July 7, 2021

Today I would like to
advise this Honourable Chamber and the general public on our upgraded process to apply for exemptions to host large group gatherings
. As we advised the public
recently, the responsibility for approving large group
exemptions is now under my Ministry. Under the cur-rent Public Health (COVID -19 Emergency Powers)
(Phased Re- opening) Regulations 2021, the max imum number of people allowed together is now 50
persons. Requests for group gatherings larg er than 50
people must be submitted through our online applic ation form, which can be found on the gov.bm coronavirus webpage under the section “ Forms ”.
However, while we are able to consider appl ications for large group exemptions, I do want to r emind the public that Bermuda and the world are still
experiencing a pandemic and to remind prospective
applicants that public health guidance must be followed. There are some standard conditions for large
group exemptions posted online to assist individuals
and applications in understanding the requirements as
they plan for their events and as they submit their applications.
There is also detailed guidance on the website on how to apply for large group gatherings, and
people have been making submissions. We have r eceived 32 applications since this responsibility was
transferred to us, and we are processing them without
delay. I would like to remind applicants of the i mportance of submitting all of their information, as i ncomplete applications cannot be reviewed an d mis sing information causes delays in their processing
times.
Madam President, prospective applicants
should take note that the online application must be completed in one session and takes approximately 30
minutes to complete. Complex events with multi ple
dates and venues may take a little longer. Before beginning an application make sure you have all of the
information required, such as the site map with the required markings such as a floor plan, spectator and
participant areas, access and exit routes , bathrooms,
traffic flows, etc. You also need to submit a declar ation by the f acility operator confirming their knowledge
of the COVID -19 public health protocols and agreement to comply with said requirements.
The online form asks for a lot of detail so that
we can best understand exactly how an event host
can ensure contact -tracing details will be collected,
how mask wearing and physical distancing will be e nforced, their cleaning and sanitation procedures, and


Bermuda Senate so on. SafeKey is required for indoor event s with over
50 persons and outdoor events over 100 persons.
Therefore, an application also requires details of how
SafeKey will be implemented.
Madam President, as we get into the full
swing of summer, we want to see people enjoying the
safe environment w e have worked hard to create.
Huge sacrifices have been made by many to get our
country status to where it is today, but we cannot be
complacent. Precautions still need to be taken, and
the purpose of the large group exemptions is to ensure events can take place safely. We appreciate the
public’s compliance with the measures in place to
continue to keep Bermuda safe.
Thank you, very much, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
The second Statement is in the name of Senator Arianna Hodgson, the Junior Minister of Labour, and that is on immigration reform strategies.
Senator Hodgson, you have the floor.

IMMIGRATION REFORM STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I wish to inform Senate
colleagues of the Government’s plans for
immigration
reform which seek to modernise the country’s imm igration laws and supporting policies, and create operational efficiencies through process improvement.
Immigration reform initiatives consist of the following
strategic priorities:
1. achieve a simplified, fair and modern immigr ation legislative framework;
2. leverage technology to improve operations
which will lea d to greater levels of efficiency,
process consistency and sustainability;
3. strengthen enforcement of laws and policies;
and finally
4. support economic growth and the expansion
of job opportunities in Bermuda.
It is envisioned that these strategic priorities
will pr ovide the required restructuring to rebuild and
strengthen our immigration system. The new system
is also intended to allow this Government to provide
the necessary protections and opportunities for current and future residents of Bermuda.
Madam P resident, the goal of the immigration
reform is to ensure that the big picture is one that
benefits all of Bermuda. In the past we have di scussed reforms to immigration in a very myopic way,
such as work permits, permanent residency or the
emotive and poli tically divisive issue of granting st atus. Unfortunately, that dialogue has overshadowed the immediate need to overhaul and completely revise the laws, policies, systems and resources required to
ensure that Bermuda has an immigration system that
is unbias ed and beneficial for today’s Bermuda. Madam President, no matter wh at side of the
political compass one sits on, there should be an hon-est and general acceptance that our current system
simply is not efficient. Successive Government Admi nistrations have failed to adequately invest time and
capital in the reforms and resources required. Ther efore, there should be consensus that we need to
achieve the strategic priorities of the Government’s
reform strategy.
Madam President, Strategic Priority 1 is to
achieve a simplified, fair and modern immigration legislative framework. Amongst other purposes, the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 (the Act)
was enacted to provide Bermuda status to British su bjects deemed to be domiciled in Bermuda under the
Immigration Act 1937. There have been over 100
amendments to the Act since it came into operation.
Some of those amendments have resulted in negative
unintended consequences such as the creation of
many mixed -status families and the granting of status
to indi viduals outside of the intent of the legislation .
Up until 1989 provisions in t he Act gave unreserved
discretion to the Minister of the day. The Act is based
on a construct and a way of thinking from a totally different era.
Madam President, over time many legal cha llenges have allowed the Act to be widely interpreted in conjunction with court rulings. Former Chief Justice
Ian Kawaley once stated, “The 1956 Act is a classic instance of uniquely local legislation. Navigating
through it often gives even the experienced judge or
practitioner an unnerving sense of what it must be like
to ‘fly blind.’”
Madam President, the Ministry will conduct a
top-down review of the Act and associated policies.
The aim will be to have an immigration legislative
framework t hat is simplified, fair and modern. In the
future, members of the public will not require a sp ecialist immigration lawyer to understand immigration
laws and policies.
Madam President, Strategic Priority 2—
Leverage technology to improve operations leading t o
greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness, process and system consistency, and predictability and sustainability. Our current system is cumbersome, under-staffed and supported by outdated IT systems that
lack integration and inhibit the effective and efficient
processing of all application types. The current state
of most of the Immigration Department’s IT systems is subpar. Bermuda is not getting value for money with
the processes, procedures and systems currently in
place.
Work has already been com pleted to map the
existing workflows and to design re- engineered pr ocesses. In addition, some implementation work has already occurred, with the most notable being the July
2020 launch of the new Border Management System
and the December go- live of the E -gates at the
L. F. Wade International Airport. However, more must
556 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate be done to ensure efficient operations. Employers and
the public have long encouraged the improvement of
process es, turnaround times and quality in the d epartment. Moving forward, the departm ent will need to
invest more to upgrade and replace antiquated sy stems and will look at innovative partnerships to
achieve this goal. Work is also underway on the online
submission of applications, online payment of fees,
electronic workflow within the department and the di stribution of digital application approvals.
Madam President, Strategic Priority 3—
Strengthen enforcement of immigration laws and pol icies. As you would be aware, the Immigration D epartment’s Compliance Section has the responsibility of enforcing the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 and its related policies. These duties i nclude, but are not limited to, compliance checks of businesses, investigations of potential breaches to
laws and policies, deportations and managing the
Border Management System. The Compliance Section continues to perform its role with respect to inves-tigations to a limited capacity.
However, in order to effectively carry out their
mandate and strengthen the enforcement of immigr ation legislation and policies, the appropriate resources
need to be sourced and allotted to ensure that Bermuda’s immigration laws are adhered to and persons who break laws are held accountable. Additionally, a
review of the current compliance framework needs to
be analysed to determ ine if there is a need to increase
the deterrents set out in our current laws.
Madam President, Strategic Priority 4—
Support economic growth and the expansion of job opportunities in Bermuda. It should be noted that i mmigration has been used globally as a lever to deve lop societies by welcoming in the right people at the
right time. In order to combat the realities of a decli ning and ageing population, we must achieve positive
net immigration. That is, we need less emigration (or
people leaving the country ) and more immigration (or
people returning to and entering the country to r eside).
Madam President, the economic output from
new residents contributes to the overall economy and
is just one of the potential gains that could be
achieved from a coherent i mmigration system designed to serve the needs of the Bermudian people
and businesses. There are genuine concerns in the
community about how non- Bermudians affect local
culture and impact opportunities for Bermudians. Many jurisdictions have had to grapple with the very
same concerns and recognised that there must be a
balance, as the benefits of economically sound imm igration policies which promote economic sustainability
are clear.
Madam President, it is evident that we need a
system that promotes and supports the growth of our local residential population—a system that supports
expansion and allows businesses to source the skilled labour it requires from the global workforce. To that
end, the Ministry of Labour will continue its work to
use immigration as a lever to support the local eco nomy.
Madam President, in conclusion, this Ministry
is steadfast in ensuring that the goal of immigration
reform is one that all of Bermuda benefits [from]. As
we progress toward achieving economic recovery,
immigration policies will be a key component to
achieving these outcomes. We should do better and
we must do better! We have started on the work to
achieve our strategic priorities, which is essential to
transform immigration. It is not simply one thing that
must be done, but it is a combination of many coordinated actions that are required to fix a complex sy stem and process. The Ministry of Labour has com-menced the production of an Immigration Reform Strategic Plan centred on the four strategic priorities
previously outlined, with achievable goals and smart
objectives. The end result of the steps we are taking
will lead to overall improvements in Bermuda’s imm igration system.
Thank you, Madam President.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

SENATE VISITORS
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson.
And before we move on, I would just like to
acknowledge the presence of the Deputy Premier,
Hon. Walter Roban. Welcome to you, sir.

[Senators’ Statements continuing]
The President: The next Statement is in the name of
Senator O. K. Darrell, the Junior Minister of Educ ation, and it is the 2021 Senior School Graduations.
Senator Darrell, you have the floor.

Sen. Owen Darrell: Good morning, Madam Pres ident.

The President: Good morning.

