July 16, 2025

Please be seated.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES
[2 July 2025]

The President: Vice President John W ight, you have
the floor.

Sen. John Wight: Madam President, I move that the
Minutes of the meeting of Wednesday, 2 July 2025 be
taken as read.

The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.

Sen. John Wight: Madam President, I move that the
Minutes of Wednesday, 2 July 2025 be confirmed.
The President: Is there any objection to the confirmation of the Minutes ?
No objection.
The Minutes are confirmed.
Thank you, Vice President John Wight.
[Minutes of 2 July 2025 confirmed]

MESSAGES

The President: Mrs. Beale.

The Deputy Clerk: There are no messages, Madam
President .

The President: Thank you.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

The President: There are none. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

APOLOGIES
The President: I would just like to advise Senators that
we have had apologies from Senator Cunningham,
who is travelling. So, she is not here with us today.

ANNOUNCEMENT S

The President: And another announcement, then, is in
the name of Senator Mis cha Fubler, the Junior Minister
for Public Works and the Environment.
Senator Fubler , you have the floor.

WATER RESOURCES (PREVENTION OF
POLLUTION BY SEWAGE FROM BOATS)
AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2025

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you, Madam President.
I hereby present for the information of the Senate, the Water Resources (Prevention of Pollution by
Sewage from Boats) Amendment Regulations 2025, as
made by the Minister responsible for the Environment,
in exercise of the power conferred by s ection 39 of the
Water Resources Act 1975. Senators may access copies on their tablets or the Parliament website.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Fubler.

NOTICE S OF MOTION S

The President: There are none.

PETITIONS
The President: There are none.

STATEMENTS

The President: Senators, we have four Statements
this morning. An additional one is the fourth one that you will be advised, and that is in the name of Minister
Wilke rson, regarding Consultation Launch on the Proposed amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The first Statement, then, is in the name of
Senator the Honourable Crystal Caesar, Minister of Education.
Minister Caesar, you have the floor.
396 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS RECIPIENTS 2025

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Good morning, Madam
President , and good morning to the listening audience
and good morning colleagues.
Madam President, I am honoured to announce
and celebrate this year’s recipients of the Ministry of
Education’s scholarships and awards .
Today’s Statement is more than a report; it is a
celebration of merit, an affirmation of equitable access,
and a commitment to ensuring that these opportunities
continue to reflect the best of who we are and who we
aspire to become. The Ministry of Education upholds its
mandate to support post -secondary and graduate education for Bermudian students. Therefore, we are com-mitted to improving access to higher education for Ber-muda’s aspiring students through scholarships and
awards opportunities.
Madam President, one of the goals of the platform commitments for 2025 is to expand access to
funding for Bermudians to obtain tertiary education. I
am proud to confirm that the budget for this year’s
Scholarships and Awards is $1.77 million dollars. The
Ministry believes that all students should have access
to post -secondary education, and we are pleased to
provide scholarships and awards for the benefit of students and the Bermudian community.
Madam President, each year through our
scholarship and award programmes, we recogni se and
uplift those individuals who have demonstrated promise, resilience, and excellence. These recipients are not
only students and scholars; they are future leaders, in-novators, educators, and contributors to our I sland's
growth and prosperity. This year’s awardees have
shown perseverance and determination to reach their passions and cultivate their talents. They also have
hearts of service and intend on contributing to Bermuda
upon completion of their degrees.
Madam President, I am proud to announce that
the Ministry will help more than 60 individuals to attend
college and university through the various scholarships
and awards that we offer. This year, the Ministry of Ed-ucation is providing 10 different scholars hips and
award categories.
In addition to the Bermuda College Promise
[Programme ], which provides tuition for graduates of
CedarBridge Academy and The Berkeley Institute to attend Bermuda College, tuition- free, for two years, the
Ministry grants the following scholarships and awards
annually:
1. The Minister’s Achievement Scholarship to
help high achieving graduating students of CedarBridge Academy and The Berkeley Institute
attend overseas post -secondary education.
2. The Minister’s Exceptional Student Award for
graduating students or school leavers with disabilities for local or overseas study . 3. The Minister’s Technical and Vocational Award for graduating public school students or recent
public school alumni attending Bermuda College for both local and overseas post -secondary study .
4. The Further Education Award for current college or university students with sophomore
standing for continued post -secondary study .
5. The Non- Traditional Student Award for persons aged 25 and over pursuing post -secondary study .
6. The Teacher Education Scholarship is for current students studying in college or university
with sophomore standing for the study of selected subjects and/or subject areas of teaching in need in Bermuda in the public school
system .
7. The Bermuda Government Scholarship is for
well-rounded senior school or college or university students up to the age of 25 who
demonstrate outstanding academic achievement .
8. The University of the West Indies Scholarship
is for graduates and undergraduates who have
been accepted into the University of the West
Indies at any of their campuses or other universities within the Caribbean.
9. The Bermuda College Book Award provides
funding for books for Bermuda College students in financial need. This award is determined by the Bermuda College closer to the start of the academic year .
10. And the final scholarship is t he Minister’s Applied Science Scholarship and it is for graduating public senior school students who attended
the Applied Technology Dual Enrolment Diploma Programme with Bermuda College and
who plan to continue the programme to obtain an associate’s degree [or certificate] . I’m sad
report that, unfortunately , this particular award
had no applications this year.
Nonetheless, Madam President, a total of 524
students were submitted for consideration. A total of 71
students ranging from recent senior school graduates to mature students pursuing non- traditional pathways
are among our worthy recipients. I would like to highlight many of those students in a number of different
categories, beginning with the Minister’s Scholarships.
The Minister’s Scholarships and Awards are
valued at $7,500 for local studies and up to $25,000 for
overseas studies. They are tenable for the duration of
the student’s full -time post -secondary programme of
study, for up to four years. The recipients are:
For the Minister’s Achievement Scholarship:
1. Shia Bean, a 2025 graduate of CedarBridge
Academy. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in
Marketing and Communications at Dalhousie
University; and


Bermuda Senate 2. Camya Matthew, a 2025 graduate of The
Berkeley Institute. She is pursuing a Bachelor ’s
[Degree] in Business Administration at Howard
University.

For the Minister’s Exceptional Student Award
valued at $7,500 for local studies and up to $25,000 for overseas studies:
1. Tel-Ricka Butterfield, a graduate of Bermuda
College. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in
Child and Youth Study at Mount Saint Vincent University
2. Malachi Santucci -Smith, a graduate of the
Care Learning Centre. He is pursuing an Asso-ciate of Arts at the Bermuda College.

For the Technical and Vocational Award:
1. Milahn Powell, a graduate of Bermuda College
and she is currently or will be pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (or A&M as it
is commonly known) .
2. Ny’Asia White, also a recipient of an award, is
a graduate of The Berkeley Institute, to pursue a Bachelor ’s [Degree] in Nursing at the University of South Carolina.
3. Maya Dean, a graduate of The Berkeley Insti-tute. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in
Business Administration and Management at
North Carolina A&T University.

Other recipients that I am proud to announce
to the Senate are:
For the Non- Traditional Student Award
($20,000 per year for overseas study up to four years):
1. Jalair Trott -Richardson, a graduate of T he
Berkeley Institute. He is pursuing a Bachelor’s
Degree in Physics at the University of Sussex;
and,
2. Adonijah Washington, a graduate of Bermuda
College, pursuing a Bachelor in Sports Rehabilitation at Health Sciences University.

The recipients of the Teacher Education Scholarships ( again $20,000 per year for overseas study up
to four years) . And the recipients are:
1. Moriah Bridgewater, a graduate of Bermuda
College. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science
in Elementary Education at Howard University;
and,
2. Stephan Dill, a graduate of The Berkeley Institute, pursuing a Masters of Teaching at Winston Salem State University.

These Teacher Education Scholarships are
given to candidates pursuing their initial teacher training who, as a condition of their scholarships, will be em-ployed in Bermuda public schools to educate and support public school students in subject s and teaching
areas of great need in the public education system.
Madam President, the Ministry awarded a total
of 42 Further Education Awards for undergraduate
studies, 10 awards for students pursuing graduate studies and five for students pursuing doctoral degrees.
These awards will provide funding for one year of study
at a value of up to $10,000 each.
While Further Education Awards and other
scholarships and awards are primarily given to stu-dents pursuing undergraduate study to assist persons in getting a first college or university degree, the Ministry is continuing to do what it can to support student s
undertaking graduate studies.
Some of the areas of study for undergraduate
recipients are health sciences , education, psychology,
performing arts, business and engineering, while some
of the areas of study for post graduate recipients include legal studies, public health, medicine, teacher
training and psychology.
Time does not permit me to name each recipient, but they, too, are saluted for their perseverance towards the completion of their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Madam President, the University of the West
Indies Scholarship provides an opportunity for students
seeking tertiary education at the U niversity of the West
Indies or another school in the Caribbean region in the
amount of $7,500 per year for up to three years for
study.
This year’s recipient , Ms. Keiazia Burchall -
Busby , is studying medicine at St. George ’s University
in Grenada.
Madam President, Bermuda Government
Scholarships are awarded annually to the most deserv-ing candidates recommended by the Board of Education. Each Bermuda Government Scholarship recipient
receives funding towards the cost of tuition and accommodation, up to $35,000 per year for up to four years.
I am pleased to share with this House that this
year’s recipients of the Bermuda Government Scholarship are:
1. Alay Burgess -Rocker, a graduate of The
Berkeley Institute, to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Actuarial Science at St. John’s University; and,
2. Nevaeh Barclay, another Berkeley Institute graduate, to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting at North Carolina A&T State University.
The recommendation to award both Ms. Alay
Burgess -Rocker and Ms. Nevaeh Barclay the Bermuda
Government Scholarship is truly historic as both young
women are S3 students graduating early. This is a rare
achievement , and it highlights not only their individual
excellence but also their shared determination, vision,
and sense of purpose. These two young women represent the future of Bermuda: which is bright, ambitious,
398 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate grounded in service, and prepared to make a difference.
Madam President, I would like to thank the senior school staff, mentors, parents, guardians and loved
ones of our students for supporting them throughout this scholarship process. Their unwavering support and
guidance have been instrumental in the success of our
students.
As this process requires a great investment of
time, I thank and commend the Chairperson and members of the Scholarship and Awards Committee who spend countless hours poring over applications to
make difficult decisions deciding which of the many deserving students will be successful . The Scholarships
and Awards Programme Manager, Ms. Shanay e Smith,
for so ably receiving, sorting and vetting the applications and also the rest of the Ministry of Education Headquarters team for their dedication and continued
support for this important work. Their ongoing efforts
and integrity are vital to the success and fairness of the
Ministry of Education’s scholarship process.
Lastly, I express deep appreciation to other
public, private and charitable scholarship providers
who continue to demonstrate their commitment to investing in the future of our Island ’s young people
through generous funding for higher education and to
other aspiring students. The choice to give consistently
and as much as possible helps more and more stu-dents to reach their potential. Everyone’s collective
contributions have made this celebration of academic
excellence possible, and for that, I am truly grateful.
Madam President, once again, I congratulate
this year’s scholarships and awards recipients. I wish them much success in their educational journeys.
Thank you, Madam President .
The President: And thank you, Minister C aesar.
The second S tatement is in the name of Senator Lindsay Simmons, JP, the Junior Minister for Youth, Social Development, and Seniors, and she will provide
an update on domestic abuse specialists.
Senator Simmons, you have the floor.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Just going to get the right
Statement, sorry.

