March 8, 2021

There is one Statement this morning by
the Minister Furbert, Minister for Social Development and Seniors.
Minister, would you like to present your
Statement?
Ho
n. Tinee Furbert: Good morning.
Th
e Speaker: Good morning, Minister.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2021
Ho
n. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Sp eaker, as a woman and
the Minister responsible for Human Rights , it is my
privilege to stand before this Honourable House t oday, the 8th of March, to acknowledge the annual celebration of International Women’s Day . Historically
this day is observed globally with the aim to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achieve-ments of women.
Mr. Speaker, throughout our 408 years of hist
ory, Bermuda has been governed by 145 male governors. On the 14th of December 2020, history was
made when the first woman, Her Excellency, Ms. R ena Lalgie, was sworn in as Governor. As a country we
must take this opportunity to reflect and give homage to the countless achievements made by numerous
women in our community that have paved the path for all Bermudians. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recogni se
some of these women throughout our history who have been instrumental in our community in setting a precedent for gender equality.
First I want to acknowledge the women who
sit alongside me in this Honourable House as Mem-bers of the Legislature, namely the following:
•the Honou rable Renee Ming, JP, MP, the first
woman to hold the position of Minister of N ational Security ;
•the Honourable Kathy -Lynn Simmons, JP,
MP, Attorney General and Minister of Legal
Affairs and Constitutional Reform ;
•the Honourable Kim Wilson, JP, MP, Minister
of Health;
•Ms. Crystal Caesar, JP, MP ;
•Ms. Lovitta Foggo, JP, MP ;
•Ms. Ianthia Simmons -Wade, JP , MP; and
616 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly • Ms. Susan Jackson, JP, MP , [who] is the only
woman currently sitting as a Member of the
Opposition.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to show appreciation
to the women who sit as Members of the Senate,
namely the following:
• the Honourable Joan E. Dillas -Wright, Pres ident of the Senate;
• Ms. Michelle Simmons, Vice President of the
Senate;
• Ms. Arianna Hodgson, Junior Minister of
Community Affairs and Sport and Labour ;
• Ms. Lindsay Simmons, Junior Minister of S ocial Development and Seniors and Home A ffairs; and
• Ms. Robin Tucker, Shadow Minister for Social
Development and Seniors.
Mr. Speaker, secondly we cannot forget about
our political trailblazers who graced this H onourable
House and provided a perspective that can only be
seen from their life experiences as wom en:
• Ms. Hilda Aitken and Ms. Edna Watson (deceased) became the first women elected to
the House of Assembly .
• Dame Lois Browne- Evans, DEB, JP (d eceased) , the first woman barrister , the first
Black woman to be elected to the House of
Assembly, the first woman Leader of the O pposition in the British Commonwealth and
Bermuda’s first Attorne y General .
• Dr. Barbara Ball, MRCS, LRCP, OBE (deceased) , the first woman physician to practice
in Bermuda, Member of Parliament, and s ocial activist . During segregation Dr. Ball pr ovided medical care for both B lack and white
patients. She ignored the social norms and
fought for the civil rights of Black Bermudians .
• Dame Pamela F. Gordon, DBE, served as
Premier from March 1997 until November
1998 .
• Dame Jennifer Smith, DEB , JP, DHumL, the
first Progressive Labour Party Premier, the
first woman to sit in Senate , the first woman to
be the Deputy Speaker and the first PLP Education Minister .
• Hon. Paula Cox, CBE, former Premier , served
from 28 October 2010 to 21 December 2012.
Mr. Speaker, thirdly I give recognition to
women within our community who are leaders in var ious professions outside of politics. Some of these
women are no longer physically here with us today ,
while others are amongst us on this 110th International
Wom en’s Day. These women include the following :
• Mary Prince (deceased), who was the first
black woman to present an antislavery petition to Parliament and was author to the first slave narrative written by a black woman entitled, The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian
Slave .
• Gladys Misick Morrell (deceased), leader of
the Wom an Suffrage Society and co- founder
of the Welfare Society, which established the
district nursing services . She advocated for
women’s voting rights in Bermuda for over 30 years .
• Dr. Eva Hodgson (deceased), activist, educ ator, writer and union leader , who was the first
president of the Amalgamated Bermuda U nion of Teachers .
• Ruth Thomas, MBE, a teacher and education
administrator who helped create Bermuda’s
first government preschools, the first Cultural
Affairs Officer , who has striven over the years
to preserve the history and traditions of Be rmuda, and the founding trustee of Bermuda
National Gallery .
• Laverne Furbert, JP (deceased), former Government Senator, stalwart of the Bermuda I ndustrial Union, and an advocate for social jus-tice and equality .
• Keeva Joel l-Benjamin, the first woman to act
as Commissioner of Prisons .
• Jessica Lewis, the first Bermudian woman Paralympian who competes in wheelchair
track. She has represented Bermuda in the
London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic
Games .
• Cindy Clarke, the first Bermudian woman to
be Director of Public Prosecutions . She has
dedicated 21 years to the Department of Pub-lic Prosecutions , making her the longest -
serving prosecutor .
Mr. Speaker, no mat ter what barriers these
women faced, they all endeavo ured to make a change
to the status quo. As I speak of their achievements
and reflect on the celebration of International Women’s Day, it is important for me to acknowledge that
much work remains to be done to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women within our communi-ty.
Mr. Speaker, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(referred to as CEDAW ) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December the 19
th, 1979, coming
into force as a treaty on December the 3rd, 1981.
CEDAW is the landmark international agreement that
affirms principles of fundamental human rights and
equality for women globally. CEDAW is often referred
to as the Women’s Bill of Rights , which provides a
comprehensive framework to address gender equality. Mr. Speaker, today CEDAW is one of the
most widely endorsed human rights treaties and has
been ratified or acceded to by 189 countries to date,
including the United Kingdom (UK) who signed the
treaty in July 1981 and ratified CEDAW in 1986. T hree
British Overseas Territories, namely , British Virgin


Bermuda House of Assembly Islands , Turks & Caicos Islands and the Falkland I slands, had the convention extended in 1986. Two further Overseas Territories, Anguilla and the Cayman
Islands, had CEDAW extended in March 2016. On
March the 16th, 2017, CEDAW was extended to Bermuda.
Mr. Speaker, the articles of the c onvention fall
into three main groups . The first set of articles explains the nature and scope of the state’s obligations .
The second set of articles targets specific forms of
discrimination and outlines measure that the state must undertake to eliminate discrimination in each of
these areas . And the last set of articles governs pr ocedural and administrative matters including the
CEDAW reporting process.
Mr. Speaker, the convention defines discrim ination against women as “any distinction, exclusion or
restriction made on the basis of sex which has the
effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of
their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and
women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any
other field.”
Mr. Speaker, the CEDAW Commit tee recognises sexual harassment as a form of violence against
women. With this in mind the Government has taken appropriate measures under the Employment
Amendment Act 2020, which will come into operation
on June the 1
st, to eliminate sexual harassment
against women in the field of employment by propos-ing legislation that requires employers to provide a
clear and written policy statement against bullying and
sexual harassment in their place of employment.
Mr. Speaker, in order to assist organi sations
that provide support services to women, the Gover nment has allocated funding in the budget for fiscal year 2021/22. The Women’s Resource Centre , whose
mission is “ to be the leading resource and voice for
women in Bermuda and for Bermuda to be a comm unity free of inequality and sexism, where women are
emotionally and physically healthy , safe; confident
and able to reali se their potential. ” A grant in the
amount of $100,000 will assist this charity to continue to support women in all facets of their lives.
Mr. Speaker, the second grant allocation in
the amount of $150,000 will be given to the Centre
Against Abuse to carry out their mission “ to provide
crisis support services to male and female victims of
domestic abuse and sexual assault; and to educate
the com munity by providing building blocks for healthy
relationships. ” This Government is pleased to support
organi sations that empower women and enhance their
lives.
Mr. Speaker, this Government remains committed to improving the elimination of all forms of di scrimination against women to ensure women and girls enjoy the same access to opportunities, benefits and protections in every aspect of life as their male cou nterparts do.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Social Development and Seniors and on behalf of t he Government
of Bermuda I would like to take this opportunity to wish the women within our community and globally a
Happy International Women’s Day , and I encourage
them to #ChooseToChallenge.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That leads us into the Question Period.
On the Order Paper we have written questions which were submitted from the Opposition Leader to the Minister of Finance. And they wish to have
oral response. There are three questions. I believe the
Minister of Finance has asked if we could defer the
response again.
And, Opposition Leader, I am going to ask
that they be deferred until Friday because Wednesday
the Minister has the debate under his Ministry and his
team are actively working to have that particular
presentation in order. So their time is pretty stretched
at the moment. They have asked if we could defer
until Friday.
Opposition Leader , thank you for your support.

