The Senate passed the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2023, which makes several duty changes including harmonizing tobacco duty rates, extending duty relief for community sports facilities that don't need planning permission, and providing duty-free imports for daycare centers. Minister Owen Darrell celebrated Team Bermuda's outstanding performance at the Island Games in Guernsey, where they won 10 medals including gold medals for the women's football team and golfer Ebonie Cox. The session concluded with heartfelt tributes to Martha Dismont, a longtime family services advocate, and Wendy Lambert, a community leader and church evangelist.
Customs duty changes for tobacco, sports facilities, medical supplies, and construction materialsCelebration of Bermuda athletes' success at the 2023 NatWest Island Games (10 medals won)Tourism Authority financial reports and labour force survey presentedTributes paid to recently deceased community members Martha Dismont and Wendy Lambert
Bills & Motions
Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2023 - passed all three readings and became law
Various government reports presented including Bermuda Tourism Authority financials and Labour Force Survey
Notable Moments
Senators questioned why personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital supplies don't have permanent duty exemptions given ongoing health challenges
Discussion about ensuring fair access for businesses seeking approval for duty-free construction materials
Extended tributes highlighted Martha Dismont's 33 years of work helping families and children through the Family Centre
Debate Transcript
6 speeches from 2 speakers
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoThank you, Madam President. And welcome, Mr. Lema. Quite a few things in this slim Bill, but quite a few implications, and they are quite diverse. So I will walk through my questions, and hopefully the Senator will be able to provide the answers. For the tobacco, the changes, I …
Thank you, Madam President. And welcome, Mr. Lema. Quite a few things in this slim Bill, but quite a few implications, and they are quite diverse. So I will walk through my questions, and hopefully the Senator will be able to provide the answers. For the tobacco, the changes, I believe this makes sense to harmonise across if you bring it in your-self with you , versus otherwise. So I do not have any particular questions on that. I had a few questions on the community sports facilities relating to the wording. I was thinking about, well, first of all, this makes sense. We want to support and to encourage and allow people to invest and create good facilities for these vital functions in Bermuda. But as you know, Madam President, we have quite a deep long-standing marine heritage. My question to the Junior Minister would be, Would the supply to marine facilities . . . and I am thinking to provide two specific examples, or three examp les even. For example, we have heard of , like, the Endeavour project which is hosted up in Dockyard, or let us take West End Sailboat Club, which is a mainstay of the Bermuda Comet Sailing scene. Would they, for example, be able to get relief to expand or renovate their boat ramps ? Things like that. Other things in that area, you could think of the racing gigs and so forth. So that is the question on that one. For the PPE, personal protective equipment, I can see it makes sense if we would like the Minister to be able to very quickly put that duty relief back in place should we need it. But when I look at this and I think around the world we are in a new normal, Madam President, which I am sure due to your professional background you would understand. You know, you think about places like in Asia where they suffered from the various flus in the 1990s and the early 2000s. They have a new normal where everybody now has masks all over the place. And it becomes a common piece of equipment that people would have. And the mask is one kind of PPE. So I guess I sort of wonder why we would not just permanently exempt this stuff. I cannot see a rea-son why we would un- exempt it, given the state of the world today and we would expect these things to come again. So that would be my question. Why not just allow people to purchase this protective equipment without any customs duty? Then this leads me naturally into the hospital supplies. To be honest, I was surprised that we even had duty on these supplies. Because, you know, we have the one hospital. Its primary focus is to serve the community. I would have thought with the increase in health care costs that we experience on this Island ( and globally as well , but it is specific on this Island) why we even have a duty and why we would need the current time-limit duty break? Why