predecessors for an apparent
"about-face" over mega-ships. Former UBP Minister Jim Woolridge
condemned Dr. Brown's decision to invite mega-ships to the island and extend
the cruise ship season until November, pointing to a statement made by the
doctor five years earlier in which he said mega-ships would never be welcomed
in Bermuda. Dr. Brown was also attacked after the Mid-Ocean News revealed
that he attended a banquet hosted by the Reverend Al Sharpton in the USA –
at the expense of taxpayers.
- July was a particularly
hot month for Government which was even blamed for the weather. A lack of rain
had water dealers working around the clock – and chastising the Ministry of
Works & Engineering for failing to maintain leaky water tanks.
- An extensive fire at the
Belco plant caused an island-wide blackout. The flames took 29 hours to
extinguish with up to 75 firefighters battling the blaze at any one time. The
Mid-Ocean News revealed that fire inspectors had examined the power plant
just weeks before the fire, a precaution that helped them contain the damage.
- Bermudians without family
ties to the UK are unlikely retain a British passport if Bermuda goes
independent, according to a letter from Governor Sir John Vereker to the
Bermuda Independence Commission.
- June. The
30th Regional Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic Region of
the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was held in Bermuda.
- 20th July. The body of
young, wealthy accountant and businessman Peter Dimitri Pappas, 37, was discovered
hanging in a clothes closet in Bermuda. The official legal inquiry to unearth
the facts relating to his death - the Coroner's Inquest - has been repeatedly
postponed. He was a US citizen, a long-time resident, certified public
accountant and businessman in the Cayman Islands who was visiting Bermuda for
personal and business reasons. He is survived by his parents, Sue Kongsli and Jack
Pappas of Knoxville, Tennessee.
- July 20. Envirotalk, the
publication of the Bermuda Government's Department of Environmental
Protection, ceased publication. Before that, it had been published
monthly and was highly regarded.
-
July 22. The
Bermudian Publishing Company announced yesterday it will cut publication of
its namesake 'The Bermudian' magazine from 12 issues a year to four in 2006
and will be making two of the company's four jobs redundant.
The company will also print its publications
overseas and relocate to an office outside of Hamilton, all in a bid to cut
costs. Publisher and editor Tina Stevenson
said the changes were the result of "difficult, but necessary business
decisions." The company declined to say
which posts were being cut, and said Bermudian Business will continue to
publish six times a year. From October, 'The
Bermudian' magazine will be printed in the US, a move that will reportedly
shave approximately 61 percent off what the company has been paying locally in
printing costs. 'The Bermudian', to date, has
been printed by Bermuda Press Ltd.. a sister company of The Royal Gazette. The
company also had office space in the Bermuda Press building. The
next issue of the 'The Bermudian' will be the September/October issue, an
issue commemorating the magazine's 75th anniversary, and it will not print
again until the spring of 2006. The Bermudian
Market Digest will cease publication immediately and the Bermudian Business
Directory will cease publication in 2006. Beginning
in 2006, the four issues of 'The Bermudian' are likely to centre around the
Interior Design awards, the Building Design awards, Best of Bermuda awards and
Christmas, the Bermudian said in a press statement. The
Bermudian said the future of its book publishing business was also under
consideration. The company said it was not up for sale.
-
September 12.
Two years after Hurricane Fabian ravaged the Island The Department of Parks
and the Ministry of Works and Engineering are teaming up to repair the
entrance to Church Bay, which was badly damaged by the hurricane.
Workers
will be building a new boardwalk and stairs to replace the damaged access,
pictured right. The beach will remain closed until the end of 2005 so that
construction can start.
- Auditor General Larry
Dennis expressed alarm at another proposed change if Bermuda became
Independent – that future holders of the post will be hired by the Public
Services Commission on limited terms. Mr. Dennis told the BIC that an auditor
appointed by a Government body would be compromised while the idea of a
limited term would deter the most capable applicants. In the same week,
business executives told the BIC that Independence would not necessarily
trigger an exodus of international businesses. Former Attorney General Lois
Browne Evans kept the issue bubbling with a further proposal – that an
Independent Bermuda should drop the UK Privy Council in favour of the
trouble-hit Caribbean Court of Justice. The UK Privy Council is the island's
highest court of appeal. International business representative David Ezekiel
said such a move had the potential to cause widespread instability in the
off-shore sector. When the BIC finally submitted its completed report to the
public, it was condemned for containing a glaring inaccuracy on the issue of
Independence. The report read: "The Commission learned that, in many
cases, the decision on Independence was determined by means of a general
election and, in no instance, did the Commission discover the use of a
referendum." Pressure group Bermudians For Referendum said the claim was
totally inaccurate and illustrated the Commission's bias towards Independence
being decided by election rather than referendum.