QUESTIONS: CONSOLIDATED FUND
ACCOUNTS MARCH 2018 –MARCH 2020
[Deferred]

Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Will the Honourable
Premier please confirm to this Honourable House the value of the total accounts receivables due to the Government of Bermuda’s Consolidated Fund
as at March 31, 2018, March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020?
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Will the Honourable
Minister please provide this Honourable House an aged receivable schedule for the three years in
question?

Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Will the Honourable
Minister please confirm to this Honourable House
the value and details of receivables written off the
Government’s books for the last three years?

Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

618 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Thank you.
So in Question Period, the only item we have
would be the Statement that was read this morning by
the Minister Furbert.
Does any Member wish to ask a question put
to the Minister this morning on reference to her
Statement on International Women’s Day?
I see no indication thus far; that is why I am
asking. Would it be correct for me to assume that
there are no questions?

[Pause]

Yes.

Hon. E. David Burt: Today, Mr. Speaker, the Minister
has given her Statement on International Women’s
Day. And although it is not a matter for congrats and
obits , I do want to make sure that I at least
acknowledge International Women’s Day . And we
continue the work which is necessarily required for all of us to make sure that we continue to advance the measures of equality certainly between the sexes in
Bermuda and around the world.
Mr. Speaker, what I would like to do for our
International Women’s Day is to ask the House of A ssembly to go ahead and send a letter of congratul ations to three young Bermudian women, Ms. Jahlea Outerbridge, Ms. Ciara Rego and Ms. Rani sha Si mmons . All three of these young Bermudians who are
with the KPMG programme recently obtained their CPA designations after two years of hard work. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is i mportant is that the Government will continue to go
ahead and s upport the training in the international
business space and local business space, and conti nue to work to promote the advancement of Bermudi-ans. Knowing that we have a shortage of Bermudian
accountants, it is exciting to see these three young
Bermudian wom en go ahead and achieve their CPA
designations.
So my office has sent a letter, Mr. Speaker, of
congratulations. But I would ask the House of Assembly to also do so. And I happily associate all Members
of the Honourable House, as we should support our
young Bermudians. And I think the accomplishments
of these three women should certainly be mentioned,

Continue on.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
And, Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate all
Members of the House. I would like to send congrat ulations to the Education Commissioner’s son, who
was just promoted to one of the Assistant Vice Pres idents at Chubb Bermuda.
Temar Richards is a product of our public
school sy stem and has been doing great things since
his return to Bermuda, Mr. Speaker. As the Premier
just alluded to, we should celebrate the accomplis hments of all of our young people espe cially in times
where we find our public school system sometimes
being maligned by certain comments. But Mr. Ric hards has shown the tenacity to move forward in his
career, and he should be congratulated for achieving
the goals that he has achieved.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Okay. We can see you now.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: I would like to associate
myself with International Women’s Day remarks that
the Premier made. We in the OBA recognise the contributions that women have made in Bermuda—for
centuries. And we celebrate their voices, and we celebrate their contributions at home, at work, in boar drooms, in c lassrooms and in the political arena. We
also recognise that their courage and steadfastness
have helped to set the stage for a generation of women to come. So we in the One Bermuda Alliance join the rest of the country in acknowledging and celebrating the contributions that women have made to Bermuda socially, economically and culturally.
I would like to also send congratulations to
Zuri Darrell. He received his CFA [Chartered Financial
Analyst] . He is a hardworking young man who works
with me at the Bank of Butterfield. He is very impre ssive, and he has the respect of mostly all of his cl ients. So again, congratulations to Zur i for achieving
his CFA, which is —

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Associate me.

Yes. You have your three minutes.

Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to send congratulations to the
Bermuda Debate Society. I am sure the Education
Minister and colleagues would like to be associated
with their very successful debate over the weekend.
Congratulations to Co y Kijaun Millett and the team.
Mr. Speaker, as usual there were a number of tr emendous performances all through the weekend. And
most notably, I would like to send congratulations to
team from Warwick Academy who were on the senior
debate team, where they won all of their debates with
unanimous decision. Their team members were
McKenzie Kohl-Tuckett, Noah D a Silva and A n Mei
Daniels. It is always interesting to listen to the de-bates. I think that we as Members of Parliament can
learn a lot from those debates; perhaps we can have
a challenge match against them sometime, Mr.
Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Good morning, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated
with the remarks being given this morning on behalf of
International Women’s Day.
But I would like to offer condolences to the
family of the late [ Gloria Jean] Paynter from Mullet
Bay, St. George’s, Mr. Speaker. I associate m y colleagues from constituencies 1, 3 and 4 with those r emarks. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Paynter was the wife of Colin Paynter, Sr. And I know she will be deeply missed by
her daughter Denise, her husband Kenneth and her
brother -in-law Walter Paynter out there.
Mr. Speaker, when I looked at the paper just a
few minutes ago and I looked and I saw that Ms. Malaika Butler -Douglas had passed away, I cannot pr o620 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly fess to know Ms. Malaika Butler -Douglas, Mr. Speaker. I know her brother, who is mentioned in there.
But if e ver I admired a lady who could handle
a truck, Mr. Speaker, it was this lady, who worked for
Works and Engineering at the quarry. You could see
her out there, not just that she was a woman handling
a truck, but that she was better at handling a truck
than most guys I had ever seen. She was up there
with the best of the best of them handling a heavy truck, Mr. Speaker, looking through that mirror, looking forward at them looking at that mirror and nav igating through there. She was exceptional! And, you know, a lovely smile . I always hai led her, Mr. Speaker.
It was shocking when I looked and saw that picture just a few minutes ago. May she rest in peace, Mr.
Speaker. That is my contribution this morning.

Mr. Speaker, I too woul d like to
give condolences for young Ms. Butler -Douglas , who
just made it to her 50
th birthday. She and her mom are
constituents of mine. I can say that Malai ka wanted
desperately to make certain that she participated in
the last election, and she did get to do that despite her
being extremely ill, hardly being able to move. But she soldiered on, and she made certain that she did get to
participate in that process. Her mom down there in St.
David’s worked tirelessly and stood by Malaika’s side.
And it is a great loss, I would say particularly to her
mom because Malaika did come down there and did stay with her mom. Towards the end she found herself back up the country, so to speak, and in and out of
hospital. But she was such a lovely young woman and
it is a great loss to Public Works. And she will be
greatly missed by all who had the pleasure to meet her personally, by all who had the pleasure to be in
her company very often, and particularly by her family. She is leaving a major, major, major gap in her fa mily
with her no longer being with us , and so to the Butler
family, my most profound, sincere condolences. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That means, Members, we are now at
the start of the Orders of the Day. And for the interest
of those in the public who are listening, today is act ually the first day of our annual Budget Debate. And we
have . . . traditionally there have been eight hours set
aside each day. We have seven day s. So we are looking at 56 hours of debate for the Budget Debate this
year.
And during the period of time that we are actually in the individual department debates the Parli ament is in Committee, which means that when we are
in Committee we are in the hands of the Deputy
Speaker and the Speaker is out of the Chamber.
So we will now be call ing on the Minister of
Finance to move us into Committee. And then I will turn the House over to the Deputy Speaker for the
next eight hours.
Minister of Finance.


B ermuda House of Assembly Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: Good morning, Mr.
Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Honourable Members, we are now in Commi ttee of Supply for further consideration of the Est imates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 2021/22. Heads 71, 20 and 52, the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport are now to be debated.
Before I call on the Minister, let me just say
that this debate is scheduled to last four hours. And in case it does not go the maximum four hours, then I expect the next Ministry to be ready to start.
Minister in charge, I call on you. You have the
floor.
MINISTRY OF YOUTH,
CULTURE AND SPORT
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Good day, Mr. Chairman. I move
the following Heads : 70— Ministry of Youth, Culture
and Sports Headquarters; 20— Youth, Sport and Recreation; and 52—Department of Culture to be now taken under consideration.

