July 2, 2025

Regardless of the amount?
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Regardless of the
amount.
Importation: S o the decriminali sation, what we
colloquially refer to as the “D ecrim Bill” of 2017, relates
to simple possession only. All right? So there have
been no moves around relaxation, legali sation or decriminalis ation of importation. At the moment any importation, even with respect to medicinal cannabis , has
to be done pursuant to a licenc e, and t hose licenc es
are in a set framework . That is the regime that is currently . . . the framework under review . And so it would
be inappropriate to speak more on that regime right now. But I think your question related, if I read it correctly , [to] the confusion around what an individual
might do, particularly a tourist.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Right.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Right , yes.
The President: Senator Tannock.

QUESTION 1: CANNABIS POSSESSION
CLARIFICATION ON LEGAL STATUS OF
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, Madam President. Yes ,
thank you.
Thank you , Madam Attorney General . Your
predecessor , the former Attorney General, mentioned
in March 2025 that there would be a steering committee
formed to address legislation that was fit for constitutional purpose. B y that I interpreted that she meant that
the Government would be looking at something like a
medicinal cannabis B ill, amending the M isuse of D rugs
Act or applying for the exemption that Canada currently
holds for recreational marijuana use. What is the position of this steering committee? Has it been formed and
where are we with proposing legislation?
The President: Thank you, Senator.
Yes.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: As I have already indicated, Madam President , I am not the substantive M inister in relation to that . That is under the purview of the
Minister of National Drug Control. A s I have already
said, I think the frameworks are under review. You referred to my predecessor in March 2025. I think I was
in this seat in March 2025, s o you might have meant
March 2024. Yes.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: My apologies.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: No worries. As I said in
my Statement , I think this G overnment is continually
working toward a framework but there is still a lot to do in that regard, and I will not speak out of place with respect to what is in the purview of the substantive Minister who sits in another place.

The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General .
No further questions then on the topic , that first
Statement , the questions on the Ministerial Statement ,
we have completed that.
We will move on to the second Statement and
that was in the name of the Honourable Senator Lauren
Bell, the Junior Minister for Economy and Labou r. And
that was on development and training , our training update. Would any S enator care to ask questions on this
Statement?
Senator Jones , Opposition Leader of the Senate, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: LABOUR FORCE SURVEY MAY 2024
AND DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING UPDATE
Sen. Marcus Jones: Again, thank you Madam President.
I would like to thank the Junior Minister for
providing us with this S tatement. I had one question ,
strictly a question that requires clarifications. When determining the unemployment rate and the employment
rate, how many hours per week is this statistic based
on to qualify a person being fully employed as opposed to being underemployed?

The President: Senator Lauren Bell, Junior Minister of
Economy and Labo ur, the question is to you.

Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President.
Can I request that I get all the questions for that
Statement at once and then I can provide the answers?
Thank you.

The President: Certainly.
Senators, you have heard the request.

[Crosstalk]
The President: Yes, sorry , Senator Wight , Vice President.


Bermuda Senate QUESTION 1: LABOUR FORCE SURVEY MAY 2024
AND DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING UPDATE

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I just have one question for the Junior Minister.
Reference was made in the Statement to the Department of Workforce Development servicing 683 individ-uals directly last year. Can the Junior Minister provide
some sort of data or narrative around how successful
the department would have been in assisting the execution of those indivi duals to obtain full -time jobs or
part-time jobs?
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Vice President John Wight .
Senator Cunningham, I believe you have questions.

QUESTION 1: LABOUR FORCE SURVEY MAY 2024
AND DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING UPDATE

Sen. Victoria Cunningham: Thank you, Madam President , and thank you for your Statement , Junior Minister.
I actually think all three S tatement s, this and
the other two, are fairly intertwined. B ut my question on
this Statement , similar to Vice President W ight's, is
tracking the metrics of the Department of Workforce Development programmes. How are we tracking where
these individuals are going after they have completed
the programmes? And how are we sure that they are
not taking the skills that they have learned here and
taking them overseas , that then we are contributing to
our emigration issues because of cos t of living , just to
wrap it all in together ?
QUESTION 2: LABOUR FORCE SURVEY MAY 2024
AND DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING UPDATE
Sen. Victoria Cunningham: Oh, and then I have a
second question. Great to see that the youth unemployment rate is at 2.4 per cent, but my question is around
the sustainability of that number and whether this is not
just a case . . . well, a s a percentage of the total employed numbers of people, I would think that our youth
is decreasing given our declining birth rate. But I would
just like to know, you know, this is ultimately a number ,
I think , because our youth are not returning upon the
completion of their studies overseas or they are moving overseas in search of more opportunities. So , I would
just be interested to know what the actual number of
youth were, the 16- to 24- year-olds, at May 2024 ?
Maybe compared to, say, May 2017?
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Cunningham.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, Madam President.
The President: Yes, Senator Tannock.

QUESTION 1: LABOUR FORCE SURVEY MAY 2024
AND DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING UPDATE
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Thank you very much , Senator Bell, for this report. My question comes from the way
in which some of the information is collected and that may impact the results. W e have here that we are being
told that the employment rate has increased to 81.4 per
cent. But if we look at the actual survey itself, we see
that also counted are individuals who work unpaid in
family businesses. So, they can work in family businesses or work unpaid in family businesses. Are we
counting people who work unpaid as part of that increase in the employment rate? Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock .

Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President and
colleagues for those questions. I f you just bear with me
while I get some responses and clarity from the technical team.
[Pause]

The President: Senator Bell, are you able to give any
responses at this time, or do you want to give it at a
later time?
Sen. Lauren Bell: Yes, my technical team is compiling
some responses, but I am cognisant of the time and if
my colleagues are willing, I am happy to provide written
answers at a later date if that is their preference.

The President: Or if you get the responses at a later
time in the meeting.

Sen. Lauren Bell: Okay . If that is agreeable, that would
be fine.

The President: Senators, are you agreeable?
They are agreeable.
They are agreeable. So, we will wa it and see
toward the end of the meeting of the Senate if you can
provide responses to those questions at that time.
Senators, with that said, what we will do then
is to move on to the next Statement that was also given
by Senator Lauren Bell.
Do you have any questions? That is Factors
Driving Emigration in Bermuda. Does any Senator have
questions on that Statement?
Senator Marcus Jones, Opposition Leader in
the Senate. You can pose your question .

QUESTION 1: EMIGRATION IN BERMUDA
FACTORS DRIVING

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
380 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate I do thank the Junior Minister for bringing this
to this C hamber. I would say just as important as us
knowing the factors that drive emigration from Bermuda , in Bermuda, I think it is equally as important if
the Junior Minister can provide us statistics to indicate
the actual numbers of persons who have emigrated
since the last census, which I think was 2016 ? The reason for that is because G overnment makes policy decisions based on those hardcore statistics. And if the
Government does not have those number s to this point,
does the G overnment have plans to implement a
means of obtaining those numbers?
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Marcus Jones.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions
on the Statement , Factors Driving Emigration in Bermuda?
Senator Tannock, you have the floor.

QUESTION 1: EMIGRATION IN BERMUDA
FACTORS DRIVING

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, thank you, Madam President.
I note that issues like h igh cost of living and affordability are raised and also satisfaction of life overseas and rising crime as factors for emigration. But I
was wondering if we ever have done an examination—
and I did not see one in the 2025 immigration survey
report —about the people who actually emigrated for
reasons due to criminal activity , i.e., being involved in
criminal activities themselves, leaving the jurisdiction due to fear of gang violence, being rehoused by the
Bermuda Government for witness protection. W here
and w hen can we or do we get those and collect those
statistics?