would we even have a time limit on it? I guess we are gl ad that it is extended. But why not do away with it in its totality, Madam President? Then finally . . . actually , I have two more questions. Let me go to the day care centres. Again, this is great. We know childcare is a major issue for people, and the cost of childcare, Madam President. We know that parents want to have quality, safe, secure, up- todate facilities where they can be confident that their children will be well taken care of. So again this makes 560 19 July 2023 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate sense. But then it naturally leads me to say, Well, why would we not apply this to all schooling? All right? The same principles that would want us to support this, would lead me to say, Why not extend it to all schooling whether public or private? Frankly, because many of the day care centres are private and run for profit. So again, I think the same principles would apply there. And then finally leading to the asphalt duty breaks. Like I said, there are a lot of different things in this Bill. So if it seems like I am all over the place, well, the changes are all over the place as well. Again, I can appreciate that the Government does not want to create some kind of imbalance in the market for driveways (I guess is what I am hearing). People will be more motivated to get a concrete driveway versus an asphalt driveway. I am going to presume they ran the numbers and all that. I would presume labour is probably a massive driver of those costs, to be honest, Madam President. So I am a little unsure, you know, what has changed with asphalt production in Bermuda that now we have to have this in here? So if the Junior Minister could provide some explanation of what has changed? For example, I think I may have heard that the g overnment asphalt plant is no longer in operation. And that is something that perhaps they would have used to supply asphalt for the roads. And now we would like to make sure our private supplier can [ provide] it duty -free for reduced cost. So if that is what is going on, I would love to hear about that. And if that is the case, I have some questions , like, Why not allow them to rebate the cost of the asphalt for the road paving for the government rather than a blanket duty -free? Let me give you an example, Madam President. And I would appreciate the Junior Minister’s perspective on this. Let us say we have got some billionaire here with a 500- metre- long driveway and they want to pave it in asphalt. I am not sure we need that project to have material supplied duty -free. But if, say, you know . . . and I think those of us who are out canvassing all will have their personal examples. If you go up a pri-vate road full of potholes, we know that the government will not pave those roads. And the neighbours want to get together —very expensive, very expensive, Madam President. So they would certainly appreciate the break on the asphalt here. But what I am saying is I am not sure all of the cases need the duty -free break. Obviously for paving the public roads, we would love to see reduced costs of the government on that. And then my last, and I promise, Madam President, my final comment because I know we would all love to be in and out today, do our business, is I would love to hear more about how the Minister would approve the appropriate businesses. I believe anyone who is out there who is an entrepreneur or in this industry, we would love to understand the process and ensure that it was a fair and equitable process for being able to take advantage of this. I know that is quite a few questions, Madam President. I did provide a few of them ahead of time to the Junior Minister. So, I am hoping we will get some great answers. Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator De Couto. Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Bill? Senator Tucker, you have the floor. Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes. Thank you, Madam President. My question is more a point of clarification, I guess. Because when I looked at this Bill and com-pared it to the principal Act, I noticed that the wording amending the Fifth Schedule for CPC 4175 excluded the word “materials.” So qualifying goods, it did say “goods and materials,” and of course they are different things. So I just wondered why the wording “materials” was removed, or is it just an administrative thing to encompass both goods and materials. Just a point of clarification for that. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Bill? Hearing none, then we will just wait until the Junior Minister has conferred with the Principal Customs Officer.
[Pause] The President: I beg your pardon. Senator Robinson, I believe you have a comment. You have the floor.
