The Premier announced that the Fairmont Southampton redevelopment project secured its full $560 million financing, with government backing a $75 million guarantee, allowing construction to begin within a month. He also revealed a $25 million spending package focused on mental health services, public safety, substance abuse programs, and community infrastructure while maintaining the government's balanced budget target. Several ministers presented new regulations and agreements, including changes to electricity licensing for large solar projects and a major lease deal with Google for a cable landing station.
Fairmont Southampton Hotel redevelopment project receives full financing ($560 million)Government announces $25 million social investment package for mental health, public safety, and community servicesNew electricity licensing rules for large solar installations over 500 kilowattsGoogle cable landing station project lease agreement for Burrows Hill propertyCreation of Bermuda Land Management Corporation from merger of two government bodies
Bills & Motions
Electricity Amendment Act 2024 - introduced to create new licensing category for large solar installations
Multiple financial regulations and orders tabled for future consideration
Draft lease agreement between Bermuda Land Management Corporation and Google's Seagrass Services Limited presented for House approval
Notable Moments
The House observed a moment of silence for former MP Kenny Bascome who recently passed away
Premier emphasized this is the largest tourism investment in Bermuda's history and dismissed critics who doubted the Fairmont project would succeed
The session included an unusual additional statement added at the last minute about the social investment package
Debate Transcript
557 speeches from 26 speakers
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning, Members. The Clerk will now lead us in prayer. PRAYERS [ Prayers read by Mr. Clark Somner , Clerk ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning, Members. Welcome back. We want to look nice and fresh this morning. It looks like we are in for a good session—what is left of the session, the last two weeks. But before we take our seats, as I open this House this morning I am going to …
Good morning, Members. Welcome back. We want to look nice and fresh this morning. It looks like we are in for a good session—what is left of the session, the last two weeks. But before we take our seats, as I open this House this morning I am going to ask you to remain standing so that we can give recognition to a former Member who has passed since we went out. And that was MP Kenny Bascome, who was funeralised recently. But let me open the House and then we will do the moment of silence. [ Gavel]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe House is now open. Join us in a moment of silence. MOMENT OF SILENCE [In memory of Kenneth Leon Bascome] [ Members rose and observed a moment of silence.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Members. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 19 July 2024 ]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, the Minutes from the 19th of July have been circulated. Are there any amendments that are required for them? No amendments. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. [ Minutes of 19 July 2024 confirmed] ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITOR The Speaker: Before I move on, let me …
Members, the Minutes from the 19th of July have been circulated. Are there any amendments that are required for them? No amendments. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. [ Minutes of 19 July 2024 confirmed] ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITOR The Speaker: Before I move on, let me acknowledge that we have present with us this morning the President of the Senate. Welcome, Madam. And we will move on. MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have three Members who have indicated today that they will be absent: Honourable Minis-ter Tinee Furbert, MP Lovitta Foggo and MP Susan Jackson. MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PAPERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThis morning, Members, we have 11 papers that are going to be introduced. The first is in the name of the Premier. Premier, would you like to do your papers? BANKSAND DEPOSIT COMPANIES (RESTRICTED BANKS) AMENDMENT ORDER 2024 Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, …
This morning, Members, we have 11 papers that are going to be introduced. The first is in the name of the Premier. Premier, would you like to do your papers? BANKSAND DEPOSIT COMPANIES (RESTRICTED BANKS) AMENDMENT ORDER 2024 Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Banks and Deposit Companies (Restricted Banks) Amendment Order 2024, made by the Minister of Finance and acting on the advice of the Ber-muda Monetary Authority in exercise of the powers conferred by section 14(3) and 5(c) [sic] of the Banks and Deposit Companies Act 1999.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. INVESTMENT BUSINESS (RECOGNISED BODIES) (REPORTING ACCOUNTANTS) (FACTS AND 1612 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly MATTERS O F MATERIAL SIGNIFICANCE) REGULATIONS 2 024 Hon. E . David B urt: Thank y ou, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and …
Continue. INVESTMENT BUSINESS (RECOGNISED BODIES) (REPORTING ACCOUNTANTS) (FACTS AND 1612 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly MATTERS O F MATERIAL SIGNIFICANCE) REGULATIONS 2 024 Hon. E . David B urt: Thank y ou, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Investment Business (Recognised Bodies) (Reporting Accountants) (Facts and Matters of Material Significance) Regulations 2024, made by the Minister of Finance in exercise of the power conferred by section 86(1) of the Investment Business Act 2003.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. INVESTMENT B USINESS (RECOGNISED BODIES R ECOGNITION REQUIREMENTS) REGULATIONS 2 024 Hon. E . David Burt: Thank you very m uch, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Investment Business (Recognised Bodies Recognition …
Continue. INVESTMENT B USINESS (RECOGNISED BODIES R ECOGNITION REQUIREMENTS) REGULATIONS 2 024 Hon. E . David Burt: Thank you very m uch, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Investment Business (Recognised Bodies Recognition Requirements) Regulations 2024 , made by the Minister of Finance in exercise of the power conferred by section 67(1) of the Investment Business Act 2003.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm- hmm. C ontinue. TAX R EFORM CO MMISSION FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FEBRUARY 12, 2 018– OCTOBER 2 1, 2018) Hon. E . David B urt: Thank y ou, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly …
Mm- hmm. C ontinue. TAX R EFORM CO MMISSION FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FEBRUARY 12, 2 018– OCTOBER 2 1, 2018) Hon. E . David B urt: Thank y ou, Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Financial Statements of the Tax Reform Commission from the 12th of February 2018 to the 21st of October 2018.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. CONTRIBUTORY PENSIONS (AMENDMENT O F BE NEFITS) O RDER 2024 Hon. E . David Burt: Thank y ou v ery much , Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the Contributory Pensions (Amendment of …
Continue. CONTRIBUTORY PENSIONS (AMENDMENT O F BE NEFITS) O RDER 2024 Hon. E . David Burt: Thank y ou v ery much , Mr . Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the Contributory Pensions (Amendment of Benefits) Order 2024, proposed to be made by the Min-ister of Financ e in exercise of the powers conferred by section 37 of the Contributory Pensions Act 1970.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerContinue. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATE ( NO.1 ) FINANCIAL YEAR 2024/25 Hon. E. David Burt: Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, pursuant to the powers conferred by section 96 of the Constitution, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Premier. Members, the next paper this morning is in the name of the Minister of Works. Minister.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. DRAF T LEASE AGREEMENT SEA GRASS SERVICES LIMITED, THE BERMUDA LAND MANAGEMENT CORPORATION AND THE BERMUDA GOVERNMENT
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchMr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the draft Lease Agreement between t he Bermuda Land Management Corporation and Sea Grass Services Limited, referenc ing [the] area of land comprising 5.9 acres located at Burrows Hill, Southside Ridge …
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the draft Lease Agreement between t he Bermuda Land Management Corporation and Sea Grass Services Limited, referenc ing [the] area of land comprising 5.9 acres located at Burrows Hill, Southside Ridge between Stock ’s Road and Hall Street, St. George’s, shown etched in yellow on the annex ed photographic plan and as described in Schedule 1 attached to the lease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Members, the next paper this morning is in the name of the Minister of Economy and Labour. Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. POSITION PAPER ON PROGRESSING BERMUDA’S MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Position Paper on Progressing Bermuda’s Minimum Hourly Wage.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. The Minister of Health has the next two. Minister. Bermuda House of Assembly BERMUDA HEALTH COUNCIL (HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS) (LICENSING) REGULATIONS 2024 BERMUDA HEALTH COUNCIL (HIGH RISK HEALTH TECHNOLOGY) REGULATIONS 2024 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I have the honour to attach and submit for …
Thank you. The Minister of Health has the next two. Minister.
Bermuda House of Assembly BERMUDA HEALTH COUNCIL (HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS) (LICENSING) REGULATIONS 2024
BERMUDA HEALTH COUNCIL (HIGH RISK HEALTH TECHNOLOGY) REGULATIONS 2024
Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Health Council (Health Service Providers) (Licensing) Regulations 2024, proposed to be made by the Minister responsible for Health after consultation with the council and in exercise of the power conferred pursuant to section 15 of the Bermuda Health Council Act 2004. And in addition I have the honour , Mr. Speaker, to attach and submit for the consideration of the Hon-ourable House of Assembly the Bermuda Health Council (High Risk Health Technology) Regulations 2024, proposed to be made by the Minister responsible for Health after consultation with the council in exercise of the power conferred pursuant to section 16D of the Bermuda Health Council Act [2016].
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. And the final is in the name of the Junior Minister. Junior Minister.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. NATIONAL PENSIONS SCHEME (FIRST -TIME HOMEOWNERS REFUND) REGULATIONS 2024
Mr. Jache AdamsMr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the National Pensions Scheme (First -Time Homeowners Refund) Regulations 2024 , proposed to be made by the Minister of Finance in exercise of the power conferred by sections 24(9)(f) and 69 …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Members, those are all of the Papers and Communications. We thank you, Ministers, for presenting them, and Junior Minister. PETITIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, on the Order Paper the re are nine Statements. However, I am going to seek your indulgence this morning. You know there are often things that happen overnight that are very important business to bring to the attention of the public. And I think one such matter has happened …
Members, on the Order Paper the re are nine Statements. However, I am going to seek your indulgence this morning. You know there are often things that happen overnight that are very important business to bring to the attention of the public. And I think one such matter has happened since the deadline for Statements being submitted. And with that, I am going to ask your indulgence in that the Premier start with . . . [The Premier] has one Statement on the Order paper; there are going to be two now. I think he will want to start with this one first and then go to the second one. Do we have the indulgence of the House?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Premier. FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, good morning again. Let me first express my thanks to you and to the whole House for the indulgence by which I make this Ministe-rial Statement this morning. The subject of my Statement today is a …
Thank you. Premier.
FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE
Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, good morning again. Let me first express my thanks to you and to the whole House for the indulgence by which I make this Ministe-rial Statement this morning. The subject of my Statement today is a matter of national importance, and it is right that my first public Statement to the people of Bermuda is made to the people’s representatives in this Honourable House. Mr. Speaker, the Scriptures teach us that we should not be w eary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Mr. Speaker, as of the close of business yesterday , I am pleased to advise this Honourable House and the public that the full financing of the redevelopment project of the Fairmont South ampton Hotel has been achieved and all parties have funded their obligations such that the project can now fully commence.
[Desk thumping]
Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I can further confirm that the G overnment of Bermuda as previously indicated in this Honourable House is supporting this pro-ject with a sovereign guarantee of the sum of $75 million, advanced by Clarien Bank to support the redevelopment. In accordance with the Government Loans Act 1978, I hereby inform this Honourable House that guar-antee was executed earlier this week. Mr. Speaker, this is a $560 million transaction, which signals the most resounding endorsement of Bermuda as a tourist destination, of the jurisdiction as a place for sound investment and in the G overnment of Bermuda as a valued partner to the private sector in support of economic growth and tourism recovery. Accordingly, the Minister responsible for Tourism, who 1614 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly sits in another place, has brought the Fairmont Southampton Resort Act 2023 into force effective today. Mr. Speaker, the redevelopment and ultimately the reopening of the Fairmont Southampton is of profound economic importance. Its closure has been felt throughout our economy, reducing Bermuda’s airlift and limiting our capacity to host large group business. The reopening of the 600- plus-room hotel will not only restore but significantly reshape our hospitality land-scape. Mr. Speaker, put simply, the construction phase of this redevelopment is scheduled to last approxi-mately 15 months and will create approximately 700 jobs. Moreover, the project will inject over $500 million in foreign capital into our economy, reinforcing the con-fidence of international investors in Bermuda’s potential and stability. Though this is not a new hotel, it is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that it is the single largest tourism investment in Bermuda’s history. Upon completion, Bermuda will boast what will be akin to a brand- new first-class resort with modern rooms, world- class restaurants and a myriad of amenities that will make every Bermudian proud. This redevelopment will set new standards in luxury and service, ensuring that Ber-muda’s tourism product remains competitive on the global stage. Mr. Speaker, since the pandemic demonstrated the need and urgency of economic recovery, we have set about the work to renew tourism as the unmistakable second pillar of our economy. As the Honourable Minister of Economy and Labour shared with the country yesterday, this Government is delivering on that imperative, with visitor expenditure steadily in-creasing, putting more money in the pockets of our tourism workers and those in our economy who support the tourism industry. In the years to come, our tourism sector will continue to drive economic activity, foster economic growth and create many career opportunities for Bermudians. Mr. Speaker, already we have seen the involvement of local talent and businesses. Many of the companies engaged in the initial phase of the redevel-opment which we have witnessed this year are Ber-muda- based, including Atlantic Mooring, BCM Construction, Insulcon Construction, On -site Engineering, Performance Construction and architectural consultant, HDH Ltd. Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: there is much more to do. The actual work of redevelopment must now be done. And in that we can rely on the demon-strated track record of success of the developers, whose local activity at Rosewood, Tuckers Point , and internationally speaks for itself. However, the develop-ers’ statement yesterday gives an indication that the detailed planning required to execute a project of this scale has been done. And with materials and equip-ment en route to Bermuda, work on the site will commence within the next month. Mr. Speaker, the journey to this point has been an unlikely one. All the norms of development experi-ence in transactions of this kind have been defied. On more than one occasion the prospects have been so bleak that even the casual observer would have wri tten off this deal as un- makeable. We have all heard the doubters, both inside of this Honourable House and those outside, who would wish for this Government to fail to satisfy their narrow political agendas. Agendas, Mr. Speaker, that are out of step with the national imperative for this redevelopment to proceed. But, Mr. Speaker, despite those who have campaigned against this redevelopment, what has kept this entire transaction together has been a common purpose of under-standing that speaks volumes on the promise of this I sland of Bermuda that we call home. This is good news, Mr. Speaker. This is good news for Bermuda and for Bermudians. This announcement represents a spark that will further ignite more entrepreneurship, business optimism and tourism confi-dence. Today we mark a significant milestone. But to-morrow we turn again to the work to make a reopened and fully functioning Fairmont Southampton a reality. Nowadays, Mr. Speaker, no matter the economic indicators that say otherwise, many on this I sland are content to spend their days lamenting that the sky is falling and the proposition of Bermuda is in de-cline. Thankfully, Mr. Speaker, they inhabit their own echo chamber. And the numerous private sector investors in this project have stood firmly behind its vision, proving the ultimate show of confidence in Bermuda’s economy, confidence in Bermuda’s tourism futur e and confidence, Mr. Speaker, in this Progressive Labour Party Government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Mr. Premier . Would you like to do your second Statement now? Hon. E. David Burt: Certainly, Mr. Speaker. LIFTING PEOPLE UP —SOCIAL INVESTMENT — PUTTING THE PEOPLE FIRST Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, earlier this morning I tabled in this Honourable House the Supplementary Estimate (No.1) …
Thank you, Mr. Premier . Would you like to do your second Statement now? Hon. E. David Burt: Certainly, Mr. Speaker.
LIFTING PEOPLE UP —SOCIAL INVESTMENT — PUTTING THE PEOPLE FIRST Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, earlier this morning I tabled in this Honourable House the Supplementary Estimate (No.1) for fiscal year 2024/25. At this time I wish to provide the context of the m id-year review and provide an overview of the significant investment in social services that this Government will make to ensure that more Bermudians benefit from Bermuda’s eco-nomic progress. Mr. Speaker, over the past seven years this Government has worked tirelessly to build a fairer and more equitable Bermuda, and that work has yielded progress:
Bermuda House of Assembly • This Government has reduced the tax burden on workers to the lowest level in history after the previous Government raised taxes on workers to the highest level in history. • This Government has invested record amounts in affordable housing, with 75 units delivered and more properties coming online every month. • This Government has expanded childcare support up to $900 a month per child for families earning up to $130,000 a year. • This Government has implemented a minimum wage for the first time in Bermuda’s history. • Understanding the concerns of hardworking Bermudians, this Government took action and froze the standard premium rate for the third consecutive year, saving all policyholders in Bermuda $540. • And, Mr. Speaker , this Government has consistently increased our seniors’ pensions to keep in line with the rate of inflation, after the previous Government told our seniors that money doesn’t grow on trees . Mr. Speaker , we made these choices that benefit working Bermudians despite inheriting a bad airport deal and a failed Morgan’s Point project, which cost taxpayers over $250 million. After leading Bermuda through a once- in-a-century pandemic, this Government implemented an economic recovery plan followed by an Economic Development Strategy. Due to the suc-cessful execution of those sound plans, this Govern-ment is set to deliver the firs t balanced budget in 21 years. [Desk thumping] Hon. E. David Burt: The success of our plan is evident, as we have seen unemployment in Bermuda fall to the lowest level since 1980, a record number of Bermudians working in international business and increased tax revenue coming into the public purse. This increased revenue has come after this Government cut payroll taxes for 86 per cent of workers and for every local business in Bermuda. However, Mr. Speaker , today is about more than the progress we have made. It is about what choices a government will make when confronted with the benefits of Bermuda’s economic success. In July when I addressed the people of Bermuda, I stated: “Though we are proud of the work done thus far, your Government recognises our work is not done and that more is needed. There are people in our community who are hurting and who do not feel that enough has been done. They need to see and feel the benefits of our eff orts now, not simply given a promise that they will feel it in the future. The recent tragedies further highlighted our community's need for additional resources to tackle anti -social behaviour and confront a mental health crisis. ” In that same address I promised that this Government would devote our focus to implementing additional investments that would make a meaningful difference in the lives of Bermudians and pledged that we would present our plan when this Honourable House reconvened in September. Mr. Speaker , this Government upholds the promises that we make to the people of Bermuda. That is why I am proud to present to this Honourable House and our country today an investment package of $25 million that reflects our commitment to invest in tackling the social challenges facing Bermuda.
[Desk thumping]
Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker , this package will provide significant additional resources to tackle mental health throughout all segments of our community. We must confront the growing challenge of mental health, and this Government will ensure that mental health resources are more ac cessible and support is available for those who need it, helping to reduce stigma and pro-vide healing in our community. Tied to mental health, we will also expand substance abuse and intervention programmes. Mr. Speaker , we will provide additional funds to help enhance public safety by increasing funding for the police while expanding interventions to address anti-social behaviour. Our communities deserve to feel safe, and we will ensure that resources are in place to prevent crime, protect our neighbourhoods, and build trust between law enforcement and the public. In addition, we are investing in extending trauma counselling services to break the intergenerational cycle of violence and will work with community partners to expand access so that Bermudians can receive the counselling services required. This Government has introduced programmes to combat domestic violence, and this package will boost funding to these programmes to ensure that the required resources are brought to bear to reduce the instances of domestic violence while providing additional support to vic tims of domestic violence. Mr. Speaker , we will provide more resources to our educators and social workers to help them better serve our youth and our families. Due to budget constraints, these services have not been funded to the level that meets the need. Today that will change, and additional funds will be used to clear backlogs in as-sessments for at -risk students to ensure they have access to the required early intervention. Additionally, we will boost funding for speech and occupational therapists to ensure there is adequate su pport for students who may require additional services. Mr. Speaker , we are also making additional investments in infrastructure including funding for private roadworks, community lighting, upgrades to youth centres, refurbishments of community playgrounds and 1616 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly doubling the funding to clear vegetation from roadsides, railway trails and parks. [Desk thumping] Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker , the single largest infrastructure investment in this package recognises the reality of the sandwich generation and the challenges faced by parents who care for both their children and their ageing parents. This package commences fund-ing for the opening of a senior daycare facility to reduce the burden on adults who care for their senior parents. [Desk thumping] Hon. E. David Burt: Additionally, Mr. Speaker, as part of our ongoing efforts to modernise and improve public services, the Government is making significant investments in digital transformation. These initiatives include the development of a one- stop online portal where Bermudians can easily access and complete government services, fr om permit applications to payments. Mr. Speaker , this package also supports the following: • an expansion of after -school programmes; • additional investment to support the unsheltered population and reduce homelessness; • additional funding for apprenticeships and training programmes; • additional rehabilitation programmes for inmates to support successful reintegration into the community; • additional staffing for regional health clinics; • a capital grant to the Bermuda College; • increased funding for consumer protection to support the work of the Cost of Living Commis-sion to tackle pr ice-gouging; and • additional funding to support seniors in our community who need additional support to live with dignity . While this is the most significant additional investment in social services in 20 years, this package is in keeping with this Government’s ongoing commitment to deliver on its promise to Rebuild Bermuda with Ber-mudians at Heart . Mr. Speaker, this Government is not just focussed on fiscal success . As I said in my address to Bermuda in July: “A balanced budget means little if the people we serve struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table. Great credit ratings do not help Bermudi-ans as they are confronted with high prices at our gro-cery stores. And a surplus on financial reports is nowhere near as important as Bermudians knowing that their government hears them and will do whatever it can to . . .” support them. This Government will not delay the benefits of economic success and tell Bermudians to wait for fu-ture fiscal years —which may have the benefit of increased revenue from the forthcoming corporate in-come tax —to take action. Bermudians need support now, and this Progressive Labour Party Government will not wait until next fiscal year to act. Mr. Speaker , our goal is simple: to ensure that Bermuda’s economic progress is felt by all Bermudi-ans. And w e will not stop working until we achieve this vision. Whether by enhancing public services, reducing prices, improving public safety or improving mental health services, we are committed to taking action now. And, Mr. Speaker , it is vital that I inform this House that , despite this significant social investment
package, this Government is still on track to deliver that balanced budget!
[Desk thumping]
Hon. E. David Burt: So, Mr. Speaker , let us recap: $25 million of additional investment in social services and investments to benefit the community, combined with a 60 per cent reduction in energy taxes to cushion the impact of rising prices while still delivering a balanced budget. That is what sound economic policy delivered by a Progressive Labour Party Government that priori-tises the workers of this country can deliver. Mr. Speaker , Bermuda’s economic progress does not belong to this Government; it belongs to the hardworking people of this I sland. This G overnment looks forward to continuing its work to build a Bermuda where shared progress and collective prosperity are the foundation for our future. Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to give this Honourable House and the country a preview of what is contained in this Government’s social investment pack-ages . Ministers of the Government will share further details of the programmes, some which have already been implemented, next week when these measures are debated by Honourable Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Mr. Premier, for both of your Statements. The next Minister this morning who is delivering a Statement to us is the Minister of Works. No, that is our Deputy Premier, I jumped down with that extra Statement being put in there. The next one will be the Deputy …
Thank you, Mr. Premier, for both of your Statements. The next Minister this morning who is delivering a Statement to us is the Minister of Works. No, that is our Deputy Premier, I jumped down with that extra Statement being put in there. The next one will be the Deputy Premier. Sorry about that, Deputy Premier.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Apology accepted.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTRICITY ACT 2016 TO CREATE A BULK GENERATION SOLE -USE INSTALLATION (BGSUI) LICENCE B ermuda House of Assembly Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, today I am tabling the Bill entitled the Electricity Amendment Ac t 2024; legislation that will create a …
Go right ahead.
TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTRICITY ACT 2016 TO CREATE A BULK GENERATION SOLE -USE INSTALLATION (BGSUI) LICENCE
B ermuda House of Assembly Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, today I am tabling the Bill entitled the Electricity Amendment Ac t 2024; legislation that will create a licence for large developments to generate electricity above the current licence threshold of 500 kilowatts (500kw). Mr. Speaker, this Bill strikes a balance between the needs of the licence holder (also known as a distributed generator) and the stability of the grid , while minimis ing any negative impacts, including cost to the rate payer. Mr. Speaker, licences are currently required for all production of electricity over the threshold of 500 kilowatts. The licences currently available in the Electricity Act 2016 for the production of electricity are (1) the Bulk Generation Licence; and (2) the Large- Scale Self Supply Licence. For clarity, the Large- Scale Self Supply Licence is issued to any development that is over 500 kilowatts and would be completely off the grid— that is, would not have a BELCO met er. And just for the record, there is no one in Bermuda who has that licence, even though it exists. Bulk Generation Licence holders must enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with BELCO to sell all of their [generated ] electricity back to BELCO at the current rate of between 12.0 cents per k ilowatt for the solar array at the Finger to 18.5 cents for Tynes Bay. Currently , rate payers are buying electricity [ from] BELCO at in excess of 45.0 cents per kilowatt . Mr. Speaker, you will be aware of the Government’s commitment to reduce the use of fossil fuels by 85 per cent in the production of electricity by 2035, which is reflected in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan. One of the categories of renewable energy defined in the IRP (as it is known) is distributed solar — i.e., solar developments installed by individual residential or commercial entities. Promoting distributed solar development while restricting installations to 500 kilowatts for large commercial enterprises is an anathema to the goals of reduction in the use of fossil fuel to produce electricity and also limits the ability for a distributed generator to earn a return on their investment. In the present scenario, developers of largescale installations cannot use for their own benefit the renewable energy that they produce and are required by the Act to sell their renewable energy to BELCO for approximately 12 cents per k ilowatt -hour. They must continue to buy all of their consumed electricity from the utility for an exces s of 45 cents per kilowatt -hour. Mr. Speaker , currently , large developments such as the National Stadium and Government rooftop installations fall into this category. Other potential developments such as hotels and Google’s proposed data centre would encounter the same challenge. Mr. Speaker, while large installations should be encouraged, it would be foolhardy to just provide exemptions [for] the 500 kilowatts without considering the impact on the grid and the cost to the rate payer. There are risks that would occur with such developments that are still connected to the grid. If not managed effectively, there could be power disruptions affecting the development and the neighbourhoods adjacent to the large development. In addition, the savings derived from the Feed- in-Tariff [FiT] for such a development could lead to the costs being assumed by rate payers. Therefore, the Regulatory Authority (RA) must determine before the installa-tion is built that the development will have minimal im-pact on the grid and rate payers. Mr. Speaker , this Bill will allow a Bermuda registered company, government department or statutory authority intending to install over the threshold of 500 kilowatts and intended solely for use at the applicant’s location to apply for a licence to exempt from the 500-kilowatt threshold. This licenc e will be subject to the RA’s oversight which seeks to ensure minimal risk to the grid, and that the grid and costs remain stable. The licence holder will be permitted to distribute up to the permitted amount, 30 per cent or less, as determined by the RA, of its electricity generated. Mr. Speaker, it is our goal to move Bermuda to a clean and sustainable energy futur e with affordable and renewable energy. This Bill will assist us in contin-uing to achieve this goal in a measured and well -regulated fashion. I look forward to the future debate on the Bill when I can go into more detail on the specific merits of the Bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy Premier. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Works. Minister. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BERMUDA LAND MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to announce the official establishment of the Bermuda Land Management Corporation . Mr . Speaker, in July 2002 the then Cabinet decided that the Central Policy Unit should complete a re-view of 17 quangos which focused on the following objectives: 1.Determine whether …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to announce the official establishment of the Bermuda Land Management Corporation . Mr . Speaker, in July 2002 the then Cabinet decided that the Central Policy Unit should complete a re-view of 17 quangos which focused on the following objectives: 1.Determine whether Bermuda’s q uangos as currently constructed are meeting Govern-ment’s aims , and if not recommend methods of achieving alignment. 2.Determine whether there is accountability tothe Government , and if not recommend an adequate structure to accomplish this . 3.Develop mechanisms for ongoing review.Mr. Speaker, the scope of the review covered a wide range of topics including the establishment and governance of each body; its existing relevance, feasibility, effectiveness ; levels of accountability to Government ; expenditure, income; whether the work could be more effectively (or more efficiently) carried out within 1618 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Government proper or by some other means; d etermine governance and best practice in other jurisdictions ; and to develop a mechanism for ongoing review. All laudable goals which resulted in a report entitled “Untangling Bermuda’s Quangos —A review of Quangos in the Bermuda Government ” presented in October 2003. Mr. Speaker, next month will mark 21 years since the original recommendation to merge quangos that share similar objectives, mandates, skills, account-ing procedures and staffing level s, and I am proud to say that this Government has accomplished that goal. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year this Honourable House, through the West End Development Corporation Amendment Act 2024 , approved the merging of two government quangos —the West End Development Corporation (WEDCO) and the Bermuda Land Devel-opment Company Ltd. (BLDC) —to create the Bermuda Land Management Corporation (BLMC). This only makes sense and should not come as a shock to any-one, as I have said previously on numerous occasions that there is no justifiable reason why , on an island of only 21 square miles , we have two organi sations —two CEOs and two CFOs) and all the attendant offices, machinery and staffs —carrying out very similar functions for the most part . The full demonstration of unnecessary bureaucracy on display. Mr. Speaker, on September 1, 2024, the BLMC began its operations, and I am happy to report that there were no redundancies resulting from this merger. While it is true that the BLMC is seeing minimal dupli-cation of roles , note that reductions will occur over time through natural attrition through retirement. The rea-soning behind this direction is the benefit of ensuring that any important institutional knowledge is retained into future operations while avoiding severances. I must again commend the management and staff of both former organisations , many of whom did not believe we would proceed and [believed] that their jobs would be in jeopardy if we did. I am particularly pleased to again thank both the Bermuda Industrial Union and the Bermuda Public Services Union for collab-orating with us to revise the collective bargaining agreements so that they were ready for the Bermuda Land Management Company. Mr. Speaker, since commencement of the West End Development Corporation Amendment Act 2024, the BLDC has now officially ceased its opera-tions , with the company’s windup process being completed fully by the end of the fiscal year in March 2025. Mr. Speaker, the former BLDC h ead office at Triton House has been closed and a new BLMC suboffice has been opened at Commercial Park, 5 Wallers Point Road, St. George’s , a consolidation of offices and workshops of the former BLDC. This now provides the ability for the BLMC to lease the former BLDC headquarters to private companies for additional rental in-come and to encourage economic development in the area (a topic I will soon speak on in another S tatement ). Regarding the Headquarters for the BLMC, the head office is in Dockyard in the Clock Tower building which houses the accounts department for both former entities. The CEO, Business Development department and HR share their time both in the east and west as demand requires. Moving forward, Mr. Speaker , over the next few weeks and months the general public will start to see the transitioning of physical things like sign-age, vehicle logos, email addresses and the website to reflect the new BLMC. Mr. Speaker, there are many positive endeavours on the horizon for the BLMC , and I look forward to Chairman MP Tyrrell, the Board, Mr. Dias and his team continuing the Government’s commitment to manage and develop this entity to progressively improve the so-cial and economic success of the company. As I close, Mr. Speaker, I wish to reiterate that the process en-gaged to effect this amalgamation, minus the 21 years, can certainly be used in the future for further quango amalgamations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Would you like to do your second Statement now, Minister?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes, go right ahead. LEASE BETWEEN THE BERMUDA LAND MANAGEMENT CORPORATION AND SEAGRASS SERVICES LIMITED
Lt. Col. Hon. David A. BurchMr. Speaker , I am proud to demonstrate to the listening public this Government’s pledge to foster economic development and diversification in Bermuda. I tabled a motion earlier this morning in this Honourable House to approve the lease agreement between the Bermuda Land Management Corporation and Seagrass Services Limited , …
Mr. Speaker , I am proud to demonstrate to the listening public this Government’s pledge to foster economic development and diversification in Bermuda. I tabled a motion earlier this morning in this Honourable House to approve the lease agreement between the Bermuda Land Management Corporation and Seagrass Services Limited , a l ocal subsidiary of the multinational corporation Google LLC. Mr. Speaker , Honourable Members may recall that in September 2023, Google announced a commitment to invest in Bermuda by installing the Nuvem cable, a new transatlantic subsea cable system to connect Portugal, Bermuda and the United States. It is in-tended that the Nuvem will improve network resiliency across the Atlantic, help meet the growing demand for digital services and add international route diversity to support the development of information and communications technology infrastructure for the continents and countries involved. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that Bermuda will play an integral role by hosting a significant cable station to enable multiple cable landings. However, it is more than a cable landing just passing through the Island; it will provide a backbone for a wider strategy of a
Bermuda House of Assembly digital port with all the requirements for supporting data and digital infrastructure. Mr. Speaker , in November 2023, by way of a letter of interest, Google indicated its desire to acquire property measuring a total area of 5.9 acres originally owned by the Government of Bermuda and leased to the former Bermuda Land Development Company , Ltd., located at Burrows Hill (between Stock ’s Road and Hall Street), Southside, St. George’s Parish. For clarity, this area is currently the R emote Control Car [Track] in St. David’s. In November 2023 as well, the then BLDC, the Government and Google began negotiations. A valuation of the property was conducted by the Bermuda Realty Company , Limited , which indicated that the likely market value of the freehold interest in the property was $4.65 million, or $825,000 per acre. After considerable due diligence, Mr. Speaker, and as a demonstration of good faith by all parties involved, an agreement in principle has been made for the site at Burrows Hill. Mr. Speaker , it has been agreed in principle that a lease of 262 years will be held between Sea Grass Services Limited (a Google local subsidiary) and the newly established Bermuda Land Management Corporation for the sum of $4,867,500. Honourable Members are reminded that BLMC is a singular entity established resulting from the merging of the BLDC and the West End Development Corporation. Additionally , Mr. Speaker, after further negotiations with Google, BLMC Management and the ten-ants of the [Remote Control] C ar Track, as a result of the agreement the current track location will be moved to another site. A planning application will soon be sub-mitted for a new [Remote Control] C ar Track, and all works will be funded entirely by Google. Mr. Speaker , it is intended for this agreement to act as a magnet drawing other players in the communication industry, whether for laying their own cables or leasing from Google. There have already been inquiries from other major companies into building data centres in Bermuda. The successful agreement for this lease will deliver on the Government’s economic development commitments outlined in its 2020 Election Man-ifesto (“FinTech and the National Space Strategy”) by creating the infrastructure which supports a technology hub. Mr. Speaker , in addition to the land leasing and physical development of a large cable landing station, there are a number of other expected benefits to Ber-muda with the landing of the Nuvem cable, including the following: • Employment for positions needed on an ongoing basis for the cable landing station . • Creating the infrastructure which supports (1) a technology hub for FinTech , and (2) increased satellite earth stations. Communication satellite earth stations are already either set up in Bermuda or showing increased interest in plac-ing additional earth stations here. • Increasing investment in renewable energy. The cable landing station will need between 600 kilowatts and 3 megawatts per annum of electricity over time as the cables ramp up. • Providing access to Google’s significant resource and support, including: a) training opportunities to Bermudians by giving them access to Google’s training platform; b) providing support and advice for other sustainability projects and marine- related initiatives, including providing technology for monitoring and enforcement ; and c) supporting Bermuda’s education initiatives and community development opportunities . I would like to take th is time to thank all parties involved for making this happen, i n particular as follows: • the Hon. Walter H. Roban, Minister of Home Affairs; • Ms. Rozy Azhar, the former Permanent Secre-tary for the Ministry of Home Affairs; • Solicitor General Mrs. Shakira Dill -Francois and Senior Crown Counsel Specialist, Ms. Shantal Bailey of the Attorney General’s Chambers; • Mr. Andrew Dias, the CEO of the Bermuda Land Management Corporation; • the Board of the Bermuda Land Management Corporation; • the Board of the former Bermuda Land Development Company; • Mr. Jerome Wilson, Partner and Head of Tech-nology & Innovation and Mr. Neil Molyneux, Senior Associate Property Team of Appleby Global Services; and • Ms. Fiona Beck, formerly of the Bermuda Business Development Agency and now a consultant with Google. All of [these] were instrumental in bringing this matter to its conclusion. We are most appreciative of their ef-forts. Mr. Speaker , this agreement demonstrates Bermuda’s vitality for innovation and importance on a global scale. As I have stated before, it is intended for this agreement to act as a magnet drawing other players in the communication industry to Bermuda. I am pleased to say that this is precisely the scenario envi-sioned when the Submarine Communications Cables Act 2020 was developed under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Bermuda has a well -established reputation for creating sound regulatory policy, and this serv es as yet another example of our forward- thinking approach. Mr. Speaker , we hope that this agreement sets the foundation for even bigger and better things to 1620 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly come. We welcome Google’s proposed investment in Bermuda and look forward to a long and productive re-lationship with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Economy and Labour. Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. POSITION PAPER ON PROGRESSING BERMUDA’S MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce in the Honourable House today the Position Paper on Progressing Bermuda’s Minimum Hourly Wage . Mr. Speaker, as Members of this Honourable House may recall, the first statutory minimum hourly …
Good morning.