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Sorry, I should just add, just to
clarify. I know we do have the numbers and statistics
for people that have emigrated for various reasons regarding perhaps, witness protection and others. So, it
is really not those statistics, although those would be
good to know as well. It is really the concern about our
young people and even those who are not so young who are leaving the Island because of perhaps , gang
activity or criminal activity , that makes it impossible for
them to reside here a ny longer. Are we tracking them?
What do we know about that segment of our population? Because unfortunately sometimes when we look
at the news, especially in the UK, we see young Ber-mudians and unfortunately sometimes the news is not
good.
So, I am wondering and I am curious, what are
we doing to look at the people who are leaving the Island because Bermuda is no longer habitable for them. Because of maybe even their involvement in crime or
family members?
The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.
Senator Cunningham.

QUESTION 1: EMIGRATION IN BERMUDA
FACTORS DRIVING
Sen. Victoria Cunningham: Thank you, Madam President , and thank you, Senator Bell for bringing this forward.
I think the Government as a whole, we have
recogni sed that e migration and our decreasing , declining population is an issue. I would call it an issue of national security. I note that you say that “emigration, if
excessive .” Well, I think it is excessive. I think the fact
that we d o not even know how many potential people
have left, but I think the global research studies clearly cite high cost of living, lack of affordability, limited opportunities, lack of job growth as issues. So, my question is, and you know, this is nothing new in my mind,
but what are the G overnment's timelines in ensuring
that any research that has been conducted will be
looked into and potentially used to stem our mass flow
of emigration.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Cunningham.

Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President. I can
provide some answers to questions that were tabled re-garding the Labour Force Survey .
I can confirm, and t his is a response to the
question that was posed by Senator Wight . Department
of Workforce Development served 683 persons and the
question was, How successful in assisting those individuals in obtaining full -time jobs ? While there were
683 persons seeking services from Workforce Development for the 2024 /25 period, the department was
able to refer 199 persons for jobs. Just for some context, the department is not an employment agency. However, it does provide some wraparound services
for clients seeking employment. T he department has
set a target of placing 100 clients. That is their target
for the year.
It did fall short. We placed 55 persons. Additionally, the percentage of completed P ersonal Employment Plans, known as PEPs, reached 64 per cent rather than the 80 per cent that was our target. This is
due to clients disengaging from the process and having
other social factors that delayed the PEP progress .
Some of this was reported when we presented the
budget on some of those targets.
To the question posed by Senator Tannock
specifically regarding the survey , the results I presented about emigration and the reasons for . Did they
emigrate due to either their criminal activity or criminal
activity of their family or fear ? The survey was carefully


Bermuda Senate worded to gain information on the various reasons . If
criminality or criminal activity was the reason with some
weight , it would have shown up in the results . And we
did not see that. Some of the results that we saw were
some concerns about crime and governance, [which]
was given for some of the reasons for leaving. But there
was not anything beyond that in th ose results.
To the question posed by Senator Jones regarding updated stats on e migration . He is correct , the
last time we had statistics was reported from the cen-sus. The Department of Statistics is intending to ask
more of those emigration- related questions in the upcoming census scheduled for 2026.
The President: Senator Tannock .

QUESTION 2: EMIGRATION IN BERMUDA
FACTORS DRIVING

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, Madam President.
Thank you very much, Senator Bell. I have the
survey in front of me, and I have the questions that were asked for participants to rate the factors driving
emigration. And actually, all I see is , “gang culture,
crime and violence in Bermuda and its potential impact
on your family. ” Is that the . . . that's the question you're
referring to?
Sen. Lauren Bell: Correct.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Okay. Thank you.

Sen. Lauren Bell: You are welcome.
I believe there are two other questions. I am
just waiting for answers from my technical team,

Thank you, Senator Bell. We will wait.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Madam President .
The President: Yes.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Madam President,
while we wait, I can offer a partial answer to Senator
Tannock 's question, with respect to people who might
be in the witness protection program mes. And certainly, we discussed some of this during the Budget Debate. The problem is . . . you are quite right. I think that
there are increasing numbers of people taking advantage of the witness protection programme s. But
there is not a way to identify people who might have left
for similar reasons, but they are not included in the programme . We do know that the witness care is quite . . .
that those resources are quite burdened at the mo-ment. So, it is an indication that there would be a trend
in that direction.

The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General . Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, there was a
question that was posed about what is Government's
timeline in ensuring research will be followed to stem
the mass e migration. As you are aware, the Ministry is
currently examining the data. T here are a number of
recommendations which cross a number of our ministries and we can reference the recently held Cost of
Living Summit as well as the concerns related to affordable housing. It will take some time to actually come up
with a comprehensive strategy around s ome of the reports that we are getting. We do recogni se while the
responses to that survey w ere quite stark, this is definitely an opportunity for us to plan a way forward based
on the results from that survey.
[Pause]

Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, in response to
Senator Jones' question, which was, When determining unemployment and employment rate, how many
hours a week are counted ? Hours are not part of the
calculation of unemployment and the employment rate. The employment rate is calculated as a ratio of the employed persons aged 16 to 64 to the population of the
same age. The unemployment rate is the number of
unemployed persons 16 and over as a percentage of
the labou r force 16 and over. So, it is not based on
hours of work.
There was a question regarding the number of
youth that make up the unemployment rate. The total
of 55 persons aged 16 to 25 were recorded as being unemployed.
Senator Tann ock did pose a question regarding the unemployed workers who indicated that they
are working for a family business. T hey are counted as
part of Bermuda's working population even though they
do not receive a salary.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Clarity, point of clarification. Is
that when I can say it? I do not know.
You mentioned unemployed workers working
for family businesses. The phrase in the survey is ac-tually , unpaid workers who are working for family business.

Sen. Lauren Bell: Correct. Correct. Yes, I did misspeak. Yes, it is unpaid workers working in a family
business . And those are counted as part of the I sland's
working population.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Okay, so I do have a supplementary question in that case.
If we look at the rising cost of living, if we look
at expenses, if we look at our median income, so those
people are factored into, I would assume , those calculations . But it will be difficult to say that our proportion
of the working population are earning “ X” or this. If we
382 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate have people that are unpaid that we are classifying as
employed, would not we class them as volunteers? I
mean, y ou may not volunteer to work in a family business, but I struggle to see how we can use people who
are unpaid but working in an employment survey that assesses salary work hours.
Do we not have a category that is not classified
as employment that can be classified as , I don't know,
free services or volunteerism? Because what it makes
it seem like is that you may work unpaid for a family
business because you cannot find work anywhere else.
That does not mean that we have addressed the issue
of unemployment. It just means that people have found
opportunities in a family business, but they are not be-ing reimbursed for them. So, can we really say that we
are decreasing unemployment if those people are not
getting a wage? I mean it may be semantics; it may be
a philosophical question. But I just struggle with classifying them with the workforce who are getting compensated.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannock.

Sen. Lauren Bell: So, this category of persons who are
unpaid workers in family business has been part of the
results of the survey for a while. And it has been included as a part of tracking those persons who are
working unpaid in a family business. And they are, I mean, if you look at the report, they also are as reported
they are combined with those persons who are working for self. And so, we recognise that some people who are working for self and some people who are working
as an unpaid person in a family business may be receiving some other form of payment. So, our Department of Statistics use internationally accepted methodologies to capture information and statistics on labour
force and its guidance is taken from international stand-ards. Okay?

[Inaudible interjection]
Sen. Lauren Bell: You are welcome.
Madam President, I believe I have asked . . .
answered all of the questions that have been posed.