Sen. Leslie Robinson: Thank you, Madam President. I just wanted to say that I am in support of the Bill. And I guess I do want to just comment on a couple of things that Senator De Couto pointed out. First, I know he mentioned about the PPE and pretty much why not just suspend the duty relief on a blanket basis. The Bill does allow for swift reinstatement of that duty relief. So I understand his concerns, but the Bill does allow for quick reinstatement if we get to a point where we will need to get that equipment again, the PPE. With respect to the road paving, and I believe everyone is concerned about the state of our roads, the Ministry of Public Works does contract with the private companies to be able to pave our roads. And the ability for the private companies to at least be able to get the necessary asphalt duty -free will help us in the long run as the government contracts with private persons to be able to help us with the road paving. So I think both public and private sectors will benefit from this. Just again on the hospital understanding, and I think [Senator De Couto] mentioned he would have thought that the hospital supplies being imported [duty free] should be something that is common and blanket. But again at least we recognise that there shoul d be a
Bermuda Senate [duty free] extension and we are extending it for a further six months to the 31st of March 2024. He also mentioned about the public schools and about in particular why not have similar relief for goods? But at least we can let the public know that the schools themselves, when it comes to the actual premises, [currently] have duty relief. So it is not like we have left the schools out. The schools have had the duty relief for some time when it comes to premises. Not necessarily on goods, but there is duty relief on their premises for making their premises better, et cetera. And then of course with the community sports facilities, we recognise that the sports facilities need some impetus to help them maintain their properties. So as a government, we recognise this. So for sports facilities, [improvements] that do not require the Planning [Department] permission, this Bill is allowing for duty relief for that. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Robinson, Junior Minister for Economy and Labour, for addressing some of the issues that have been raised. We are still waiting for the Junior Minister for Finance to complete her discussion with the Principal [Customs] Officer. [Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I will begin with Senator De Couto’s question concerning whether or not the relief will extend or apply to marine facilities. He noted the Endeavour [project], the West End Sailboat Club and some other entities. And I would actually point him to the direction of the Act, which will say that the “goods must be used by a national sport governing body, club, team, association or league only to rede-velop land in connection with a sporting activity or to construct, finish, equip, repair or maintain buildings and facilities on that land.” So the short answer is that if any of these bodies fall within this group and then also receive the approval from the Director of Youth, Sport & Recreation, then yes, they would be eligible for the types of renova-tions that Senator De Couto noted. It may not fall within the current framework, but of course we will go through that process and be sure to extend as we see fit. There was a question about the PPE and the removal of customs duty in its entirety. And I would say that ultimately that this would be a policy decision that would have to be made by the Minister or the Ministry of Finance. And ultimately if that was a po licy position that was taken, it would require a CPC or the introduction of specific tariff codes in that regard. There was a question about hospital supplies and the extension of the relief for the purchasing of those supplies. Before 2023 actually, the hospital had a number of reliefs. But due to the financial pressures, we actually went back and extended that to other sup-plies, even so far as toilet paper and other items. But we actually went through a long consultation process with the Bermuda Hospitals Board. And through that consultation process it was determined that six months was appropriate at this time. If that changes, I am sure that there will be more consultation, more conversations. And we will move forward accordingly. Senator De Couto had asked about why duty relief is not extended to all schools. And I just want to make sure that persons are clear that the duty relief currently exists for both public and private schools. So this change is actually an extension of or an addition to the relief that currently exists for all schools in Bermuda. There was also a question about . . . So we are also looking at widening the application of the relief for the asphalt. And there were questions about whether or not there was an imbalance. And I can say that yes, the feedback and the response that we have received is that there is an imbalan ce. And so beyond the fact that this change will reduce the cost of paving our roads, which is something that is much needed, it was creating a competitive advantage that we did want to address. So because we have one of two options, either concrete or asphalt, we wanted to make sure that persons were able to level the playing field. It was also a matter of fact that it costs a lot to produce aggregate. So if we do reduce those costs for the importers, the relief will be felt by more persons. There was also a question about how the Minister approves businesses for the relief. And I did confer with Mr. [James] Amos. And it is actually quite a lengthy process. I would be happy to bring the policy and share that so that persons are aware. But the process does involve the team at the Ministry of Finance, and they also rely heavily on the expertise of the team at Customs. So again, I am happy to bring that policy so that persons are aware.
[Pause]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: I am sorry. There was also a question from Senator Tucker that I just wanted to men-tion regarding the removal of the word “materials.” If you look, qualifying goods now includes all goods, excluding construction equipment and tools. So materials are cover ed by all goods , the wording of that. So I trust that this answers all questions. The President: Senator De Couto, you have a further question or comment?