- Following talks with the
UK's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in London, Premier Scott revealed
details of the meeting to the island's media. He said that his proposal for
Independence to be decided by way of a joint referendum and General Election
was met with some interest by the British delegation who ruled that "such
a unique solution of election and referendum would not necessarily be out of
the equation". A Whitehall source later revealed that the UK Government
was embarrassed by the leak, adding that protocol forbade either party
speaking out on the behind-closed doors talks.
- October. The Premier was
at the centre of another political storm. After receiving a terse e-mail from
tourism activist Tony Brannon which alleged Government was failing the
industry, Mr. Scott sent a memorandum to Department of Communication and
Information director Beverley Lottimore – but inadvertently copies it to Mr.
Brannon. Mr. Scott's e-mailed memo read: "Madame Director, FYI. "Mr.
Brannon. In regard to the Freedom of Speech in Bermuda Mr. Brannon, you
exercise it and abuse it every day. "P.S. Madame Director: You can now
climb down off the ceiling – I did not send the above . . . I just got it
out of my system by sending it to you and you alone. However, I am getting
tired of listening to and taking crap from people who look and sound like
Brannon." Mr. Brannon, who is white, accused the Premier of racism and
made a complaint to the Human Rights Commission. Five days after the Mid-Ocean
News broke the story, Mr. Scott issued an explanation through an
advertisement in two other newspapers, defending his remarks and referring to
Mr. Brannon's original message as "disrespectful and offensive and laced
with obscenities". The Premier went on to say that his use of the phrase
"people who look like Brannon" was not a reference to Mr.
Brannon's colour, but was, in fact, a literary device employed by such scribes
as William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. He did, however, apologies for using
the word 'crap'. And he issued a veiled threat to curb the constitutional
right to freedom of speech by launching "a major initiative to address
those elements that seek to divide us". The Human Rights Commission later
rejected Mr. Brannon's complaint, saying that, under current legislation, no
offence had taken place.
- The Isle of Man and
Bermuda became locked in a contest over satellite slot rights. The Isle of Man
had intentions to use the satellite slot to earn potentially hundred of
millions of extra dollars. But Bermuda counter-claimed to safeguard its slice
of outer space.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that the issue of Independence
came to the boil, with Premier Alex Scott blasting Governor John Vereker over
public remarks made at the Speaker's Dinner. Sir John reiterated to his
audience that the UK would withdraw citizenship from an Independent Bermuda
– a claim Mr. Scott described as "premature and inappropriate.
Responding to questions put to him by the Bermuda Independence Commission, the
Premier said he gave the Governor a dressing-down, accusing him of allowing an
octogenarian anti-Independence activist "right of Attila the Hun" to
write his speeches. "I thought it was premature, inappropriate at the
time, and it may have, in my opinion, misled the public because some of what
he said will be discussed with the British before it becomes engraved in
granite," Mr. Scott told BIC commissioners.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that new Works &
Engineering and Housing Minister David Burch was accused of breaching Cabinet
rules by continuing to host his Sunday night radio show after being appointed
to the Ministry. The Premier eventually rejected Opposition calls for the show
to be plugged, saying the code did not prohibit Ministers from practicing
journalism. But the Opposition was further outraged when UBP Senator Gina
Spence Farmer was told that she could not help produce a radio show presented
by Bermuda College students – because of a supposed conflict of interest.