The President: Thank you, Senator Lauren Bell, Junior
Minister for Health, Economy and Labour , [and Housing and Municipalities] for responding to the questions
that have been presented this morning.
With that said, now we will move on to the final
Statement that was given by Senator Lindsay Simmons, Junior Minister for Home Affairs, Youth, Social
Development, Seniors and National Security. And that
was titled , the [Bermuda’s Cost of Living :] Cost of Living
Summit 2025.
Would any Senator care to ask questions on
this Statement?
Senator Cunningham, you have the floor.
QUESTION 1: COST OF LIVING SUMMIT 2025
BERMUDA’S COST OF LIVING

Sen. Victoria Cunningham: Thank you very much
Madam President.
And a number of my Parliamentary colleagues
attended the Summit. My question is, hopefully, quite brief. But did the Ministry of Home Affairs consider a
different location as the optics of utili sing the Hamilton
Princess when we have various empty schools out there? I know that I drive past Harrington Sound Primary school. It seems to have been empty for the last
three weeks. So, any school halls or what -not that could
have been utili sed for a Cost of Living Summit rather
than one of our major high- end hote ls. Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Cunningham.
Senator Simmons .

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President I just want to say that the
schools . . . actually , all teachers finished on Monday.
So, that was not a place where we could have the Summit. The Ministry of Home Affairs did look at other
places, but Hamilton Princess was the best place to
hold this Summit. Thank you.

The President: Thank you.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions
on this S tatement? Hearing none then, thank you, Senators , for your questions on the Statements that have
been presented this morning.
We will now move on then with the Order Paper we have before us.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

The President: So, Senators , we now have arrived at
the Orders of the Day, and the first item is the second
reading of the Insurance Amendment Act 2025. And
that was in the name of Senator [ Crystal ] Caesar,
spokesperson for Finance [in the Senate] . But we are
looking to Madam Attorney General , Minister of Justice,
to present that Bill.

Sen. The Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you, Madam
President.
I move that the Bill entitled . . .

The Clerk: Provisions of [Standing Order] 25.

The President: Provisions of [Standing Order] 25. Do
you have that?
[Crosstalk]

STANDING ORDER 25



Bermuda Senate Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I move that the provisions of Standing Order 25 . . .

The Clerk: B e granted.

The President: Be granted.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Be granted.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
Carry on, Madam Attorney General.

[Motion carried: Leave granted for the Insurance
Amendment Act 2025 to be read a second time on the same day as its first reading.]

Sen the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you Madam
President.
I move that the Bill entitled the Insurance
Amendment Act 2025 now be read a second time.

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

BILL

SECOND READING

INSURANCE AMENDMENT ACT 2025

Sen the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you Madam
President.
I am pleased to present to the Senate the Bill
entitled the Insurance Amendment Act 2025 (the Bill) .
This Bill amends the Insurance Amendment Act 1978 (the Act ) to confirm and expand the regulatory powers
of the Bermuda Monetary Authority i n respect of statutory financial statements by allowing the Authority to
make rules concerning prudential and technical standards, and the form and content of information in such
statements. The Bill also validates rules previously
made by the Authority in relation to statutory financial
statements.
Madam President, Bermuda’s i nsurance industry operates under a globally respected regulatory
framework which is critical to our international standing.
The Authority, as a financial services regulator, plays a vital role in maintaining the soundness and reputation
of our jurisdiction. The Bill is a necessary and prudent measure to ensure the legal integrity of that framework.
Madam President, key highlights of the Bill are
as follows:
Proposed amendments to section 6A : Madam
President, section 6A (1) of the Act provides the Authority with the ability to make rules prescribing prudential
or technical standards in relation to key regulatory areas. However, statutory financial statements were not originally included in the list of matters to which such rules can apply. As a result, some rules made by the
Authority including the Insurance Account Rules 2016,
and rules for Collaterali zed Insurers, Special Purpose
Insurers and Class IIGB I nsurers, are considered ultra
vires to the extent that they prescribe technical standards for statutory financial statements. Madam President, to remedy this and remove any uncertainty ,
clause 2 of the Bill amends section 6A (1) to enter a new
paragraph (fa) expressly allowing the Authority to make
rules in relation to statutory financial statements. This
will regularise the legal basis of existing rules and confirm the Authority’s powers moving forward.
The amendments to section 6A that are being
proposed by this Amendment Bill will also bring the Insurance Act in line with the Investment Business Act
2003 and the Digital Asset Business Act 2018.
The second proposal : A proposed amendment
to section 15 which is the form and c ontent of s tatements. Madam President, clause 3 of the Bill amends
section 15 of the Act by introducing two new subsections.
Subsection (3A) provides that the form and information contained in statutory financial statements
may be prescribed by:
1. regulations made by the Minister of Finance for certain classes of insurers. For
example, Class I, Class 2, Class 3,
Class A, Class B, Class IGB and Class
ILT; or
2. by rules made by the Authority for other classes. For example, Class 3A, Class 3B, Class 4, Class C, Class D, Class E, Class
IILT, Class IIGB insurers, Special Purpose
Insurers and Collateralised Insurers.
Subsection (3B) provides that rules made under new subsection (3A)(b) are not subject to p arliamentary scrutiny under the Statutory Instruments Act 1977 , aligning with treatment of other technical standards made by the Authority.
Madam President, this dual approach respects
the historical vires established in section 53 of the Act
while recognising the evolving role of the Authority in
supervising Bermuda’s increasingly sophisticated insurance sector.
Validating existing rules : Madam President , the
Authority sought to introduce new technical standards
for statutory financial statements in 2022. Legal advice
from the Attorney General’s Chambers confirmed that
the Authority lacked vires to make such rules under the
current drafting of section 6A. And advise that an
amendment to s ection 6A (1) would provide the vires required. Without this amendment , Bermuda could risk
undermining the legitimacy of its regulatory regime and jeopardise international recogniti on such as Solvency II
equivalence .
Madam President , clause 4 of the Bill validates
any rules made by the Authority under s ection 6A prior
to the coming into force of this Bill which relate to statutory financial statements. This provision is necessary
384 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report
B ermuda Senate to preserve legal certainty and regulatory continuity , especially as these rules underpin Bermuda’s status as a
Solvency II equivalent jurisdiction. Madam President,
this Bill is therefore essential to uphold Bermuda’s reputation as a premier financial centre.
Commencement. Madam President , the Bill
will come into operation upon enactment. Madam President, in closing , I would like to thank the technical
teams within the authorities, the Attorney General’s
Chambers and the Ministry of Finance, who have
worked diligently to ensure the clarity, robustness and
legality of our insurance regulatory framework.
And Madam President , I know in the Chamber
are Ms. Sierra Bell of the Ministry of Finance and from
our Chambers , Alsha Wilson , who was actually very
eagle- eyed in noting that statutory financial statements
were somehow overlooked in the original version of the
Bill. And certainly, as a practitioner , Madam President ,
I had looked at that and I think sometimes we take the
view that we note that it is missing but we see that financial returns are there, and we just took them to say ,
Oh, I guess we mean it to be the same. But I just want
to commend the level of diligence that has come out of
the technical teams from Finance and the Attorney
General’s Chambers in this regard.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
SENATE VISITORS
The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General
and Minister of Justice.
And welcome t o both of y ou. I am glad she has
introduced you to t he C hamber.
[The Insurance A mendment A ct 2025, s econd reading
debate, c ontinuing]
The President: And I would like to thank you, [Senator
the Honourable Kim Wilkerson, Attorney General], for
presenting this on behalf of Senator Caesar who is the
spokesperson for F inance in this Chamber.
Would any Senator care to speak on this Bill?
Yes, Senator Marcus Jones, Opposition
Leader in the Senate, you have the floor.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to thank Madam Attorney General
for bringing this legislation and presenting it to us with
the Opposition’s support of this Bill. We recognise that the BMA [Bermuda Monetary Authority ] and the Ministry need to be able to acquire certain information pri-marily as it relates to statutory financial statements. And again, I would like to also join in with Madam At-torney General in regard to giving a nod of appreciation
for the keen eye of the technical team for spotting that. With the ever -changing and evolving industry one
would expect the regulator to be able to move at the speed of business without having to be under Parliamentary scrutiny with every rule change that is required.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Would any other Senator care to speak ?
Senator John Wight, the Vice President in the
Senate, you have the floor.
Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
Just to offer my support to Madam Attorney
General on this Bill. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Wight, Vice President.
With that said, would any other Senator care to
speak on this Bill?
Hearing none, it is over to you, Minister Wilkerson, Attorney General.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you , Madam
President.
I now move that Standing Order 26 be suspended in respect to this Bill.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
T he Clerk: Second reading. Just do the second reading.
The President: Second reading. Sorry. Okay.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Madam President, I
move that the Bill entitled Insurance Amendment Act 2025 now be read a third [sic] time—
The President: No, a second time.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: —a second time.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
The Clerk: Now the 26.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 26
The President: Now do the [Standing Order] 26. Sorry.
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Yes.
Madam President, I move that Standing Order
26 be suspended in respect of this Bill.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
[
Motion carried: Standing Order 26 suspended.]