2021 SENIOR SCHOOL GRADUATIONS
Sen. Owen Darrell: Last week Monday and Wednesday, June 28 and 30, respectively ( Actually, it was the
Monday and Wednesday before that). I respectfully
had the pleasure of attending both the
Berkeley Inst itute and the CedarBridge Academy graduations .
While the pandemic may have changed the location of these events from years past, I can say without question that all felt the spirit of accomplishment, joy and
pride. It is a feeling that I carry with me today as I share with this Honourable House and the Bermuda


Bermuda Senate public the accomplishments of our 2021 graduating
classes.
Madam President, I think it is safe to say that
no other graduating- year group has been t hrough as
much as the Class of 2021. Two academic years i nterrupted with the pandemic and the pandemic -related
changes are without question stressful. Yet we were able to see 139 students graduate from the Berkeley
Institute and 91 students graduate from C edarBridge
Academy. These students knew and appreciated the importance of their education and they let nothing get in the way, despite the unpredictability of the times.
Madam President, our students’ achiev ements are a testament to their tenacity, resili ence and
perseverance. I have heard from several students who truly did feel like giving up. They were facing e ducational stress from the remote learning and uncer-tainty over whether their school building would reopen. They also faced stressors at home as their parents faced uncertainty with work. I commend these
students for finding the strength within themselves and pushing through even when they did not feel like
they could. Despite the times, our Bermuda public
school students have completed amazing feats.
Please indulge me as I speak to the great accomplishment of these students.
Madam President, at the Berkeley Institute’s
graduation the guest speaker was Berkeley alum, Ms.
Dominique Richardson, a senior underwriter at the
insurance firm, Markel Berm uda. Ms. Richardson d elivered a message to students congratulating them for
their perseverance in the face of the global pandemic
caused by COVID -19. She encouraged them to fully
recognise and appreciate what they have overcome
and celebrate the fact that (and I quote), “You guys
did it —you made it. Period.” [UNVERIFIED QUOTE]
Madam President, having satisfied the criteria
set by the Department of Education for graduation from the Bermuda Public School System and the
Berkeley Institute, there were a total of 139 gra duates,
as follows:
• There were 123 students graduated with the
Bermuda School Diploma [ BSD].
• Four students received the Bermuda School
Certificate [BSC].
• Five students graduated with the Bermuda A lternate School Diploma [ BASD ] from the
Functiona l Academics programme.
• Four students graduated with the Penn Foster
High School Diploma.
• Three students graduated from the first cohort
of students with autism.
Madam President, of these graduates, seven
were awarded advanced honours, summa cum laude.
Five students were awarded [advanced honours ],
magna cum laude. Four students achieved [advanced
honours ], cum laude.
Madam President, [at Bermuda College], • Seven students graduated from Bermuda College with associate degrees, of which two
were awarded the Distinguished Dean’s
Award by the Bermuda College.
• Five students graduated from the Bermuda
College with Applied Technology Certificates,
of which one graduated with distinction and
received the award for Most Outstanding A pplied Science Technology Graduat e.
• Three students graduated with their Nursing
Assistant Certifications.
• Seven others are set to complete their various
certifications by August 2021.
Madam President, 11 graduates received a
collective total of $3,500 in Berkeley Panther Pride Award scho larship funds; 22 students received scholarships and awards at the Berkeley’s fourth annual
Scholarships and Awards Ceremony, totalling approximately $60,000. Additionally, students received numerous scholarships from the private sector and university admi ssion scholarships totalling approximately
$280,000 to date.
Madam President, at CedarBridge Academy’s
graduation Ms. Thoslae Williams, a graduate from the
CedarBridge Academy Class of 2011, was the guest speaker. Ms. Williams delivered a powerful and passionate call to graduates, encouraging them to dare to
be different. She also pointed out to the graduates
that their ending does not have to be the same as their beginning—if they put in hard work, they will
achieve their goals. She closed her remarks by r eminding graduates to always work hard, to be resilient
and to be positive thinkers.
Madam President, having satisfied the criteria
set by the Department of Education for graduation
from the Bermuda Public School System at C edarBridge Academy, there wer e a total of 91 graduates,
as follows:
• There were 79 who graduated with the Bermuda School Diploma [BSD].
• Nine students graduated with the Bermuda A lternative School Diploma [BASD] from the Functional Academics programme.
• Two students graduated with a Ber muda
Functional Skills Certificate [ BFSC ].
• One student graduated with the Penn Foster
High School Diploma.
• Three students graduated with BSD honours
distinction.
• Five students graduated with BSD honours .
• One student , Madam President, graduated
from the Bermuda College with an Associate
Degree.
• Three students graduated from Bermuda Col-lege with a Certificate in Applied Technology.
• Two students graduated with the Nursing A ssistants Certificate from the Bermuda College.
558 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate • Most of our graduates will be attending the
Bermuda College in the fall, and others will be
attending overseas colleges and universities.
Madam President, graduates at the CedarBridge Academy earned scholarships and awards in
the amount of approximately $37,000 in addition to
internships and apprenticeships. At this time, I would
like to thank our community partners, who have continued to support us despite the financial challenges
that they have also faced during this pandemic. Twenty students were recognised for earning the NCCER
[National Center for Construction Education and R esearch] Core Certificate in the area of technical ed ucation.
Madam President, we know through research
evidence and [ anecdotal ] stories no student reaches
this milestone alone. The Ministry and Department of
Educati on staff, school boards, principals, teachers,
support staff, parents and guardians, students, volu nteers and community partners all helped our students reach this milestone. Whether it be knowledge, en-couraging words, donations, time or motivating ince ntives, our public school students have a village around
them. I want to thank the village that has supported the graduating classes of 2021, and their achiev ements are your achievements as well.
Madam President, the Ministry of Education
has embarked on th e most ambitious but also necessary journey of education reform. We know that as the times have changed so must [we change] how we
educate our children. They must be prepared for the
jobs of the future. It is for their future that we work so
hard. By preparing our students for the future world of
work, the Government’s vision for the Bermuda Public
School System to see all students educated to lead
personally and professionally, compete locally and contribute globally will be realised. This vision guides
our decisions and forward progress that we may ensure the graduating classes to come are even more
successful than the last.
Madam President, this Government is ded icated to ensuring the success of every child in Bermuda. W e know that their success equals the success
of our Island.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell. I believe
you have a second Statement on the Summer Professional Learning Activities for Educators. You can con-tinue when you are ready.

SUMMER PROFESSIONA L LEARNING
ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS

Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, this morning I share with
my honourable colleagues and the community the
summer professional learning activities
that the D e-partment of Education has planned for educators during the months of July and August.
Madam President, an excerpt from a report on
professional learning released by the OECD (the O rganization for Economic Co- operation and Develo pment ), states that “Effective teaching is at the heart of
a successful education system and there is a growing recognition that supporting teachers’ professional
learning from the beginning to the end of their career
[is critical to] improve student outcomes.” Teachers’
professional learning enables them to develop the
knowledge, skills and practices necessary to be effective educators, support their peers, contribute to the
collective improvement of the profess ion, and gain the
trust, status and self -efficacy to carry out their work
with a high degree of professionalism.
Madam President, teacher quality is at the
core of student learning, and this is supported by r esearch that consistently highlights that the quality of teaching is a key determinant of the variation in st udent achievement. Research also affirms that engaging teachers in high quality professional learning is the
most successful way to improve teacher effectiveness
and, by extension, improve student outcomes.
Madam President, this summer, like many
teachers around the world, our teachers and educ ators in the Bermuda Public School System will take
time during their summer vacation to participate in a
variety of professional learning activities of their
choosing in an effort to deepen their learning and expand their skills. The Department of Education will be
funding targeted professional learning activities for
teachers, which are focused on three areas of 21
st
century learning: (1) the Creative C urriculum;
(2) Project Based Learning; and (3) Blended Learning.
Madam President, some of our P1 teachers
have expressed an interest in piloting the Creative Curriculum for Kindergarten. These teachers will have access to independent learning around teach ing the
whole child within their zone of learning and develo pment. They will be learning more about using a personalised learning approach for students that int egrates content and developmental domains around
project based learning, and this is aligned wit h our
vision for learning for students.
The P1 teachers who participate in this summer professional learning activity will delve into foundational areas such as social, emotional and physical
development. They will learn to meet students where
they are in language, literacy, mathematics and sc ience, and be exposed to balancing intentional teac hing with student -led learning. The concept of social
science and the arts as integrated in all areas of Pr oject Based Learning will be introduced. Here it is noted that social science and the arts add to the cultural
relevance of the learning experiences for children even while students learn about the world beyond Bermuda.


Bermuda Senate Madam President, P1 teachers will be taking
advantage of the opportunity to improve their teac hing
by being continuous learners themselves. This opportunity for summer professional learning will give them
a jump- start on the 21st century deeper learning for
our young students through creating learning env ironments that support skills like critical thinking, co llaboration and communication through exploration and inquiry learning.
Madam President, I will now share about the
summer Project Based Learning activity. Plan 2022 Strategy 1.1 calls for teachers to deliver high quality
instructional practic es that are rigorous and foster
knowledge comprehension, critical and creative thinking, application and communication. Project Based Learning is one of those high quality instructional
practices. PBLWorks [a US institute for education that
supports high i nstructional practices] states: “In Pr oject Based Learning, teachers make learning come
alive for students. Students work on a project over an
extended period of time . . . that engages them in
solving a real -world problem or answering a complex
question. [Students] demonstrate their knowledge and
skills by creating a public product or presentation for a
real audience.
“As a result, students develop deep content
knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration,
creativity, and communication skills. Pr oject Based
Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.”
Madam President, additionally, the Project
Based Learning Network states that “project based learning is a powerful way to engage students in ri gorous, authentic l earning. It will enable students to
understand content at a deeper level and retain it for longer; get them excited about learning; engage them
in solving real- world problems for real audiences; and
to exercise their creativity by working collaboratively
while m astering key learning targets.”
Madam President, during July and August, a
group of 25 teachers and technical officers will partic ipate in a six -week Project Based Learning Curriculum
Developer Certification programme offered by the Pr oject Based Learning Network. These officers and teachers will engage in a self -paced five- module pr ogramme which focuses on high- performance project
based learning, how to dig deep to inform and inspire
a rich project based learning unit and how to frame a
project based learning unit from start to finish.
Throughout the course our officers and teac hers will have access to high -quality resources, one- onone coaching and support from international coaches,
and access to an international project based learning
network com munity where they can share ideas, ask
for feedback and get connected with resources. By
the end of the course, officers and teachers will have to produce a project based learning unit that will be
reviewed by local and international peers, and they
will a lso publish that unit. They will be learning the same way that students will learn—by working on an
authentic project and sharing the final product with
real audiences.
Madam President, lastly, I am also pleased to
report that another 30 teachers will par ticipate in the
Schoology Blended Learning Leader Academy this
summer. The Schoology Blended Learning Leader
Academy was developed to help transform teaching
and learning. It is aligned with the International Soci ety for Technology in Education (ISTE) Stan dards for
Educators, and received the ISTE Proficiency Seal of Alignment. The Findings Report of the ISTE Seal of
Alignment Review states: “The Schoology Blended
Learning Professional Development is grounded in
research- based strategies and collaboration t o enable
educators to master and apply new learning in their own educational context.”
Madam President, Plan 2022 Strategy 1.1.3
calls for teachers to use innovative learning exper iences that will ignite student engagement and mot ivate learning. Blended Learning will create this type of learning experience for our students, as it is a combi-nation of face- to-face and online learning. The face- toface time happens in the classroom where students
have direct access to the teacher. The online learning
can be done at school or at home. There is also the
independent study time of which all can be combined
differently. In- person learning happens during school
hours, but the online learning could be a video to
watch for homework, a lesson prepared by the teac her, use of online resources at school, some type of
digital curriculum, or assignments and discussions carried out on a learning management system. The
learning management system for the Bermuda Public
School System is Schoology.
Madam President, in a blended learning setting students shift away from the traditional classroom
and begin to focus on where and how technology can
enhance learning. A project might be a multimedia
presentation where the students have to research and
incorporate multiple sources. It might also include using social media to add to their background knowledge. With blended learning, the imagination is
the only major limit to learning within the classroom.
Madam President, this Schoology Blended
Learning [Leader] Academy includes nine s essions.
Teachers will be introduced to the concept of blended
learning; they will learn about how to communicate in
a blended learning environment and how to facilitate a
powerful community of learners online. There will also
be sessions on [asynchronous] learning and collaboration, and how to drive instruction with digital assessments. They will experience what blended lear ning looks like in action and plan for flipped instruction,
and design transformative lessons.
Madam President, all of these professi onal
learning activities which I have shared will equip our teachers with 21
st century knowledge and skills, and
560 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate also empower and equip them to provide the best
learning experience for students.
In closing, let me say that education reform
continues durin g the summer months as these groups
of teachers sharpen their saw in preparation for 21st
century teaching and learning.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell, Junior
Minister for Education. We now move on.