That is all right.
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to
present the Financial Year of 2021/22 Estimates of
Revenue and Expenditure for the Ministry of Youth,
Culture and Sport, which can be found starting on page B -241 of the Estimates Book. Mr. Chairman, I
will briefly discuss the Ministry as a whole followed by the information for Head 71, the Ministry Headquar-ters, and then in detail the two departments that fall
under the Ministry, namely, Head 20, the Department
of Youth, Sport and Recreation; and Head 52, the D epartment of Community and Cultural Affairs.
Mr. Chairman, four hours have been allocated
for these Heads , and I intend to speak for one- and-ahalf hours in order to give sufficient time for the Oppo-sition to ask questions or seek clarification on the 2021/22 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
Mr. Chairman, the mission of the Ministry of
Youth, Culture and Sport is “to develop and celebrate
our people.” I truly believe that the uniqueness of our
people and our culture is our country’s greatest asset. And our Ministry is committed to developing and cele-brating our people throughout our Island. Mr. Chair-man, you will note throughout my presentation today that we are freely engaged in the development and support of our youth, athletes and creatives for the
important role these play in our communities.
Mr. Chairman, before I get into the details of
the budget, I want to share with this Honourable
House some of the priorities of the Ministry for the next financial year, in particular the creation of a N ational Cultural Heritage Policy and the development of a National Youth Policy. Mr. Chairman, although Ber-muda is a country that encompasses many cultures, the National Cultural Heritage Policy will embrace and then celebrate one history and a shared cultural ide ntity. This policy will represent the Ministry’s vision for
preserving, celebrating and educating our community about Bermuda’s rich cultural heritage.
A National Cultural Heritage Policy for Bermuda will be a product of significant community e ngagement including feedback from cultural organis ations, artists and other creatives. It is our hope that
this document will serve as an evolving blueprint for
the deliberate integration of culture into each and ev ery aspect of Bermudian life. Further, Mr. Chairman, as
was highlighted in the 2020 Throne Speech, Berm uda’s future must be built by those to whom it most be-longs. As a Government we must respect and value
622 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly our young people’s contributions to society. This has
been an extraordinary year of youth mobilisation and
social actions, and that has not been lost on this Government or this Ministry. There is immense value in engaging with our young people. As such, it is i mportant that we harness their energy, creativity, ideas
and passion about the causes that are most important
to them.
The development of a National Youth Policy
will seek to foster greater engagement with our youth
in the creation of government policy. Working in par tnership with other key stakeholders, it is our goal to
review programmes and develop a youth policy to e nsure a generation of informed and independent thin kers.
Mr. Chairman, I would now like to draw your
attention to page B -241 of the Estimates Book, where
you will note that the Ministry of Youth Culture and
Sport budget for the financial year 2021/22 is
$12,933,000, a reduction of $1,450,000, or 10 per
cent, from the 2020/21 original budget. The net effect
of this change is a reduction in the Ministry’s allocated
budget ceiling, the transfer of the Labour Relations
Section to the Ministry of Labour and the addition of
parish councils.
Mr. Chairman, page B -241 shows a revenue
estimate for the Min istry of $546,000, a decrease of
$126,000 from financial year 2020/21. This decrease
reflects a reduction in revenue- generation opportunities across all Heads within the Ministry, resulting from
the social constraints imposed by the COVID -19 pa ndemic.
Mr. Chairman, page B -241 also details the
current account expenditure of the departments that make up the overall budget for the Ministry by Head,
as follows:
• Head 71—Ministry Headquarters fiscal year
2020/21 —$2.19 million, fiscal year 2021/22
estimate—$1.369 million;
• Head 20 —Youth and Sport Recreation, [for
fiscal year 2020/21 —]$10.109 million, fiscal
year 2021/22—$9.591 million;
• Head 52—Community and Cultural Affairs,
[for fiscal year 2020/21—]$2.083 million and
[for fiscal year 2021/2 2—]$1.973 million.
This gives the Ministry’s total at $14.383 million for
fiscal year 2020/21, and for fiscal year 2021/22 [it is] $12.933 million.
Mr. Chairman, the summary shows that fiscal
year 2021/22 estimates for all of the Heads have seen
reductions. I will discuss each change as I present
each Head. Mr. Chairman, as seen on page C -20, the
budget for the Ministry includes $3,207,000 in grants and contributions. While the Ministry remains commi tted to supporting community agencies and partners, a
few reductions were neces sary, given overall budgetary constraints and the reality that [with] COVID -19
restrictions in place, a number of activities cannot be
undertaken or are substantially reduced in size. The grants and contributions for the Ministry
of Youth, Culture and Sports can be found on page C -
20, which include:
• Head 20— Department of Youth, Sport and
Recreation, $2,728,924 for sports development, national sporting bodies and youth organisations;
• Head 52 —Department of Community and Cu ltural Affairs, $421,000 for communi ty and cu ltural activities;
• Head 71 —Ministry Headquarters, $58,000 for
parish council commitments and a small all ocation for one- time events that are aligned for
the Ministry’s mission, provided that they fall outside of the scope of the departments.
Mr. C hairman, this aligns with our focus on developing
and celebrating our people in the 2021/22 financial year. Mr. Chairman, pages C -23 and C -24 highlight
the 2019/2020 actual allocations made to sports development and voluntary youth organisations and total
$1,984,000.

HEAD 71 —MINISTRY OF YOUTH, CULTURE AND
SPORT HEADQUARTERS

Hon. Tinee Furbert: I now turn to the current account
expenditure for Head 71, the Ministry Headquarters.
Mr. Chairman, the financial year 2021/22 estimates of expenditure and revenue for Head 71, the
Ministry Headquarters, are found on page B -241 of
the Estimates Book. Ministry Headquarters comprises
a single business unit, 81000— Administration , which
consists of mainly salaries that support the Ministry,
the Minister’s Office and the Ministry’s Centralised
Accounts Section.
Mr. Chairman, the Ministry Headquarters directs the development and implementation of policy
and legislation, has overall responsibility for the management of the Ministry’s budget and provides gui dance on programming to the departments within the
Ministry. Through its Centralised Accounts Section,
the Ministry Headquarters provides accounting and
financial management services to all departments un-der its responsibility. The key activities of this depar tment are t o undertake strategic leadership of Ministry
departments, manage the Ministry’s accounts and
ensure compliance with Financial Instructions, lead
and operationalise policy and legislative development,
issue and manage ministerial grants aligned with the Ministry’s mission, and appoint and oversee six
boards and nine parish councils.
Mr. Chairman, page B -241 shows the Budget
Estimate for the Ministry Headquarters for fiscal year
2021/22 is [$1,369,000]. As can be seen in page B -
242, the Ministry’s Headquarters operates one bus iness unit, 81000— Administration, which provides the
services described previously to support the Minister’s
Office and internal compliance functions.


Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Chairman, there is an overall reduction of
$822,000 in this budget, or 38 per cen t. The main reason for this change is the reduction in the Ministry’s
allocated budget ceiling, the transfer of the Labour
Relations Section to the Ministry of Labour and the addition of parish councils. There is an increase of
$1,000 in the training alloc ation, and this will provide
opportunities for staff training with a more focused
programme that is aligned with the staff’s forward job
plans.
The priority is to ensure that staff maintain
professional designations through continuing profes-sional development and to provide opportunities for
staff to get further training and qualifications to deve lop them for promotion with the public service.
Mr. Chairman, there has been an increase in
the communications estimate of $10,000 to increase
the Ministry’s me dia presence as it moves to more
hybrid events that are streamed alongside smaller inperson performances. Mr. Chairman, there has been
a decrease in the professional services budget from [$369,000] to [$189,000], a decrease of $180,000, or
49 per cent. This reduction is attributed to the transfer
of the Labour Relations Section, as it was determined
that reduced expenditure on consulting is in the public’s best interest.
Mr. Chairman, the last object codes in the
subjective analysis relates to grants and contributions. There has been a decrease of $20,000. This change
is a combination of the addition of parish councils and
the reduction in allocation for cultural grants that the
Minister may award for one- time events that are not
captured by the department ’s grants within the Mini stry.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated staff of the Mini stry’s Headquarters for the work they do in ensuring
that the Ministry meets its mandate.
Mr. Chairman, the pandemic has made this an
unusual year for all of us. This has affected every fabric of our society, and Culture and Sport have been no
different. Athletes and performing artists have been
robbed of the opportunity to practice their skills, com-pete and perform. In this wa y, the stewards of our nation’s soul have been challenged. Mr. Chairman, for the first time in our history, we have had to engage and to connect in ways that are at times unfamiliar to
us.
But it has been during this time of uncertainty
that our cultural and national pride have shone
through. Our determination and perseverance as a
community in successfully navigating this pandemic is proof that our cultural legacy is one of strength and
resilience. We have made the necessary adjustments
in how we engage and connect with our community.
And as we press forward during these trying times, our commitment will be to continue to support our ar tists, continue to preserve our cultural traditions, con-tinue to celebrate athletic and sporting excellence and continue t o develop our youth through sports and recreation— all of which we believe will continue to enhance the quality of life for our entire community.
Mr. Chairman, I will end by reminding us all
that culture is the backbone of society. It is the glue that binds us together and informs our identity as ind ividuals and as a community. This Ministry has a tr emendous role to play in the fabric of Bermudian soci ety as we continue to develop and celebrate our people
in a multitude of ways.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my presentation
on the fiscal year [2021/22] budgetary allocation for Head 71, the Ministry Headquarters.
And I now move to Head 20, the Department
of Youth, Sports and Recreation; and Head 52, the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.