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoYes. Thank you, Madam President. And I would like to thank the Senator for the detailed response. I would make a gentle suggestion that I am sure the general public would love to see the details of this policy, the people who are in the industry. Perhaps 562 19 July …
Yes. Thank you, Madam President. And I would like to thank the Senator for the detailed response. I would make a gentle suggestion that I am sure the general public would love to see the details of this policy, the people who are in the industry. Perhaps 562 19 July 2023 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate it can go on the government website. Specific . . . that is in relation to the asphalt and approved businesses. I do have a specific follow -up question on the hospitals supplies. So I understand the Senator’s answer that there was a consultation with the hospital and that six months was deemed appropriate to extend this. Could the Junior Minister please elaborate on why six months was appropriate? What were the criteria for that so that we could understand what led to that decisionmaking? Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator De Couto.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: As noted, I am happy to bring forth the policy information. And I will share that infor-mation with Senator De Couto. In the light of no further questions, Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2023 be now read a second time.
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoI did have a follow -up question, Madam President. The President: Senator De Couto, we have moved on. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 26 Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I move that [Standing Order] 26 be suspended in respect of this Bill. The President: Is there any objection to that motion? …
I did have a follow -up question, Madam President.
The President: Senator De Couto, we have moved on.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 26
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I move that [Standing Order] 26 be suspended in respect of this Bill. The President: Is there any objection to that motion? No objection.
[Motion carried: Standing Order 26 suspended.]
BILL
THIRD READING
CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2023
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you. Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2023 be now read a third time.
The President: Is there any objection to the third reading? No objection.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. I move that the Bill do now pass.
The President: It has been moved that the Bill do now pass. Is there any objection? No objection. The Bill has passed. [Motion carried: The Customs Tariff Amendment (No. 2) Act 2023 was read a third time and passed.] The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson and all Senators. We will now move on with our Orders of the Day.
MOTIONS
The President: There are none.
CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES
[Pause] The President: I am sorry. Senator John Wight, you have the floor. Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President. I would like to offer my condolences to the family of Martha Dismont. Martha, I know, was a close friend of many, many people in Bermuda, including my-self. And I was very much taken aback by the very sad news that she had passed away. I worked with Martha over many years on various committees and organisations, and she was one of the most thoughtful, kindest people I have ever met. And she certainly was the supporter for so many people who needed her help in Bermuda over many years. And many families are better off today because of the great work that Martha has done over her career. So I just want to offer my condo-lences to her daughter and all of the family members at this very difficult time. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Wight. Would any other Senator . . . Senator Lindsay Simmons, you have the floor. Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President. I also would like to give condolences to Martha Dismont’s family, especially her daughter Aruna. You know, being a part of the Foster Parents Association and being a foster parent for so many years, I worked closely with Martha at the Family Centre. And h er responsibilities in her role for over 33 years were to make
Bermuda Senate sure that children and their families came together. I remember going to her retirement party at Hamilton Princess not too long ago. And she told a story about how in 1990 she started tutoring a young boy and realised that he had been bullied. And within t wo years, the Family Centre shifted to more clinical work to help families, not just the children but the families themselves. Because [Ms. Dismont] realised that . . . originally she started working with children to tutor them and [then] realised that there were deeper issues with children who had academic problems. So it was her life work to make sure that families came together and worked through these issues. She took a very unique approach when doing so. [Because] she was a champion for Bermuda she will be a great miss, so . . . her family has my condolences. Thank you. The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Simmons. Would any other Senator care to speak? Sen. Kiernan Bell: Just briefly, because I think we could all talk about Martha all day —
The President: Senator Kiernan Bell. Sen. Kiernan Bell: Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. I just wanted to associate myself with the remarks of Senator Wight and Senator Simmons. We as a jurisdiction have lost one of our great supporters. And she has had a huge impact not only on the people whom she influenced on boards and committees like me when I was privileged to work with her on the Chamber of Commerce board, but all of the charity boards and in particular all of the individuals and families and children who are now benefiting from the support that she provided. So, thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Kiernan Bell, Vice President. Would any other Senator . . . Yes, we have Senator Rev. Dr. Emily Dill. You have the floor.