INTRODUCTION O F BILLS
The President: There are none.

FIRST READING OF PUBLIC BILLS

DEBT COLLECTION AMENDMENT ACT 2021

EDUCATION AMENDMENT (NO. 2) ACT 2021

BERMUDA CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY
AMENDMENT ACT 2021
The President: The following Public Bills have been
recei ved from the Honourable House of Assembly and
are now read for the first time. Their titles are, respectively, the Debt Collection Amendment Act 2021; the
Education Amendment (No. 2) Act 2021; and the
Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority Amendment Act
2021.

FIRST READING OF PRIVATE BILLS

The President: There are none.

QUESTION PERIOD

The President: The first one is the Oral Answers to
Parliamentary Questions that were submitted by Senator Marcus Jones to Senator Darrell, the Junior Mi nister of Public Works. Senator Darrell, you . . .

[Standing Order]
65?

The President: I will do 65 first (you said 66). Let me
do 65:
“Questions
“65 (1) Questions may be put to a Minister or a
Junior Minister relating to public affairs or Depar tments.
“(2) Questions addressed to a Minister or a
Junior Minister may be answered by another Minister
or another Junior Minister.
“(3) Not ice of a question shall be in writing
and signed by a Member and shall be received by the
Clerk by 12 noon not less than six clear days before the day on which the answer is required.
“(4) Every question shall conform to the following rules —
"(a) a question sh all not include the names of
persons or statements not strictly neces-sary to render the question intelligible;
"(b) a question shall not contain statements
which the Member who asks the question is not prepared to substantiate;
"(c) a question shall not contain arguments,
inferences, opinions, imputations, ep ithets, tendentious, ironical or offensive
expressions;
"(d) a question shall not refer to debates or
answers to questions in the current Si tting;
"(e) a question shall not refer to proceedings
in a Committee which have not been r eported to the Senate;
"(f) a question shall not seek information
about any matter which is of its nature
secret;
"(g) a question shall not reflect on the dec ision of a court of law or be so drafted as to be likely to prejudice a matter which is
in court;
"(h) a question shall not be asked for the
purpose of obtaining an expression of
opinion, the solution of an abstract legal
case or the answer to a hypothetical
proposition;
"(i) a question shall not be asked as to whether statements in the Press or of
private individuals or unofficial bodies
are accurate;


Bermuda Senate "(j) a question shall not be asked as to the
character or conduct of any person except in his official public capacity;
"(k) a question shall not be asked seeking i nformation set forth in accessible doc uments or ordinary works of reference;
"(l) a question shall not be asked—
“(i) which raises an issue already decided in the Senate or which has been a nswered fully during the current Ses-sion, or to which an answer has been refused; or
“(ii) which deals with a matter referred to
a Com mission of Inquiry or within the
jurisdiction of the Chairman of a S elect Committee.
“(5) A question shall not be made the pretext
for a debate.
“(6) If the President is of the opinion that any
question which a Member has sought to ask infringes
any of t he paragraphs of this Standing Order he [or
she] shall so inform that Member not later than the
next day of meeting and may direct —
"(a) that the question be printed or asked
with such alterations as he may direct;
or
"(b) that the question is out of order.
“(7) The number of questions which may be
asked by any Member on any one sitting day shall be
limited to three.
“(8) Supplementary questions may be put for
the purpose of elucidating an oral answer; the number of such questions which may be asked by any Mem-ber shall be limited to two.
“(9) The President may refuse any suppl ementary questions that may be put for the purpose of
elucidating an oral answer.”
I would just like to remind Senators that the
Senate is responsible for these Standing Orders, not
people outside of the Senate. We are the ones who
follow these Senate Rules, and they have been in existence for a very long time. I’ve been here for 13
years now. And certainly the Clerk has been here more often. So if there are any questions, we certainly
would prefer those questions to be put to us. And we
are both prepared to organise any session where we
can explain any questions that you may have or co ncerns about the Standing Orders (obviously).

Yes.
The Clerk: And Standing Order 66 applies more to
the case of questions based on Ministerial Stat ements. Okay? So Standing Order 66 applies more on
questions in connection to Ministerial Stat ements. So
if you want to recite [Standing Order] 66—

The President: It may be pertinent for me to do that
as well because I think for the listening audience if
there are any issues . . . I would just like to perhaps
read that.

Thank you for [your]
indulgence.

The President: Yes. So Standing Order 66 reads as
follows:
“Question Period
“66 During Question Period Members may ask
questions without notice in the following circumstances set out in paragraphs (1) to (9) —
“(1) Q uestions resulting from a Ministerial
Statement (Statements must be distributed to Members at the time the Minister or Junior Minister co mmences his or her statement).
“(2) Members should notify the President
and/or the Clerk as early as possible that he intends
to ask such questions.
“(3) The questions must arise directly from the
contents of the Ministerial Statement and be directed
to the Minister/Junior Minister concerned.
“(4) Questions must be short, to the point and
framed in the following terms ‘ With respect to the matter raised by the Minister/Junior Minister in his/her
Statement [the Member may quote relevant portions],
562 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate would the Honourable Minister/Junior Minister please
inform/tell/clarify for this Honourable House [Senate]
. . .’, or other ac ceptable variations thereon.
“(5) Any Member who asks a question is permitted two follow -up supplementary questions.
“(6) At the discretion of the President, other
Members may be permitted follow -up questions on the
same subject.
“(7) Ministers/Junior M inisters should not be
expected to provide information of a factual nature without notice and if the President so determines that this is the case, then any such questions will be subject to the Notice provisions.
“(8) Any Minister or Junior Minister who, with
the concurrence of the President on the grounds that
he needs to consult and obtain the necessary factual
information, defers answering a question will be expected to provide such information during the next
Question Period.
“(9) The Minister or Jun ior Minister may take
an oral question as notice to be answered orally at the
next day of meeting, but where any reserved answer
requires a lengthy statement, the statement shall be
given under Statements by the Minister or Junior Mi nister at the next day of meeting.”
And those are our Standing Orders 65 and 66.

Yes. Thank you,
Madam President.
I am pretty sure, particularly on behalf of the
Government team, we certainly appreciate the expl anation. I can confirm that the J unior Ministers have
worked with the substantive Ministers to have answers prepared for today’s session.
So if you are minded, we are certainly going
to follow your direction regarding oral questions.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
So we are resuming now with our agenda,
and that is the Oral Answers to Parliamentary Questions submitted by Senator Marcus Jones to Senator
Darrell, the Junior Minister for Public Works.
Senator Darrell, you have the floor.
[Inaudible interjection]
The Presiden t: I think you should read [the Questions] so that the listening audience and others in the
Senate can . . .

Sen. Owen Darrell: Brilliant. Thank you.
The President: Please do. Thank you.

Sen. Owen Darrell : Madam President, the Questions
received from Senator Jones :
QUESTION 1: CONTROVERSY LANE
REALIGNMENT —PLANNING PERMISSION

Sen. Marcus Jones: Would the Junior Minister
please inform the Senate as to whether planning
permission has been sought and obtained to red irect the road at Controversy Lane, whic h could
result in the cutting- off of existing access to pro perty owners living in the area? And if so, what is
the planning permit number?

Sen. Owen Darrell: The first answer to that question,
Madam President, is that planning permission for the re-alignm ent of the road at Controversy Lane has not
yet been sought, as the proposals for this are being
worked out. It is expected that this will not result in
cutting off existing access to property owners living in
the area.
Question 2 from Senator Jones: Woul d—

[Inaudible interjection]
The President: Sorry. Yes. We need to do it in turn.
So it is Question 1, and then whether there is a sup-plementary question in respect to the answer.
Senator Jones.

SUPPLEMENTARIES

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I would like to thank the Junior Minister for
providing us with those answers for Question 1. It was
stated that at the moment there is no permit number
for the work that is being done. Is the Junior Minister
aware that despite not having a permit number that is
respective of the planning and that demonstrates
planning permission, work has already started and
has been done to excavate the existing road, which
has in fact encroached on the land of persons who live in the area?

The President: That is your first supplementary.

