May 27, 2020

Good morning to you.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you.
Just to make a few preliminary comments, I
am pleased to see that the Senate is now moving into a future state of our proc eedings. I was pleased to be
able to offer some assistance in drafting the a mendment that you just read. However, as you will well know, the exercise does not stop there. As we move into this phase, possibly on a permanent basis or even to just give Senate the option of virtual meetings,
924 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate it is essential that we consider further amendments to
the Standing Orders to present a more holistic vision
that will stand as well for the future.
So I look forward to engaging in that exercise
with yourself and the Speaker , or whichever other
Senators will be engaged in that process , so that we
are equipped to continue virtual meetings and the associated matters in that regard.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General .
And I think your point is appreciated. And so, Sen ators, this is to be a temporary, interim amendment.
Is there an agreement?
Do I have agreement from all of you?
Sen. Marcus Jones: Good morning, Madam Pres ident
I would like to concur with the Leader of the
Government in regard to this a mendment to the
Standing Orders. I believe this is to be welcomed. I
believe it bodes us well for the future. And we are in
full agreement to this.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones. And your
commen ts are appreciated.
[Motion carried: Standing Order 3 amended.]

The President: Now Senators, we will move on to the
second item under Announcements, and that is the
Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing Precautions) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2020. And that
is in the name of the Attorney General.

[Inaudible interjections and pause]

The President: Madam Attorney General , you have
the second announcement.

EMERGENCY POWERS (COVID -19 CONTINUING
PRECAUTIONS) AMENDMENT (NO. 2)
REGULATIONS 2020

Sen. the H on. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I am sorry,
Madam President. Did you . . . I am sorry. I was muted. Apologies.
Madam President, I hereby present for the
information of Senate the Emergency Powers
(COVID -19 Continuing Precautions) Amendment (No.
2) Regulations 202 0, as made by His Excellency the
Governor under the provisions of the Emergency Powers Act 1963.
The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General .
The third item under Announcements is the
Information Commissioner’s Office Annual Report 2019. And that is in the name of Senator Ianthia Si mmons -Wade.

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Can you hear me?

The President: Yes, I can hear you.

[Crosstalk]

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Okay. Good morning,

Good morning.

INFORMATION COMMIS SIONER’S OFFICE
ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: I hereby present for
the information of Senate the Annual Report of the Information Commissioner’s Office for the year 2019.
The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons -Wade.
The next announcem ent is the Debt Collection
(General) Regulations 2020. And that is in the name of Senator Anthony Richardson.
And I think you have a few. So, Senator Ric hardson, you can read them all in turn.
The President: Senator Richardson.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Good morning, all. Madam President?

The President: Yes. Good morning. We can hear
you.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: All right. One second. Let
me turn my cell [phone off].
Good morning again.
The President: Good morning.

DEBT COLLECTION
(GENERAL) REGUL ATIONS 2020

DEBT COLLECTION (TRANSITIONAL PERIOD
EXTENSION) ORDER 2020

DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING
(DELEGATION) NOTICE 2020

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS (REGULATORY
AUTHORITY FEES) REGULATIONS 2020

FISHERIES (LOBSTER) REGULATIONS 2020

FISHERIES (LOBSTER) AM ENDMENT
REGULATIONS 2020



Bermuda Senate Sen. Anthony Richardson: I want to introduce the—
it would be the:
• Debt Collection (General) Regulations 2020;
• Debt Collection (Transitional Period Extension) Order 2020;
• Development and Planning (Delegation) N otice 2020;
• Electroni c Communications (Regulatory A uthority Fees) Regulations 2020;
• Fisheries (Lobster) Regulations 2020; and
• Fisher ies (Lobster) Amendment Regulations
2020.
The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson.

NOTICE OF MOTION
The President: The next item is the resolution to extend the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing
Precautions) Regulations 2020.
Sen. James S. Jardine: Madam President. Madam
President.

The President: Madam Attorney General .
I beg your pardon. Senator Jardine, [did you]
have a comment?

Sen. James S. Jardine: Yes, Madam President. Sorry to interrupt.
After Announcements, I think I pointed out via
an email to the Clerk of the Senate that there appears
to be a n Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing
Precautions) Amendment Regulations 2020 ( BR-45)
that seems to have not come to the Senate yet. And it
really precedes the one we have just had read for us,
the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing Pr ecautions) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations [2020] . I
did mention that in the email. I think it is a [INAUD IBLE] .

[Feedback]

Sen. James S. Jardine: —[INAUDIBLE] as something that probably needs to come before the Senate.
The President: Yes.
The Clerk: T ake it under advisement.

Sen. James S. Jardine: All right.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jardi ne. We will
take it under advisement.
And I will hand over to Kathy Lynn Simmons,
the Attorney General, to actually read the motion, the notice of motion.
Senator Simmons, you have the floor.
EMERGENCY POWERS (COVID -19 CONTINUING
PRECAUTIONS) AMENDMENT (NO. 2)
REGULATIONS 2020

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you,
Madam President.
Madam President, I hereby give notice that
under the Orders of the Day, I will move a motion that the Senate take note of the Emergency Powers
(COVID -19 Continuing Pre cautions) Amendment (No.
2) Regulations 2020 and resolve to extend the dur ation of the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing
Precautions) Regulations 2020 to 30 June 2020.

The President: Thank you, Madam Attorney General .

PETITIONS

The President: There are none.

STATEMENTS

The President: We have two Statements. T he first
one is Streamlining Planning Processes. And that is in
the name of Senator Richardson.
Senator Richardson, you have the floor.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Am I unmuted?

[Pause]

[Feedback]

The President: Senator Richardson, you can carry
on.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Yes. Good morning
again to you, Madam President , fellow Senators and
those in the listening audience.

The President: Good morning.

STREAMLINING PLANNING PROCESSES

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President, I am
today providing the Senate with information and u pdates on various initiatives which the Department of
Planning are implementing in order to streamline pr ocesses , and also to provide an update on the current
status of service delivery.
Madam President, initiatives to improve var ious planning procedures were introduced last May
with the aim to implement more effici ent decision -
making and generally unburden application proces ses. Madam President, one of the initial steps that was
taken was to engage with key stakeholders and the
construction industry on a periodic basis to understand first -hand the range of concerns. Such meetings
have provided much insight into the needs of the i n926 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate dustry and, like opening up lines of communication, it
has in turn begun to improve the perception of the
department in that industry by allowing stakeholders
more input into the process.
Madam President, one of this Government’s
aims is to make public information more accessible to our residents . The department’s Energov , located at
www.planning.energov.bm
allows members of the
public to access planning submissions online with just
a few clicks of the mouse. The E nergov system underwent its first phase of implementation in the summer of 2019 and provides for electronic submissions,
review of applications and submissions of objections,
thus eliminating the need for paper submission.
Madam President, the department recently
capitalised on the benefits of this system whereby
service delivery was able to continue throughout the shelter in place period. In this regard, the department
never ceased del ivering services, such as resolving
planning applications and issuing building permits. Madam President, to further assist the public during
these challenging times, the department has made a wide variety of updates to their website in order to
provide up- to-date information on procedures and
processes.
These updates have included such items as
the posting online of development application board meeting agendas and minutes, advertising of applic ations electronically, updated guidance notes and the
ability of the public to subscribe with their email and
automatically receive updates.
Madam President, the department has embraced the use of technology to combat challenges posed by COVID -19. In this regard, the DAB meetings
have been held virtually with much success, and offi cers have worked remotely with ease, thanks to online
meeting platforms and the EnerG ov system.
Madam President, the department is diligently
working on a technological solution to resume the
draft Bermuda Plan 2018 tribunal inquiries, wh ich are
required to be open to the public. It is expected that such a solution will entail virtual meetings that can be
livestreamed. Madam President, as obviously announced earlier this year, an initiative known as the
scheme of delegation is now operational. The DAB
[Development Applications Board] has delegated its
powers to grant or refuse planning permission to the
Director of Planning for those applications that are
fully compliant and those that only require minimal
discretion. This has resulted in t he reduction of pr ocessing times for straightforward applications.
Madam President, the benefits of this appro val process were particularly realised since March 19
th,
the event of the COVID -19 on our shores. A total of 55
planning applications have been approved administr atively to date. Madam President, feedback from key
stakeholders indicates that delays have become far
too common with respect to required approvals from entities outside of the Department of Planning for building projects. As a result, the department is activ ely exploring ways to improve processes and accelerate applications which involve interdepartmental con-sultation.
Madam President, this past fiscal year the
department held quarterly planning clinics in different
areas of the Island. Many members of our community
took advantage of these sessions to obtain planning-related advice and guidance on the submission of applications. The department will now be evolving these sessions to include virtual presentations on various
topics such as green infrastructure, alternative buil ding methods and answering questions submitted by
the public.
Madam President, the Department of Planning is developing a new initiative known as the “ competent persons scheme. ” This initiative would enable
various tra despersons to qualify against a set criteria
to become a trusted and competent individual in their
field, which will enable them to carry out work without
the requisite building inspection process. Madam President, the buildout of this initiative requires a ssessment of what criteria will be used, qualified per-sons and also what specific types of projects. The i ntention is to apply the scheme to renewable energy projects and other small -scale works such as minor
residential additions and home renovation proj ects.
The primary benefit of such a scheme will
(1) allow for construction to proceed seamlessly wit hout undue delay; and (2) provide increased opportunities for Bermudians and small businesses.
Madam President, in closing, I am encouraged by the progress made by the Department of
Planning thu s far and how service delivery continued
through the period of shelter in place due to the
COVID -19 pandemic. I am confident the Department
of Planning is committed to making the necessary
changes for the ultimate betterment of Bermuda.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Anthony Ric hardson.
And you can continue with your second
Statement on the Bermuda Public Schools when you
are ready.