The President: Right, good.

DOMESTIC ABUSE SPECIALIST

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, today I rise to share important progress in our fight to end domestic abuse in
Bermu da . . . a fight that affects not just individual families, but the heart of our community.
Madam President, behind every statistic is a
person. A woman terrified to speak out. A man suffering
in silence. A child caught in the middle. Domestic abuse does not discriminate; it impacts Bermudians of all
backgrounds, ages and genders. And for too long, too
many suffered alone.
Recognising the growing urgency, in the 2022
Throne Speech this Government committed to commis-sioning a full system review of Bermuda’s response to
domestic abuse. We contracted SafeLives UK to examine our services, collect data, listen to survivors and
frontline workers, and tell us honestly where we were
falling short.
Madam President, that review gave us a
roadmap that has shaped the foundation of Bermuda’s
first comprehensive five- year Domestic Abuse Strategy, launched in 2023. From this strategy came 10 priority action items, each focused on turning intent into
action and words into safety. Today, I am proud to update this Honourable [Senate] on one of the most important of those actions, support from a Domestic
Abuse Specialist .
Madam President, in April 2025, the Ministry
hired Bermuda’s first certified Domestic Abuse Liaison Social Worker, a specialist with over four years of
hands -on experience supporting high- risk victims of
abuse. This professional is a lifeline that will wal k alongside survivors, offer safety planning, emotional support,
and access to services. And they will do so with compassion, expertise, and deep understanding.
This Officer is already working closely with the
Department of Child and Family Services and the Centre Against Abuse, as well as the Bermuda Police Service, Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), and the
Multi -Agency Risk Assessment Committee, known as
MARAC.
Madam President, for the benefit of the public
and listening audience: MARAC is a collaborative
safety planning team that brings together key agencies
to identify, assess, and protect victims at the highest
risk of serious harm. Every week, they meet to sh are
information, develop coordinated responses, and take action together to keep victims safe and hold abusers
accountable.
Madam President, the new Domestic Abuse Liaison Social Worker has already begun supporting victims who might otherwise have fallen through the
cracks. Their work ensures survivors, women and men, do not have to navigate the system alone.
This is just one piece of our broader plan. Work
is already underway on implementing the full five- year
Domestic Abuse Strategic Plan. Consultations with in-ternal stakeholders have started, and soon we will engage the wider community. Because, to truly end domestic violence , we must all be part of the solution.
Madam President, we are committed to building a Bermuda where abuse is not hidden in the shad-ows, where survivors are supported, not shamed, and
where every Bermudian can live free from fear.
In closing, Madam President, I thank the dedicated members of the MARAC Committee, who meet
every week and work tirelessly to action the key


Bermuda Senate priorities of this strategy. Your efforts are helping to
build a safer, fairer Bermuda.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Linds ay Simmons.
You have a second Statement.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Yes.
The President: The Google Subsea Cable Projects
and Bermuda's Role as a Digital Atlantic Hub Update .
So, you can present your S tatement.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you.

GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE
AS A DIGITAL ATLANTIC HUB UPDATE
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, in 2022,
Bermuda took a bold and deliberate step to attract
Google and its first cable Nuvem, a transatlantic subsea cable linking South Carolina to Portugal via Bermuda. Such a bold step, under the leadership of the
former Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs,
the Hon. Walter Roban, was taken with measured [intentionality ] and vision. This relationship materiali sed
due to a firm policy approach grounded in long- term
strategy, infrastructure readiness, and the belief that
small jurisdictions can play a major role in shaping the
global digital economy.
Madam President, today, I am pleased to build
on that established relationship and confirm that Bermuda will again serve as a critical node in global digital
connectivity . On 9 July, Google announced a second
transatlantic cable, named Sol , the Spanish word for
“sun.” This new cable will connect Florida to Spain,
transiting through Bermuda and the Azores, and will
serve as the only direct in- service fibre- optic connection between Florida and Europe.
Madam President, importantly, this second cable confirms that Bermuda is a deliberate choice based on our regulatory clarity, technical preparedness, and
geographical relevance. Google’s further investment in
our shores, through the establishment of Sol signals
that our jurisdiction is one of trust, regulatory certainty
and sound governance.
Madam President, Sea grass Services Limited,
Google’s subsidiary in Bermuda will , pending final approval from the Department of Planning, construct a
landing station at Southside, St. David’s supported by
our community. The landing station will be capable of
accommodating up to four subsea fibre- optic cables,
effectively positioning Bermuda as a permanent fixture
in the global network routing [ architecture ]. Sol will
strengthen Bermuda’s resilience. It will link to the new
Nuvem system to provide unprecedented transatlantic
redundancy. Madam President, what is clear to me is the
fact that Bermuda is no longer speaking in hypotheticals and an aspirational manner regarding digital diver-sification. We have evidenced the fruits of our tangible
and successful groundwork. Groundwork that has been laid with forward- leaning policy, transparent processes,
and inter -agency coordination. Google has made Bermuda a repeat partner and is supported by its standing as one of the world’s most consequential technology firms. And, Madam President, we should be equally
clear that this is only the fruit of good governance, good policy and good legislation.
Madam President, Google’s t own hall [meeting] held on 17 June 2025 in St. David’s is further proof
of the company’s commitment to our communities. Their outreach efforts have been inclusive, informative,
and well received.
At the session, Google reaffirmed its intention
to:
• diversify Bermuda’s legacy economy;
• support the development and training of local
talent; and
• drive climate- positive innovation in partnership
with Bermuda.
Madam President, this announcement comes
at a time when the global economic environment is rapidly shifting, developing faster than [ traditional ] sectors.
The Government of Bermuda understands that securing relevance in that economy requires us to move beyond slogans and promises and demands that we redouble our efforts to facilitate physical infrastructure, establish credible regulation, and earn the trust of notable public institutions. Today we celebrate the deliv-ery of all three of those aims.
Madam President, there is undoubtedly economic significance in this relationship. But more importantly there are strategic advancements that must
not be overlooked. Advancements in how and what Bermuda is known for. Through our relationship with
Google, we also demonstrate a strategic evolution.
Madam President, it is an evolution and investment in our future. A future where Bermuda moves from
being simply known for insurance or tourism, and it entrenches its role and reputation in the digital economy.
This economy Madam President, that is the digital
backbone that powers financial systems, health networks, AI services, digital finance and international research. It is shaping how we interact in this world. It is shaping how data moves, how systems interconnect
and how innovation is delivered. This same cable, that
joins its sister cable will carry cloud traffic, provide expanded capacity for our local providers and deliver AI models across the Atlantic. It will bring Bermuda along
with it and will now also route through St. David’s.
Madam President, this is a tremendous accomplishment. An accomplishment that all of Bermuda should be proud of.
Thank you, Madam President.

400 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Simmons.
The final Statement is the additional one we
had this morning, and that is in the name of Senator the
Honourable Kim Wilkerson, JP, Attorney General, and
Minister of Justice, and it is C onsultation Launched on
Proposed Amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Minister, you have the floor.

PROCEEDS OF CRIME ACT (POCA)
CONSULTATION LAUNCHED ON
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you, Madam
President. Good morning, and good morning to the listening public.
Madam President, I rise today to update this
Honourable Chamber and the public on Bermuda’s continued commitment to maintaining its status as a
premier jurisdiction in the global fight against money
laundering and terrorist financing.
Madam President, in our last mutual evaluation
in 2020 by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF),
Bermuda was deemed to have robust systems in place
to combat money laundering and terrorist financing activities. However, the FATF has since revised its Standards, which has triggered a review of the legislation currently in place. As a result, Bermuda must once again review and, where necessary, amend our legislative
framework to ensure we remain fully aligned with these
updated global requirements.
Madam President, this work is not just about
regulatory compliance for the sake of compliance. It is
about protecting our financial system, our reputation,
and our people. It is about ensuring that Bermuda remains a responsible player in the global financi al ecosystem as we prepare for our Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation which will begin in October 2026.
Madam President, to that end, the National
Anti-Money Laundering Committee (NAMLC) has
launched a consultation on proposed amendments to
Bermuda’s primary Anti -Money Laundering/Anti -Terrorist Financing laws: the Proceeds of Crime Act 1997
(POCA), the Proceeds of Crime (Anti -Money Laundering and Anti -Terrorist Financing Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2008 (POCA SEA), and the Proceeds
of Crime (Anti -Money Laundering and Anti -Terrorist Financing) Regulations 2008. The amendments being
circulated now, while technical in nature, are critical to
our compliance with the revised FATF Standards.
Madam President, the Government is interested in soliciting industry and individual views, input and comments on the proposed amendments to address the requirements of the revised FATF Standards
at the country level. The purpose of the Consultation
Paper i s, therefore, to advise industry and the public of
the proposed amendments, and solicit comments from
stakeholders on the proposed amendments for areas
of potential impact and concern to them. Madam President, the key proposed legislative
amendments due to changes in the FATF standards
are as follows:

i. Proliferation Financing (PF) Risk Assessment

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 49(1) of the POCA be amended to provide the legislative basis for a proliferation financing risk assessment.
Madam President, this amendment addresses
one of the new requirements of the revised FATF Recommendation 1 which requires competent authorities
and supervisory authorities to coordinate activities to identify, assess and understand Bermuda’s proliferation financing risk and to take commensurate action
aimed at ensuring that these risks are mitigated effec-tively. This will impact institutional risk assessments
and other supervisory measures.

ii. NAMLC Statutory Members

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 49(2) of the POCA be amended to reflect the inclu-sion of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Na-tional Security as a statutory member of NAMLC, as
well as the Chair of the AML/ATF Barristers and Accountants Board.
Madam President, this amendment is in keeping with the Ministry having been appointed a NAMLC
agency by the Ministry of Finance, pursuant to the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act, on 2 July 2024.

iii. Designation of Attorney General’s Chambers as an Enforcement Authority
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that the
Minister of Justice of the Attorney General’s Chambers be delegated or designated as the Enforcement Authority for the recovery of property obtained through unlawful conduct pursuant to section 36F of POCA.
Madam President, this amendment would aim
to augment the available investigative tools in civil recovery matters.

iv. The Requirement for Publication of Cancellation Notices

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 20 of the POCA SEA be amended to include provisions requiring the publication in the Gazette of a notice
of every cancellation of a registration of a non- licensed
Anti-Money Laundering/Anti -Terrorist Financing regulated financial institution or regulated non- financial
business or profession.
Madam President, this amendment is aimed at
ensuring consistency with the requirement in respect of
licensed financial institutions.