Sen. Marcus Jones: That is my first supplementary
question, yes.
[Inaudible interjection]

The President: Fine.
[Pause and inaudible interjections ]
The President: Yes, you can go and join him. Yes.
[Pause]
The President: While we wait, at the moment we
have the technical officers here who are providing the
answers. We will just give the Junior Minister an o pBer muda Senate portunity to obtain the response to the supplementary
question.
So, Senator Darrell, when you are ready, you
can. . .
Sen
. Owen Darrell: Yes, Madam President. Thank
you. I have sought clarity on the supplementary question from Senator Jones. And the answer is this:
The Planning Department is aware that some clearing work has started to take place on Controversy Lane.
And the reason being is because there are major problems in other parts of the Island that I am sure all Senators are aware of where there is illegal dumping
taking place. There were fridges, other sorts of appl iances, beds, a whole bunch of stuff. And in the meantime, clearing did take place in two locations.
However, the two locations where clearing is
taking place is actually government land and is part of
the National Park that is there. It is not public land,
and it has not cut off access to resident s.
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Madam President.
Th
e President: This is your second supplementary?
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Yes.
Th
e President: Senator Jones, you can carry on.
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Can the Junior Minister give us
clarity, date and proof of the most recent independent surveyance work that has been done on Controversy Lane that affects that particular area that he is just making mention of?
Sen
. Owen Darrell: What exactly? Date and proof of
the most recent . . .
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Surveyance work that has been
done on Controversy Lane.
Sen
. Owen Darrell: Okay. Thank you.
Madam President, if I can have one second?
Th
e President: Certainly you may, Senator Darrell, to
obtain the answer from the technical officer.
[Pause]
Sen
. Owen Darrell: Madam Pre sident, in response to
the supplementary by Senator Jones, Planning can confirm that two weeks ago the land had been sur-veyed. We cannot give specific dates at this time, but I
will confirm them at a later time. The government surveyor has gone in and pegged the land in question. And I will say that there is a current debate/dispute between one of the landowners in and around Contr oversy Lane, and the Department of Planning is seek-ing to get clarity to resolve those matters [as soon as
possible].
The Presi dent: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
And finally, I would just like to read . . . So that
takes care of Question 1. Would any other Senator
care to ask a supplementary question? Because you
do have permission to do so.
All right. I will inform you of the second
question that was presented. And that is:
QUESTION 2: CONTROVERSY LANE
REALIGNMENT —CONSULTATION WITH
PROPERTY OWNERS
Sen. Marcus Jones: Would the Junior Minister
please inform the Senate as to what consultation
has been afforded to the property owners of Co ntroversy Lane to apprise them of either the i mpending plans or the work in progress for redirec ting the road at Controversy Lane?
The President: Senator Darrell, do you have a r esponse to that question?
Sen. Owen Darrell: Yes , I do. A nd I woul d like to say
that i nformal enga gement a nd consultation have taken
place with the current oc cupants of t he Mill C reek
Park
site—y ou notice we use the word “occupants”—
along with the adjoining owners.
The President:
Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Are there any supplementary questions?
SUPPLEMENTARY
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Yes, Madam President.
Can the Junior Minister provide the names of
the area residents who were present at those informal
meetings, with the date and time?
Th
e President: Senator Jones.
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Yes.
Th
e President: Senator Jones, I . . . I—
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Do [you] not like the question,
Madam President?
Th
e President: It is not so much I do not like the
question. I do not think you can ask for the names of the ind ividuals.
Sen
. Marcus Jones: Well, the only reason I raise it is
because what was said in his answer was that these were informal consultations. And I do not think “infor-mal” fits the definition of “consultation.”
564 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate So I want it to be on the record that consult ation has not taken place , because if it is not official, if
there is not a record of that meeting, then “consult ation” has not taken place.

The President: Senator Darrell is speaking to the
technical officers to get [an answer].
[Pause]

The Presi dent: Senator Jones, it might be appropr iate, rather than asking for specific names, just to ask
if the question has been placed to a number of people
rather than have specific names.
Sen. Marcus Jones: That is acceptable, Madam
President, because that would establish the fact that
consultation has taken place.

The President: Mm-hmm.

Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, I sought some
clarity on the supplementary by Senator Jones. I want
to start with . . . and I do not want to go too far down
the rabbit h ole, but there was a discussion, consult ation that was held with all of the adjoining owners of the area on May 12. And there is some documentation
that I do have with names, which I will not share in the
Senate today.
But one of the problems surrounding Contr oversy Lane is that the majority of the land in question actually belongs to the government. It was transferred
many years ago from the Admiralty to the Bermuda Government. And you would have noticed earlier that
I used the term “occupants.” So, as I am sure Senator
Jones would be aware, there has been a long -
standing discussion and dispute over ownership in
this area. And the surveyors have been out there as
recently as a few weeks ago, as I recently mentioned,
trying to sort out the matters at hand.
But yes. Official discussion, consultation,
whatever you want to call it, was had on May 12. It
was officially referred to as a “ site meeting. ”
That is [the answer to] Question 2, Madam
President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Jones, are you satisfied with the answer?
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you.
There are no further supplementary questions, so we will move on to Question 3 which was
posed by Senator Jones:
QUESTION 3: CONTROVERSY LAN E
REALIGNMENT —MILL CREEK PARK
EXCAVATION

Sen. Marcus Jones: Would the Junior Minister
please inform the Senate as to whether the res idential woodland reserve status and the safety of
the residents have been compromised by the excavation that has already c ommenced and the
loose rubble that has emanated from the con-struction?

Sen. Owen Darrell: I will start by saying that we like
to refer to it as a clearing -up of the area. The Mill
Creek Park site is zoned as “ park” and therefore does
not have residential woodland reserve zoning. The
clearing that has taken place was to remove invasive
vegetation and dumped items found in the bushes so
as to provide a better amenity in the area. I am advised that the residential and wooded reserve on the
adjoining land and the safety of residents has not
been compromised, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Jones, do you have a supplementary?

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, supplemental, Madam
President.

The President: Your first supplemental. Car ry on.

SUPPLEMENTARIES

Sen. Marcus Jones: Is the Junior Minister aware of
properties within the area that have been damaged,
i.e., buildings and different structures, due to excavating that has happened in the last short period of time?
I just would like to know if he is aware of that. And if
they are aware of it, has that been addressed and
have the area residents been, shall we say, met [with]
to mitigate and bring resolution to the damages that
have happened in the properties of people living in the
area?

Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, may I just
have a moment? The President: Absolutely. You can meet with your
technical officer to get a response.
[Pause]

Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President.

The President: Senator Darrell.
Sen. Owen Darrell: The answer to Senator Jones’s
supplementary question is no. And if there is anyone


Bermuda Senate claiming that there were damages done, I would say
as I said before, the location of this is actually on go vernment property. And to date, Planning/Government
has not received . . . any private claims have not been
officially made regarding any damage of other properties.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Supplemental?

The President: Yes, your second supplementary.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Is the Junior Minister aware that
despite surveyance work that has been done in the
past few weeks (which he said in his answer) that
there have been markers moved, encroachment on
private property by those who have been given d irective to do the excavating work, whic h you say is
“clearing ” (that is your word) of the area . . . is the Junior Minister aware that that excavation has actually encroached on the property and boundaries of res ident areas that can be clearly defined in plans that the Government should have in their offices? Is the Junior
Minister aware of that?

Sen. Owen Darrell: I am not aware.
However, I think I mentioned in another [a nswer] that the surveyor is still actively reviewing the
site, and there is some dispute as to what is private
land and wha t is government land. So until that di spute reaches some sort of resolution, I am not going
to go any further as to speculate on whose land on public or private property has been damaged or not.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
We will now move on to the questions that
have been posed by Senator Robin Tucker regarding
the Ministry of Health.
So Question 1 was :

QUESTION 1: CONTROVERSY LANE —
HEALTH DEPARTMENT PERMISSION TO
HOUSE PIGS ON PRIVATE RESI DENCE

Sen. Robin Tucker: Would the Junior Minister
please inform the Senate as to whether the Health
Department is required to issue a permit for the housing of pigs by a private resident on Contr oversy Lane in an area that is zoned Residential 1?
And if so, has this been done?

The President: Sena tor Arianna Hodgson.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident, and thank you, Senator Tucker, for the question.
Yes. Essentially the Health Department is r equired to issue a permit for the housing of pigs by a
private resident. The regulations [P ublic Health (Keep-ing of Pigs) Regulations 1958 at section 1] state the
following: “No person shall keep two or more pigs . . .
on any one property unless he is in possession of a
valid licence issued by the Minister and any person
contravening this regulation shall be deemed to com-mit an offence against the Public Health Act 1949.”
An application for a licence to keep pigs has
not been received by the Department of Health. I do know that our last interaction was in 2011, but I am
not sure of the nature of that complaint.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
Senator Tucker, do you have a supplementary
question to the answer that has been given?

Sen. Robin Tucker: No, I do not. I do not have a
supplementary.
The President: Thank you.

Sen. Marcus Jones: I have a supplemental, Madam
President.
The President: Senator Marcus Jones, you have a
supplemental? What is your supplemental?

SUPPLEMENTARIES

Sen. Marcus Jones: In light of the answer that the
Junior Minister has given us in regard to the tenan t in
this case, the one leasing the property, that a permit is
required for housing pigs, is the Junior Minister aware that this tenant is contravening the laws of the land
and, in fact, has pigs on the property without a permit?
And if the Junior Minister is aware of that, are there
any plans afoot to remove the said livestock off of the
property and prevent the tenant from continuing to
house these pigs?

The President: Senator Hodgson.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you. As stated, we do
know that there do es need to be an application made
for the registration. At this time I cannot speak to the
particular tenant that Senator Jones is referencing.

The President: Thank you.
A supplemental?

Sen. Marcus Jones: Supplemental.
The President: Second supplemental.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. Can the Junior Minister
educate this Chamber on the possible penalty and
punishment for tenants who contravene the law and
have in their possession on government -leased land
pigs that are not supposed to be there? Are there any
566 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate fines, imprisonment, punishment that are admissible
in this case to bring resolution to this situation?
The President: Senator Arianna Hodgson, since it is
such a detailed question, if you care to, you can pr ovide a written response.
Fine.
[Inaudible in terjections]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: However, I can say the persons will be given an opportunity to apply in the first
instance.

The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson. That was the last supplementary question.
So, Senators, [Question] 2 from Senator Robin Tucker is :

QUESTION 2: CONTROVERSY LANE —
POSSIBLE WATER CONTAMINATION FROM
PIGS ON PRIVATE RESIDENCE

Sen. Robin Tucker: Would the Junior Minister
please inform the Senate as to whether the Health
Department has conducted an environmental i mpact study, including a water quality test, to determine the level of contamination of the water
wells and the surrounding area that may be resul ting from the waste from the pig farm?

The President: That was the question, Senator
Hodgson.

Sen. Arianna Ho dgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
No. The department has not conducted an
environmental impact study. Studies that pertain to
the water quality of well water are actually a function
of the Department of Environment and Natural R esources, pursuant to the Water Resources Act 1975.
There are no registered wells on Controversy Lane for
that department to test.

The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson.
Senator Tucker, do you have a supplementary?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam P resident. I
would just like to . . . I fully understand that it is anot her department that is responsible. But given the par-ticular situation and the somewhat overlap with the
Health Department, is there any plan to collaborate as such or to prompt the Dep artment of Environment to
actually conduct a study, given the fact that the pigs are there and there could be potential impacts for the
residents?