BERMUDA PUBLIC SCHOOL REOPENING PLAN

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, this morning I rise to (well,
I sit, really) provide my honourable colleagues with an
update on the planning- related activities undertaken
by the Department of Education in preparation for
schools reopening
. A system plan is being developed
that comprises four components of:
1. Planning for R eopening— actions needed to
resume school operations ;


Bermuda Senate 2. Preparati on of S chool Buildings —plans for r eturning to the building;
3. Recovery —transitioning staff and st udents
back into normalcy ; and
4. Implementation of a H ybrid Learning Model—
teaching and learning for staff and students
for both in- school and at home.
Madam President, you are aware that the r eopening of schools is planned for phase 3 of the Gov-ernment’s phased opening process. Since phase 2 of
the reopening process commenced just yesterday or recently, we do not know when phase 3 will be rolled
out. But we do know that a plan must be developed so
we are positioned to receive our children back into our
schools when the time comes.
With this at the forefront, a collaborative effort
involving technical officers in the department, school leaders from the preschool t o the senior school level
and school staff [via] their principals was instituted to
obtain input and feedback for the framing of a system plan for reopening schools. Madam President, just before the state of emergency was declared and
schools were official ly closed, officers in the Depar tment of Education, the Ministry of Health and the D epartment of Environmental Health were working co llaboratively updating guidelines and procedures for
schools to follow when dealing with a pandemic. This collaboration continued during the shelter in place via
telephone conferencing and Zoom meetings, in that
the health officers have played a pivotal role in provi ding expert guidance and support in developing safety
and health protocols for schools. Their leadership,
commit ment and technical support have been exceptional.
Madam President, I will now share with Senators more in- depth information about the details of the
system plan for reopening schools. Rather, let me first say that the Commissioner of Education, Permanent
Secretary and I have spent countless hours during the
past weeks researching and sharing articles of liter ature to read on best practices for school reopening.
And there were many things to go along with that. It is
important that the system plan for our public schools
is both comprehensive and thorough. As such, we are
pleased to report that the system plan was framed
using accreditation standards and indicators of quality as a guide. Best practices were gleaned from school
reopening literature about inter national school jurisdi ctions such as New Zealand, Denmark and Taiwan.
The plan was also developed from guidelines
outlined by international organi sations such as
UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization] , the CDC [US Cente rs for Di sease Control] , OSHA [US Occupational Safety and
Health Administration] and WHO [World Health O rganization] .
Madam President, planning for a system reopening plan is a mammoth task and involves exte nsive considerations and factors that must be em bed-ded in a strategy to ensure schools are safe for both students and school staff. In gathering data, our union
stakeholders were invited to provide us with their i nput. We are most pleased with the questions posed, comments made and critical observations highlighted.
Suggestions and recommendations put forth by our
union stakeholders was a good meeting, and the additional information received helped to shape the sy stem plan even more.
Madam President, I must emphasise the i mportance of data to make sound and effective dec isions. Therefore, in order to plan well, surveys were launched by the department to obtain data from parents and school staff. In light of the COVID -19, we are
cognisant that several students and staff may be at
risk returning to school. Thus, the department sent out
a brief survey to our parents to obtain potential numbers of children who would return should the schools
reopen.
Madam President, although some thought the
survey was a bit premature, and we heard many comments in the publi c arena, without knowing the
details of the safety and health protocols , we knew
that a number of our children may be at risk, and thus
there would be parents who would definitely take this
into consideration and not send their children back to
school. This data was relevant and were needed to
help with our planning.
Similarly , Madam President, in order to determine what schools could reopen, the department
had to assess staffing levels. School staff were asked
to share if they deemed themselves as vulnerable in alignment with the Ministry of Health guidelines. The
data received from school staff thus far, although pr eliminary, allowed for meaningful projections for potential school reopening.
Madam President, parents, guardians, school
staff, general pub lic and my honourable colleagues all
want to know what the Department of Education is
doing to ensure the safety and health of children. Let
us look at the school buildings. The department has
factored in so many considerations as the safety,
health and we ll-being of students and staff are of paramount importance. When schools closed in March,
our school custodians undertook a thorough deep-cleaning process, using a deep- cleaning protocol
guide. This was following by an inspection check. And
since then, cus todians have been working in their r espective school buildings three times a week to clean
and ventilate the facilities.
During the week of May 4
th, the custodians
under took another deep- cleaning process for schools,
and inspections are presently underway . We are actually . . . We are very thankful for the work of the custodians, who play an integral part in ensuring a safe
school facility. When we are ready to reopen schools,
our custodians will ensure the ongoing cleaning and
sanitising throughout the da y of highly used surface
areas in schools.
928 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate Madam President, other specific building pr otocols the department will be implementing include
ensuring a current inventory of hygiene supplies at
every school, posting of signs throughout the school
buildings as reminders of physical distancing; educ ation on regular handwashing; assessing the layout of
classroom spaces to determine maximum occupancy
of students; and posting signs to remind students of
entry and exit procedures.
Madam President, survey results indicated
that many parents want to know the details of the safety and health protocols. I am pleased to report
that the Department of Health has developed draft
safety and health protocols for the pre, primary, mi ddle levels and our school for children with special
needs, the DAME Academy. These protocols define the safety and health actions when students and staff
first arrive on premises. They stipulate how to drop off
students at school if arriving by car or motorbike, how
they walk up to the building ent rance and prepare to
enter the building, with temperature- taking and hand -
sanitising stations.
The protocols continue as students and staff
move along hallways, which will be clearly marked, outline how students engage in learning in their clas srooms, when at their desks, a procedure to follow
when using school bathrooms, during recess , snack
and lunch breaks, and outdoor play activity. These
safety and health protocols, although prepared by the
Department of Health, have been vetted by school
principals and the school safety and health commi ttees, or a COVID -19 response team.
Madam President, these protocols were all
pretested this week (or last week) at a preschool, pr imary, middle school and at our school for children
with special needs, DAME Academy. I shared, or the
Minister shared in his press statement last Wednesday, that the pre- test team comprised the following
key stakeholder s: Department of Education technical
officers , school principals for the selected schools ,
school custodians and the BIU s chool custodian representative, the Department of Health , Healthy
Schools officer and school nurses , and the Bermuda
Union of Teachers Safety and Health Committee representative.
Madam President, the pre -test process was
detailed and thorough. The safety and health prot ocols are generally all the same for all of the same schools. There are some differences for our younger
students at the preschool level and students at our
special needs school, the DAME Academy. And the
pre-testing of the protocols was undertaken last week.
The team was provided with the different sets of pr otocols for each school as they walked through the
school building and began to visualise what the pr ocess actually entailed. There were close to 15 persons
on the pre- testing team. And again you can see it has
been quite extensive.
The President: Absolutely.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President, the
team visited all buildings at each of the selected
schools, all floor levels and many classrooms. The team discussed areas such as whi ch entrances the
school would use as entry and exit doors. They di scussed how the handwashing hygiene would operate, bathroom protocols, physical distancing protocols,
what sections would require the continuous cleaning
and logistics for different classes.
The pre- test of the protocols was more exhaustive for our special needs school, the DAME
Academy, as the team visited therapy rooms, mult ipurpose room, nurse’ s room, sensory room, time
away room, all classrooms and bathroom s.
The findings are now being collated, and the
data will steer what improvements must be made to
finalise the protocol guidelines.
Madam President, the pretesting of protocols
will need to be done for every school prior to schools
reopening so that they are customised appropriatel y
for the particular school. Additionally, the department
will undertake audits before any school reopens to
ensure that all of the safety measures and protocols
have been effected. Our intent is to do what is needed
so that when the Ministry of Health advises that it is
safe to reopen our schools, then we are ready to r eceive our students, knowing that parents and guard ians and school staff are ensured there is a safe place
for teaching and learning.
Madam President, you would appreciate that
this is quite e xtensive, and we have more to do. But
we wanted to make sure that we informed the public
accordingly, given the significant impact of schools in
Bermuda.
And, Madam President, I also want to share
more about teaching and learning for our students.
Our sta keholders are aware that the current remote
learning model includes online teaching, learning and
services using a variety of applications and platforms,
plus the provision of learning packets for student wit hout [electronic] devices. At the preschool leve l, students’ online individual learning with their teacher accounts for 30 minutes of face time per day, while online learning with other students ranges from one to
two hours per day. Our preschool teachers engage in
online teaching with three to five stu dents at a time.
Teachers also prerecord themselves for students to
revisit and reinforce concepts.
Our teachers at the primary and middle school
levels are following the essential curriculum to be taught and will focus on teaching students to the rel evant curriculum standards. On average, our primary
school students are spending nine hours per week engaged in remote learning with their teachers. Our
middle schools are engaged in four 40- minute face- toface classes by remote learning with their subject
teachers, and up to two hours of independent clas sBermuda Senate work via online platforms and teacher -developed assignments or tutorials for actual support. Time differs
for work carried out with Core and Encore teachers.
Madam President, last Wednesday the Mini ster shared with the media and the general public a testament from one of our parents, the work that our
teachers are doing. The parent shared that her child’s
teacher covers English, mathematics, science and/or
social studies. The teacher designs lessons and assignments to be interactive and engage the students
through the use of various digital manipulatives, and
resources such as video storybooks, digital libraries
and scheme experiments. Madam President, I e ncourage my Honourable Senators to read the test ament fr om the parent, as I include the full submission
that was included in the press statement.
The department has also received questions
about servicing students who require special or ind ividualised support. Students who require individualised services are s tudents in the IEP (Individualised
Education Plan). Our learning support and specialist
teachers, such as ASD teachers, who would normally
teach and provide services for students when they are
in the physical building, are now providing remote
teaching and services to IEP students individually or
in small groups.
Madam President, last week the Minister participated in a Zoom Assembly with the Success Academy at the Heron Bay Primary School, and he actually
did invite me as the Junior Minister to participat e also.
The testimonials from both parents and students were
quite moving. One parent was literally brought to tears
at how the remote learning was going for their child. However, Madam President, as schools move forward
with new teaching and learning, it is critical for parents
to ensure students are available for online instruction
and complete the learner activities. Parents should
also check that the work is completed [for] students
[who] receive learning packets in the mail.
Madam President, a little bit more to go. On
Wednesday, I shared that at the senior school level
the students are continuing with their regular pr ogramme and the schedule, and are on target for completing their courses. The senior schools are presently
following Cambridge’s guideli nes for awarding assessed grades and those students who were due to
sit IGCSE examinations in May and June. Let me add
that our primary and middle school students are being
assessed on an ongoing basis, using a variety of assessments. Students have to complete tasks which
provide evidence of what they actually know and can
do. Work can be a typical assignment like solving a math problem, reading and then writing responses to
questions to show understanding, or they may be
asked to take a video of themselves doing an exper iment or a task as evidence that they can actually do it.
There are instances when the teacher can
see first -hand what students know and can do via
Zoom. Other times students are asked to upload their work as evidence of what they know and can do. I can
personally attest to this, Madam President, because
my son is in the public system, and I see what he has
to do to get the work done and what is required, with
extra- special effort.
COVID -19 has required teachers at the prim ary and middle le vels to examine the number of learner
standards that remain to be taught for each subject, identify the most critical standards and then teach
those specific standards. Madam President, we applaud our teachers. And I emphasise that we applaud our teachers and all educators. They are committed to
sustain the remote learning model. It is new, but t ogether we will continue to work to improving it, as r emote learning is becoming part of our new normal.
Madam President, let me close by reminding
our parents who are returning to work during phase 2
that the department is organising Education Support Programmes for your children while you go to work ––
[and this] is being very well received. So on Monday, May 25
th, Education Support Programmes started for
primary a nd middle school -aged children. The Pr eschool Education Support Programme will start today.
All students will continue to engage in the remote
learning programme for their respective schools, but
at a central venue.
I must emphasise, Madam President, that the
Educational Support Programme is only for children
whose parents must return to work during phase 2.
Only these parents should have contacted their child’s
school principal.
Lastly, we want to assure our parents that
physical distancing will be pract iced at educational
sports programmes, as well as implementing safety
and health protocols dictated by the Ministry of Health.
We will provide further details about the Educational
Support Camp directly to the parents who have begun
to contact the school principals.
Madam President, we encourage our educ ational family to continue to use the BPSS Family Feedback Forum to send in their questions, concerns,
complaints and kudos on the work taking place in our
schools and at the Department of Education. I want to
emphasise again, Madam President, that certainly we
want to encourage and applaud all educators, all parents and everyone, because it has truly been a community effort to ensure that learning continues to go
on, given the sudden and short notice ––well, I guess
short notice–– of COVID -19. It has really, really been a
community effort.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Anthony Ric hardson, for your reports, for your Statements.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
The President: There are none.

930 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate FIRST READING OF PUBLIC BILLS

DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING (DRAFT
BERMUDA PLAN 2018 EXTENSION) ACT 2020

The President: The following Public Bill has been
received from the Honourable House of Assembly and is now read for the first time: Its title is, respectively,
the Development and Planning (Draft Bermuda Plan
2018 Extension) Act 2020.

FIRST READING OF PRIVATE BILLS

The President: There are none.