The College, whose chairman is a Government Senator, told students that the
programme might become political with Sen. Spence Farmer at the helm. Minister
Burch kept his radio show in the spotlight by referring to programme callers
critical of Government as "house niggers." Another caller took the
Minister to the Human Rights Commission after alleging that the host cut her
off after she confirmed she was white. The outcome of that complaint is still
pending. Minister Burch also came under attack after defending the cost of the
Berkeley school project. At a Press conference, he claimed that the final cost
of the building would be $121.7 million – just $23 million over the original
estimate. But Shadow Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin then accused Col. Burch
of trying to mislead the country. She pointed out that Government figures
released by Finance Minister Eugene Cox in 2000 put the total cost of the
project at $71.2 million – and that the final cost of the school would be
more than $50 million over budget. "How gullible does Sen. Burch believe
the people of Bermuda to be when he attempts to mislead them with a statement
that the project is only $23 million over budget?" she asked.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that Opposition Health
spokeswoman Louise Jackson defended the rights of seniors by exposing supposed
neglect at a Government nursing home. Mrs. Jackson revealed to the Mid-Ocean
News that seniors were living in sub-standard conditions at the Pembroke
Nursing Home while disgruntled and non-accountable staff failed to provide
adequate care.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that architect Ian Gordon
questioned a Government proposal to place prefabricated homes at Morgan's
Point, adding that a requirement for an environmental impact study to be
carried out before any development got under way appeared to have been waived.
And he said contaminants already recorded at the location could be spread
through water run-off from the temporary homes.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that The Bank of Bermuda's
plans to build a new head office on the site of the former Trimingham's store
were thrown into further controversy when the Mid-Ocean News revealed
that Government – which has the final say on whether the plan can go ahead
– was looking at buying up the bank's former properties if the project gets
Planning approval. The bank was also condemned for "consigning Bermuda's
history to the trash can" after it removed a series of parish crests that
had been decorating the facade of its current head office for more than 30
years. The Bermuda Historical Society accused the bank and its parent company,
HSBC, of trying to re-write history.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that Health
Minister Patrice Minors hit the headlines after she lashed at out the
Salvation Army. The charity cried foul – and called for more funding –
after Government confirmed it was spending nearly $1.5 million refurbishing
the Premier's official residence, Clifton. When the organization said
the money could have been spent on a new homeless shelter – something which
has been continually promised by Government in recent years but always shelved
at the last minute – Mrs. Minors said she was "fed up" with the
charity's request for more cash.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported that the construction industry had its own
concerns after the West End Development Corporation failed to secure a deal
with cement giant Cemex to take over the Bermuda Cement Company.
- National
Dance Foundation of Bermuda (NDFB) amalgamated with the Bermuda Ballet
Association (BBA).
- December 2. The
Royal Gazette group reported
Should MPs and Ministers get
another pay rise? That is the question being addressed by an independent
board that has been meeting to establish whether our Parliamentarians receive
sufficient remuneration. The Board must report on its recommendations
this month. The Ministers and Parliamentarians Salary Review Board was set up
by legislation enacted this summer in an effort to end the recurring
controversy that flares up every time MPs vote for a pay rise for themselves.
The Board comprises an eight-person committee including an accountant, a
lawyer or judge, a retired MP, two members nominated by the Opposition and
three people appointed by the Premier. Under the Ministers and members of the
Legislature (Salaries and Pensions) Amendment Act 2005, the Board must make
recommendations in the form of a report to be presented to the House no later
than December 31 this year. MPs awarded themselves a 4.5 per cent pay rise in
March this year, which was above the rate of inflation, but in line with the
pay increase given to civil servants. MPs are currently paid $39,428 while
Senators receive $26,287. Premier Alex Scott is paid $111,714 while Deputy
Premier Ewart Brown receives an annual parliamentary salary of $88,713, and
Attorney General Larry Mussenden gets $110,254. Cabinet Ministers earn $37,730
in addition to their salaries as MPs or Senators.
- December
7. The
Royal Gazette group. From
Ord Road to Court Street and from Royal Naval Field, Somerset to North Shore
Road, Crawl, drug pushers are now an ever-present of Bermudian life. Whole
neighbourhoods have ceded control or live in an uneasy truce, trying to keep
their children out of the pusher's clutches. And the tentacles keep spreading,
blighting the island's recreational spaces. Daylight drug dealing has been
seen in Shelly Bay field car park while addicts have been spotted desperately
hunting for a drugs drop off in secluded Devonshire Bay. Where are the Police,
comes the constant cry?