Bermuda Senate v. The Civil Penalties

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 20(3) of the SEA Act be amended to grant compe-tent authorities the power to impose civil penalties [im-posed] for all breaches of the POCA Regulations. The
amendments proposed would explicitly include Regulation 10, all of Regul ations 11, 17A and 18A which are
currently omitted from the list, as well as adding a catch -all provision at the end to future- proof future additional regulations over time.
Madam President, this amendment to is aimed
at ensuring civil penalties can be imposed for all breaches.

vi. Consequential Amendment

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that there
be a consequential amendment to section 42A of the
POCA to reflect the legislative change in 2019 that removed the licensing regime for fund administration business from the Investment Funds Act [2006] to the
Fund Administration Provider Business Act 2019.
Madam President, this amendment is aimed at
ensuring that the POCA addresses the current legislation in place in respect of Fund Administration.

vii. Resolution of Conflicting Provisions in POCA
SEA

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 22 of POCA SEA be amended to resolve conflicting
provisions with sections 23 and 24 of POCA SEA with
respect to the time periods for the issuance of a Deci-sion Notice in relation to a proposed civil penalty.

viii. Designation of Financial Group

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 42B of the POCA be amended to enable all statutory authorities to advise the Minister of Justice on the
designation of financial groups.
Madam President, this amendment is aimed at
ensuring compliance with the revised FATF Standards which include all groups subject to supervision in the
definition of “financial groups.”

ix. Additional Duties of Supervisory Authorities

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 5 of the POCA SEA be amended to include in the
section 5 duties of supervisory authorities, provisions
enabling them to issue rules, codes of conduct or statements of principles as regard compliance with the
AML/ATF Regulations and other relevant legislation
and best practice.
Madam President, this amendment is aimed at
enhancing the powers of supervisory authorities.
x. Correspondent Banking

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 13 of POCA be amended to reflect that a corre-spondent relationship should be seen as broader than a bank -to-bank relationship. A correspondent relationship may be offered by any regulated financial institution to a client who may be a bank, or another financial
institution such as a DAB.
Madam President, this amendment addresses
one of the revisions to FATF Recommendation 15, ob-ligations which previously related only to correspondent
banking now apply to all correspondent relationships in
order to capture the Virtual Asset Service Provider s
(VASPs).

xi. Suspicious Activity Reporting Obligations on
Non- Professional Trustees

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: It is proposed that section 46 of POCA be amended to ensure that the obliga-tions with respect to suspicious activity reporting clearly
extend to non- professional trustees. This would be captured by adding an activity to describe the discharge of those trustee obligations.
Madam President, this amendment addresses
one of the requirements of the revised FATF Stand-ards, and in particular Recommendation 25 which addresses Beneficial Ownership and Transparency of Legal Arrangements.
Madam President, these 11 proposed changes
are not cosmetic changes. They are substantive reforms intended to keep Bermuda’s AML/ATF frame-work in lockstep with evolving global expectations and
best practices. As such, we are inviting written submissions on the proposed amendments from stakeholders
and the wider public. I should say that the consultation
went out last week and the deadline for comments is
30 July 2025. Submissions may be sent to info -
namlc@gov.bm.
Madam President, consultation is a cornerstone of good governance. It is a demonstration that
this Government does not legislate in isolation, but in
partnership with industry, regulators, and the people of Bermuda. We must act with foresight, with diligence,
and with unity of purpose. The integrity and stability of
our financial system—and more importantly our standing in the international community —depends on it.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: And thank you, Minister Wilkerson,
Minister of Justice, Attorney General, and Government
Leader in the Senate.
Moving on with the Orders of the Day.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
The President: There are none.

402 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate FIRST READING OF PUBLIC BILLS

LAND VALUATION AND TAX (SPECIAL
PROVISIONS AND POSTPONEMENT OF
PREPARATION OF DRAFT
VALUATION LIST) ACT 2025

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION
AMENDMENT ACT 2025

BUILDING AMENDMENT ACT 2025

The President: The following public Bills have been received from the Honourable House of Assembly and are now read for the first time.
Their titles are, respectively : Land Valuation
and Tax (Special Provisions and Postponement of
Preparation of Draft Valuation List ) Act 2025, Parliamentary Election Amendment Act 2025, and the third
one is the Building Amendment Act 2025.

FIRST READING OF PRIVATE BILLS
The President: There are none.

QUESTION PERIOD

The President: Senators, we will now entertain questions on the Statements that were delivered this morning, the first one being delivered by Senator the Hon-ourable Crystal Caesar, the Minister of Education, and that was the 2025 Scholarship and Awards recipient s.
Would any S enator care to ask questions on
this Statement?
Yes, Senator Marcus Jones, you have the
floor.

QUESTION 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
RECIPIENTS 2025
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
And good morning to my fellow colleagues here in the Senate Chambers, and good morning to the listening audience.
First of all, I would like to thank the Minister of
Education for giving us that S tatement in regard to the
scholarship winners. Thanks to her M inistry staff for
those who administered the scholarship awards. And
special mention I believe she made was to Shanay e
Smith, who was the Scholarship and Awards Programme Manager. It must be a lot of work to do, to organise, to compile, to vet all the persons who had applied. So, hats off to her and her team for doing a fabulous job. I do have a few questions.
My first question would be, what portion of this
year's scholarship recipients are pursuing studies in priority areas identified in Bermuda's Workforce Development Strategy, i.e. , education, health care, and technology? I would like to see what the Minister has to
say about that.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Marcus Jones: And based on what she gives us,
my question would be, my supplemental question
would be : Is the M inistry tracking the alignment between scholarship awards and Bermuda's future skills
and labour market needs? I think there is some importance to making sure that we are aligned with what
the market is asking, that we are providing actually the
scholarshi ps that target those specific skill sets that are
needed in today's and the future workforce market here
in Bermuda.

QUESTION 2: SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
RECIPIENTS 2025

Sen. Marcus Jones: Another primary question I would
like to ask is, Has the Ministry undertak en any recent
evaluation of the long- term outcomes of government
scholarship recipients? In other words, of those who
have been fortunate to benefit from the scholarships,
are we tracking the graduation rates and their subse-quent employment paths once they have finished
school? I think that would be valuable data so we can
see how the monies that have been invested, which we
are all in agreement with ( I believe it w as $1.7 million)
. . . I think it's money well spent. I think it's important
that we track and see how our young people are bene-fiting ultimately in receiving these scholarships.
The President: You have asked one question and a
supplementary, and your second question.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Correct, yes.
The President: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION 3: SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
RECIPIENTS 2025

Sen. Marcus Jones: And I guess my last question
would be, as it revolves around retention, What percentage of past scholarship recipients from the last five
years have returned to Bermuda after completing their
studies? We know that there is a requirement in some
of these scholarships, and with some there isn't a strict,
rigid requirement to return to Bermuda. But I think for
the interest of the public, it would be good to know how
many actually come back and actually give back to the
country based on the benefits they receive fr om their
scholarships.
I believe that's it for now. Thank you.

The President: Thank you.
Would any other Senator . . . Yes, Senator
Tannoc k, you have the floor.


Bermuda Senate Sen. Tawana Tannock: Good morning, thank you,
Madam President, and good morning to our listening
public.
The President: Good morning.

QUESTION 1: SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
RECIPIENTS 2025

Sen. Tawana Tannock: I would like to congratulate
Minister C aesar and her colleagues in Education on the
$1.7 million in scholarship award money that was given
out, and to send my best wishes to those awardees. I
do have a couple of questions, and they really pertain
to the support and giving back once somebody receives the scholarship.
So, the first question that I have is, with the
scholarship recipients, what percentage of those scholarship recipients, or how many have opportunities for
employment in the Bermuda government, whether that
is temporary for the summer or have been identifi ed as
being able to fill in a slot in the civil service? That's my
first one.

The President: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION 2: SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
RECIPIENTS 2025

Sen. Tawana Tannock: And my second one is, Is
there any mentorship requirement of the scholarship
awardees? So once a scholarship awardee receives a
scholarship, do we require them to do any type of mentorship for persons who may be interested in receiving scholarships? Do we require them to do any reach out,
do any coaching? What is the requirement? So, we are
giving them something. And even if it may not be ser-vice in the civil service or working in Bermuda, do we
require any type of mentorship from those individuals
to other students who may be interested in the areas in
which they are interested in?

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock .
Would any other Senator care to ask questions?
Senator Lindsay Simmons, you have the floor.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President. Mine is more of a statement than a question. I just want to highlight and thank the Ministry of Education as somebody that sits on the scholarship board. I just want
to thank this Government for year after year investing
in our students. Year after year, we are raising the bar
and investing more money into our students. And honestly, it is the highlight of my year as a S enator, to actually sit in on and listen to these stories. And most of
the names that Minister C aesar has spoken of today, I
actually helped to interview. It is rewarding. The M inister has been diligent to make sure that the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed, and Ms. S hanaye Smith as
well. I just want to thank them for continuing to put into
our students. And thank you for realising that our greatest asset is educating our students.
So, thank you, Minister C aesar.

The President: And thank you, Senator Lindsay Simmons for your comment while we a wait a response from
the Ministe r.
You have the floor.

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: I am prepared to answer, Madam President.
I must say that I am a little surprised that there
are questions, because this Statement was more of a
celebration of our young people and their achieve-ments and those that have been awarded. And whilst I believe that my colleagues ’ questions are valid and
very much require answering, I think that they are better placed as parliamentary questions, because they do
not actually speak specifically to my S tatement.
My Statement was congratulating those individual students and outlining what the awards are. So,
I would like to park that where it is, or those questions
where they are, and ask them that if they would so graciously pose those questions, either written or oral, so
that we can answer them at a time and a place which
is more appropriate. I would like to just focus at this time
on the S tatement, which does celebrate these young
people and their academic achievements.
And so, that is my answer to all questions, because at this time, those questions do not actually speak to the Statement.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Minister.
Senator Jones .

Sen. Marcus Jones: I appreciate what the Minister of
Education has answered us. And yes, we are joining
hands with the G overnment in celebrating our young
people. And if she feels that written parliamentary
questions are far more appropriate, as long as we get
an assurance and a commitment that we are going to
get those answers in due course, we can surely park it
here, and we will submit those questions to her formally
at a later date.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
And also, the questions that were put by Senator Tawana Tannock, are you asking for that as well?
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: The same, Madam
President. Questions, as my understanding of the rules, are supposed to be specific to the Statement —
The President: Specific to the Statement.

404 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: —that was written.

The President: Mm-hmm.
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: And so, if there are
questions that arise out of that Statement which do not
relate specifically to it, and they would like them answered, we can actually have a meeting, or they can
pose them through parliamentary questions.
Thank you.
The President: Senator Tannock .