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Just one moment, Madam
President.
The President: Yes. We will await your response
from your technical officer.
[Pause]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, in the
interest of time, I can follow up with Senator Tucker and just provide some clarity around whether or not
we would be collaborating with the Department of E nvironment and Nat ural Resources to address the i ssue.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Supplemental, Madam Pres ident.
The President: Yes, Senator Jones. You can take the
second supplementary.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. Allow me, Madam Pres ident, just to give a little bit of context. I believe we in
this Chamber and those within the public are well
aware of the ongoing disputes that have been going on at Controversy Lane. It is a place where even angels fear to tread. But that not withstanding, as the area residents have to wait for court proceedings and judgments, we find a fair number of our people in
harm’s way in a position of a health risk.
Is the Government . . . and I recognise the
fact that the Junior Minister is saying that that does
not come under her remit, but under the environmental protection Ministry. Can this Junior Minister give
assurance to those listeners who live in the area that
this Government is prepared and ready to step in for
their health and safety even wh ile they are waiting for
resolution in the courts to ensure that our residents in
that area are safe, that they are healthy, that they will
not be subject to the risk of contaminated wells in their
area while they await court proceedings to progress?
Thank you.

The President: Senator Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Just two points: So, as they always have, the
Ministry of Health will continue to liaise with the D epartment of Environment and Natural Resources as
needed. Right now the issue is that there is no regi stered well. So essentially, we cannot test a well that is
not registered. But persons can also privately hire a

B ermuda Senate company to test wells in the instance that they are
concerned.
The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson. And thank you, Senators, for the—
Sen. Ben Smith: Yes, Madam President, I would just
like to —
The President: Senator, did you have a supplementary?
SUPPLEMENTARY
Sen. Ben Smith: Yes, please, just from the answer
that the Junior Minister just gave.
If the residents were able to get results from a
private firm, can the Junior Minister give an indication
of what happens if there is negative impact to the
wells? Should they then provide that to the Depar tment of Health or the Department of Environment so
that they could get some kind of assistance in this sit-uation?
The President: Senator Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
In this instance, I would suggest that they
reach out to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as they are the persons who act u nder the Water Resource Act 1975.
The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
And thank you, Senators, for the questions
that have been posed for oral answers. We will now move on to the . . .
[
Inaudible interjecti on]
The President: Were there three? I beg your pardon.
I beg your pardon. Several questions here.
The President: I will read Question 3 from Senator
Tucker:
QUESTION 3: CONTROVERSY LANE —
HEALTH DEPARTMENT INSPECTION
OF PIG FARM
Sen. Robin Tucker: Will the Junior Minister
please inform the Senate as to whether the Health
Department has considered a remedy to satisfy
the neighbours of the resident who is housing pigs
at the said site on Controversy Lane?
The President: Senator Hodgson. Sen. Arianna Hod gson: Madam President, we are
always of course concerned with the health and safety
of our citizens. However, the Department of Health is not aware of any recent complaints pertaining to the keeping of pigs at Controversy Lane at this time.
The President: Thank you.
Are there any supplementary questions?
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, Madam President.
The President: Senator Jones, you have the floor.
SUPPLEMENTARY
Sen. Marcus Jones: Can the Junior Minister give this
Chamber any indication that under her Mini stry,
someone within the inspection group will actually make a site visit in the interest of the health and safety
of the residents of Controversy Lane now that this information is being made public and the entire Island [population is now aware]? Will the Junior Minister
give the people there in Pembroke West comfort that her Government will inspect Controversy Lane to ensure that no one in that area will be living in harm’s
way and give comfort to the people there?
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones . We are
just waiting for a response from Senator Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. I am just waiting for some clarity as the distinc-tions are a bit muddy.
I have clarified that it would be the responsibi lity of the Department of Environment and Natural R esources to follow up. And so I am sure that the Junior
Minister responsible can carry that message back.
The President: Thank you.
Is there a supplementary?
No supplementaries.
All right. So that completes the questions that
have been put forward in the last —
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President.
The President: I beg your pardon, Senator.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: I just wanted to mention to
Senator Jones’s point previously when he was asking
about the fees. The fees can be found in the regul ations.
The President: Thank you. Thank you, Senator Ar ianna Hodgson.
With that said then, Senators, now we will
move on to the Statements that were issued this morning. And we will entertain any questions. The first
568 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate one was for Minister Peets, and that was the Large
Group Exemptions. So we will entertain questions.
Senator Simmons. Oh, Senator Smith.

QUESTI ON 1: LARGE GROUP EXEMPTIONS

Sen. Ben Smith: Yes. Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, in the Statement from the
Minister he referred to the gathering sizes under the
current regulations, which were reduced from 100 down to 50. [I ask] just a simple question because there has been some confusion in the public. Can we
have clarity whether that group size of 50 is for i ndoors and outdoors, same number 50?

The President: Minister Peets.

Yes. Thank you,
Senator [Smith].
Madam President, I can report that group si zes have been reduced to 50. That 50 is indoors and
outdoors.

The President: Thank y ou, Senator.
Senator Smith, do you have a supplementary?

SUPPLEMENTARIES

Sen. Ben Smith: Yes, supplementary off of that.
Is the Minister able to tell us whether any
gatherings that were planned prior to that reduction in
size have caused people to now have to give exem ptions? If he could just give us an idea—because obv iously in the summer months there are going to be
outdoor parties and weddings and different things —
whether that reduction from 100 to 50 has caused any of those kinds of issues that now would have landed
on his desk?
The President: Thank you.
Minister Peets.

Yes, Senator
[Smith]. The announcement moving from 100 to 50
did catch a number of organisers and events by sur-prise. As such, there were a number of individuals,
event organisers, who required a large group exem ption the next day that they did not the day before. In
my estimation, if we are looking for numbers, probably
perhaps to date we come across probably about 20. I
can assure the public that we are certainly working
through the priority dates of these events, and some
of them were actually within 72 hours of the announcement, moving from 150.
So I certainly commend the team for working
extremely hard, as well as the public regarding their patience, to actually get through the application pr ocess. To date we have not declined any of those ap-plications. The team has worked really, really hard to
vet them all.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
You have a second supplementary?
Sen. Ben Sm ith: Yes, Madam President.
So obviously there has been a bit of a trans ition for this because it has moved from one Ministry to
another. If the Minister can just let us know whether
that transition at the same time that we had that r eduction, whether his Ministry had to take care of items
that were backlogged prior to his having to take on the
new responsibility?

The President: Thank you, Senator Ben Smith.

Yes. The transition
from National Security to the Ministry of Yout h, Cu lture and Sport did occur. Of course, also the timing of
moving from large groups of 100 to 50 happened on
or around the same time. So it did make for a difficult period of transition. There was a small backlog of
cases transferred from National Secur ity to Youth,
Culture and Sport. Our team did work as a priority to
make sure that those issues were dealt with, and we
dealt with those issues as soon as we could.
I do not have a number of how many cases
we had that were part of the backlog. But I can r eport
to this Honourable Chamber that we have worked
through them all.
The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
I think there were questions from Senator
Michelle Simmons.
You have the floor.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Would Minister Peets provide us with an idea
of whether there is a guaranteed turnaround time for his Ministry to respond to applications for these exemptions? I am sure it would help the listening public to get an appreciation for when they can ex pect to
hear an answer.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.

Yes. I am certainly
grateful for these questions. And hopefully the listen-ing public have an opportunity to listen in. So I would
imagine some of these questions are also questions
that the public also have.
We certainly aim to have a quick turnaround
as much as possible. The applications do require a significant vetting process, as well as an application


Bermuda Senate process which we have worked really, really hard to
streamline. So our expectation right now from a Mini stry point of view is to try to turn around these applic ations within 10 to 15 days. What is helpful at this m oment regarding the revision on how the applications
are done, persons who are applyi ng, once they have
submitted their application, do get a receipt/tracking
number which gives a confirmation number that their
application has been received. So it is assigned a
number. There is also an email address to which they
can email to get updates as well.
So we think with that particular step it certainly
alleviates a little bit of anxiety with some of the ind ividuals who are planning events. One, I have confi rmation that my event [application] has been received and I have a tracking number. And there is a live
number and a live email that I can use to get updates,
as well.
So right now, as you can imagine, a lot of
these applications, we have gotten a number of them because it is that time of year. It is very labour -
intensive, and the team is work ing extremely hard to
push out as many approvals as quickly as we can.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Do you have a supplementary?

[No audible response]

The President: Would any other Senator care to ask
questions on this Statement?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
I would just like to know whether there are any
plans afoot for simplifying the process? The applic ation process does seem to be somewhat . . . not complex, but certainly there is a lot of information required.
So I am just wondering over time if there is a plan to
simplify the process.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.

Yes. That was part
of the original conversation when the exemptions did
move over to our Ministry. We did try to learn as much
as we could from National Security, what worked,
what did not work. One of the things that became
quite evident, particularly as it relates to potenti al delays, is insufficient applications, missing information.
So the team did do its level best to simplify
the process. I certainly would take Senator Tucker’s point and perhaps continue the conversation with the team in the event that the current applic ation process
is a bit intensive or labour -intensive for people who
are applying. But any questions that are on the appl i-cation now have been added because those things
were typically missing from previous applications [and]
this actually caused more delay s.
So I certainly encourage persons who are
interested in having an event to peruse the application in advance to have some idea on what is required. But
I certainly take the Senator’s point. And at our next
meeting, I certainly will give some feedback to the
team to see if there can be any additional improv ements to simplify the process even further.
The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any other —
Yes, supplementary? Senator Ben Smith.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Ben Smith: Yes, thank you, Madam Pr esident.
Just following off of what the Minister just
said. First, I would like to say, as somebody who has
gone through this application process several times, I
know that in the beginning stages it would take up to six weeks to be able to get a response. So hearing the
Minister say some of the changes that have been i mplemented, I will know right away that this will reduce
the time.
But following on from what Senator Tucker
just said, there are some facilities that multiple people are going to be applyi ng for events at the same facil ity. It just might be helpful if that facility had, you know,
These are the guidelines for how to use this facility so
that when somebody puts in an application, that would
help streamline that process.

Yes. That is an excellent suggestion, something that we certainly have
already considered. It is a policy or procedure about
what we call trusted venues. And fortunately, we have
the opportunity through our Ministry to actually vet
trusted facil ities. To date, three properties have been
approved. I think they are in the process of being gazetted as we speak, which are Hamilton Princess,
Rosewood and The Loren.
But there are other appl ications for other
trusted ven ues as well. And this will allow those loc ations to op erate at 50 per cent capac ity for an event
without ha ving an application because they have defined criteria around COVID -19 man agement that the
Health D epartment, as well as our Ministry, are sati sfied with. That really, really would m ake a huge difference, gi ven all of the events that are going to be
planned this summer, to have trusted facilities.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Second supplementary?
Yes, Senator Smith.