Well, eight years ago the Police took on the drug dealers head on when
Commissioner Colin Coxall unleashed Operation Cleansweep. The strategy, months
in the planning, was to round up the street level dealers and then work
upwards to the big men. But then the politics came into it. Already the
whipping boy of the Progressive Labour Party before he had even set foot on
the Island, Mr. Coxall then earned the wrath of the ruling United Bermuda
Party when cabinet member John Irving Pearman's name came up during
investigations. Despite slashing crime and having the dealers on the run Mr.
Coxall was forced out even before completing his three-year tenure. Unpopular
among the powerful during his time here Mr. Coxall has since experienced an
upsurge in popularity. Two year's after his departure PLP backbencher Derrick
Burgess said Mr. Coxall was "the best thing since Jesus" while new
anti-drug supremo Wayne Perinchief, ironically forced out of the Police by Mr.
Coxall, recently also hailed Cleansweep as much needed. This week Mr. Coxall
spoke to The Royal Gazette about his aborted mission, halted just before it
got to the rotten heart of the Island's drugs network. He was in no doubt
about the importance of that mission. Keen to understand Bermuda's criminal
population after being "parachuted in" he set up surveys of
Bermuda's criminal population. It showed more than 90 percent of those
arrested had a drug dependency. "It was our assessment that drug abuse,
drug dependency and drug dealing was high by any standards in Bermuda. I came
from 35 years of Policing, 15 as a chief officer and had been head of the drug
squad at Scotland Yard. I had dealt with drug dealing in major capital
cities." With crime rising at about 20 percent per annum Mr. Coxall,
backed by Governor Lord Waddington, saw breaking the back of the drugs problem
as vital to cracking crime which was hurting tourism through street muggings
and burglaries at guest apartments. Detective Superintendent Paul Hoare was
seconded from Scotland Yard, the nerve centre of the British constabulary, to
head up a purge on street dealers. Sometimes dismissed as the small fry of the
drug world, Mr. Coxall points out that in Bermuda the front line pushers were
very rich men by anybody's standards. Intelligence gathered by Police and
undercover officers borrowed from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)
found that individual drug sites were making $20,000 per day or more than $3
million a year. A half gram or bag of cannabis that would sell for $2.50 in
the US was costing ten times that on Bermuda streets. Other drugs yielded
similar exorbitant profits. Mr. Coxall said: "Street dealers were making
huge amount of money because of the mark up – more than anywhere I know of
in the western world. "They were hanging around Ord Road doing what they
liked." But not after the Police sprung their trap. The operation saw 30
dealers in court. By making the streets a no-go area for the pushers Police
hoped to force the criminals to start dealing from premises which would leave
them vulnerable to having the premises confiscated. Next on the hit list were
the big men behind the operations. An offshore boat was loaned from the DEA to
catch drug drop-offs beyond the reef. But key to the plan was to trace the
drugs back to the American sources by analyzing how they had been mixed. By
studying the tell-tale chemical breakdowns it would be possible to work out
which crime gangs in America were selling to Bermuda. Although he believes
there were perhaps six or so major importers he estimates they could have been
dealing with just two suppliers in America. Further intelligence gathering in
the States, perhaps via moles planted into the drug barons operations, would
then reveal the names of the bulk buyers in Bermuda. He was confident the plan
would have worked, given the excellent working relationship with the American
authorities. "The DEA is about the most effective drug enforcement agency
in the world. The head of DEA on the East coast was a colleague of mine in
drugs intelligence in Scotland Yard, earlier in our careers." That
strategy would have taken perhaps another year, maybe two – time Mr. Coxall
was not given. "Cleansweep was a breakthrough. We got convictions in
every case – about 30-40 people went to prison. We had broken the back of
drugs in Bermuda but when you tackle drugs head on you get collateral damage.