HEAD 20 —DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH, SPORT
AND RECREATION

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I will now present
for fiscal year 2021/22 estimates of expenditure and
revenue for Head 20, the Department of Youth, Sport
and Recreation, which can be found on pages B -246
to B-251 of the Estimates Book. The mission stat ement is “ to develop Youth, Sport and R ecreation
through our services and to celebrate the accomplishments of our people”

Department’s Objectives

Hon. Tinee Furbert: The Department of Youth, Sport
and Recreation seeks to advance sport, recreation
and youth development for all in Bermuda from leisure/recreation to athletic excellence and to strengt hen the significant contributions that these initiatives
make towards enhancements of the quality of life for
the com munity.
Mr. Chairman, the objectives for 2021/22 are
as follows:
• to provide funding support for the National
Sports Governing Bodies [NSGB’s] ;
• to provide funding support for the National Youth Organising Bodies [NYOB’s] ;
• to manage and maintain government sports
and recreation facilities;
• to provide after -school programmes for
school -aged children;
• to provide summer day camps for school -
aged children; and
• to prepare and manage [the] budget to ensure
intended deadlines are met.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Youth, Sport
and Recreation administers nine programmes and 20
business units for which a general summary can be
found on pages B -246 and B -247 of the Estimates of
Expenditure and Revenue for fiscal year 2021/22. The
budget allocation for the Department of Youth, Sport
and Recreation in fiscal year 2021/22 is [$9, ,591,000]
624 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly as shown on page B -247. This is reduction of
$518,000, or 5 per cent, from fiscal year 2020/21.
Mr. Chairman, I will now discuss the individual
programmes under Head 20.

Programme 2001— Administration

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, page B -246
shows that the budget allocation for business unit
30045—General Administration for fiscal year 2021/22
is $869,000, a decrease of $747,000 in comparison to
$1,616,000 for fiscal year 2020/ 21. The reduction r eflects the movement of salaries of section heads to
the business units under their remits.
Mr. Chairman, the allocated funds provide for
the administration and operations of the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation Headquarters, which
is located in the Craig Appin House, situated at 8
Wesley Street, Hamilton. In addition, the Administr ation Section provides administrative support for the additional eight programmes within the department
and is responsible for monitoring department al spending to ensure that policies and procedures are adhered to in achieving efficiencies and effectiveness.

Programme 2002— Sport Development

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the department
provides for its sports development programme
through busines s unit 30055 —Sports Programme.
The fiscal year 2021/22 budget allocation for business
unit 30055 is $1,855,000, an increase of $74,000
compared to the original budget of $1,781,000 for fi scal year 2020/21.
This increase reflects salaries moved from the
Administration unit to the Sports Development bus iness unit, reflecting the actual cost to operate the unit.
This allocation includes grant funding for the National
Sports Governing Bodies and operational costs i nvolved with facilitating major events during the fiscal
year, such as the annual sports awards and national
junior athlete sponsorship programmes.
Mr. Chairman, included in business unit
30055 is a grant of $550,000 to the Bermuda Sport
Anti-Doping Authority [BSADA]. This is a decrease of
$100,000 f rom fiscal year 2020/21.
This funding provides operational budget for
this key agency, which takes its legislative mandate from the Anti -Doping in Sport Act 2011 and operates
under the global framework of the World Anti -Doping
Agency [WADA]. The Bermuda S port Anti -Doping A uthority is the national anti -doping organisation [NADO]
for Bermuda. Without the functional presence of this
organisation in Bermuda, it would simply mean that
Bermuda would not be able to participate in any international sporting events abroad or host international
sporting events locally. The decrease ensures that the department stays within its budget allocation for fiscal
year 2021/22. Mr. Chairman, under the strict control of the
Sports Development Section, the department conti nues to ensure that funds used by the national sports
governing bodies are for the development of sports in
Bermuda for our senior and junior athletes. Business unit 30055 also provides for a grant to the Bermuda
Football Association of $300,000. An additional
$144,000 in operating costs is covered under the
business unit, which is used for facility rental, recreation supplies, advertising, recreational services, trai ning, office supplies and hospitality for food and beverages associated with events such as the sports
awards.
Mr. Chairman, during fiscal year 2021/22 the
Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation intends to continue focusing on all aspects of sporting develo pment. The development of athletes at senior and junior levels and the provision of educat ion to local
coaches and administrators through partnerships with
overseas agencies such as the Positive Coaching A lliance and Sport for Life are key aspects of business
unit 30055.
The investment in sport is vital for the conti nued development of sports Island- wide, as without this
support many athletes and sporting programmes
would suffer. The department will also continue to
work with various government agencies to maintain sporting and recreations facilities that fall under the
department’s remit.
Mr. Chairman, Government has established a
sports recognition policy that requires all current N ational Sports Governing Bodies to be recertified. This
will ensure that all National Sports Governing Bodies are in compliance with the department’s requirements
and meet minimum standards for sporting organis ations.
The department continues to offer personal
development to coaches and administrators alike.
Through a partnership with Sport for Life, the national
sports governing bodies were introduced to the detai ls
of long- term athlete development.
An underlying aim of the long- term athlete development framework is to match the coaching and
development of children to their physical and psychological growth while optimising both their enjoyment
and training. Match ing training to development should
allow every individual to reach their optimum potential
and enjoy sports participation. In partnership with the
Bermuda Olympic Association, it is intended that all
NSGB’s develop sustainable long- term athlete deve lopment plans for their respective sport.

Programme 2003— Sports Incentives and Awards

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the estimate for
business unit 30030, Athletic Awards, is $79,000. This
represents a decrease of $121,000. This decrease
reflects the impact the COVID -19 pandemic continues
to have on the ability to develop sport and limits the


Bermuda House of Assembly opportunity to travel, train and compete internationally.
In keeping with the department’s goal of long- term
athletic development, the Department of Youth, Sport
and Rec reation in conjunction with the Bermuda
Olympic Association and the National Sports Gover ning Bodies will explore having local ly based wor kshops and camps.

Programme 2004— Sports Facilities Management

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the department
carries out sports facilities management across five
business units, with allocations for fiscal year 2021/22
totalling [$1,946,000], as shown on page B -246. This
represents an increase of $49,000 from the original estimate of $1,897,000 from fiscal year 2020/ 21. The
increase reflects the salary of the senior officer being
moved to the Sports Facilities Management unit , to
reflect the actual cost to operate the unit.
Mr. Chairman, the budget estimate for bus iness unit 30060— Sports Facilities Administration of
$1,311,000 for fiscal year 2021/22 is an increase of
$26,000 over the original budget estimates for fiscal
year 2020/21. This increase in funds is for the reall ocation of salaries from General Administration, which
reflects the actual cost of operating the unit.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 30060 includes
funding for the National Sports Centre of $1,100,000,
a decrease of $100,000 from fiscal year 2020/21. This
reduction was made in order to stay within the d epartment’s budget allocation. This cost centre also
provides for the maintenance of parks under the d epartment’s remit namely, the WMC Preece Softball
Park (30075), the WER Joell Tennis Stadium (30080),
the Motorsport Park (30090) and the Sports Comm unity Fields (30390).
The WMC Preece Softball Stadium , business
unit 30075, provides for two full -time employees
[FTE’s] to maintain the grounds and includes funding
for materials, supplies and electricity. The WER Joell Tennis Stadium, business unit 30080, includes est imates for four full -time and two part -time employees,
together with operational expenditure and the cost to
maintain the Sports Community Fields . Cost centre
30390 is also included.

Programme 2005—Youth Development

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the allocated
budget for fiscal year 2021/22 of $415,000 is for two
of the business units under the Youth Development
Programme.
Youth Development Administration, business
unit 30210, has a budget allocation of $316,000 for
fiscal year 2021/22, an increase of $24,000 from the
original budget for f iscal year 2020/21. The increase is
a result of moving salaries of the senior officer to the
business unit to reflect the cost of doing business in
this unit. Mr. Chairman, the allocated budget for bus iness unit 30350— Youth Investments (Grants) for fi scal year 2021/22 is $99,000 , a decrease of $101,000
from fiscal year 2020/21. The reduction was made to ensure that the department stays within its budget
allocation.