Bermuda Senate Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Madam President, I
move that the Bill entitled Insurance Amendment Act
2025 now be read a third time.
The President: Is there any objection to the third reading?
No objections.

BILL

THIRD READING

INSURANCE AMENDMENT ACT 2025
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: I move that the Bill do
now pass.

The President: It has been moved that the Bill entitled
the Insurance Amendment Act 2025 be now passed.
Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection. The Bill is passed.

[Motion carried: The Insurance Amendment Act 202 5
was read a third time and passed.]
The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General
for presenting this on behalf of Senator Caesar.
We now move on to the next item on our Orders of the Day, and that is the Trade Marks Amend-ment Act 2025. And that is in the name of Senator Lau-ren Bell, the Junior Minister for Economy and Labour,
[and Housing and Municipalities].
Senator Bell, you have the floor.

STANDING ORDER 25

Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I move that the provision of
Standing Order 25 be granted so that the Senate may
now proceed with the second reading of the Bill entitled
Trade Marks Amendment Act 2025.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.

[Motion carried: Leave granted for the Trade Marks
Amendment Act 2025 to be read a second time on the
same day as its first reading.]
Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, I move that the
Bill entitled Trade Marks Amendment Act 2025 be now
read a second time.

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

BILL
SECOND READING

TRADE MARKS AMENDMENT ACT 2025
Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President.
I am pleased to present the Trade Marks
Amendment Act 2025 to this Honourable Senate. This Bill seeks to amend the Trade Marks Act 2023 to clarify
several provisions in that legislation. This Bill also includes a Schedule [of] fee regulations that are intended to replace the Government Fees (Trade Marks) Regulations 2023.
Madam President, as Honourable Member s
are aware, the Government is currently in the process
of updating its legislation governing intellectual property. The Trade Marks Act 2023 was the first piece of legislation that was approved by the Parliament as part
of this effort, along with Government Fees (Trade
Marks) Regulations 2023. Several months later, in December 2023, the Trade Marks Regulation 2023 was
laid in the Honourable House.
Madam President, a trade mark is essentially a
recognisable sign used to distinguish the goods or services of one party from those of another. Trade marks
can be used by individuals and businesses, and they
also can be used to indicate membership in a particular
associati on. Trade marks can take the form of words,
including names, slogans, letters, symbols, colours,
sounds, smells, packaging, or design. They are used to
represent the goodwill that trade mark owners have earned by marketing their products and services.
For instance, whenever we see the word Nike,
or the image of that commonly referred to as the swoosh, on clothes or shoes, we recognise the shoes
or clothing as a “Nike” product. Nike is known for its use
of the slogan, “Just Do It.” Madam President, trade
marks are intended to cause such automatic assumptions and can be [a] quite valuable part of a business
by helping to establish brand recognition. They are as-sets that confer certain legal rights on their owner. Registration of a trade mark in Bermu da giv es the owner of
that mark the right to use it and to prevent others from
using it without his permission.
Madam President, trade marks play a crucial
role in a commercial marketplace and business owners rely on them to compete. For this reason, it is important
to provide a legal framework that is comprehensive,
modern, and consistent with global practices.
The Trade Marks Act 2023 accomplishes this.
However, the Bill being debated today includes amend-ments that were deemed necessary to add further clarity and to ensure compliance with certain international
standards.
Madam President, this Bill will insert a definition for the term “ transmission” as that term is used in
the Trade Marks Act 2023 to refer to transfers of registered trade marks. The intention is to clarify that such a
transfer can occur in connection with a corporate merger or otherwise. Based on previous communications
386 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate with customers and filings regarding transfers of registered trade marks, the Registry General’s Department
determined it would be helpful to include the proposed
definition, which specifically mentions corporate mergers along with other modes of transfers .
Madam President, proposed changes to section 34 of the Act will provide general authority for the
Registrar to record in the Trade Marks register any
transfers of ownership or other rights in a registered trade mark which is not already mentioned in that section. This would include transfers resulting from corpo-rate mergers.
Madam President, the Bill will also make very
minor changes to Schedule 3 of the Trade Marks Act 2023 to help ensure compliance with international
guidelines as related to international trade marks and
in consequence of the changing proposals to section 34.
Finally, Madam President, the Government
Fees (Trade Marks) Regulations 2025 are being intro-duced in a Schedule to the Bill and will replace the Gov-ernment Fees (Trade Marks) Regulations 2023.
I note commencement of the new legislation
has been delayed in large part to allow for additional time for the Registry General to prepare to administer the new framework. This included updating software to
assist staff in meeting the responsibilities under the
new Act —a process that is funded and ongoing—and
completing two rounds of training. The first round of
training for staff was facilitated online over six months
by representatives from the UK Intellectual Property Of-fice. The second round of training was attended in person by the staff and was facilitated through intergovern-mental cooperation between the Bermuda Government and the government of Trinidad and Tobago. The delay
also included review of the fees set out in the 2023 fee regulations .
Madam President, since those fee regulations
have not yet been brought into force, the required amendments have been incorporated into the Schedule [of] Fees and the entire set of regulations reintroduced as a matter of efficiency. While the vast majority
of fees are the same as those included in the 2023 Schedule of Fees, eight fees have been added to the 2025 version. Fee numbers 7, 23, 67, and 99 relate to
the new processes being undertaken by the Registry
General’s Department under the new law. And fee
numbers 36, 37, 42, and 43 relate to continuing process
and have been added to ensure the Government collects appropriate fees for the processes to which they
relate.
The [2025] fee schedule also includes some
minor corrections to some of the fee descriptions to en-sure correct application of the fees.
Madam President, this has been a substantial
undertaking, and we are all looking forward to the com-mencement of the legislation. The Registry General’s
Department and the Attorney General’s Chambers
have already completed the drafting process for all other regulations and documents required to support
the legislation, including the forms needed to make applications and the required filings. These will be gazetted and published on the Government’s website in the
coming weeks.
Madam President, it was previously announced that the Trade Marks legislation will commence on July 1. However, as amended in the House,
the commencement date will change to August 1,
[2025].
Madam President, I wish to extend my sincere
thanks to the industry representatives for their cooperation and their invaluable input on the Trade Marks legislation. I would also like to thank the technical officers
in the Registry General’s Department and the Attorney
General’s Chambers for their work on this initiative.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Lauren Bell, Junior
Minister for Economy and Labour, [and Housing and
Municipalities].

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

SENATE VISTORS
The President: And before I open to the floor, I would
just like to acknowledge in the Chamber the presence
of the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Aideen Ratteray, the
Permanent Secretary for Economy and Labour as well as Mrs. Lovette Tannock from the Attorney General’s
Chambers. Welcome to you both, ladies.