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, thank you, Madam President. I can make my question specific to the Statement.
Of the individuals that you mentioned, how
many are required to provide mentorship to students
who are interested in pursuing the scholarship award
that they have received?

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Respectfully, Madam
President, I again indicate that that is not what the
Statement speaks to. It does not speak to mentorships.
It does not speak to requirements. It just speaks to celebrating those young people who have been awarded.
And, again, if the Senator would like those questions
answered, I am happy to do so. But let us celebrate our
young people and leave it at that today.
The President: Senator Tannock, are you prepared to
submit your question later?
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, I can do so. But I really
have to take issue with the Minister's inference that any
question of her S tatement is not celebrating these students. This has nothing to do with celebrating the stu-dents. As a former teacher, educator myself, having sat
on many scholarship boards as Deputy Director of ABIC, who have awarded $800,000 in scholarships and
do require mentorship of our students, it was as a matter of celebration but also interest in paying it forward
and giving back so that we could continue to celebrate.
So, if every question will be deflected and said
that we are not celebrating our students, I do have to
take some issue with that because that is certainly not
the intent. And I think nobody outside of education will
ever take issue, and certainly no former educator will
ever take issue with our students being ce lebrated.
So that was indeed not the intent at all. And I
will submit my questions written. Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.
With that said, then, do you have a final comment?

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Yes, I am fine. And I
was not trying to [impute] any improper motives but just
indicating that, again, as per the rules of the Senate, questions are based on that Statement. And so, I am
happy to answer those questions, to have those discus-sions with regard to what we are trying to do to celebrate our young people. But this particular S tatement
was just talking about those young people who are being celebrated and who have been awarded. And so, I
am happy to do so, as I indicat ed earlier.
The President: Thank you, Minister.
Senators, with that said and the agreement
that has been reached, we will now move on to the sec-ond Ministerial Statement. (Oh, she stepped out. ) The
second Statement that was given by Senator Lindsay
Simmons on the Domestic Abuse Specialist.
Would any S enator care to ask questions on
the Statement?
Senator Tannock, you have the floor.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Thank you, Madam President.
So, this may fall afoul. It is not a question ; it is just really
to say how delighted and pleased I am to see this initiative come forward and to receive this report.
And while I am interested in getting a number
on the number of people who have been serviced, that
really is not the focus. As I have mentioned in this [Senate], it's an issue that is very important to me. And I just
wanted to congratulate the Government in pushing this
issue forward and having this person now in place. So
kudos. Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.
Would any other S enator care to speak on the
Statement?
Yes, Senator Jones, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: DOMESTIC ABUSE SPECIALIST

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thanks again, Madam President.
Thank you to the Junior Minister for giving us this update on this D omestic Abuse Specialist. I thought it was
very informative.
I do have one or two questions. In regard to
transparency and evaluation. Can the J unior Minister
share what indicators are being used to assess the
early impact of the domestic abuse liaison social worker r ole, and whether statistics or case outcomes
will be made available in the upcoming plan?

QUESTION 2: DOMESTIC ABUSE SPECIALIST

Sen. Marcus Jones: My second question has to do
with sustainable resourcing. Can the J unior Minister
confirm whether funding is in place to expand the number of Domestic Abuse Specialists, and how the Government plans to ensure the long- term sustainability of
this r ole?

QUESTION 3: DOMESTIC ABUSE SPECIALIST


B ermuda Senate Sen. Marcus Jones: And finally, my last question has
to do with survivor support infrastructure. Will the strategic plan address broader systemic needs, such as shelter space, transitional housing, legal support, and trauma counselling to support survivors beyond crisis intervention?
Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions?
Senator Tannock.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, actually Senator Jones's
question prompted a supplementary question from me, and it was . . . I know that Senator Jones spoke of support to survivors . But I did want to ask, does the domestic violence officer only work with the victims, or do they also work with the alleged perpetrators to help them to secure counselling and any other services that may be required?
The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.
I will give Senator Simmons time to . . .
Minister Wilk erson, you wanted to—
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Yes, Madam President.
I will assist my colleague —
The President: Yes.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: —with those answers
and say that while the Ministry of Social [Development] and Seniors is driving the holistic support system from the resource and treatment side, colleagues would know that the Ministry of Justice is, at the same time, working in tandem to deliver services in relation to the
domestic violence court programme. So, these initiatives work in lockstep to try to answer, I think, the questions from both colleagues.
So, I believe the first question is, what will be
the measurement around the activities of the Independ-ent Domestic Violence Advisor ( IDVA )? So, we have
. . . she is currently, my understanding, working between the Ministry of Social [Development] , closely
connected with the Bermuda Police Service [BPS] , and
actually sitting part of the time at the Centre Against Abuse, so that there is a connected- up approach. So,
there's clearly an intention for these efforts to be datadriven.
It is critical that we understand the depth of the
problem. We certainly have statistics from the Centre
Against Abuse, the Women's Resource Centre, and the police. The BPS also has its domestic violence liaison
officer in place. And so, whereas I am going to go
ahead in what I anticipate could be questions, where the Statement talk ed about MARAC, which is the multiagency committee—t hat group work more to support all
of the attendant servic es around an indiv idual case.
And what is being driven from the Ministry of
Justice is the Domestic Violence Working Task Forc e,
which is helping to driv e the policy perspectives around
this. So, that is why we are tasked with bringing into
force and supporting the Domes tic Violence Court Programme. But in these, we have every necessary
agency and department at the table recognised as important. And the work . . . we cannot inform, as you
quite rightly said, how will we determine if we need to
budget for this person to be in place next year unless
we understand the data around what they're doing and
the effectiveness of it. And I believe that that's your
question.
So, she's only started, but those will be measurements. And I believe that we can undertake crossministry to bring back to the res pective Houses a midpoint on how we are measuring that progress, because
we know that this is something that is important to everyone in Bermuda.
The President: T hank you.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I hope I captured the
essence of the questions.
The President: Senators are you . . . yes.
I think as the Minister of Justice and Attorney
General, I think —
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I can feel a supplemental coming on.
[Laughter]
Sen. Marcus Jones: Well, if I can s ay this, I do appreciate the Attorney General's answer, because it gave a
sort of 30,000-f oot ans wer to how all the pieces fit together. I think that is important.
But I think I had some specific ques tions that I
would like for the Junior Minister to target, although the
answer the Attorney General gave us helped us into
seeing the whole picture as oppos ed to the piecemeal
answers.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President—
The President: Senator Simmons , yes.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: I do believe that the Attorney
General ans wered these questions sufficiently.
The President: Senator Jones.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, I am looking through the
questions that I ask ed, and I specifically wanted the
Junior Minister to speak on the specific issues of transitional housing, trauma counselling, the whole nine
406 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate yards . If she could be a little bit more . . . she can expand on those questions so we can get a better sense
of how this is all going to work.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I will answer.

The President: Senator Wilkerson.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I have . . . apologies,
Senator Jones, because I didn’t specifically answer the question that you asked. I thought it would be under-stood that when I said that MARAC comes together to
bring all of the services, I should say that includes housing. So, ther e's collaboration with HOME, for example.
There is a clear understanding that when someone is a victim of domestic abuse, they may need to escape. So,
we are assessing how are we assisting with that.
Currently there is a roadblock. And we are
looking at the challenges in how someone who might
be a victim accesses financial assistance. And there is
a process, and there is recognition now that that pro-cess may take too long when you are in an emergency.
So Financial Assistance is at the table as well, so that
we iron out how we can line up these services so that
they work together.
So, I believe your specific question was, are all
of those services being considered in the offering when there is assistance to an individual? And I think what I was saying is, yes, that is what MARAC is doing. But
also at the policy level, at the 10,000- foot, we are saying these systems are not working. So, you know, you
have one victim over here, and they may be coming
together to find them housing. But then there's recognition that, you know what, we need several safe houses. But it has to be data- drive n. And so that's how I think
the individual services for case management, which I think is what you are referring to, case management, right, what the case management services look like as
opposed to the policy, I understand.

[Inaudible interjection]

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: And additionally, you
have asked the question about perpetrator services. I
believe that Minister Furbert gave a Statement in another place in relation to the retention of providers for
perpetrator services. So, my understanding, and I do
not want to speak in front of her, they may not be finalised yet, but it is a clear understanding that perpetrator
services are absolutely necessary. Because in case management, we must try to assist the family as a
whole. And that clearly means that there will not be a
change in behaviour unless we can deliver case management to the perpetrator as well.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Madam President.

The President: Yes, Senator Jones.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Madam, I thank you for that answer. And first, let me give kudos for it was Senator
Tannock that actually asked the question about the perpetrators.
But the additional question I asked is in regard
to the budget as far as the funding that is going to be
set to take care of the, shall we say, added cost of taking care of those who are victims beyond just the initial
counselling, the initial alignment of all the agencies that
work on their behalf.
We realise that this is just not a one- time experience. It's going to go on possibly for a year or two
years to make sure that this person comes out of it and
is back in society and is completely taken care of.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: If I might —the question
is slightly confusing because you are referring to budgets and then you are referring to an individual. And I
think the point that I was trying to make was that data,
from what we ascertain now in a data- driven approach,
informs how we plan budgetary going forward.
So, if your question is, have we crystal -balled
exactly what it is going to cost and have we budgeted
for it already? I cannot answer that from where I sit in
relation to the Ministry of Social Development. But if
that is something that we can also put as a parliamentary question, that is fine. We can get those answers. It certainly was not something that would have been contemplated in the Statement.
Sen. Marcus Jones: I am not going to prolong this, but
I am just trying to track funding with services. And I am just using that one person as an example. You cannot just take the one example and sort of put a funding to
that one person. But I am saying the whole process.
And I guess a further question, I will have to send it in
a parliamentary question so I can flush out what I am
trying to get to.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you, Madam
President. That would be appreciated. Thank you.
The President: Thank you. With that said, there are no
further comments or questions on this Statement. We
will move on then to the third Statement.
And that is also in the name of Senator Lindsay
Simmons, the Junior Minister for Home Affairs, Youth, Social Development, and Seniors, and National Security. And that has to do with Google subsea cable projects.
Would any Senator . . . yes, Senator John
Wight, Vice President, you have the floor.



Bermuda Senate QUESTION 1: GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE AS A
DIGITAL ATLANTIC HUB, UPDATE

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I just have a couple of questions for the Junior
Minister. One is, you know, all of us have a laptop or an
iPad or a phone or more than one of those. And so, I
am just wondering with this new cable, will there be anything different in terms of speed of ser vice? Or will
there be any effect or impact on any person in Bermuda
as a result of this new cable? My first question.