QUESTION PERIOD

The President: Senators, we will now deal with any
questions related to the first Statement that was given
by Senator Richardson, which is Streamlining Planning Processes.
Would any Senator care to ask questions on
that Statement?

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, I would, Madam President.

The President: Senator Marcus Jones.

QUESTION 1: STREAML INING PLANNING
PROCESSES

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes. Let me first extend appr eciation and thanks to the Junior Minister, Senator
Richardson, for giving us that update on the streamli ning process. I am very much impressed that the pr ocess, despite this pandemi c that we are in the midst
of, is still ongoing, and in the midst of this crisis, that
this department is endeavouring to make the system and the process even better. So definitely, kudos to
the technical officers within that department.
I do have one question. In light of the i mprovements that they are implementing in the process,
my question would be, What is the target goal in
weeks for planning application decisions? And what is
the percentage goal that has been set? And have they
seen a measurable improvement in the time that they
implanted, implemented these improvements?

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Would any other Senator care to ask a question? (Sorry.)
Senator Richardson, would you want to r espond to the question?
Sen. Anthony Rich ardson: Yes. Madam President, I
would respond in a general sense.
In conversation with the Minister, the goal is to
ensure that the timing is much, much more efficient in a general sense because we recognise that right now, for example, especially given C OVID -19, it is a general improvement in efficiency to allow more small
projects to take place. And even prior to COVID -19
there was some concern that the planning process
took too long and minor adjustments, for example,
were not able to be made. And so that is, I guess, the
best I can answer in a general sense at the moment.
The President: Thank you.
Senator Jones, do you have any follow -up
question or comment?

SUPPLEMENTARY

Sen. Marcus Jones: I appreciate the answer. But I
would like to possibly, not at this point, but at a later time if Senator Richardson . . . if he can provide me
with the specific answers so that I could know what
the measurable improvements are.
We can agree that there is, in a general
sense, improvements have been made. But we al l
know that unless there is a measurable way of determining the improvement, that improvement has not
been had. So I know he cannot give me that information now. But if he can possibly provide it in our
next sitting, I would appreciate it.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jones.
Would any other Senator care to ask questions on the first Statement given by Senator Richar dson?

Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes, Madam President.
This is the other Senator Richardson.

The President: Yes. Senator Jarion Richardson.

[Laughter]
Sen. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. Thank you
much. And obviously, good morning, Madam Pres ident, fellow Senators and listening public.

The President: Good morning to you.

QUESTION 1: STREAMLINING PLANNING
PROCESSES

Sen. Jarion Richardson : I would like to ask . . . the
Senator spoke to the qualifications or a qualified per-son’s regime wherein they would be able to undertake work without inspections. And there is a set of qualif ications that is being constructed or a method of qual ifying a person to be able to undertake that work wit hout inspection.
And my question is, Will those projects that
that person undertakes be subject to any kind of sam-ple audit? How will these projects be monitored?


Bermuda Senate I am mindful that the purpose of the qualific ation is to enable these persons to undertake the work
without inspections. Who watches the watchers, so to
speak? How do we stay on top of that to make sure
that the standard to which their original qualifications were achieved, which they stipulate that they will o bviously maintain . . . how do we know that they will
continue doing that?
In other words, how do we know , if a person
was qualified in year one, that in year three they have not lapsed in terms of their own individual company standards, so much so that it brings the safety of
these projects into question? Thank you.

The President: Senator Anthony Richardson, do you
want to respond?

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President, the
information that I gave is that the onus goes back to what Senator Jones asked initially. And the goal is
that we will get to a stage whereby projects them-selves can be approved within eight weeks. And in
doing so, the measure is that since the process, the
delegation of the scheme became operational in February, the appl ications have been approved in as early
as five weeks. And so, based upon that information, it
is actually exceeding the initial target.
As to the questions from Senator Richardson
in terms of how we will manage the ongoing quality of the fit and proper p ersons, I will have to get the a nswer back to the MPs.

The President: Thank you, Senator Anthony Ric hardson.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you.
The President: Senator Jarion Richardson, any follow-up or you are prepared to accept the response?
Sen. Jarion Richardson: I am prepared to accept the
response, although to be fair, when he gets the an-swer to me, I may not accept that response.
[Laughter]
[Crosstalk]

Sen. Jarion Richardson: But I am mindful of the lim itations. And yes, I appreciate his ex tra effort in getting
those responses to me.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President.

The President: Yes, Senator Richardson, Anthony
Richardson. Sen. Anthony Richardson: We concede to evolve
with the electronics. The response, in terms of the
method of qualifying a person and will this project be
subject to any audit . . . there will be checks and balances. They will be incorporated into the scheme to
ensure that the standards are being achieved and
met—i.e., the d epartment’s building and control i nspectors can conduct spot -checks at random. It will be
a random check on the work that those persons are doing to ensure that the quality is maintained.

The President: Thank you, Senator Anthony Ric hardson.
Would any ot her Senator care to ask a question on that first Statement?
No?
Then we will move on to the second Stat ement, which is the Bermuda Public School Reo pening
Plan. Would any Senator care to ask questions on
that Statement?

Sen. Marcus Jones: Yes, Madam President.
The President: Senator Marcus Jones, you have the
floor.

QUESTION 1: BERMUDA PUBLIC SCHOOL
REOPENING PLAN

Sen. Marcus Jones: Thank you, Madam President.
First of all, let me join in with the Junior Mini ster of Education by giving a hearty thank you and a
show of appreciation for the hard work that our
school teachers, administrators, principals, officers in
the Ministry of Education, from the Commissioner to the PS, to the Minister of Education himself, for the
work that has been done to continue the remote lear ning for our children. We know that one of the most
important features of any country is the education of its youth. And once there is an interruption in that
learning process, there are problems that we will not
see until further down the road.
So I am very much heartened to know that
plans are in place for reopening to the standard of
best practices that I believe the Junior Minister was saying that was observed in New Zealand, Denmark
and Taiwan, three jurisdictions that have a good trac k
record of education performances.
Now, he did mention about protocols being in
place once the children and the teachers return to the
schools. My question would be, Who are the person-nel that will be tasked to enforce and monitor these
protocols to ensur e that they are kept, the standards
are kept?
That would be question number one.


932 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate QUESTION 2: BERMUDA PUBLIC SCHOOL
REOPENING PLAN

Sen. Marcus Jones: And secondly, a question that is
knocked around within the community is the health
and safety component of the teachers and the st udents once they return.
And one question that comes to mind is, Will
the students and the teachers be receiving their personal . . . the PPEs, personal protective equipment?
Will they be receiving them from the Ministry, or wil l
they have to purchase these PPEs themselves? That may seem like an obvious answer. But I think if the
Junior Minister can clarify that for me, I would appr eciate it.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jones. You have
given tw o questions, the first one and the second one.
So, Senator Richardson, Senator Anthony
Richardson, do you want to respond to his first question?

Sen. Anthony Richardson: I am trying to unmute.
The President: Or the second, whichever.
Sen. Anthony Richar dson: Sure. Well, I will do both.
Who is going to be tasked to monitor and e nforce the safety protocols? Each of the schools will have a team that is responsible for doing so. And as I
said in the Statement, it is a very rigorous process.
And one of the adjustments to the new normal is go-ing to be the incorporation of practices to ensure that
the requirements are effectively put in place throughout the day. And we can only imagine, for example,
the children having to observe the physical distancing.
That i s going to have to be throughout the day encouraged and reinforced. And the idea is to do it in a positive way, because it will take a while for the chi ldren to adjust to it. But it is a necessary step in getting
the school back to being effective. So the schools will
have a team themselves to monitor those protocols.
In terms of the PPE, again the schools will
have to have as a minimum the masks, and lots of
handwashing will be required. And so to the extent that masks are required, we are supposed to be having masks when we leave to engage in the public in
any event. So those, the masks, will be the respons ibility of the individual people. But of course, the Gov-ernment will provide things such as hand sanitisers,
handwashing stations and those sorts of things. And
even as I would not say mundane, but certainly basic,
there will be some action required with things such as
extra hand towels, extra toilet paper and those sort of
things that will be supplied, of course, by schools as part of the normal requirement of any school.

The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson. Would any other Senator care to ask any
questions on this second Statement?

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Yes, Madam President. I
have a question.
The President: Yes. Senator Michelle Simmons, you
have the floor.

QUESTION 1: BERMUDA PUBLIC SCHOOL
REOPENING PLAN

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. Good morning, everyone.
I want to start by first of all thanking the Junior
Minister of Education for the Statement on how plans
are being effected for the reopening of schools. I also
want to join with him in thanking the Commissioner of
Education, the Permanent Secretary, all the staff of
the Ministry and the Department of Education, all the
principals, teachers and all those who cont inue to pr ovide learning for students who are at home. I believe
from what I have heard from teachers that initially
some were just overwhelmed as they came to grips
with a new and different way of providing instruction.
But now they are feeling so much more comfortable
with online learning. And that is great for the future of
learning in our schools.
So having said all of that about the public
school system, my question is really this: Since the
Minister of Education is responsible for both public
and pri vate schools, will the Minister require private
schools to submit their reopening plans to the Ministry
so that they can be vetted, or at least be there for the
Minister to be fully informed of how they plan to go
about reopening schools? I think this may tie in a bit
with the question Senator Jones has asked about monitoring. How will those schools also be monitored
for compliance with Government’s rules and regul ations during this period when we are still fighting this, I
guess, this enemy whom we cannot see? That is my
question.
Thank you, Senator Richardson.
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.
Senator Anthony Richardson, do you have a
response?
Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President and Senator Simmons.
The President: Michelle Simmons.
Sen. Anthony Richardson: Michelle. I do not have a
direct answer in terms of whether the Minister will r equire the private schools to give him their plans for
vetting. But I will certainly undertake to get the inforBermuda Senate mation and provide it, because I believe that is an i nteresting consideration to see. I will do that for sure.

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you.
The President: Thank you.
Does any other Senator have questions on
this second Statement?
Seeing none, we will move on then.

ORDER S OF THE DAY

The President: The first Order of the Day is consideration of the Resolution by the Senate approving the
extension of the continuance in force of the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing Precautions)
[Amendment (No. 2)] Regulations 2020 to t he 30th of
June 2020, in the name of the Attorney General, Senator Kathy Lynn Simmons.
You have the floor.

TAKE NOTE MOTION

EMERGENCY POWERS (COVID -19 CONTINUING
PRECAUTIONS) AMENDMENT (NO. 2)
REGULATIONS 2020

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you,
Madam President.
Madam President, I move that the Senate do
now take under consideration the following motion:
THAT the Senate take note of the Emergenc y
Powers (COVID -19 Continuing Precautions) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2020 ;
AND resolve that the Senate approve the further extension of the duration of Emergency Powers
(COVID -19 Continuing Precautions) Regulations 2020
through 6:00 am of 30 June 2020 pursuant to the pr ovisions of section 22(2) of the said Regulations.

The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
Carry on, Senator.