POSITION PAPER ON PROGRESSING BERMUDA’S MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce in the Honourable House today the Position Paper on Progressing Bermuda’s Minimum Hourly Wage . Mr. Speaker, as Members of this Honourable House may recall, the first statutory minimum hourly wage rate for Bermuda was established on the 1 st of June 2023 by the Employment (Minimum Hourly Wage) Order 2023, which set the minimum hourly wage rate for employees within Bermuda at a rate of $16.40. Mr . Speaker, the purpose of the position paper is to outline the Government’s commitment to the progression of the minimum hourly wage rate beyond the current $16.40 and to propose a framework in which this can be achieved. Mr. Speaker, while the establishment of a minimum hourly wage in Bermuda was a significant step toward ensuring fair compensation for employees and the reduction of income in equality, a further step needs to be taken to en sure that employees can maintain a reasonable standard of living and that their purchasing power is not diminished while the costs of everyday goods and services rise. Mr. Speaker, the Government supports the position paper’s proposal to progress the statutory minimum hourly wage rate every two years by the annual average rate of inflation, utili sing the consumer price index [ the CPI ] as the indicative measure, capped at 2.5 per cent per year. Using this methodology, the newly proposed statutory minimum wage rate to take effect in 2025 will be between $16.81 and $17.23. Mr. Speaker, the CPI is often used as a benchmark for adjusting minimum hourly wages , as it tracks the average change over time in the prices paid by con-sumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services, which includes but is not limited to essential items such as food, housing, clothing, transportation and health care. Since the minimum hourly wage is intended to help workers afford basic living expenses, by linking the minimum hourly wage rate increases to the CPI, albeit capped, the minimum hourl y wage can be adjusted to better keep pace with inflation. Mr. Speaker, the position paper details the Government’s intention to enhance the wage floor over time, why the CPI is the most appropriate method to utilise to progress the statutory minimum hourly wage rate, those most likely to be impacted by the progression of the statutory minimum hourly wage rate and the role that the Wage Commission and the Government will play in the monitoring and evaluation of the contin-ued progression of the statutory minimum hourly wage rate in Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, it should be noted that in its 2021 report on the proposed minimum hourly wage rate, the Wage Commission posited that “As there is an employ-ment census, counting the number of jobs and the rate of pay for those jobs annually, the minimum wage can be reviewed annually.” Additionally, the International Labour Organization’s 2021 Global Wage Report highlights that over half of the countries with statutory mini-mum wages adjusted their wages at least every two years. Mr. Speaker, when drafting the position paper, the views of the Wage Commission were sought and considered, and agreement on the intention to progress the minimum hourly wage rate by linking it with the CPI was reached. Mr . Speaker, as the Government continues to strengthen the protections afforded to employ-ees within Bermuda, adopting a transparent and consultative process for implementing and monitoring the minimum hourly wage adjustments will foster inclusivity and avoid the erosion of the minimum hourly wage rate to allow employees the opportunity to maintain income equality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Minister Caesar, and I believe it is her first Statement in this role. So, Minister, you have the floor. BERMUDA RECOGNISED AS AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL CBPR FORUM …
Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Minister Caesar, and I believe it is her first Statement in this role. So, Minister, you have the floor.
BERMUDA RECOGNISED AS AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL CBPR FORUM Hon. Crystal Caesar: Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share an update on a Ministerial Statement made on May 31, 2024. During that Statement, it was announced that the PATI/PIPA unit would submit a letter of intent for Bermuda to participate as an Associate Member in the Global Cross - Border Privacy Rules Forum (ot herwise known as the Global CBPR Forum) and that steps would be taken to update that participation to full membership once PIPA comes into full effect in January 2025. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to share that in response to the June 11 letter of intent submission, the Government of Bermuda received confirmation that the
Bermuda House of Assembly Global Forum Assembly of the Global CBPR Forum endorsed the Membership Committee’s recommenda-tions that Bermuda met the conditions for recognition as an Associate. A press release was issued on Au-gust 26 by the [ Global CBPR ] Forum welcoming Bermuda, along with the Dubai International Financial Centre [ DIFC ] and Mauritius, as Associate m embers. Mr. Speaker , the Government of Bermuda and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner have engaged with other jurisdictions to develop Bermuda’s reputation as a trusted hub for international data transfers. In this case, we have been active in the Global CBPR Forum since it s creation in April 2022. This relationship is important for our jurisdiction. As a global business centre, Bermuda- based organisations receive data from around the world. International recognition as being a trusted jurisdiction for privacy and data protection is therefore beneficial for our international and local organ isations. Mr. Speaker , recogni sing trusted jurisdictions is important in international , or cross- border , data transfers and is an important key feature in most privacy and data protection legislations. Bermuda’s participation in the Global CBPR Forum as an Associate member shows its commitment to the development of trusted cross -border data transfers and its operation. It is recogni sed that being a trusted jurisdiction aids in providing certainty when Bermuda’s businesses en-gage with service providers and other entities in trusted jurisdictions. Additionally, it is a mechanism that would attest to the world that Bermuda is a trusted recipient of global data flows. Mr. Speaker , thanks to the Privacy Commissioner’s engagement with the Global CBPR Forum, Bermuda is also involved in the Forum’s Cooperation Arrangement for Privacy Enforcement (or Global CAPE) . This is a multilateral arrangement for Privacy Enforcement Agencies (PEAs) to facilitate cross -border enforcement of privacy and data protection laws. Bermuda, Dubai and the UK joined the Global CAPE as PEAs from outside of the Asia- Pacific region in Apr il of this year. Mr. Speaker , participation in this f orum means that Bermuda now stands side- by-side as partners with the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and Chinese Taipei, and other Associates including the UK, the Dubai International Finance Centre and Mauritius. The growing forum promotes interoperability between the privacy and data protection laws of the member jurisdic-tions by providing an international certification system that organi sations may use , if they choose, to demonstrate compliance with common privacy principles that align with PIPA. Mr. Speaker , we often say affectionately that Bermuda is another world. In truth, we live in a time of unprecedented global connection and cooperation, particularly regarding technology and digital topics. In each of our corners of the world, our fellow human beings face common issues in our pursuit of health and happiness for our families and our neighbours. Mr. Speaker , we may at times think that we are so far removed from the countries across the oceans from us that we need not think of them. But on the con-trary, this is a time in which we must be forward- focused, in which we must anticipate challenges over the horizon and in which we must band together to solve thorny problems. Groups such as the Global CBPR Forum will help to set global standards on best practices in technology and digital business. Not only can we in Bermuda benefit from the work being done, but we can also bring our Bermudian perspective on regulation and governance. In doing so, we may influence the course of these standards both to our benefit and to the benefit of our global neighbours. Mr. Speaker , we are fortunate to have experts in these topics serving in our Government’s PATI /PIPA unit, who represent Bermuda with distinction on the global stage. With the Global C BPR Forum’s continued growth, our contributions will add to all of humanity’s common understanding of digital rights and protection from harms. Mr. Speaker , as we count down to PIPA coming into force on the 1 st of January 2025, it is important that Bermuda’s privacy regime is available to work with others around the world. We are positioning our juris-diction as privacy preserving, collaborative and innovative in its interactions. We meet international standards for conducting business while protecting personal information and respecting privacy rights. As business and technology evolves, we will continue to provide the op-timal environment. Mr. Speaker , our government departments are hard at work on their preparations, and I encourage the community to review the materials released by the Commissioner’s Office on his website, www.privacy.bm . Here they will find a gui de to PIPA that provides detailed explanations and instructions for tasks, as well as a weekly Road to PIPA series with guidance and checklists that businesses can use to develop their compliance programme in advance. Mr. Speaker , I must thank the Privacy Commissioner and his team at the Office of the Privacy Com-missioner, and the PATI /PIPA unit on their work with the Global CBPR Forum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister. CRUISE SHIP SEASON 2024 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every great accomplishment begins with a vision —a dream that seems unattainable at first, but through perseverance …
Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister.
CRUISE SHIP SEASON 2024 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every great accomplishment begins with a vision —a dream that seems unattainable at first, but through perseverance and dedication 1622 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly becomes a reality. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my Honourable colleagues the status of the 2024 cruise — [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo ahead, Minister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —of the 2024 cruise ship season, provide a snapshot of the projections for the remainder of the year and compare last year to this year. Mr. Speaker, the 2024 season began with a projected 190 calls. Subsequently, a few additional calls were added …
Go ahead, Minister.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —of the 2024 cruise ship season, provide a snapshot of the projections for the remainder of the year and compare last year to this year. Mr. Speaker, the 2024 season began with a projected 190 calls. Subsequently, a few additional calls were added following the Budget Debate in March, making 2024 an average cruise ship season. This year started well with 14 cruise calls during the winter months of January, February and March, bring-ing 42, 000-plus passengers to our shores. There were six cancellations, four of which were due to weather events. Mr. Speaker, during the second quarter from April to June, Bermuda received 60 cruise ship calls with 192,000 -plus passengers and five cancellations, three of which were due to weather events. Mr. Speaker, July and August ( which are part of Quarter 3 [Q3] statistics) saw 43 calls and one cancellation due to weather, bringing 170, 000-plus passengers to Bermuda. Of note: on July 6, two ships arrived in port for one day only with 9,227 passengers combined . Both ships left at the same time, testing our transport infrastructure to its maximum. However, thanks to preplanning and increased transport options, the day went well. Also, Mr. Speaker, you may be interested to know that the greatest number of passengers arriving on the same day was on Thursday, August 29, with 9,975 passengers. Our transport infrastructure man-aged well compared to the larger -ship days we had in 2023. This was due to having more public buses, fer-ries and minibuses in service in 2024. Additionally, the well-coordinated efforts of all of the transportation teams on the ground working together from one end of the Island to the other made a significant difference. The queues for transportation were much shorter and more manageable than in 2023. One area identified this season that needs improvement is the queuing system for passengers getting back onboard their ships at the same time, particularly on leaving days, and solutions are being worked out for future calls with individual cruise lines. Mr. Speaker, policies have been put in place this year to ensure that cruise ships do not arrive or de-part at the same time during peak periods going forward for part of 2025 and all of 2026 going forward. This measure will alleviate the pressure on transport availa-bility, especially on departure days, allowing ground transport operators sufficient time for turnarounds, es-pecially for beach runs, ensuring shorter queues and that passengers can return to their ships before departure. Looking ahead, Mr. Speaker , from September to December, provid ed there are no more cruise ship cancellations other than the three known in advance due to scheduled changes in Q uarter 4 [Q4], we are projecting 57 more cruise ship calls with an estimated 143,000 passengers. This brings the total projected number of cruise calls to 177, with 15 cancellations and 548,064 passengers by the end of th is year. Mr. Speaker , comparing the 2023 season (which saw 183 calls and 41 cancellations with 525, 000-plus passengers) to 2024, we project a marginal increase of 22,651 passengers , or 4.3 per cent, and a small decrease in the number of cruise calls by six, or 3.2 per cent . Mr. Speaker and honourable colleagues, you will be aware that Senator the Honourable Owen Dar-rell, JP, MP, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, joined me to engage with the St. George’s Mayor, East End MPs, Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, Bermuda Tourism Authority and local St. George’s stakeholders to help breathe some life back into the Olde Towne this summer. It was noticeably clear after listening to our cruise line partners and local stakeholders that signifi-cant efforts were needed to help increase guest satisfaction and the overall guest experience in St. George’s . At the beginning of this season, the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce stepped up with a plan of ac-tion to help find resources and funding, and to create Cruise Ship Activations to host a mini vendor market in King’s Square called Breeze Market six days a week with live music and some buskers along Water Street and/or in King ’s Square. The key objectives were to invigorate and rejuvenate the town, stimulate the local economy, attract visitors, and foster pride and owner-ship through the active involvement of residents and businesses. Midway through this initiative, the Breeze Market, which began at the end of May with 27 vendors, was touted as being successful and had already reached its first goal to help rejuvenate the town. People could feel that the town was alive again through increased visitation by hotel guests, residents and cruise passengers arriving by government bus and ferry, NCL tender, taxi and minibus tours. This initiative also allowed the collection of accurate data on passenger flows into the s quare and what days were the busiest ( for example, Mondays ) and the slowest ( for example, Sundays ) and what times where the busiest in the t own such as 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. I know a final report will become available at the end of the year and will highlight more specifics, but I wanted to share the great progress to date. Marine & Ports have also been running a ferry five days a week, Monday to Friday , and will continue that service through to November 2. Mr. Speaker, as we reflect on the achievements that this Government has made, it is important to acknowledge the hard work that has brought us here. Success does not come overnight. It is the result of
Bermuda House of Assembly countless hours of dedication, sacrifice and perseverance. It is the culmination of the efforts of everyone who has contributed to our collective goal. Mr. Speaker, while we can not reveal the exciting projects we are developing with our cruise ship partners, I can say that if successful they will enhance Bermuda even more as a cruise destination. Mr. Speaker, we will not rest on our laurels. This Government will continue to strive for excellence, to push the boundaries of what is possible and to pur-sue our vision with the same passion and dedication that have brought us this far. The journey is far from over, and there are still many milestones to achieve and many victories to celebrate. Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to extend my gratitude to the dedicated individuals in the transport sector, including bus and ferry operators, and minibus, taxi , and NCL [Norwegian Cruise Line] tender crew s and teams , who have worked together harmoniously to ensure the smooth movement of our guests. Their professionalism and commitment to customer service played a pivotal role in creating a positive im-pression of Bermuda from the moment our visitors arrive. Additionally, Mr. Speaker , I would also like to recogni se the invaluable efforts of our team in the Ministry of Transport, TCD [Transport Control Department ], Department of Public Transportation [DPT], Marine & Ports [M&P] , the West End Development Corporation [WEDCO ] under the chairmanship of Brother Neville Tyrrell , Bermuda Tourism Authority [ BTA] , Meyer Agencies, the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce [ BCC ] teams, the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation [BEDC ], Visitor Service Centres (VSC s), and those stakeholders, service providers, and attraction teams on the front line who gave above and beyond to help make our visitors, and for the purposes of this S tatement our cruise visitors , feel welcome, have a great experience and a wonderful time, and want to return again and again. Mr. Speaker, I thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of National Security. Minister. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. CYBERSECURITY ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide this Honourable House with an update on the appointment of the Cybersecurity Advisory Board [the Board] and the enactment of the Cybersecurity Act 2024, which received royal assent earlier this year on June …
Good morning.
CYBERSECURITY ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide this Honourable House with an update on the appointment of the Cybersecurity Advisory Board [the Board] and the enactment of the Cybersecurity Act 2024, which received royal assent earlier this year on June 24. Mr. Speaker, the Cybersecurity Advisory Board exists to provide the Minister of National Security with advice on best practices for the safeguarding of infor-mation resources of Bermuda’s essential operations. In accordance with s ection 5 of the Cybersecurity Act, the Board will perform the following functions : a) provide advice on the management of cybersecurity to protect Bermuda’s economic well -being and to prevent cybercrime; b) provide advice to the Cabinet on the manage-ment of Bermuda’s national cybersecurity strategy and the internal Government cyberse-curity programme; c) provide advice to the Public Service Executive on the management of the Government cyber-security programme; d) provide advice to relevant Public Officers to en-able them to meet responsibilities relating to the Government’s cybersecurity programme; e) provide advice to Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) enforcement authorities; and f) coordinate and encourage collaboration amongst the Government and other CNII en-forcement authorities and the entities they reg-ulate. Mr. Speaker , the Board will bring together public officers and private sector stakeholders to contribute to the development and management of our cyberse-curity policies. Board members will include: • the Chief Information Security Officer and the National Disaster Coordinator from within the Ministry of National Security ; • the Chief Information Officer in the Department of Information and Digital Technologies ; • the Head of the Bermuda Public Access to Information/Personal Information Protection Unit; • a representative from the Bermuda Police Service; • the Bermuda Hospitals Board Chief Information Security Officer ; • two private sector cybersecurity advisors ; and • a lawyer with cybersecurity experience. Mr. Speaker¸ I am pleased to report that the necessary private sector members have been identified and have been formally appointed to the Board. Members of the public can expect to be apprised of the full composition of the Board, including the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, through notice in the Official Ga-zette in the coming days. I wish to thank the Board members for their willingness to serve Bermuda in this capacity. I look for-ward to receiving the benefit of their expertise and col-laboration in the vital task of ensuring that Bermuda is cyber safe. 1624 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, in accordance with the Cybersecurity Act 2024, the Board will be expected to provide me with a report on the exercise of its functions at the end of every period of six months. The report will in-clude information on the general state of cybersecurity in Bermuda and will be used to inform the Cabinet’s decision -making on cybersecurity matters for the country and for the public service. The Board will work closely with the Ministry of National Security’s Cybersecurity unit in furtherance of the unit’s function to provide cybersecurity services, capabilities and expertise to the Government and other CNII enforcement authorities and entities. Mr. Speaker , Honourable Members will recall that the Cybersecurity Act provides for the designation of CNII entities and enforcement authorities. The Cybersecurity Unit is continuing its consultation process to ensure that those identified as CNII enforcement agencies and CNII entities understand how the Cybersecurity Act will impact them. When this Act was tabled, I assured this Honourable House and the public that the requirements of the Bill were not meant to be overly burdensome for the affected entities but needed to be robust enough to ensure adequate protection and recovery capabilities in the event of a cyber incident. With the assistance of the newly appointed Board and the Cybersecurity Unit, we intend to provide guidance and assistance in the development of a cybersecurity framework that protects both g overnment and privately owned critical national information infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Junior Minister of Finance. Junior Minister.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood morning. HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS
Mr. Jache AdamsMr. Speaker, I rise this morning in this Honou rable House pleased to announce an exciting and forward- thinking initiative that fulfils a promise from the PLP’s 2020 Election Platform and continues our path towards building a nation of owners . Mr. Speaker , homeownership is not just a cornerstone …
Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in this Honou rable House pleased to announce an exciting and forward- thinking initiative that fulfils a promise from the PLP’s 2020 Election Platform and continues our path towards building a nation of owners . Mr. Speaker , homeownership is not just a cornerstone of personal financial security, but a founda-tional element of strong, stable communities and a re-silient economy. Today I am pleased to share the details of a new measure that expands the scope of the National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pensions) Act with the aim of helping many Bermudians toward the dream of homeownership . Mr. Speaker , for many, the path to purchasing a first home can feel out of reach, with the difficulty of meeting the down payment requirement often identified as a major barrier. Our Government recogni ses these challenges, and we are taking action to empower Bermudians by giving them greater flexibility with their pen-sion savings. Simply put, this new initiative will allow individuals to access a portion of their pension savings to assist in the purchase of their first home. Mr. Speaker , a key feature of this initiative is that the individual can use the refund not only for their own first home, but also can use the refund toward a home for their children or spouse. This means a parent who may not have sufficient cash flow can still assist their child in purchasing their first home. Imagine the possibilities this creates: a family coming together to ensure the next generation secures their place in the Bermuda housing market. Mr. Speaker , I am reminded of a story shared to me by a constituent —a single mother of two. Her daughter recently completed her studies and secured her first job and was eager to step onto the property ladder but was short of the necessary down payment. While the mother had always wanted to help, her own financial situation made it impossible to provide the cash her daughter needed. With this new initiative, that mother now has a way forward. She can support her daughter’s dream of homeownership by accessi ng her pension, while her daughter can contribute a portion of her own pension savings as well. Together they can se-cure a home; together they can invest not just in property but in their family’s future. Mr. Speaker , this is not like the pension withdrawals that were made available during the p andemic . Given the urgent nature at that time, there were limited controls on where and how those funds were spent. However, with this initiative, the applicants have the op-tion to use a portion of the funds from where they are currently invested to now invest in their first home. Mr. Speaker , I must also address a question that may be on the minds of some. I must emphasise that this initiative will not be available to individuals on defined benefit pension plans, such as public officers. Let me be clear : the Government did not decide to exclude public officers ; however , the very nature of defined benefit plans simply does not allow for such withdrawals. These plans provide fixed payments upon re-tirement and are structured in such a way that the ben-efits are predetermined and guaranteed. Any deviation, such as a one- time refund, would undermine the stability of these plans and potentially affect the long- term security they are designed to offer. But, Mr. Speaker , for all other eligible Bermudians, this initiative opens the door to new opportunities. It provides a hand up, a chance to overcome the financial barriers that have kept too many out of the housing market for far too long. It is a tangible, meaningful way to deliver on our promise of building a nation of owners. Mr. Speaker , this initiative is not just about giving people access to their pension funds . It is about giving people access to their future. It is about equipping
Bermuda House of Assembly families with the means to achieve one of the most important financial milestones: homeownership. I am confident that this initiative will be met with enthusiasm and appreciation by many Bermudians who understand the importance of homeownership, and I look forward to seeing how it transforms lives across our country. Mr. Speaker , it must also be highlighted that this option is completely voluntary , as individuals are more than welcome to keep their pensions as they are. However, for those who choose to take up this opportunity , the Ministry of Finance is currently working with the Pension Commission to ensure that each are making an informed decision. Mr. Speaker , later today I will be tabling the National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pension) Amendment Act 2024, and so I would like to end by emphasi sing that together we are stronger, and together we are building a nation of owners. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Junior Minister. Members, that brings us to a close of the Statements by Ministers and Junior Ministers this morning. And we will move on. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. QUESTION PERIOD
The SpeakerThe SpeakerLet me set the clock here for that. One moment. There are written questions this morning, but those written questions did not require an oral re-sponse. So, Opposition Leader, have you received your written responses? Hon. Jarion Richardson: I have not, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThey should be up . . . Mr. Lamb, should have had them . . . I’m tabling . . . I will make sure you get them. We should have had them available for you now on the table. Hon. Jarion Richardson: I am looking forward to getting the …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. They have been received. He should have by now just hit Send to you once we got to this stage. So, I will have him send it as soon as he gets back here. So the written responses have been received through Parliament, and they will be put in …
Okay. They have been received. He should have by now just hit Send to you once we got to this stage. So, I will have him send it as soon as he gets back here. So the written responses have been received through Parliament, and they will be put in your hands momentarily. QUESTIONS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Will the Honourable Minister please provide to this Honourable House the 2024/2025 priorities associated with the Action Items outlined in the Economic Development Strategy, as committed to in his written reply to 17 May 2024 Parliamentary Questions? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Will the Honourable Minister please provide to this Honourable House the key performance indicators associated with the “economic strategic priorities” outlined in the Eco-nomic Development Strategy? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Will the Honourable Minister please provide to this Honourable House the timelines, anticipated completion dates and costs associated with the Strategic Initiatives out-lined in the Economic Development Strategy?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat will move us now to the questions from the Statements that were presented this morning. And we have a few questions from the Statements. And the first question this morning would be to the Deputy Premier from MP Pearman. MP Pearman, would you like to put your question? QUESTION …
That will move us now to the questions from the Statements that were presented this morning. And we have a few questions from the Statements. And the first question this morning would be to the Deputy Premier from MP Pearman. MP Pearman, would you like to put your question?
QUESTION 1: TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTRICITY ACT 2016 TO CREATE A BULK GENERATION SOLE- USE INSTALLATION (BGSUI) LICENCE
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker. That is the question to Minister Roban, correct?
Mr. Scott PearmanYes. Thank you, Minister. And thank you for your Statement to this Honourable House this morning on the Tabling of Amendments to the Elec-tricity Act. In your Statement, you say that we are going to see the creation of a licence for “large developments to generate electricity above the current …
Yes. Thank you, Minister. And thank you for your Statement to this Honourable House this morning on the Tabling of Amendments to the Elec-tricity Act. In your Statement, you say that we are going to see the creation of a licence for “large developments to generate electricity above the current licence threshold of five hundred kilowatts.” I am just curious, Minis-ter. Where do you envisage this happening ? Where will these large development production centres be? Do you have any in mind specifically, or is this just a gen-eral lessening of the policy? Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you. As mentioned in my Statement, the likely initial candidate will be the National Sports Centre. And the Government is already deploying a major development 1626 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly of a number of buildings that will have …
Minister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you. As mentioned in my Statement, the likely initial candidate will be the National Sports Centre. And the Government is already deploying a major development 1626 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly of a number of buildings that will have solar. One of them that is being done right now is the DPT, the Depot in Devonshire. When that is completed, I think the interest is that all of the solar that is produced on that will likely contribute to particular ly the charging stations for the numerous buses. So those are the likely candidates. Obviously, they will have to go through the application process. But certainly the National Sports Centre is one of the particular candidates for this type of licence once the process is fully in place.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDo you have a supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES
Mr. Scott PearmanYes, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister, in identifying those two potential sites. In relation to those and quoting from your Statement, you say that the Bill is seeking to strike “a balance between the needs of the licence holder (also known as a distributed generator), and the …
Yes, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister, in identifying those two potential sites. In relation to those and quoting from your Statement, you say that the Bill is seeking to strike “a balance between the needs of the licence holder (also known as a distributed generator), and the stability of the grid while minimising any negative impacts, including cost, to the rate payer.” Is the licence holder in the statement that I have just quoted, is that BELCO? Or is the licence holder you have in mind that you are balancing matters wit h one of the two potential new developments? Thank you.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Just for clarity, BELCO already has a licence as a bulk generator and also the transmission and distribution licence. So they already hold a licence. So it would not be BELCO I was thinking about. It was for a future distributed applicant who might qual-ify for a licence.
Mr. Scott PearmanYes, second supplementary. So just so we are clear, Minister, where you say in the second paragraph, “licence holder,” that is any new potential licence holder? I think that is what you have just confirmed. Thank you. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. QUESTION 2: TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTRICITY …
Yes, second supplementary. So just so we are clear, Minister, where you say in the second paragraph, “licence holder,” that is any new potential licence holder? I think that is what you have just confirmed. Thank you.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes.
QUESTION 2: TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTRICITY ACT 2016 TO CREATE A BULK GENERATION SOLE- USE INSTALLATION (BGSUI) LICENCE
Mr. Scott PearmanYes, second question. On page 2 of your Statement, you have indicated (and I will quote again) that it “would be completely off the grid, that is, would not have a BELCO meter. Bulk Generation Licence holders must enter into a Power Purchase Agreement . . . with BELCO to …
Yes, second question. On page 2 of your Statement, you have indicated (and I will quote again) that it “would be completely off the grid, that is, would not have a BELCO meter. Bulk Generation Licence holders must enter into a Power Purchase Agreement . . . with BELCO to sell all their generated electricity back to BELCO . . .” Can you help me and help the public understand how you envisage that working? And what would happen if BELCO chose not to agree to that agreement? The Speaker: Minister.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I am trying to make sure I understand the question of the Member, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Do you want me to have him restate it?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: No. Okay. I will give an answer. And then if it is not clear . . . Under the Electricity Act, there are three licensed categories: bulk generation, transmission distribution and bulk generation for self -supply. At the moment there are no bulk generation for self -supply. And I think that is what the Member was speaking to . There are no applicants who hold that. There is no prospect at this point of anybody applying for that, because that is a totally off -grid licence. The licence that we are creating is to be held by someone who wishes to use most of the energy that they are generating for supplying their own operation and any extra, they might get into a power purchasing arrangement with BELCO to sell what might be the ir surplus from what they used. And I hope that answers the Honourable Member’s question.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES
Mr. Scott PearmanYes, supplementary. Thank you. Yes. I think we are in the right church. Just let us see if we can get in the pew here. You are talking about potential, as I understood it, large- scale self -supply licences for potentially two identified spots, namely, NSC [National Sports Centre] and …
Yes, supplementary. Thank you. Yes. I think we are in the right church. Just let us see if we can get in the pew here. You are talking about potential, as I understood it, large- scale self -supply licences for potentially two identified spots, namely, NSC [National Sports Centre] and the depot in Devonshire. And the Statement says that they would be completely off the grid. And the n it talks about selling generated electricity back to BELCO. But I am just wondering if you can sort of help us with that. That does not seem to accord with your last answers. So, could you just help us with it? Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Certainly. The applicant who holds the new licence for electricity would not be totally off -grid. So, I do not believe that is what I said in my Statement. Someone who is exclusively self -supplied would be off grid. That is a totally different licence …
Minister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Certainly. The applicant who holds the new licence for electricity would not be totally off -grid. So, I do not believe that is what I said in my Statement. Someone who is exclusively self -supplied would be off grid. That is a totally different licence that currently exists. This is a brand- new licence for an applicant who would qualify who will be using most of the power, if not all of it, for supplying their own operation, the standalone operation. They will not be able to sell that to anyone else. They will be using most of it, if not all of it, for their own operation. If there is any surplus, they would need to be selling that to BELCO. But even the National Sports Centre, the depot or some other large commercial operation that might
Bermuda House of Assembly seek [a licence] is not likely to be off grid. That is a totally different licence. If you are going to be self -supplied, totally off -grid, that is already an existing licence category that exists. So, this is a new category. And those who hold this licenc e are not likely to be totally off-grid because that is a totally different licence category altogether.
Mr. Scott PearmanYes. Minister, I am grateful, and I thank you for that answer. And just because you said you did not say it, it is the top of page 3, paragraph 1, you said it “would be completely off the grid.” I appreciate that you have now answered that and clarified …
Yes. Minister, I am grateful, and I thank you for that answer. And just because you said you did not say it, it is the top of page 3, paragraph 1, you said it “would be completely off the grid.” I appreciate that you have now answered that and clarified it. Bu t I think that is where my confusion arose. Thank you very much. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Just for clarity, if I can just reread the sentence, because it goes from page 1 to the top of page 2: “The licences currently available in the Electricity Act 2016 for the production of electricity are (1) the Bulk Generation Licence” (which I mentioned) “and (2) the Large- Scale Self Supply Licence. For clarity, the Large- Scale Self Supply Licence is issued” (is issued — that means it is in existence) “to any development that is over 500 kilowatts and would be completely off the grid . . . .” That is an existing licence. We are talking about a licence to be created. Totally different category. And as I said earlier in my answer, there are currently three licences under the Electricity Act of 2016, a Bulk Generation Licence . . . And just to give the public and the House more clarity, there are only about three entities in Bermuda that have those li-cences, BELCO being one, Tynes Bay being two, the Solar Finger being three. The Transmission Distribution Licence is currently exclusi ve to BELCO. The Self -Supply Licence that is also mentioned here, there is no one in the Island, that is, no commercial or large entity producing over 500 kilowatts that is self -supplied that is totally off -grid. There is no entity in Bermuda that has that licence. There is no one who is doing that. This is — again I will go back, Mr. Speaker —a new licence category. So, the Member has misinterpreted what I said. I was speaking about existing licences, not the new li-cence, with that sentence.
Mr. Scott PearmanNo. No further questions. No. Thank you. The Speaker: Okay. Thank you, Minister. Those were the only questions to you this morning. We now move on. The next Statement that has questions is the Statement from the Minister of Economy and Labour. And MP Pearman, would you like to put …
No. No further questions. No. Thank you. The Speaker: Okay. Thank you, Minister. Those were the only questions to you this morning. We now move on. The next Statement that has questions is the Statement from the Minister of Economy and Labour. And MP Pearman, would you like to put your question?
QUESTION 1: POSITION PAPER ON PROGRESSING BERMUDA’S MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Honourable Minister for presenting in this Honourable House today his Statement entitled Position Paper on Progressing Bermuda’s Minimum Hourly Wage. (Oh, I see. You have moved seats. I apologise, I did not see the Minister in the Chamber. But he has …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Honourable Minister for presenting in this Honourable House today his Statement entitled Position Paper on Progressing Bermuda’s Minimum Hourly Wage. (Oh, I see. You have moved seats. I apologise, I did not see the Minister in the Chamber. But he has moved chairs.) Honourable Minister, my question is relating to the second paragraph on the second page of your Statement where you talk about how “ the statutory minimum hourly wage rate” (is going to be reviewed) “every two years by the annual average rate of inflation, utili sing the Consumer Price Index .” My question is, Does this mean that the minimum wage could go down as well as up as it adjusts on that basis?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Theoretically, if the cost of living goes down, then based off of the two- year calculation, if it goes down in the first year and is up in the second year, then you will take an average of the . . . you take the cumulative …
Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Theoretically, if the cost of living goes down, then based off of the two- year calculation, if it goes down in the first year and is up in the second year, then you will take an average of the . . . you take the cumulative changes. But we do not have inst ances where we have annual decreases in our Consumer Price Index. So that is less likely to be occurring. But over the two years, if there is a decline in the first year and an increase in the second year, it will be smoothed over.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? MP King, supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY
Mr. Robert KingYes, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the minimum wage, the question is for the Minister responsible. I am wondering if the rise in the minimum wage, or reduction, would be based also on the amount of business of the employer. So, if the employer is basically breaking even, understanding that the Consumer …
Yes, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the minimum wage, the question is for the Minister responsible. I am wondering if the rise in the minimum wage, or reduction, would be based also on the amount of business of the employer. So, if the employer is basically breaking even, understanding that the Consumer Price Index is indicating one thing, but for the small business owner, an increase of, you know, a dollar or more can potentially break it. So, will that be considered as well when the review of the minimum wage is considered? Thank you. 1628 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Thank you. Minister.