The President: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION 2: GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE AS A
DIGITAL ATLANTIC HUB, UPDATE
Sen. John Wight: And the second one is, This is obviously very good news when a company such as
Google, which has such a high profile, a terrific reputation, selects Bermuda. But I am just trying to understand in the Statement this sort of reference to diversifying Bermud a's legacy economy, which has been built
up over decades of successive insurance and reinsurance and tourism.
And so, I am trying to . . . you know, it seems
like a bit of a leap to me to consider this cable connecting Bermuda to the Azores and Portugal being a potential diversification in that context. So, if I can just get the Junior Minister to perhaps clarify what the sort of material benefits would be to classify this as being a diversification of our economy that has been, as I say, built up with insurance and reinsurance and tourism.
So those are my two questions. Thank you,

Thank you, Senator John Wight.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions
on this Statement?
Yes, Senator Foley, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE AS A
DIGITAL ATLANTIC HUB, UPDATE

Sen. Maurice Foley: Yes, thank you, Madam President, and thank you and good morning to all.
I do want to thank Junior Minister Simmons for
her Statement regarding the Google Nuvem subsea cable project. And being from St. David's, I am happy to
see this project moving forward.
I do have a couple of questions, one regarding
local talent development and benefits. More specifically, Madam President, has the Ministry signed any agreements at this point with the Google Nuvem subsea cable project? Now, I must preface that to say, I
was happy to hear that there will be, I think, training and career opportunities made available to Bermudians
through the Sol project.
But my question is, has the Ministry signed any
agreements with Google or the Nuvem subsea cable
project to ensure that local hiring or investment in edu-cation (such as in scholarships, certification programmes, in fibre optics or networking engineering)
has been considered or have any signed agreements
on that been accomplished? That's my first question.

The President: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION 2: GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE AS A
DIGITAL ATLANTIC HUB, UPDATE
Sen. Maurice Foley: And if I can move along to my
second question regarding our regulatory infrastructure
oversight, Madam President, for the Junior Minister,
What is the current status of planning approval for the
landing station in St. David's? I know that it is going
through its process. But can we get an indication of
when construction is expected to begin? That would be
good to know as well.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Foley.
Senator Simmons, when you are ready, you
can respond to the questions. I do not see other ques-tions being raised at this time.

Sen. Maurice Foley: Madam President.

The President: Oh, I beg your pardon, Senator Foley,
you have additional questions?

QUESTION 3: GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE AS A
DIGITAL ATLANTIC HUB, UPDATE

Sen. Maurice Foley: I do have one question, one additional question. What revenue does Bermuda anticipate earning, either directly or indirectly, from hosting
these cables? Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Are those your three questions?

Sen. Maurice Foley: Yes, thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, question
one: Google will not be selling to the public or have any
retail presence in Bermuda. Google has stated it will
wholesale capacity to local providers like Digicel,
OneComm, Eastlink, Paradise, et cetera, who can then
pass on any potential savings to customers. It will take
time for these wholesale arrangements to bed in.
408 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report
B ermuda Senate Redundancy of local infrastructures will be improved as
our existing submarine cable serving Bermuda is age-ing and approaching the end of its technical lifespan.
Number two, Madam President, question number two. Bermuda is expanding its reputation on the global stage, particularly in the digital economy. We are
expanding from just being known for reinsurance and
tourism to also being known on the global stage as a digital leader.
Madam President, the benefits for Bermuda,
what will Google do for the community? The June town hall [meeting] made clear Google community incentives
span three periods, currently in process and in development for 2024- 2026, and a plan for 2026- 2027,
which are likely to be placed based on programmes.
Just give me a second, Madam President.
The President: Mm -hmm.
[
Pause]
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Has the M inistry signed any
agreements with Google in regard to job and education? At this time, we have no signed agreements.
Google is working with [colleges] for Grow with
Google scholarships.
When will construction of the cable landing station start? For Nuvem, a third of the cable has already
been laid in the Atlantic. And once planning permission has been received, construction of the cable landing
station will commence. The cable landing station will be built for up to four cables and will also house the re-cently announced Sol cable and any other further ca-bles.
The facility will be 35,000 square feet and
around 50,000 [square feet] if you include the auxiliary area. Google stated that the facility needs to be built in 2026 so that Nuvem can be ready for service, i.e., lit up in 2027. Planning permission has already been re-ceived for the relocation of the Nitro Remote Control
Car Racetrack Association and construction of a new
track which will begin this year. This is on the critical path.
[
Pause]
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, I think I
just have one more.
The President: Mm -hmm.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: One second.
[Pause]
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: What revenue is generated?
There will be an annual tax and a regulatory fee.
We do not have the quantum. They are specified by the RA . I believe I a nswer ed all t he ques tions, Ma dam
President.
The P resident: Senators?
Sen. Mau rice Foley: Yes, t hank y ou, Ma dam President.
The P resident: Senator T annock.
QUESTION 1: GOOGLE’S SUBSEA CABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S ROLE AS A DIGITAL
ATLANTIC HUB, UPDATE
Sen. T awana Tannock: Thank y ou, Madam P resident.
My questions are really from an environmental
perspective or maybe even an insurance perspective. I
wanted to know if and what consideration has been
given in the event that the cables are torn or ripped by
vessels in any way, shape, or form. Who are we expecting to cover that? Are we expecting our fishing vessels, our tankers, are we expecting our vessels to have
insurance that would cover the destruction or ripping or
any type of damage to the subsea cables? Because I
would assume that those cables are very expensive to
put down, and I do not know what we have explained
to our seagoing population as to what their responsibility may be with regard to the vessels.
So, the first is with regard to really the expectation with regard to cable damage by vessels and what
has been communicated with regard to that in terms of
any insurance necessary to cover that. Or is that something that Google has said that they themselv es will be
willing to cover, understanding that in our environment
locally, our vessels probably do not have the capacity
to cover that. That is the first [question].
QUESTION 2 : GOOGLE’S SUBSEA C ABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S RO LE A S A
DIGITAL AT LANTIC HUB, UPDATE
Sen. Tawana Tannock: And the second is, with regard
to the subsea cables in general, damage with hurricanes, any type of damage, what is the requirement of
Google to replace damaged cables and to pull up the
cables once they are no longer of service? Do we have
a requirement with Google for the removal of those cables? And what time frame have we asked Google to
fix any damaged cables?
QUESTION 3 : GOOGLE’S SUBSEA C ABLE
PROJECTS AND BERMUDA’S RO LE A S A
DIGITAL AT LANTIC HUB, UPDATE
Sen. Tawana Tannock: And then my final question is
with regard to how this impacts any type of our undersea environment. So, has a study been done on the
impact of fish in the area and our sea life in the area


Bermuda Senate where these cables are laid, and are any mitigation efforts in place as a result of those studies? Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, I do want
to say Google pays for this repair. It would also carry
an insurance . . . will carry insurance. There are penalties and fines per Submarine Communications [Cables] Act 2020, those who break cables.
The environmental impact on breaks . A submarine cable has a technical life of around 25, sometimes 30 years. On average, cable fault break s occur
once or twice during the technical life. The fault break
could be a cable or equipment issue or a cut cable. The
use of submarine cables with multiple landing sites and restrictions on activities in these areas greatly reduces the incidence of cable cuts. Best practice is cables are
not pulled up at the end of life as they form part of the
seafloor.
I believe I answered your questions.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Thank you. Thank you, Senator Simmons.

The President: Thank you.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: I do have one more answer
coming in.
The President: You can present that, Senator Simmons.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: The cable is very low and
once laid marine growth forms over the cable and it becomes part of the marine environment. An environmen-tal impact study is being done for the marine elements and landing at Annie’s Bay . Google is working with the
Planning Department on the proposed construction building elements to ensure compliance with regulation
for noise, light and air quality.
The EIS/EIA study done as part of the marine
study, submarine cables are very benign. Key marine impact is not to lay during whale migration.

[Pause]

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President. I believe that answers all the questions.
The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.
And thank you all Senators who asked questions on that Statement.
We will now deal with the final Statement and
that was the additional one, the Proceeds of Crime, POCA, which was given by the Honourable Kim Wilker-son, Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
Would any Senator . . . yes, Senator John
Wight, you have the floor. QUESTION 1: PROCEEDS OF CRIME ACT (POCA)
CONSULTATION LAUNCHED ON PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS TO
Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
It is obviously very critical to our jurisdiction that
Bermuda retain the strong standing from FATF that we
have from our last assessment. And I heard the Minister say that there will be industry feedback, which is
also very positive.
I am trying to understand whether these 10 or
11 amendments are required for Bermuda to retain our
strong standing with FATF or if there is pushback from
industry on one or more of them, what the position
would be of government vis -à-vis to push back, because obviously our top priority is to retain the current
and strong FATF standing. So that's my question. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Wight.
Are there any other questions then?
Senator?

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
Let me first preface my questions by saying
that in order for us in this Chamber to be able to give
intelligent, well -thought -out questions, it is helpful, if a
Statement is added, that we can actually get a printout
so we can cover and see what was written. It is sort of
difficult to be listening and then making sure that we're
not using the same questions again.
So, I would encourage the Government side, if
they can please help us in that area, so everyone can be edified by this question and answer period.
My first question would be, I heard that one of
the amendments that the Attorney General was men-tioning was that the—
The President: It's on SharePoint, yes.
Senators, you are aware that the Statement
was on SharePoint.
Sen. Marcus Jones: This morning? Or when did we
get it? The last one, the last Statement on the—
The President: Yes, the Statement that was —
My understanding is that —
Sen. Marcus Jones: Proceeds of crime? It was on
SharePoint? What time did we get it? I looked for it, I
couldn't see it.

[Crosstalk]

The President: My understanding was that it was on
SharePoint once it was agreed that . . . I agreed that
we would have the Statement. So, you are saying that
it was not on SharePoint?

410 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate Sen. Marcus Jones: No, I am saying did we get it before ten o'clock or did we get it after ten o'clock? Had
the proceedings already started? I mean, we got it.
Okay, we will move on. Point made.

QUESTION 1: PROCEEDS OF CRIME ACT (POCA)
CONSULTATION LAUNCHED ON PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS TO

Sen. Marcus Jones: The Attorney General was mentioning about the amendment that is going to be considered would be to bring in the Attorney General's
Chamber as the Agency on Record that will actually be
enforcing some of the, I believe it was the . . . enforcement of count eracting properties that have been obtained through unlawful means.
My question would be, what was the agency,
what was the government agency that was tasked to
enforce that prior to the Attorney General's Chambers?
I do not think that was in her Statement. And was it
changed due to ineffectiveness or as a means of align-ing the tasks that were required? I know that government does that from time to time to make sure that everyone is on the same page. If she could bring some light
to that for us.

QUESTION 2: PROCEEDS OF CRIME ACT (POCA)
CONSULTATION LAUNCHED ON PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS TO
Sen. Marcus Jones: And also, the Proceeds of Crime,
which I think was 1997 that it was enacted, I know that
the original intent was the funds that were received
through crime penalties were originally intended to fund the regulatory and money laundering regime in the
countr y. Is that still the case? And are these proceeds
tracked and identified for dispersions?
That's it, Madam President. Thanks.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions
on this Statement?
Senator Tannock, you have the floor.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Thank you, Madam President.
It is purely administrative. Can we be directed exactly
to the location of that document?