Sen. Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. DillThank you, Madam President. I too would like to be associated with the condolences to [the family of] Ms. Martha Dismont. But I also today would like to share condolences to the family of the late evangelist, Wendy Lam-bert. Ms. Lambert was also a trailblazer here on the Island of …
Thank you, Madam President. I too would like to be associated with the condolences to [the family of] Ms. Martha Dismont. But I also today would like to share condolences to the family of the late evangelist, Wendy Lam-bert. Ms. Lambert was also a trailblazer here on the Island of Bermuda. She was one of the four founding members of SHIFT, which was originally known as PRIDE Bermuda, which was the Parents’ Resource In Drug Education organisation. She was also a charter member of the Sigma Zi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. And she was an outstanding financier. She served for many years as a loan officer at the Bank of N. T. Butterfield. And I say that she lavishly shared counsel to individuals and or-ganisations both in her professional capacity and as a community activist who was dedicated to the uplift of humanity. She was an outstanding lay leader in the AME Church who in recent years became licensed as an evangelist at Mount Zion AME Church in Southampton. The void that will be left by her passing will be great. But I am confident that the many lives that Ms. Wendy Lambert, Evangelist Wendy Lambert, touched over the years and those young people whom she shaped will continue to carry on her legacy in the years to come. Thank you, Madam President. The President: Thank you, Senator Dill. Senator Arianna Hodgson, you have the floor.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam President. I actually just wanted to congratulate Pacers [Track] Club. They travelled to Canada, and they came back with a bunch of medals like most of our athletes have done this summer. So I just wanted to congratulate them. My daughter actually runs with them, and it was really exciting to see the footage. We had Zaya Zuill, and I think she is about nine or ten years old. And we even had Mila DeSilva, who is Minister Furbert’s granddaughter. And they all just did such a great job. So I just wanted to congratulate t he entire team and the coaches at Pacers. And I also wanted to say Happy Birthday to my daughter’s papa, David Zuill. He is a taxi driver. A lot of persons know him. And he used to be a prison officer. He is the best papa a girl could ask for. So I just wanted to tell him Happy Birthday and I hope he is enjoying his day.
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson. Would any other Senator care to speak? Senator Tucker, you have the floor. Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President. I too would like to associate myself with the condolences extended to Ms. Martha Dismont’s family. As has been stated already several times, she will be a tremendous miss in this community. I also want to extend condolences to the family of Robin Tota. Robin was a very well -known (I do not know if anybody here knows her) . . .
[Inaudible interjection] Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you. Rev. Emilygail [Dill] does know her. But Robin had such a beautiful personality. She and I were friends way back in primary school. And even at our more mature age now, whenever we would 564 19 July 2023 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate be out in public and—you know, it could be just standing on the roadside chatting. And if she would introduce me to anyone, she would say, This was my primary school best friend. So primary school for us was many moons ago. But she continued to say that. Everybody who knows her knows that she fought a really good and encouraging fight —for anyone who was privileged enough to be in her presence dur-ing her period of illness. So I just want to say condolences to Mrs. Tota, Robert, Dion, Angela, the entire family, and Robin’s son Marco. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Senator Leslie Robinson, you have the floor.