The politicians got cross – guys were going to prison. Mothers and lawyers
complained." Then the Pearman affair ratcheted up the pressure on the
Commissioner, eventually forcing Mr. Coxall's resignation. No action was taken
against Mr. Pearman through lack of evidence. Now the dealers are back out in
the open and Bermuda's drug problem seems worse than ever. It is not likely to
change under the present approach argued Mr. Coxall. "In my view sitting
back as chief of police hoping you occasionally get a major discovery is not
an effective way to deal with drugs in Bermuda. Most effective is to break the
supply chain and work up it. If you stop street dealing the whole thing gets
totally destabilized. Crime dropped considerably after Cleansweep. As a result
of the operation crime went down 40 percent by the time I left. I didn't do it
by myself." Although frustrated by the failure to get political backing,
Mr. Coxall – a high-flyer before his doomed Bermuda adventure – has hardly
had problems finding work since returning to the UK. Now employed as a
strategic security advisor to Capita Symonds you get the feeling that Bermuda
needed him more than he needed Bermuda. And while he has not kept abreast of
the latest developments here, he has not been forgotten. "The citizens of
Bermuda still write to us. It is sad reading the Christmas cards from people.
One lady said things are now in a terrible state, crime has gone crazy and it
is not safe to walk the streets. It is sad for Lord Waddington and other
people who put a lot of resources trying to reverse the problem. But
ultimately the Bermuda public are the losers. "They are hit by the
process, it's sad it wasn't followed through."
-
December 15.
Describing it as one of their most productive annual meetings, Government and
hotel owners met at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel yesterday.
The meetings are an opportunity for both sides to
discuss strategies to improve tourism arrival figures and hotel occupancy, key
issues facing the Island's hoteliers and the importance of partnership and
co-operation between Government and hoteliers. President of the Bermuda Hotel
Association, Mike Winfield, said there was an agreed determination to focus on
action, solutions and the future, as opposed to dwelling in the past..
"Having attended probably as many of these
meetings as anyone in Bermuda, I think it is fair to say that this is one of,
if not the most productive meetings I have attended. We have resolved a number
of points for mutual consideration and these will be addressed over the coming
weeks with a view to coming back together in the near future and agreeing
definitive results-oriented action points." Mr.
Winfield said another difference this year was the reduced number of people
from both sides who attended. He said hotel
owners has spent considerable time preparing presentations for Government's
consideration and hoteliers were delighted to hear both the Minister of
Tourism and the Premier talk about the need for a tourism team. Hoteliers
entered the meeting with what is a commonly understood as less than healthy
perspective of the hotel industry to date but with a very clear belief that
the health of the industry can be restored. Premier
Alex Scott told delegates that while there is no magic answer to how Bermuda
can remain competitive in a fiercely competitive market, he was grateful that
both groups were committed to combining their time, energy and resources to
revitalizing the Bermuda tourism product. It
was important for hotels to try and attract young Bermudians into the
industry. A financial update and report on
the hotel industry as one of the country's largest employers was given by the
president-elect of the BHA and general manager of Elbow Beach Hotel. The
presentation pointed out clearly what the challenges are facing hotels in the
current economic environment in Bermuda. Discussions
also focused on the issues of the high costs of airfares to Bermuda, enhancing
the destination experience for visitors, the branding of Bermuda's image,
revitalizing the entertainment offered to visitors and mixed-use development
of hotel properties. Tourism Minister Ewart
Brown told the meeting of several positive initiatives already being worked on
by his Ministry that he believed would improve the Bermuda tourism product.
He said he was looking forward to working with the
hoteliers to achieve a resolution of outstanding issues including changes to
the Hotel Concessions Act which will be debated in the House of Assembly
tomorrow. At the close of the meeting, the delegates resolved to meet early in
the new year to report on a number of resolutions that had been put forward.
The
Premier underscored the need for a collective team approach regarding tourism.
- December 16. Bermuda
Police Service is headed by George Jackson. He became Police Commissioner when
Jonathan Smith stepped down. His 2005/2006 salary is
$137,000. He is Bermudian, born in St. Vincent. He joined the service in 1975.
Roseanda Young is the new Deputy Commissioner.
- The
Royal Gazette group reported one of the biggest political rows of 2005
when Government backbencher Renée Webb sought to introduce legislation
protecting gays from discrimination. The former Minister planned to force MPs
to vote on the issue after tabling an additional amendment to a bill on the
Human Rights Act brought by Community Affairs Minister Dale Butler. But MPs
dodged the issue after Mr. Butler's original bill was dropped from the House
of Assembly's order paper at the last minute.
Last Updated:
September 1, 2010
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