Hon. Jason Hayward: The paper sets out the mechanism for progressing the minimum wage. Part of the framework within the paper is that the Wage Commission would have to do further consultation on recommendations for a progression path 2025. And so, consultation with industry w ould have to take place. But what we will not stand idly by is allowing persons to continually be paid what people consider widely as pov-erty wages. So, we will work to progress the minimum wage rate in a society where we have one of the highest costs of living. The other . . . I just want to dispel this thing about, It may go up or down. The minimum wage rate will not abate beyond or below the current position that is set. And so, if the inflation wage goes up, we will progress the minimum wage. If the minimum wage is lower than . . . [if] the cost of living goes down, we will make a decis ion to hold the minimum wage as it is. I do not see any instance where wages have actually abated in society. That is not in the best interest of the worker, and that is not in the best interest of Bermuda as a whole.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Supplementary. Mr. Pearman, this would be your first supplementary?
Mr. Scott PearmanThis is going to be my first supplementary, or in fact it is going to be my second question. If that’s all right, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Second question. No problem. QUESTION 2: POSITION PAPER ON PROGRESSING BERMUDA’S MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Honourable Minister, for those answers. Still on page 2, this is about the cap. So, this adjustment is going to occur every two years (by the second paragraph), and you say it is going to be capped at 2.5 per cent per year. Just so I am clear, …
Thank you, Honourable Minister, for those answers. Still on page 2, this is about the cap. So, this adjustment is going to occur every two years (by the second paragraph), and you say it is going to be capped at 2.5 per cent per year. Just so I am clear, and I think we are clear, but I just want to make s ure I have understood. That means that the gross amounts of the minimum wage or the actual amount of the minimum wage will only ever go up by 2.5 per cent every two years. Is that right?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Incorrect. Because it is a twoyear review, it means the maximum cumulative it will go up will be just over 5.0 per cent, because of the 2.5 [per cent] in the first year and the 2.5 [per cent] in the second year.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Thank you. Minister, that brings to an end the questions for your Statement. We will move on. The next Statement that has questions is the Transport Minister’s. And the Opposition Whip would like to put a question to you. MP Cannonier. QUESTION 1: CRUISE SHIP SEASON 2024
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. What is the plan to handle this oncoming of 57 new calls as far as transportation is concerned? We recognise that it is extremely stressed at this point. And if we are going to have 57 more calls, what are we planning to handle the trafficking back and forth …
Yes. What is the plan to handle this oncoming of 57 new calls as far as transportation is concerned? We recognise that it is extremely stressed at this point. And if we are going to have 57 more calls, what are we planning to handle the trafficking back and forth of our members? And has there been any . . . I will leave it for a supplemental.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I did not believe the Member was talking about 57 calls in the fourth quarter. So, we have had calls in the fourth quarter for many years. And as you know, the busiest season is our summer season. So, what we can handle right now …
Minister.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I did not believe the Member was talking about 57 calls in the fourth quarter. So, we have had calls in the fourth quarter for many years. And as you know, the busiest season is our summer season. So, what we can handle right now is, we are handling to a certain degree the summer season. The fourth quarter, from October 1 to December 31, should not be a challenge.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. Supplemental. The Honourable Minister is saying that it should not be a problem. I guess I am looking for something a bit more definitive than it should not be a problem. We are reading in the papers, and if you go up to Dockyard and you listen to taxi …
Yes. Supplemental. The Honourable Minister is saying that it should not be a problem. I guess I am looking for something a bit more definitive than it should not be a problem. We are reading in the papers, and if you go up to Dockyard and you listen to taxi drivers and those who are driving the minibuses and the likes, it is a stress situation if you go to the beaches. It is a stress situation, and I am just trying to get a li ttle more detail as to how he plans on distributing and alleviating some of the stress that goes on for the tourists and for the locals in getting back and forth. It is a problem.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I am not saying it will be totally perfect. Let me make it very clear to that point. But we have managed to a certain degree for the summer season. And in the winter season, we should Bermuda House of Assembly see fewer …
Minister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I am not saying it will be totally perfect. Let me make it very clear to that point. But we have managed to a certain degree for the summer season. And in the winter season, we should
Bermuda House of Assembly see fewer calls than we had for the [summer] season. That is all I am saying. So, we will do all we can. But as you know, the Government as well are looking at other avenues as far as increasing the availability of transportation. We are not there yet, but we also are looking at the idea. So, we are hoping that the individuals who now [operate] the minibuses, taxi drivers . . . as you know, normally in the winter season we get less traffic when it comes to going to the hotels. So, we probably will see more taxi drivers floating up there in the Dockyard area when it comes to cruise ships. Our numbers go down in the winter season for hotels. So, as I said, we should see more availability in transportation in that area.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary or new question?
Mr. L. Craig CannonierI just want to be clear on what the Minister is answering. So, I will do another supplemental.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierIn trying to understand, the Minister just said that there are seasons where it is high and low. I am really talking about those high season times where it is extremely [stressful]. We know that when it is low port calls that we do not have a problem. But during …
In trying to understand, the Minister just said that there are seasons where it is high and low. I am really talking about those high season times where it is extremely [stressful]. We know that when it is low port calls that we do not have a problem. But during those high times, I was just hoping that maybe the Minister would have given us a layout of how he is going to handle that. He did mention that having more minibuses . . . did you say? Or taxis? I think he said taxis. But again, it requires a plan as we move into the new season. And I was just hoping that he might be able to outline more detail so the public can be aware of how he is handling the new cruise ship season com-ing up. And I am not getting an answer that seems satisfactory.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member mentioned 57 calls, and he referred to that . . . and this is in the fourth quarter of this year. It is not the new season. The new season begins next year. And what I already said was that the Government is looking at how do we increase more transportation going forward? You are well aware of that. That is one of the things when it comes to rides. You are aware of how we are looking at it. But you mentioned 57 calls, which has to do with the fourth quarter coming up, which starts October 1. That is what you mentioned or that is what you asked about. So, all I am saying is that for the fourth quarter, normally you will find less transportation needed for hotels. So, we should be able to use some of the transportation that is underutilised from that period, particu-larly up in the Dockyard area. But when it comes to the new quarter, the new season—next year (all right?) —the Government is looking at how we will deal with transportation going forward. And you are well aware of what we are doing.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHe is asking for the second question. You used your two supplements. Now ask the second question.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. Yes. The Honourable Member is making an assumption that I know what the plan is. I do not know what the plan is. So, I am asking if he can lay out what that plan is to us.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMinister. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The Member has not been living in Bermuda. Everybody in Bermuda is well aware that the Government is looking at how we deal with ridesharing. That increases more transportation on our roads. You are well aware of that, aren’t you?
Mr. L. Craig CannonierGo ahead. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: So, the Honourable Member is well aware of that. If he is not, then like I said, he has not been living here on this little beautiful Island of ours. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. QUESTION 2: CRUISE SHIP SEASON 2024
Mr. L. Craig CannonierBut it does speak to what I am about to ask now. That is why I commented. Also, on page 5 of the Honourable Minister’s Statement, he has made a mistake here. Unless he has 1630 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly . . . He …
But it does speak to what I am about to ask now. That is why I commented. Also, on page 5 of the Honourable Minister’s Statement, he has made a mistake here. Unless he has 1630 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly . . . He mentions that, “Mr. Speaker, and Honourable Colleagues, you will be aware Senator the Honourable Owen Darrell, JP, MP, Minister of Tourism, Culture . . .” and it goes on. He has mentioned MP. Unless there is a bye- election coming up or a general election coming up, I am not sure how the Honourable Senator Owen Darrell became an MP. So that needs to be retracted. Is he going to retract it?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerIt is a clerical error that has to be clarified for the sake of the record.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerFor the sake of the record. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: For the sake of the record, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is aware that the Member is not an MP. But as I said, he again is as well aware of that issue as he is with the numbers as …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHe was pointing out a clerical error for us to correct. Thank you. Thank you. The next Statement that has questions this morning is for the Junior Minister. Junior Minister, the Opposition Leader would like to put questions to you. QUESTION 1: HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS Hon. …
He was pointing out a clerical error for us to correct. Thank you. Thank you. The next Statement that has questions this morning is for the Junior Minister. Junior Minister, the Opposition Leader would like to put questions to you.
QUESTION 1: HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS
Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning to you, sir, and Members and the listening public. I have some questions relating to the Junior Minister’s Statement wherein he gave an example of a parent . . . this new provision will allow for a parent to take out a portion of their pension to provide for a child’s home. Given that he always raises the prospect of the sandwich generation, or rather we are facing a situation right now where the families have to basically support both our parents and our children, how will we mitigate . . . oh, sorry. The Honourable Premier brought up the statement. How w ill the —
The SpeakerThe SpeakerJunior Minister. Hon. Jarion Richardson: How will the Junior Minister . . . how does he intend to mitigate the risk that we will not in fact be increasing more of the sandwich generation and putting more pressure on those families? Thank you.
Mr. Jache AdamsGood morning, Mr. Speaker. So, as I mentioned in the Statement, the Ministry of Finance is working with the Pension Commission on not only mitigation efforts, but also efforts to educate the public prior to their making a decision so that they are fully aware of their decision and t …
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. So, as I mentioned in the Statement, the Ministry of Finance is working with the Pension Commission on not only mitigation efforts, but also efforts to educate the public prior to their making a decision so that they are fully aware of their decision and t he impact of the decisions that they make. So, it is a totally voluntary option for them to pursue. But prior to their making that decision, there will be sessions and information given to them on the impact of that decision as well.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Would the Honourable Junior Minister be able to describe some of these potential impacts from un-dertaking this action?
Mr. Jache AdamsAbsolutely. I mean, yes. One of the impacts is that people who do not currently have a house will now have an option to have a house. POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Jarion Richardson: Point of clarification. The question was in relation to the increased pressures onto the sandwich generation and …
Absolutely. I mean, yes. One of the impacts is that people who do not currently have a house will now have an option to have a house.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
Hon. Jarion Richardson: Point of clarification. The question was in relation to the increased pressures onto the sandwich generation and the detri-mental effects . . . or those pressures being detrimental. So, the question is mitigating detrimental impacts.
Mr. Jache AdamsMr. Speaker, I am unaware of where in the Statement it is referring to about a sandwich generation. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you. I will make that clarification. The Honourable—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre you making reference to a comment in the Statement itself?
Mr. Jache AdamsNo. That was a comment made by the Honourable Premier. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI beg your pardon. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOh. Oh, oh, okay. It is two separate Statements. Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYour questions are to the Junior Minister now, right? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Mm-hmm. Yes.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, the sandwich generation would not refer to him; it would refer to the Premier’s Statement. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I was waiting for everyone on the Government side to stop talking so I could get to you. [Laughter] Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, guys, for …
Well, the sandwich generation would not refer to him; it would refer to the Premier’s Statement.
Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I was waiting for everyone on the Government side to stop talking so I could get to you.
[Laughter] Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, guys, for the assistance. Thank you for the clarification, team. So, my point is not that the Junior Minister . . . it is not about the specific language. What I am saying is that in existence today the term is widely accepted that there is something called a sandwich generation. And that is for people who are taking care of both young children and elderly parents. So, my question relates to common terminology. And the question was asking about how we are going to mitigate some of the impacts —that is, the detrimental impacts —to the sandwich generation by this project. So, I am just trying to get to, what are some of those . . . We asked about the impacts, or we asked about the mitigation, What are you doing to mitigate the risk? He answered that question. And during the answer he said, We are also going to educate them about some of these potential impacts. So, my su pplemental was—
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSo, your supplementary is based on his response. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, sir.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd his response was that you are going to help show them how to mitigate some of these — Hon. Jarion Richardson: Some of these impacts.
The SpeakerThe Speaker—impacts. Hon. Jarion Richardson: And he said that word.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSo now the supplementary is basically asking him, What are some of those efforts that are going to mitigate those impacts? Hon. Jarion Richardson: My question is, What are the impacts that he mentioned?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. Junior Minister, I was trying to help you out. Mr. Jache Adams: Oh, Mr. Speaker — [Crosstalk]
Mr. Jache AdamsOne of the most considerable impacts of this decision or this initiative is the fact that people who could not afford to own homes will now be able to do so. That is one of the impacts of that decision.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSupplementary. Second supplementary? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Could [the Honourable Junior Minister] speak to what he is doing to mitigate and address the detrimental impacts, not the position one. I believe I am allowed another supplemental.
Mr. Jache AdamsYes. So, any withdrawal from your current pension savings will impact your benefits as you retire. That is a risk that we recognise. That is a risk that we are preparing for. And that is a risk that we will educate the applicants [about] prior to their making the decision.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou have had your two supplementals. Would you like a second question? QUESTION 2: HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS Hon. Jarion Richardson: No, thank you. We got there. We got there. The second question (thank you, Mr. Speaker) is on the long- term security. The Honourable Junior Minister …
You have had your two supplementals. Would you like a second question?
QUESTION 2: HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS
Hon. Jarion Richardson: No, thank you. We got there. We got there. The second question (thank you, Mr. Speaker) is on the long- term security. The Honourable Junior Minister did mention that this benefit would not be available by the defined benefit plans because it would undermine the stability of such plans. Would the Honourable Junior Minister be able to speak to the other types of pension plans and how those will not be undermined? Thank you. 1632 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Junior Minister.
Mr. Jache AdamsSo that I am clear, he is asking for other types of pension plans other than defined benefit plans —i.e., defined contribution plans. And so, I guess I am asking for clarification. I think that is the answer. Another example is the defined contribution pla n. Is [the Honourable Opposition …
So that I am clear, he is asking for other types of pension plans other than defined benefit plans —i.e., defined contribution plans. And so, I guess I am asking for clarification. I think that is the answer. Another example is the defined contribution pla n. Is [the Honourable Opposition Leader] asking how this will impact the defined contribution plan? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Jache AdamsSo, as I mentioned earlier, withdrawal from defined contribution plans will have an im-pact on the benefits as individuals retire. Hon. Jarion Richardson: I think I would go to, What are the impacts? But I think I will leave it there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny further questions? Hon. Jarion Richardson: No, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Members, that brings us to a close of the Question Period. Oh, I am sorry. Opposition Whip, you had a question for the Junior Minister, too.
Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerAll right. QUESTION 1: HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYou did not mention in your Statement, Minister, exactly defining how much can be accessed. Is that something due to come? Or what . . . In the Statement I would have thought at least you would let the public know how much they can access of their pension plan.
Mr. Jache AdamsMr. Speaker, yes is the answer. It was due to come. As I said, we are tabling it. And it was due to be mentioned in our brief. But to give an example, we are looking at individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 who will be able to …
Mr. Speaker, yes is the answer. It was due to come. As I said, we are tabling it. And it was due to be mentioned in our brief. But to give an example, we are looking at individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 who will be able to withdraw up to 30 per cent of their pension savings, and individuals 45 to 64 will be eligible to withdraw up to 15 per cent.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSecond question. Okay. QUESTION 2: HELPING TO BUILD A NATION OF OWNERS
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. Was there any thought when you were looking at this potential of access to pensions for homes for first -time owners . . . was there any thought possibly around this whole discussion of potentially looking at how we can also look at Bermudians who are losing their homes …
Mr. Jache AdamsMr. Speaker, there were a number of options that we considered. But I would speak to . . . Yes, that already exists. But I would also stick to the fact . . . [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Jache AdamsI am sorry. I would stick to the fact that it is an election promise that we made in 2020 that this is what we will do. And it is an election promise that we fulfilled.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerFurther supplementary or a third question?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou are good. Okay. Members, that brings us to a close of the Question Period. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITORS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd before we move on, I would just like to acknowledge that in the Gallery that is former Senator Perinchief. And I believe MP Michael Scott was here earlier. Welcome, former Senator. Nice to see you in the Gallery. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWould any Member . . . Premier, would you like to make your contribution? Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: Absolutely, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I would ask that this Honourable House— and I would like to associate all Members of this Honourable House. I am sure all Members would like to be associated to send a letter to the family of the late Lefroy Brownlow …
Go right ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I would ask that this Honourable House— and I would like to associate all Members of this Honourable House. I am sure all Members would like to be associated to send a letter to the family of the late Lefroy Brownlow Sinclair Place, a man of immense stature, who was Bermuda’s oldest living resident who passed away just one day s hy of his 108 th birthday. We all know that he was a centenarian whose life spanned two centuries enriched by unshakable beliefs in his quest for knowledge. And his fire for the zest of life remained undimmed in his later years. And without question, he left an incredible legacy. A nd of course, we celebrated his homegoing service wearing the colours for the winning Cup Match team, which I am sure someone else will give a congrats. (I will not get to that point at this time, Mr. Speaker.) Mr. Speaker, I would also ask for a letter of condolence to please be sent to my constituents, Bette and John Richardson, on the passing of their son and former public servant, Mr. Kyril Burrows. And I will as-sociate all Members. Of course, I would also ask that included in that letter be to his children, Ciara and Krysten, and also his entire family. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that letters of condolences be sent to the family of my late constituent, Ms. Annette Daniels, who passed away in her 71 st year. Ms. Annette Daniels was an educator of excellence who taught through the public school system through many years. She received numerous tributes from the teach-ing community of her passing, and she was without question a wonderful constituent whom I had the opportunity to visit, and [she] will surely be missed. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask that I would like to send condolences, and I am sure the Minister of Pub-lic Works may, but if not I will associate with him [regarding] a former public officer, Mr. Kenneth Cann, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year. He was an amazing public servant, an amazing person, someone who was full of life, someone whom my family knew very closely and personally. And I certainly would like to extend our condolences to his wife, Terry -Lynn, to his mother, Claudette and to his entire family for his untimely passing, Mr. Speaker. It was certainly a shock to many. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Premier. Deputy Speaker, would you like your three minutes? Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the remarks of [condolences to the family of] Mr. Place, Brownlow Place, one of those guys —a gentleman, I should say —who used to walk just about every day down Southside where he …
Go right ahead. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the remarks of [condolences to the family of] Mr. Place, Brownlow Place, one of those guys —a gentleman, I should say —who used to walk just about every day down Southside where he resided. A regular goer at St. Paul AME Church until he could not get out every Sunday. But he was certainly a member of that church. Also associated with the remarks of [condolences for the family of] Kenny Cann, who worked for Public Works. He will certainly be missed by his wife Terry. This guy had a great, great personality to all who knew him. Mr. Speaker, I would like to send condolences to the family of Wilfred Steede, a war veteran who died at 103. Mr. Steede I know played golf up to well in his . . . he was probably 90, 95, 96 years old. And he kept up with the guys he played with. A great, great person, great personality in Hamilton Parish. And he was the pastor of the church, one of the churches in the country. And also Mr. Bill Steede who died at 94. Mr. Bill Steede (they used to call him Uncle Bill), who used to cycle every morning from Crawl around the road to Hamilton and back. He will be sorely missed by his family. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. MP Lister, you have your three minutes.
Mr. Dennis Lister IIII do have a lot to say, so please bear with me as I will be rushing through.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, you have got three minutes. [Laughter]
Mr. Dennis Lister IIIMr. Speaker, I would first like to start off on a sad note by giving condolences. Mr. Speaker, we have been out of this House for two months. I did go over to see the obituaries of people whom I know. And I would like to send condolences first of …
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to start off on a sad note by giving condolences. Mr. Speaker, we have been out of this House for two months. I did go over to see the obituaries of people whom I know. And I would like to send condolences first of all to the family of Ms. Alfreda Rochester, who was a former colleague of mine. And I was sad to find out that she did pass. So, I send condolences to her family. Also, Mr. Speaker, to the family of former MP, Mr. Kenny Bascome, who passed while this House was out of session. Also, Mr. Speaker, to three family members. To Ms. Oriel Fraser, who also passed; Ms. Islin Monica Cann, who passed; and also, recently a cousin of mine, Mr. Duvaughn Signor, better known as “Wanny,” from St. George’s. So, I would like to send condolences to the family of all of those persons, Mr. Speaker. 1634 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly And on a lighter note, Mr. Speaker, I sort of tasked myself of trying to go over from the last time we sat in this House until today trying to capture all of the sportspersons who have achieved things in this time period. I know it is a daunting task, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerCup Match is the biggest event.
Mr. Dennis Lister IIIBut I would start first off by giving congratulations to the Under -19 Boys National Football team, who this summer made it to the final of the Un-der-19 Concacaf Tournament undefeated, only to lose in the final on penalties, Mr. Speaker. It can be heartbreaking to lose, but the fact …
But I would start first off by giving congratulations to the Under -19 Boys National Football team, who this summer made it to the final of the Un-der-19 Concacaf Tournament undefeated, only to lose in the final on penalties, Mr. Speaker. It can be heartbreaking to lose, but the fact they made it there undefeated shows that they can build on this and look forward to bigger achievements as they progress. Also, the Bermuda Pacers Track team participated at the Russell E. Blunt East Coast Invitational, and they brought back 16 medals —five gold, five silver and six bronze. Two outstanding athletes were Zydon [Lightbourn- ]Furbert, two golds and set a track, a meet record. He was also voted as the Outstanding Male in the 13– 14 age category. Then also Alera Daniels, ] who got three medals; and Azari Jones also got a gold medal. And the 11– 12 Girls 4 x 11 relay won the gold medal also. Also, Mr. Speaker, also athletes Sanchez Smith and Naomi MacGuinness also won gold medals in their discipline. And to the other members of the team who won silver and bronze, I would like to send congratulations to them. And, Mr. Speaker, I do have a lot on my list. But I will have to save some for the other sessions. Lastly, I want to also recognise the victorious Somerset Cricket Club team, Mr. Speaker, who for the last 10 years or more have been holding this Cup!
[Desk thumping]
Mr. Dennis Lister IIIAnd we wish them . . . Mr. Speaker, St. George’s had it for about 20 years 50 years ago. We are halfway through it. So, we want to continue and hold on to this Cup and beat that record of 20 years. So, thank you, Mr. Speaker, to yourself …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. I believe one of these St. George’s colleagues would like to be recognised. So, MP Swan, would you like your three minutes?
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThank you. And I am not going to take the bait and use up any of my time. [Laughter]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanI would like to start off with some condolences to some very key constituency num-ber 2 stalwarts who have passed on. And I would like to associate condolences to the family of Ms. Elsie Crane [Shaw] with the Deputy Speaker, who knew her very closely, havi ng been a trade …
I would like to start off with some condolences to some very key constituency num-ber 2 stalwarts who have passed on. And I would like to associate condolences to the family of Ms. Elsie Crane [Shaw] with the Deputy Speaker, who knew her very closely, havi ng been a trade unionist from St. George’s, a staunch Progressive Labour Party, Wellington back road lady whom I am proud in 2016 to have honoured after one of our events. Mr. John Thompson from Slip Road, well - known to persons older than me as “ Ginger Blue,” but may he rest in peace, and to his family there. And my dear friend who passed away from Pain Lane West, Ms. Theresa Callabras, and an aunt to Member Anthony Richardson in this Honourable House. I would like to congratulate all of the students who have returned back to school this year, especially the wonderful ones in St. George’s. And, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend congratulations to the Bermuda Paralympians Jessica Lewis and Yushae DeSil va-Andrade for their remarkable representation of our Island at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. I believe the Premier may have had an opportunity to have been there. Their dedication, resilience and sportsmanship have brought pride to Bermuda, and we commend their outstanding performance. Mr. Speaker, with what little time I have left, I would like to congratulate a young man from Spring Benny. And I would like to associate the Honourable Member Scott Simmons with this. It is one of his constituents, Camiko Smith, on being the local Bermudian qualifier for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. And he is joined by amateur -now Eric West, who was once the pro at Port Royal. And the young man who works at Bermuda Government golf courses at Port Royal and Ocean View, Nick Jones, the son of the l egendary Eardley Jones, who will be returning to that event as well in November. And we wish them well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Would any other Member — MP Simmons, Jamahl Simmons. You have your three minutes.
Mr. Jamahl S. SimmonsThank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, Bermuda. I rise on several sad notes today to first commemorate and recognise the passing of my constituent, Ms. Lynda Augustus, who was the ultimate get -out-thevote resource for her more reluctant members of her family, because she could be counted on every …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, Bermuda. I rise on several sad notes today to first commemorate and recognise the passing of my constituent, Ms. Lynda Augustus, who was the ultimate get -out-thevote resource for her more reluctant members of her family, because she could be counted on every election. You know, there was a certain member of the family who would say, Well, I don’t know how I feel about voting. I don’t know about voting. Mama made sure she was there. And she was a very strong supporter, al-ways had an encouraging word. And we are thankful
B ermuda House of Assembly for her support and for her life and her contribution to our community. I was surprised when my brother and Member of Parliament Kim Swan mentioned the passing of Elsie Crane [Shaw]. She was a very, very dear friend of mine working in the 2007 election trying to help the former Member Dean Foggo get elected, a stalwart of the party, very, very strong supporter. And oddly and sadly enough, it ties into my final tribute today, which is to a former representative of the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Government, Glenn “Ghost” Phillip. Glenn Phillip was a former Minister and sports star in St. Kitts. But I formed a connection with him when I was working in St. Kitts because he used to come and spend his summers with Elsie Crane. So, he was very familiar with Bermuda, had ties in Bermuda. And it is a very sad thing to note the passing of these individuals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. MP Famous, you have your three minutes.
Mr. Christopher FamousGood morning, Mr. Speaker, colleagues and listening audience. I will start off with some condolences for people from Devonshire. Ms. Geraldine Francis, a Berkeleyite. Her daughter, Lisa Jackson [deceased], a Berkeleyite. Ms. Geraldine York of the Augustus clan. And Mr. Stephen Decosta of Devonshire. All [of them are] of Devonshire. …
Good morning, Mr. Speaker, colleagues and listening audience. I will start off with some condolences for people from Devonshire. Ms. Geraldine Francis, a Berkeleyite. Her daughter, Lisa Jackson [deceased], a Berkeleyite. Ms. Geraldine York of the Augustus clan. And Mr. Stephen Decosta of Devonshire. All [of them are] of Devonshire. Mr. Speaker, also following on from MP Simmons, I want to give congratulations to the people of there and here of St. Kitts and Nevis who have achieved 41 years of independence. For those who do not know, St. Kitts’s population is actually smaller than Bermuda’s. And they have been doing quite well for a country of 41 years of independence away from the co-lonial masters. So, for those who say, We’re too small to go independent, St. Kitts is the prime example. And, Mr. Speaker, I want to give commiseration to Tottenham Hotspurs for losing. [ Laughter]
Mr. Christopher FamousTo Liverpool for losing. And congratulations to the mighty Manchester United for beating seven– nothing warming up for this season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [ Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member wish to make a contribution after that? MP Simmons -Wade, you have your three minutes.
Mr. Speaker and the general public. The SpeakerGo od morning.
Mrs. Ianthia Simmons-WadeThank you. Even though we do give condolences, I think it is very important that we acknowledge people when they are alive, and they have birthdays. But I do want to say, based on my constituency, I have so many people who have gone over 65, which makes us realise …
Thank you. Even though we do give condolences, I think it is very important that we acknowledge people when they are alive, and they have birthdays. But I do want to say, based on my constituency, I have so many people who have gone over 65, which makes us realise that we have a significant ageing population. So, I will go very quickly ov er my list. Peter Green is 89. Ruth Daniels, who is 86. Dorothy Stevens, who is 85. Peter Everson, who is 70. Alvin Fitzgerald, who is 70. Alexander Frith, who is 87. Thelma Gibbons, who is 88. Glenda Trott, who is 70. And Tony Obothello, who is 70. Andrea Simmons, wh o is 75. Harold Simons, who is 70. Heather Wolffe, who is 87. Janet Shore, who is 70. Lisa Gibbons, who is 86. Sandra Gilbert, who I will not say how old she is, but Happy Birthday to Sandy. Joe Antroid, and Sandy Frith Brown, who is 80.So I will say we have a significant ageing population, and I think it is important that we acknowledge these individuals before we are giving condolences for their deaths.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank y ou, MP. Does any ot her M P wis h to make a contribution? Any ot her M ember? Colonel, y ou have your t hree minutes.
Lt. C ol. H on. D avid A . BurchMr. S peaker, t hank you. I would like to first be associated with the condolences to the family of Kyril Burrows. Apart from working with him in Public Works many years ago, I first met him because his father, John Richardson, was my first Sergeant Major in the Bermuda …
Mr. S peaker, t hank you. I would like to first be associated with the condolences to the family of Kyril Burrows. Apart from working with him in Public Works many years ago, I first met him because his father, John Richardson, was my first Sergeant Major in the Bermuda Regiment, and I served with him for a number of years. So, I know the family well. Separate and apart from the work environment, they had a lovely send -off for him last week. It is always uplifting when you go to a funeral and people are not overly sad about the fact that they have passed. They concentrate on their life and the work that they did. So, I offer condolences to his children and his wider family. I would also like to offer condolences to the family of Kenny Cann, who worked for Public Works. I do not think I can think of another human being who, every time you encountered him, he was a pleasant, alive, happy person with some idea about something new that he was going to do. And so, it was always a joy to interact with him. The Ministry has a tradition when staff pass that at every area of the Ministry, as soon after the passing as they can, they gather all of the staff together and have a moment to remember and honour their fallen colleague. And we invite the family. And it is always an interesting time because there are more men in the Ministry than there are women, but on occasions like that men actually step up to the plate and express 1636 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly their feelings and their offering of condolences in a very positive way. So, it is always an uplifting experience. [Mr. Cann] worked out of the Depot at Prospect. A huge number of his family attended the celebration, including his wife and his parents and their siblings. And even though it was a sad occasion, it was a very positive experience because many of the staff expressed their own individual views. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe Speaker[Microphone off]. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in with the condolences to the family of Kenny Cann, who was a constituent of mine. My deepest condolences to his wife, Terry -Lynn, his mother Claudette and his dad Sheridan. It …
[Microphone off].
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in with the condolences to the family of Kenny Cann, who was a constituent of mine. My deepest condolences to his wife, Terry -Lynn, his mother Claudette and his dad Sheridan. It was always a joy when I canvassed at . . . I called it the Ken Complex. You go down there, it is just one of the uniqueness about Bermuda where you have entire generations of families living in the same com-plex. And Kenny was always smiling. He was always someone who was joyful. So, when I was informed of his passing, on the day that he did pass, which was the day of the hurricane, I was completely shocked. Just like I am sure everyone else was when that did happen. Mr. Speaker, I would also like a letter of condolences sent to the family of Apostle Dr. Jimmie Denwid-die, Sr. Jimmie was the uncle to my daughter, and he is definitely a towering man for anyone who knew him. But he was probably one of the most honest and forthright persons who you could speak to if you really did have an issue or had a problem. He would really give you really good advice, and his send- off was absolutely phenomenal and beautiful. Again, a day before the hurricane it took place. And they ac tually had to cut it short because everyone had to get home and get off of the roads. I think around hour three they started to say, Look. We’ve got to wind down. But it was not one of those ones again where people were tearful and downand-out. We were really joyful to celebrate his moving on. Again, I attach to the condolences for Kyril Burrows. I did work with Kyril Burrows at Public Works. I did work with him. When I did leave Public Works, he was an architect in the field that I worked prior to being in full -time politics. So, I had a good knowledge of him and the work that he could do. So, my deepest condolences to [his family], Delcina and the rest of his family. Mr. Speaker, congratulations to Harrington Workmen’s Club on the occasion of their second an-nual back -to-school haircut and braiding day. It was a phenomenal success to go down there. And full disclosure, that is my club that I am a member at. And I do si t on the management committee. But I did go down there, and it was wonderful to see so many barbers and hair braiders donating their services to ensure that our children have proper haircuts and hairdos done to get back to school. Again, on the congratulations, Mr. Speaker, to Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club for retaining the Eastern County Cup. As we all know, we talk about Cup Match here all the time. But the Eastern County Cup is only two years younger than the Cup Match Trophy, havin g started in 1904. And again, congratulations to all of the students and educators as we started school in the last few weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. MP Richardson, would you like your three minutes?
Mr. Anthony RichardsonYes, sir. Good morning, Mr. Speaker, colleagues and those in the listening audience.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonI want to start off with condolences really for [the family of] Ms. Catherine Joy Smith. She was one of my constituents. I will associate Minister Rabain with this. As he said earlier, it is interesting because in the area where she stayed, it is the whole family. So, I …
I want to start off with condolences really for [the family of] Ms. Catherine Joy Smith. She was one of my constituents. I will associate Minister Rabain with this. As he said earlier, it is interesting because in the area where she stayed, it is the whole family. So, I will not mention their names, because when you mention one person, others get upset in terms of you did not mention the rest of them. Except I will mention her granddaughter, Ms. Trena Riley, who is a fixture herself in the Devil’s Hole area. I also, Mr. Speaker, want to acknowledge for all of us, I believe, the passing member earlier last month actually, Ms. [Janet] Niklaus who went missing. And everyone . . . it was amazing how the community got together to actually search for her. But unfor tunately, it was discovered that she had died. Mr. Speaker, I want to take time, and I do not know what the process is, if a letter can actually be writ-ten. But if it can be done, I would ask for a letter to be written to Ms. Marilyn Cameron. Ms. Marilyn Cameron achieved the distinguished achievement of 50 years of service in the public service. She worked in the Accountant General’s department. And I know her personally because I was there some time ago. And what the general public does not know, I do not think, is that when government changed its computer system to JD Edwards about more than 20 years ago, Marilyn Cameron was one of the lead on the team who literally worked through the night to make sure there was a seamless transition so that every single public officer would be paid on time, notwiths tanding a significant change in government’s accounting system. So, it was Marilyn and many others. But I want to make sure, Mr. Speaker, that we all recognise that given such service . . . anybody who gives service to one employer for 50 years, it really is an achievement. I know that she is going to formally retire next month. But if it is possible, Mr. Speaker, I
Bermuda House of Assembly would ask for a letter to be written to her because it is indeed a significant achievement for anyone to work so long and to be giving such significant service. Because no one can ever complain that they were not paid on time based upon the significant wor k that she did. And how she has trained so many others throughout the years who came through the Accountant General’s department. So, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Opposition Whip.