[The Trade Marks Amendment Act 2025, s econd reading debate, continuing]
The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this Bill?
Yes, Senator Marcus Jones, Opposition
Leader in the Senate, you have the floor.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
We thank the Junior Minister for bringing this
legislation to this Chamber. We as the Opposition do in fact support this amendment. We see this amendment
as a means to beef up our laws that can better protect
intellectual property of an ever -evolving indus try. We
know that the minor changes to the Schedule along
with the eight fees added to the original one . . .
I will say the commencement date of this Act
having been changed multiple times in another place suggests the Government must not be so presumptive
when declaring the commencement dates without taking into account deliberations in the Senate who at the
time of the tabling of the legislation in another place had
not met to debate.
We do support it. We see the value of it. And
we thank you for the Government bringing this forward.
Thank you, Madam President.


Bermuda Senate The President: Thank you, Senator Marcus Jones.
Would any other Senator care to speak on this
Bill?
Senator Tannock, you have the floor.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, thank you, Madam President.
My question is really relating to the transmission portion of this amendment, and it is with regard to
just registration. So, I would assume that what would
happen is that regulations will be made that will address the registration transferring from one entity to another if
it goes through the transmission by legal means. And
also has there been any examination given to trade
marks that are jointly owned if one party that is a joint
owner of a trade mark intends to trans mit that trade
mark via a legal merger?

The President: Would any other Senator care to speak
on this Bill?
I am hearing none. We will wait for a response
from the Junior Minister.
[Pause]

Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President.
In response to . . .
First of all, I would like to thank the Opposition
for their support for this legislation.
In response to the question tabled by Senator
Tannock, the regulations do provide for transmission from one entity to another and the definition of “ transmission ” includes transmission [in] relation to a sale or
merger of a business. The regulations are being final-ised for laying in the House shortly. Does that answer
your question?
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Sorry. Thank you, Senator
Bell. No not really. I appreciate the definition of “ transmission .” It was really with the transmission, the procedure, the set up for the procedure for if something is transmitted by sale, registering that to the new owner.
That was the first one because I did not see that covered in the Act, but as you said, and as I mentioned, it may be in the regulations.
And then my second question was regarding
trade marks that are jointly owned by entities when one of the entities perhaps is sold. How has that been factored into joint ownership of a trade mark? If [there is]
joint ownership of a trade mark that may be us ed by
multiple entities, when one entity is sold and that trade
mark is transmitted to a third party —has that been
taken into contemplation? So, you and I have businesses together, and we use the goddess Nike (not the
swoosh Nike) as our icon. I decide to sell to Senator
Wight my business, but you and I jointly use that icon.
I transmit that to Senator Wight. Where does that leave
you? [I sell] my business and my use of that icon to
Senator Wight. Where does that leave Senator Bell and her use of the icon? So, (I guess) does joint ownership
transfer so Senator Bell and Senator Wight jointly own
the icon together? I just . . . It is just that this has not
been contemplated. I have not seen it addressed in the legislation when there is mor e than one owner and it
has been transmitted via a legal means like the transmission through a merger.

Sen. Lauren Bell: So, while I wait for the technical
team to provide me with the [answer] related to joint ownership of a trade mark, I just want to reclarify that the process of transmission is going to be covered under the regulations and we recognise that response.
The joint ownership of a trade mark is accommodated in the legislation. So, when one owner moves
on, the surviving owner retains the ownership. And that
is covered under the legislation.

Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, thank you. And are we
including in that any reference to transmission —this
new definition [of] “ transmission” and this new mode of
transmission? Have we factored that into the section
and provision relating to joint ownership? [That] is more
my question.

Sen. Lauren Bell: And the response I have gotten from
the technical team is yes, it is covered.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Okay. Thank you.

Sen. Lauren Bell: You are welcome.
[Crosstalk ]

Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, I believe those
are the responses to all the questions tabled.
The President: Yes, it is. And you now can move your
Bill.

Sen. Lauren Bell: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I move that the Bill entitled
Trade Marks Amendment Act 2025 be now read a second time.

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

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 26

Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, I move that
Standing Order 26 be suspended in respect to this Bill.

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

[Motion carried: Standing Order 26 suspended.]
388 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate BILL

THIRD READING

TRADE MARKS AMENDMENT ACT 2025

Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, I move that the
Bill entitled Trade Marks Amendment Act 2025 be now read a third time.

The President: Is there any objection to the third reading?
No objection.
Sen. Lauren Bell: Madam President, I move that the
Bill do now pass.

The President: It has been moved that the Bill entitled
Trade Marks Amendment Act 2025 do now pass.
Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
The Bill has passed.

[Motion carried: The Trade Marks Amendment Act
2025 was read a third time and passed.]
The President: Thank you, Senator [Bell], and Senators for your support of the Bill.
Senators, we will now move on to Item No. 3
on our Order Paper. And that is consideration of the
draft Order entitled Tourism Investment (Clearwater
Community Event Venue) Order 2025. And that is in the name of Senator Mischa Fubler, the Junior Minister
for Tourism and Transport, Culture and Sport.
Senator Fubler, you can present your Bill.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 71(2)

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you, Madam President.
I move that the provisions of Standing Order
71(2) be suspended, Madam President.
The President: Yes.
[Motion carried: Standing Order 71(2) suspended.]
Sen. Mischa Fubler: Madam President, I move that
the Senate do now take under consideration the Tourism Investment (Clearwater Community Event Venue)
Order 2025 proposed to made by the Minster responsible for Tourism with the written agreement of the Minister of Finance in exercise of the power conferred by
section 5 of the Tourism Investment Act 2017.

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

TOURISM INVESTMENT (CLEARWATER
COMMUNITY EVENT VENUE) ORDER 2025

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you.
And so here we have the briefing on that Tourism Investment Order for the Clearwater Community
Event Venue. And Madam President, the purpose in
bringing this Tourism Investment (Clearwater Community Event Venue) Order 2025 before this Chamber is
to enable the grant of customs duty relief to the operators of the Clearwater Community Event Venue. The
Minister of Tourism and Transport , Culture and Sport,
in consultation with the Minister of Finance, deems this tourism project to be an attraction that is in the national
economic interest of Bermuda.
Madam President, I am pleased to invite this
Chamber to take this Order under consideration. Madam President, the application for a Tourism Investment Order was submitted by Premier Tickets Limited,
also known as PTIX, a company founded by Bermudian
Michael Branco and incorporated in Bermuda on 12
June 2024.
Madam President, PTIX partnered with 2.0
Collective to establish a community event space at the
Clearwater [Beach] parking lot. The leadership team of
PTIX includes Michael Branco the Chief Information Officer; Judy Benevides the Operations Manager; and
Andrew Stoneham the Customer Care Manager. The leadership team of 2.0 Collective includes Polina
Komsalova [Branco] the CEO; Alison Murdock -Smith
the Client and Creative Services Manager; and Nathan
Swan, the Creative Lead.
Madam President, PTIX has signed a two- year
lease with the Bermuda Land Development Company Limited for this parking lot site situated on Cooper’s Island Road. PTIX plans to set up a permanent venue for
use by community and event promoters providing a cost-effective turnk ey venue. They will install base infrastructure including a 5,000 square foot tent power infrastructure and containerised bars and facilities.
Madam President, PTIX has a flexi team of up
to 52 Bermudian employees and has the capacity to staff every role for any size event, large or small. This
team includes event managers, parking attendants,
box office staff and gate attendants. Local security
companies will be hired to coordinate and manage
event attendees.
Madam President, on 28 of March 2024, the
5,000 square foot tent previously located at Pier Six in
Hamilton was set up at the main parking lot at Clearwater Beach, Cooper’s Island Road. The open configuration accommodates large crowds, [up to] 800 people
standing, [inside] and outside the tent. This tent can be dismantled within 30 minutes in the event of windstorms in excess of 45 miles per hour.
Madam President, Members of this Chamber
will note that Premier Tickets Limited is seeking full


Bermuda Senate relief from customs duty for a period not exceeding five
years from the operative date of the Tourism Investment Order in respect to any equipment, goods, and
supplies that are necessary for the operation of the attraction.
Madam President, Michale Branco and his
team at PTIX have every confidence (and I wholeheartedly concur) that this venue will become a vibrant component of the East End of Bermuda —something I am
sure some of our colleagues here in the Senate will ap-preciate greatly —enhanc ing our tourism offerings while
simultaneously providing economies to the event organisers at Clearwater Beach.
Madam President, I am pleased to commend
this Order for the support of this Chamber.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: And thank you, Senator Mischa Fubler,
Junior Minister for Tourism.
Would any Senator care to speak on this Order?
No one?