Programme 2006—Community Centres

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the budget alloc ation for three community centres under the d epartment’s remit , [namely,] t he Sammy Wilson Central
Zone Community Centre ( business unit 30120), the
Eastern Zone Community Centre (business unit
30130) and the Western Zone Community Centre
(business unit 30146), i s $1,447,000, which is a d ecrease of $37,000 under the original estimate for fiscal year 2020/21. The decrease is due to the re- alignment
of industrial staff wages. The community centres’ full -
time equivalent (FTE) count is 19 for fiscal year
2021/22. The staff facilitate a wide range of programming for seniors, adults and children while providing
engagement and participation opportunities for fam ilies whilst promoting the philosophy of the department’s mission.
Mr. Chairman, the three community centres
provide safe, structured programmes with trained staff
and an opportunity to build positive and long- lasting
relationships. The community centres provide opportunities for residents of all ages to experience positive
recreational activities. The community c entres have
recently come online with the After School Pr ogramme to provide the same calibre of services to
communities at both ends of the I sland.

Programme 2007—Camping

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the Youth, Sport
and Recreation Department ’s Camp ing Programme
has a budget allocation of $1,054,000 for fiscal year
2021/22, an increase of $93,000, or 10 per cent . The
increase reflects the wages of the senior recreation
officer being reallocated under this p rogramme. Mr.
Chairman, the allocated budget for the Camping Pr ogramme provides for the staffing, operation and administration of four camping facilities. In fiscal year
2021/22 the camping programme includes a total of
10 full -time employees who administer and maintain
the facilities and the marine vessels.
Mr. Chairman, the camping facilities under the
remit of DYSR [Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation] are as follows :
• Darrell’s Island , which is the largest facility
with 14 rustic campsites accommodating 30
campers at each site. There is al so an add itional building which can accommodate an
additional 30 campers .
• Paget Island is located in St. George’s harbour and has the largest building and single
626 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly campsite, accommodating a maximum of 95
campers .
• Ports Island is the oldest camping facility,
which houses a building that accommodates a
maximum of 45 campers .
• White’s Island is used sporadically for overnight tent camping. It is primarily used for
basic swimming instruction by the Bermuda
Amateur Swimming Association and rowing
instruction by t he Bermuda Rowing Associ ation.
Due to the Covid- 19 global pandemic , the department currently has decreased its occupancy rates
at each facility in accordance to the guidelines set by
the Department of Health.

Programme 2008— School -Age Activities/
Summer Day Camps
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the budget alloc ation for the Summer Day Camp Programme is
$733,000 in fiscal year 2021/22. This represents no change from the fiscal year 2020/21 budget allocation.
Mr. Chairman, this programme supports approx imately 1,500 school -aged children and is provided at var ious schools and c ommunity centres throughout the
Island. Approximately 130 part -time employees conduct this programme, supervised by qualified educ ators. Eighty per cent of the part -time employees are
university, college and senior school students. There is also a Special -Needs Programme which provides
one-on-one care for children who have special needs.
For the purposes of inclusion, all students in the spe-cial-needs camp are incorporated in the s chool-age
camps.
Mr. Chairman, also included in programme
2008 are three pre-school -age camps , which were
created specifically for the transition of children from pre-school to their first year of primary school. This
programme also provides camps for primary -school -
aged children and middle- school -aged children.

Programme 2009— After School Programmes

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the After School
Programmes operated by the Department of Youth,
Sport and Recreation provide for staffing, communic ations, materials and supplies for 14 programmes at
Government Primary Schools. The schools that host these programmes include the following:
• Francis Patton Primary
• Harrington Sound Primary
• Elliot Primary
• Prospect Primary
• West Pembroke Primary
• Paget Primary
• Purvis Primary
• Heron Bay Primary • Port Royal Primary
• Dalton E. Tucker Primary
• Eastern Zone Community Centre I (middle
school)
• Eastern Zone Community Centre II (primary school)
• Sammy Wilson Central Zone Community Centre
• Western Zone Community Centre
The budget a llocation for business unit
30125— After Sc hool Programme for fiscal year
2021/22 is $1,193,000, which is an increase of
$248,000 from the original budget estimate of
$945,000 in fiscal year 2020/21. This increase is in
alignment of staff salaries being mov ed to the bus iness unit they are responsible for. The programme
supports a total of 450 primary - and middle- school -
aged children across 14 facilities and employs approximately 28 full -time equivalent s, which equates to 61
seasonal staff and two f ull-time senior supervisors in
fiscal year 2021/22. The department is committed to
providing quality After School Programmes for prim ary- and middle- school -aged children, ensuring a safe
and structured recreational programme.

Capital Acquisitions

Hon. Tinee Furber t: Mr. Chairman, there is no budget
allocation for capital acquisitions for the fiscal year
2021/22, which is on page C -14. This is a decrease of
$39,000 from the original budget for fiscal year
2020/21, which was for the purchase of a reverse osmosis plan t for Paget Island.

Subjective Analysis

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I now turn to the
subjective analysis of current account estimates for
Head 20, found on page B -247 of the Estimates Book.
Salaries: Mr. Chairman, t he allocated budget
for salari es is $2,363,000 for fiscal year 2021/22. This
represents a decrease of $260,000, or 10 per cent, as
compared to the original allocated budget of $2,623,000 for fiscal year 2020/21. This decrease is a
result of reallocation of funds for employees who
shoul d have been classified under “w ages. ”
Wages: Mr. Chairman, i n fiscal year 2021/22
the allocated budget for wages is $2,950,000. This is an increase of $220,000, or 8 per cent, compared to
the original allocated budget for fiscal year 2020/21.
This increase is a result of reallocation of funds for
employees who should have been classified under
“wages. ”
Other personnel costs: Mr. Chairman. t he
budget allocation is $62,000 for other personnel costs in fiscal year 2021/22. This amount remained unchanged from fiscal year 2020/21.
Training: Mr. Chairman, i n fiscal year 2021/22,
a total of $19,000 has been allocated to training comBermuda House of Assembly pared to the original budget of $13,000 in fiscal year
2020/21. The Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation must ensure that our recreational workers are
adequately trained for summer day camp pr ogrammes, after school programmes and the community centres. This increase also reflects additional and
upgraded training of our recreation workers in courses
in non- violent interventions, A CE (Adverse Childhood
Experiences), SCARS (Saving Children and Revealing Secrets) and conflict resolution programmes.
Transport: Mr. Chairman, the budget alloc ation for transport in fiscal year 2021/22 is $8,000, which is an increase of $1,000 from fiscal year
2020/21.
Travel: Mr. Chairman, the sum of $45,000 is
allocated for travel in fiscal year 2021/22. This is a
decrease of $36,000, or 44 per cent, compared to the
original budget of $81,000 in fiscal year 2020/21. The
Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation d ecreased the expenditure for travel as a cost savings
measure and due to COVID -19 travel restrictions.
Communications: Mr. Chairman, the estimate
for communications has remained unchanged at $96,000.
Advertising and promotion: Mr. Chairman, the
budget allocation for advertising and promotion is $33,000 for fiscal year 2021/22, representing an i ncrease of $5,000, or 18 per cent, in comparison to the
original estimate for fiscal year 2020/21 of $28,000. This increase reflects the d epartment’s s upport of
sports clubs in their promotion of events around the
Island. The Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation will also continue to maximi se the use of adverti sing and promotion through the use of social media
such as Facebook, Twitter, et cetera, to support
events and community involvement.
Professional Services : Mr. Chairman,
$166,000 has been allocated to professional services
for fiscal year 2021/22. This is a decrease of $7,000,
or 4 per cent, compared to the fiscal year 2020/21
original budget. This decrease was made in an effort
to reduce cost in the area of recreational services.
Services which were often provided from outside
agencies will be reduced, and creative alternatives will
be found in- house.
Rentals : Mr. Chairman, the budget allocation
for rentals is $276,000 for fiscal year 2021/22, which is equal to the original budget in fiscal year 2020/21.
Repair and Maintenance: Mr. Chairman, the
allocation for repair and maintenance is $250,000 for
fiscal year 2021/22, compared to the fisc al year
2020/21 original budget of $228,000. This increase of
$22,000, or 10 per cent, is required owing to the i ncreasing costs and frequency of repairs to grounds,
ageing facilities, vehicles and marine equipment ,
which come under the Youth, Sport and Recreation
Department ’s remit.
Insurance: Mr. Chairman, i n fiscal year
2021/22 a total of $31,000 has been allocated to cov-er insurance costs. There is an increase of $100 from
the original budget for fiscal year 2020/21. The insurance is for the marine and vehicle fleet under the D epartment of Youth, Sport and Recreation.
Energy : Mr. Chairman, $214,000 is the energy
budget allocation for the fiscal year 2021/22. There is
no change from the original budget for fiscal year
2020/21. The department will continue to encourage
staff to assist in conserving energy by turning off
lights, shutting down equipment when not in use, t ogether with other energy -saving measures.
Clothing, uniforms and laundry: Mr. Chairman,
the $23,000 budget allocation for clothing, unif orms
and laundry in fiscal year 2021/22 represents a d ecrease of $1,000, compared to the original estimate
for fiscal year 2020/21. The decrease ensures that the
department stays within its budget allocation for fiscal
year 2021/22.
Materials and supplies : Mr. Chairman, as
shown on page B -247, the budget allocation is
$251,000 for materials and supplies for fiscal year 2021/22. This allocation is an increase of $30,000, or
14 per cent, compared to fiscal year 2020/21 original
budget of $221,000. With the i ncrease in price of m aterials on the Island , this uplift is a direct effect of the
increased cost of these supplies.
Equipment (major/minor capital) : Mr. Chai rman, the allocated budget for equipment in fiscal year 2021/22 is $17,000, which is an increase of $1,000
over the original budget for fiscal year 2020/21.
Other expenses : Mr. Chairman, $59,000 is
allocated to other expenses in fiscal year 2021/22 ,
compared to the original estimate for fiscal year
2020/21 of $52,000. This increase is again reflectiv e
of the increased costs locally.
Grants and c ontributions : Mr. Chairman, the
allocated budget for fiscal year 2021/22 is $2,728,000
for grants and contributions, which is a decrease of
$507,000, compared to the original estimate of $3,235,000 in fiscal y ear 2020/21. The decrease is to
ensure the department meets its budget allocations
for fiscal year 2021/22.