Sen. Leslie Robinson: Thank you, Madam President. I too want to be associated with the condolence remarks with respect to Martha Dismont. She will be a tremendous loss in our community. I also want to extend condolences as well to the same family for the passing of Martha’s mother -inlaw, Joan Dismont, as well. Those of you who in particular associated with the End- to-End walk will always remember the senior lady who always would come out to those walks and be part of those walks. And she had actually been doing it ever since 30- odd years ago when Johnson & Higgins actually were starting the End-to-End walk. And I remember Ms. Dismont would have persons at her house. She would host lunches and invite many entertainers and others in the commu-nity to entertain people at these lunches. And of course the lunches were all part of raising money for the community. So it is really a double whammy for the Dismont family. So we certainly extend many condolences to them on the loss of both the mother and their sister -inlaw. I would also want to be associated with the condolences for Evangelist Wendy Lambert. Being my-self part of the AME Church, I have known Wendy for many, many decades. And as Senator Dill eloquently spoke about her, she was in the conference lay organisatio n for a very long period of time. I worked with her. I travelled with her to many meetings. And she was just a beautiful person. Always willing to learn, but always willing to share the knowledge that she learned. And Senator Dill also mentioned about her being in the bank as a loan officer. I will say as a Black woman she paved the way for so many Black women who are able now to work at the bank. And she will be a tremendous loss to the Mount Zion family. So our condolences also extend to not just her fami ly, but also the Mount Zion church family. On a brighter note, I would like to extend congratulations to Dr. Shangri -La Durham- Thompson on her recent retirement from the Department of Education. I also want to commend the Ministry of Education for having such a beautiful send- off dinner for her that some of us were able to attend. Dr. Shangri -La Durham- Thompson had 40- odd years, 47 (I believe) years of service in the education system. She is a Doctor of Education. That [degree] came from St. John’s University. She was also at Miami University where she received a master’s. As well the University of North Carolina. She had a Master’s [in] Education. And of course, she always speaks very fondly of her time when she received her bachelor’s at North Carolina A&T State University. I know her. She is a cousin of mine, but I know her on a personal note having worked so many years at Bethel AME Church. She was a steward for 36 years. She was a Bible study teacher. And now of course she is the Superintendent of the Church School for the AME Churches. She has just done so much when it comes to arts and drama. She has written plays. She has done books of poetry. She has written books. And she is just a wonderful person. So she has her “Need to Lead” programme also on Saturdays. So we just want to salute her, her family and in particular her mother, Julia Durham, for all of the support she has given her over the years. And we wish her all the best in her retirement season. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Robinson. Senator De Couto, you have the floor.
Sen. Dr. Douglas De CoutoThank you, Madam President. I would obviously like to associate myself with the comments for Ms. Dismont, clearly a force of nature who brought her wide range of skills and force of personality to a great cause in Bermuda. I would also like to associate myself with the comments regarding …
Thank you, Madam President. I would obviously like to associate myself with the comments for Ms. Dismont, clearly a force of nature who brought her wide range of skills and force of personality to a great cause in Bermuda. I would also like to associate myself with the comments regarding Dr. Durhan- Thompson. I will not say much more, but I have had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with her and experienced directly her intellect and her passion for Bermuda. Anot her force of nature, if you will. Finally, Madam President, I would like to extend my congratulations to Sandys Boat Club. They re-cently won the inaugural all -female Bermuda Fitted Dinghy race on the past weekend, skippered by Sarah Davis. I think people appreciate that Bermuda fitted din-ghy racing is a very unique tradition in Bermuda. Globally it is a unique kind of boat that brings a unique set of skills and teamwork. It has also been traditionally highly male for good and bad reasons, Madam Presi-dent. So it is just great to see that th ey put this event together. Sarah is a relative youngster. And she was out there and she beat Paula Lewin, a former Olympian, and also Rachel Betschart, whom I have had the opportunity to mention here before, who is a very good skipper and is out there competing internationally in foiling boats, in a series associated with SailGP. And my final comment on this, Madam President, is that this trophy is named in honour of Leatrice Oatley, former Commodore of the Royal Bermuda
Bermuda Senate Yacht Club, but that in fact is not her most important achievement. She is a stalwart in the local sailing community. I will not bore you with the long list, but everybody knows her. And she has done so much for sailing here. So I want to congratulate those sailors. And I want to say thank you to Leatrice for her legacy, which is still ongoing, and to everybody who was involved in this event. So thank you, Madam President. The President: Thank you, Senator De Couto. Vice President, you have the floor.
Sen. Kiernan Bell: Thank you, Madam President. I did also just want to give my congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Best of Bermuda Awards in the Bermudian. I want to particularly shout out with your leave—
The President: Yes.
Sen. Kiernan Bell: —to my younger brother, Jonathan Bell, who won the Best Journalism Award for (I think) his evocative, respectful and brilliant writing.