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you,
Madam President.
Madam President, Senators will r ecall that
before this process was laid out for the reopening of
Bermuda and after phase 1 in which we have still
managed to contain this virus, I am pleased to advance the set of Regulations to the Senate that signal
our entry into phase 2 of that plan. M adam President,
the motion before us this morning invites Senators to
take note of the Amendment Regulations, which I
shall refer to as the “No. 2 Regs,” and also invite Sen-ators to support the extension of the regulations
themselves as constituted and consolidated through
the 30
th of June 2020. Madam President, there has been extensive
debate previously on the concept of the regulations,
and as such I do not propose to rehearse that in great
detail. The changes that brought phase 2 have been
the subject of public statement by the Honourable Premier, as well as my colleagues, the Ministers of
Health and National Security. Senators will note that
the principal changes in support of reopening Berm uda are as follows:
• Licensed day -care centres and day -care pr oviders may now open with the permission of
the Minister of Health;
• Outdoor weddings and funerals may now be
attended by no more than 20 people properly
wearing masks and subject to appropriate
physical distancing;
• Retail stores are now open to in- store customers on the same basis as grocery stores;
• Restaurants and licensed bars are open with
prior permission of the Ministry of Health for
outdoor service only;
• Beauty salons and barbers are also open subject to adherence to guidance published by
the Ministry of Health; and
• In addition to recreational boating, charter
boats can now operate for no more than 10
persons, including crew, likewise subject to guidance and appropriate physical distancing.
Madam President, I wish to highlight two matters that are unc hanged by the No. 2 Regulations.
Firstly, the night -time curfew between the hours of
10:00 pm and 6:00 am remains in place. As indicated
by the Honourable Premier in his Statement last
Wednesday, we are not out of the woods yet. And
whilst this is a restri ction on our freedom of mov ement, it is a necessary one to continue to meet the
challenge posed by this ongoing pandemic.
Secondly, Madam President, the ongoing a uthority of the Minister of Health to close an event that is found to be in breach of the regulations remains
unchanged. Madam President, the temptation to o perate outside the regulations may be economically
tempting, but the consequences of such a breach
could spell economic ruin. Complying to the public health measures is pivotal to our progress ion to su bsequent phases. The guidance has been painstakingly devised to protect customers and service providers
alike and must be followed so that the progress we have made is not reversed by carelessness.
Madam President, as I commend each regul ation to the consideration of the Senate, I would also
invite Senators to support their extension through to
June 30
th. The extension of the regulations beyond the
expiry date, the original expiry date of 31st of May,
requires a Resolution of both Houses of the Le gislature. The date to which it is proposed that they be ex-tended coincides with the end of the state of emergency. This does not suggest that [date] as a date
certain for our progression to phase 3, but it provides
934 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate the necessary latitude for whatever may be required
based on the ongoing public health situation and advice.
Madam President, I am therefore pleased to
commend these Regulations for the consideration of Senators and for their support in their extension to
30
June 2020. Thank you, Madam President.

[Pause]
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: We cannot
hear you, Madam President.

[Crosstalk]
The President: Thank you, Senator Kathy Lynn Si mmons, Attorney General and Government Leader in
the Senate.
Would any Senator care to speak on these
Regulations?

Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes, Madam President. I
would, Senator J. Richardson.

The President: Senator J. Richardson, you have the
floor.

Sen. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. And thank you, Honourable Attorney General,
for bringing t his to the floor. Obviously, it is quite a
serious matter.
In considering the resolution to approve this
extension, it was quite difficult to . . . or rather, I
should say it was easy to look at it in a very clinical,
nonpersonal manner, especially given the name of
this legislation. But I wanted to, in reflecting on it and
in considering it, the seriousness of this regulation— it
hit me that the seriousness was not as evident. Obv iously, in our last meeting in the Senate we had
agreed to work together. And there has been a call for
bipartisanship in this space. And we have been making good efforts in that space. And obviously, I thank
the Government for any time that it has gone to brief us as legislators about this developing area.
But there are a number of people in Bermuda
who I am not sure that they are taking this seriously.
And the reason I have to reach that conclusion is because there have been a number of developments in
this space. We are very lucky in that these regulations in the past . . . and this is not a new set of regulations
following on from the Honourable Attorney General. We are familiar with the construct. The Honourable Premier has been very —has put a lot of effort into
communicating with us as a wider community. And so we know which phases. We are anticipating phases. We are anticipating restrictions and constraints, as
well as the releasing of those constraints.
But there is something that is not being spoken about during this whole phase. And that is . . . and this goes to the serio usness. And that is the people
who have passed away from COVID -19. These are
mothers and fathers and sons and daughters, cousins. You know, they laughed. They pondered. They
contributed to our national heritage, to one another.
There is a holiday coming, and there are going to be a lot of people in Bermuda who are missing important
people in their lives.
I am going to say something, and it is meant
to provoke, but it is certainly not meant to insult. The reason . . . I see a lot of people walking around w ithout masks and things like that. And there are a lot of people who have passed away. And there are a lot of
people at risk of passing away. And I am just wondering, as we go into this holiday, as people start consi dering whether to breach these regulations, was that
acceptable to them? Is that why they are not taking this seriously, that the number of people who have
already suffered and lost is okay? Because obviously
that is not the case for all of us, especially in the Senate; I have no doubt about that. What is the number of
people [when] it becomes un- okay, that it is unacceptable?
You know, there are infections in our nursing
homes. There are more infections as they are devel-oping, I think 14 in four days. And we are at risk of
losing even more peop le. You know, this is not a
question of blame. I take the Premier’s point that we
are still in this fight. And it is not acceptable to lose
anybody to a preventable infection. And it is not a s ophisticated thought that we would turn around and
say, Well, s ome number is a reasonable number. We
are in the middle of a fight that people will lose. And I
cannot believe, or I refuse to accept that there is any number that is fine, that is reasonable, that is sophist icated. We are in a state of emergency.
And I m ay disagree with some of the steps of
the Government. And in the fullness of time we will
have the opportunity to reflect upon our actions in this
space, both as individuals, as a government and as a wider society. But now is not the time as we go into a
holiday that we see a lack of rigidity, a lack of seriousness in the community. I am exceptionally mindful, by
the way, about the implementation of the regulation, the tolerance of these breaches. I am not a fan of s ocial media on a good day, but I have fri ends of mine
who forward me things from those environments. And
we see pictures of crowds gathering. We see pictures
of establishments that are clearly flouting the regul ations.
My point is, who is tolerating this? To what
extent are we okay with this? No w, we have a small
community, and we have an effective law enforcement
body. And we have enforcement officers as outlined in
the regulations. And obviously the existing law e nforcement regime is reinforced by the Royal Bermuda Regiment. And it is —everythin g is on camera now. So
we know when these breaches are happening. We
can see them coming a mile away. We can see them


Bermuda Senate when they are happening. Why are they happening?
Who is being held accountable? Who is going . . . I do
not want to say going to jail. But who is at least being
arrested?
Now, I think that I have to defer a great extent
to the law enforcement bodies and to their methodologies. You know, we are reliant on them to do the
right thing. But it is no way right to tolerate these
breaches, because again we have lost one too many
people. There is one too many tears already cried,
and we are going into a holiday. So I think we had three breaches . . . or, I am sorry, not breaches , three
infections that were detected from people who walked
into the hos pital. Okay? So where were they? Where
did they get it? I do not mean to belittle or beat up on
the people who are working in this space, especially in
terms of contact tracing. What I mean to say is that we
cannot tolerate [the] flouting of these regulati ons.
This is an imminent threat to our community,
and it is mostly a significant threat to those people who have already served our community. I mean, that is the part that really kills me. It is the vulnerable
amongst us who are most at risk here. Those are the
people we have lost. We have lost a lot already, nine,
way too many. And we are going to lose more if we
keep this up. This is unacceptable. Someone needs to
be accountable for breaches of these regulations.
And to that end . . . I apologise. I wi ll get off
my soapbox now. But it does infuriate me that we are not . . . when I see people walking around who are not
taking this seriously. This is serious. It will stay ser ious. And too many of us are already gone. Too many of us are crying for those who are gone. Now is not the time to let up. And to that end, thank you, Madam
President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jarion Richar dson.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
Regulations and on the motion?
Seeing none, I will . . .

Sen. Van ce Campbell: Madam President, it is Senator Campbell.
The President: Senator Campbell, oh. Yes, you have
the floor.

Sen. Vance Campbell: Madam President, I assume
Senator Richardson was speaking to the general public with his comments because the very fact that this
Bill is here —

[Inaudible interjection]

Sen. Vance Campbell: —the Regulations are here
would indicate that the Government is taking this ser iously and recognising that we are not out of the
woods yet. So when you look at the original reason, looking at the Regulations, it was to protect the health
and safety of us immediately. And that has been uppermost in the mind of this Government, from the start
of this right through to where we find ourselves now.
And that is the reason why —

Sen. Jario n Richardson: Point of clarification, Ma dam President.
Sen. Vance Campbell: Yes, Madam President. I will
accept.

POINT OF CLARIFICATION

Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes. I would like to clarify
that Senator Campbell is accurate in terms of the direction of m y comments to the wider caucus, not to
blame or to disparage the efforts of the Government.
As I said, I will —those questions will arise in the fulness of time. But that was not what that speech was for.
Thank you, Madam President. Thank you,
Senator Campbell.

Sen. Vance Campbell: Madam President, as I will
continue, I just want to remind again that the original
reason for the Regulations was to help and guide and
protect the health and safety of the community. That has not changed. And hence, we are not out of the
woods. The Government wants to reserve the right
that if we need to either remain in phase 2 longer or if
we need to retighten some of the regulations, the i mplementation process, as things change out there, we
have the ability to do so.
Thank you, Madam President.

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Madam President,
Senator Wade.

[Pause]

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Madam President?

The President: Yes. Senator Michelle . . . sorry. Se nator Ianthia Simmons -Wade. Yes, you have the floor.
Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: I guess I am reiterating. But Bermuda is very fortunate, based on the dec isive action by Government, to still be in local transmission with clusters. And I am reminding the general
public that this will be jeopardised if people fail to compl y with the social distancing, masks and handwashing. Individuals have to take responsibility not
just for themselves, but also to protect the people they
love, the people they work with and anyone they come
in contact with.
Failure to do this could jeopar dise us in terms
of moving to another level, in terms of community
936 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate transmission, as well as the fact that we will continue
to be in phase 2 for an extended period of time.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Ianthia Simmons -
Wade .
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this motion?
Seeing none, then, Madam Attorney General,
Senator Kathy Lynn Simmons, you have the floor.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you,
Madam President. Thank you, Senators, for your co ntributions to this debate. The Government is appreci ative of the comments reinforcing the efforts that we
have made to date. The seriousness of the issue at
hand is evident to all of us. The admonition to me mbers of the public to take this seriously by Senator Richar dson mirrors what the Premier and my colleagues have been emphasising in their public outreach almost daily.
I can assure Senators that the necessary enforcement measures are in place, and they are taken seriously. What we cannot do is lessen our diligenc e
with regard to adherence to the measures that are
going to keep us safe. And I would ask Senators and
members of the public to help us out. Help out the enforcement agencies that are doing their very best
24/7 to make sure that we are safe and people do not
breach the rules. So if you do encounter people who
are breaching, a kind reminder would be welcome, as
we are all in this together.
As we continue to balance the public health
considerations and the importance of ensuring that we reopen the economy, gradually, gently and appropr iately, Senators can expect that the Premier will continue to be transparent in his efforts to communicate
to the country in measures that we are taking and the
considerations that we —

[Crosstalk ; feedback ]

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: —are advi sing
And with that, Madam President, I move that
the Senate do now take under consideration (I am
going to move on) . . . I move that the said motion 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 a resolution for the
further extension of the duration of the Emergency
Powers (COVID -19 Continuing Precautions) Regul ations 2020 to 6:00 am on 30 June 2020, pursuant to
the provisions of section 22(2) of the said Regulations ,
has the honour to inform Your Excellency that the Senate has agreed the said Resolution.