Youth, Sport and Recreation —Revenue

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, as shown on
page B -248, it is anticipated that the revenue for the
department will be $545,000 for fiscal year 2021/22,
which is a decrease of $125,000, or 19 per cent compared to the original estimate for fiscal year 2020/21.
Revenue was estimated on trends from programme
registration, sale of after -school vouchers, as well as
income from the rental of boats and equipment. The
reduction in the number of clients that can be serviced
due to the COVID -19 pandemic has affected the revenue for the department .


628 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Full-time Equivalents (FTE)

Hon. Tinee Furbert: The full -time equivalent (FTE),
as shown on page B -248, count for fiscal year
2021/22 remains unchanged at 95.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated staff at the Depar tment of Youth, Sport and Recreation for the work they
do in advanci ng amateur sport, recreation and youth
development for all, which enhances the quality of life for residents of Bermuda. Also, it is important for me
to recogni se the significant contributions made by our
sportsmen and sportswomen and the pivotal role they
play in inspiring our youth to achieve their true potential. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my presentation on
the fiscal year 2021/22 budgetary allocation for Head 20—the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation.

HEAD 52 —DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I will now present
the fiscal year 2021/22 estimates of expenditure and
revenue for Head 52 —the Department of Culture,
which can be found on pages B -252 through B -260 of
the Estimates Book.
Mr. Chairman, the department ’s mission is “to
develop our creatives, preserve our heritage and celebrate our people.” The department ’s objectives for
2021/22 are as follows:
• to support Bermuda's cultural, heritage and
artistic communities and institutions through
developmental programmes and part nerships;
• to preserve our heritage by promoting an understanding of Bermuda’s cultural identity
through education, research, publication and
enrichment programmes;
• to celebrate our people and the development
of our national identity by curating cultural festivals, public discussions and educational pr ogrammes; and
• to serve as stewards of Bermuda’s cultural
heritage.
Mr. Chairman, you will note that the depar tment recently ch anged its name. In response to the
Government’s reform initiative, the department requested that Management Consulting Services conduct a review. It was determined that changing the
name from the Department of Community and Cultural
Affairs to the Department of Culture better reflects its
core focus. It was also determined that it was more
consistent with the names of departments that perform similar functions in other jurisdictions.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Culture administers two programmes and 13 business units , for
which a general summary is contained on page B -253
of the Esti mates of Expenditure and Revenue for f inancial year 2021/22, with a total estimate of
$1,973,000. This represents a reduction of $110,000, or 5 per cent, from the 2020 /21 original budget of
$2,083,000.
Mr. Chairman, like the rest of Bermuda and
indeed the world, the Department of Culture and its
stakeholders have been impacted over the past year by the effects of the COVID -19 pandemic. The i mpacts were felt most keenly in relation to the events
and programmes hosted by the department that typ ically involv e larger gatherings of people. However, as
a steward of Bermuda’s cultural heritage, the depar tment has always been aware of the fact that culture
evolves in response to current circumstances . And our
artists, tradition -bearers, creatives and officers with in
the department were well equipped to utili se creativity
as a tool to meet the challenges of the pandemic and
offer programmes and events which served to meet
the department ’s mission.
Mr. Chairman, we saw artists rise to the occ asion during shelter in place and throughout the year,
finding ways of connecting with our community
through digital platforms and social media in ways that have been immensely uplifting.
The Department of Culture supported some of
these efforts and created a significant amount of dig ital programming and content to educate, inspire and
celebrate despite physical distancing requirements.
The department ’s new website launched during Heri tage Month was among the tools used to communicate information about these efforts, the highlights of which
will be shared further .
Mr. Chairman, the department recogni ses that
the impact of the pandemic will continue to be felt in financial year 2021/22 and that some categories of
our artistic community —particularly those in the performing arts, for example—have been disproportio nately impacted. Guided by some of the concepts that
have emerged as a result of UNESCO’s Resili Art dialogue on global initiatives to support the creative i ndustries during the COVID -19 pandemic, the depar tment has considere d how to re- imagine some of our
programm es in light of the current circumstances,
without increasing the overall budget.
Mr. Chairman, I will now offer highlights of the
accomplishments, programmatic plans and changes
in estimates for the business units associated with the
Department of Culture.

Programme 5202—Cultural Affairs
Business Unit 62000—Grants to Organisations

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the total amount
budgeted under this business unit for financial year
2021/22 is $248,000, which repr esents an increase of
$19,000, or 8 per cent, when compared with the orig inal budget allocation of $229,000 in financial year
2020/21.
Bermuda Arts Council : The Bermuda Arts
Council’s grant has increased from $131,000 to
$140,000, representing an increas e of $9,000, or 7


Bermuda House of Assembly per cent . This was achieved by way of a reallocation
of funds from business unit 62100 —Uncover the Arts.
One of the primary roles of the Bermuda Arts Council
is to review applications submitted by individual creatives and organisations re questing funding for projects
such as the creation of musical albums, film projects
and visual arts exhibitions.
The Arts Council represents the primary funding body of the department to assist with these kinds
of applications. These contributions help to ensure a
vibrant arts sector , and the c ouncil itself comprises
individuals who have worked in these creative fields
and can effectively evaluate the merit of the pr oposals. Especially as a result of the compression cr eated by the pandemic, the Bermuda Art s Council represents one of the few funding sources for artists tr ying to bring a creative concept to life.
This financial year, in addition to the individual
and organi sational grants which were awarded, the
Bermuda Arts Council also awarded three student
scholarships , to Mackenzie Costa, Photini -Dawn
Ingham and Sabriyya Harvey, who are studying
graph ic design, photography and visual arts, respectively. The Bermuda Arts Council also recogni sed
three talented creatives in their annual awards cer emony —singer Peter Nash won the Lifetime Achiev ement Award; and artist Sharon Muhammad and mus ician Wendell “Shine” Hayward were presented with the Founders Awards.
Mr. Chairman, you will note that the depar tment has taken a different funding approach with r egards to managing grants allocated to museums and
other heritage organisations. In previous years there
were specific amounts set aside for approximately five
heritage institutions or museums.
However, the department appreciates that
there are other institution s which serve to preserve
Bermuda’s tangible cultural heritage [and] whose
goals are worthy of consideration and support. In an
effort to make this process as transparent and equit able as possible, the Department of Culture has pooled
the individual grants of previous years into a single
object code, Contribution to Cultural Activity, so that
any heritage institution or museum can apply to be a
recipient of these funds.

Business Unit 62001— Administration

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the function of
this business unit is to provide for the administration
and operation of the Department of Culture, which is
located on the 3rd floor of the Government Administr ation Building. Mr. Chairman, the allocated budget for
financial year 2021/22 for this business unit is
$809,000, as shown on page B -253. This amount r eflects a decrease of $27,000, or 3 per cent, compared
to the original budget for financial year 2020/21 of
$836,000. This decrease is the result of cost savings associated with salaries. Mr. Chairman, the allocated budget sustains
both programmes of operation, including salaries and wages. The remainder of the budget provides for d epartment -wide promotion, office supplies, copies,
website maintenance and development, and tel ephone services.