The Deputy Clerk: It is on the SharePoint.

The President: I was told that this was a Statement
that was requested to be presented today. And I did
enquire as to whether or not the Statement was on
SharePoint. And I was advised that it was. So, I am just
talking to the [Deputy] Clerk now to find out. But it would
have been on SharePoint.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Thank you.
The President: Senator Fubler.

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Sorry, Madam President.
Yes, just for the edification of the listening audience as well, parliament.bm, Senate Business, these
Statements can be found under the Ministerial Statements heading. They all . . . they just have the date. I
do not know what time to the previous question, but the
Statement around POCA is available there as a PDF.
The President: Thank you for that.
So, Senators, are there any other questions on
this Statement?
[Crosstalk]

The President: Sorry . . . there is —

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you.

The President: Do you have any specific question to
myself?

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Right. Okay. Thank
you, Madam President.
I will try to answer the questions. I am going to
start . . . Senator Wight asked the first question, but I
think just as a matter of housekeeping, I will start with
Senator Jones' question. And I beg the apologies of
colleagues. It was intended that the S tatement would
have been submitted earlier, and we would have seen
it on the site. Well, actually, it wouldn't get on SharePoint until now —

The President: Mmm.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: —as Ministerial Statements are . . . because they cannot be in advance of
the Senate [meeting]. However, even in reviewing the Statement and contemplating it, I realised it is quite a
technical statement. And it would have been appropriate, and I accept t hat, to have issued copies so that
colleagues could at least have had the ability to read along. But I would say that it has already been launched, so all of the points that I have made are in
the consultation. That's on the Government forum already, so you could see it there.
But I think that Senator Jones' point is a different one. He's saying in this forum it would have been
efficient to be able, if there wasn't an advanced sight of it, to be able to see it, to read along. And I accept that,
Senator Jones.

The President: Have a hard copy.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Absolutely. Yes. Absolutely.
So, starting back . . . but we accept that it is
there now. And, as I said, the paper went out for


Bermuda Senate consultation last week, so you could see it on the Government forum in any event. But you would not have
known to look there, because you did not know that I
was bringing it today because it was not on the Order
Paper. So, I completely understand. Thank you.
So, Senator Wight's question was whether or
not the 11 proposed changes are required. They are
the recommendations from CFATF in the reviews as to
what we should be doing. So, I think the consultation
goes more to how . We have the sense that they should
not be controversial, because all of the related agencies have been meeting. They are aware of what the
new requirements are.
So, there should be some expectation, but they
have been waiting on Chambers to propose drafts. And
to itemise this. So, in an ideal world, the consultation, it
would have happened earlier. But it is out there for in-dustry. So, ideally, we would like to have it that way, but
there may be some feedback that says a particular proposal may impact something that had not been considered.
And so, that is the point of the consultation, that
we go back to the table and consider those things. So,
I think your question might in another way say, is it
baked? Not exactly.

[Laughter]

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Not exactly.
And I think the consultation is important, because the range of stakeholders is quite broad. And they are obviously the parties impacted in the particular
industries. And particularly as we are adding in the digital asset businesses now, which were not in scope be-fore. So, I think getting their feedback will be important
in how we go forward.
The question from Senator Jones is that one of
the key proposals here is to designate the AG's Chambers as the enforcement authority. And who was doing
it before? It was being done by the Attorney General's
Chambers before, but it was not pursuant to a specific
piece of legislation that we could point to when we are
being assessed that would say this is the authority by
which we are doing it. So, it is making very clear the regime in terms of which organisation has the authority
to carry out the enforcement actions.
The second question was in relation to the actual proceeds of crime and whether the proceeds are tracked for dispersion. Yes, the proceeds are tracked
for dispersion. And currently, the regime is set up where the funds do help to support the administration of the
National Anti -Money Laundering Committee, its expenses as well as the attendant expenses of related ministries when they have had to staff up, train, or take
on specific resources who are trained in compliance,
anti-money laundering, anti -terrorism financing, or proliferation for that matter, that those funds are there.
Another part of the funds is designated for
charitable purposes. And historically, it would have been charities where their mandate may be, for example, drug prevention and education. But there is a
recognition that sports is often an antidote to antisocial
behaviour. And so, there has been applications granted
to sporting organisations as well, and p articularly those
that deal with youth programmes.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Marcus Jones: Supplemental, Madam President?

The President: Absolutely.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you for that, Madam Attorney General.
My question would be, Would there have had
to have been an amendment on that original proceeds
of crime legislation to allow for these funds to be diverted from the strictly anti -money laundering regime to
all these associated agencies? I see the reasoning behind it, but wouldn't there have to be an amendment to
actually change the wording to diversify that money,
those monies?

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: No, the Act contemplates that. It Is contemplated at the moment.
But would we . . . I think what we would have
the ability to do while that's contemplated in the Act is
to decide whether there is a national focus that might
guide the charitable giving. I think that's . . . so that
would be subject to guidelines that are not in the Act.
And those could change from time to time.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Depending on the Minister's guidance, is that what I am to interpret that as?
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I think not so much the
Minister's guidance, but I think on national priorities.

The President: So, Senators, those were all the questions that were presented. Thank you. That completes
our question period. We will now move on.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

The President: Senators, I did read out the public Bills
that were sent from the House earlier, and those are
the ones that we will undertake at this time. The first being the Land Valuation and Tax (Special Provisions
and Postponement of Preparation Draft Valuation [Li st]
Act [2025].
And this is the second reading, and that is in
the name of Senator the Honourable Crystal Caesar,
Spokesperson for Finance.

STANDING ORDER 25

412 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report
B ermuda Senate Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Yes, thank you.
Madam President, if I could, I would like to move that
provisions of Standing Order 25 be granted so that the Senate may now proceed with the second reading of the Bills mentioned earlier today.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
[
Motion carried: Leave granted for the Land Valuation
and Tax (Special Provisions and Postponement of Preparation Draft Valuation List ) Act 2025 to be read a
second time on the same day as its first reading.]
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Thank you, Madam
President.
Madam President, I now move that the Bill entitled the Land Valuation and Tax ([Special Provisions
and] Postponement of Preparation of Draft Valuation
List) Act 2025 be now read a second time.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
BILL
SECOND READING
LAND VALUDATION AND T AX (SPECIAL PROVISIONS AND POSTPONEMENT O F PREPARATION
OF DRAF T VALUATION LIST) ACT 2 025
Sen. t he H on. C rystal C aesar: Thank y ou, M adam
President.
Madam President, I am pleased to introduce
for the second reading and for the approv al of this [Senate], the Bill entitled the Land Valuation and Tax ([Special Provisions and] Postponement of Preparation of
Draft Valuation List) Act 2025.
Madam President, the main purpose of this Bill
is to postpone the date by which the quinquennial draft
valuation list [is] next due to be prepared under the
Land Valuation Act 1967 (the Act), and to extend the
validity period of the current valuation list.
Madam President, Honourable [Senators] will
be aware that the valuation list sets out the annual
rental values, or ARVs, for properties in Bermuda. The
2015 valuation list is the current list enforced as the
2020 quinquennial revaluation of properties was postponed in order to help reduce uncertainty for taxpayers
affected by the impacts of the COVID -19 pandemic.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Act, the next
quinquennial draft valuation list is due to be deposited
on 31 December 2025. Madam President, the Bill extends the date of the preparation for the next quinquennial revaluation by one year, and confirms that the continuation of the 2015 valuation list as the valuation list
for Bermuda until 31 December 2026. Consequently,
the next draft valuation list will go on deposit on 31 December 2026 and will come into effect for land tax
purposes on 1 January 2027.
Mada
m President, the Land Valuation Department's efforts in updating and maintaining the valuation lists are crucial to Bermuda's land tax system. The Tax Commissioner anticipates raising over $87 million in
land tax revenue, which accounts for 6.1 per cent of the
Government's projected revenue for the fiscal year
2025/26, based on the ARVs in the current 2015 valu-ation list.
Madam President, the quinquennial revaluation involves valuing all properties on the Island, and
Honourable [Senators] will appreciate that this is a considerable and significant undertaking for the depart-ment, which comprises only eight members of staff. The objective of the quinquennial revaluation is to re-flect changes in property rental values at a specific point in time. This mass appraisal ensures that all properties are valued on the same basis and date, promoting equity and fairness in assessments and conse-quently in land tax liabilities for Bermuda's residents.
Madam President, a key component of the revaluation process involves collecting data on approximately 37,000 valuation units. Historically, this has
been done by printing and mailing out hard copy no-tices and forms. The data received back is manually enter ed into the Department's IT system, a process that
takes around six months, and it requires hiring tempo-rary tax data inputters, in addition to paying overtime to
the Department's staff. The six months spent on transcribing information from hardcopies could be better utilised analysing the rental data and valuation model building.
Madam President, given the importance of the
valuation list, it is essential to modernise the Act governing the quinquennial revaluation and the muchneeded transition to online forms. This modernisation will enable the department to operate efficiently in today's digital age and eliminate outdated legislative pro-visions that are no longer suitable for the modern world,
such as the printing and mailing of hardcopy notices
and forms to each taxpayer, and upon production of the draft valuation list, depositing a printed copy of the hardcopy list at every post office on the Island.
Madam President, the one- year postponement
of preparation of the next quinquennial draft valuation
list will ensure a smooth transition of digital forms and
completion of necessary legislative changes to the Act. These changes directly impact the next and all future quinquennial revaluations as they support long- term
digital transformation and remove antiquated proce-dures which have no place in the 21st century digital
age.
Madam President, it should be noted that there
are no adverse financial effects arising from the oneyear postponement of the preparation of the next draft valuation list. In addition to enabling operational readi-ness for the transition to electronic submission of notices and online forms, property owners maintain


Bermuda Senate certainty in land tax liabilities as there will not be holistic
changes to 37,000 ARVs due to a revaluation this year.
Additionally, residential property owners will benefit
from a 50 per cent reduction in the base land tax rate
commencing January 2026. This measure is to provide
relief to all homeowners and aligns with Government's
commitment to building a Bermuda that benefits everyone and easing the cost of living.
Furthermore, ARV thresholds for pensioner exemptions, rent control and sales of properties to restricted persons will not need to be adjusted because of a draft 2025 valuation list and across -the-board
changes to ARVs.
Madam President, with the continuation of the
2015 valuation list for an additional year, the existing
list will continue to be updated as normal for property
changes such as new builds, demolitions, splits, mer-gers, etc. Honourable [Senators] should also note that
property owners will continue to have the right to request a reassessment of their property if there have
been any physical alterations, including the right to ob-ject to any proposed ARV amendments made by the
department to the 2015 list as they do now.
Madam President, postponing the preparation
of the next draft valuation list not only ensures certainty
in land tax liabilities for property owners and stable revenue from land tax for the government, but also safeguards a smooth transition to digital forms and the com-pletion of necessary imminent legislative changes to
the Act. As previously mentioned, these changes will
significantly influence the upcoming and all future quin-quennial revaluations by advancing long- term digital
transformation and eliminati ng outdated practices that
no longer belong in the digital era.
Madam President, with those introductory remarks, I will now move that the Bill entitled the Land Valuation and Tax (Special Provisions Postponement of the Preparation of Draft Valuation List) Act 2025 is
now read for a second time.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: And thank you, Senator the Honourable Crystal Caesar, Spokesperson for Finance.
Would any Senator care to speak on this Bill?