The President: Absolutely. Sen. Kiernan Bell: In particular, about lives well -lived in this country. So thank you, Madam President. The President: Thank you, Senator Bell, Vice President. And Minister Darrell. Sen. the Hon. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President. I would be remiss if I did not also associate myself with the passing, unfortunate passing, of Martha Dismont. I met her many years ago as my mom, who retired from being an educator, decided to go work for her at the Family Centre when they wanted to incorporate an education component into all of the work that they were doing. So that is when I first met her. And obviously in subsequent roles we had another connec-tion. So I also want to be associated with the words that have been given regarding Ms. Dismont. But on a happier note, Madam President, I would like to give a shout -out and a congratulations to the karate community, who held their Shotocup Awards under the direction of someone we all know well, Ser-geant Major Arnold Alan, who is the Sergeant -at-Arms here. They had their prize- giving on Sunday for their Coral League. And there were about 20 awardees hon-oured. There were volunteers who were honoured. I would like another shout -out to the Coach of the Year, Mr. Gladwin “Roots” Phillips, who was honoured . Athletes of the Year Awards in various categories. And one
1 Cannabis Licensing Bill particular award I would like to highlight was the Com-munity Award given to a cousin of mine, Mr. Charles Butterfield, who has long been involved in the sport of karate. And his Community Award was for promoting unity in the karate community. And that is a term that we have heard about in many organisations and sports. You always need individuals who are going to go that extra mile to unify all sports. Although I was unable to attend, I would like to say thank you to the Junior Minister, MP Kim Swan, who did attend in my stead, and other colleagues. Once again, congratulations to the Director, Sergeant Major Arnold Alan, for these awards. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Minister Darrell. With that said, now I would just like to associate myself with many of the comments that have been made this morning, particularly certainly for the condolences for Ms. Wendy Lambert and Joan Dismont, and of course Ms. Martha Dismont. Martha and I —I certainly met Martha when she first came to Bermuda. I knew her husband. And it was really quite an unfortunate issue when her husband died after three years of marriage. But she, having been born in the States, came to Bermuda. And she has done a life’s work o n this Island in terms of all of the agencies and with the families. Some of them I knew. And she and I used to talk quite a lot because my own area was mental health counselling and health, obviously. So over the years we have had to communicate. And I was always impressed with how she managed to keep busy and do so much for this Island. And much has been said by you this morning, and certainly in the press. And I really wept a tear when she passed because I got to know her. And when we had to do the debate on the Bill, the 1marijuana Bill, that is when she really came over to me to talk to me about it. And the impact that she was seeing . . . I am not going to go on. I know the Bill is where it is. But she was exceedingly distressed by the fact that we were debating, making a deal and all of the rest of it. But I would just say that [Ms. Martha Dismont] was a godsend to this Island. And a lot of families and the children have benefited from her time here, and all of the organisations that she represented. She needs to be celebrated. And certainly her family need to be thanked for all that she has done for her adopted home. So I join you all in your comments. I also would like to associate myself with the congratulations on my dear cousin, Dr. Shangri -La Durham- Thompson. And I appreciate all that has been said by Senator Robinson, because she and Reverend Dill and I attended that celebration of her retirement. And it was a wonderful occasion. So I join you all in your comments. 566 19 July 2023 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda Senate And finally, I am sure that we would all like to join Minister Darrell in his congratulations for our dear Sergeant -at-Arms. And he is here listening to us. We certainly congratulate you, sir, on all that you achieved for the young people. You do a stellar work in this Island, and we really acknowledge you. And you do it for us here in the Senate. So we congratulate you, and we thank you vociferously for all that you do for this Island and for our young people. With all that said, we will move on then with motion to adjourn. Minister Darrell.
ADJOURNMENT Sen. the Hon. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President. I now do ask that the Senate do adjourn until Wednesday, July 26.
The President: Thank you, Minister Darrell. Would any Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn? Hearing none, the Senate stands adjourned. And thank you, Senators. We adjourn until July 26. [At 11:10 am, the Senate stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Wednesday, 26 July 2023.]