Business Unit 62010— Emancipation and
Cultural Festivals

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the total amount
allocated for this business unit in f inancial year
2021/22 is $77,000, which is the same amount that was allocated in the 2020/ 21 financial year. Mr.
Chairman , this business unit covers the cost of pr omoting the culture and heritage of Bermuda’s citizenry
through festivals and other programmes and events highlighting the contributions of our root cultures . And
it is aligned with two of the primary departmental objectives of preserving our heritage and celebrating our
people.
Emancipation Programme: The commemor ation of Emancipation was first established as a way of recogni sing the complicated history of enslavement
and segregation experienced by Bermudians of African descent. An aspect of this history that most Ber-mudians will be familiar with is the connection between Emancipation, Cup Match and the Bermuda
Friendly Societies. And although the pandemic
caused the cancellation of the two- day cricket match
that we as Bermudians hold dear, the Department of
Culture ensured that the commemoration of this hol iday would continue.
In fact, as a result of the circumstances, the
department for the first time was able to partner with
the Somerset Cricket Club, the St. George’s Cricket
Club, the Bermuda Friendly Societies and multiple
community groups, bringing together the various
threads that form the core of Cup Match in order to
offer a unified calendar of events.
These events included a line- up of tours and
lectures sponsored in collaboration with the Depar tment of Libraries and Archives , radio interviews with
Cup Match legends , a series of televised programmes
offered in collaboration with CITV , an Emancipation
Youth Creativity Competition, and a virtual Cup Match
programme produced in collaboration with Bermemes.
Most significantly, this year gave us the very
first Mary Prince Day , which included the naming of
the Mary Prince Emancipation Park honouring the
internationally celebrated Bermudian abolitionist and freedom fighter.
The department marked the occasion with a
virtual concert in the newly named park , which included an original song composed and performed by Joy
T. Barnum highlighting the incredible legacy that Mary
Prince has gifted to us.
Financial year 2021/22 also saw the compl etion of a research project , [a film] by Dr. Dana Sela s630 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly sie entitled Broadcasting Black , exploring the role that
Black Bermudian broadcasters played in the era i mmediately after the ending of segregation. This project
resulted in a documentary film that was screened in
September.

Business Unit 62020—Heritage Celebrations

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the total amount
budgeted for this business unit for f inancial year
2021/22 is $274,000, representing no change from the
original budget estimate for financial year 2020/21.
Mr. Chairman, this business unit covers the
cost of both Heritage c elebrations and the Bermuda
Day Parade. Heritage celebrations are a year -long
series of cultural events and activities, the crown jewel
of wh ich is the vibrant Bermuda Day Parade.
In 2020 the department partnered with
Bermemes to create a Virtual Bermuda Day featuring
past performances as well as interviews with several
hosts of the parade and notably live performances
from United Dance Produc tions, PHC [Pembroke
Hamilton Club] Majorettes and Drum Corps, and Bermuda Gombey representatives from all five active
troupes during a time when gatherings were restricted
to 10 persons . This was an incredible feat for the performers, filmmaker and depart ment as they delivered
a Bermuda Day celebration that was not typical, but in true resilient fashion was still authentic and beautiful.
Partnering with CITV, a robust schedule of
past Bermuda Day Parades and cultural content aired throughout Heritage Mont h reflecting the 2020 theme,
“We Are Bermudian. ” CITV and the department also
received art, videos and photos from the community, particularly children, about why they loved Bermuda
Day, which aired prior to the Government press conferences.
The theme for Heritage Month and Bermuda
Day 2021 is “ Bermudian Resilience, ” celebrating our
identity and history of overcoming challenges for the
best of our community development.
The department intends to host a c ultural conference for stakeholders in the creative community for
dialogue as a primary focus during Heritage Month. The conference will also serve as the opportunity for
the department to launch the National Cultural Heri tage Policy for Bermuda, a Throne Speech initiative.
The department will also look to highlight the
performing arts through their Bermuda Day celebr ations in 2021, as musicians and other performing ar tists have had reduced opportunities to perform over the past year as a result of the pandemic.

Business Unit 62030—Cultural
Education Prog ramme

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the amount
budgeted for this business unit for financial year
2021/22 is $62,000 (page B -253). This represents no change when compared to the original budget for f inancial year 2020/21. Mr. Chairman, the Department
of Culture is responsible for creating materials about
our rich cultural heritage to educate the public and our
students.
Study guides : Mr. Chairman, the Bermuda
Folklife Documentary Series is a collection of full -
length feature films highlighting the traditions and tradition bearers of Bermuda. In financial year 2021/22
the department will continue to work with the Ministry
of Education and develop study guides to complement the Bermuda Folklife Documentary Series for use
within the school system. During the 2020/21 f inancial
year, the department completed the first versions of
the study guides for use at the primary level , as prior
efforts had been focused on creating secondary -level
study guides. In financial year [2021/22] the depar tment will work towar ds drafting an additional four pr imary -level guides.
Cultural Films : Mr. Chairman, the Department
of Culture recogni ses that film is a vitally important
medium through which to educate the public about our history, culture and heritage. Documentaries in parti cular offer the opportunity to collect oral histories , the
transcripts of which serve as a deeper record of the experiences and knowledge of those who have been
interviewed for our films.
Mr. Chairman, during f inancial year 2020/21,
we were able to la unch a previously researched film
focusing on the story of [Louis] Rafael “Kid” Corbin, a
Bermudian golfer who broke the colour line in the
United States and Canada. In financial year 2021/22
the Department of Culture will continue to shine a light
onto th ese previously not -yet-researched areas of our
history.

Business Unit 62050—National Heroes Day

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the amount
budgeted for this business unit for financial year
[2021/22] is $61,000. This represents a decrease of
$1,000, or 2 per cent, when compared to the original
budget in financial year 2020/21 of $62,000.
This decrease is attributed to a minor adjus tment in costs. Mr. Chairman, funds associated with
this business unit are used to formally honour and
commemorate a new National Hero when one is
named and celebrate our existing National Heroes on an annual basis. In financial year 2020/21, in addition
to a public awareness campaign, the department organised a series of virtual tributes event s for the exis ting National Heroes , offered by members of the co mmunity.
In financial year 2021/22 the celebrations will
feature musical tributes to our h eroes.




Bermuda House of Assembly Business Unit 62060— Promotion of the Arts

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the amount
budgeted for this business unit for f inancial year
2021/22 is $86,000. This represents an increase of
$10,000, or 13 per cent, when compared to the orig inal budget for financial year 2020/21 of $76,000. The
Premier’s Concert, Writer in Residence Programme, and Art in Public Buildings project are funded through
this business unit. The increase in this budget unit is a result of reallocating funds from b usiness unit
62080—Research and Publication since, as mentioned at the beginning of this section of the budget
brief, the department is looking to put a special emphasis on supporting musicians and performing artists
during fiscal year 2021/22.
Premier’s Concert : Mr. Chairman, the Premier’s Concert for this financial year, scheduled for this
month, will take a different approach from concerts in
previous years. In addition to featuring the talent of
young Bermudians under the age of 20, the c oncert
will also focus on artists who have received a grant or
contribution from the Department of Culture or the
Bermuda Arts Council . Invited artists include gospel
duo Last Call, the Working Title Band and singer
Nkosi Hollis. The youth performance element of the
Premier’s Concert allows younger artists who show great promise to have the experience of performing at
a prestigious event, which serves as a dev elopmental
tool. By including artists who have received grants
from the department , the general public can also have
an opportunity to see in a snapshot some of the finest
artistic talent supported by Government during the fiscal year.

Business Unit 62070—Folklife

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the amount
budgeted for this business unit for f inancial year
2021/22 is $100,000, which represents a decrease of
$6,000, or 6 per cent, compared to the original budget
for financial year 2020/21 of $106,000. Activities that
come under this business unit are the Bermudian
Heartbeats Lecture Series and the Cultural Apprenticeship Programme.
Bermudian Heartbeats . Mr. Chairman, the
Bermudian Heartbeats Lecture Series, now in its 18
th
year, highlight various aspects of Bermudian history
and culture and aims to hold regular presentations
which are both entertaining as well as educational.
During financial year 2020/21, some of the pr ogrammes included were Ancestral Connections , Bermuda and St. Kitts and Nevis , with th e talk being gi ven by Mrs. Louise Tannock, Honorary Consul for St. Kitts and Nevis; Mashpee Nine film screening and discussion with Ms. Talia Landry, film editor and
Wampanoag Tribe member; a discussion with the
Honourable John Barritt and Mr. Arthur Hodgs on
commemorating the 400
th Anniversary of Parliament; and our annual holiday concert on the steps of City
Hall featuring soloists Toni Robinson, Quinn Outerbridge and other special guests.
In keeping with the revised mission of the department , the new season has already commenced,
as it now follows the calendar year rather than the
budget year . And it will feature six scheduled events
with up to three additional events to be added as opportunities arise, also contributing to the decrease in
budget for f inancial year 2021/ 22.
Mr. Chairman, as part of this programme, the
Department of Culture will feature events such as a lecture on climate change by Dr. Mark Guishard; a
physically distanced tour of historical locations in St.
David’s Carter House and the St . David’s Battery with
the tour being hosted by Mr. Rick Spurling; a talk on
the history of epidemics and pandemics that have af-fected Bermuda, by Mr. Jonathan Smith; and of
course our annual holiday concert designed to hig hlight young up- and-coming musici ans.