The President: Is there any objection to that motion? No objection. A suitable message will be sent
to the Governor.
[Motion carried: The Senate took note of the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing Precautions)
Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2020 and resolved to
extend the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Continuing
Precautions) Regulations 2020 to 30 June 2020. ]

The President: Thank you, Senator, the Honourable
Kathy Lynn Simmons.
We will now move on to the second item on
our agenda, which is the Orders of the Day, the second reading of the Development and Planning (Draft
Bermuda Plan 2018 Extension) Act 2020. And that is
in the name of Senator Anthony Richardson.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President.

The President: Yes, you have the floor.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you.
I move that the Bill entitled the Development
and Planning (Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 Ext ension)
Act 2020 be now read a second time.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
The Clerk: He did not move to suspend the provisions
of 25.
The President: You have got to suspend . . . sorry.
Yes, you have to move the motion first.
Sen. Anthony Richardson: Sorry, Madam President.
Madam President, I move that Standing Order
25 be suspended in respect of this Bill.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?

The Clerk: Be granted.

The President: Or be granted.
Any objection to this being granted?
No objection.
Carry on, Senator Richardson.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
I now move that the Bill entitled Development
and Planning (Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 Extension)
Act 2020 be read a second time.

The President: Is there any objection to that moti on?
There is no objection. Carry on, Senator
Richardson.




Bermuda Senate BILL

SECOND READING

DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING (DRAFT
BERMUDA PLAN 2018 EXTENSION) ACT 2020

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
Today I introduce for the second reading the
Bill entitled Development and Planning (Draft Berm uda Plan 2018 Extension) Act 2020 (the Bill). This Bill,
Madam Presi dent, provides for the operation of the
Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 to be extended beyond the
previous 18 months to the 3rd of June 2021, notwit hstanding the restriction in that behalf imposed by section 10 of the Development and Planning Act 1974
(the Act).
Madam President, in accordance with section
10 of the Act, the Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 Planning
Statement and Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 Zonings
were brought into effect December 3rd, 2018. The
Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 covers the entire Island with
the excepti on of the City of Hamilton. Madam Pres ident, the Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 is the product of
consultation with the public, key stakeholders, statut ory bodies and extensive research. The Draft Bermuda
Plan 2018 will guide the development of the Island for
the next 10 to 15 years. The overarching aim of the
plan is to effectively manage Bermuda’s natural and
built environment, resources and development, and to
help build healthy, sustainable communities.
In support of this theme, the plan is based on
three str ategies: a development strategy, a conserv ation strategy, [and] a community strategy. Madam
President, within the framework of these strategies,
the Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 sets out five key goals:
1. to conserve open space and protect the I sland’s natural and built heritage;
2. to provide sufficient development potential to
meet the community’s needs;
3. to facilitate community improvement in neig hbourhoods to create better, healthier and safer places to live and visit;
4. to encourage a more efficient and sustainable
use and development of land and buildings;
and
5. to ensure a high quality of design and accessibility in all new developments.
Madam President, the Draft Bermuda Plan
2018 was the subject of a three and a half month pub-lic consultation period from 3
rd December 2018 to the
15th of March 2019. During this consultation period, a
total of 469 objections and counter -objections were
received. Madam President, in accordance with the Act, on the 10
th of January 2020, a tribunal consisting
of three persons, John Pay ne, Mr. Carlos Amaral and
Mrs. Jennifer Haworth, were appointed to hold a public inquiry to take objections and recitations of the Draft Bermuda Plan 2018. Three alternative members
were also appointed.
Madam President, the tribunal process is
guided by s ection 11 of the Act, and the Development
and Planning (Tribunal Procedure) Rules 1992. All
objections and representations are heard by the trib unal. The agendas of all tribunal meetings are published in the official Gazette and on the Department of
Planni ng Development’s website for a minimum of
seven days prior to the tribunal inquiry. In each i nquiry, which is always held in public, objectors have
the opportunity to present their cases to the tribunal in
person. From the combination of all tribunal inqui ries,
a report is prepared by the tribunal and submitted to
the Minister.
Madam President, following the Minister’s
decision on the objections and the representations, the policy document and zonings will be amended
accordingly. Thereafter, the final Berm uda Plan 2018
will be forwarded to Cabinet for approval. The plan,
together with the tribunal report, will then be intr oduced to the Legislature for consideration and approval. Once approved by the Legislature, notice of
the approval of the Bermuda Plan 2018 will be published in the official Gazette.
Madam President, the tribunal inquiries for the
Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 commenced on the 27
th of
February 2020. However, on 17 March 2020, the tr ibunal inquiries were suspended on the need to shelter
in place due to the COVID -19 pandemic. In recogni sing the need to practice physical distancing, and given
the requirement for tribunal inquiries to be open to the
public, the Department of Planning is now investiga ting alternative methods, such as virtual meetings , with
the tribunal and participants to be live- streamed for
the public in order to have proceedings resumed in
accordance with its statutory requirements.
Madam President, section 10(1) of the Act
requires that a draft plan must be approved as the
final plan within 18 months of the draft plan being declared operative. The Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 was
declared operative on 3 December 2018, and as such
[should] be approved by the Legislature by 3 June
2020. Given that the tribunal process and the prepar ation of the final Bermuda Plan 2018 will not be completed by the current due date, the Bill proposes that the prescribed period be extended for one year, to 3
June 2021.
Madam President, I now move . . . Those will
conclude my comments (sorry).
The President : Thank you, Senator Anthony Ric hardson.
Would any Senator care to speak on this Bill?
Sen. Dwayne Robinson: I would, Madam President.
(Senator Robinson).

938 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate The President: Senator Robinson, Dwayne Robi nson, you have the floor.

Sen. Dwayne Robinson: Thank you so much.
The Opposition definitely supports the exte nsion of this, especially under the current circumstances where health and wellness are the main priority. In
the midst of COVID -19, it has definitely shown how
much of a priority, though, this part icular plan is when
it comes to maintaining open spaces and environment. So we definitely understand the need for the extension, but we really hope that the plan commences as soon as it is possible and able, and that we can
continue to push forward with th is very important
piece.
So with that, I conclude my comments. Thank
you so much, Madam President.
[Pause]
An Hon. Senator : Is she muted? Is Madam President
muted by mistake?
Sen. Dwayne Robinson: Yes. I think you are still
muted, Madam President.
The President: Would any other Senator care to
speak on this Bill?
Sen. James S. Jardine: Madam President.
The President: Jones. Is it Senator . . .
Sen. James S. Jardine: Jardine.

The President: Is it Senator Jardine?
Sen. James S. Jardine: Yes.
The P resident: It is Senator Jardine. I beg your pardon. You have the floor.
Sen. James S. Jardine: Thank you very much, Madam President.
Madam President, I appreciate the comments
from the Junior Minister. They were helpful for filling in
some of the gaps in my understanding of the COVID -
19, that the discussion [INAUDIBLE ].
I too share the same concerns as the previous
speaker, as this means that this will have been in fact
sitting around four or five years, as I understand it, the
first period being 18 mont hs, and now we are expec ting [INAUDIBLE ] this for over a year. And I think it is
very important that this particular plan move forward as quickly and expeditiously as possible, bearing in
mind the current circumstances we find ourselves in.
[INAUDIBLE ]. I think it is very important for this plan to be
put in place, and all of us take stock in what [ INAUD IBLE].
So that brings an end to my comments. Thank
you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jardine.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Bill?

Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes, Madam President.
(Senator J. Richardson.)

The President: Yes, Senator Jarion Richardson, you
have the floor.

Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you, Madam
President, and thank you to the Junior Minister.
I have a question just in relation to this Bill as
it comes through. We are obviously going to see si gnificant changes to our demographics because of the
coronavirus, most especially in tourism, but the diver-sification of the economy as well. And Senator Robi nson touched on the health and wellness of the popul ation in general, which relates obviously to our open spaces.
Will this Bill, or will passing it allow us to r econsider any assumptions we made prior to the cor onavirus? When will we have that opportunit y? When
will . . . Obviously this plan is based on a number of
fact patterns that existed prior to our current crisis. And we have no idea where this crisis will eventually end or leave us. So, to that end, I am mindful that
when . . . how will this plan a dapt to our circumstances on a going- forward basis?
Thank you very much, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Jarion Richar dson.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Bill?
Seeing none, over to you, Senator Anthony
Richardson.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
There were a few comments and one question that came out of that, which was, To what extent
will the COVID -19 concerns and Bermuda’s moving -
forward considerations be impacted by the proposed Bill today? M y response is that, clearly, as the objections continue to be heard, which have already been
lodged, and the considerations of those objections will
be impacted by what has transpired. What I do not
know, and I will have to take under consideration, is
whether the actual period to receive objections will be
extended. And I will have to bring that answer back to the Senate, please.



Bermuda Senate The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson.
With that, then you can do your second rea ding.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President, I now
move that the Bill entitled the Development and Planning (Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 Extension) Act 2020
be now read a second time.
The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection. Carry on, Senator Richardson.

SUSPENSIO N OF STANDING ORDER 2 6

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
I now move that Standing Order 26 be suspended in respect of this Bill.

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

[Motion carried: Standing Order 26 suspended.]

BILL

THIRD READING

DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING (DRAFT
BERMUDA PLAN 2018 EXTENSION) ACT 2020

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
I now move that the Bill entitled the Development and Planning (Draft Bermuda Plan 2018 Exte nsion) Act 2020 be now read a third time.
The President: Is there any objection to the third
reading?
No objection.
Sen. Anthony Richardson: Thank you, Madam President.
I now move that the Bill do pass.
The President: It has been moved that the Bill ent itled the Development and Planning (Draft Bermuda
Plan 2018 Extension) Act 2020 do now pass.
Is there any objection to that motion?
There is no objection. The Bill has passed.
[Motion carried: The Development and Planning (Draft
Bermuda Plan 2018 Extension) Act 2020 was read a
third time and passed.]
The President: Thank you, Senator Richardson and
all Senators.
Moving on now to the agenda.
MOTIONS

The President: There are none.

CONGRATULATORY AND/OR
OBITUARY SPEECHES

The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
this item?

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Yes, I would, Madam President.
The President: Senator Michelle Simmons, you have
the floor.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
May 24
th came on Sunday this year. And on
Friday, May 29th, we will be observing the official Bermuda Day holiday. I just want to pause with you and
the entire Senate and all of our listening audience to
just make a few comments about Bermuda Day. Bermudians have observed a holiday on or near the 24th
of May for many years, beginning in 1902. So it goes
a long way.

[Crosstalk; feedback]

Sen. Michelle Simmons: This year on May 29th, even
though the circumstances are different, what has not
changed is our desire to celebrate our heritage and to
spend time with our family and friends. In spite of the
limitations which Government has imposed . . .

The President: Sorry, Senator Michelle Simmons. I
just wanted to ask. Are these comments you want to
make on the motion to adjourn, or are you speaking to
Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches?

Sen. Michelle Simmons: This is congratulating Bermuda, if I may.