Mr. L. Craig CannonierYes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to echo the sentiment that was given already to Kenny Bascome, former MP of the House. I must say that there probably was not . . . I have not met anyone on the ground who knew how to keep …
Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to echo the sentiment that was given already to Kenny Bascome, former MP of the House. I must say that there probably was not . . . I have not met anyone on the ground who knew how to keep in contact with people and could move about with just about any circle, considering the background that he had. This is a phenomenal feat to see that someone like himself was able to pull up his bootstraps and be-come someone who sat in this House to bring about good legislation for the people of Bermuda. On a more personal note, I have known him ever since a kid. And he and the fellows used to come over back when everybody’s doors were open. And you know, you could just walk in. He would come in on many occasions with his buddies, sit down with my father and have these incredible crazy conversations that they would have, and then get intoxicated at the same time. And by mid- evening, my mother had made our lunches, and this guy was eating our lunches. [Laughter]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierSo, I have a lifelong relationship with him. And there was a great love for who he was and what he was able to do. I think what was most outstanding was as he matured, his love for young people. And many times, he would come to myself and others …
So, I have a lifelong relationship with him. And there was a great love for who he was and what he was able to do. I think what was most outstanding was as he matured, his love for young people. And many times, he would come to myself and others to assist , to help out some of the young men especially who had fallen awry and gone places that we would not like for them to go. And he was very key, but low-key about it in ensuring that we got assistance to many of the young fellows who w ere having trouble just trying to survive here in Bermuda. So, we cannot say enough about his contribution. There are so many things that can be said. But we are thankful. And thank you for the moment of silence this morning, Mr. Speaker, for honouring such a great man, for Kenny “Kid Brock” Bascome. [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? There are none. Well, before we move on, I would just like to add a couple of comments to some of the remarks. I would like to be associated with the remarks first by MP Famous …
Thank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? There are none. Well, before we move on, I would just like to add a couple of comments to some of the remarks. I would like to be associated with the remarks first by MP Famous for Lisa Jackson and her mother, Ms. Francis. I knew Lisa in a business relationship many year s ago when she was handling pension services for my office in fact. And she was a very easy person to get along with, very professional with what she has done. I think the whole Island trembles when we found how her and her mother lost their lives so tragi cally there in Florida. So our hearts go out to her daughter and to the family as they mourn through this period. I would like to be associated of course with the remarks that have been expressed to the family of Mr. Brownlow Place. Yes, he was an icon to us in Bermuda and will surely be remembered as the gentleman that he was. And lastly, condolences to the Nicklaus/Fubler family on the passing of Ms. Janet Nicklaus, again a very tragic loss. But her family is a strong . . . family, and I have known her family and herself most of my life. And I felt the pain and loss that they are sharing right now. With those remarks, we will now move on.
MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. NOTICE OF MOTIONS FOR THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE ON MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThere are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWe have before us this morning (or this afternoon, I should say), eight Bills to be introduced. And we will start with the Premier/Minister of Finance. 1638 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Would you like to lead us off? FIRST READINGS TAX REFORM COMMISSION (DISSOLUTION, …
We have before us this morning (or this afternoon, I should say), eight Bills to be introduced. And we will start with the Premier/Minister of Finance. 1638 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Would you like to lead us off?
FIRST READINGS
TAX REFORM COMMISSION (DISSOLUTION, APPOINTMENT AND VALIDATION) ACT 2024
COMPANIES AND LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AMENDMENT ACT 2024
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bills for their first reading so that they may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: the first Bill is the Tax Reform Commission (Dissolution, Ap-pointment and Validation) Act 2024; and the second Bill is the Companies and Limited Liability Company Amendment Act 2024 .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Deputy Premier. FIRST READING ELECTRICITY AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: the Electricity Amendment Act 2024 . …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Minister of Health. FIRST READINGS HEALTH INSURANCE (HEALTH SYSTEM STRENGTHENING FUND) AMENDMENT ACT 2024 HEALTH COUNCIL AMENDMENT (NO.2) ACT 2024 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am introducing the following Bills for their first reading so that they may be placed on the Order Paper …
Thank you. Minister of Health.
FIRST READINGS
HEALTH INSURANCE (HEALTH SYSTEM STRENGTHENING FUND) AMENDMENT ACT 2024
HEALTH COUNCIL AMENDMENT (NO.2) ACT 2024 Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am introducing the following Bills for their first reading so that they may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting, namely, the Health Insurance (Health System Strengthening Fund) Amendment Act 2024 and the Health Council Amendment (No.2) Act 2024.
Mr. Jache AdamsThank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bills for their first reading so that they may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: the Restaurants (Temporary Customs Duty Relief) Amendment Act 2024; the Hotels (Temporary Customs Duty Relief) Amendment Act 2024; …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bills for their first reading so that they may be placed on the Order Paper for the next day of meeting: the Restaurants (Temporary Customs Duty Relief) Amendment Act 2024; the Hotels (Temporary Customs Duty Relief) Amendment Act 2024; and the National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pensions) Amendment Act 2024 . Thank you.
The SpeakerThe Speaker[Microphone not on.] Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that this Honourable House do now adjourn for lunch and return at 2:00 pm.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Premier. Members, we now stand adjourned for lunch until 2:00 pm. Thank you. [Gavel] Proceedings suspended at 12:25 pm Proceedings resumed 2:0 2 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerA little thin here this afternoon. Good afternoon, Members. Everyone had a good lunch . . . it looks like many are still enjoying it. But we need to get started with business. [Gavel]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe House is back in session.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, now that you mention it, I am going to act on it. I was not going to act on it. But now that you mention it . . . Whips, you need to get your people here. A [lack of] quorum has been noted. Bermuda House of Assembly [Pause]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWhips, I want to thank you for doing your job but let me remind you, we should not have to go through that. We should not have to go through that. We all know what our responsibility is. As I expect everyone here at ten o’clock, I expect everyone at …
Whips, I want to thank you for doing your job but let me remind you, we should not have to go through that. We should not have to go through that. We all know what our responsibility is. As I expect everyone here at ten o’clock, I expect everyone at two o’clock. And today you got a grace period, but we are not going to have a repeat of this. Right? Did you hear me? No repeating this, right? We are all going to be on time in the future. Thank you. Now, where are we? We ended this morning where we were about to start with the Orders of the Day. And it has been agreed by both sides that we are going to switch the order. [Order No.] 1 is now moved to [Order No.] 3. So [Order No.] 2 will become [Order No.] 1. Am I correct?
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberCorrect.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerCorrect. Okay. Deputy Premier, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker .
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Afternoon to you Members of the House and the listening public. I move that the Bill entitled the Water Resources [Amendment] Act 2024 be now read a second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Continue, Deputy. BILL SECOND READING WATER RESOURCES AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce the Bill entitled the Water Re-sources Amendment Act 2024. The Bill seeks to amend the Water Resources Act 1975 …
Are there any objections? There are none. Continue, Deputy.
BILL
SECOND READING
WATER RESOURCES AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce the Bill entitled the Water Re-sources Amendment Act 2024. The Bill seeks to amend the Water Resources Act 1975 to ensure that Bermuda maintains the highest quality of groundwater. Clean water is fundamental to public health and the sustainability of our natural ecosystem. Ensuring the purity of this essential resource protects our community’s health and our Island’s economy and preserves Bermuda’s natural beauty for future generations. Monitoring groundwater quality and the status of freshwater lenses is crucial to managing the Island’s water resources. To achieve these goals, a suite of proposed amendments has been made to the 1975 Act. Every five years, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources issues approximately 3,142 water rights to manage the use of groundwater from wells for various purposes. These include treating groundwater to make potable water, cooling water for buildings, toilet flushing and irrigation. We also manage about 871 disposable boreholes for uses including discharging treated wastewater, road stormwater runoff and cooling water return from build-ings. Well riggers are also regulated to ensure compliance with the Act. Recent boat sewage regulations created nondischarge zones close to shore and within various enclosed seas and harbours. Updates to the Act will enable public officers from the department to enforce these regulations and assist identifying habitual offenders who discharge sewage within non- discharge zones. Mr. Speaker, many environmentally conscious companies are reporting pollution spills. Monitoring and cleaning up soils and waters are part of their operating licenses. This is currently achieved under the Clean Air Act 1991 and only applies to some typically larger com-panies that operate control plants. In order to comprehensively address these issues, it is proposed that they should be dealt with under the Water Resources Act. This will ensure that all polluting activities are controlled to protect human health and the environment. It is also proposed that new regulations based on existing cleanup guidelines will be applied to any person who pollutes. The new amendments will make it an offence not to report a pollution event, will allow for issuance of pollution stop orders and will mandate the need for abatement and remediation of polluted ground and groundwater. This will significantly enhance the government's ability to protect the environment. The proposed Bill will • provide for the establishment of pollu-tion limits for the ground ; • help reduce the pollution of public water resources that are below ground and sea water ; • create environmental pollution standards under the new regulations • increase enforcement power s under the Water Resources Act 1975 and the Water Resources (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Boats) Regulations 2018; • implement appropriate fines to deter behaviours that pollute the environment; and • required the reporting of pollution even to authorities as soon as practicable. Additionally, the Government will provide best practice guidance online based on international processes from developed jurisdictions to inform the public how to reduce the risk of pollution spills. 1640 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Ber muda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, due to the importance of these amendments, I invited the public to comment on these proposed legislative changes over a three- week period that ended 10 July 2024. Comments were largely dis-cussed by Department of Environment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) and consultees via email including twice the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Task-force (BEST), the Bermuda National Trust, MediWaste Limited, Skyport and WEDCO. Additionally, DENR held in-person consultation meetings with stakeholders including BELCO, AIRCARE Limited , and the Ministry of Public Works. Mr. Speaker, as a result of these consultations, some minor amendments were made to the Bill. For ex-ample, offences [were] adjusted to discriminate smaller versus larger pollution events. Mr. Speaker, as a consequence, the Water Resources Act has been signifi-cantly amended. 1.To extend authority of public officers to enforce the existing Water Resources (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Boats) Regulations 2018 by extending permissions to enter upon any property or land to include any boat or vessel. Permissions already require provisions of duly authenticated documentation and are applicable during reasonable hours only. 2.To extend authority of public officers to take measures to ascertain if public water (i ncluding sea water) is or may be polluted. This is required t o allow public officers to use, for example, inert dye tablets to prove culpability of suspected habitual sewage discharges from vessels within non-d ischarge zones under the Regulations. It is noted that “vessel” means any boat (other than a larger vessel) to which the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2015 applies. 3.To allow public officers powers to take soil samples for analysis. In addition to existing authority to take water and effluent samples to establish if the pollution to the ground is sufficient to cause pollution to groundwater or public water. 4.To allow the Minister to require by notice in writing any person responsible for causing pollution to the ground, groundwater or sea water to a.st op work immediate to prevent further pollution to the environment by, i.e., issuing a pollution stop order; b.to ascertain the extent of the pollution; and c.to provide for mitigation and remediation methods to address said pollutionwhere failure to comply with the direc-tion given would be considered an of-fence, subject to appeal and couldresult in seizure of equipment used in contravention of the stop order. 5.To increase penalties for various offences in line with the current expec tations, up to a maximum of $20,000. 6.To include marine outfalls under the definition of “works” to help manage discharge to the sea. 7.To increase the Minister’s powers to make regulations that prescribe concentration thresholds for the protec tion of human and environmental health based on international best practice to determine when public water, sea water or any ground is deemed polluted. The concentration thresholds for ground would be varied depending on the proximity to groundwater, pond, coastline or critical habitat and whether the ground is used or zoned for residential or commercial purposes. 8.To increase the Minister’s powers to make regulations to inc lude the need for landowners (in certain cases) to k eep records relating to the storage of environmental liabilities on the site (fuels, oils, haz ardous chemicals , for example) and to allow for proc edures to be recommended to protect the environment against spillage. 9.To allow the public officers to obtain and record, information and statistics on the hydrologic al and hy drogeological groundwater concentra-tions and any level of pollution. And in the ab-sence of agreement with compensation paya-ble to the landowner for any damage caused by the c onstruction of works. 10.To extend authority under the Bill to include police officers, including the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coas t Guard unit and other persons authorised by the Minister in writing. 11.To require persons to report to the Minister, as soon as practicable, the discharge of any fuel, oil, waste, or hazardous chemicals into public water, sea water or ground. 12.To iss ue guidelines to help reduce the ris k of such polluting events including advice on s egregation, storage and disposal of fuel, oil, waste and other chemicals that may be haz - ardous to health, the environment or property. In addition to advice on spill preparedness and spill abatement, remediation, monitoring and reporting recommendations. Mr. Speaker, the Gov ernment’s commitment to protecting Bermuda’s water quality is unwavering. These proposed amendments and the coming regulations are vital steps towards a cleaner healthier environment for all. It is important to preserve our water resources as it protects our natural ecos ystems, our community ’s health, our Is land’s economy and preserves Bermuda’s natural beauty for the future.
Bermuda House of Assembly With that, I conclude, Mr. Speaker, and I move that the Bill entitled the Water Resources Amendment Act [2024] be read a second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? MP Pearman.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Speaker , and good afternoon. Thank you to the Honourable Minister for his presentation on the Bill before us today which is the Water Resources Amendment Act 2024. This Bill seeks to amend the primary legislation, which is the Water Resources Act 1975, and the Opposition is …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker , and good afternoon. Thank you to the Honourable Minister for his presentation on the Bill before us today which is the Water Resources Amendment Act 2024. This Bill seeks to amend the primary legislation, which is the Water Resources Act 1975, and the Opposition is supportive of the Government Bill, so the points that follow very briefly are just some questions really for the Minister , largely for him to assist not just the Opposition but the listening public on certain points. And then, at least for my part and perhaps some on this side, we may have a few quest ions in Committee. This amending Act does what it says on the tin. It is targeted at water resources and a key factor (it is not the only factor, but a key factor) of the amending Act is targeted on issues of pollution. In particular, as the Minister said in his opening brief, spillages and the like. And there is some additional focus on marine pollution, although again not exclusively on marine pollution. So that is the nub of it, and it seems to be that the primary section in this amending Act is th e addition at [clause] 9 of the power there and then, of course, as the Minister has said (and I will come on to those in a minute), it is the additional penalties. There is the in-crease of penalties in relation to this issue. It follows that when looking at amendments such as these, you need to consider this very important issue in the round. It is not something that should be considered in silos, and it is something that dovetails or interweaves with pollution in other areas on our Island. So, whilst we are here on water resources, this Chamber (and in particular the Minister and his staff who I welcome this afternoon from the Minist ry) will be well aware of strides that are being made in relation to air pollution as well. And of course, the general public will be well aware of the long- suffering issue regarding emissions and the like in Pembroke and indeed beyond from our utility. But that is not what we are talking about today. Today is really the water aspect. But I just make the important point that it cannot be looked at in silos. It has to all be interconnected otherwise you are not really getting to the root cause of the problem. At the risk of oversimplification when looking at this issue, it is about water lenses as well. Our water lenses which are predominantly, although not exclu-sively, in Devonshire as many people will be aware. And that takes us on to my first question to th e Minister, and that is if he could assist us (and indeed assist the listening public) as to what our baseline understanding is of the water lenses that we have, and the pollution affect in relation to those water lenses. In a way, where are we? What is gr ound zero of our understanding in that respect? Three more questions for the Minister, just on the Bill, and again we do support the Bill, and it is driven to a good motive and good end. But let us be practical as well. My second question would be, How many people are going to be targeted at this new i ssue? I am aware that DENR has one or two. This of course does not deal with . . . this is dealing predominantly with the Authority, I accept. And so if, as my second question, perhaps the Minister can address how many people at the Authority will be tasked with this and whether they are existing or new people focusing on the problem. Thirdly, again looking at the Authority, What are the resources of the Authority as they now stand and will additional resourcing be provided to this? And fourth and final question just on the Bill, as it were, what is behind the Bill, the impetus for the Bill. Where is the data that is driving these changes? I am not sure that we have seen data in public on this. Or if there is data in public, I have not seen it. But that could be my oversight. But perhaps the Minister can assist with whether this . . . I mean, one presumes this is a data- driven exercise and so if there is data, will that be shared with the public or not? That is the Bill in a nub, and let me just comment on a couple of other points. In addition to the point I already made about clause 9, the other major factor here is on the penalty side . . . and we will get to that in Committee. But suffice it to say that a number of additional sections now lead to financial penalties when they previously did not. One or two sections in the primary legislation no longer lead to penalties when they used to, but I think that is just due to the rewriting and the rejigging o f the sections. But I would be grateful for that clarification. I think it is an adding exercise and not a subtracting one. And of course, the penalties are increas-ing so the . . . from memory, and we could look at it in Committee, but from memory the $5,000 fine is now a $10,000 fine and the $10,000 fine I think is now a $20,000 fine. So the offences are up and rightly so given the preeminent importance of water, not only on this Island but generally the issues that we are having with water in the world. The only other issue that I would ask of the Minister . . . and the Minister and I have discussed this point before in debates in relation to his Ministry where there have been public consultations, best practice for consultation is usually thought to be 12 weeks. I appreciate that it differs from jurisdicti on to jurisdiction. But the US and Europe are largely aligned in the notion that legislative changes best practice for consultation is 12 weeks. As the Minister said in his opening brief, we have only had 21 days. I know he did go through a list of stakeholders who were involved in the consultative 1642 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly process. The Minister didn’t (unless I missed it) mention the position of the Bermuda Clean Air Coalition and I would be grateful to know why they were not mentioned and what their position is on this. But really, on the length of consultation, does the Minister consider that 21 days is best practice? And, going forward, would the Minister be prepared to consider . . . I appreciate the Minister is departing the political stage [relatively] soon, but does the Minister consider (at least as far as this Ministry is concerned) that best practice should be a little bit longer than three weeks? And I think that that is all that I have to say on this side, Mr. Speaker , thank you very much. As I said, I do have a few questions in Committee.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other? None. Deputy. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . A few questions were posed by the Honourable Member on the other side, and I welcome the fact that the Opposition supports the Bill. I …
Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other? None. Deputy. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker . A few questions were posed by the Honourable Member on the other side, and I welcome the fact that the Opposition supports the Bill. I would not see a rea-son why they would not. So it is pleasing to know that they officially support the Bill. As mentioned in my brief, there are particular categories of areas of persons who are licensed under the Act for their use of water. And I will just go back to my brief which I had mentioned . . . 3,142 people have water rights; 871 boreholes are actually under the supervision of the department. And of course, there are other larger institutional groups that are licensed under the Act to actually carry out certain activities as they are controlled —and they would use water for their businesses. That certainly is the scope of those who are licensed under the Act who would be subject to certainly supervision from a licence standpoint. But this Act is widening the scope to ensure that every citizen in Bermuda understands their responsibility for ensuring the protection of our groundwater and also operating on the marine environment. To be clear (and it is important that the public understands this), this Bill pertains to natural water sources. Artificial water sources like tanks and other forms of storage come under the Public Health Act and are separate from the Water Resources Act. There may be some cross -collaboration or partnership in some of the testing and other activities, but large tanks and large storage sources, they come under Public Health. So we are not dealing with those things. So, some of the issues that are raised wit h some of the interest about their tanks and the conditions of their tanks and the pollution of their tanks, that is actually dealt with by the Department of Health. Anybody who has done anything . . . and I will just bring this to more public relevance. If you wanted to set up a home kitchen, for instance, and do baking or cooking at home, persons from Environmental Control are the ones who would come to see you and t est your water to determine if you have a suitably proper water source to carry out your business. No one comes from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). I am sorry . . . as my colleague, the Minister of Health says, I should know th is. So she is going to slap me. It is actually Environmental Health. That is the department. As a former Health Minister, I should know better than that. So that is the department that actually would check your tanks. So tanks and storage are artificial so urces of water. This pertains to the ocean, the groundwater, and any water that might seep into the natural environment. As I said earlier, those are licensed. So that is the scope of who is principally —because of those who operate any sort of facility that might use or impose themselves on water resources, they are the ones who this Act will go to. Obviously, the scope is being widened to make sure that everybody has a responsibility to report any spill that they may see or anything suspicious around the use or circumstances around water. So that answers that question. There were a few other questions I think that the Honourable Member asked about DENR’s increased workload and whether they will have the amount of personnel to cover this. Typically, DENR receives about 10 to 25 spill reports each year from facilities licensed under a different Act than this one. And DENR’s police control section is due to assess its current staffing levels and resources in like respect to this Act and any of the changes because some generic technologies have naturally improved their envir onmental signature over time. Reducing the licensed workload with respect to less polluting facilities with less value is added through licensing . . . would help to create sufficient resources and manage newly regulated pollution events that may cause gre ater environmental impact. So technology has improved. You know, 1975 was a really long time [ago]. There may be a few people in here who were not even born in 1975. So, there was a need to bring these sort of updates so we have a modern framework to manage modern issues. The issues around water, just from a global standpoint as the Honourable Member did mention, have increased and the sensitivity around access, cleanliness, safety around water is now crucial. And as we know, our Island in particular, has had a long history with managing water. You know, we are blessed with, and certainly within the 20 th century to have access to the water lenses which exist in our natural environment and the care and protection and safety of that water source is crucial to Bermuda. So the fact that we can tap into that and not just be exclusively relying on rainwater as we
Bermuda House of Assembly have had for centuries is absolutely making greater sources available from the natural environment. But it is important that we protect those. And even desalination as a process of creating in water, we have to ensure that all these processes even though i t gives further access that we do not treat our water resources any less careful even if we have more of them available. Of course, as Bermuda has grown in population and activity, the need for water access has grown with that evolution. And this particular Act is helping to respond to that. Some other points in relation to the freshwater lenses . . . DENR monitors for spills in groundwater usually via operative licences under the Clean Air Act. For example, in 2017 (March 27), RUBiS spilled 17,000 US gallons of gasoline and this was cleaned up under the licence. Other sources of spills yet to be reported outside of the Clean Air Act . . . again, there is mention of the Clean Air Act, but we are moving as we reported a lot of the stuff that currently sits in the Clean Air Act to the Water Resources Act for more effective regula-tion. New amendments to the Water Resources Act to require all to report spills, as I said, we are widening the scope of responsibility. Currently, DENR is aware of a lot of pollution to ground, and development brings that. Development brings pollution more to the groundwater, so we have to be in a position to deal with that and these amend-ments will help our environment. Now the last one I wish to answer is the questions raised about consultation. This Government has always been committed to ensuring that there is consultation on particular Bills. In fact, certainly this Bill has taken time to bring to the House because we have gone through an exhaustive consultation. And the first priority for consultation were t hose who were licensed under the Act of whom will be subject to the Act’s rules and regulations. And those who operate in a space where their activities might bri ng risk to our groundwater sources. So that would have been certainly any businesses or operations whether it be, you know, what-ever. You know, water is used by everybody in some form or the other. Some more than others. And of course, boaters and ensuring that . . . remember we are going to be creating some no- spillage zones around the Island so that boaters and commercial boat-ers and recreational boaters know that there are parts of the water environment where they cannot offload any discharge they may have. And other areas perhaps, you know, not that anybody wants to discharge anything unpleasant in the water, but it may be a necessity and that is where they can do it if they have to. But certainly most people ascribed they do not want anything discharged into the ocean if they can help it. So that is why there is going to be a more managed approach to these sort of things. But going back to . . . so the approach with this was to have . . . it is a quality of consultation rather than time. And I heard a mention of the United States and Europe. Well, you know, again there is this tendency to compare ourselves to jurisdictions that are massively, massively larger than Bermuda. And that the operative way they do things is what we should have. Well, they are dealing with millions and tens of millions of people. Tens of millions of operators in these spaces, particularly in the European Union and of course larger countries. So, they have to have these types of processes to ensure that they have the widest level of consultation. We are a small place where there are finite users, finite licensed persons and it is a finite environment. So we can deal with the quality of consultation rather than the quantity of time. And I am not suggesting that in certain cases there will be longer consultation periods. But what I am suggesting is that it is the quality of consultation that is more important than the quantity of time in many cases. We in Bermuda can rely on quality and that is why (as I mentioned in my brief) we had one- on-one consul tations with some major operators and everyone licensed under this particular leg-islation . . . as you said, there are thousands. Every one of them received a notice. Every one of them, Mr. Speaker , about the Bill and their opportunity to give consultation. No one was left out. Just as information . . . 41 points raised during the consultation of Water Resources Amendment Bill, all answered either by email or via a form. So every submission was answered. And as I speak, we speak to the quality of consultation not just the quantity. So I am confident that the quality of consultation and the substance of it was done. Now, going back to the mention of certain groups that have been very vocal in the community . . . and I am not going to talk about another piece of legislation, only about this one because this is what we are dealing with now, and that is about the Water Resources Act. So the Bermuda Clean Air Coalition just like every other group that I mentioned, other groups in that space such as Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), National Trust . . . all participated in the consultation and gave feedback. They were no less given the opportunity and they were . . . and I can tell you that my department outreached to them as they did to all these other groups and got no response to be involved with the one- on-one consultation because we wanted . . . and I asked specifically for my department to do differing levels of consultation, one-on-one and offer that to each group as well as they could send things in by email and so on. Every group had an opportunity to have a oneon-one. And I mentioned in here that BELCO was given a one- on-one consultation. I applaud the utility because they have certain natural water sources around them and they, I must say for the record, have taken great care to ensure that those water sources meet the standard of . . . there. Certainly, through recent history and my experience with the utility around the water 1644 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly sources within their immediate environment, the natural water sources, they have taken great care and atten-tion to the treatment and what they do around those. And they are a huge operator in this space. So, they had a one- on-one [consultation] as did others. AIRCARE a nd others all had the opportunity to have outreach and consultation. So any group that point is raised had every opportunity to have one- on-one, intimate consultation with the department and the scien-tists there. The one that the Honourable Member mentioned did not. And guess what, Mr. Speaker ? If they still wish to give us some feedback on this Bill even af-ter it is passed, they are welcome to do so. And that feedback can be considered at some future time. But for the purposes of creating this Bill, every group that had some interest . . . and not only those who actually are going to hold some responsibility under the Act through licensing, but also those who had just a general interest popped up because National T rust and BEST, and then they do not have any licence requirements under this Bill. But they were given the opportunity to give feedback. So I will leave it there with that, Mr. Speaker, and I do now move that the Bill be committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy [Premier]. Deputy Speaker. House in Committee at 2:40 pm [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL WATER RESOURCES AMENDMENT ACT 2024
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further considera-tion of the Bill entitled Water Resources Amendment Act 2024 . Minister, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman . Happy to see you this afternoon.
The ChairmanChairmanLikewise. Thank you, cousin. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, I wish to move . . . there are 21 clauses in the Bill.
The ChairmanChairmanMm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: I would like to concentrate on the first 11 for the time being.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue. Hon. Walter H. Roban: If you can give me permission for that, thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, this Bill seeks to amend the Water Resources Act 1975 to provide a more robust enforcement regime to protect public water and sea water from pollution and make the related amendments. Clause 1 provides the citation for the Bill. Clause 2 amends section …
Yes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, this Bill seeks to amend the Water Resources Act 1975 to provide a more robust enforcement regime to protect public water and sea water from pollution and make the related amendments. Clause 1 provides the citation for the Bill. Clause 2 amends section 1 of the Act, [to] insert new definitions and revise or delete existing defini-tions. This clause defines “ground” to mean in relation to land any soil, rock or fill through which seepage of any substance [into] public water or sea water may oc-cur. This clause also amends the definitions of “well” and “works” to include the introduction of fluids directly into any ground and, in the case of “works,” into sea water by means of a marine outfall. Finally, this clause defines “pollution” and provides for regulations to de-termine whether any substance or matter has polluted or is capable of polluting any public water, sea water or any ground and the extent of any pollution. Clause 3 amends the subheading of Part II of the Act including works for which, under that Part, a water right is required to construct. Clauses 4 and 5 amend section 4, repealing Part [III] (sections 7 to 10), and amend sections 15 and 16 of the Act to remove the provisions relating to existing water rights. All provisions relating to existing water rights are now spent and any such rights so registered within the required period have since been regularised under the standard regime. Clause 6 amends section 11(5)(e) of the Act to require that a water right for the construction of works specify whether such works are for the introduction of fluids directly into public water, sea water or ground. Clause 7 amends section 14 of the Act to include the conservation and protection of critical habitats and other ecological resources as a matter to which the Environmental Authority shall have regard when ex-ercising its discretion to grant a water right. Clause 8 amends the subheading of Part VII of the Act to clarify the relationship of that Part to powers relevant to works and water rights. Clause 9 amends section 26(1)(b) of the Act to expand the Minister’s right to obtain information to in-clude information relevant to protecting water from pol-lution. Clause 10 amends section 27 of the Act to provide that the power to inspect works and take samples includes the taking of samples of any ground, effluent or other substance which may be capable of affecting the quality of public water, sea water or ground, and to enable any samples so taken to be subject to any pro-cess or test. This clause extends the power of a public officer to establish and maintain works on land to
Bermuda House of Assembly include the obtaining of information as to the level of any pollution. Clause 11 amends section 28 of the Act to enable the Minister to require works to be repaired or modified where such works are constructed, main-tained or used as to constitute a danger to the environment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Minister. Any other speakers to clauses 1 through 11? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Scott Pearman. You have the floor.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Chairman. It is actually a very small point, and it is as much for the legislative draftsperson as it is for the Min-ister. And I just flagged at page 4, under new clause 5, it repeals Part III of the Act and the following subsections. But then …
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is actually a very small point, and it is as much for the legislative draftsperson as it is for the Min-ister. And I just flagged at page 4, under new clause 5, it repeals Part III of the Act and the following subsections. But then the rest of the Act does not get a renumbering of the following subsections. So either Part III should remain, albeit amended, or the other subsections need to be amended. It is a very small point, Mr. Chairman, but I just raise it. Thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you. Minister, you note that. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman . Thank you to the Member. We will take that under ad-visement and consult with the drafts people on any mi-nor adjustments that have to be made. So thank you for that.
The ChairmanChairmanYou want to move these . . . any further speakers?
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Chairman. The next question I have is at clause 9 of the Bill, in these [clauses] of 1 through 11. It is at page 5 in the middle. Minister , this was really a question from the debate, but as I read it the two major things …
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The next question I have is at clause 9 of the Bill, in these [clauses] of 1 through 11. It is at page 5 in the middle. Minister , this was really a question from the debate, but as I read it the two major things this Bill is doing are the increasing of the penalties, which we will come to, and this change to the ministerial powers (at clause 9). But I just was not sure if that was your take on it. Is clause 9 the real nub of the Bill from your perspective? Or what else is really the nub of the Bill? Thank you. Hon. Walter H. Roban: As . . . thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Honourable Member makes a point and certainly like the Minister having maximum power to protect water from pollution I believe is key to the whole source of many of these amendments. And certainly tasking the team that is in a department with similar ability to ensure that protection. And just to add also now pollution to groundwater is classified as a risk that was missing from the legislation previously as well. The Chairman: Any further speakers?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I am sorry. Let me clarify. Pollution to the ground itself. Sorry, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanIt is okay. Any further speakers? There appear to be none. Minister, you want to move those clauses 1 through . . . Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, I wish to move clauses through 1 through 11.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 11 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Clauses 1 through 11 are approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 11 passed.] Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, before I go on, I wish to welcome the …
It has been moved that clauses 1 through 11 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Clauses 1 through 11 are approved.
[Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 11 passed.] Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, before I go on, I wish to welcome the Department of Legal Affairs and the Chief Parliamentary Council to the Chamber to assist with these deliberations. It is always good to have the top brass here—
The ChairmanChairmanAlways good to have them— Hon. Walter H. Roban: —for us . . . to guide us as legislators through these important matters.
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: So thank you for their presence and including Dr. Geoff Smith who is the Acting Director of the Department of Environment as well who is here to give support. I now will go through clauses 12 through 21, Mr. Chairman—
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —if you so allow.
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Clause 12 [sic] amends section 28 of the Act to enable the Minister to require works to be repaired or modified where such works are constructed, maintained or used as to constitute a danger to the environment . . . I am sorry. Sorry, Mr. …
The ChairmanChairmanI was wondering— Hon. Walter H. Roban: I am sorry. I apologise. Let me go forth. 1646 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Clause 12 amends section 29 of the Act to expand the application (this is where I should be) of an enforcement notice so …
I was wondering— Hon. Walter H. Roban: I am sorry. I apologise. Let me go forth. 1646 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Clause 12 amends section 29 of the Act to expand the application (this is where I should be) of an enforcement notice so that it may require a person who causes or knowingly permits any pollutant or waste to enter public water or sea water (including by w ay of discharge into any ground) to take steps to prevent such entry. This clause also provides that a person on whom a pollution stop order is served under section 33E shall not also be served an enforcement notice under section 29 in respect of the same contravention. Clause 13 deletes, after sections 30 and 32, respectively, the heading “PART VIII APPEALS” and the [subheading] “PENALTIES AND SUPPLEMENTARY.” Clause 14 amends section 33 to remove the reference to “existing water right.” Clause 15 inserts [after] section 33 of the Act new PART VIII PROTECTING AGAINST POLLUTION GENERALLY; POWERS AND APPEALS and inserts sections 33A to 33K. Those sections provide for the following, Mr. Chairman:
Section 33A provides that Part VIII applies for the purposes of protecting public water, sea water and ground from pollution irrespective of any works or water right. This section also provides definitions for terms relevant to this Part, including “author ised officer,” which is defined as a public officer so appointed by the Minister, a police officer (which includes a member of the Royal Bermuda Regiment coast guard unit), or such other person so authorised by the Minister; “plant” which includes a “contr olled plant” as defined under the Clean Air Act 1991; “premises” which includes any building, plant, facility, commercial enterprise, structure or thing situated on land; and “vessel,” which means any boat other than a vessel to which the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2015 applies.
Section 33B enables the Minister to make regulations requiring any person entitled to any land, or who is the owner or occupier of any premises or vessel to which certain activities apply to keep records, carry out any reporting, and furnish any records or reports as may be prescribed in relation to those activities. Such activities include: (i) the storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals by plants and commercial enterprises; (ii) the protection against, monitoring, abatement and remediation of hazardous chemical spills by plants and commercial enterprises; (iii) the disposal of waste directly into sea water; and (iv) such other activity in relation to which pollution may arise, as the Minister may determine by order subject to the negative resolution pr ocedure. Failure to comply with regulations [made] under this section constitutes an offence.
Section 33C empowers an authorised officer, who reasonably suspects that a pollution- related offence has been committed, to enter any land, premises or vessel, inspect, take samples and carry out such tests as deemed necessary. Such authorised officer is also empowered to establish and maintain on such land, premises or vessel works for the purposes of obtaining and recording i nformation as to the hydrological and hydrogeological conditions of Bermuda and the level of pollution. This section provides for compensation to be payable for damages done and land occupied in relation to the construction of such works and makes it an offence to wilfully obstruct an authorised officer.