Sen. Ben Smith: Second question.

570 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate The President: Second question. I beg your pardon.

QUESTI ON 2: LARGE GROUP EXEMPTIONS

Sen. Ben Smith: Thank you, Madam President.
The Minister referred to safety requirements
for gatherings of over 50 indoors and over 100 outdoors. Can the Minister let us know whether t here is
any possibility for exemption from using SafeKey
when putting in an application for gatherings of 50
indoors and 100 outdoors?

Sure. Thank you.
As we are moving forward with large group
exemptions, one of the things that is important to me
is actually to have the right mix of balance. You know,
I have thought about this for quite some time. I think
we have tried it as Administration previously. A onesize-fits-all approach does not necessarily work. As
such, taking a look at the different conditions and the
different types of applications is certainly important.
So right now the policy that I have asked the
department to push forward is for indoor events that
are 50 and fewer to forgo the need for SafeKey, and
for outdoor events that are 100 or fewer. This is partially due to the fact that most people, at least the
ones whom I have talked to over the last couple of weeks, really do want to have events this summer and
to be able to plan those events and have events that
are not only safe, but also enjoyable.
So we certainly take applications under consideration. So even if an application comes in that perhaps may be outside of, say, the policy, we cer-tainly take a look at that. We will give advice. Because
the whole i dea regarding large group exemptions is
not to actually not have large groups; it is actually to
help individuals who are planning events to actually
have them safely. So we certainly go through a very
rigorous vetting process to make that happen.
I am not sure if I have answered your question
in detail. If not, I will try to do so in a second attempt.

The President: Senator Smith, do you have a supplementary?

SUPPLEMENTARIES
Sen. Ben Smith: A supplementary, yes. Thank you,
Madam President.
So if using the SafeKey for events allows you
to have more comfort about the safety of the event, I
guess further clarity on the question would be, Is there a way to apply for an exemption of using SafeKey in
both categories?
So, if [your event is] over 50 indoors and if
[your event is] over 100 outdoors, is there an applic ation process so that people know that they can apply
to not use SafeKey and [explain] whatever their reasoning would be for not using SafeKey? In the middle of the pandemic we have gone through al l of the i ssues. We know that there is the Delta variant that is causing issues locally. I just want to make sure that
we have clarity of why we would make the decision to
not use SafeKey, if that is in the best interests of the health of the public for us to do so.

There are events
that I am aware of where the then- organiser in their
application had indicated that they would like to have
the event without SafeKey. So the application process does not prohibit individuals who are planning events;
there is no special application process for that.
So, you will put in an application for a large
group exemption, and you will put your COVID -19
plan in there. If we get a COVID -19 plan for a large
group exemption that does not have SafeKey as a part of it, then that particular application goes through
the normal rigour and vetting process.
We will take a look at the circumstances and
the situations, and we will be able to advise the event
organiser on whether or not their applicatio n is suit able or not.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Do you have a second supplementary?

Sen. Ben Smith: Yes. Thank you, Madam President.
Could the Minister provide us some details of
what would be needed for someone to put in an appl ication of over 100 or over 50 that they did not want to
use SafeKey? What aspects would they have to pr ovide in order for the decision to be made to allow that
event to happen not using SafeKey, considering that
the reason for using SafeKey is the health of our population?

So it is [on] a caseby-case basis. And each application on its own merit
has its own features.
For example, an indoor event is way different
than an outdoor event. An outdoor event on your patio
is different t han having an outdoor event at a cricket
game. So there are different features and different considerations based on the nature of the application. So every outdoor event is not the same.
Every indoor event is not the same. So it is
really difficult to tr y to always apply . . . I have been
accused of being inconsistent. Actually, consistency is
actually not the real issue. The real issue for me is
actually finding the right balance. And I would rather find balance and be accused of being inconsistent
than be consistently making the wrong decision, and
using consistency as a defence for the decision I have
just made.
So an outdoor event and an indoor event do
have differences. And outdoor events do vary. So we certainly want to take the event, the event loc ation,
the event size, how many people and all of the differBermuda Senate ent characteristics that make the event unique and put
all of that information together so that we can make an
intelligible decision about safety around COVID -19 so
that the event can happen. And we do that on every
application.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement before we move on?
No. Then thank you, Minister Peets and Sen ators who have asked questions. We will move on now
to the second Stat ement. And this is the Immigration
Reform Strategic Priorities that was given by Senator Hodgson.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions? Senator Wight, John Wight, do you have questions to put to the Junior Minister? You have t he floor.

QUESTION 1: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I was encouraged to hear the Junior Minister
refer to immigration reform and in particular Strategic Priority 4, which is to support economic gro wth and
expansion of job opportunities in Bermuda. I have
been a staunch supporter of immigration reform as a tool to increase our working population for a long time.
There are some countries, I just mention Canada as
one that sees immigration reform in terms of targeting
the numbers of people to bring into the country to
maintain the economy and grow it. So their target,
Canada has roughly 30 million people. They bring in 300,000 new people every year, recognising that the
only way to grow their economy is to have more people live in Canada and in the workforce.
So as I look at Bermuda’s situation, the thing
that we know for certain is that we are an ageing pop-ulation. This is very concerning. We also know that
the only way to grow the economy and the defi nition
of the growth in the economy is the number of people
in the working population and the productivity of those
individuals; those are the two factors that grow the economy.
So I guess my question to the Junior Minister
is, Are there any specific poli cies that you can share
with us or any specific targets that Government would
have in order to provide confidence to this Island that
immigration reform can and will be used as a tool to
increase our working population and increase the tax
base so that we can continue to provide services such
as operating the hospital and so many other services [such as those of] the Ministry of Education that we
desperately need?
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Wight. [INAUD IBLE]
Sen. Aria nna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
At this time I cannot speak to the specific pol icies or targets. But I do suspect that we will be sharing more information as we go along. But one thing that rings true is that we are trying to take a whol esome approach to revamping the immigration system.
We do not want to just focus on one particular bit. As
we stated, we do not want to focus on work per mits
necessarily. We do not want to neces sarily focus on
the process and the policies that drive the wor kflow.
But we will be taking a full look at what needs to be
done to move us forward and, obviously, with mai ntaining and growing the economy at the for efront.

The President: Supplemental question, Senator
Wight? No?

Sen. John Wight: Nothing.

The President: Supplemental from Ben Smith? You
have the floor.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Ben Smith: Yes. Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, the immigration reform under the PLP Government has been going on since 2017. There should be some details that we could
hear t oday of how the changes are going to happen
for what Senator Wight was just asking. When we are
talking about growth of the local resident population, there must be some details available for how that
growth is going to happen from an immigration standpoint. After such a long period from 2017 till now,
there must be some idea.
So can the Junior Minister please give us
some details of how we are going to grow the popul ation using immigration the way that it was stated in the
Statement?

The President: Senat or Hodgson.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, at this
time I am not privy to the specifics. But I will take the
questions back and aim to get more clarity around the
particulars of immigration reform.

The President: Thank you.
Senator Ben Smith, yo u have a suppleme ntary?

QUESTION 1: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Sen. Ben Smith: No, Madam President. I have a
question.
So, Madam President, I believe it is on page 4
there is a reference to “emigration,” which is an issue
572 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate that I know a lot of people have talked about for quite
some time. We have people who are leaving the
coun try because they do not feel like there are opportunities here, or they are finding a better place to live outside of Bermuda, which is, I know for everybody sitting in this room, a really frustrating situation to
happen and something that we would all be looking to
change.
Would the Junior Minister be able to tell us
whether there is any way presently for us to gauge
what that number is of emigration that is happening so
that we have an idea of how big this issue is for Bermuda?

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I do not
have those numbers at this time, but I can get some
specifics or at least an idea of the persons who are
emigrating.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.

QUESTION 2: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Sen. Ben Smith: Just as a supplementary, if we could
find out what the process is for us to gauge that information, because there are people who leave the coun try and just do not come back. How are we d etermining that number? So when the Junior Minister gets that information, if we could also be provided how
we are collecting that data.
The President: Thank you, Senator Ben Smith.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
The President: Thank you. I do know [INAUDIBLE ].
[Crosstalk]

The President: Or you need to speak closer.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: There we go.
I know that the Minister has committed to
making sure that we have access to these types of
numbers going forward. And so while we do not have
them at the moment, I will endeavour to get you that
information. And I am sure that the Minister will be
sure that these types of data are available, going forward.

The President: Thank you, Senator Arianna Hodgson.
Sen. Ben Smith: I would like to have another question, Madam President.
The President: Your third [question] . QUESTION 3: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Sen. Ben Smith: Yes.
So, Madam President, on page 3, the Junior
Minister was talking about the IT and the technology
changes that are necessary in order for us to move
forward from an immigration standpoint.
I wonder if the Junior Minister would be able
to let us know whether there are any thoughts to have
technology that allows us to know the employed in Bermuda and the unemployed in Bermuda, skill levels
of those jobs, so that when the Immigration Depar tment has an application that comes in you can match
the two things up. So as an example, if someone is
putting in an application for three plumbers and we
know that we have three skilled plumbers who are unemployed, we would know that immediately. And I
think technology would be an important way for us to
be able to figure that out so that we are matching our
workforce to the applications, and this would also help
to streamline. So if we know that these people have not been interviewed, we are able to figure that out
quite quickly through some kind of technology that
would allow for that to happen.
So can the Junior Minister let us know whet her that is part of the discussion process that is happening when they are talking about revamping the IT
Department?
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Smith.
Senator Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Senator Smith.
As you would be aware, throughout the go vernment we have a lot of disjointed systems. So while
government does hold a great deal of information,
data, we are aiming, obviously, to bring those systems into alignment so that we can share data as is necessary. Yes, as mentioned in my St atement, technology
should and will be the driving force to make sure that
those types of things happen.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
Would any other Senator have a question?
Senator Marcus Jones, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
I thank the Junior Minister for this Statement,
and it does give me hope that change and improv ement in our immigration policies and laws will be i mproved for the benefit of t he country.
My question, though, is prior to the last election there was a working group, a working immigration
reform group that was actually putting policy and pr oBermuda Senate cedures together to improve the system. My question
to [the Junior Minister] would be, Has that immigration
reform group . . . have the persons changed? And if
so, is it an active group that is meeting on a regular
basis? And can she tell us the last time that they met? Because I can assure you that these five str ategic priorities were not created and put together in a
vacuum, but I would assume that there is a working
group that has been working on this. Can [the Junior
Minister] enlighten us on that working group and what
they are doing?