The President: Oh. Fine. I just wanted the clarific ation.
Thank you. Carry on.
[Laughter]

Sen. Michelle Simmons: We can still enjoy ourselves
this year, altho ugh it will be done with limitations that
we must adhere to in order to protect ourselves and our families from possible COVID -19 infection. We will
adhere to the six -foot rule and maintain physical di stancing with people who do not live in our households.
We must wear face masks to protect one another. We will gather in groups of no greater than 10. If we feel
940 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report
B ermuda Senate sick, we are going to stay at home. That is how we will
enjoy Bermuda Day.
I would like, in advance of Friday, May 29th, to
congratulate Bermuda because we have done well
during this rather challenging time when we have been fighting almost an unknown and a changing en-emy. My spot has been reserved. My food is going to
be cooked in the next couple of days. And of course,
we are going to enjoy ourselves, all in moderation. Whatever you do on Bermuda Day, do not lose sight of our current challenge. As the Premier has said time and time again, we are not out of the woods. So, Bermuda, let us remain safe and secure so that you
can enjoy even more Bermuda Day holidays with your
family and friends in the future.
So I once again congratulate Bermuda on
how far we have come. But I also want to issue a cau-tion. We are not rid of COVID -19 yet. There are people in our midst who are still infected with this virus .
We are placing demands on our health care profes-sionals that ask them to risk their lives. And we do not want to continue this beyond where we have to.
So, Bermuda, let us do our part, and let us
keep each other safe and secure. Thank you, Madam
Preside nt, for your indulgence.
The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Simmons.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches?
Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes, Madam President.
The President: Senator Jarion Richardson, y ou have
the floor.
Sen. Jarion Richardson: I wanted to congratulate
two persons, as it were. The first is the Technical O fficer for the Ministry of Education, Nicole Grant, and
her colleagues, as they have reached out to us as legislators to participate in the education of social
studies, where some of us have been invited to speak
to students. And whoever’s idea that was, I found it to be very thoughtful and considered. And I was very honoured to participate or to be invited to participate. And I am just mindful of that. That will probably go a long way to making an impact in the lives of our st udents, that we as leaders in the community and as legislators, we with these very large titles, are able to get in front of them and tell them why it is important what we do, who we are. So I congratulate them, that is, Nicole Grant and her entire colleagues and cadre at the Ministry of Education.
Following on from that, there is a number of
seamstresses on the Island who have been producing masks for some time. I am very mindful that our econ-omy is such that we do not know what it is going to look like at the end of it, and there is obviously a num-ber of job losses in this space. I want to congratulate them, who have seen the need, have started partic ipating in the need. And there is a lot of . . . It is very
easy to feel sorry for oneself. It is very easy to blame others and start to . . . for simply self -pity to become
the predominant emotion.
I see these seamstresses and those who
have engaged in our new reality and are making the
best effort they can. I just want to congratulate all of them. My wife had picked up a box of them. And I just thought it was such a thoughtful, smart move that matches our current reality. So that is the second congratulation is to this cadre of seamstresses who have launched themselves into our new reality and
are helping us all. Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jarion Richar dson.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches?
Sen. Iant hia Simmons -Wade: Obituaries. (Senator
Simmons -Wade.)
The President: Senator Wade, you have the floor.
Sen. I anthia Simmons -Wade: I woul d like to send my
condolences t o the f amily of t he late Grennell Joan
Bassett Harris, w ho pass ed away i n the Unit ed St ates
last year. “ Aunti e Nell,” as s he was k nown by m any,
paved the way f or many Bermudians and women in
Berm uda and t he US. She was a pioneer o n the Bermuda and US a irways, an i con in r adio, t elevision and
film, and was an author a nd educator. I w as not a llowed to watc h muc h television, but “Junior Club” was
certainly o ne of t he shows t hat I di d watch. A untie Nell
was an elegant, black, articulate Bermudian. She
made Bermuda proud. Thank y ou.
The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons-W ade.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
[Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches]?
Sen. Crystal Caesar: Yes, Madam President. Sen ator Caesar here.
The President: Senator Caesar, you have the floor.
Carry on.
Sen. Crystal Caesar: Thank you. I too would like to
express my condolences. I have three today, Madam
President. The first of which is Mr. Charles Gibson of
Coral Acres Drive. He was the loving husband of Glenda Gibson. They are constituents of Southam pton West Central, the constituency with which I stood
in the last election. I am also intimately aware of the
family, because their daughter, Nneka Jackson, was a high school classmate of mine. And I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to them.
Mr. Gibson was very helpful also, I would like
to mention, in the last election. He gave up his time in


Bermuda Senate assisting those who did not have transportation back
and forth to the polling station. So I wanted to let people that know that we have lost a very gentlemanly
and kind man. I wanted to express my condolences to
him and his family.
The second person, Madam President, is
Frieda Nusum. If you recall, she was the individual
who passed in Panama recently from COVID -19, also
a family friend. I would like to express my condolences to her, her husband Sheridan Nusum and t heir
children Sean and Sheridan II, as well.
And thirdly, and most fondly to me, Verna Butterfield, affectionately known as “Cookie.” She was my
godmother who recently passed, Madam President. I
would also like to mention and express my condo-lences to her daughter, Danise, and her grandchi ldren, Dashun, Jaire and Chino. I would also like to just express a fond memory that my mom always
used to say to me, that it was the three of them. It was
her, Joanne, Cookie —or Ann, Joanne and Cookie.
And when they woul d attend our celebrations , one of
which we will not be able to celebrate, Bermuda Day,
the three of them would always —one would have on
slacks, the other culottes and one shorts.
And so I just wanted to mention that publicly
and again express the condolences on the loss of my
godmother at this time. Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Caesar.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches?
Sen. Vance Campbell: Yes, Madam President.
The Presid ent: Senator Campbell.

Sen. Vance Campbell: Madam President, I would like
to send condolences to the family and friends of Mr.
Humphrey Randolph “Teets” Dickinson. He was a
former Treasurer of the Young Men’s Social Club, of
which I am a member as well. A nd I believe he was in
his 91
st year. We had an honorary banquet last year,
and he sang at that banquet. And so, singing was one of his talents, as well as taking care of the money.
And with his passing, the Young Men’s Social Club family has lost a wealth of history and knowledge as
to what went on within the club over the various years
of its existence. So again, I would like to send out
condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Humph-rey Randolph Dickinson. Thank you, Madam Pres ident.

The President: Thank you, Senator Campbell.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Madam Pres ident.
The President: Yes. Yes, Madam Kathy Lynn Si mmons, Attorney General, you have the floor.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you,
Madam President.
I am sure Members of the Senate join in the
condolences which were extended by Senators a few
minutes ago. But I would like to switch and highlight
some good things about our young people, who act ually represent our hope for the future. A nd even during
this pandemic, our young people continue to do good
things that we should applaud. And today I am actual-ly applauding them.
First and foremost, we have our young men
who are shining internationally, as they continue to
endeavour to further their football careers. In partic ular, I would like to make mention of Justin Donawa,
who signed a new one- year deal with Darlington in the
Vanarama National L eague in North England. He is
actually, as colleagues would know, Senators would
know, the son of former track star and Marathon Derby champion, Jay Donawa. So, kudos for him in continuance of his journey, a young man who is very di sciplined and just emanates excellence.
I would also like to recognise and
acknowledge the achievements of Bermuda goa lkeeper, Dale Eve, who has also signed a new contract, he has a permanent deal with Vanarama (if I am
getting that right), National League North class, Spe nnymoor. And I wish them both . . . , or I wish them
both continued success.
Madam President, I would like to also
acknowledge some of our young people in the health
profession, in particular Ta hj Cox, who is the son of —

[Crosstalk ; feedback ]

The Clerk: Is everybody muted?
The President: Yes, except me.

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Madam Pres ident?

The President: Yes. I beg your pardon. Carry on.

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Tahj Cox,
whose parents are Dwayne and Nicky Cox , and Tah j
would have graduated on May 26 from Dalhousie Un iversity in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a Bachelor of Sc ience Degree. It was a double major in neuroscience
and biology. And in September he will be attending
medical school at the University of Central Lancaster
in England. And I raise him because he is a very
humble and hard- working young man who is currently
volun teering down at our Southside testing facility.
And I will say I received a note, a message in one of my chats, where a lady had actually availed herself of
testing and was singing his praises because she suf942 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate fered no discomfort and no pain. So I made a mental
note that he is the go- to person, or one of them, with
regard to that facility. So, well done, Tah j. And on behalf of the Senate team, we wish him much success in
his future studies.
Also, Madam President, you would appreciate
this. In alignment with the nursing profession, there is
a young lady who has been featured today in the
Royal Gazette, Kidada Robinson, who is a nursing
student at Bermuda College. And she is working full -
time at Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre. And she
is also an emergency medical technician.
So to our young people who are endeavouring
to enter the medical profession, we wish them much success. And to those who are looking for another career, this is actually an area where we desperately
need Bermudians. And so to our young people, all of
them in sports and the medical profession, we wish
you all the best in your future endeavours. Thank you,
Madam President.
[Pause]
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Madam Pres ident, we are unable to hear you.
The President: Yes. I wanted t o associate myself
with the condolences for Mrs. Nell Bassett, and also
associate myself with the condolences for Mr. Randolph Dickinson, who was a probation officer for a
very, very long time. And I think Senator Campbell
certainly noted his, I suppose, t he financial side of his
role in the club. But I knew him in the probation services, and he was an excellent probation officer, who
was very, very helpful to so many people and to so
many agencies at the time. So, condolences to his
entire family and his f riends.
And I would also like to, I am sure, speak on
behalf of the rest of the Senate, Madam Attorney
General, in congratulating our young people. They
need all the encouragement that we can give them.
And I am very pleased to be associated with and to
associate the entire Senate body with the comments that you have made regarding the young people who
are doing so well, not only in Bermuda, but elsewhere.
And we need to encourage them continually.
And of course, the nursing student at the college and th e emergency room technician, I certainly
applaud her interests. So with that, then, thank you all very much with your comments on the Congratulatory
and/or Obituary Speeches.
We will now move on.

ADJOURNMENT

The President: Senator Kathy Lynn Simmons, ov er to
you.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Thank you,
Madam President.
Madam President, I move that the Senate do
now adjourn to Wednesday, June 3rd.
The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
the motion to adjourn?
[Crosstalk]
Sen. James S. Jardine: Yes, Madam President.
(Senator Jardine.)

The President: Senator Jardine, yes. You have the
floor.

ASSISTANCE TO BERMUDA DURING THE
COVID -19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE

Sen. James S. Jardine: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I did not speak under Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches because this is
more of a thank you or recognition of what people are
doing and have done.
I really wanted to acknowledge the good work
of the Government and related services in tackling this
virus. I do not think many of us realise how much work
is required on a daily basis, how many hours are put
in by certain government officials, ministries, the
Premier, first responders at the hospital and throug hout the Island, volunteers from the various third sectors and so on. It is requiring an immense amount of time and effort. And it is extremely stressful, I believe,
for a number of individuals having to come to the
wicket on this particular issue.
Some will say, Well, that’s their job, but it is
really more than their job. These are very extraordi-nary times. So at normal situations, people will have
to [INAUDIBLE ] very, very extraordinary times. And I
think if you watch some of the coverage in the United
States and other parts of the world where people are
having to deal with this, it is taking its toll on people;
there is no question about it.
Now, I watched most of the press present ation of the Premier and others twice a week, three times a week, depending on when you started watc hing. And you could tell by the presentation that there was a tremendous amount of work that has gone into it. But more important, preparing and the concern that
obviously is being felt by the Ministers who are having to deal with it.
I think it is important that I want to just pause
at this particular stage ––that is to say the stage of development of the virus on the Island to evolve–– and
thank the Ministers of Government, the people who
work in government, first responders and all the ot hers—there are just too many to name—who are
fighting and dealing with this virus. I mean, to come up


Bermuda Senate with regulations, to deal with every specific situation
that advises with respect to opening up Bermuda
again requires a tremendous amount of thought. And
[along with] those there will always be those who do
not agree with the regulations or [ INAUDIBLE ]. And so
those who are having to make decisions are doing
them under some very, very difficult times.
I think it is important that we can pause for a
moment within all of this, and I personally would like to say a thank you to all of those who are involved and
having to deal with this stress right in this place.
Thank you, Madam President.