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, Madam President. I will say,
before I do make my remarks, I was quite intrigued with
this word, quinquennial . I had never encountered that
word before. I like to pride myself in having a wide span of knowledge of words, but I was incredibly trumped by this word and had to go and look in the dictionary to find
out what this word means.
But having said that, it means five. I should
have known that right from the bat.
If the Government deems it necessary to extend the validity period of the current valuation in order
to allow for modernisation and digitisation of the system, I do not think the Opposition has any room to object to that. So, we definitely support that. Bu t when I was looking to see if there were any previous legislation
amendments for situations like this, because we do understand that this is the 2015 valuation that we are talking about. And if this is a five- year term, the next year
in which those valuat ions should have been updated
would have been in 2020, which we all know was right
in the midst of COVID -19. So that would have been difficult to do.
But I looked and I saw that there was a similar
amendment done in 1996 and then in 2014, but there
was no amendment done for 2020 to allow for a post-ponement. So, I wanted to ask the Minister, was that
an oversight that 2020 was not done? Or if it wasn't
necessary, is this legislation today necessary? If I could
just get some clarity on that, I would appreciate it. But I do see why the postponement is necessary, and we on
the Opposition support this.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Marcus Jones,
Opposition Leader.
Would any other Senator care to speak on this
Bill?
Hearing none.
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Madam President, if
yourself and my colleagues would just bear with me
while I retrieve that answer, thank you.

The President: Yes, indeed.

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: But while I wait, I will
say that I have been advised by the technical team that
quinquennial actually means five yearly. So, yes, I had
to practice it. And I think I did well in my remarks .
[Laughter]
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: OK, so if I could,
Madam President. Yes, we all agree that during the
pandemic, which is a once- in-a-century type event,
there were many different things in all different arenas,
which either were suspended or cancelled or postponed. So, I am advised that the 2020 revaluation was
cancelled, not actually postponed, whereas it was cancelled altogether. And obviously, due to the pandemic
and the rental market, it just would not have made
sense to do it at that point. And it provid ed additional
stability, obviously, for businesses, homeowners, et
cetera. And during those economic times, it was actually cancelled, whereas this is a postponement.
And I believe that . . .

The President: Yes, yes, you can move your Bill now.
[Crosstalk]

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 26

414 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: With that said, 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.]
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Thank you, Madam
President.
Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled—give me one second because it is quite a title—
the Land Valuation and Tax ([Special Provisions and]
Postponement of Preparation of Draft Valuation List)
Act 2025 be now read a third time.

The President: Is there any objection to the third reading?
No objection.

BILL

THIRD READING

LAND VALUATION AND TAX (SPECIAL
PROVISIONS AND POSTPONEMENT
OF PREPARATION OF DRAFT
VALUATION LIST) ACT 2025

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Thank you.
Madam President, I move that the Bill do now
pass.

The President: Is there any objection to the passage
of the Bill?
No objection. The Bill is passed.

[Motion carried: The Land Valuation and Tax ( Special
Provisions and Postponement of Preparation of Draft Valuation List) Act 2025 was read a third time and passed.]

The President: Thank you, Senator —Minister. And we
will move on now. Minister Caesar, we will move on to
the next item.
And that is the second reading of the Parliamentary Election Amendment Act 2025. And that's in
the name of Senator Mischa Fubler, the Junior Minister
for the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation.
Senator Fubler, you can present your Bill.

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Madam President, my understanding was that the second reading of the Bill would
happen next week.

[Crosstalk]
The President: Did he say it was going to be next
week?

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you. I move to defer the
reading till next week.

The President: Oh, so the Bill . . . yes, that's fine.
So, then we have . . . so that will be carried
over then till next week. And—

[Crosstalk]

Sen. Mischa Fubler: I move that both Bills, the Parliamentary Election Amendment Act 2025 and the Building Amendment Act 2025 be deferred until next week.
The President: Until next week. Thank you.
Then both will be carried over until next week.
Thank you very much, Senator Fubler. We will move
on.

MOTIONS

The President: There are none.

CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY
SPEECHES

The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this heading?
Senator John Wight, Vice President, you have
the floor.

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to offer condolences to the family
of Lynn Doyles. Lynn, when I joined BF&M back in
1992, was the HR manager and she lived well into her 90s and I saw an obituary in the paper. So, I would like
to extend condolences to her family on her recent passing.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Would any other Senator care to
speak?
Senator Tannock, you have the floor.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Thank you, Madam President.
As mentioned earlier today, I would like, in addition to extending my congratulations to the recipients of the Ministry of Education's scholarships, to also extend my congratulations to the 28 students, well, 27 students who received the ABIC Education Awards. The
Association of Bermuda International Companies Edu-cation Awards have been in existence for the past 48
years with luminaries such as Patrick Tannock being award recipients. And so, we can see the fruits of that
bear out.


Bermuda Senate And I would like to . . . and it was $800,000
raised, which is the highest amount raised, I should
say. But I would especially like to congratulate the 28th
awardee, which would be the awardee for our new category of Career Shifter. So, this is the first y ear that we
are actually awarding an adult who is in one industry
and would like to enter international business. So, we
had 27 scholars come from a variety of schools in Bermuda. And then we have the 28th as a Career Shifter.
And my hope is that we can continue to encourage persons who would like to have the skills to shift careers to do so. So, congratulations to the award winners and to
the scholarship committee.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.
Senator Foley, you have the floor.
Sen. Maurice Foley: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the organisers, volunteers, and participants of this year's Grace Island summer camp programme. I had the pleasure of going down there on Monday to see
the kids off and go off on the boat. And it was on a boat
that I remember when I was a teenager and that boat
is still around. So, it was good to see the boat still here in working order.
These camps provide or continue to provide a
safe, nurturing, and spiritually enriching environment for Bermuda's young people. Offering them the opportunity to disconnect from the distractions of modern life
and reconnect with nature, community, and personal growth. I especially want to commend the efforts of the
Evangelical Church of Bermuda and Word of Life Bermuda, whose dedication ensures that our children and teens are encouraged, inspired, and equipped with values that will guide them well into the f uture. Bermuda is
certainly stronger because of these programmes. So, I wanted to congratulate the effort that is being done
here to all that are involved.
A second congratulations that I would like to
present on behalf of our colleague, Senator Cunningham, who would like to congratulate Team Bermuda at
the 2025 Island Games in Orkney. Now if anyone does
not know where Orkney (that's O -R-K-N-E-Y) is, sorry,
it is located off the northeastern coast of Scotland. And
we wanted to give special recognition to Taylor Carrick,
who claimed our delegation's first medal of the games ,
which was held yesterday.
Now Taylor displayed remarkable skill and tenacity on the squash court, earning a well -deserved silver medal in the men's single finals. And he narrowly
conceded to Orkney's Finlay Scott . So, after two gruelling five -game semi -final matches, Taylor advanced to
the final and brought home Bermuda's first medal of these games.
Madam President, with this medal, Taylor has
opened Bermuda's campaign in Orkney, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to him, his coaches, and the Bermuda Squash Association for their dedication, exemplary sportsmanship. And we look forward [with]
eager anticipation to more strong performances from
Bermuda's athletes in the days ahead. Thank you so
much, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Foley.
Yes, Senator Jones, Marcus Jones, Opposition
Leader, you have the floor.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President. I
would like for this Chamber to extend condolences to
the family of the late Linda Ann Marie Franks Greaves,
the wife of Franklin “Bucky” Greaves. She and her husband opened a popular clothing boutique called Solo
on Bermuda House Lane in the late 1980s. I do not know if folks in this Chamber remember that. Linda was
well-known within the insurance industry and climbed
the corporate ladder of numerous firms, namely Scandinavian Re, OdysseyRe, and finally Chubb, where she
retired as VP of Claims in 2019.
Linda left behind a legacy of mentorship, helping many young professionals who came up behind
her. She leaves behind her husband Franklin and
daughter Sophia, who followed her footsteps in the insurance business. She will be remembered for her
style, her c reativity, her generosity, her commitment to
excellence, love of family, and for her love of God.
Secondly, Madam President, I would like to extend condolences to the family of the late Ivan “Bootsie”
Smith, a true St. Georgian and ambassador for Bermuda. He was a celebrated and well -known employee
of US Airways. His clear, distinctive voice welcomed visitors in Bermuda at the airport, and he always presented himself as a true gentleman. He was also a dedicated and knowledgeable taxi driver. He is survived by
his wife, LaVerne Smith, and children, Myron and
Vanessa. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you.
Senator Lindsay Simmons, you have the floor.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to give condolences to the family of
Dianne Russell, the wife of Raymond Russell. She is
the beloved mother of Raymond Russell, Jr., Reverend
Doctor Maria Seaman, her son- in-law, Kent “Peter”
Seaman, Allisson Russell, Jahma Charles. She has numerous grandchildren, great -grandchildren, great -
great -grandchildren. She was a pillar in the community
who loved the Lord. I would just want to extend my con-dolences to them. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Simmons.
Now Senator Fubler, you have . . . Mischa
Fubler, you have the floor.
Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you, Madam President.
416 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate A few congratulations I have on the list here.
First, to the Corporation of Hamilton for the recent Summer Sunday: [City] Funday. I was in attendance with my
family, and it was definitely well -produced, and they
had a great time, so kudos to them.
Also, to Out Bermuda and Pride Bermuda for
their successful Pride Week, punctuated by the Party in the Park! and march through Hamilton, well -attended. Again, kudos to them and all of the volunteers. I think one of our colleagues was actually one of the
volunteers today. She's not here today, but to Senator
Cunningham as well, congratulations.
And also, to the Bermuda Philharmonic Society, that same weekend they had an enjoyable even-ing. This was July 5 in the Dockyard. Several of the performers were students, so a special acknowledgement to them as well.
And that ends my list of congratulations. Thank
you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Fubler.
Would any other Senator care to speak? Minister—
Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Thank you. Thank you,

Caesar.