Business Unit 62080—Research and Publication

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the allocated
budget in financial year 2021/22 for this business unit
is $53,000. This represents a decrease of $3,000, or 5
per cent, compared to the original budget es timate for
financial year 2020/21 of $56,000. This decrease is
largely the result of eliminating printing when making
research findings available to the public, using digital
publication instead.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Culture is
responsible for supporting and developing materials
that contribute to safeguarding Bermuda’s rich history
and heritage. Mr. Chairman, to this end the depar tment recogni ses the importance of supporting original
academic research on Bermuda and is pleased to contribute to the development of material on Bermudian folklife, culture and heritage.
Mr. Chairman, in financial year 2021/22 it is
the intention of the department to support research
projects by focusing on the experiences of Bermudian
nurses during the era of segregation.

Business Unit 62180— Special Projects

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the total amount
allocated for this business unit for financial year
2021/22 is $26,000. This amount reflects a decrease
of $15,000 , or 37 per cent, when compared to the
original budget estimate for financial year 2020/21 of
$41,000.
Mr. Chairman, during the financial year
2021/22 the funds allocated to this b usiness unit will
be used to support projects associated with the Throne Speech initiative of the National Cultural Heritage Policy, as well as any special requests on cu ltural projects.

632 8 March 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Business Unit 62210—Gombey Festival

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the amount all ocated for this business unit in 2021/22 is $84,000,
which represents a $14,000 reduction, or 14 per cent,
when compared to the original budget estimate of
$98,000 for financial year 2020/21.
The Bermuda International Gombey Festival :
Mr. Chairman, the Gombey Festival has been held
annually to provide exposure to the folk art and traditions of the Gombey, which is an important Bermudian
icon. In 2020/21, although hindered by the restrictions
on gatherings as a result of COVID -19, the Depar tment of Culture had the opportunity to reflect on the
ways this annual event has taken place in the past
and envision physically distanced celebrations of the
Bermuda Gombeys that keep both our tradition bearers and the community safe. In doing this, the d epartment has forged closer relationships with the
Bermuda Gombeys , who have also joined together to
be a more cohesiv e voice.
Mr. Chairman, it is the department ’s vision
that the Bermuda Gombey Festival will continue to
celebrate the Bermuda Gombey and related diasporic
art forms. The allocated budget for fiscal year 2021/22
will finance the cost of event infrastructure, financial
awards to participating Gombey troupes [and other]
local participating dance groups, and to ensure that
the Gombey Festival is well documented . Additionally,
with the cost and time savings of not bringing in an
overseas troupe, the department plans to do other
work throughout the year to ensure that the Bermuda
Gombey is protected and developed.

Programme 5203—Community Services
Business Unit 62100—Uncover the Arts
Programme

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the allocated
budget in financial year 2021/22 for this business unit
is $93,000, which is a reduction of $40,000, or 30 per
cent, when compared to the original estimates for f inancial year 2020/21 of $133,000. Mr. Chairman, in
previous years this cost centre was dedicated primar ily to sub sidising cultural tours. In an effort to support
performing artists and musicians affected by the pandemic, programmes funded by this cost centre will
shift to support live public performances providing the
dual benefit of giving our artists the opportunit y to pe rform, as well as enlivening the social atmosphere of
our current environment.
In addition to supporting the artists themselves, funds allocated for this business unit are also
used to pay the cost of advertising, rental of sites and
audio- visual r entals and technicians. The reduction in
this cost centre reflects the change in programmatic focus , as well as a reduction in sponsorships and
partnerships in programmes with an emphasis on vis itors rather than locals, given the anticipation of r e-duced vi sitor numbers in spring and early summer due
to the pandemic.
Mr. Chairman, the department will be implementing a number of programmes in financial year
2021/22 designed to help develop our creatives. Some of these will include quarterly sponsorships of
open-mic nights intended to encourage our community to share and develop their talents as singers, poets, spoken- word artists, rappers, comedians and mus icians. We will also develop a programme designed to develop our creatives through portfolio building, pre pping for the industry, support for musicians such as
video production, and pairing with industry mentors .

Business Unit 62130— Senior Citizen Projects

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the allocated
budget in fiscal year 2021/22 for this business unit is
zero dollars. This represents a decrease of $33,000,
or 100 per cent, compared to the original budget est imate for fiscal year 2020/21. Mr. Chairman, typically
this budget area is used to provide large- scale events
for senior citizens such as the Seniors Luncheon. During the COVID -19 pandemic, such activities would not
be feasible —particularly with a vulnerable population.
Instead, during this time the Department of Culture
has shifted its focus to allocate its resources to pr ogramming that can be achieved safely.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Culture continues to provide a wide range of community pr ogramming available to persons of all ages that seniors
are encouraged to attend and who often do , representing the majority age- range of participants.

Subjective Analysis

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I will now discuss
the subjective analysis for the Department of Culture,
found on page B -254, and the employee numbers
found on page B -255. As mentioned at the beginning
of the brief, the budget for financial year 2021/22 of
$1,973,000 has been reduced by a total of $110,000,
or 5 per cent, as compared to the total original budget
for financial year 2020/21 of $2,083,000.
Salaries, wages and other personnel costs :
Mr. Chairman, these areas have seen a total d ecrease of $25,000. This is largely the result of cost -
saving measures taken across government relating to
salaries as a result of the pandemic.
Training and t ransportation: Mr. Chairman,
there has been no change to the 2021/ 22 budget in
the are as of training and transportation.
Travel : Mr. Chairman, travel has been r educed by $4,000 , or 80 per cent . This reduction takes
into consideration the COVID -19 pandemic and the
likelihood that programmes taking place in 2021 would
almost certainly not feature international speakers
participating in person .


Bermuda House of Assembly Communications, advertising and promotion:
Mr. Chairman, these areas are being reduced by
$19,000. The Department of Culture has recently
trained staff in using social media platforms and is
now able t o use these platforms to advertise and pr omote their programmes digitally and less expensively.
Professional services , and grants and contr ibutions : Mr. Chairman, the subjective analysis of
these two areas show s an increase of $28,000, or 5
per cent, for professional services, and a decrease of
$49,000, or 10 per cent, in grants and contributions.
As mentioned earlier in the brief there has been a reallocation of some funds ( originally in contribution to
cultural activities ) to contractors , to reflect the work
carried out by contract researchers. The remaining
reductions in grants and contributions are as a result of budget reductions due to the pandemic.
Rentals : Mr. Chairman, rentals have decreased in the 2021/ 22 budget year by $2,000, or 2
per cent, because of overall reductions of in- person
events expected during the first quarter of the financial
year as a result of COVID -19 restrictions on gatherings.
Equipment (minor capital) , and repair and
maintenance: Mr. Chairman, these areas have been
reduced by a total of $6,000 as a result of the recent
move of the Department of Culture to a newly ren ovated area of the Government Administration Building.
Materials and s upplies : Mr. Chairman, this
area has been reduced by $25,000, or 23 per cent .
This area includes printing, station ery and office supplies. And as part of Government’s commitment t oward green initiatives and going paperless, the department has reduced [spending] in all of these areas.
With regards to publication, as already mentioned
previously in the b rief, the department will move t owards making publications available in digital formats
on their new website.
Other expenses : Mr. Chairman, the reduction
of $8,000, or 89 per cent, in this area is attributable to
eliminating costs of local accommodation for overseas
lecturers and workshop leaders. As mentioned earlier
in the brief, due to COVID -19 it is not anticipated that
the department will work with overseas speakers to
any large extent this year.

Revenue

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, th e total estimated revenue for the Department of Culture for financial
year 2021/22 is budgeted at $1,000. This is a d ecrease of $1,000, or 50 per cent . The change in the
estimated revenue takes into account that a new book
will not be produced in this budget year , and due to
COVID -19 restrictions fewer people are physically
visiting the office in order to purchase the depar tment ’s existing collection of books and DVDs. Mr. Chairman, there is no change to emplo yee numbers , with the full -time equivalents remaining
at eight , as found on page B -255.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the staff of
the Department of Culture for their dedication, commitment, energy and enthusiasm. Although not a large
department , the staff work hard and are committed to
serving the public with excellence. Mr. Chairman, this
concludes my presentation on the budgetary alloc ation for financial year 2021/22 for Head 52—the D epartment of Culture.