[Inaudible interjection]

The President: Oh—Senator Cunningham.
Sen. Victoria Cunningham: I feel that someone
should congratulate the Government for looking out for
the East End, especially given that we are East versus
West right now. So, let’s go East End.

[Laughter]

Sen. Victoria Cunningham: And I think, you know,
PTIX . . . I cannot remember the date you said that they
started, but they have obviously shown that they have a great deal of knowledge and experience in the events
space in Bermuda. So, I think anything that we can do
to provide e ntertainment and opportunities for Bermudians and for our tourists is a great thing. So, thank you very much for bringing this forward.
The President: Thank you, Senator Cunningham.
Senator Foley, I see your hand.

Sen. Maurice Foley: Well, being a St. David’s islander
myself, I welcome any and all opportunities. And this
surely is the beginning of something great for the Clearwater area, Cooper’s Island, and the community of St. David’s. So, I definitely congratulate this venture and [ I
am] looking forward to participating in the events that
are taking place there and encourage my community to
also embrace this. So, we welcome it. Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Foley.
Would any other Senator care to speak on this
Order?

Thank you, Madam
President.
I was quietly waiting for Senator Foley to raise
his hand initially knowing that he is from the east and
that tourism is his shadow portfolio. So, you were a little slow off the mark, Senator Foley.

[Laughter]
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: But we certainly appreciate the support.
I think this is an example of the Tourism Investment Orders and, you know, the concessions being granted to more than just hotel establishments. And the
Progressive Labour Party Government has heard that
cry previously from other types of entrepreneurs or people involved in the tourism product, that, Why is it
just hotels ?
We have seen another Bermudian with an
event space. This Chamber also passed the Order in relation to the pyrotechnics firm, the young man Kyle
Swan, and to do it again in relation to Mr. Branco’s business . . . He is obviously is a well- developed business
owner and operator, as Senator Cunningham alluded to, but to see the progress that is being made . . . And
obviously with an event space like this, the exponential
impact on jobs and services and caterers and so on in the space is what we are looking for. So, it is, you know,
really spreading the opportunity economically. So, [I
am] really keen to see this go off as well, and it will force
me to take a venture from Somerset down that way.

[Laughter]

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you, Madam
President.
The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General
and Government Leader in the Senate.
With that said, Senator Fubler, you have full
support.

Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you, Madam President.
And before I move the Order, I would just like
to thank my colleagues for their support in this initiative. And as someone with first -hand experience in the logistical challenges of producing nightlife or even daytime events, things of a creative nature, I am sure this
is a welcome addition to the venue space. Kind of reducing the risk of producing an event by having a turnkey venue is something I am sure many of the event
promotors on the Island will welcome.
And with that, Madam President, I move that
the said draft Order be approved and that the following
message be sent to His Excellency the Governor.
“May it please your Excellency, the Senate,
having had under consideration the draft Order entitled
the Tourism Investment (Clearwater Community Event
Venue) Order 2025 proposed to be made by the
390 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate Minister responsible for Tourism, with the written
agreement of the Minister of Finance in exercise of the
power conferred by section 5 of the Tourism Investment Act 2017, has the honour to inform Your Excellency that the Senate has approved the said draft Order.”

The President: Thank you, Senator Mischa Fubler and
all Senators.
[Inaudible interjection]

The President: Is there any objection to the message
being sent?
No objection.
The Order will be sent.

[Motion carried: The Tourism Investment (Clearwater
Community Event Venue) Order 2025 was approved.]

The President: Thank you, Senator Mischa Fubler and
all Senators for your support.
That, Senators, ends the Orders of the Day,
and we now move on.

MOTIONS

The President: There are none.

CONGRATULATORY AND/OR
OBITUARY SPEECHES
The President: Would any Senator want to speak?
Senator Lindsay Simmons, you have the floor.
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, I want to give condolences
to the family of Clyde Darrell: to his wife Dawn, his
daughter Katrina [and] her husband Nathan; Clyde Jr.,
[and] his wife Lisa; his grandchildren, Josiah, Anaiah, Aaria, and Aiden. Mr. Darrell is a huge loss in the tourism industry, especially at Grotto Bay. I do want to say
that when I ran in my by e-election, Mr. Darrell was one
of the first people that I met in constituency 10. And,
you know, he sat me down at his house, and he told me, listen, Lindsay, this is what you need to do to win.
Constituency 10 should be a PLP seat. And he lives on
Bridle Hill, and Mr. Darrell made sure that he reached
out to me if not more than once a week, at least once a
week .
Mr. Darrell sent me a message of encouragement through both my by e-election and the election. He
was there to support me. He was the one who told me
the challenges on Bridl e Hill. He was the one who kept
me on my toes. He made sure that I was doing everything I could to help correct the issue on Bridl e Hill. And I made a commitment to him that I will collect the trash, not for a vote, but because this is the right thing to do.
And, you know, he used to send me messages
like, Are you sure you want to collect the trash? Even
up until two weeks prior to his passing, he questioned,
should I be collecting the trash? And Mr. Darrell continued to collect the trash until that is sorted. So, condolences to his family.
I also want to give condolences to the family of
Eunice Jones. When I ran in 2020, Ms. Jones . . . she
lived in constituency 12 where I ran. And she was the
first person to welcome me into her home. And she was
supportive of me even when I transitioned and ran in
constituency 10. So, to the family of Ms. Jones, her
husband, Burton, her son, LeVar, her daughter, Deidre, and her husband, Kingsley, her grandchildren,
D'Marco, Kingsley, K ae’Lahni, and Isla, thank you for
the service that she did for Bermuda. Especially with
her church, St. Paul's AME Church, she was a dedicated member and a dedicated PLP member. So, condolences to bot h their families.
I also want to give condolences to Kendall Harvey, his wife, Tina Evans, his daughters, Vinu, Vashti,
Vinu's husband, Marcus, his stepdaughters, Kassie
and Ariana Cain es, he was also a P apa to As e Malik. I
know Mr. Harvey from when he taught at Warwick Secondary School with my sister. He was a dedicated teacher. He also taught my younger sister. And he was
an advocate with the trade union, Bermuda Union of
Teachers ( BUT). I want to thank him for his service to
Bermuda. Condolences again to his family.
On a positive note, Madam President, I want to
congratulate all graduates, especially the students from The Berkeley Institute, Respice Finem. I attended T he
Berkeley Institute, but I am also the chairman at CedarBridge Academy. And I am happy to say that . . . congratulations to th ose students as well. I want to shout
out to Kamaya Matthew from The Berkeley Institute.
She actually won the Minister's Achievement Award
that was announced at their awards ceremony.
And I want to congratulate Shia Bean, who actually won the Minister's Achievement Award for CedarBridge. A student from each school every year is selected from the M inistry as the student through the
Achievement Award. I'm also the chairman of the government scholarships for the Ministry of Education. I
will talk about that at a later date. I will let the M inister
speak on that. But I just want to congratulate them.
I want to also say, as the chairman of CedarBridge, I am also able to have first -hand knowledge of
the hard work and dedication that the students put in, the parents, the teachers, the counsellors. I want to
shout out to Sho a Wolf e and Donna Edwards, Deputy
Principal [Kalreta] Conyers -Steed, and Principal [Kenneth] Caesar. They led the CedarBridge team to make
sure that these students had what they needed to graduate.
The parents were there making sure that their
children had what they needed to graduate. The last