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Senator Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I will endeavour to get a fuller and better pi cture. I have some ideas, but I do not want to misspeak or provide any misinformation. So I will definitely get
back to you with some clarity.

The Presi dent: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
I am just wondering whether the Junior Mini ster would be able to perhaps give an example of what
types of innovative partnerships that they will be looking at, as mentioned on the bottom of page 3 on the
Statement.
Thank you, Madam President.

[Pause]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Senator Tucker, I can say
that when we look at immigration, there are a number
of entities involved. There are private persons, there are companies, the corporations, government bits and
all of the rest. So I think that when we do notice inn ovative partnerships, we are revisiting the existing rel ationships that we have, looking at how we can work
more collaboratively with Workforce Development,
with the insurance industry as well.
So ideally we are looking to bring the people
into the right room and talk about how we can do i mmigration better and how we can balance supporting
our Ber mudians, but also bringing in the economic
investment that is needed and will be facilitated
through additional bodies on Island.

The President: Thank you, Senator Ari anna Hodgson. Do you have a second question or a suppl emental?

QUESTION 2: IMMIGRATION REFORM
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, Madam President. I have a
second question somewhat related to the question
that Senator Smith had asked.
I am just wondering whether the Junior Mini ster could provide any kind of detail, or again an exam-ple perhaps, of any strategies that the Government is
going to be applying or is considering to entice people
who have emigrated to come back to Bermuda.

The Presid ent: Thank you, Senator Tucker.
Senator Hodgson.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
As our party has outlined in our platform, we
are on a mission to improve quality of life for all. We
are on a mission to reform health care, to make sure
that our seniors and our differently abled persons are
taken care of. So that is the aim.

The President: Senator Tucker, do you have a supplementary?
Sen. Robin Tucker: No supplementary, Madam President. Thank you.
The President: Thank you.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement before we move on?
Hearing none, then thank you Senators , we
will move on now to the third Statement, which is the
2021 Senior School Graduations. That was the
Statement that was given by Senator Darr ell.
Would any Senator care to ask questions on
this Statement?
Senator Michelle Simmons, you have the
floor.

QUESTION 1: 2021 SENIOR SCHOOL
GRADUATIONS

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
My first question is with regard to the number
or the percentage of graduates who will be going
overseas to pursue tertiary level studies from both the
Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy. I do not
think any figures have been given in the Statement,
but there was a mention in the section on Ced arBridge Academy that most of their graduates will be going to the Bermuda College in the fall. And others will be attending overseas colleges and universities.
574 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate So I was just seeking a bit of clarity about the
number of graduates from the two senior schools who
are actually going overseas in September to pursue
studies.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.
Senator Darrell.

Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
I will ask to be provided with those percen tages. But I do know by talking to some school officials
two things. One, as Senator Simmons will know, a lot
of . . . some acceptances are provisional. And then
the other caveat that goes with that this year is that a
lot of students are actually still not comfortable t raveling overseas due to the changes in COVID -19. And it
is providing an opportunity for the Bermuda College to
possibly take on students who would not have looked
at the Bermuda College as an option in previous years and allow some students to stay home and do remote
online classes.
So there are a lot of variables into that, but I
will definitely seek to get the percentage and a more accurate number of the students who are going overseas.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Simmons, do yo u have a supplementary?
Sen. Michelle Simmons: I do have a supplementary.
The President: Yes.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Senator Darrell has
touched on one of the reasons I have asked the ques-tion. I wanted to get some idea also of the number of
students who may be a bit reticent to head overseas
at this point. And that may be because of COVID -19
or indeed it may be for financial reasons.
So if the Jun ior Minister can also get some
idea of the number or proportion of students who may be holding back because of finances or indeed because the pan demic is still out there, that would be
very, very helpful as well. Because we want to do
whatever we can as a community to set our students
up for success, to make sure that they have the o pportunity to continue their education overseas. That is
critical to Bermuda’s future.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you.
The President: Senator Darrell. Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Senator Simmons.
Going back to the firs t question as well, a lot
of those data are provided by the schools, and some
of them have not been provided yet. So we will ask to
see what they come back with. Some of the other an-swers, you know, I am not sure how accurate they
would be. Some of them ar e simply going to come
from discussions, maybe. I know you do not canvass,
but maybe on the doorstep when some of us are out
asking, it is something that a more accurate picture of
percentages and how they have been affected by COVID -19 and the reasons behind it. I think going
forward, we will not get a full picture of that until ma ybe a year or two from now, maybe five years from now
as to say, Well, back in 2020– 2021, my schooling was
delayed by two years because of COVID -19.
Not to ramble and belabour t he point, but
there are individuals whom I have come across, there
are students who have been working in government
and in the private sector for the last couple of years
and still trying to do some sort of tertiary education at
home in the evenings online.
So for some students, it has created a different opportunity, even a positive one for some st udents. So in the first instance we will try to get some more direct answers from the schools. And I think the
overall greater picture of where we are and how s tudents going overseas have been affected will come
down the line.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Michelle Simmons, you have a second question?

Sen. Michelle Simmons: I have a new question.

The President: New question, second questi on.

QUESTION 2: 2021 SENIOR SCHOOL
GRADUATIONS
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you.
My second question is with regard to the
Bermuda School Diploma (BSD) and the Bermuda
School Certificate (BSC). I thought that the BSC had been phased out. But I see that there were at least
four students who received a BSC. I wonder if the
Junior Minister can provide some clarity with regard to
that?
The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.
Sen. Owen Darrell: I could have bet a significant
amount of money that the Senator was going to catch
that and raise [a question].

[Laughter]



Bermuda Senate Sen. Owen Darrell: Because I will admit that it did
raise an eyebrow to me as I was going through it. So I
will get the full and comprehensive answer to that for
my Senate colleague and former principal.

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Senator Darrell.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Michelle Simmons, do you have a
supplementary?
No.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: 2021 SENIOR SCHOOL
GRADUATIONS

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
Before I ask my question, I just want to say
again that it is a very proud moment when we can hear a Statement and talk about so many —I am hes itant to call th em children, but so many children—that
have graduated and are moving on to higher educ ation. That is absolutely something that we all need to
continue to celebrate—their achievements.
The question that I do have for the Junior Mi nister, I am just interested to know the total number of
students in each of the schools who did not graduate,
but they are in the graduating year in both of those
schools.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker.

Sen. Owen Darrell: I will get those numbers from the
schools, as well, if they will provide them. But I can
say that at the Berkeley graduation, the Principal, Ms.
Keisha Douglas, did give a very in- depth explanation.
I do not know if she said numbers, but she did go into the students who did not meet the requirements. And
she also went into depth as to the different options
that they would have in order to meet the requir ements. And it was a matter of no student will be left
behind. Just for the edification of the Senate, she did
say that some students will meet requirements as ear-ly as the end of July if they do one summer course.
She said that some students will have to do an online
course. She also mentioned that some students will
actually repeat the entire senior year to get multiple
courses.
I know this has been going on for a while, so it
is no shock. And I also would like to commend both
schools, because they did say . . . and I know CedarBridge has done [this] in the past, and Berkeley as
well. But they did commit that when these students do meet their requirements, they will put on a celebration
for them as well. So I know in many years past that
may not have been the case. If you did not meet the graduation requirements, you were actually left to your
own devices to figure out how you were going to get a
GED or another form of high school diploma, or go out
in the workforce. But it is definitely refreshing to hear
that the schools and the department are doing ever ything they can to bring success to our students.
But I will look to get you t he specific numbers
of those who at this point did not meet the graduation requirements.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Tucker, do you have a supplemental?

SUPPLEMENTARIES

Sen. Robin Tucker: Yes, I do. And it just really stems
from what the Junior Minister just said. I think that it
would also be helpful, in addition to having the num-bers, if he could provide a breakdown of the reasons
that the students did not meet the requirements for
graduation. Thank you, Madam President.

The Pr esident: Senator Darrell.

Sen. Owen Darrell: I think it is a simple matter of
credits, really. That would be the only reason. I will
say this from experience: We, the education system,
do not refuse students from graduation because of behaviour or any other reasons. They may not be able
to participate in the actual ceremony. But if they did
not meet the requirements, it is a simple math number; they did not meet 120 credits. They may have gotten 118 and they need to come back for the other
2. So I think that is the reason. I will get specifics on
that. But just at the high level, looking down at what
we have seen in the past, that will be the only reason.

The President: Senator Tucker.
Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you.
I just want to add a little bit of poi nt of clarific ation because I think it would be good to have that i nformation, particularly for my own information, if nobody else finds it valuable. Because I would just like to
know whether there are things such as COVID -19 that
have impacted any of the students’ abilities to be able
to graduate on time. Because we have been going
through this pandemic for quite some time, and of
course we all know that there have been challenges in
the school system as a result of the pandemic. So it
would be helpful to have that information. Thank you,

Thank you, Senator Tucker.
Senator Darrell.

Sen. Owen Darrell: Yes. Again, I think that that one is
more of a discussion piece that you really will get
more on the doorstep as to reasons why. Those types
576 7 July 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate of discussions are had in a counsellor’s office and
maybe the principal’s office when they bring the st udent in. I do know, and the former principal in our
midst would say that we do not just mail letters out
anymore and say, You made it or, You did not make
it. They actually bring every student in. They sit them
down with their parent. They bring in a counsellor if they need to or any other support.
And I think way before June of 2021 if a st udent was having issues, they would have tried to address them and map out a plan going forward as to,
All right. Well, these are the reasons why you were
not able. This particular class at Berkeley had a
classmate who unfortunately passed away a couple of
years ago, and they actually addressed that at the
ceremony. So that type of stuff may not show up in
the data anytime soon. But it may come from an overall study of COVID -19-related difficulties five years
down the road.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell. Thank
you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement?
Hearing none, then we will move on to the
fourth Statement that was also given by Senator Darrell. And that was the Summer Professional Learning Activities for Educators.
Would any other Sen ator care to ask questions on this Statement?
Senator Michelle Simmons, you have the
floor.

QUESTION 1: SUMMER PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
It is wonderful to see the opportunities be ing
provided to teachers to improve their skills. I am assuming that this is on a voluntary basis, because it did
not say anywhere in the Statement that teachers are
required to do this. But perhaps I should phrase it as my first question: Is all of this v oluntary?
And I do have another question, but I will wait
for the answer to that.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.

Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you for the question.
At this point I think it is voluntary in the first
instance. But I know that in Plan 2022 as we try to
improve the quality of teaching for more educators, it will be more of a requirement and be built into the r equirements and (Senator Tucker could help me with
this) the professional development requirement that teachers have to [meet ] based on their licence with
the Bermuda Educators Council.
Thank you. [Laughter]

The President: Thank you.
Senator Michelle Simmons, you had a second
question or a supplementary?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Yes. This is supplementary
to wha t the Junior Minister has just shared.
He has started going down in the direction I
was hoping he would go, and that is to say that eve ntually all teachers will be required to be involved in
these professional development opportunities. That is
so important! And I would like to get some idea of the
plan for ensuring that this will be the case—i.e., when
will all teachers be required to participate? Will it be within the next academic year? Will it be over the next
two academic years? We need to have some i dea of
how that is going to work out.

The President: Senator Darrell.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
In the spirit of the Statement being given, it
was specifically about the Summer Professional
Learning Activities. And one thing that we cannot do
at this time is require teachers to work or do any sort
of training during their vacation time. So yes, that is
why this particular group is voluntary.
Conversations will be had going forward, as it
is part of Plan 2022 with the unions and all other
stakeholders as to how we get this training into the
regular professional development schedule. So it may
show up in a professional development course in O ctober, or maybe September 1, but not for the Summer
Professional Activities.

The President: All right.
Senator Simmons.

QUESTION 2: SUMMER PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Yes. And my second question is about the numbers. For the group involved in
the Schoology Blended Learning Leader Academy
(that is quite a mouthful), I see there are 30 teachers
participating. But I wondered how many are participating in the Creative Curriculum for Kindergarten, and
then how many are involved in the Project Based Learning Network. It would give us an idea of how
many teachers are actually seizing these opportunities, even though it is during their summer vacation, to
advance themselves professionally. Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.



Bermuda Senate Sen. Owen Darrell: It says that 25 are participating in
the Project B ased Learning. Yes, 25 in that one. Thirty
in the Schoology. And Creative Curriculum is the one
you are asking for. Yes, the number I have is “some.”
Yes. All right. I will get that number if it does not come in a moment.

The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Senator Simmons, does that complete your
questions?
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Ben Smith, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: SUMMER PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS

Sen. Ben Smith: Thank you, Madam President.
So, just as the Junior Minister was speaking
on what is available this summer and the fact that it is
not something that can be mandated, potentially [because] teachers have had other engagements during the summer . . . I know a lot of teachers actually take
on summer day camps so that they can make enough money to support themselves throughout the year.
So my question is, Some of these pr ogrammes, will they be available for those teachers who want to take this up after the summer programme is completed?

The President: Senator Darrell.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Yes.
The President: Yes. Senator Smith, do you have a
supplemental? No? He has answered your question?
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on this Statement, referring to Summer Professional L earning Activities for Educators?
No. Then—

Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, if I may?
The President: I beg your pardon, Senator Darrell.
Yes.
Sen. Owen Darrell: I would like to go back and answer this question so it is not lingering.

The President : Oh, fine. If you have answers, that is
fine.

Sen. Owen Darrell: I have some answers from the
first one.
Senator Tucker had a question about how
many students unfortunately were unsuccessful in
meeting the requirements. The only school that pr ovided that was the Berkeley Institute. And there were
20 individuals who did not meet the requirements. I
actually have a breakdown. There were 12 males and 8 females. CedarBridge did not provide those numbers.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell, and
thank you, Senators.
We will now move on.

ORDERS OF THE DAY
The President: Senators, I would like to advise that
all of the items will be carried forward. So we have no Orders of the Day items to do today.

MOTIONS

The President: There are none.

CONGRATULATORY AND/OR
OBITUARY SPEECHES

The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this?
Senator Simmons, you have the floor.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I would like to ask for condolences to be extended to the family of Ms. Joycelyn O’Brien, better
known as “Sophie” O’Brian. I am thinking particularly
of her husband, St. Clair; her children, Delroy, Robin, Marva- Jean (or Florence, or Gigi, as we know her)
and Dennis. She was an incredibly caring, loving,
compassionate wife, mother and friend. I knew her as
our next -door neighbour for many, many years in the
Foothills Road area of Devonshire. Always looking out for all of the children of the neighbourhood and also looking out for any problems with the homes in the
area.
A lot of people may have gotten to know her
through her work at Pink Beach Hotel where she was in charge of housekeeping, I believe, for many, many
years and received numerous commendations for her
work. Ms. O’Brien was also a devoted member of the
Hamilton Seventh- day Adventist Church. And I know
that her biological family, her neighbours and her church family will all miss her terribly , so condolences
to the family.
On a brighter note, I would like to congratulate
Bermuda’s National Football Team for their stunning victory over Barbados with an 8– 1 victory, also setting
the record (I hear) for the fastest goal in Gold Cup history. Yes, that victory has been followed by a de-feat [by] Haiti yesterday. But nothing can ever take
away from what this team has accomplished during
their effort to take us to the next round of the Gold
Cup. Congratulations to the team, and keep on pres sing! They will get there.
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The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle.
Senator Smith, you have the floor.

Sen. Ben Smith: Thank you, Madam President.
First, I would like to be associated with the
comments just concluded regarding the Bermuda N ational Team for football. I know all of us were ecstatic
when they were able to come with the result of 8– 1.
But I think it is important for us to understand that this
is the way sport works, that sometimes you are at the highs and sometimes you are at the low. And it is how
you handle yourself after that happens. So, congrat ulations to our entire football team and all of the staff
and everybody who has worked really hard to put that team in that position to make us proud and continue to
make us proud. I know that they will continue to strive
for success.
I would also like to take this opportunity to
congratulate Madelyn Moore and Jesse Washington. Both of them have been in the press a lot recently, some of it for not the happiest of moments for them.
But I would like to congratulate them in a year that
Resilience is the name for Bermuda in what we are
going through as a country a nd what they showed
during a struggling time for them, by going to the
CCCAN Championships in Puerto Rico knowing that the obstacles had been put in their way and how they
performed. Specifically, Madelyn Moore being able to
come back with four gold medals , breaking a CCCAN
record, qualifying for next summer’s world championships and continuing to perform at an extremely high
level with all of the situation that was going on around her.
So congratulations to her and to all of the at hletes in Bermuda who continue to strive to reach the
highest levels and continue to fly the Bermuda flag
proudly. I think that all of us would like to congratulate
the effort that has gone on continuously, specifically in
a year where COVID -19 has impacted competitions. It
has i mpacted the ability to train, the ability for them to
go to the gym. All of our athletes have struggled over this last year. So they need to be congratulated for continuing to keep their eye on the prize, which is to
represent Bermuda at the highest level and to conti nue to make our community proud.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Ben Smith.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Arianna Hodgson, you have the floor.

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I just wanted to take some time to congrat ulate the recent graduates, but also congratulate those
persons who have received rewards for the 2021/22
school year. I think it is also important that we pause
and thank the entities, the private entities, the c orpo-rate entities and even the Government, who makes
the yearly commitment to supporting our students and
ensuring that they are able to further their studies.
These are young people; these are people who are
perhaps changing their career paths, persons purs uing master or doctoral programmes. And I want to celebrate and thank all persons involved.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Lindsay Simmons.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I just want to wish the family of William James
Richardson . . . I want to give our condolences to his
family as they lay him to rest today —his wife Sonja,
his daughter Keisha and his son Ajani. I know “Doc,”
as he was affectionately named. He used to driv e my
daddy’s taxi, and he was just a big ball of energy. So I just want to extend my condolences to his family and
wish them all the best today as they lay him to rest, because he is going to be a big miss.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Si mmons.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Hearing none, then we will move on.

ADJOURNMENT
The President: Minister Peets, it is over to you.

Thank you, Madam
President.
I move that Senate adj ourn until July 14.
The President: Thank you.
Would any Senator care to speak on the m otion to adjourn?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

ONE LOVE FOUNDATION
SUMMER LEADERSHIP CAMP

Sen. Robin Tucker: Madam President, thank you
very much for gi ving me just a couple of moments;
that is all I will really need.
But as I think most people will know now, the
issue of domestic violence is very near and dear to me. I wanted to speak today because I was made
aware . I came across an article most recentl y in the
newspaper , and it was very exciting to me, and I
wanted to talk about it here today. An organ isation
called One Love Foundation is going to be hosting a
summer leadership camp that teaches young people
between the ages of 14 and 22 how to avoid getting in
abusive relationships.


Bermuda Senate This I think is such a wonderful, wonderful
initiative, particularly because as we all know none of
us is immune to either knowing about domestic vi olence situations or there are potentially . . . we either
know someone or certainly there are people who are
listening who are involved and have been affected by
domestic violence in one way or another. And for us
as a community to even be able to have this conversation with our young people is absolutely something I
believe [I need] to draw attention to.
One of the things that I think that we really
should also highlight is the fact that the COVID -19
pandemic and sheltering in place and our inability, our
restricted movements put people in very difficult situations who are alre ady in domestic violence relationships because they are trapped at home or in their
dwelling situations with their abuser. By “abusers,” I
am not specifically just talking about women. Women
are primarily the persons who are affected by domestic abuse and domestic violence, but there are also
men who are in abusive relationships. And of course we all know that there are children who are also i mpacted by what they see. And as we know, children tend to model what they see, and the cycle continues
over and over and over.
As the community that we live in, we by nature as Bermudians tend to keep things very much
hidden. So to come to a place where we have people
who are willing . . . we have the charities that have
been screaming from the rooftops for ages. But to
come across this particular entity that is willing to start
the conversations early with our 14- to-22-year-olds
teaching them what it looks like. Because I would venture to say that there are people who do not even rea lise that they are being abused. An d to start teaching
our young people early what it looks like is definitely
something that I believe is, as I said, worth celebrating.
So the Centers for Disease Control and Pr evention have stated that more than one in three women, nearly one in three men and more than one in two
trans or bisexual people will be in abusive relationships in their lifetime. This is a staggering . . . what is
the word? I do not even know what the word is that I
want to use. But it is a staggering statement! So I b elieve that the more that we have these conversations,
the more that we open up the issue and pull the dar kness . . . because these types of things, domestic
abuse, sexual abuse grow in environments where
things are hidden and they are not talked about. But
the more t hat we talk about it and support people who
are involved and get help for the people who are the
abusers themselves, then I think the better off we will
be as a country and as a general society.
So thank you, Madam President, for giving me
a few moments j ust to highlight that.
Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Tucker. Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Hearing none, then, Senators, thank you for
your contributions this morning. The Senate stands
adjourned until next week, which is the 14
th of July.
Thank you.

[At 12:22 pm, the Senate stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 14 July 2021.]



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