[Pause]

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Madam President, we cannot hear you.
The President: Sorry about that. Yes.
, I w as just thanking Senator Jardine for his
comments. And also ask if any other Senator wants to
speak on the motion to adjourn.

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Yes, Madam President.
Senator Anthony Richardson.
The President: Yes. Senator Richardson, you have
the floor.

ASSISTANCE TO BERMUDA DURING THE
COVID -19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE

Sen. Anthony Richardson: I have to turn my micr ophone on.
I too, similar to Senator Jardine, chose not to
speak during the time of congratulatory comments
because I wanted to speak to it , make certain co mments under the motion to adjourn. And I want to start
by reinforcing the commendations to our young pe ople. Very often we complain as to what they are not doing. But clearly during this time of the COVID -19
shelter in place and what they had to do, they have
really stepped up to it. And I am speaking particularly
of those who are assisting at the testing centre down
at Southside.

[Crosstalk; feedback]

Sen. Anthony Richardson: And also in respect t hat I
have witnessed operating in the Regiment. They have
been very consistent. They work very long hours.
They have been very polite in the most cases. Som etimes in my encounters there have been some small
difficulties. But they do listen, they are respectful, and
they are not overly burdensome in carrying out their
own tasks.
I know that in the community there was some
commentary, generally speaking, in terms of the di scomfort that might be experienced when it came to being tested. And I had the opportunity to get tested. I
must admit I went there without an appointment, just drove into the line and said, Can I get tested, please?
They said yes. And I went through the process. And
the process of just letting me get through was wonder-ful. But then when I got to the time of actually being
tested, the young lady —it was two young females,
actually. They appeared to be very, very young. And
they said, you know, It’s going to be something that’s
very uncomfortable, but we’re going to do our best to
be as gentle as possible.

[Laughter]

Sen. Anthony Richardson: Madam President, I can
assure you that it was entirely uncomfortable . . not
uncomfortable. It was no issue, I am trying to say. And
for me the only experience I could compare it to was if
you go swimming and sometimes water is up your
nose by mistake, sort of thing, it is a slight burning
sensation, but that was it. And I am saying this to,
number one, commend our young people for doing such a tremendous and gentle job, very, very much
caring, a tremendous bedside manner. At the same
time tryi ng to encourage other Bermudians to go
ahead and get tested because, number one, it does
provide a greater sense of assurance; number two,
which may be more important than number one, it provides additional data for the health professionals to
be able to better monitor and comment on what is
happening in Bermuda.
Secondarily, but along the same lines, I had
reason to be at the airport one day very, very early,
more like five o’clock in the morning. And again I
commend the young (they were young) soldiers. They
were on the tarmac and doing their thing. And they
were very professional, very polite. At that hour in the
morning, they were still very jovial and did what they
had to do. At the same time, I want to commend the immigration services, the customs ser vices, the health
services and all the others that make these things
happen. Because on this occasion when most were
actually in their beds, these people were up doing
what they do on a regular basis to make sure that
Bermuda does carry on.
And the last group that I want to really commend is Bermuda’s janitors, anybody who has to
clean, because it takes a special breed of person to
do so. And unfortunately, they also carry out a routine
but a tremendously necessary task, which is even
more emphasised given the COVID -19 concerns. And
we hear the comments in terms of routine cleaning,
deep cleaning and all sorts of cleaning. And that r equires both time and patience. And in doing so, there
is also the level of putting themselves at risk because
they are expose d to what might be the virus. And
people still do it. They do it very consistently. They do
it very professionally.
944 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate And the rest of us are able to simply enjoy (if
that is the right word) the clean surfaces. And so even
earlier when the compliments came in in terms of the
schools reopening and how that has to be monitored and managed, I want to encourage and— yes, e ncourage really all of the school custodians because
they will really be in the front line of protecting what is
Bermuda’s greatest resources, which is our young
people, throughout the entire school system. It is not
an easy task to, on an everyday basis, clean up after
people. And as you know in some cases, the people —
they are not always very young —they do not take
care of themselves with what t hey are doing. And so it
makes the job sometimes more difficult.
So I want to really give a shout -out to these
school custodians , and, indeed, beyond cleaning, also
all of the educational people who are serving us at the moment. I said it earlier, and I w ill say one more time,
I commend parents, the children themselves, the tr aditional educators because we have all really rallied
around to make sure that Bermuda did not fall apart during this process.
My last comment is that I want to ensure, following on from some of the earlier comments, that
Bermuda is not lulled into a sense of false security, a
false sense of security, because the potential cons equence of the good experience of COVID -19 is that
there have not been any significant illnesses arising in Bermuda, that we may start to think it is not a big deal.
As Senator Richardson said earlier, that may be why
some people are in a bit of a malaise. They do not
really mask. They are not washing their hands [fr equently]. We have to really remember that we are still
in this situation, and we have to be very much more careful in terms of wearing masks in particular, was hing our hands frequently.
And for those of us who have children or a
few who are otherwise interacting, just sometimes remind others, both young and old, that you must continue to wear your mask, because if we do not do this, we may find ourselves going backwards rather than
forward.
And so, I want to commend us all to a joyous,
joyous May 24
th [sic] holiday coming up on Friday. But
still t o be sensible, be practical and recognise that,
yes, we can enjoy ourselves in a different way. But we
have to be practical to ensure that we do not cause
Bermuda any more issues.
So thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Anthony R ichardson.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Madam President.
Sen. Dwayne Robinson: I would, Madam President.
Oh.
The President: I am hearing two people. One is Ro binson.

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Madam President.
(Ianthia Simmons -Wade)

The President: Yes. Oh, I beg your pardon, Senator
Wade, yes.
Senator Simmons -Wade, you have the floor.

AGEING WELL COMMITTEE

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Good morning, Madam President and fellow Senators and listening audience.
Madam President, Bermuda’s ageing popul ation is growing rapidly and represents the fastest -
emerging segment. In December 2019, there were
13,190 people 65 years and older, 18.53 per cent of
the population. The Bermuda Population Projection
2016 to 2026 antici pates that the persons 65 and over
will represent 20 per cent of the total population by 2020, which is this year. Population ageing is poised
to be one of the most significant social transformations of the 21
st century, with implications for nearly
all se ctors of society, including accommodations and
long-term care.
With health levels improving and life expectancy increasing, the traditional notion of seniors is no
longer relevant. Bermudians are living much longer,
retiring later and leading active lifes tyles. Three of the
Ageing Well Committee’s nine goals relate to seniors’
accommodations and quality long- term care: goal one,
ageing at home; goal four, quality long- term care; and
goal five, intergenerational and inclusive communities.
Madam President, this morning I will highlight
the Ageing Well’s work and continuing research on
these three goals. The increasing senior population
and the pressures of COVID -19 will significantly i mpact on how we as a Government and as a people are
likely to reshape seni ors living on Island.

[Crosstalk; feedback]

Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Ageing at home. We
believe that all people should have access to suitable housing which enables them to age at home for as
long as it is appropriate for their needs and circumstances. Who does not want the comfort of staying in
their home and being independent for as long as pos-sible at a place with familiar surroundings and many
memories? Ageing in place means to have the autonomy to remain in your own home as you get older and
your h ealth needs change. Some people choose not
to live in the home they own, but instead move to a
retirement community or into an independent living
retirement facility.

[Crosstalk ; feedback ]


Bermuda Senate Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Madam President,
your microphone is not muted.

The President: I beg your pardon. Okay. Carry on.
Sen. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Okay. It is important to
plan early by evaluating your options for care and support services and also plan for your financial
needs as you grow older. Our Government has a
number of resources and services to support persons
choosing to age in place. Ageing and Disability Ser-vices; a loan programme for home modification; community nurses; FutureCare benefits which include
seniors’ day care, caregivers, and family and friends
caregivers, just to name a few.
Private organisations like Age Concern and
community groups have provided, and will continue to
provide, significant resources and support for persons
who elect to live and age in place. Madam President,
the Ageing Well Committee is researching the successful initiatives in other jurisdictions, meeting with
organisations and groups, and will continue to provide
recommendations to Government. It is our goal to ensure that seniors who elect to age in place at home, in
a seniors community, or in a seniors independent li ving facility will be provided with the necessary support
services to be safe while prioritising socialisation and wellness.
Madam President, quality long- term care. We
believe that all people should be able to access and
afford an appropriate range of long- term care services
and supports that prioritise ageing in place and pr omote overall quality of life and well -being. In recent
months there has been much concern and focus in
Bermuda, and worldwide, for seni ors who live in longterm care facilities as a result of the COVID -19 pandemic. It is important to understand that persons 65
years and older are at the highest risk for COVID -19.
So are people with chronic diseases, diabetes, heart problems, kidney diseas e and respiratory illnesses.
Both groups are highly represented among persons
currently living in long- term care facilities.
The Ministry of Health is prioritising our seniors and vulnerable persons’ long- term care facilities
by providing the necessary su pport and resources if
required. Madam President, the Ageing Well Commi ttee will assess the following strategies for improving the quality of care in long- term care facilities:
• providing consumers with more information;
• strengthening consumer advocacy;
• strengthening of the caregivers’ workforce;
and
• changing the culture of long- term care.
With the ageing of the baby boom population,
many of us most likely will spend time in a long- term
care facility.
Madam President, intergenerational and i nclusive [comm unity ]. We believe that inter generational
and inclusive [community] is one that actively repr e-sents, encourages and supports the involvement of all people in social, political, cultural, educational, recreational and economic activities. Intergenerational living
is merging generations to solve distinct housing pro blems. This is an ideal way for seniors to continue learning, to be with young generations, and to avoid
isolation and depression, which research shows is
essential for staying healthy, and not jus t for seniors.
The Ageing Well Committee has been in di scussions with parties who have expressed interest in
developing intergenerati onal [communities]. The
committee is currently researching successful initi atives in other jurisdictions.
Inclusive [comm unities ] are small, pocket
neighbourhoods usually for a specific population.
Pocket neighbourhoods are clusters of homes with
smaller -than- average square footage, creating a great
sense of community.
It is interesting that the Bermuda Housing
Trust, over 50 years ago a non- profit organisation,
decided, and had the foresight, to develop low -cost
housing for communities in Bermuda. In 2019, which
was over [INAUDIBLE] they completed their fifth
property. Fortunately, Bermuda has the great fortune
to have over 186 units that are available for independent seniors who are deemed to be in financial
need. This is actually something that as a country we
need to move forward with in the future in order to
accommodate our senior population.
The other [is] multi- gener ational living in Be rmuda. This is now very, very commonplace in Berm uda either because of finances, changes in economic
situation or the needs of older family members. There
is great potential for all [with] this. One, caregiving
becomes easy. Child care becomes easy. And chi ldren are able to develop close bonds with their gran dparents, and everyone saves money. Given what is happening now in the country, with so many people
out of jobs or downsized, have to downsize, et cetera,
I think this could actually be the new norm during this
pandemic and moving forward.
Families may come together by need, but
many may stay together by choice. Madam President, our Government is committed to meeting the needs of all generations and believes that resources are more
wisely used when they connect generations rather
than separating them.
Madam President, the Ageing Well Committee
is open to all ideas and suggestions from all Bermudians. Our work is all about change and approaching things differently. Bermuda, we have no choice with
the rapidly increasing ageing population. As a country we must actively think differently about what the future
looks like for seniors’ accommodations and long- term
care.
Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you very much, Senator Si mmons -Wade.
946 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Yes, I would, Madam President.
The President: Senator Michelle Simmons, you have
the floor.