Bermuda Senate few months is, you know, a rough few months for everybody, making sure the I's we re dotted and the T's
were crossed. You know, it always puts a smile on my
face to see that students are graduating from Bermuda
College before they graduate from high school —the
dual enrolment students.
It was nice to sit down with the students and
parents who let them know, with Principal C aesar and
Deputy Conyers -Steed, that these students have made
their mark and were going to be graduates. To see the [delight ] on their face is the highlight of my year when it
comes to what I do as a Senator and as a chairman of
CedarBridge. The best is always our people, the education that we pour into our students.
I'm happy to say that each school had over $5
million in scholarships so far for our students. So, while
people might doubt what we are doing in the public education system, I'm here to say that it is evident year
after year when these students graduate that we are
preparing them for the future of Bermuda.
I want to take two more seconds just to congratulate Deputy [Principal] Kalre ta Conyers -Steed. I
am 44 years old. She has been teaching for 43 years.
She is retiring and she's going to be a huge miss. I want
to thank her for her dedication and hard work and also
Gina Davis from CedarBridge Academy as well. She is
retiring as well. These are some of our great educators
that have poured back into our students.
We are figuring out a way to get [Deputy Principal] Conyers -Steed to come back to this school. She's
going to be a huge miss. She does so much more. I
mean, I was up at the school yesterday. She leaves
there sometimes at midnight, making sure that every-thing is there. So again, Deputy [Principal] Conyers -
Steed, thank you for your dedication and hard work to
the students of Bermuda.
And I will end it there. I know I only have five
minutes. I tr ied to speed through. Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Lindsay Simmons.
Would any other S enator —I see two hands
over there.
Senator Cunningham.
Sen. Victoria Cunningham: Thank you, Madam President.
I obviously would like to add my comments to
those of my Senate colleague Simmons, and I will
reach out to all our graduates from both the public and private schools. I think they should definitely celebrate these milestones, along with obviously the school support system, parents, teachers and the rest of the community. I think we all cheer them on.
And for those looking at next steps, whether
they are going overseas, whether they are going to Bermuda College, or whether they are going out into their
field, I think I wish them the best of luck. Slight self -promotion for those going to Bermuda College who might
want to further their insurance studies if they did not get it in the signature programme, I will be teaching an introduction to risk management [class] this fall. I had a
100 per cent pass rate in the last fall session, so great
for you college students, dual enrolments and career
shifters.
Moving on, it's obviously a big day for Mr. Michael Branco, so congratulations to him for winning the
newly elected councillor of the Corporation of Hamilton
election yesterday. I just want to wish him well. I think
he was a great candidate, and hopefully we will work
with him to ensure that Hamilton's growth and vibrancy
continues.
I would like to associate myself with the condolences, message of condolences from Senator Sim-mons for Mr. Darrell. A number of my constituents are
related to him, and I have two of my mentees who are
actually great nieces, I believe.
And I would also like to offer, Madam President, my condolences to the family of Court enay Griffiths, who was a King's C ounsel and revered lawyer
known for his fierce advocacy and his unwavering commitment to justice. He had a very distinguished career,
championed legal aid, and was widely respected for
cross examinations and his mentorship of young Black
lawyers. So, to his family, colleagues, and all who benefited from his profound dedication to justice, I extend
my deepest condolences.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Cunningham.
Senator Foley, you have the floor.

Sen. Maurice Foley: Thank you, Madam President.
I have two congratulations today, and it's with
great joy actually to honour and extend a heartfelt birthday wish to a remarkable woman from the St. David's
community, Mrs. Bernice Smith, who will be celebrating
her 100
th birthday on July 12. Mrs. Smith is a shining
example of grace, resilience, and unwavering faith. She is known across our Island and more importantly in our
community in St. David's as a devoted Christian, a loving mother, a cherished nana, a beloved aunti e, and a
faithful friend, or simply as someone who has always
showed up exactly how she was led to love. In reaching the extraordinary milestone, Mrs. Smith reminds us of
the strength and spirit that have shaped our communities for generations. Her life is a testament to endurance, compassi on, a quiet strength, and qualities that
continue to inspire all who know her.
So, on behalf of the people of Bermuda and especially the proud and close- knit community of St. David's, I wish Mrs. Bernice Smith a most joyful 100
th birthday. May her day be filled with love, laughter, and the blessings she has so richly given to others over the past century. And those who would like to celebrate with her
on July 13 at the St. Luke's AME Church, please do so.
We will start services at 10 :45 am. So happy birthday,
Mrs. Smith, and we do celebrate you today.
392 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate A second congratulation that I would like to do,
and that is to recognise and congratulate one of Bermuda's own Mika ela Pearman, Ms. Mikae la Pe arman,
for her outstanding participation and success at the 2025 Black Travel Expo, which was held this past weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Pea rman served as
the moderator for a compelling and forward- thinking
panel discussion entitled “Next Gen Storytellers : Shaping the Future of Travel Content Creation. ” Now, the
panel brought together some of the most influentia l
content creators, digital strategists, and innovators in the travel space with a focus on how new voices, particularly those from the Black diaspora, are redefining
how travel stories are told and who gets to tell them.
Mika ela led the discussion with confidence,
professionalism, and insight, earning well -deserved
praise from attendees and fellow panellists. Her presence on that stage not only elevated the conversation,
but proudly represented the talent, leadership, and
global perspective that Bermuda has to offer.
As the founder and CEO of the Black Travel
Expo, I can say first hand that this platform is one that
is both timely and necessary : bridging gaps, creating
connections, and expanding opportunities for people of
colour across the globe and across the global travel in-dustry. It is especially meaningful to see a Bermudian
woman contributing at such a high level on this international stage.
So, once again, I want to congratulate Ms.
Pearman, Mikae la Pe arman, for her excellent work and
for representing Bermuda with distinction.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Foley.
Would any other S enator care to speak? Senator Mischa Fubler, you have the floor.
Sen. Mischa Fubler: Thank you, Madam President.
I was not quick enough to the draw there, and
so I will have to associate myself with a couple congratulations, as well as starting off with associating myself
with the condolences to [the family of] Mr. Harvey. He's
a constituent of c onstituency 30, where I recently ran in
the general election, and so I extend my heartfelt con-dolences to his family on his loss. I am sure he will be
dearly missed as a respected teacher and dedicated
trade union advocate, as well as a taxi driver and an
esteemed member of the Masoni c fraternity. And so,
again, condolences to Kendall Harvey's family.
And then moving to congratulations, I would
like to first congratulate Imagine Bermuda and the various groups involved in commemorating the 1959 T heatre Boycott. Today marks the 66
th anniversary of their
success. Following two weeks of boycotting, they effec-tively ended segregation in Bermuda or at least started
the trend. And so, I will actually be rushing off to the
Cathedral [of the Most Holy] as the event has already
started, and I am keen to attend and lend my support. I would also like to extend congratulations to all
of those involved in last night's celebration of our National Heroes, primarily to the student leaders who
gave the biographies on our various National Heroes,
as well as the performers for their engaging perfor-mances. I very much enjoyed it. And, of course, to the
Department of Culture for producing another successful event . I look forward to next year ’s.
And finally, congratulations to those involved in
putting on the Cost of Living Summit. I was in attendance in the afternoon, and I want to specifically high-light Mr. Aaron Crichlo w of Bermuda is Love for his
statements around encouraging Bermuda. And so, this
is to the listening public as well as my colleagues to
have a mind shift to think differently about housing. It is
imperative that we look at it as another public good akin to schools, hospitals, and the roads, things that every-one should have a right to access.
And in the interest of brevity for the event that
I already mentioned, I'll leave it there. Although I do in-tend at some point to also touch on Mr. Denton Wil-liams' comments around the cooperative ownership of
our utility, an idea that was also proposed at the Cost
of Living Summit. Cooperative economics is something
very dear to my heart, and so I will be planning to make
a statement on that at a subsequent session prior to
our summer break.
And on that note, I yield my time. Thank you,