Section 33D empowers an authorised officer, acting in the execution of powers under section 33C, to issue written directions to any person responsible for such land, premises or vessel to take steps to prevent the [polluting] or fouling (interesting word) of any public water, sea water or ground and makes failing to comply with such directions an offence.
Section 33E empowers the Minister to serve a pollution stop order on any person:(i) who fails to comply with any directions issued; (ii) who commits a polluting offence contrary to the Act; or (iii) whose land, premises or vessel is the source of any pollution. A pollution stop order requires the person on whom it is served to stop the contravention so specified and to make required compliance with directions previously given. Failure to comply with a pollution stop order is an offence. Finally, this section prohibits a pollution stop order from being served on a person to whom an enforcement notice has already been served under section 29 in respect of the same contravention. Section 33F enables the Minister to make an application to the Supreme Court for the en-forcement of a pollution stop order where such an order has not been complied with. The Court, if satisfied that the order was lawfully made and not complied with, may m ake an enforcement order allowing an authorised officer, for the purposes of carrying out the pollution stop order, to: (i) enter upon any land, premises or vessel; (ii) take any steps that have not been taken; and (iii) seize or hold any article or equipm ent used in contravention of the pollution stop order. This section also enables the Minister to recover [by] action any expenses
Bermuda House of Assembly incurred by the Government on account of anything done pursuant to such Court order. Section 33G empowers the Minister to issue a notice in writing requiring any person who pol-lutes or fouls any public water, sea water or groundwater to abate or remediate such polluting or fouling. Such notice may specify any steps to be taken and any time period. This section also enables the Minister to enter upon any land [or] premises to take any steps under the notice that have not been taken and to recover, [by] action, any expenses reasonably incurred. Any person who wilfully obstructs the Minister in carrying out his power under this section commits an offence.
Section 33H enables any person who receives and is aggrieved by any directions, pollution stop order, or notice to abate or remediate pollution or fouling, to appeal to a court of sum-mary jurisdiction or to the Supreme Court. This section provides that on an appeal, where any directions, pollution stop order or notice is expressed to take effect forthwith, such direc-tions, pollution stop order or notice shall not be suspended but shall continue in operation until the court orders otherwise
Section [33I] requires the reporting, to the Minister, of any fuel, oil, waste or hazardous chem-ical discharge directly or indirectly into any public water, sea water or ground and provides that any failure to report constitutes an offence.
Section 33J enables the Minister to take immediate action in any case where the pollution of public water, sea water or groundwater requires an action, in the public interest, to protect against significant injury to human, animal or plant health. This sec tion makes it an offence to wilfully obstruct the Minister in the exercise of such powers and enables the Minister to recover by action any expenses reasonably incurred in taking such action.
Section 33K enables the Minister to prescribe guidelines in relation to: (i) the segregation, storage and disposal of fuel, oil, waste and other chemicals that may cause pollution or be hazardous to life, health, environment or property; (ii) spill prevention practices and monitoring requirements; and (iii) spill abatement, remediation and reporting requirements; and such guidelines may be taken into consideration by a court when determining whether a pol-luting offence has been committed. Clause 16 amends section 34(3) of the Act to provide that the polluting or fouling of public water in-cludes, in addition to sea water, the polluting or fouling of any ground. Clause 17 amends section 37 of the Act to increase the penalties provided and to enable section 37 to apply with respect to the new offences set out under new Part VIII. Clause 18 amends section 39 of the Act to enable regulations to be made in respect of the additional protections against the polluting of public water, sea water and any ground through which [ seepage] into public water or sea water may occur. This section also enables regulations to be made with respect to reporting the discharge of any pollutants into public water, sea water or ground, monitoring and controlling such discharge, prescribing tests, standards, measures and means to determine pollution, requir ing the abatement and remediation of any pollution, and imposing penalties for any failure to comply with such regulations. Clause 19 makes a consequential amendment to the Defence Act 1965. Clause 20 makes savings and transitional provisions. Clause 21 provides for the commencement of the Bill by notice published in the Gazette. And Mr. Chairman, could you just oblige me on one point? The Honourable Member raised a point about clause 9, about some terminology. It has been determined on advice that how it is written is correct. Okay? Thank you very much.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Minister. Any further speakers? MP Pearman, you have the floor.
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Minister. I am now at page 7 of the proposed Bill under clause 15, which is the lion’s share of the Bill, where it [inserts] Part [VIII]. And the question I have, there is just a quick preamble. So if you look at [section] …
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Minister. I am now at page 7 of the proposed Bill under clause 15, which is the lion’s share of the Bill, where it [inserts] Part [VIII]. And the question I have, there is just a quick preamble. So if you look at [section] 33A, at page 7, you see there under [section] 33A(2), the definition of “authorized officer.” So, “authorized officer” means a police officer (including a member of the coast guard ); or other public officer [at section 33A(2)](b); or such other persons so authorised by the Mini ster in writing at [section 33A(2)](c). And so just bearing that in mind, if we could turn over the page, please, to page 8. At the bottom there is [section 33C] under the heading “Power to inspect and take samples .” So, here we have that authorized officer. So it says [at section 33(C) (1)] “Where an authorized officer has reasonable cause to suspect that an offence has been committed under this Part, section 34 or any regulations made under section 39(1)(h), (ha), (i) or (kb), he shall, ” (that is the authorized officer) “at all reasonable hours upon producing evidence . . . .” And then he has a series of entry powers that follow. 1648 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly So, just for a second, before I ask my question. If you look at the things that give rise to his entry powers, [section] 39(1)(h) is in the original Act, [section] 39(1)(ha) is now added. At page 14, [section] 39(1)(i) is added at page . . . excuse me. It is in the original Act. And [section] 39(kb) is now added again at page 13. So here are a series of events that allow an authorized officer to enter land, premises, [or] vessels. This person may not be a police officer. And my question . . . sorry for such a longwinded introduction, but it is about this concept of “all reasonable hours.” So, for entry. I assume that “all reasonable hours” will vary depending on the severity of the incident of the four categories of incidents. I say that because one of them, (h), is in fact . . . and this is the primary Act. I am in section 39 of the primary Act. “[C]ontrolling the discharge of matter or substances which are capable of polluting . . . .” So, is it right, Minister, that where this is an actual discharge event, “all reasonable hours” would ex-pand, presumably, to be 24 hours, 7 days a week? Where it is another matter, which might just be the provision of a fine or the handing over of informat ion, “all reasonable hours” would then curtail to be nine to five, Monday through Friday, kind of thing. Is that what is meant? I ask because I could not find the definition of “all reasonable hours” either in this Bill or in the original Act. Thank you.
The ChairmanChairmanMinister Roban. Hon. Walter H. Roban: I think common sense perhaps will prevail, Mr. Chairman, in that reasonable hours would mean if a severe event happened in the middle of the night and it is determined . . . reasonable hours means immediately, as soon as that particular event is …
Minister Roban.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I think common sense perhaps will prevail, Mr. Chairman, in that reasonable hours would mean if a severe event happened in the middle of the night and it is determined . . . reasonable hours means immediately, as soon as that particular event is made aware of and they are on the scene. And then, obviously, as . . . and that may be . . . because it may be a severe event of gravity. And it is more important that the officers get, or whoever is going to be doing the testing or inspection, get there as soon as possible. That could be any time of the day. Whereas something might be less of a problem and maybe it is controlled and identified and then someone will come when it is appropriate. I think it does speak to the gravity of the event that determines what “reasonable” means. Certainly, a large event will have an immediate action but something that is more identified and controlled then somebody may come when they are available. But I wi ll get advice if there is some need for further clarification in the future and we will take it under advisement, Mr. Chairman, about what “reasonable hours” . . . if there is necessity to clarify that in the law.
The ChairmanChairmanSo reasonable hours can be any hour [within] the 24? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, sir. The Chairman: Okay. I guess the question begs, What is reasonable? [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Walter H. Roban: As I have tried to specify, Mr. Chairman, if we have a pollution event of some magnitude, …
So reasonable hours can be any hour [within] the 24?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, sir. The Chairman: Okay. I guess the question begs, What is reasonable?
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: As I have tried to specify, Mr. Chairman, if we have a pollution event of some magnitude, let’s just say, hypothetically, a pollution event happened up in Ferry Reach. And there are some compounding issues that came with that, you would want those . . . and it could happen in the middle of the night when normally multiple . . . you know, staff or the full complement is not on site, but we have been made aware of it, it is more important that we get there imme-diately. Even if it is in t he middle of the night when there is hardly anybody there, because that pollution event could impact if we do not arrest it and determine what it is—
The ChairmanChairmanYes. Hon. Walter H. Roban: —and take the proper steps. So it could be within the 24- hour period. But that would be governed by the severity of the event.
The ChairmanChairmanWell, I guess the question is, why reasonable? Because reasonable could be any time it is needed. I think that is the grey area, but anyhow I . . . Hon. Walter H. Roban: We will take a further look at it,
Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanOkay. Hon. Walter H. Roban: If we have to come back, we will come back and make the change.
The ChairmanChairmanAll right. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much for your guidance.
Mr. Scott PearmanAnd this is a question that I flagged up in debate, but I am not sure that the Minister answered it specifically. And to be fair to the Minister, it is really a matter for the draftsman or draftswoman. And the question was this. Clause 17 is amending the primary …
And this is a question that I flagged up in debate, but I am not sure that the Minister answered it specifically. And to be fair to the Minister, it is really a matter for the draftsman or draftswoman. And the question was this. Clause 17 is amending the primary Act at section 37. So, this is the penalties section. And a number of matters that gave rise to penalties, specifically three matters that were in the primary Act where penalties would arise. And to assist, they are
Bermuda House of Assembly [sections] 27(4), 30(2), and 35(1). I will repeat that. They are [sections] 27(4), 30(2), and 35(1). [ They] are now removed by the amending Act. Now, I anticipate that they are just being removed because they are going to appear elsewhere in clause 17(1) or 17(2) and all these additional section numbers. But I just want to be clear whether those are in fac t breaches that are coming out, or those are breaches that are just . . . those three breaches have just moved elsewhere in the Act. Thank you very much and that is my final question, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanMinister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. They have been moved elsewhere. So, I think we made clarity in the general debate that nothing has been taken out of this. [Laughter] Hon. Walter H. Roban: We are adding more to this Bill . . . the principal Act. …
Mr. Scott PearmanThank you, Minister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: But I think we made that clear. That we are putting more into this Bill. It is not a Bill where we are extracting anything.
The ChairmanChairmanAll right. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you. Any further speakers? Minister, do you want to move? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for the robust participation by the Oppo-sition.
The ChairmanChairmanMm-hmm. Hon. Walter H. Roban: And thank you for those technical people who have been here to support the carrying of this Bill. With that, I certainly move that clauses 12 through 21 be approved. I would like to move on that.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 12 through 21 be approved. Are there any objections? There appear to be none. They are moved. [Motion carried: Clauses 12 through 21 passed.] Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I now move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the preamble be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. Walter H. Roban: I move, Mr. Chairman, that the Bill reported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: The Water Resources Amendment Act 2024 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.]
The ChairmanChairmanThank you. Mr. Speaker, the Bill is reported. House resumed at 3 :10 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE WATER RESOURCES AMENDMENT ACT 2024
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Water Resources Amendment Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. It has been reported. That brings us to a conclusion of that matter. We will move on to the next item which is the second …
Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Water Resources Amendment Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. It has been reported. That brings us to a conclusion of that matter. We will move on to the next item which is the second reading of the National Heroes Act 2024, in the name of the Junior Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Minister.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanMr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled the National Heroes Act 2024 be now read for a second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Continue, Junior Minister. BILL 1650 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly SECOND READING NATIONAL HEROES ACT 2024
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to introduce the Bill entitled the National Heroes Act 2024 which establishes and for-malises the criteria which is to be applied in the selection of a National Hero. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues will be aware, in [the] November 2022 Throne Speech a …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to introduce the Bill entitled the National Heroes Act 2024 which establishes and for-malises the criteria which is to be applied in the selection of a National Hero. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues will be aware, in [the] November 2022 Throne Speech a commitment was made to invite the legislature to codify the nomination process and qualifying criteria for the selection of a National Hero. Mr. Speaker, the National Hero es Day holiday is observed each year on the third Monday in June. The purpose of the holiday is to honour those persons who have been officially designated as National Heroes in Bermuda. The National Hero designation is a life -time honour that is bestowed. Mr. Speaker, the designation of a National Hero is intended to be a rare honour. Dame Lois Browne -Evans was inducted as Bermuda’s first National Hero in 2009. Parliament will recall that seven additional heroes have been inducted since that time with Sir John Swan being the most recently inducted hero in 2016. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Culture maintains the responsibility of enacting plans relating to the National Heroes nominations. They emphasise that National Heroes should have made a significant and lasting contribution to Bermuda, have enriched the liv es of others, have a legacy that will stand the test of time and continued relevance in the future, have contributed to the quality of life and destiny of Bermuda, be considered outstanding in their area of service, have ready name recognition among the ge neral population, is recognised by his or her professional organisation and is reflective of Bermuda’s cultural heritage and diversity. It is important that the individual or group designated as a National Hero is of outstanding character and may possess some or all of the following characteristics: • dedicated ; • ethical; • committed ; • self-sacrificing ; • conscientious ; • agent of change or betterment ; • risk-taker ; • demonstrates consistency and passion ; • demonstrates love of Bermuda and her people; and • demonstrates leadership qualities . Mr. Speaker, this Bill seeks to codify the nomination process into legislation to ensure that the selection of a National Hero is driven by established standards and attributes, rather than being influenced by any set of current events or political circums tances that may not stand the test of time. Public confidence in the National Hero selection process is essential to successfully maintain the order of the heroes as a symbol of exceptional excellence selected for the purpose of engendering national pride. Mr. Speaker, due to the extraordinary nature of this honour, the nomination process for new posthumous National Heroes will be open to the public once every 10 years starting in 2025 with the window for nominations occurring the October prior. This has already been established with policy but will be codified within this Act. Those nominated must have had at the time of death Bermuda status or were enslaved in Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, a Naming and Recognition Committee will be established to consider nominations for National Heroes, comprised of seven members ap-pointed by the Minister responsible for Culture, including a head of the committee, three members recommended by t he Minister in consultation with the Director of Culture, one member recommended by the Leader of the Opposition, and two members from the general public appointed by the head of the committee. Mr. Speaker, the Naming and Recognition Committee will consider recommendations on the nam-ing of National Heroes as well as the naming or renaming of public sites. The committee may also be responsible for recommendations on producing monuments or memorial s as it relates to National Heroes. These recommendations will be presented to the Minister with responsibility for Culture. Mr. Speaker, as you know, there is a precedent set for naming buildings and public parks after National Heroes. In this Act the process becomes formalised with the Minister responsible for Culture able to grant tokens of recognition based on the recommendations of the Naming and [Recognition] Committee. Mr. Speaker, the Act also includes a clause that also allows the Minister on recommendation of the committee and with the approval of Cabinet to revoke the honour of a National Hero if it is determined that the person engaged in any act that brings the int egrity of the honour into disrepute. To close, Mr. Speaker, the National Heroes Act 2024 formalises and allows transparency into a pro-cess for the selection of National Heroes to safeguard from political interference. It includes provisions for periodic public nominations and establishes a Naming and Recognition Committee for the transparency. To ensure that the honour remains an exceptional and rare special one, it is limited to every 10 years. It is my sincere desire that this Act, fulfilling the 2022 Throne Speech will help us recognise our most deserving heroes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Junior Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Bermuda House of Assembly Deputy Opposition Leader, you have the floor.
Mr. Ben SmithThank you, Mr. Speaker. First, just thank you to the Junior Minister for the information he has provided so far to us today. I only rise to my feet to say that the Opposition is in support of this Bill, and we obviously agree that this is an important role, …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, just thank you to the Junior Minister for the information he has provided so far to us today. I only rise to my feet to say that the Opposition is in support of this Bill, and we obviously agree that this is an important role, having National Heroes for our history to recognise the people who have done extraordinary things for our community. So, for that we support.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad that the Junior Minister has brought this Bill because to me it gives some clarity on how you choose a hero. Mr. …
Thank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad that the Junior Minister has brought this Bill because to me it gives some clarity on how you choose a hero. Mr. Speaker, I can recall, probably about six years ago, two students were home from school during the summer break and I asked them . . . I gave them an assignment. They accepted. They didn’t get paid.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I said to them, Give me the definition of a hero. And then I gave them a list of names that were available that were already selected. And I said, Judge each one based on their biography. And they did. And some folks did not fit the definition of a hero. And I had some problems with that because, you know, one of the definitions of a hero is a man or woman of distinguished courage or ability admired by their brave deeds and noble qualities. A selfless servant. You know, a hero does not have to be anyone of any prominence . . . what I mean is somebody who is every day or every week in the newspaper. It could be anyone who does a deed. They can save a drowning child or something like that. But, Mr. Speaker, I know a hero by the Bible’s definition. And the Bible’s definition says that it is . . . it defines a hero as a man [who is] prepared to give his life for that of another. I can recall in the 1981 (I believe) or the 1992 general strike there was a fellow named Carlton Askia. He was Burchall at one time. [Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, it was in 1991 or 1992. It was a Bermuda Forwarders big truck, those big [trucks that] carry the trailers. Ready to take off. He laid right under the wheel. The motor was started up. And if he would have let that clutch out , Carlton would have gone sooner than he did. That is a hero. Prepared to give his life for the cause, Mr. Speaker. And I have always questioned . . . in fact, that is probably . . . is one of the reasons I don’t celebrate. I don’t even participate in Heroes Day because I think it has been made mockery of. In fact, they used to select them . . . it seemed like every year. And if they continued in that vein, we would have had a roomful like this full of heroes, in a little small country. So that is why I am so pleased that the Government said we will do it every 10 years. Because we have heroes who are in this country who have gone on and they fit the description, the definitions of it. The Bi-ble description and the Oxford description. And I would think that those who are chosen to make these selections would look at the common man, not just anybody because they were in the newspapers every day and every week. But they will not know about Carlton Burchall Askia. And so they need to look, look and look because even during the 1981 strikes and even before them we had some heroes, some people, who went out on a limb. Doctor Kenneth Robinson [was] one of them who wanted good, fair education for all children in this country. And what did they do because they didn’t agree with him? They called his mortgage. That is a hero! And my cousin, M. A. Gibbons had to bail him out. We have so many like that. Had their mortgages called for the cause. Comrade Lynch and people like that. These are true heroes i n the true definition of the word. I do not think we should be awarding anybody a hero because they did some things and they gained financially. Because one would ask, I guess they did that so they could gain financially. That is not what it is about. One of the greatest heroes around has gone on, left us almost two years ago. That was Ottie Simmons. Dr. Ball. These are true heroes in the sense of the definition of the w ord. So, again, thank you, Junior Minister. And thank this Government for bringing this Bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? None. Junior Minister.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Opposition for their support of this Bill, and I appreciate the history lesson provided by the Deputy Speaker and his comments on, particularly, Mr. Askia , who lived in St. George’s for a number of years. I got to know [him]. He came …
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Opposition for their support of this Bill, and I appreciate the history lesson provided by the Deputy Speaker and his comments on, particularly, Mr. Askia , who lived in St. George’s for a number of years. I got to know [him]. He came to a meeting one time and said, If you want to get something done you got to get off your rusty -dusty and do it!
[Laughter]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd I will always remember those comments indeed. 1652 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly And with that, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill be committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Deputy. [Pause] House in Committee at 03:2 5 am [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL NATIONAL HEROES ACT 2024
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYes, Mr. Chairman. I just want to let you know that your microphone might not have been turned on.
The ChairmanChairmanOh! I am so sorry. Let me repeat a little because . . . Honourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further consideration of the Bill entitled the National Heroes Act 2024 . This Bill is being led in debate by the Junior Minister, Kim …
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanMr. Chairman, clause 1 provides the citation for the Bill. Clause 2 sets out the definition used in the Bill. The definition of “committee” meaning the Naming and Recognition Committee whose powers are outlined in the Bill. Clause 3 establishes that nothing in this Bill has the effect of establishing …
Mr. Chairman, clause 1 provides the citation for the Bill. Clause 2 sets out the definition used in the Bill. The definition of “committee” meaning the Naming and Recognition Committee whose powers are outlined in the Bill. Clause 3 establishes that nothing in this Bill has the effect of establishing a system for the grant of honours or awards by or on behalf of His Majesty, nor does this Bill affect the prerogative of His Majesty in respect of honours and awards. Clause 4 provides for the Premier, on the advice of the Cabinet given after consideration of the recommendation of the Committee and the Minister, to confer the honour of National Hero on a person who has provided exceptional and outstanding service to Bermuda as a National Hero and shall publish a notice in the Gazette of every honour granted. A person may be proclaimed a National Hero under this [section ] only after his death. Clause 5 establishes the Naming and Recognition Committee. The Committee consists of seven members, one member is the Head; three members are recommended by the Minister in consultation with the Director; one member is recommended by the Leader of the Opposition and two members are from the general public appointed by the Head of the Com-mittee. Clause 6 provides for the functions of the Committee. The Committee is responsible for researching and investigating the applicants for National Hero and further to the investigations, will provide a report to the Minister on the recommended persons. The C ommittee will consider recommendations on renaming parks, gardens, public buildings or other government property, on the erection of a monument or statue, and undertake any other duty in relation to this Act as may be assigned by the Minister. Clause 7 provides for the Schedule to the Act to have effect as to the constitution of and other matters concerning the Committee.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you. Thank you, Junior Minister, Kim Swan. Are there any further speakers on clauses 1 through 7? There appear to be none.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 7 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Clauses 1 through 7 are approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 7 passed.] Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanClause 8 establishes the Director of Culture as the Secretary to the Naming and Recognition Committee. The Director will be responsible for receiving the applications, maintaining the records of the Committee and arranging for the presentation of the honours.
The ChairmanChairmanMember, on second thought. Let’s do clause 8 and see if anyone has any comments on it.
The ChairmanChairmanNow, there may be some speakers to clause 9 so let’s do clause 9 by itself.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanYes. Clause 9 provides for the nomination of a person for the bestowal of the honour of a National Hero to be made in writing to the Secretary to the Naming and Recognition Committee. The Minister shall advise the public of the opening of the nomination process on or before …
Yes. Clause 9 provides for the nomination of a person for the bestowal of the honour of a National Hero to be made in writing to the Secretary to the Naming and Recognition Committee. The Minister shall advise the public of the opening of the nomination process on or before 1 October 2024, and every 10 years thereafter. Subclause (3) provides f or the following persons to be recorded as National Heroes upon the coming into force of this Act: • Dame Lois Browne- Evans; • Dr. Edgar Fitzgerald Gordon; • Dr. Pauulu Kamarakafego; —
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clause 9 be approved as read. Any objections to that? There appear to be none. [Motion carried: Clauses 8 and 9 passed.]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanClause 10 provides for the consideration of nominations by the Naming and Recognition Committee. The Committee will consider nominations, provide a report with recommendations to the Minister and advise the Minister on any matter concerning the honour. The Minister shall then submit the report from the Committee to the Cabinet …
Clause 10 provides for the consideration of nominations by the Naming and Recognition Committee. The Committee will consider nominations, provide a report with recommendations to the Minister and advise the Minister on any matter concerning the honour. The Minister shall then submit the report from the Committee to the Cabinet for consideration with a letter indicating whether he agrees with the proposals. Clause 11 authorises the Minister, in consultation with the Cabinet, to make tokens of recognition to recognise a National Hero for his service to Bermuda. Clause 12 provides for the Minister, on the recommendation of the Committee and with the approval of the Cabinet to be able to revoke the honour where it is determined that the person engaged in any act that brings the honour into disrepute. Clause 13 provides for consequential amendments. This clause amends the Government Authorities (Fees) Act 1971 by recognising the establishment of the Naming and Recognition Committee. The final clause, c lause 14, provides for the commencement of the Bill which is to occur by notice published in the Gazette. There concludes clauses 8 [sic] through 14—
The ChairmanChairmanAny Members want to speak to clauses 10 through 14? 1654 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly There appear to be none. Junior Minister, you want to move clauses 10 through 14?
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 10 through 14 be approved. Are there any objections? There appear to be no objections. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 10 through 14 passed.]
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Schedule be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: The Schedule passed.]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThank you. I approve [sic] that the preamble be approved. [Inaudible interjection]
The ChairmanChairmanYou want to move that the preamble—
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections to that? No objections. Approved. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. [Motion carried: The National Heroes Act 2024 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and …
The ChairmanChairmanMr. Speaker. House resumed at 3:37 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE NATIONAL HEROES ACT 2024
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon, Members. Are there any objections to the Bill entitled the National Heroes Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported and that concludes that matter. Now, Members, we will move on to the item [on the Orders of the …
Good afternoon, Members. Are there any objections to the Bill entitled the National Heroes Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported and that concludes that matter. Now, Members, we will move on to the item [on the Orders of the Day] entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 in the name of the Minister of Finance. Minister. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Hey, Mr. Speaker. How are you doing?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI am doing good. Hon. E. David Burt: Oh, that’s good. Mr. Speaker, with the Governor’s recommendation I move that the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 be now read for the second time.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections to that? There are none. Continue. BILL SECOND READING CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members are now requested to give consideration to the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024. Mr. Speaker, since returning …
Are there any objections to that? There are none. Continue.
BILL
SECOND READING
CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT ACT 2024
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members are now requested to give consideration to the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024. Mr. Speaker, since returning to office this Government has stayed true to our commitment that as our economy and fiscal position continue to approve, we will provide further relief to Bermudians. This Bill proposes to amend the Fifth Schedule of the Custo ms Tariff Act 1970 for the purpose of lowering the rate of duty for diesel and fuel oils used by BELCO for the production of electricity.
B ermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will recall on 8 July of this year, the Regulatory Authority [RA] of Bermuda ordered increases to all BELCO facilities charges and energy charges. The Regulatory Authority has estimated that as a result of the uprated charges, average overall residential rates would have increased by 8.5 per cent and commercial rates would have increased by 8.94 p er cent. This Government recognises that this announcement caused concern and added stress for families. Mr. Speaker, in the 2024 Budget Statement in support of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure the Government acknowledged that our community has urgent needs, including relief from energy prices. And, Mr. Speaker, as we have demonstrated time and time again, this is a Government of action. And so when confronted with challenges faced by a community, the community that we serve, and choices regarding what we can do, our response is not money doesn’t grow on trees. Instead, Mr. Speaker, this Government’s response is: What can we do to help? Nor is our response to raise taxes on the people of Bermuda as was done by the previous Government. Not just in raising taxes on workers to the highest level in history, but also doubling this very fuel tax we are speaking about now, than when they were in Government. Mr. Speaker, the record of decisions by this Government is one that shows we do as much as we can to bring relief to the hard- working people of this country. And so whether that be through the reduction of the payroll taxes for 80 per cent of workers or all local businesses (opposed by the Opposition), freezing fuel prices when they reach record highs, or freezing the standard premium rate to save policyholders $540 a year, for the third year in a row, Mr. Speaker. The people of Bermuda can be confident that this Government will seek solutions that bring relief where we can. Therefore, to mitigate the impact of the Regulatory Authority’s sanctioned BELCO charges on customers, the Bill proposes to reduce the duty revenue gained through fuel duty by $10 million, from 19 July 2024 through 31 March 2025. This will reduce the rates of duty on fuel used to generate electricity by 60 per cent, from 20 cents a litre to 8 cents a litre. Mr. Speaker, this Bill had statutory effect from the date of its first reading on the 19 July 2024 in accordance with the Provisional Collection of Revenue Act 1975. On that date the duty rate for BELCO diesel and fuel oil was reduced from 20 cents per li tre to 8 cents per litre. In this way the Government ensured that the rates of duty for BELCO diesel and fuel oils were provisionally lowered in time for the effective date of the bas e rate increase by BELCO on 1 August 2024. I should mention that the Governor’s declaration approved the statutory effect from the date of the first reading of the Bill was received in this Honourable House on 18 July 2024. Mr. Speaker, this Government intends that these new lower duty rates for BELCO diesel and fuel [oils] should continue for the time being in force for the benefit for customers. It is therefore intended that the Bill should be enacted by the Legislature during the current term to av oid the cessation of the application and provisions of the Provisional Collection of Revenue Act [1975] and a reversal of these urgently needed rate reductions. Mr. Speaker, what this means for bill payers and families is that we want to ensure that this tax reduction was implemented in time for the billing cycle which happened in August. And that, Mr. Speaker, is the case. Once again, this Government is not push ing relief down the line and promising in the future when speaking about future revenues which may come from a corporate income tax. We are acting now to support the people of Bermuda who need and deserve relief immediately. And I am happy to comment further on measures in this Bill when we get into Committee. Thank you, Mr . Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank y ou, Premier. Does any ot her M ember w ish to mak e a contribution at t his time? MP P earman.
Mr. Scott PearmanMr. Speaker, it may be felt a good thing for Bermudians that BELCO is being given a tax cut by the Bermuda Government. And Bermudians will, hopefully, have seen this tax cut to BELCO — Hon. E . David B urt: Point of or der, Mr . Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT O F ORDER Hon. E. David Burt: The Honourable Member knows full well that this is not a tax cut for BELCO. It is a reduction on the duty rate that is charged on fuel that comes in. The Honourable Member raised that point before. He …
Point of order. POINT O F ORDER Hon. E. David Burt: The Honourable Member knows full well that this is not a tax cut for BELCO. It is a reduction on the duty rate that is charged on fuel that comes in. The Honourable Member raised that point before. He knows it is incorrect. He must withdraw. It is not correct, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Scott PearmanWith the greatest of respect, Mr. Speaker, I have the Bill right here in my hand. And on page 1 it says, “Eligible Beneficiary.” And it says, “ Bermuda Electric Light Company Ltd. (“BELCO”) . This is a tax cut to BELCO as the Bill states. Hon. E . David …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo ahead. POINT O F ORDER 1656 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, we know, and the Honourable Member knows, that this is not a tax cut for BELCO. And I happened to review his Register of Interests last evening …
Go ahead. POINT O F ORDER 1656 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, we know, and the Honourable Member knows, that this is not a tax cut for BELCO. And I happened to review his Register of Interests last evening and I hope that he will declare his interest as the —
POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Scott PearmanPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. I have no interest in respect to BELCO. Thank you very much, Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: —for Ascendant Limited as is his statutory declaration — POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Scott PearmanPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. I have no record with Ascendant either. Thank you very much. Hon. E. David Burt: Well, he might want to update his declarations as it says “Ascendant” on his declarations, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. E. David Burt: But Mr. Speaker, it is clear that …
Point of order, Mr. Speaker. I have no record with Ascendant either. Thank you very much. Hon. E. David Burt: Well, he might want to update his declarations as it says “Ascendant” on his declarations, Mr. Speaker.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. E. David Burt: But Mr. Speaker, it is clear that this is not a tax cut for BELCO. It is a reduction in the fuel duty. And the Honourable Member knows, as he sits on the board that appoints Regulatory Authority commissioners, that this is implemented through the fuel adjustment rate. He knows —
POINT OF ORDER
Mr. Scott PearmanPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. I do not sit on the board that appoints Regulatory Authorities. I think the Premier . . . it is the fourth thing he said that is wrong in the last five minutes.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerLet us try and get to a point where we do not have to be fighting back and forth for the seman-tics of it, the particular wording. And let’s try and deal with what the gist of the Bill is. You stated your view on it. The Premier has cleared …
Let us try and get to a point where we do not have to be fighting back and forth for the seman-tics of it, the particular wording. And let’s try and deal with what the gist of the Bill is. You stated your view on it. The Premier has cleared it up on his perspective. Can we move on to the matters of the Bill itself?
Mr. Scott PearmanAs directed, Mr. Speaker, I will continue. Thank you.
Mr. Scott PearmanSo as I was saying, it may be felt a good thing for Bermudians that BELCO is being given a tax cut by the Bermuda Government. Bermudians will hopefully have seen this tax cut to BELCO passed along to them in their monthly bills in August or indeed September. And …
So as I was saying, it may be felt a good thing for Bermudians that BELCO is being given a tax cut by the Bermuda Government. Bermudians will hopefully have seen this tax cut to BELCO passed along to them in their monthly bills in August or indeed September. And this is important because at the same time BELCO’s charges to its customers are increasing. And that is a fact. So this tax cut to BELCO, when passed along to everyday Bermudian consumers, will help to soften the blow of the quite separate increase in BELCO’s charges which will be reflected in the base rate increase. So, yes, the impact of BELCO’s base rate increase to Bermudian consumers will be softened by this tax reduction to BELCO and for that reason the Opposition will support this Bill. The question I ask to the Honourable Premier is of course, For how long? And how much is this tax cut to BELCO going to cost? We have seen different figures referred to by the Premier in the media. So how much exactly is the tax reduction to BELCO in real terms? Mr. Speaker, the Opposition is asking these questions because giving BELCO a tax break will mean less money —
Hon. E. David Burt: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Scott Pearman—in the hands — Hon. E. David Burt: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT OF ORDER Hon. E. David Burt: The Honourable Member continues to repeat something that he knows is not factually correct and I said . . . and I know that you said that he should move on from that point. This is not a tax cut …
Point of order.
POINT OF ORDER
Hon. E. David Burt: The Honourable Member continues to repeat something that he knows is not factually correct and I said . . . and I know that you said that he should move on from that point. This is not a tax cut for BELCO. He knows that. It is not a tax that is paid by BELCO. It is a tax that is paid by every single person who has a BELCO bill. And it has a line on there, Charged by the Regulatory Authority, fuel adjustment rate. And this is inside of that. And he knows that, Mr. Speaker. This is a tax c ut for people of this country after the Opposition doubled this tax. He needs to stop saying that this is a tax cut for BELCO. It is not.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerHonourable Member, I earlier mentioned to let’s try and not get caught up in the semantics of the word and just move on to matters at hand. In the defi-nition that has been provided, the term “tax cut,” “tax reduction” may not suit in that it wasn’t a tax that …
The SpeakerThe Speaker—of operation maybe, but it is not directly a tax that they would have paid. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Pearman: Mr. Speaker, the eligible beneficiary in this Bill of this tax reduction is BELCO. There is no doubt about it. Hon. E. David Burt: Point of order, Mr. …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerIt is a reduction. We accept that.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerBut it is not a reduction of the tax that they were paying. It is a reduction in the cost of the fuel. And the tax of the fuel is to . . . everybody pays that.
Mr. Scott PearmanMr. Speaker, in my statement I have stated two facts.