Sen. the Hon. Crystal Caesar: Yes, I appreciate it.
Thank you.
I bring sad condolences to my family on the
passing of Yvette Lynn Wilson, nee Baxter. She was
my grandfather's sister and was laid to rest on Tues-day, June 24. And I just wanted to express my condolences to the family, my many cousins, and wish them comfort with their memories of her.
Also, I did mention previously, but would like to
selfishly again, because I did actually take part in the homegoing service for Dr. Melvyn Bessett. He was laid
to rest as well. I was invited to give remarks about my
relationship with him. And as one would know, as an
educator of a quarter of a century in Bermuda, of over a quarter of a century in Bermuda, he touched the lives of many young people. And so again, I give my condolences to his daughter, Rusheika, her husband, Pastor
Joseph Furbert, his sister, Barbara Dillas, his grandchildren, Micaiah, Eli, Eden, Marcus, and Isaiah Furbert.
And I would like to end on a light note by again,
extending my congratulations to all graduators and
leavers at the end of this school year. I want to wish all
students the best in their coming years, whether they
are going on for tertiary education, enter ing the workforce, going into a vocation. And those who will be reentering in their next year of education, just wishing all
a wonderful summer. And congratulations again to those who have graduated and are moving on.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Crystal Caesar.
Would any other Senator —yes, Minister
Wilkerson, you have the floor.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you, Madam
President.
Let me start by joining certainly with Senator
Jones in the condolences for the family of Linda Greaves. She was indeed one of the frontrunners, I
think, back when we did not even know these careers
were possible. And she was there, certainly a woman of grace, as is her daughter, Sophia. And so quite a loss
to the community, for sure, and certainly to her family.
I also want to join on a more positive note the
sentiments expressed by Senator Tannock in relation
to the ABIC awards and the awardees. I think it is fantastic that ABIC is recognising in this way a Career Shifter. Certainly, I was part of one of the earl y initiatives out of the Organisation for Corporate Racial Equity, initiating a Career Shifter forum. And so, to see, I
think, that recognition with an education award is entirely positive. And I would add, I too am an ABIC
scholar, and I owe to that organ isation certainly my start
many, many years ago as a Hopewell scholar.
And finally, Madam President, you will recall
when we were last in this Chamber, I sent out some congratulatory remarks and well wishes to the athletes of the Bermuda Pacers Track Club, who were going
abroad to Canada to compete. And members of the
public and certainly in this Chamber might have heard
that that group of young athletes did exceedingly well.
So, for 40 athletes who went to Canada, they hold 51
medals, including 21 gold medals.

The President: Oh!

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: And shining stars
among them in the really, really young athletes were
Skye Furbert and Elliott Davidge, who were top under -
9 participants. And in this forum, I should point out,
Madam President, under -9 really means these athletes
are seven years old.
And I think colleagues would have heard me
give congratulations and good wishes to my own
granddaughter, Diamond Morris, who performed ex-ceedingly well. We are so proud of her. She took gold
in the 800- metres, silver in the 400- metres and came
back with tw o gold medals in relay, the 4 x 100 metres
and the relay medley where she ran the 800- metres
and her 800- individual was a personal best. And I think
sometimes, Madam President, when the kids leave, as
was my conversation with her, she's eight years old.
So, competing in the under -10 category . . . it was, you
know, when she left, she said, yes, I'm going to get
medals . And me, I'm saying, well, it's an international
competition. There are kids from Jamaica, Barbados, the US and Canada, you know, trying to temper her expectations.


Bermuda Senate But, Madam President, it just goes to show that
when they put their minds to it, we cannot put our expectations on their ambition.

The President: Right.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: And so certainly she
came back with that gold medal and a personal best.
So, thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity to congratulate these young athletes in this
forum.

The President: Thank you. I am sure the entire Senate
body will join you—

Yes. Yes.

The President: —in the congratulations to those young
people.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you.

The President: And Senator Tannock.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, thank you, Madam President.
I must apologise, Madam Attorney General, for
leaving you off the list of luminary ABIC Award recipi-ents. My apologies. You are indeed proof positive of the
value of such awards.

[Laughter]
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: No worries, Senator
Tannock. I realise that I had a different name in that
day.
[Laughter]
The President: Thank you. And I would just like to associate myself with the condolences expressed by Min-ister Crystal Caesar for Dr. Melvyn Bassett, because I
did attend. It was a wonderful sending- off ceremony.

With that, we will move on now to Item No. 16,
Adjournment. Minister Wilkerson.

ADJOURNMENT

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Madam President, I
move that the Senate now adjourn to the (what is it?)
the 23rd . . . July 23. I was about to say 22nd. I was like,
that is not a Wednesday, to July 23.

The President: The 23rd. Thank you.
Would any Senator care to speak?
Senator Lindsay Simmons, you have the floor.
DOMESTIC ABUSE SPECIALIST
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I rise today not only as a
Senator but as a survivor. Twenty -one years ago, my
life changed forever. I was actually assaulted. I was
stabbed, and I could have died. But, Madam President,
I survived. And because I survived, I have a respons ibility, a voice. And I will use that voice today to speak out, not just for myself but for every woman, man, and child suffering silently in abusive homes across the Island. Because, Madam President, domestic abuse is
not just a private matter. It is a national crisis. And we
can no longer afford silence. We cannot be complacent
with our inactions.
Madam President, numbers don't lie. If you allow me, I would like to give the latest statistics from the
Bermuda Police Service for the period of July 1 to
July 15.

The President: You certainly may.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you.
Domestic incidents. A total of six domestic -related incidents were reported to involve verbal disputes
only. Four escalated into physical assaults, including minor wounding, biting, and actual bodily harm.
Status. All cases have been referred to the domestic abuse liaison officer and are being jointly man-aged with the Vulnerable Persons Unit, the VPU. Sup-port and investigations remain ongoing.
But, Madam President, let's be clear. One case
is one too many. Six in just 15 days is deeply alarming.
And we must ask ourselves, how many more incidents
go unreported? How many victims are afraid to call for
help, especially when their abusers control the money, the home, or the children?
The human toll, Madam President. Every day,
I hear stories. A young mother who is afraid to leave
because she has children to feed. A woman trapped in
financial stranglehold, unable to fight back in court because her abuser has the money, the power to bury her
in legal battles. Madam President, justice should not
just be for sale.
The barriers survivors face. Domestic abuse is
not only physical, it is emotional, psychological, finan-cial, and legal. Survivors are made to feel powerless at
every turn.
I just want to give a personal, my personal take
on when being questioned by the police. When the courts . . . when we feel the courts fail us. When we feel
that we have no safe place to go. When there are financial . . . while we are being financially bul lied.
I do think from 21 years ago to now, Madam
President, we have shifted. We are speaking more about it. But people have to feel safe. And I believe that
we are moving in the right direction to help people feel
safe. To speak about these stories. Because I know
418 16 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate firsthand. But I am here today, in this Chamber, because someone believed in me. Because I fought to reclaim my life. Because I had to. And I am here to say
no more.
Madam President, again, the progress. I want
to pause to recognise that this Government is taking
steps in the right direction. I am proud that today in this
Chamber I was able to report on the Domestic Abuse
Specialist. It is definitely a critical and vit al role that will
strengthen how we identify, support, and respond to victims and survivors.
This, Madam President, is a meaningful step.
A step that we should not take for granted. And it must
be the first of many. We must now ensure that this Specialist is empowered, resourced, and enabled into a
broader system of prevention, protection, and acc ountability.
What must change? This is not just about raising awareness. It is about action. Violence begins long before the first punch is thrown. Before the first person
screams in your face. Let us teach our young people about healthy relationships and consent. We n eed to
have this in schools, youth clubs, and churches. Let's
break the cycle before it begins.
So, Madam President, I give my promise. I
stand here not as a victim, but as a voice. And I shall
not be silent. Not when our women are crying behind
closed doors. Not when our children are being raised in fear. Not when survivors are suffering in silence because of money, shame, or lack of support. The fight
against domestic abuse is not just a personal one. It is a universal one. And it is time for this Senate to act with
urgency and unity.
Let's be the generation of leaders who did not
turn away. Let's be the Parliament that passes laws
with teeth, with heart, and with humanity. Let us protect
the vulnerable and prosecute the violent. Because Ber-muda is too small for silence and too strong t o turn our
backs on.
Madam President, we need to stop asking, why
didn't she leave? And start asking, what has failed her? If money keeps her silent, we must give her the voice.
If courts are used as weapons, we must balance the
scales.
Madam President, I say we stand up together
and combat domestic violence. Thank you, Madam
President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Simmons.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Yes, Senator Fubler. Mischa Fubler, you have
the floor.

AN APPEAL TO THE MOTORING PUBLIC
SUMMER SAFETY REMINDERS
Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you, Madam President. I
will be brief. But I wanted to ensure that I capture before we wrap for the summer an appeal to the motoring pub-lic.
We have seen, it seems fairly persistent in the
local media, issues of collisions and injuries. And again,
I just want to ask people to put their phone down. Just wait until they get where they are going. Or pull over
somewhere where it is safe to use it. I think most days
when I commute into the city, I can find one or several
people distracted while driving by their phones. And so,
I think it is imperative, especially as we move into the
Cup Match season where the social consumption of in-toxicating substa nces increases, that we take the time
to at least not add the distraction of electronic devices
while operating the vehicles.
And secondly, an appeal to those on mopeds
who find it too inconvenient to buckle their helmets. As
someone who operates a moped regularly, I find it baf-fling at the thought of putting the helmet on your head
without strapping it up, rendering it relativel y useless if
you were to actually need it. I think you do not need to
look far for instances of people who are kind of advocates for the end of helmet mandatory usage, actually
finding untimely demises.
There was a lawmaker in the US, right, who
was riding his motorcycle. He was a big advocate for
do not make me wear a helmet. And he got into a crash
and both himself and his significant other perished as a result of not wearing one. Right? And like, I str uggle to
find the logic behind it. Like, is it you are trying to save
some time— those five to seven seconds it takes to
strap it up? Does that really . . . or maybe it is a comfort
thing. You know, maybe get a more appropriately sized
helmet if it is uncom fortable to do up the strap.
But again, you know, do yourself the favour.
Maybe you think, okay, well, I am exceptional at operating this bike. I am not going to get into an accident.
That doesn't account for others on the road who may
be distracted by the use of their cell phone in their car
striking you. And then you, being an excellent rider
have no impact on that situation. And while the fatality
rate is still . . . you know it is not in the hundreds yet.
There are, I would argue, hundreds. I tried to look for
some recent statistic s and they were not available (but
I will continue to investigate that), around people who have permanent injury as a result, especially to their cognitive ability.
And keep that in mind. Even if, you know, you
survive that incident, if your ability to think is impacted, think how that will affect your ability to live in our capi-talist society where you need to be able to earn money,
which is often tied to your abilit y to think well.
And on that note, I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday season. I guess I will touch on that
again in our last sitting next week.
But, you know, as you make your way around
the roads of Bermuda, again, you do not have to look
far to hear people complaining about the safety aspect
of just the road condition itself. Do not add to that by
also using your cell phone and increase your cha nces


Bermuda Senate of survival by strapping up your helmet as you operate
your bike.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: And thank you, Senator Mischa Fubler.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Hearing none, then Senators, thank you for
your attendance and the work this morning. And we will
now adjourn until next week, July 23.
Be safe and enjoy your time.

[At 12:22 pm, the Senate stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 23 July 2025. ]

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