Thank you, Senator Fubler.
Senator Jones , Marcus Jones, you have the
floor.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
First, I would like to associate myself with the
condolences that were extended to the family of the late Clyde Darrell. Having joined him in the same profession
that he excelled in, which wa s the hotel business, it was
a pleasure for me to watch, although far younger than
Mr. Darrell, to watch him climb t hrough the ranks. And
he was proof of someone who can start from the front
line and make his way right up to the executive suite
within that industry. He was truly one of our great ambassadors on this Island. He also mentored many
young people and encouraged and recruited those to
come into the industry. So, I surely want to associate
with those condolences to that family.
I also would like to give congrats to a dear
friend of mine by the name of Del opeena Maxwell -
Smith, who was actually in the paper yesterday, and
she was highlighted for writing and publishing a book
that she called The Loquat Chronicles : Lola and Larry's
Tale, inspired by the beauty of St. David's Island.
I was most intrigued and excited to see that
she, being from the accounting background and profession, was able to step outside of her comfort zone and
use her inspirational talents to write a book of this . . .
which held a wealth of knowledge of the nature and


Bermuda Senate beauty and the culture and the people of St. David's
Island. So, I would truly encourage everyone to have a
look at this book that is now available on Amazon. And
hopefully it can inspire more of us to jump out and take
the plunge and write books as well.
And it will also be remiss of me, finally, if I did
not extend birthday wishes to a very fine lady who lives
in the western end of the I sland. In fact, she lives right
on the property that I live in, happens to be my mother,
the matriarch of the Jones family, who celebrated her
birthday this week. She is, I can tell you of a surety, she is listening to the radio right now and she has been an
inspiration not only to our family, and she's been a
great, fine, godly Christian woman, but she's also been
an inspi ration to our neighbourhood there in Cooks Hill
Road and all throughout Somerset.
Mother, I extend to you a hearty happy birthday. Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.

You didn’t give her name.

Sen. Marcus Jones: Oh, Mary Lou Jones. Oh, my gracious !

The President: What? Sorry, repeat it.

Sen. Marcus Jones: My mother, her name is Mary Lou
Jones.
The President: Mary Lou Jones.
Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. Geez, how could I forget?

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

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
Senator Fubler referenced the N ational Heroes. I would like to wish a very happy birthday to my
good friend and N ational Hero, Sir John Swan, who
turns 90 years old tomorrow.

The President: Yes.

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator John Wi ght.
Yes, Senator Tannock , you have the floor.
Sen. Tawana Tannock: Yes, thank you, Madam President.
I would like to associate myself with the congratulatory remarks given by Senator Fubler . I also attended the N ational Heroes event last night, and while
I was blown away by the calibre of all the performances, there was one in particular, a singer, Hana Bushara,
who played the guitar and sung a rendition of Bermuda is Another World that blew my mind. I had never appreciated the beauty of that song and in that song before,
and I do not know if she has it recorded anywhere, but
her rendition of Bermuda is Another World is just absolutely mind -blowing.

The President: Thank you, Senator Tannoc k.
Would any other Senator —yes, Minister Attorney General , Minister Wilkerson.

Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Thank you, Madam
President.
Let me start by associating, certainly, with the
condolences already, I believe, started by my col-league, Senator Simmons, in relation to the passing of
Kendall Harvey. And certainly, Madam President was
with me at the funeral services , at the celebration of life,
which is more of it, which is, you know, Kendall Harvey
lived a life of celebration, and his loss will definitely be
felt.
Certainly, condolences to his family, personal
friends of ours. I was at their wedding in Baltimore. We
have travelled together to places like St. Kitts and he
. . . you know, he will certainly be a loss in recognising
the huge contributions that he's made to a teacher, to generations of students, but his consistent service as a
member of the union was highlighted.
And additionally, Senator Cunningham has
mentioned the passing, and I join her in those comments of Court enay Griffiths, KC. Certainly, when I
started at law school as a mature student in 1999, I be-lieve Court enay Griffiths had just become one of the
first Black , then QCs , in the UK. But he made himself
accessible to students and because he was, we be-lieved we could be. And I remember meeting him and
looking at him and there was such a buzz around him
and there's like, you know, who is this guy? And that he
would make himself available to students through the
University of West Indies and the Association of Caribbean [States], and he would always be available and
accessible. And I know that his passing has been a personal, a deep personal loss to my dear friend Eron Hill
and Court enay Griffiths was like a dad to E ron when he
was studying in the UK. So, recognising his contribution across all of that.
My colleague, Senator Fubler has mentioned
Imagine Bermuda and congratulating them on the com-memoration of the T heatre Boycott. Like him, I am going to run off from this Chamber to participate in that
and show my face for just a few moments.
But on my final congratulatory note, I would like
to congratulate the organisers and athletes and
coaches of Pacers Track Club. Those who have qualified to participate in the Flying Angels track meet in Toronto will be leaving Bermuda tomorrow. It is a good
contingent of young Bermudian athletes who have
qualified for this overseas event, and amongst them will
be my very own granddaughter, Diamond Morris , who's
eight years old. She will be competing in her first
394 2 July 2025 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate international meet in the 200- , 400- , 800- , and the long
jump. We are extremely proud of her, but we wish the
coaches and all of the athletes a very safe and successful trip as they expose our young Bermudian athletes to international competition and standards.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: And thank you, Madam A ttorney General, Minister of Justice, as well.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Hearing none, then I would just like to associate myself with the condolences expressed to the family of Kendall Harvey. Certainly, all his family are very
close friends of my husband and mine, and so we were
at the funeral, and it was a really good send- off, and he
will be really missed. But it was a celebration of his life, which I think was really pertinent.
I also want to associate myself with the passing
of Eunice Jones. Again, another family who is very
close to mine.
And I would also like to associate myself with
the National Heroes, the Department of Culture, for the
presentation of the National Heroes. And I agree with
Senator Mis cha Fubler that it was an absolutely excellent event.
And I would like to congratulate all graduates
who have passed from all the various schools and colleges.
And finally, happy 90
th birthday, I want to . . . to
Sir John Swan, because, yes, I have known him for
many, many years. And, yes, well -deserved holiday
and birthday. I am saying a holiday. I think there will be some presentations for him, but he deserves it.
With that, we will now move on to Senate adjournment.
Minister Wilkerson.

ADJOURNMENT
Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson: Madam President, I
move that this House, the Senate, now adjourn until
July 16.
The President: Thank you.
Would any Senator care to speak on the motion to adjourn?
Hearing none, seeing none . . . Senators, the
Senate will stand adjourned until Wednesday, the 16
th
of July.
Thank you all for your comments and presence
this morning. It was an excellent meeting. Enjoy yourselves.
[At 12:5 5 pm, the Senate stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 16 July 2025. ]