Mr. Scott PearmanOne, Government is reducing the tax on BELCO. That is true. Two, that reduction in the BELCO tax is being passed on to consumers. That is also true. I have stated both of those things. I have not misled anyone. And it is frustrating to me that the Premier will …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, let’s . . . we can go back and forth in trying to define the terminology, and we could be here all afternoon trying to define that terminology that suits everybody. And we miss the point of what the Bill itself is doing. I prefer to see us sit …
Well, let’s . . . we can go back and forth in trying to define the terminology, and we could be here all afternoon trying to define that terminology that suits everybody. And we miss the point of what the Bill itself is doing. I prefer to see us sit here and concentrate on the facts of the Bill so that we can move forward. And in order to get there, if we can find another way of mak-ing your point without referring to it in that manner, if it is defined that it is not necessarily a tax at this point, the tax is one that I would assume that if I put it right on you personally to pay, it is a tax. If I am giving it to you in a reduction in some other services, it is not necessarily a tax reduction. It is a reduction in your cost. I would accept that. But it is not a tax that if I did not . . . if it wasn’t removed, you would be writing a cheque for that month to say you are paying that particular tax.
Mr. Scott PearmanAnd to say that this is not a tax cut for BELCO would be inaccurate because it is. The question— Hon. E. David Burt: Point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: It is a reduction in cost to the operation — Hon. E. David Burt: Point of order, Mr. Speaker, …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo ahead. POINT OF ORDER Hon. E. David Burt: And it may help the Honourable Member because the Honourable Member knows this as his fellow colleague over there is saying, Not a lawyer. And I know that the Honourable Member is trying to create something around a tax cut for …
Go ahead.
POINT OF ORDER
Hon. E. David Burt: And it may help the Honourable Member because the Honourable Member knows this as his fellow colleague over there is saying, Not a lawyer. And I know that the Honourable Member is trying to create something around a tax cut for BELCO, which is not the case. And he continues to point to this matter of “eligible beneficiary.” The only thing that an eligible bene-ficiary means, inside of the law of which he is referring to, are the people who may claim the said relief by specifying the specific CPC code in box 16 of the relevant customs declaration. That is where it is. It limits it because any importation of fuel into the country is subject to the taxes that would be there. And so, from this particular perspective, what it is saying is that this tax which is not paid by BELCO, which is paid by everyday citizens who consume electricity will not have to be paid. That is a reality, Mr. Speaker. He knows that this is not a tax cut for BELCO and he knows that and he should withdraw it, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Scott PearmanI had posed two questions. I will repeat them. One, for how long will this tax cut last? And two, how much is the tax cut? Because we have seen multiple references to multiple numbers from the Premier so far. POINT OF INFORMATION Hon. E. David Burt: Can the Honourable …
Mr. Scott PearmanI will yield. Hon. E. David Burt: —the multiple numbers he is speaking about? Because I have only given one in my 1658 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Statement. So I am looking for what else he is talking about.
Mr. Scott PearmanIf he has given one, I would be grateful for him to state what that was.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYou would like for him to restate it?
Mr. Scott PearmanI would like to know how much in real terms, and we understand that it is multiple mil-lions, the tax cut will be. [Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSo, just finish your presentation and in Committee you can—
Mr. Scott PearmanMr. Speaker, I sat only because you were addressing me, and I understood that to be the courteous thing to do. So, I am happy to continue.
Mr. Scott PearmanBut the two questions posed are those. And the reason this tax break, whoever it may be to, is important [is] because it will mean less money in the hands of the Government to invest in other social programmes. And as I said at the outset, the Bermuda Government is …
But the two questions posed are those. And the reason this tax break, whoever it may be to, is important [is] because it will mean less money in the hands of the Government to invest in other social programmes. And as I said at the outset, the Bermuda Government is in effect seeking to soften the impact of the BELCO rate increase by giving this tax cut. And that is no bad thing. And let’s remember, of course, Mr. Speaker, that the Bermuda Government really has no money. And so when we talk about the Bermuda Government giving a tax cut, that is in fact a taxpayer cut because that is where the Bermuda Government gets its money. And we must also appreciate that a substan-tial tax cut cannot last forever. So again, the question is, For how long? Is it just to get us to the next election? Mr. Speaker, this is but a temporary solution to the problem. And it is a solution that diverts much - needed investment away from other much- needed Government programmes. It is like putting a bucket out below a pipe that is leaking rather than fixing the pipe. And so, you might fairly ask, Mr. Speaker, Well, how do we fix the pipe? What is the real solution that we should be looking at to solve this problem rather than the bucket? And the answer, Mr. Speaker, at least our answer, is we have a regulator in t he energy sector. We have a regulator in the energy sector, but we have one with insufficient powers. And so the choice to any government that wished to replace the pipe rather than put the bucket below the drip is this: If we in Bermuda are going to regulate the energy sec tor, then we must empower the regulator. Section 35 of the Act, that is the section that provides for the regulator’s powers, has to be reviewed so that the regulator has the teeth it needs to effectively regulate. What do I mean by “effectively regulate”? I mean regulate by taking into account public policy considerations as currently the RA, the regulator, cannot do so. Now, that is one choice. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPoint of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Walter H. Roban: Again, the Honourable Member misleads the House and the public. Certainly, as the Minister responsible for the regulator sector, I can assure you that not only in the Act, the Regulatory Act, the regulator is required to take account …
Point of order.
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Again, the Honourable Member misleads the House and the public. Certainly, as the Minister responsible for the regulator sector, I can assure you that not only in the Act, the Regulatory Act, the regulator is required to take account for Government policy considerations. That is written in the Act. That is not missing from the law. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Minister has clarified that point. Can you respond to that?
Mr. Scott PearmanYes, I can respond to that, Mr. Speaker. Because the RA very kindly invited the Oppo-sition to come to a meeting with them at the time of the base rate increase. And we, three of us (I believe), MP King, MP Cannonier and myself all attended that meeting. I t …
Yes, I can respond to that, Mr. Speaker. Because the RA very kindly invited the Oppo-sition to come to a meeting with them at the time of the base rate increase. And we, three of us (I believe), MP King, MP Cannonier and myself all attended that meeting. I t was a very useful meeting. We were grateful for the opportunity to have been presented with their pro-posals and to have asked questions. And one of the questions, quite naturally, was: Is there a way to try to solve this problem? Because it is very unsat isfactory for a regulator to say, We can’t fix this. And one of the suggestions put to us by the regulator, and I am paraphrasing, obviously, was, Yes, if we looked at the powers that we had, at the moment we are very constrained by section 35. So I suggest that the Honourable Minister who just intervened, Minister Roban, can go and have a conversation with the Regulatory Authority and see if indeed if they will say the same thing to him as they did to the Opposition Members who attended the meet ing. So that is one option. One option. Let’s not worry about the bucket. Let’s fix the tap. Let’s fix the
Bermuda House of Assembly pipe. One option, let’s give teeth to the regulator and give them the power they need to regulate the energy sector. But if we are not going to do that, there is an alternative option. And the alternative option is that if we are not going to empower the regulator, then let’s be real here. Why are we paying a huge amount of money to a regulator who does not have the teeth to regulate the energy sector? So those are the choices, and they are clear. And both of them involve fixing the pipe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Pearman. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker. So where do I start? Let me start from the dangers of irresponsible accusations in this House that Members know …
Thank you, MP Pearman. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member? Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker. So where do I start? Let me start from the dangers of irresponsible accusations in this House that Members know to be misleading, false —
POINT OF ORDER [Imputing improper motive]
Mr. Scott PearmanPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Premier is [imputing] improper motive. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI take it that the Minister, the Premier, was trying to stress the . . . I will use his word, “danger” of information that is not correctly what it is. I hope he was about to clarify what that point was. I was waiting to see what that point …
I take it that the Minister, the Premier, was trying to stress the . . . I will use his word, “danger” of information that is not correctly what it is. I hope he was about to clarify what that point was. I was waiting to see what that point is. Hon. E. David Burt: So Mr. Speaker, I am happy to continue, and I am sure the Honourable Member will interrupt me many times.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, I am assuming you are going to provide the clarity for — Hon. E. David Burt: I am absolutely. So I am going to give the example of the real impact of what is attempted to be political point scoring from the Honourable Member on that side knowing full …
Well, I am assuming you are going to provide the clarity for — Hon. E. David Burt: I am absolutely. So I am going to give the example of the real impact of what is attempted to be political point scoring from the Honourable Member on that side knowing full well that this is not a tax cut for BELCO.
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is misleading the House. This is certainly not for political points. This is to ensure that the people of Bermuda get the best possible deal they can. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. L. Craig CannonierAnd for the Premier to [impute] that improper motive that it is for political points is unnecessary, including the Honourable Education Min-ister chirping. Unnecessary.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI will remind Members that when Members come here and rise to their feet, they are bringing a viewpoint . . . that their perspective may be different from others, but it is their viewpoint on the matter that is before us. It does not necessarily imply that it is …
I will remind Members that when Members come here and rise to their feet, they are bringing a viewpoint . . . that their perspective may be different from others, but it is their viewpoint on the matter that is before us. It does not necessarily imply that it is a political viewpoint. It is a viewpoint of how they look at the issue that is on the table at the moment. And they are trying to use their best interest —I mean their best ability —to express the concern and interest of those in the publ ic that we all come here to represent. So we can have the back and forth without having to go into political stones being thrown back and forth. Premier, continue.
Hon. E. David Burt: Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. I am happy to go ahead and continue. So again, we all know that this is a tax on every single person who pays electricity. That is what it is. We know that. We all know that. And of course the Honourable Opposition Learned Member comes here to try to make the points for his own political purposes, and we know why he is doing it. He wants to do it to tie us to Members who may have private sector positions despite the fact that his Register of Interests states “Ascendant” on there. To be clear, I hope he looked at it. He must have looked at it because there is no point of order this time. Guess he is going to update it now.
Mr. L. Craig Cannonier—he cannot figure out how to get beyond that. And as has been said before, he is learned enough on how to get around that.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPremier. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] 1660 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Pearman: And my point of order as well, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Minister and Premier is misleading the House. He will be aware of course that BELCO is no longer owned . …
Premier.
POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]
1660 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Pearman: And my point of order as well, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Minister and Premier is misleading the House. He will be aware of course that BELCO is no longer owned . . . they are owned by a foreign Canadian company. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPremier. We have had a nice smooth go thus far today. And I thought this Bill was going to be one of those nice smooth Bills as well. Hon. E. David Burt: I did not think it was, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerPremier, I am going to ask you— Hon. E. David Burt: I didn’t think so.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWell, Mr. Premier, I am going to — [Crosstalk] Hon. E. David Burt: Because the statements that were made by . . . Sorry, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerI can see it being a bit more contentious than that, Mr. Premier. Let’s not try to add to the contention out there. Hon. E. David Burt: No problem, Mr. Speaker. But I will make this point. So, I know they do not want me to make the point, but …
I can see it being a bit more contentious than that, Mr. Premier. Let’s not try to add to the contention out there. Hon. E. David Burt: No problem, Mr. Speaker. But I will make this point. So, I know they do not want me to make the point, but I am going to make the point. So when they get tired of interrupting, I am going to make the point.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMake your — Hon. E. David Burt: Because here is what is important,
Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerMake your point around the tax policy — Hon. E. David Burt: I . . . I . . . I— [Crosstalk]
The SpeakerThe Speaker[INAUDIBLE] Hon. E. David Burt: I have moved on from the tax policy, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe Speaker[INAUDIBLE] [Crosstalk] Hon. E. David Burt: But I will go back there. But here is what is important, Mr. Speaker. Because I was speaking about why it is important to be factual; why it is important to try not to twist and turn on matters that relate to people. Here …
[INAUDIBLE]
[Crosstalk]
Hon. E. David Burt: But I will go back there. But here is what is important, Mr. Speaker. Because I was speaking about why it is important to be factual; why it is important to try not to twist and turn on matters that relate to people. Here is why. I will tell you a message that I just received. And in spaces I am going to have to say “explicative” because I am not trying to get kicked out like a former Member when she said something.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd you know I won’t tolerate that. [Crosstalk] Hon. E. David Burt: But this is a message that I just received. In quotes, Scott Pearman is a blank . What the [blank] is he talking about? BELCO tax cut? That’s a ridiculous statement and is irresponsible and some-thing politics.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWait, wait, wait! Take your seat. Take your seat. Take your seat.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberWhat?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerEverybody take your seat. Everybody take your seat. [Inaudible interjections]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerEverybody take your seat. Mr. Premier, I think both sides of this Chamber will agree [that] the stuff that we read in the blogs, the stuff that we read out there in the social media space is not necessarily the stuff we want to be repeating in this House against …
Everybody take your seat. Mr. Premier, I think both sides of this Chamber will agree [that] the stuff that we read in the blogs, the stuff that we read out there in the social media space is not necessarily the stuff we want to be repeating in this House against either side. Because just like you were able to read something just now, the other Member on this side may be able to get up and read . . . if I allowed that. The Member on this side may be able to get up and read something that was sent to him that is just as offensive tow ard yourself or your party. And because I have allowed it on your side, I then have to allow it from his side. [Inaudible interjection]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerSo I am trying to say, let’s remove that so that we won’t have any of that on this floor. And let’s deal with what is before us. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I happy to withdraw because I take that point.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Hon. E. David Burt: I will just say this was not from a blog. This was sent directly from me [sic] to somebody who is at the space. But I accept that. [Inaudible interjections] Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: But I withdraw. I withdraw.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerIt has been withdrawn. Let’s be clear. [Crosstalk] Hon. E. David Burt: I withdraw because the point of which you are making, I completely accept it, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOne second. One second. Members, for the sake of clarity it has been withdrawn. Hon. E. David Burt: Mm-hmm.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAnd we will not have to revisit it. Hon. E. David Burt: Yes. The point that I am making, Mr. Speaker, is that inflammatory comments like that put people at actual risk of harm because it inflames persons around things which are not accurate. And this is the point that …
And we will not have to revisit it.
Hon. E. David Burt: Yes. The point that I am making, Mr. Speaker, is that inflammatory comments like that put people at actual risk of harm because it inflames persons around things which are not accurate. And this is the point that was made to me by a concerned person over there who is saying this. But I accept the point that if you go by that then . . . so 100 per cent, I withdraw.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWithdrawn. [Crosstalk] Hon. E. David Burt: And I will say this, Mr. Speaker. I should have known better . . . my excitement. So, I withdraw, and I apologise, and I apologise again. I should have known better on that. But let me continue, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Scott PearmanApologies accepted. Thank you. Hon. E. David Burt: On the particular point that the Honourable Member made when talking about ques-tions and other things, the Honourable Deputy Premier spoke about the fact that . . . the point of which he raised regarding matters related to public policy and matters …
Apologies accepted. Thank you. Hon. E. David Burt: On the particular point that the Honourable Member made when talking about ques-tions and other things, the Honourable Deputy Premier spoke about the fact that . . . the point of which he raised regarding matters related to public policy and matters which have been set down as not correct. But I am not going to debate that. I am going to debate the specific questions of which he asked. Because . . . let’s start. We just heard an Honourable Member talk about the fact that if this Government reduces energy taxes which are paid by every person who consumes energy in this country, that we will have less money for critical programmes —on the same day that the Government announced a massive investment into social programmes. It is almost [that] he wrote his speech last night before what happened today. Now I know that he is one of their best debaters on that side, but I certainly expected better. Because the fact is, as I stated in my Ministerial Statement this morning, which is a very simple point, I said . . . I am going to paraphrase. I don’t have it up with me. Let’s recap, Mr. Speaker. Increase investment in social programmes combined with a 60 per cent reduction in the taxes that are paid by consumers for energy and still delivering a balanced budget. That is the reality, Mr. Speaker. So, no, there is no reduction in programmes due to the revenue that is lost. It is because, as I mentioned inside of my brief, we made a choice to reform payroll taxes in this country, to cut payroll taxes paid by 86 per cent of the workers in this country while increasing payroll taxes on higher earners, those making over $200,000 a year. And what happened, Mr. Speaker? Record tax revenue. Let us not forget that that side over there, the Opposition, opposed that tax change. They opposed the reduction for 86 per cent of workers in every local business. But guess what? It is yielding record tax revenue. And that is what you have when you have a government focused on working people. Because we understand that if you cut taxes for the majority of people in this country, the country will do better. And we understand that the wealthy can afford to pay more. That is what we have done. That is the reason why we are able to cut the energy taxes by 60 per cent. The same taxes that when they were in office, they doubled on the people of Bermuda. It is a pattern, Mr. Speaker. Doubled energy taxes; we are cutting by 60 per cent. Raised payroll tax for workers to the highest level in history; cut payroll taxes for 86 per cent of the workers while raising them on high earners, Mr. Speaker. That is the record. You can compare. And to answer the Opposition Member’s other question, very simple. As I stated in my brief, this cut is permanent. It will go into effect. This is not temporary. This is not a fix. This is permanent. Because this Government, as stated inside of our budget this year, focuses on reducing the taxes that are inflationary, that result in an increased cost of living. The amount of money that it will cost this fiscal year is $10 million. That is what I said inside of my brief. That is what was estimated and that i s what we are planning on delivering to the people of this country. So, Mr. Speaker, the record is very clear. The record is very clear. Double fuel taxes on Bermudians; 60 per cent cut on this side. The record is clear. Increase payroll taxes for workers to the highest level in history. On this side, reduce payroll taxes for workers to the highest level in history. The One Bermuda Alliance, Mr. Speaker, cut social programmes. They cut day care allowance. They cut scholarships, Mr. Speaker.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes! Hon. E. David Burt: They cut day care services. They cut education funding, Mr. Speaker.
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersYes! 1662 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: Let’s be clear! And we are increasing them, Mr. Speaker. So, the records could not be any different. So, I accept that the Honourable . . . I accept that the Learned Member wants …
Yes! 1662 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: Let’s be clear! And we are increasing them, Mr. Speaker. So, the records could not be any different. So, I accept that the Honourable . . . I accept that the Learned Member wants to make a point. But the fact is, we are cutting taxes on everyday Bermudians and every single person who pays, who has energy or consumes energy will receive the benefit of this cut. It is not temporary. It is permanent. And in February, when this Government delivers another budget, to be clear . . . yes, because we will be back here delivering another budget.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. E. David Burt: You can say what you like, my friend.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerTalk to the Chair. Talk to the Chair. Do not get sidetracked. [Crosstalk] Hon. E. David Burt: Dissolution or not, we will be here. Trust and believe. And when this Government delivers another budget, Mr. Speaker, we will cut those taxes further. Because that is what we are committed to: …
Talk to the Chair. Talk to the Chair. Do not get sidetracked.
[Crosstalk]
Hon. E. David Burt: Dissolution or not, we will be here. Trust and believe. And when this Government delivers another budget, Mr. Speaker, we will cut those taxes further. Because that is what we are committed to: Cut-ting taxes for working people. And when you have a governm ent that is focused on the interests of working people, this is a result of which you get. So, to answer the questions, I hope they are answered very clearly. The tax cut is permanent. It is estimated to cost $10 million. And yes, it is a tax that every person who consumes energy pays and every person who consumes energy will see a reduction. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Mr. Premier. You are moving us into . . . go ahead. Are you moving us? Hon. E. David Burt: Oh, s orry.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. I was about to ask for the next speaker, but . . . Hon. E. David Burt: Oh, you are about to? Trust me. We weren’t going to let that happen. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill be now committed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Deputy. [Pause] House in Committee at 4: 11 pm [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT ACT 2024
The ChairmanChairmanHonourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further considera-tion of the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 20 24. The debate will be led by the Premier and Finance Minister David Burt. You have the floor, Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. …
Honourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole [House] for further considera-tion of the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 20 24. The debate will be led by the Premier and Finance Minister David Burt. You have the floor, Premier.
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to move all three clauses.
The ChairmanChairmanContinue. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clause 1 provides a citation for the Bill. Clause 2 amends the Fifth Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act 1970 in the Table of End- Use Reliefs by repealing and replacing CPC 4703 and CPC 4705 so as to cause a …
Continue.
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clause 1 provides a citation for the Bill. Clause 2 amends the Fifth Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act 1970 in the Table of End- Use Reliefs by repealing and replacing CPC 4703 and CPC 4705 so as to cause a lowering of the rate of duty for fuels and oils used by BELCO for the production of electricity. Clause 3 provides for the Bill to have statutory effect from the date of its first reading (19 July 2024), in accordance with the Provisional Collection of Revenue Act 1975.
The ChairmanChairmanThank you, Mr. Premier. Any further speakers to the Bill, clauses 1 through 3? No further speakers? Mr. Premier, Finance Minister. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that clauses 1 through 3 be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that clauses 1 through 3 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 3 passed.] Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that the preamble be approved.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the preamble be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bermuda House of Assembly I move that the Bill be reported to the House as printed.
The ChairmanChairmanIt has been moved that the Bill be reported to the House as printed. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. The Bill will be reported to the House as printed. [Motion carried: The Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 was considered by a Committee of the …
The ChairmanChairmanThe Speaker will . . . [Pause] House resumed at 4:13 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT ACT 2024
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMembers, are there any objections to the Bill entitled Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported as printed. Members, that brings us to a conclusion of that matter. And it also brings us to a conclusion of …
Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The Bill has been reported as printed. Members, that brings us to a conclusion of that matter. And it also brings us to a conclusion of the Orders to be debated for today. We will now have the third readings. And Premier, you want to go first now? Okay. Go first and do your reading. Yes.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move that the Bill entitled Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 be now read the third time by its title only.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAre there any objections? There are none. Continue. [Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.] BILL THIRD READING CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move the Bill entitled the Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 be read for the third time by …
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Bill has been read a third time by its title only and is now passed. Thank you. [Motion carried: The Customs Tariff Amendment Act 2024 was read a third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDeputy. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 21 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I move that Standing Order 21 be suspended to enable me to move that the Bill entitled the Water Resources Amendment Act 2024 be now read a third time by its title only.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerAny objections? There are none. Continue. [Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.] BILL THIRD READING WATER RESOURCES AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. Walter H. Roban: I move that the Bill now be read a third time by its title only and passed.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe Bill has been read a third time by its title only and is now passed. Thank you. [Motion carried: The Water Resources Amendment Act 2024 was read a third time and passed.]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you. Junior Minister. [Pause]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerNo, no. Junior Minister of Culture. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanMr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled National Heroes 2024 be read a third time. 1664 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Any objections? There are none. Continue. BILL THIRD READING NATIONAL HEROES ACT 2024
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThat is what should have been read through. Okay? Just for future reference. The Bill has now been read a third time by its title only and is now passed. Mr. Premier. [Motion carried: The National Heroes Act 2024 was read a third time and passed.] ADJOURNMENT Hon. E. David …
That is what should have been read through. Okay? Just for future reference. The Bill has now been read a third time by its title only and is now passed. Mr. Premier. [Motion carried: The National Heroes Act 2024 was read a third time and passed.]
ADJOURNMENT
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that this Honourable House do now adjourn until Friday, September 27.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any Member wish to speak?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDeputy Speaker. DISCRIMINATION BY THE BANKS Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you very much. Mr. Richardson is a little slow. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, it was back on August 15 …
Deputy Speaker.
DISCRIMINATION BY THE BANKS
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you very much. Mr. Richardson is a little slow.
[Inaudible interjection] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, it was back on August 15 that an article appeared in The Royal Gazette, written by Jan T. Card. I understand that he is the owner of Vera P. Card. [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I think he wrote not knowing the impact of the statement because I really do not know the gentleman, but I don’t think he really understood the outcome of this paper. And it is one about me and some others [whose] services were being withdrawn from the Ba nk of Butterfield. I have no account, had no contact with Butterfield. So he has got that wrong. But you know, folks like that they just think they can write anything about us, particularly politi-cians, and they just feel it is . . . hey, they can write and say what they want. Mr. Speaker, he goes on to talk about the inmates, about not being able to get a bank account at the banks downtown. And this is the part when I say he really does not know the impact of his statement. And basically, what he is saying . . . what he did say is that, Oh, well, let the Government open up the post office services. Many years ago, Mr. Speaker, you were around then. They weren’t here.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: When they had savings at the post office.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And that type of thing.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerYes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I read about that.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerMm-hmm. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And he says, Well, maybe Government should open it up for those folks. Then he says . . . and the credit union. Well, basically what he was saying was that you are not good enough because you have come out of prison. You …
Mm-hmm.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And he says, Well, maybe Government should open it up for those folks. Then he says . . . and the credit union. Well, basically what he was saying was that you are not good enough because you have come out of prison. You are not good enough to be served down on Front Street because we have all other businesses, retail and every-thing else. You go to the post office or go around the BIU [Bermuda Industrial Union]. They will take your kind. That is a racist statement if I have [ever] heard one. And I say “racist” because . . . not completely racist because not all the prisoners are Black. Very few who are a little lighter than me. But they are human regardless of what colour they are. They are human. And if they are coming out of prison, they want to rehabilitate themselves, one needs a bank account. I know a couple of those fellows who got businesses and cannot bank in those banks. One guy was doing a job down at the East End, for some of my cousins. My C aucasian cousins. Painting their house. And he told the gentleman, you know, nice people. He done
Bermuda House of Assembly it; this guy is a good painter. He said, You are going to have to pay me in cash because I cannot go to the bank. And they graciously paid him in cash. Do we have to . . . you know, they have done their time in Westgate, or wherever. Do they have to come back outside and do more time because they can’t get a bank account? This is what this guy wrote. This is what he wrote! He is saying, Because you went to prison you can’t get . . . Martin Luther King was in prison. So he wasn’t good enough to get a bank account? And many of our heroes went to prison. There are some White people who went to prison in the fight with Martin Luther King. They weren’t good enough to get a bank account? Th is is what this fellow is saying. If you are incarcerated, then you got to be treated different. You have got to go around to the BIU. Or ask t he Premier to open up the savings at the post office, you know, and get your services there. But you are not good enough to be served down there. And because . . . I can recall in this statement . . . I know our colleague, Zane De Silva, and I . . . we both called for a Commission of Inquiry. But since, which I know if we had a Financial Ombudsman, things like that can be addressed. Because not only inmates cannot bank down there, because the bank has thrown out other people. I know they threw out a couple of lawyers. I have got . . . the lawyer sent me the correspondence. And with no explanation. This is where a Financial Ombudsman can deal with that. We probably won’t need a Commission of Inquiry. But we cannot allow these banks to continue to discriminate against people. And I am talking about all people because they were incarcerated or because they suspect something. And even the police . . . if the police are investigating something, they do not stop you from doing this. They do not stop you from driving your car because they are investigating something. The police will tell you, Finish your investigation first before you take any action. The banks have not done that, Mr. Speaker.
FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Enough on that, Mr. Speaker, let . . . you know, I was glad to hear yesterday about the Southampton Princess.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: It was just good news. News that this country needs. I just hope shortly or in the not -to-distant future something will happen over at South Shore in Paget, and Elbow.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But Mr. Speaker, with the Southampton deal many doubted it. They like to figure that these things should happen overnight. Negotiations can be rough. You have got to get everything fixed to the satisfaction of all concerned. And it can take time. I have …
Yes.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But Mr. Speaker, with the Southampton deal many doubted it. They like to figure that these things should happen overnight. Negotiations can be rough. You have got to get everything fixed to the satisfaction of all concerned. And it can take time. I have seen negotiations take two and three years, not even deals that large. But Mr. Speaker, when you have a company, not a local company, a for-eign company who are going to invest over a half a billion dollars in this country. And I think that is the largest investment in the history of this country. And they stayed to the wicket for years. They stayed to the wicket because they are committed to this country.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberTook a lot of licks. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Took a lot of licks. A lot of flak from the local media. Newspaper number one. And even from some of those who will benefit. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Because they turned it into politics instead of, …
Took a lot of licks.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Took a lot of licks. A lot of flak from the local media. Newspaper number one. And even from some of those who will benefit.
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Because they turned it into politics instead of, Let’s all get behind this here in the interest of this country.
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes! Yes, it is getting church time. [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, do people realise the benefits of that job up there? Let’s talk [about] when it is finished. We are going to have over 700 jobs. There is income for the Government. Number one. There is income for taxi drivers. Those who own cruise boats that do the local tours. The restaurants, retail. It will increase most importantly because with Southampton Princess, they are responsible for at least 30 per cent, 33 per cent of our airlift. So what you will get, you will get more advertising in North Ameri ca.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Because we have got more rooms.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And they will be the only hotel that can accommodate conventions. Conventions are big business. They spend a lot of money. And what better place to come than Bermuda, Mr. Speaker? [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And what? [Inaudible interjections] 1666 20 …
Yes.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And they will be the only hotel that can accommodate conventions. Conventions are big business. They spend a lot of money. And what better place to come than Bermuda, Mr. Speaker? [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And what?
[Inaudible interjections]
1666 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And, Mr. Speaker, when they come here, they arrive in the east.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And they head to the west. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWise men going to the west. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Some of my colleagues told me to say that. [Laughter]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerWise men, they headed to the west. We understand that. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, yes, yes. They go up there and try to take some commerce out there, Mr. Speaker. [Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, car rentals, owners of vans , cycle rentals will make …
Wise men, they headed to the west. We understand that. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, yes, yes. They go up there and try to take some commerce out there, Mr. Speaker.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Mr. Speaker, car rentals, owners of vans , cycle rentals will make some more money. That is not gloom and doom. But sometimes you seem like you are going through gloom and doom to get there. And I can tell you, the Premier/Finance Minister, took a lot of stick silently and publicly because of this. Yes, we had to give some tax concessions. You think they go into other countries and don’t get that? Sometimes down there in those other countries they give them the land and everything free. And let’s not forget Bermuda is a 5- star destination. It is very expensive for anyone. So when you look at the cost of living for the average person, that tells you it is a 5- star destination. And Mr. Speaker, with my experience in the hospitality industry, the one that I love, people pay for service. And as long as they get service, they are sat-isfied. And I know my cousins, my Bermudians, they would give this service that is necessary to bring those people back to Bermuda again and again. In fact, I read something the other day, June- Ann Furbert, we worked together down at Grotto Bay. And how she . . . she works in the social . . . she was first class.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And she goes to church down at St. George’s. But these people have to think, [after] 50 years, came back and June- Ann took them around as she would always do. And there are other people, countless people like June- Ann Furbert who go …
Yes.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And she goes to church down at St. George’s. But these people have to think, [after] 50 years, came back and June- Ann took them around as she would always do. And there are other people, countless people like June- Ann Furbert who go out of their way to cater to our guests that come here. That is why they come back again and again, Mr. Speaker. Then I have two of my colleagues.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThree . . . Crystal. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Oh, three! I didn’t even . . . I should have seen Crystal first. [Laughter and inaudible interjection] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Minister Crystal Caesar, she is down in the east, Mid Ocean, one of the . . . …
Three . . . Crystal.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Oh, three! I didn’t even . . . I should have seen Crystal first.
[Laughter and inaudible interjection]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Minister Crystal Caesar, she is down in the east, Mid Ocean, one of the . . . a property down there, down Tucker’s Town. Scott Sim-mons is over there at Coral Beach. Doing a great job over there. And the martial arts expert, Lawerence Scott.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: He likes it down at the east. So he comes down Castle Harbour, now called Rosewood or Tucker’s Point. He likes it down at the east.
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I think he wants a win for St. George’s, Mr. Speaker. The east —
Mr. W. Lawrence ScottPoint of order, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Sit down. Sit down. [Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Sit down. Sit down. [Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But Mr. Speaker, this is a great opportunity for Bermudians in the construction stages to take advantage of the jobs …
Point of order, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Sit down. Sit down.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Sit down. Sit down.
[Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But Mr. Speaker, this is a great opportunity for Bermudians in the construction stages to take advantage of the jobs available. And let me talk to them a bit. People will hire you, but you have got to go to work.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThat’s right. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: If you are asked to make 7:30, you don’t arrive at 7:30 to start work. If you are not on your station . . . you could be on the property, but if you are not on your station at 7:30, …
That’s right.
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: If you are asked to make 7:30, you don’t arrive at 7:30 to start work. If you are not on your station . . . you could be on the property, but if you are not on your station at 7:30, you are late. We want people to work. Do their best and learn as much as possible. Yes, you are going to have some foreign people there. Bermuda is small. We are always going to need foreigners.
Bermuda House of Assembly An Hon. Member: Yes!
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: If you want me to talk a bit about foreigners, don’t complain about foreigners. Because if you go down to the hospital, the majority of them are foreigners. And if we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t have a hospital that runs like it should. So let’s not even take that on. Because we don’t have the skill set that we once had. And people do not understand that now, either. Because years ago in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and part of the 1990s and in the 1950s, there were only certain jobs you could do, that you . . . that you had. So you had plenty Bermudians in construction and hotels. Those were the two main jobs you could do. So now it has opened up. You can go up to Princess, because that is about a two- year job to get it ready. You can go up there and learn a trade while getting paid. But you got to make your time. You got to pay attention. You cannot go there with a phone i n your hand, [be] on the phone for 15 minutes and expect to get paid. You might get fired. And you are going to keep Chris Furbert busy. We don’t need that. I would venture to say, Mr. Speaker, most Bermudians are working. These are good workers. And I would venture also to say that most of our workers do their job. They make their time. That is how we have been able to maintain some standards in this country. And they love their job. Now, if you do not like the hospitality industry, don’t go in it. You may not be the person for that. And there are people in this country who do not belong in the hospitality industry. Some people do not belong in construction. Pick an industry where you can get a job you like. Because eight satisfying hours on a job, happy hours, is certainly shorter than eight miserable hours watching the clock. So we want our Bermudians to take advantage of these long and hard negotiations to get Southampton Princess w here they are. And Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the principals, Gencom and all, for having that like for Bermuda, and [being] prepared to stay there. They could have gone somewhere else. But they stayed to the wicket. And you know, even though they are closed, the Princ ess has got about 70 people out there still employed for the last two years.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Right. All that. The golf course and the restaurant up there. About 70 people getting paid —security, engineers and all of that. So, this proves to me that this company is committed to Bermuda. They seem to love Bermuda because they even hired one of my colleagues to the left. He is not the best, you know.
[Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But he is all right.
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But you know . . . no, I saw him. I saw him down there one day. We are working on him, but he wants to be better than he is.
[Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And that is what they like about him. Because he is eager to learn and he is doing a great job down there, Mr. Speaker. He belongs in the hospitality industry. He don’t belong flying no planes. [Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I won’t get on a plane he flies anyhow.
[Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: He is a pilot!