COVID -19—NEED FOR SPIRIT OF COMPASSION,
FAIRNESS AND GENE ROSITY

Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I believe that the average
citizen wants to be able to live in an environment
where he or she has hope for the future. The Minister
of Finance in his 2020/21 Budget Statement said the
following. May I quote, Madam President?

[No audible response]

Sen. Michelle Simmons: “There is a palpable frustr ation across demographics that see Bermuda as a
whole; small businesses, hardworking families, and
eager young people are questioning t he fundamentals
of our economy and whether there is hope.” The Mi nister continued: “Our people need work, success and hope.” (That is the end of the quote.)
I dare say that feeling has not changed since
the COVID -19 pandemic struck. In fact, that need to
have a feeling of hope is even more important than
ever because many people who were, for example, employed are now unemployed. Some people who
were just about making ends meet are now in dire
straits. Many persons who once were able to feed
their families are struggling to put food on the table.
And others who were able to help their extended fam ilies are now looking to their families to care for them.
So things have changed a lot since the Mini ster of Finance made his Statement. But still, there is need for us to make sure that people who live here
have hope for the future.
So many people are struggling, as I said earlier, Madam President. But yet I note, and this is unfortunate, that even in this current economic climate,
some owners of businesses (and I emphasise
“some” —I will underline it 10 times if I have to; I am
only talking about some) are attempting to take advantage. All of us are suffering. Some are suffering
more than others; this is clear. But it appears that
some owners of businesses are raising prices of
goods which they already had on their shelves and were already in stock, as a means of improving their
own profits or their bottom line.
The reason I am bringing this to our attention
this morning, Madam President, is because I would like to appeal to owners of businesses to be compassionate and to recognise that we are all in this boat together. And we can either sink or swim together.
Businesses cannot expect to recoup their losses by
increasing prices of goods now when everyone is
hurting.
However, I do not want to give the impression
that this is the case for all business owners, because it is not. Some businesses have been extremely ge nerous by providing discounts, giveaways, reinstituting
specials and so on. Some businesses have generou sly donated to programmes which are supporting per-sons in the community who have great need. I would like to say to those businesses that have been generous and have been compassionate and have been
helping others, Thank you for your generosity .
My pl ea this morning is for businesses to have
a conscience and to be considerate of the plight that
some people in our community are experiencing. They did not ask for this. No one has asked to become unemployed. No one has asked to have to accept full
respons ibility for other family members who have b ecome unemployed. But it is the reality of our current
situation. Yes, businesses are asking us to come back and support them. But all of us who live in Bermuda
want to be treated fairly when we do support your
business.
At this point, it is without question that we
have to be our brothers’ keepers, probably more than
ever before. So my prayer for our community right now is that the spirit of compassion, fairness and ge nerosity should guide all of us so that other s can see
hope for the future.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?

Sen. Dwayne Robinson: I would, Madam President.

The President: Senator Robinson.

Sen. Dwayne Robinson: Yes, thank you.
The President: You have the floor.

Sen. Dwayne Robinson: Thank you.
Before I kick into my comments, I would like to
humbly request that if there are any reports of commi ttees or any sort of similar Government Ministerial
Statements, they be put in the Statement part of the
Orders Paper so that Senators may ask questions.
Kicking into my comments —

Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Madam Pres ident.
The President: Yes, Senator Kathy Lynn Simmons,
Attorney Gener al, you have the floor.

B ermuda Senate Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: I would be
grateful if Senator Robinson would clarify what he is
referring to for our benefit.
The President: Senator Robinson, what were you
alluding to in your comment?
Sen. Dwayne Robinson: I was alluding to the Age
Reform Committee’s [sic] statement. I mean, a lot of
us would like to ask questions regarding these things and things regarding that committee. I would humbly ask that they would be put in a statement so that we could ask questions on more specifics regarding that.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Madam Pres ident.
The President: Yes, Senator Kathy Lynn Simmons.
Yes.
Sen. the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons: Yes. I will r emind the Senator that it remains with Senator Sim-mons -Wade, who is responsible for that particular
committee, either to bring Statements as and when
she wishes to do so. She will in fact be making . . .
Then at that time the questions can be asked. The
subject today was a combination. But . . . so Senator Robinson’s senti ments have been recorded by the
Senate.
The President: Thank you, Senator Kathy Lynn Si mmons.
You can carry on, Senator Dwayne Robinson.
COVID -19 ECONOMIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Sen. Dwayne Robinson: Thank you very much.
I am happy to hear about the multiple congratulations being given to young people in this ses-sion. And it leads into what I had planned to speak about today, which is in the midst of this pandemic
and this health crisis, Bermuda has innovated and has
started to begin building what we call the new normal. In this process, I urge that we involve young people within the economic recovery effort.
Now, I would like to commend the Premier
and Members of the Cabinet for being accessible to
young people and also being active on Twitter and
taking in feedback and engaging in proper convers ation with young people in the places in which they fr equent. However, I do think that we need to take a step forward with providing [for] people in our country who are under 30 to include them in the economic recovery such as this advisory board for the Finance Minister.
Its purpose has been tasked with delivering
bold ideas to shape Bermuda’s future, yet when I look at the members of said advisory committee, they are all qualified. So do not misconstrue my statem ents there. They are all qualified, and I definitely am not
asking for any of them to be swapped out. But I am
asking for an addition of certain qualified members of the community, which I know all of us can probably list out some stellar young people who have been taking the lead and putting forth economic recovery ideas, two of whom have interviewed the Premier on
Bernews just a few days ago who could have been
good candidates.
So I would like to call on the Finance Minister
and the Premier to actually consider maybe setting up
a think tank, an official think tank that may feed ideas to this economic advisory board or, even bolder, to
place one of the members of our younger demographic on that board to be able to put forth ideas that are bold, new and fresh. Because a lot of times in Berm uda, we look to get feedback from young people, but we do not necessarily put them in positions where they can actually weigh in on the direction of this
country.
And in the midst of our building something
completely new and innovating an economy to bas ically operate in ways in which it has not in recent
times or in times in the past, I do think this is a prime
opportunity for us to take those bold steps and go and
get these innovative under -32s who are back on the
Island right now who have the skills, as we have stated, in medicine and economics and law to be able to put them in official capacities which would allow them to shape the future of Bermuda that they will no doubt
inherit.
So with those comments, I would like to just
wrap up and say again we have that opportunity to
build a new normal where we do not have to regress back to the old normal where we had economic ine-quality, where we have race disparity, where we have
all of these problems that have been passed on and
are going to be probably inherited by us young folks. We have the chance now to truly put our money where our mouth is and not to just kind of get feed-back through certain mediums and then decide
whether or not we wish to implement it, but also take
those people who are providing feedback to the Premier and to the Finance Minister online and put them in positions where they can actually work on crafting their ideas and that feedback into future legislation and future economic ideas.
So with those comments, Madam President, I
would wrap up.
Thank you so much.
The President: Thank you, Senator Robinson.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Sen. Jarion Richardson: Yes, Madam President.
(Senator Richardson.)
948 27 May 2020 Official Hansard Report
[*The Senate resumed on 10 J une 2020.]
Bermuda Senate The President: Senator Jarion Richardson, you have
the floor.
BIPARTISANSHIP
Sen
. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I just wanted to comment that in recent days
in news media and in general conversation, the topic
of bipartisanship has come up. And I wanted to extend my thanks and greetings to the Government Senators who had worked in that space in terms of, I suppose, Senator Campbell, for example. We share family.
Senator Richardson, his mother -in-law is such a close
friend of my family’s. I know that we are a small place,
Bermuda altogether, and even smaller is the Senate.
And there have been in the past offers of c ooperation from Senator Jones to the Honourable At-torney General. And I recall in my first Senate meeting
that the Honourable Attorney General actually, abs olutely said, We welcome that exchange, and we look
forward to going through this.
We obviously had contention, or contentious
items to discuss. And we do come from different aspects on the political spectrum. But one of the things
that makes this contention so productive, or I would hope makes it so productive, is that we would be wil ling to give one another the benefit of the doubt and that we would . . . our core belief would orbit that we
are not in fact in any way, shape or fashion enem ies
or opponents, but just another person with an equal, respectable and considered opinion.
To that end, we have . . . I know that Senator
Jones, the Honourable Attorney General and yourself, Madam President, often will confer about matters that will be brought to the Senate, how we go about those
things. And there was a time . . . in fact I recall when
Senator Robinson and I had deferred to Senator Jones because it would expedite Government bus iness and things like that. I am mindful that that is not always the easiest thing to do for all of us. But I do
thank all the Members of the Senate for always trying hard to work together, even when we are or may be working towards different ends.
Thank you.
The President: Thank you, Senator Jarion Richar dson.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Sen.
Vance Campbell: Yes, Madam President. (Senator Campbell.)
The
President: Senator Campbell, yes, you have the
floor. COVI
D-19—UNSELFISH EFFORTS TO REBUILD
BERMUDA
Sen.
Vance Campbell: Thank you, Madam President.
I cannot help but jump on the bandwagon of
hope that Senator Simmons -Wade started. And I will
say that hope is bolstered, or has been bolstered, by
the Government, the way in which it has been led by
Premier Burt and his Cabinet throughout this pandem-ic with a balanced plan full of compassion for those who call Bermuda home. Yet one is fully cognisant of the need to maintain fiscal responsibility.
Madam President, this flame of hope must be
ignited by the unselfish efforts of all of our essential workers who put themselves and their families at risk on a daily basis during this pandemic. Hope received a huge shot in the arm, Madam President, by the generosity shown by the business community at such a difficult time. And hope, Madam President, was
warmed by the actions of our charities who ensured
that those of us in need had those needs met.
Hope is alive, Madam President, when you
see the collaboration of our leaders, both Government and Opposition, unions, non- unions, public, private.
And hope can only be encouraged when you look at the plans to rebuild our economy and the inclusion that this Government has put out there for all to con-tribute to what our future will look like, particularly the plans put out there by the Minister of Finance.
So I would say hope is very much alive, and
that Bermuda is quite fortunate that they had this Pr ogressive Labour [Party] Government, one that is full of compassion, yet cognisant of the need to maintain fiscal responsibility for this time and the unforeseeable future.
Thank you, Madam President.
WISHES FOR A SAFE BERMUDA DAY HOLIDAY
The President: Thank you, Senator Campbell.
Woul
d any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
No. Seeing none, then I would just like to
thank each and every one of you, Senators, for your comments. I think they have been exceedingly en-couraging today. And I want to also wish all of Berm uda a beautiful, safe and enjoyable Bermuda holiday,
while adhering to the regulations that will ultimately
protect us all.
With that, the Senate stands adjourned until
June the 3
rd. Thank you all, Senators, for your contr ibution today.
Som
e Hon. Senators: Thank you, Madam President.
[*At 12:26 pm, the Senate stood adjourned
until Wednesday , 3 June 2020.]