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: He is a pilot! But I think he fits perfectly in the hospitality industry. He has the personality for that. And I am just pulling his leg a bit. I just want the public to know. Because his daddy is probably saying, I’m right. Because I know his daddy is listening. Right? [Laughter]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: But, Mr. Speaker, this company, I really sincerely want to thank them again and again. Despite those naysayers, and I am hoping that those naysayers will come on board. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I do not have [anything] against you. You have a right . . . the naysayers have a right of their say. But after the thing is put together and we are ready to start, I don’t mind them saying, It’s okay. I was wrong on that and we will join you, because we need everybody to come on board in the hospitality industry. Because whether you work in the hospitality industry or not, everybody plays a part. You ask Hubert Smith ’s band. You know, “ Bermuda is Another World. ”
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes! Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I remember those byes . And I say “ byes ” with respect. No disrespect at all. The Talbot Brothers. 1668 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly An Hon. Member: Yes! [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, that’s …
Yes! Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: I remember those byes . And I say “ byes ” with respect. No disrespect at all. The Talbot Brothers.
1668 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly An Hon. Member: Yes!
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes, that’s right. The Talbot Brothers. Thursday nights they used to play down at Castle Harbour. That was the biggest night in the night club, the Talbot Brothers. [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: It was packed! Tourism! Coming from different hotels. They wanted to see the . . . Let me remind you. The Talbot Brothers were from down at Harris’s Bay , where I am from.
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes. Oh yes. I am from Harris’s Bay. That is where the Talbot Brothers came from. You know?
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Frog Alley and you know . . . So, Mr. Speaker, we stand on the shoulders of the Talbot Brothers, the Hubert Smiths and Stan Sey-mour and these types of guys . . . the limbo dancers, Eldridge “Pop” Smith . You know, we stand on those shoulders. I can remember a lot of those older guys that I learned from worked in the hospitality industry, whether they were an entertainer, whether they were a bar-tender, waiter . . . whatever. They were some good people. And I just wish we could emulate those ambas-sadors that we had where other countries came here and saw our people in action and copied and took it back to their places. Because they were learning from the best. And they made successes of their countries’ tourism industry, Mr. Speaker. So, my hat is off to those who have gone on. We loved them. We respected them. We will always respect them because they made the hospitality what it is today. It is just unfortunate we do not have anybody playing that calypso music, that good music, like they did. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Deputy. Does any other Member . . . MP Anthony Richardson. FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGood afternoon. Yes. Mr. Anthony Richardson : Good afternoon to my colleagues, and good afternoon to the listening audience. Mr. Speaker, today is a watershed moment for Bermuda. And without going over the top, I would have honestly, Mr. Speaker, honestly, after the Premier gave his Statement, the opening Statement …
Good afternoon. Yes. Mr. Anthony Richardson : Good afternoon to my colleagues, and good afternoon to the listening audience. Mr. Speaker, today is a watershed moment for Bermuda. And without going over the top, I would have honestly, Mr. Speaker, honestly, after the Premier gave his Statement, the opening Statement today, I thought we might have recessed.
[Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonAnd the reason is this is . . . it was so fundamental, Mr. Speaker. It is so fundamental for Bermuda, that I thought we would do that so that we are able to let Bermuda fully digest the impact of what was announced yesterday, and then the Premier emphasised …
And the reason is this is . . . it was so fundamental, Mr. Speaker. It is so fundamental for Bermuda, that I thought we would do that so that we are able to let Bermuda fully digest the impact of what was announced yesterday, and then the Premier emphasised it today. That is, of course, Mr. Speaker, the fact that the Fairmont Southampton will now proceed. Mr. Speaker, I do not know . . . actually, none of us fully appreciate how much money is $560 million.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThat’s right.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonNone of us know how much money that is, Mr. Speaker. That is more than half a billion dollars —with a “b.”
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberThat’s a lot of money.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonThat is absolutely massive. And the impact for us now, every single person, Mr. Speaker, even though we can say we think whatever, we do not know what the impact is. It is going to exceed expectations.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonMr. Speaker, it is going to exceed expectations. The one significant impact is going to be the fact that some people are going to do more than actu-ally worry about jobs. We are going to see, Mr. Speaker, new businesspersons, new entrepreneurs. New businesses, Mr. Speaker, that people are going …
Mr. Speaker, it is going to exceed expectations. The one significant impact is going to be the fact that some people are going to do more than actu-ally worry about jobs. We are going to see, Mr. Speaker, new businesspersons, new entrepreneurs. New businesses, Mr. Speaker, that people are going to take th e risks and understand the joy of owning their own business. Mr. Speaker, the beauty of it also is going to be that when you get to a stage whereby you have to run a business, you have to do more than what even MP Burgess just said, because beyond getting to work on time, you have to be early and stay late almost every day. When you get to the point whereby you are responsible for other people, you know what you got to do. It is not about suddenly on Thursday or Friday, guess what, there is no money to pay the workers. You need to know full well —well ahead of time—t hat you have what you need to pay the workers on Thursday. Otherwise, of course, you know there is going to be a national riot, as they say.
Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Oh.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonSo, it portends for us significant . . . significant improvements for each and every person in Bermuda. But guess what, Mr. Speaker. Be-fore I go more into comments about the Fairmont Southampton, I wanted to also make sure . . . not make sure, but I wanted to emphasise …
So, it portends for us significant . . . significant improvements for each and every person in Bermuda. But guess what, Mr. Speaker. Be-fore I go more into comments about the Fairmont Southampton, I wanted to also make sure . . . not make sure, but I wanted to emphasise for Bermuda that, again, t he PLP has demonstrated significant fiscal responsibility in terms of our plans that have been put forth for this year. Mr. Speaker, in many instances there is . . . well, I will say it this way. In some instances in this House, there is the comment in terms of whether the PLP has produced a balanced budget. The answer, Mr. Speaker, is an emphatic yes. And emphatic yes that the PLP has put forward a balanced budget for this year, and the Premier, in his role as Minister of Finance will know, will admit, that that is always my question. Well, Mr. Premier, you are doing what you are doing, What about a balanced budget? Becaus e for me it is important that we maintain this balanced budget. I will go back to say this, Mr. Speaker, because there is actually a smile on my face from this morning. Way back when, I used to actually teach accounting. And you have to understand and appreciate how to teach adults. We went through a process to underst and that adults learn differently and all that kind of stuff. And so it is important for us to make sure when we make statements that we are making accurate statements. So, I will say it one more time (because part of it is rep-etition), we do have a balanc ed budget. I was obviously listening quite keenly this morning because I wanted to hear what the Premier was going to say. And he said that, yes, we are going to be investing $25 million to support various projects. But guess what. We are still going to do it with a balanced budget.
Hon. E. David Burt: Yes.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonWhy? Because the Bermuda economy has been doing exceptionally well, to the point whereby we can do this and still maintain a balanced budget, Mr. Speaker. Minister Burch, actually, also gave us some great news and I trust that those, again from the east, will appreciate the fact that there …
Why? Because the Bermuda economy has been doing exceptionally well, to the point whereby we can do this and still maintain a balanced budget, Mr. Speaker. Minister Burch, actually, also gave us some great news and I trust that those, again from the east, will appreciate the fact that there is now a lease from none other than the great Google down in St. David’s. I take the point, and I was actually impressed with the fact that they are going to be located now (for those who live down that way) where the remote- controlled race cars are, up on the hill side as you drive in. Just past the police station. And what is even more incredible is that it is not going to be entirely inexpensive to move the race car track, but Google, as good corporate citizens, are going to pay for the relocation. That is significant to see that before they even get here they are going to start doing things like that. What I also look forward to, Mr. Speaker, is going to be, and I assume it is going to happen, is that there is going to be a physical building built there which means there is even more investment in the local economy. It means there is going to be jobs again, Mr. Speaker. It is going to be more money in the economy, Mr. Speaker, more groceries being sold, more restaurants, more bars, more, more, more, more, more. So Mr. Speaker, again, this is a watershed moment for Bermuda.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate our new Junior Minister, MP Jache Adams. He knows where I am in that regard. He talked about the fact that yet again we are going to assist persons by allowing them, in a coor-dinated fashion —I underscore that, in a coordinated fashion, Mr. Speaker …
Yes.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate our new Junior Minister, MP Jache Adams. He knows where I am in that regard. He talked about the fact that yet again we are going to assist persons by allowing them, in a coor-dinated fashion —I underscore that, in a coordinated fashion, Mr. Speaker —to use some of their pension savings to allow them to buy a house. And yes, Mr. Speaker, it cannot be done willy -nilly. There needs to be some guardrails. There needs to be some educa-tion. But, Mr. Speaker, it is undeniable that this is a tremendous benefit for Bermuda. And now, Mr. Speaker, I will go back to the main point. And that is, of course, the Fairmont Southampton. I actually smiled also, Mr. Speaker, because in this whole idea about understanding the amount of money that is going to be put forward, and all the benefits, as we say, Cash is king. Mr. Speaker, if people, the group themselves, have decided to invest up to $560 million, we should definitely be applauding them.
Hon. E. David Burt: Yes.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonLet me press pause for a minute, Mr. Speaker, because I have to declare of course I am the MP for constituency 7, Hamilton South. And guess what? [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonThat is just Tucker’s Town. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? One of the main propo-nents of the Fairmont Southampton project is a resident in constituency 7. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonHe is a resident. And what I will say, Mr. Speaker, is that there are others in that area who are equally involved in the project and so that will be, if you will, my bias. And I smiled also, Mr. Speaker, because as I thought about the other impacts …
He is a resident. And what I will say, Mr. Speaker, is that there are others in that area who are equally involved in the project and so that will be, if you will, my bias. And I smiled also, Mr. Speaker, because as I thought about the other impacts of this project, guess what. We know that there has been more than a year by which people have been going back and forth, back and forth and the majority of those people, Mr. Speaker, are . . . guess what. They are lawyers. So that means, 1670 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, that the legal fraternity in Bermuda has benefited significantly from this deal.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAlready? Another Hon. Member: A whole lot, too! [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonA whole lot. And Mr. Speaker, I am going to smile— [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonDon’t worry. I am smiling, Mr. Speaker, because we do not appreciate. Right? That in some contexts the legal fees are more than $1,000 per hour. So we can only imagine how much the total legal fees have been for this entire transaction for over more than a year. It …
Don’t worry. I am smiling, Mr. Speaker, because we do not appreciate. Right? That in some contexts the legal fees are more than $1,000 per hour. So we can only imagine how much the total legal fees have been for this entire transaction for over more than a year. It is absolutely incredible. Because then what you get of course is that there will be persons coming from overseas into Bermuda, they have to fly here. They have to stay somewhere. They have to get somewhere. They have to eat. All those things. And so there are significant multiples that are occurring in our local economy, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for those who are in the . . . Oh! The other point I want to make before I go further is that the idea of, again, $560 million, and reading the release, it means that the total project is already funded. Which means, Mr. Speaker, that they have all the money they need to get the whole project done. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonNow, why am I emphasising that? Or why have we been saying that, Mr. Speaker? It is because again we in the Legislature and what — [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonNo, he is right. No, hold on. He is right. He is correct. You are told, Mr. Speaker — [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonWe heard an interpolation, Mr. Speaker. The big difference, and the reason why I am mentioning this, Mr. Speaker, is because for Mor-gan’s Point —
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony Richardson—which is one of our black eyes —is that it was not fully funded. [Inaudible interjections] Mr. Anthony Richardson: And what was interesting, Mr. Speaker, is that even though now Morgan’s Point is partially complete, it was not able to be fully completed because they were not fully funded. [Inaudible …
Mr. Anthony RichardsonMr. Speaker, again, it is important for all of us, and I will say . . . There is a lot of interpolation, Mr. Speaker, I am trying to stay focused. I will put this here. This may calm everybody down. This morning, I think the Premier started with a …
Mr. Speaker, again, it is important for all of us, and I will say . . . There is a lot of interpolation, Mr. Speaker, I am trying to stay focused. I will put this here. This may calm everybody down. This morning, I think the Premier started with a Biblical quote. And, Mr. Speaker, as you would know, in the Bible it talks about the fact of [no] man would start to build a house without first counting the cost.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberCome on now! [Inaudible interjections and laughter]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonAnd so, Mr. Speaker, that did not happen with Morgan’s Point. They did not first count the cost and then have all the money. [Inaudible interjections]
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberFully funded!
Mr. Anthony RichardsonBut, Mr. Speaker, in this case, for the Fairmont Southampton, based upon the Statement they did count the cost and they are now fully funded.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonTo the listening public I want to say also, just imagine on an individual basis, when you go to build a house you need to make sure you have all the money because there is nothing worse, Mr. Speaker, than getting a house three- quarters finished and, guess what. Oops! …
To the listening public I want to say also, just imagine on an individual basis, when you go to build a house you need to make sure you have all the money because there is nothing worse, Mr. Speaker, than getting a house three- quarters finished and, guess what. Oops! I am out of money! You go back to the bank and the bank sometimes will say, Well, we are not going to give you the rest. Which causes a massive problem. So, Mr. Speaker, it is very important that we understand that this project is fully funded. I want to also make the point, Mr. Speaker, that the—
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonI am not going to defend them, that is for sure. But I will comment — [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonMP David Burt, in his role as Minister of Finance, took a lot of “flak” because sometimes he would say that he expected it to close (say, next month) and it didn’t happen. Mr. Speaker, the emphasis is that this is a private project. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. …
Mr. Anthony RichardsonIt is a private project. However, the Government in its collective wisdom, decided, or agreed, to give a sovereign guarantee of $75 million. Why is that important, Mr. Speaker? It is important because we made the point during the debate that when it comes to financing, it is not science, …
It is a private project. However, the Government in its collective wisdom, decided, or agreed, to give a sovereign guarantee of $75 million. Why is that important, Mr. Speaker? It is important because we made the point during the debate that when it comes to financing, it is not science, Mr. Speaker. It is an art. And we in this room had a lot of conversation in terms of $50 million versus $75 million and the whole nine yards. Mr. Speaker, I want to say now that based upon the fact that the $560 million is going to go forward, the $75 million actually is critical. However, it is not going to be an issue when it comes to this project. Mr. Speaker, I will also say right now to those in the listening audience and here in this Chamber, that, yes, there are a lot of details that have to be worked out. And, yes, Mr. Speaker, there may be some things that we do not fully agree with. And, yes , Mr. Speaker, some things may not go the way we expect. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? Fundamentally, the $560 million will be enough to get the project going. And then, what is the obvious benefit? It is convention business, Mr. Speaker. Right now, I know, because people have told me already that there are people who want to come to Bermuda but, guess what. They can’t. Why not? Be-cause, Anthony, they cannot come with 1,000 people (for example) because . . . why? There is nowhere to put them. Mr. Speaker, this is so fundamental . And those of us who are beyond the age, probably, I don’t know, of 30, know what it is like to have convention business in Bermuda. If you drive a car . . . a taxi, sorry, or are in the transport industry, or work in a bar, work in a res-taurant, work anywhere in Bermuda, and the airport of course, when you see planeloads of people coming— and, guess what, not just the attendees, they come with their spouses, wi th their children—suddenly, the Island is full. Mr. Speaker, this is a unique opportunity for us to get back into the convention business. And what is also beautiful, and I know that MP Burgess has experi-ence as a hotel operator (a long time ago, I will say), is that when they plan, they plan years in a dvance. And so you would know right now that [in] 2024, if the hotel was open, you would have conventions planned in 2025, 2026, 2027 and as far away as 2028. Which means that you can then plan. What is the impact going to be on workers, Mr. Speaker? MP Burgess just said there is also going to be an impact on probably MP Hayward because we have to now prepare ourselves for the fact that there are going to be additional non- resident workers. However, Mr. Speaker, we have to make sure that each of us who are available and prepared are ready to go to work. Mr. Speaker, you may know, others may know, that in my private life I do go to the airport quite often. We have to prepare ourselves because, guess what happened yesterday, Mr. Speaker. Somebody had to come and deliver catering to an aircraft. And how wer e they dressed, Mr. Speaker? In a track suit and a hoody. Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Because, as MP Burgess said earlier, people do not mind paying, but you have got to develop and deliver quality service. I have said this many times, Mr. Speaker. People come to Bermuda, and they will rent or charter a limousine. And a limousine is not inexpensive, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes it is three or four times the cost of a regular taxi. But guess what. They do not mind paying if they perceive value for service. And so rather than paying $30 they will pay $125 or $150 if they get the service, Mr. Speaker. So, I am saying to all of us now, as they say in the church realm Get ready, get ready, get ready. Prepare yourself for the jobs that are coming, Mr. Speaker. Even as MP Burgess said earlier, and this can be for all of us, whatever you want to do now, if you are a tradesperson, if you work in hospitality . . . actually, whatever you do. If you want to work in hospitality n ow is the time, Mr. Speaker, to prepare yourself. And it is not just the front -facing people, Mr. Speaker. And I will smile at this, too, because some of my colleagues, of course, work there. If you aspire to be the financial controller, for example, now is the time; the general manager, now is the time; convention manager, now is the time. [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonAnything you want to do, now is the time, Mr. Speaker, because it is the time! You’ve got two years! Everybody! [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonYou have two years’ notice, Mr. Speaker. And so, Mr. Speaker, — [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonMr. Speaker . . . Mr. Speaker, it is get ready, get ready, get ready.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonWe as a country, Mr. Speaker, have to know that now is the time. It is not yesterday. It is now. We have to prepare ourselves. And, Mr. Speaker, to our parents. We have children. I don’t care how old your children are, parents. Prepare them for the industry. One …
We as a country, Mr. Speaker, have to know that now is the time. It is not yesterday. It is now. We have to prepare ourselves. And, Mr. Speaker, to our parents. We have children. I don’t care how old your children are, parents. Prepare them for the industry. One of the things —and again, I am paraphrasing when I repeat what MP Burgess said. It is unacceptable if you are making 7:30 to not be at your post before 7:30. I would argue be there at 7:15. 1672 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonAgain, going back to what we have to do. And some will know what I mean about this. We have a daily schedule, Mr. Speaker, that says that something is going to happen, I don’t know, say at 7:00 am, or whatever time it is going to happen. By policy, …
Again, going back to what we have to do. And some will know what I mean about this. We have a daily schedule, Mr. Speaker, that says that something is going to happen, I don’t know, say at 7:00 am, or whatever time it is going to happen. By policy, you have to be there 30 minutes in advance. Why? Because you never know what is going to take place. You have to be ready for the unexpected, which sounds like an oxymoron. But guess what. You have got to be ready for it because if it goes wrong, you have to mak e it right. And you can only make it right if you are there. So again, to all of us, all of us . . . and I smile because some of us are obviously also . . . we don’t always do this, but you have got to be on time. You have got to be early and you have to give your best effort. Mr. Speaker, what we have got to not do is expect the most and give our least. We have got to understand, Mr. Speaker, give it our all . And we will all be tremendously surprised. Mr. Speaker, I do not play golf. I do not play golf. But Mr. Speaker, I know that —
[Laughter]
Mr. Anthony Richardson—a round of golf is not cheap. But guess what, Mr. Speaker. The golf courses are often full. Mr. Speaker, I again have a bias. But some of those hotels down in the east, they are so expensive, Mr. Speaker. Nightly rates sometimes are more than $1,000. But guess what, …
—a round of golf is not cheap. But guess what, Mr. Speaker. The golf courses are often full. Mr. Speaker, I again have a bias. But some of those hotels down in the east, they are so expensive, Mr. Speaker. Nightly rates sometimes are more than $1,000. But guess what, Mr. Speaker. Very often they are full before the lesser -priced hotels. And someti mes we have to call around, Mr. Speaker, and the hotel rates are more than $1,000. But guess what. The hotel is full. I am sorry, Mr. Richardson, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. We are full. We are full. We are full. And we call around and call around and call aroun d. And in one case, guess what. There is a room at the inn, if you are prepared to pay. And sometimes, Mr. Speaker, you are paying $1,500 a night. Because guess what. You have no choice. But, Mr. Speaker, I am saying this. Those hotels that provide value for money, they are still full. And that is not to say, Mr. Speaker, that those that are priced less are of lesser value. Because if Anthony expects good value at $350, and I get it, I am happy to pay. And actually to Minister Hayward, the legislation that we clarified earlier this year in terms of gratuities, and all the rest of it is critical, because now that changes the impact and the revenue, or the remuneration, for employees. And I will say this, Mr. Speaker, real quick. I was actually shocked. Right? In terms of one of the major hotels in Bermuda was paying one of the employees an hourly rate of less than $6.00 an hour. That is ridiculous. In my loose language, that is crazy. And so the idea and the fact that we put in place a minimum wage is critical.
Mr. Anthony RichardsonAbsolutely critical. And again, to the credit of Minister Hayward and the rest of them, if Anthony gets paid, whatever I get paid per hour, and my [gratuities] make it up to $16.40 and I am on vacation. Guess what? I at least have to still get paid at $16.40. …
Absolutely critical. And again, to the credit of Minister Hayward and the rest of them, if Anthony gets paid, whatever I get paid per hour, and my [gratuities] make it up to $16.40 and I am on vacation. Guess what? I at least have to still get paid at $16.40. As opposed in the past, they would say, Well, Mr. Richardson, Anthony, your rate is $5.00 an hour and so when you are on vacation, guess what. You get paid $5.00 an hour. That is unacceptable. So, Mr. Speaker, I think I am doing a good job right now in terms of letting everybody know that today has been a monumental day. And I trust that we will make sure on both sides of the aisle that we are honest in our conversation about the impact of the $560 million. More than any of us would ever come across.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Anthony RichardsonNo, no! Even MP Pearman. Hey, it is what it is. And all of us, though we know that we have to do our jobs. And, Mr. Speaker, I know others will follow. At least I trust others will follow. I got you. I trust others will follow. But I …
No, no! Even MP Pearman. Hey, it is what it is. And all of us, though we know that we have to do our jobs. And, Mr. Speaker, I know others will follow. At least I trust others will follow. I got you. I trust others will follow. But I will say it again, Mr. Speaker, cash is king, $560 million means that no matter what anybody else says, those who have that much money have the confidence . . . have the confidence to put into Bermuda $560 million. Thank you, thank you. Thank you to all of those and we look forward to the full benefit, even all of us around here, will have a benefit —
[Desk thumping]
Mr. Anthony Richardson—will have a benefit, $560 [million] (I know I only have a few seconds left). Five hundred and sixty million dollars will be shared around this economy, and every single one of us will benefit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerDoes any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other Member? Minister, you are rising to speak? Minister? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerOkay. FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we can . . . we can . . . it is obvious what the theme is from our team here. And as . . . we are touting …
Okay.
FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE
Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we can . . . we can . . . it is obvious what the theme is from our team here. And as . . . we are touting the successful closing of the Fairmont Southampton. I know this will bode well as we look to open the hospitality and tourism signature school at Sandys Secondary on September 25.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. Let’s not forget. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: So Mr. Speaker, we are looking forward to working with Gencom —well, Westend Properties is the one that is running this particular school as we bring . . . at this particular hotel operation. As we bring on more …
Yes. Let’s not forget.
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: So Mr. Speaker, we are looking forward to working with Gencom —well, Westend Properties is the one that is running this particular school as we bring . . . at this particular hotel operation. As we bring on more learning partners. As we continuously talk about why we need to all have ourselves hands -in on education reform. So, I am looking forward to a very positive relationship as we move forward to join some of the other hospitality organisations that have joined us. But, Mr. Speaker, when I think about it . . . and when I thought . . . when I heard about the closing I could not react. I couldn’t understand. As I looked back at how much negativity that has come against this par-ticular deal from the other side.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberMm-mm. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Most of it in the form of op - eds, hopefully not written by the former candidate for the OBA for constituency 9, Smiths West. An. Hon. Member: Ooh! Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, and I quote from his numerous op- eds …
Mm-mm.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Most of it in the form of op - eds, hopefully not written by the former candidate for the OBA for constituency 9, Smiths West. An. Hon. Member: Ooh!
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, and I quote from his numerous op- eds throughout the year. January 19, “ The Fairmont Southampton . . . [is] all but a footnote in the history of [a] more prosperous [time].” April 5, “The majority of us have lost [any] hope that the PLP will revive the Fairmont Southampton. ” [June] 13, “The Fairmont Southampton remains dead in the water.” September 14, (which may possibly be the last time we hear from this candidate) — [Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Well, until he is approved as a candidate somewhere else. “[T] he Fairmont Southampton remains closed and unlikely to ever reopen again. ”
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberAhh! [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I fully expect that we will hear some rebuttals from the other side. But I would like for each and every one of them, before they speak, to apologise to the people of Bermuda for their negativity, to the people …
Ahh!
[Inaudible interjections] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I fully expect that we will hear some rebuttals from the other side. But I would like for each and every one of them, before they speak, to apologise to the people of Bermuda for their negativity, to the people of Bermuda for their constant pushing to get people to not believe in this project, Mr. Speaker. The project is underway. Five hundred and sixty million dollars have been secured and will be poured into this economy to revive that hotel, to provide opportunities for Bermudians, and to move us forward. Mr. Speaker, I fully expect an apology from that side. I am not going to hold my breath. [Laughter] Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: I’m definitely not going to hold my breath!
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: But I fully expect an apology for the negativity that they have attempted to spew, and that they continue to spew, on any and every thing that this Government has accomplished. But, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to move forward. We will continue to do what needs to be done for the people of Bermuda, like introducing $28 million in investments that will be coming to help the people of Bermuda. I noticed, Mr. Speaker, that we did not have much conversation, or many questions, on that be-cause what can they say? That the PLP doesn’t know how to run the economy? That the PLP is running the country into the ground? Those old UBP -based insults are fa lling to the wayside, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also want to touch on something that MP Richard[son] spoke about, and that is the Google building that will be built. Mr. Speaker, we are already seeing the advantages of that. I know I, as Education Minister, have had conversations with Go ogle. We sent a team on the invite of Google last week to go up to New York and actually look at some of their operations, Mr. Speaker. They are keen to work with the Bermudian Government to provide some of the resources that they have, and very specifical ly within Education. So, I am looking forward to that. Once again, Mr. Speaker, another positive thing that is happening that we probably will not hear “thank yous” from the other side. Mr. Speaker, the last thing that I wanted to get into, and it has always been something that kind of gets to us, is the lack of appreciation for the positive things that our young people are doing here on this Island, and why we cannot get more traction f rom the public. We pick up our daily, and anything that is negative, or even remotely . . . not even negative about the Progressive Labour Party, and we see 50 comments within the first hour: friends or family , and they are thieves , they are doing this and they are doing that, Mr. Speaker. 1674 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, earlier this year we had a couple of articles about some great things that our students were doing. August 20, “STEAM summer camp heralded a success,” positive confirmation of things that we are doing for our children; a great article. I actually visited this camp. We had young people learning all sorts of wonderful things, Mr. Speaker. There were zero comments in The Royal Gazette. Mr. Speaker, as we push forward with our education reform, part of our mandate is to sign on partners of corporate entities to help us to get our children through so that they can actually see what is happening there in corporate Bermuda and move on. Mr. Speaker, we signed an agreement with ACCA to provide courses at the Berkeley Institute for the financial signature programme. Students will leave Berkeley, if they are successful in this programme, already on their path to be-coming qualified chartered accountants, Mr. Speaker — something unheard of in Bermuda before. It was published in The Royal Gazette, August 18. There were zero comments. Mr. Speaker, when we came into Government scholarships and award offerings were just under a million dollars. Seven years later we are over $2 million that we give out to our students. And it is still not enough. We need to find more money and we will fun d a few more scholarships with this additional funding that we are putting forth. Mr. Speaker, August 14, “Scholarships support students in next chapter of [their] education [journey].” There were zero comments. Mr. Speaker, one of the hallmarks of our education reform is the extremely successful programme at Purvis Primary, or as we call it the Paget Parish School. We are re- [introducing] dual language starting at the P1 class. This is not just a P1 [students] learning Spanish, Mr. Speaker. They are immersed in Spanish. One day everything is done in English, the next day everything is done in Spanish. Mr. Speaker, the results are showing that our students are tracking ahead of the last three cohorts that have come through P1 in terms of their language development. To that end, we sent teachers to the UK this summer to immerse themselves in a dual -language programme that is operating there. We sent about 10 teachers. It was published in T he Royal Gazette on September 15 “Parish school educators take dual -language training in UK.” There were three comments. Mr. Speaker, and last we look at . . . last, Mr. Speaker, I talk about an incredible . . . it was absolutely stunning to go out to West Pembroke Primary over the summer. There is a programme running with our summer camps in which students are being given art lessons and they created this beautiful mural up there at West Pembroke School. Absolutely stunning. We went up there to take a look at it. The students actually explained to us what they were trying to do with the vari-ous murals. Again, published in t he Royal Gazette on August 8, “Summer camps unite to create inspirational mural.” There were two comments. Mr. Speaker, I mention that, and this is not a knock on The Royal Gazette, this is a knock on us as a population. Get behind our children and let them know that just as soon as you can get online with those keyboard warriors that get online every morning looking for every single article that they can comment on, comment on some o f these positive things that our children are doing. Let them know that you care about them too, and that you don’t just case about creating mischief online. Let them know that adu lts in Bermuda are behind them and want to see them succeed. Please, our children are looking out for this; they need this affirmation, Mr. Speaker. One thing that I can always tell people, well one . . . there are three things . . . there are two things that lead to better outcomes with our students, and those are the instructors who stand in front of them, and the parental support they have behind t hem. The next thing that we add to that is the community support uplifting our schools and our children. If the community support is not there, Mr. Speaker, we are not going to get where we need to get to make our children feel like they are valued. Mr. Speaker, I just want to end there and let people know that our children are watching. And when you do not support them they start to feel despondent and wonder why it is that we are doing all of the work that we are doing. Thank you.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other? MP Famous.
Mr. Christopher FamousI am going to start off with a quote from the Bible. Proverbs 31 verse 17 talks about the virtue of women. “She sets about her work . . . ; her arms are strong for [the task]. ” Mr. Speaker, today I am going to dedicate this to the …
I am going to start off with a quote from the Bible. Proverbs 31 verse 17 talks about the virtue of women. “She sets about her work . . . ; her arms are strong for [the task]. ” Mr. Speaker, today I am going to dedicate this to the women of the PLP. But before I do that, Mr. Speaker, I am going to speak briefly about my Godmother, which I failed to mention during the Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches. She was an X -ray technician, a schoolteacher , a lawyer, a philanthropist, and I loved her. I didn’t tell her enough that I loved her. She was also a Berkeleyite.
Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Christopher FamousNo, she wasn’t. From Devonshire. Stop it. Stop it. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Christopher FamousNo, she wasn’t. Lynda Milligan- Whyte. Now, yes, of course, she kind of went a different way, and hung out with some people for a couple of years. But she found her way back home, Mr. Speaker. And for a few years she was upstairs in this building. And often, …
No, she wasn’t. Lynda Milligan- Whyte. Now, yes, of course, she kind of went a different way, and hung out with some people for a couple of years. But she found her way back home, Mr. Speaker. And for a few years she was upstairs in this building. And often, I used to go up there and she used to say , I always prayed for you to be a lawyer and a politician. So you’re halfway there. Mr. Speaker, she passed away this year and Bermuda is better off for what she did for not just any political party, but for the women of this country when it was not p olitically correct to stand up for women . But let me move on, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are times when we all get discouraged and feel like, You know what? This politics thing . . . I’m tired of it. And at times there are things that are your guiding stars. And for me, Mr. Speaker, my guiding star in politics isn’t a paycheque, it isn’t a position, nothing. My guiding star has always been the women of the PLP. Not the men, but the women. I have a picture. I do not know how old it is, but i t is probably not as old as others in here, but kind of old. And it is a picture of the original Devonshire PLP. Now, all of us have Somerset PLP, Southampton PLP, God’s country PLP, Warwick PLP, each one of these has its own unique culture. I know about Devonshire PLP because that is what I was born into. So I am going to read off some names, Mr. Speaker. • Melvina Robinson (nee Morton), Stanley Mor-ton’s sister; • Vernell Henry; • Rita Peniston (nee Charles); • Ann Webb; • Leonie Richards (nee Brown); and • Lois Browne- Evans (nee Browne, obviously). These are six women, Mr. Speaker, four of them I have to call “Aunt,” not because Black people’s “Aunt,” but they are my flesh and blood aunts. You see, Mr. Speaker, in my family the women rule. And we were brought up from the get -go that the only way forw ard is for us to staying together, to work together as a family, work together as a community, work together in the unions, and work together in the PLP. They grounded me—not just myself, but my entire family —with the values of people first, people second, people last. It’s not about who is getting to be an MP. It’s not about who is getting to be a minister. It is about service to the people through the union and through the political arm of the Progressive Labour Party. And you know, Mr. Speaker, there are times where this party has gone down to one seat and had to start over and over again. So, we are not afraid of hard work. We are not immune to losing a seat or losing an election. But we press on. Mr. Speaker, those ladies have passed on. There is one left, Ms. Ann Webb, constituency 13. And I had the pleasure of taking her now Minister, MP, to her and saying, You have to talk to this lady first before you go anywhere else. And she sat us down and said, This is Devonshire. This ain’t about no fancy machines, or this, that and the other. This is about knocking on the doors and dealing with your seniors. You see? It’s about building . . . she and those other ladies, and many others, my mother, my aunts, built this party up, this Devonshire branch, from the ground. We had no money. We had no corporate donors. And we definitely did not have a lot of people o n your side at one time. But they built it from the ground up, Mr. Speaker, all while holding down one or two jobs. Some of them even worked at the Southampton Princess. So, it’s nice to see that coming along. I can’t add anything more than what “Reverend” Richardson did today. I cannot. So, I am just saying, Mr. Speaker, that when I get discouraged or when I see things around me that people would say , What’s going on?, I look back at those ladies and see what they had to go through. You see, Mr. Speaker, there are parts of Devonshire that when the boundaries changed, went over to the other side. So, for three elections we walked up and down to our people. For three elections we called out our family, We need you on the phone. We need you to go see these people. For three elections we spent our own money —nothing from the party. We spent our own money. Why? To win back Devonshire for the PLP. Since that day, Ms. Melvina Robinson has gone on to glory. My aunt, Millicent Brown, gone on to glory. So many other people who gave blood, sweat and tears for Devonshire PLP to win back that seat, have gone on to glory. So, when things happen that make you feel like looking at a different part of the Bible that speaks about something that happened to Jesus —somebody took 30 pieces of silver. We still say to ourselves, this too shall pass, Mr. Speaker. So, let me close here, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know about any other party but PLP. I know in Devonshire as in Somerset, as in Warwick, as in other strong-holds, being PLP is not about being in a safe seat. It is not about am I going to make sure I’m a minister. It’s not about a guaranteed pension. It is about the people. People first, people second, people last. And I say to those ladies, the ladies in the PLP now, you may be outnumbered in Parliament. But you all run the party. You have always run the party. T hank you for your service.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution at this time? Any other? 1676 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Premier? MP Caines, would you like your 20 minutes? MP Caines? MP Swan? FACT -CHECKING
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanMr. Speaker, for fear of the gavel going down, I thank you for this opportunity. Mr. Speaker, you know there is an election season in the United States. They say that when the United States sneezes, Bermuda catches a cold. So, right now there is a lot of fact -checking …
Mr. Speaker, for fear of the gavel going down, I thank you for this opportunity. Mr. Speaker, you know there is an election season in the United States. They say that when the United States sneezes, Bermuda catches a cold. So, right now there is a lot of fact -checking going on in America because there is a candidate (who I won’t get much into) who has been known to say the same thing repeatedly and, irrespective of whether or not there is any truth to it, it gains currency because it excites his base. And I hav e certainly seen some things take place, Mr. Speaker, in Bermuda that requir e a bit of fact - checking. Today I am calling on the press, because I saw a presidential debate that had some folks who were there moderating as well , when the two candidates were up there, and it was important to get the facts right. My uncle Bill Anderson, just a country mason and fisherman and farmer, would also always say (and he got this from my grandfather John Anderson, Get your papers straight. And it bothers me, Mr. Speaker, when I can listen to a former Premier of this country say things in his statesmanlike capacity that he holds, where I know, be-cause I have been around this country long enough in Parliament, having run in 1983 at age 25 year s and 4 months, to know that it is not true. And we should not have to do that because truth be known, Mr. Speaker, in 2024, whether or not you like it, Bermuda is still ra-cially polarised. It is economically polarised where a disproportionate amount of people in this country cannot afford to live in this country. If you say that $25 per hour exceeds the minimum wage by an hour, as my grandmother would say, it would take two or three articles in the grocery store to take care of your first hour’s wage. Twenty -five dollars does not buy too much. And I hear people complain about prices of this and that. But you don’t hear them talk about the price of cheese and the price of things that the ordinary man and woman have to buy to be able to survive. Let me get back to this fact -check. I heard a person who is leading up an independent party in this country trying to galvanise people to run as independ-ents who understands how to divide and conquer better than anyone else in the history of this country saying something that needs to be corrected. I am talking about a former Premier of this country who said that to be the Premier and the Finance Minister (and he said it in this context) Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely . And that was l ast week on TNN. The most irresponsible comment by a person who is the longest -serving Premier in this country. Why would I say that? Because I knew his mentor. He was Premier of this country in 1976. His name was [John] “Jack” Sharpe. I loved Jack Sharpe. I knew Jack Sharpe. I knew his brother Walter Sharpe when he ran trying to oust Harry and Ralph up in Southampton. I will leave that story for another day. But I am here to tell you that Jack Sharpe was the Premier of this country and what post did he hold as well ? He was Finance Minister! He was the mentor of Sir John Swan when he lost his premiership [in] the meeting up in the library of the building I would love to go back to. When on that same interview he was alluding to the PLP and called it undemocratic. But I will get back to that because if anybody knows democracy in the PLP it is this bye right here! [Desk thumping]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanWe are democratic! We are held to account by the members of CC, by the backbench, every two weeks. I have not seen a party in Bermuda yet that can hold this Premier accountable every two weeks. And he comes here and deals with it. And I am here to …
We are democratic! We are held to account by the members of CC, by the backbench, every two weeks. I have not seen a party in Bermuda yet that can hold this Premier accountable every two weeks. And he comes here and deals with it. And I am here to tell yo u that our people will jam you right up.
[Laughter]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanOh yes. But let me just get back to the fact -check, right? We go forward to the person who became the Premier in 1977, because Jack didn’t last that long. We loved Jack. And Mr. David Gibbons became Premier. And what post did he hold? The second- longest Premier, …
Oh yes. But let me just get back to the fact -check, right? We go forward to the person who became the Premier in 1977, because Jack didn’t last that long. We loved Jack. And Mr. David Gibbons became Premier. And what post did he hold? The second- longest Premier, up until the current second- longest Pr emier, held the post for his entire term, I do believe . . . I am not looking back at any articles. I do a lot of research for 100 years ago, but for 40 years ago I was around! I was in the Gallery. I wasn’t parachuted into this Parliament; I trouped the hills for years, and years, and years. Okay? But I am here to tell you that after Jack Sharpe, David Gibbons was the Premier and the Finance Minister of this country.
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd he would always say I’ll let my record speak for itself. And in finance he had some things to tout. And then came Sir John [Swan] in the election of [19]82. And in the Parliament of 1980, that was 22 to 18. The PLP had 18 seats. And if …
And he would always say I’ll let my record speak for itself. And in finance he had some things to tout. And then came Sir John [Swan] in the election of [19]82. And in the Parliament of 1980, that was 22 to 18. The PLP had 18 seats. And if it wasn’t for St. George’s my cousin Doc Hall and the Whip of the UBP Henry Hayward, that Government would have gone a different way for the first time in 1980. Okay? So, I am here to say that things were tight. But when Sir John came along and became Premier, the PLP’s 18 did not have a say in that election. He was elected by the Members of Parliament of the UBP in a well -publicised primary runoff, or whatever you call it, leadership runoff,
Bermuda House of Assembly that was played out in the press. Three candidates. And Sir John was one of them. He had glasses then and he stuttered a little bit. He got publicists to help him out. He did a lot of work. He polished up his stuff and did a good job of that. And Mr. Popul ar himself, C. V. Jim Woolridge, and my good friend, then, the late Dr. Clarence James. C. V. dropped out. There came a close runoff between Dr. James and Sir John. Dr. James (and these are his words to me) utilised that loss to broker becoming the Finance Minister. I am not reading it. I am telling you what he told me, may he rest in peace. So, you had a Premier selected by, then, 22 to 18 in 1980. So, 22 people, including him, determined whether or not he became Premier of this country, com-pared to . . . and I ought to know a little bit about this because I held a constitutional office in another life called Opposition Leader, that the PLP, by conventi on, always did a couple of things. [They] always produced a platform. UBP never produced platforms until recent years. Always produced a platform and stuck by it. Called for one man one vote, one vote of equal value and delivered that under the first election platform of significance that was elected in a boundary . . . no, in a mini- summit at Government House that I attended with my cousin Michael Scott representing . . . the only representativ e there. And I am here to say that when the United Bermuda Party elected those leaders it was amongst the Members of Parliament. The convention of the PLP elected leader with the delegates. Very widespread in-deed. Very wide, throughout the country. So compare that to the narrowness of that. And while we are talking about independents, let us not forget how we got party politics in 1963. The first political party of this country was the Progressive Labour Party. It came in with about five to seven seats. And then a group of totally independent members said, We can’t have that, because we can’t meet as often at the Yacht Club as we’d like because we still have to go home with the families. We have got to form ourselves a party. And a party got formed in [19]65 and all those independents sitting there called themselves a party and then became the Government. And then a group went in [19]66 and formed a constitutional meeting in England and different contingents went off, Mr. Hodgson and others went there with other representatives, and we came up with the Bermuda Constitution Order, and reminded by my good friend , Lamamba, Mr. David Hughes, we only have a Constitution Order, we are not independent. And from that Order we have had a series of elections since 1968. But anybody in Bermuda knows that the model that has been used in Bermuda, and I said this not too long ago . . . this particular Parliament is 35 Black Members. We are the only people divided in this country. Nobody really wants to examine the polarisation. You know, my cousin Julian Hall always used to write articles about the imprisoned White voter, those White voters that can be led by the UK and get right off that plane and be conservative. Why? Because it suits their interests. And we are going to get past that. Listen, I ain’t making no apologies telling you that I know my family are Higinbothoms from St. George’ s. I know that my family are B urrows from Jews Bay. My great granny owned the property up there that they are just going to redevelop now, up there where the cycle shop was. So, I claim my cousin Antonio Pierce, same family . But I am here to tell you that we, in the Black community, have lived racial integration for hundreds of years. And we have had to cope with it. But we are the only race of people div ided in this country. And it is not right! Why would people live with the polarisation, live with division, encourage the division? Because for some people it works for them. It works for them. And we need to get past that. We really do. And we need to have the honest conversations. We cannot have people out there who have benefited from that system, now who have the currency. And when Government House brings people here from overseas, they will take somebody to Sir John. And b ecause he holds that aura, he will tell them things like that, and they will not fact -check either sometimes and believe that nonsense. Listen, if I was in this House and put a Bill down today for a bank charter and the Opposition OBA supported it and I got a bank charter, and then I sold it to the Speaker, wouldn’t somebody call me out? Wouldn’t somebody be saying, But Swan, how did you do that? That happened. Sir John Swan got a bank charter in Parliament. He sold it to another former member of Par-liament’s company. That is okay. That is business. You know? And I am holding him [to] account. I love him as a family.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanI was a pallbearer at his father’s funeral in Pond Hill , [Minister] Weeks. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanRight up there. The church coming down. I thought I had some currency when I went up there and only got 35 votes with the late Keith Young. May he rest in peace. Or was it 34? [Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanThirty -four votes. I have not been up . . . I have not been to Pond Hill since. [Laughter]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanBut I am here to say that we have to do some fact -checking. And The Royal Gazette and TNN and those people out there in the news, 1678 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly they have it owing to themselves to get their facts right, …
But I am here to say that we have to do some fact -checking. And The Royal Gazette and TNN and those people out there in the news, 1678 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly they have it owing to themselves to get their facts right, because it is wrong. Somebody looking back at history . . . Look. I have been doing a lot of studying over the hundred years, and I have been celebrating, Mr. Speaker , of some of the accomplishments that were made. How the four first golf courses in Bermuda in the 1890s were because of the military. And then in 1920 we had a renaissance of eight golf courses in nine years in Bermuda. And that parallels itself to what i s taking place today. Fairmont Southampton— $500 million [sic].
[Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanI am sorry. $560 million. I am sorry. You know, give or take $50 million. [Inaudible interjection and laughter ]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanBut let me say this. What does that mean in the real world? It means in the real world that persons out there looking at Bermuda, people that . . . I have been running around this world using my own money trying to tell them because I have been …
But let me say this. What does that mean in the real world? It means in the real world that persons out there looking at Bermuda, people that . . . I have been running around this world using my own money trying to tell them because I have been running around with a lot of rich people all my life, and I always tell them how great this country is. [They] will see that type of investment, and they will look at a Sonesta Beach Hotel. They will look at somewhere like that and at Elbow Beach because money follows money.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes, sir!
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd nonsense follows nonsense, and we got to put paid to the nonsense. [Inaudible interjection]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanWe have to put paid to the nonsense. Why? And you know what, Mr. Speaker ? Prior to the recession of 2008, Bermuda, under a PLP Govern-ment, which I knew how to tickle up quite well, enjoyed the best economic boom this country ever enjoyed prior to that recession. And …
We have to put paid to the nonsense. Why? And you know what, Mr. Speaker ? Prior to the recession of 2008, Bermuda, under a PLP Govern-ment, which I knew how to tickle up quite well, enjoyed the best economic boom this country ever enjoyed prior to that recession. And I am here to say, Mr. Speaker, that that Fairmont Southampton deal is huge. Because if the naysayers would have it their way, they would have us fail. If it was . . . It did not make me happy that Morgan’s Point failed. I come from . . . That is my community. My grandpa built houses on that base. My family comes from that area. It hurt me to see that on the cusp of an election that a government would enter into a deal that would cripple the country. But what did this Government do? We rol led up our sleeves to try to find solutions. And I have a few ideas there, but not at Fairmont South[ampton] there. I might be able to get some of those people to look at that area up there and help to bring about that type of vision that would help to bring more investment to this country. But it took people being prepared to look forward. Let us not forget that early in the innings of the Fairmont Southampton deal, the Bermuda Industrial Union (I believe you know a little bit about that organisation.) made a statement of support. And what does that mean? From the very outset they could not . . . You know, the rhetoric would have been, Do not worry. You know. They are going to get there and they are going to have trouble with the union. They got together first and worked it out. And let me te ll you why that is good. Because when it comes to hotels, the Bermuda Industrial Union, when I was sitting wearing another constitutional hat and attended my first major conference downstairs in the movie theatre of all the unions, the . . . the . . . Brother, you could help me on what [the] conference [was] called. Whatever conference was there. It was the same time around when a lot of people were in denial that there was a recession that the BIU was the first organisation to tell their members, There is a recession in our midst, and take a pay cut. That is what leadership really is about. It is not about trying to say, Oh, I can jam this Government up this way even if it means them having difficulty getting this deal across the table. And you know, this Labour Government when it brings a $560 million deal to the table, we know our people are going to benefit because our people are taxi drivers. Our people are chamber maids. Our people are working class people. But who is going . . . people are going to do very well with their companies in this deal. Let’s be honest. The same ones who will get on the pa-per and write things about us. They are going to benefit. And business breeds other business. And I appreciate business in this countr y of all walks of life. I love the entrepreneur, but I also appreciate the worker that helps to make that business survive. I thought it was important as we talk about fact - checking in the few minutes I have, you know. We have, in the name of democracy, we have had a person use their popularity to have two snap elections within three years —take this country down [from] 30 seats to 10. Business was still going on as usual. We have had that person also take the country with the Prohibited Restaurant Act 1997 and be a part of the first Premier to be censured in this country —my mate, Dr. Saul. Yes!
[Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the Chair]
Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. SwanAnd so, you know, I am urging the writers and the people of this country to fact - check, because there is an election not only coming up in TrumpLand. It is coming up in here. And some people are trying to use that playbook. And I am not having …
And so, you know, I am urging the writers and the people of this country to fact - check, because there is an election not only coming up in TrumpLand. It is coming up in here. And some people are trying to use that playbook. And I am not having it, because I lived it! I encourage persons who call themselves “ the media” to do likewise. If I can go back and find [out that]
Bermuda House of Assembly a surgeon major in [the Army Medical Services on] Boaz Island lost his ring in 1900, and then find out that [we] can go look for it on Ireland Island golf course—[a] needle in a haystack —they can go back to 1983 and learn some of the things that took place (or 1982, and learn some of the things), Mr. Deputy Speaker, that you have tried to educate people on time and time again, because it is important. And so, what I am talking about is some responsible actions. And it bothered me when I started hearing those things because I knew that this was not the truth. Thank you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker.
The Deputy SpeakerDeputy SpeakerYes. PLP GOVERNMENT SEES THE VISION OF WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE
Mr. Wayne CainesWe are closer to an election today than we were yesterday.
An Hon. Member An Hon. MemberYes. We are.
Mr. Wayne CainesWe have seen new candidates, old candidates, new rhetoric, old rhetoric. We have seen the people of Bermuda cry out for leadership. Today was a good day. This has been a good week. Today I was caused to reflect on some pieces of legislation that I believe, Mr. Speaker, have …
We have seen new candidates, old candidates, new rhetoric, old rhetoric. We have seen the people of Bermuda cry out for leadership. Today was a good day. This has been a good week. Today I was caused to reflect on some pieces of legislation that I believe, Mr. Speaker, have been impactful for the people of Bermuda. Because when you mox it down as to why we are here, why we do what we are doing, it is actually not for the accolades. It is not for the attaboy’s or the attagirl’s. It is for the people of Bermuda. And so, when people talk about the next election, where we are going, what we should do, [and if] we are making progress, I think it is our responsibility to talk about a track record.
Mr. Wayne CainesI think it is our responsibility to remind and to show people that things are actually going in the right direction. Sometimes we hear information from so many sources that people do not understand that there is progress being made. Now, I cannot candy -coat it. There are people who …
I think it is our responsibility to remind and to show people that things are actually going in the right direction. Sometimes we hear information from so many sources that people do not understand that there is progress being made. Now, I cannot candy -coat it. There are people who are hurting in Bermuda. There are people who are suffering. But when we look at the Acts that were passed, like the hourly minimum wage, you have to understand that this is going to benefit the average Bermudian. That is going to benefit the average working man and the average working woman. That is not something that just popped out of the ether. That legislation came from us listening to the cries of the working men and women in this country. And the legis lation was passed. Over the summer we talked about reformation to the tax system in Bermuda and tax reform. Today we saw the Water Resources Act [2024] and the amendments to the Electricity Act [2016]. We have had the opportunity to look at the Employment Amendment Act 2020 and the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act [2020] that enshrine probation periods, that enshrine bereavement leaves, that talked about making it mandatory for a consolidated tribunal system. The Minister of Education today talked about signature schools. You could not turn on a radio pro-gramme and hear that generation of men say, Why did they get rid of tech? Why did they close down the hotel college? We have taken something that the people of this country have cried for. They have yelled out from buildings, We want to bring back technical education. We want to bring back schools that allow people different ways of learning. We want to bring that back in. That is what the signature school progr amme is about. We got so transfixed on how this affects our individual situation [that] we lost sight of what the Minister is trying to do. This week they went to Purvis [Primary] School, and the kids are met with a dual enrolment pro-gramme in year one where they will learn Spanish, where they will be alphabetised in Spanish and in English. Do you not see the benefit that would have when they are transitioning into a global world where Spanish is one of the number -one languages? This did not happen by happenstance. This Minister was drawn and quartered. He was fastidious and he stood the course. And we as a people understand that signature schools are not a flight of fancy. They blamed us. They held us accountable —everybody that you spoke to. The middle system was something that was pushed on us. We should have never done it. It was an American-ism that was put in our country. It should have never happened. And we promised the people of Bermuda that not only would we look at it, [but] we would transition away from it. And we would put in new elements. We would put in new things. We would put in new systems that represent what the future of education in this country is. And now we are starting to see the benefits of it. I read the article about the teachers going to London and to Europe over the summer and being in a Spanish- speaking programme. I learned of it when they came back, and I now know what is going on in the schools. 1680 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly I talked to a friend of mine. He is a senior vice president at a reinsurance company. His kids were due to go to Warwick Academy this September. His wife is a native Spanish teacher and she wanted her kids to have a global education, to understand their cu lture, still be enthralled, enraptured and caught up in the Bermuda culture, and get a brilliant education. She learned of the dual enrolment programme. The family learned of the dual enrolment programme at Purvis with naturally indigenous Spanish -speaking teachers. And guess what, Mr. Deputy Speaker ? They changed their son’s enrolment in P1 from Warwick Academy to Purvis. That is —
Mr. Wayne Caines—people seeing the vision of what the future looks like. When I think about what today represents, it is a story to tell to the Independent candidates. It is a story to tell to those that do not understand that sometimes you have to be a part of a team …
—people seeing the vision of what the future looks like. When I think about what today represents, it is a story to tell to the Independent candidates. It is a story to tell to those that do not understand that sometimes you have to be a part of a team with a vision to make things come to fruition. And sometimes you have to stick and stay and work and pray and fight and get to-gether as a team in the long run to make things happen. That is one of the challenges that we have in our community because we come to these forks on the road, and it is much easier for us to paint these pictures of each other that are not brilliant portraits. It is much easier for us to say that all of these things are going wrong and there is no ability to fix the challenges. So when we talk about Southampton Princess, we heard what the Minister of Education said about a protagonist that was highlighting the fact that this project would not go off. There were so many different challenges with the project. And it was so easy for us all to lose faith because it is much easier to lose faith than to have faith. It would have been much easier for everybody to drive across Southampton Princess and it is a wasteland, and say, You know what ? This is a failing. And everyone chalked it up as such.
[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE
Mr. Wayne CainesMy grandfather said a statement, and I am very careful how I say it because it can be deemed to be disrespectful. And, Mr. Speaker, that is not my intent this evening. And the adage is as follows: Fools and children should not see unfinished work. I do not say …
My grandfather said a statement, and I am very careful how I say it because it can be deemed to be disrespectful. And, Mr. Speaker, that is not my intent this evening. And the adage is as follows: Fools and children should not see unfinished work. I do not say that as a pejorative statement at all. I am simply saying sometimes it is very difficult to see the final product if you are not a part of laying the vision. The Bible says do what? To make a vision and to make it plain. Today that vision has culminated with the finalisation of the Southampton Princess deal. It is historic for a number of reasons. The closing represents $560 million of financing. This is the most significant tourism investment in Bermuda’s history. This is the most significant tourism investment in our country’s history. This project will inject over $500 million of foreign capital in our economy. This $500 million sends a signal globally to all four corners of this world that Bermuda is a safe and legitimate well -regulated jurisdiction, and it is a good place to make investments. Why is that significant? Be-cause, whilst I do not have any insider information, I know that we are looking to do the exact same thing with Elbow Beach. It is my position that this will give investors in Elbow Beach confidence. Not only do they have confidence, [but] this spawns healthy competition. This allows people to say , You know what? If $500 million will come in from foreign capital, that makes it much easier for the investors in the Elbow Beach hotel —a scenic, iconic property —for that to come off the ground. So when people start using the words a renaissance in tourism, some might think that it is hyperbole, or it is exaggeration, or it is politicking. Well, we have seen the antithesis of that. We have seen hotels over the last 25 years close in epic numbers. Now we are seeing the opportunity for us to do things differ ently. And we have. In the employment phase of this project, we will see over 700 jobs. That will mox down to 200 positions available for Bermudians. Let’s just talk about that phase. So young people in Bermuda that are not in university, that are not in law or the traditional fields, men and women in our country who are talented that were looking for opportunities . . . We now know that with almost immediate effect we have the opportunity to hire over 200 Bermudians. Last night, minutes after the press release went out, my Wh atsApp started to blow up with young Bermudian males, Caines, where do I go to get one of these jobs?
Mr. Wayne CainesSo, what I had to do immediately was reach out to some friends and say, Do you know what we are going to do at the weekend? Let’s host a little clinic getting everybody’s résumé sorted out. Find out what their area of speciality is and allow them to get …
So, what I had to do immediately was reach out to some friends and say, Do you know what we are going to do at the weekend? Let’s host a little clinic getting everybody’s résumé sorted out. Find out what their area of speciality is and allow them to get the opportunity to go. And when the clarion call is given, we have given them a fighting chance to get employment. So often times when you go and you knock on their door, it is filled with doom. It is filled with gloom, with people saying, There is no work out here. Last night I was able to have a different conversation. Many times, the majority of us whose parents—and many of them did—worked in the hotel
Bermuda House of Assembly industry . . . when it came time for [their] children to go into the hotel industry, many of our parents steered us away from the hotel industry. And it is hard to understand why. But if I can give a perspective, Mr. Speaker , many of our fathers and our uncles came in as bus boys, and worked in the Empire Room, and led in the hotel industry. But there was no clear path for them to become the maître d’. There was no clear path for them to become a GM [general manager]. There was no clear path for them to bec ome the director of HR [human resources]. There was no clear path for them to become the CFO [chief financial officer]. Well in this iteration, we know that we have to do things differently. The team at Gencom has to understand, and they have been told thi s ad infinitum, that it is their responsibility to make sure that young Bermudians see a career path in the hotel industry. The Bermuda Tourism Authority, through the AnchorBDA programme (and that is a bespoke tourism training programme for the industry), has been in full effect for a while. People that sign up now, they can sign up with the BTA, and the BTA will cover the cost . So, let’s go again: the Anchor[BDA] tourism plan. You do not have to worry [about] How do you learn about the tourism industry? Where do you go? How much money do you have? If you sign up right now, the BTA will cover the cost. We have recently signed it —[an] MOU with the Ministry of Education. And they are work-ing to help the Bermuda Tourism Authority to build their curriculum. The next part is, this week the Bermuda Tourism Authority was on the road. And they went on a sales mission to the northeast and [were] speaking at this point with a hat on as a chair of the Bermuda Tour-ism Authority. They were brought all week on the nort heast and they met with a number of agencies. And they said that group bookings would go through the roof if the Southampton Princess could be opened, not because there is anything wrong with any of the other hotels. Only Southampton Princess in its past a nd its current iteration can handle group business. What this an-nouncement does is allow the sales and marketing team to go to the conventions, to go to our business partners, to go to the sales associates, and now start making sure that we get this convention business into Bermuda. It is a phenomenal day. I can tell you from seeing the latest tourism figures that visitor spending is up. Visitor stays are longer. We have surpassed the 2019 airlift since the entrance of BermudAir. We have to un-derstand that we have seen things like the super yacht strategy bring in a number of international and massive boats in Bermuda causing more people to come to Bermuda, people of higher net worth in Bermuda to spend longer periods of time. We see the different sporting tourism elements that are happening with things like the BTA, with the track meet, with a number of things, the sailing events, the SailGP in the most recent years, where people are coming to Bermuda and have indicated when we have the hotel rooms they will come back to Bermuda in droves. Everyone that you talk to on these FAM tours or on these sail tours, they have an affinity to Bermuda. Mr. Speaker, let me remind you. This was not because the Tourism Department, as it was then called or now the Tourism Authority, fell off. As a country we were solely focused, and all of our eggs were in the financial services and in international finance. So, you see, a number of hotels over the last 25 years . . . It became much more advantageous when you are looking at the investment of capital, when you are looking at the cost of living, the cost to run hotels, the hotel models that we were using then . . . It made much more sense for us to focus on international business. It is the Progressive Labour Party that understands that an economy cannot stand on one leg. It is the Progressive Labour Party that has said, We are going to focus on hotel investment. It is the Progressive Labour Party that has looked over the last few years at the importance of the Southampton Princess deal and has seen it and walked it through the end. On Wednesday night I was going home and I listened to the Bermuda taxi operators on a drive- home talk show. I was so encouraged by the conversation. The young men and the young women that were on the show, they said that this is their industry. They are committed to tourism. They are committed to their craft. They pledged to this country on the radio programme how committed they were to making Bermuda better and to holding up their arm of the tourism product with tourism. Oftentimes we hear people saying negative things about the taxi industry. I was buoy ed to hear this cadre of taxi operators give us their commitment to want a better Bermuda, their oath to provide better service. When I look at what this represents for the future, I am not going to take this opportunity to beat the Bermudian about being to work on time. Everyone heard the Honourable Derrick Burgess give clear guidance, chastisement, a marching bearing what we need to do. Today is a day for us to say that hard work, fastidiousness, discipline, [and ] marching on a bearing has paid off. The Bermuda Tourism Authority has a team that has been working diligently. And I would like to give them the praise, the adulation, and the encouragement that they deserve because they will be the people that will take this and sell it and go to the four corners of the world telling everyone about Bermuda, the jewel in the Atlantic. They will be the people who take our dreams, our aspirations. They will take the mantra of all of our hotels, of our taxi drivers, of the ladies working in the hotel and the bartenders. They will be the people that go to all the trade shows, the FAM tours , and tell them about our great Island and make sure that our numbers increase. Congratulations to the Ministry of Transport. They too have been working tirelessly to make sure that 1682 20 September 2024 Official Hansard Report
Bermuda House of Assembly we have the people who are getting the right deals in place for airlift and for cruise ship[s]. Congratulation to the Department of Tourism in what they do in their Ministry. Today is a day where all of us who are involved in tourism have something to be proud of. This is hope. This represents hope. And the construction phase of 700 people working in the construction phase in a country that needs opportunity — well done, Premier. Well done to all of those who put this deal together. Awesome for standing the course. Our country needs it. And this will be the necessary life-line. Not to politicise it because ultimately we are only here for the people that we represent. And they will be the beneficiaries of it. And this represents an amazing opportunity for tourism and for Bermuda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, MP Caines. Mr. Premier, you rose to your feet, and I am going to accept that you are on your feet — Hon. E. David Burt: I am on my feet, Mr. Speaker.
The SpeakerThe SpeakerGo right ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: Would you like me to close out today’s session?
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThe floor is yours. FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Much appreciated. Mr. Speaker, let me say this. There is very little to add because there has been incredible contributions from this side on this motion to adjourn—speaking to issues that …
The floor is yours.
FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON TRANSACTION FINANCIAL CLOSE
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Much appreciated. Mr. Speaker, let me say this. There is very little to add because there has been incredible contributions from this side on this motion to adjourn—speaking to issues that matter, speaking to the progress that is being made, acknowledging that there is more work to be done while also recognising that it is important to have faith and to recognise the vision. And so, I think that was an amazing contribution from the Honourable Member who just took his seat, but we have had amazing contributions all evening. A nd the contributions, Mr. Speaker, are in regard to what was unveiled last evening. Now, I am not going to stand up and go into details as I know I shared with you, Mr. Speaker . And also, you know, other Members of the stress of which this has caused . . . The Honourable Member who just took his seat. I was recalling how this whole process started way back in 2019, and we were dealing with these particular matters on the original purchase. And we remember what happened in the intervening period with the pandemic and a closure. A nd we understand what happened of course when there were inter est rate shocks with inflation, and a war in Russia, and all those other types of matters, Mr. Speaker. But notwithstanding we stuck to the wicket. We did not lose faith. And it was interesting what I heard from the developers yesterday. They reminded me that words that are spoken in this House or in the media matter because all of the investment houses that are examining the investments around the world have junior analyst s who read newspaper articles. Now, I want to be clear, Mr. Speaker. I am not impugning any Member of the Opposition for stating that they do not want this project to go ahead. That is not what my objective is. What I am stating however, Mr. Speaker, is that negative comments in the press and in other places do have an impact on investment coming into the country. So yes, there is the cut and thrust of politics, which we have, but it is important to recognise that it is just a fact. That is just a reality. I remember in this House many times ago, I said that persons who were looking to invest in this country, after T he Royal Gazette and other persons writing articles, and all the rest, said, You know what? I do not have the time for this. I do not need this. There are many other places in the world to invest. And this is why we must make sure to continue to have an attitude of recognising welcoming. And so, I will take the silence from the Opposition today that despite the comments that have been made by thei r candidates, former candidates, in the newspaper, despite the comments that their persons may make on the blogs or other places, that it is my hope and desire as expressed by the Shadow Minister of Tourism, the former Premier, MP Craig Cannonier, that thi s is a good thing. So, from that perspective that is great. We are unified in this particular space to go forward despite the difficult path that it took us to get here. So, as I said, Mr. Speaker. There is very little to add. I do want to address a few things, however, if I can, Mr. Speaker , because I think it is important to set context as we wind up today’s debate and move on to next week. Because as you would know, the Government laid a significant amount of legislation today. But the Honourable Member who just took his seat, MP Caines, said something very important, and it was ech-oed by another Honourable Member who I do not recall who spoke. I think it was MP Richardson. Things sometimes take t ime. Now let’s look back to our 2020 Election Platform, which spoke about building off of the Economic Recovery Plan, which spoke about subsea cables. Something that was brought to this Government, and as the Minister of Public Works spoke about in his Ministerial Statement today, one of the spaces where Bermuda excels is in regulatory policy. And today we tabled, and next week we will consider a long- term lease agreement, which is akin to a purchase, an investment in this country from one of the largest compani es on the planet. [It is] something that all of us proudly use every day. This is the work that is being done under this
Bermuda House of Assembly Government. But it does not happen overnight. It takes time but you must have a vision and you must have the courage to execute that vision. We have laid out our policies. We have held fast to them. And we have said this is where we are driving forward and driving ahead. And it happens when you go back to the core principles, Mr. Speaker — because the core principles are important —a focus on working people. So, we have had a number of comments today from, you know . . . The Royal Gazette is asking questions and everything else, and [are] asking questions around, Oh you have laid out this massive social investment package. And how are you going to pay for it? despite the fact that earlier today I said that this Government intends to still deliver a balanced budget. But I am going to go a little bit further, Mr. Speaker . Given the figures that are coming into the Ministry of Finance, we may have a significant budget surplus —
Some Hon. Members Some Hon. MembersOoh! Ooh! Hon. E. David Burt: —with additional spending and reduction in taxes. The Minister of Economy and Labour spoke about the increase in employment income. When there is an increase in employment income, that means there is an increase in tax revenue. The Honourable Member who took his seat …
Ooh! Ooh!
Hon. E. David Burt: —with additional spending and reduction in taxes. The Minister of Economy and Labour spoke about the increase in employment income. When there is an increase in employment income, that means there is an increase in tax revenue. The Honourable Member who took his seat spoke about the increase in tourism that has happened. When there is an increase in tourism, that means there is an increase in tax revenue. We know that a project is about to start. We know that there is construction taking place. We kn ow that there are other large construction projects that have been approved. Unemployment in the country [is] at levels not seen since 1980. Mr. Speaker, progress is being made, but this Government recognises that you cannot just rest on the progress because as we knock on doors, whether it be in our constituencies or around the country, we recognise there is more work to be done. And so that is our focus, Mr. Speaker , laser focus on delivering for the working people of this country. So next week, Mr. Speaker, we will consider an increase in pensions for our seniors, keeping our pledge to increase pensions by the rate of inflation every year. Next week, Mr. Speaker, we will consider a massive package of social investment, the largest single increase in social investment made in this country in 20 years, touching on matters related to mental health, dealing with the issues around the sandwich generation, additional resources for our police as well, and counselling services for the community who desperately needs to have access to those services so that they can expand, so we can break the intergenerational cycle, Mr. Speaker. But it comes from a laser -like focus on delivering for working people. So, Mr. Speaker, as we close out today and as we go into next week, I am proud to stand with my colleagues who are all proud of what this Government has been able to announce today. No, it is not us. [It is] in the private sector, but the private sector does not invest in a country unless they have confidence in the Government. Google will not invest in Bermuda unless they have confidence in the Government . Businesses do not set up in Bermuda unless they have confidence in the Government. And the economic results of which we are seeing are because international investors have confidence in the Government. So, we will continue to press ahead. And I look forward to the groundbreaking ceremony that will take place at the Fairmont Southampton. I look forward to the jobs that will be delivered during construction. I look forward to the opening of that hotel project. I look forward to the numerous persons who will be employed when that project is opened. And like everyone else, I look forward to that $560 million of invest-ment that is coming into our economy, Mr. Speaker. We are on the right direction, and one thing is for sure. We will continue to s tick to the wicket because, Mr. Speaker, the runs are coming. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
The SpeakerThe SpeakerThank you, Members and Mr. Premier. And thank you all for today’s session. I think a lot was accomplished, and we did it in a good atmosphere today. I trust that everyone goes home this weekend and gets rested and comes back for a long session next week, which will …
Thank you, Members and Mr. Premier. And thank you all for today’s session. I think a lot was accomplished, and we did it in a good atmosphere today. I trust that everyone goes home this weekend and gets rested and comes back for a long session next week, which will be done in equally a good atmosphere. Members, enjoy your weekend. The House now stands adjourned.
[Gavel]
[At 6:11 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Friday, 27 September 2024 .]
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