Black Immigrant Daily News

Laws (or Acts, as they are now called) are passed to establish government owned entities and authorities. Upon review of these Acts, one will discover that they set out the responsibilities of these entities, including power and authority of boards of directors and chief executive officers. Unfortunately, some of the provisions of these Acts are inconsistent with the Public Authorities Act, and they must now be aligned with the Public Authorities Act to avoid inadvertent breaches by boards of the Public Authorities Act.

To give a real-life example of this happening, the Act establishing one agency states that the board of directors has the power to appoint a deputy managing director. However, a legal opinion recently issued to the agency states that the power to appoint a deputy managing director does not lie with the board of directors, but, instead with the chief executive officer (CEO) of the agency. This is because, under the Public Authorities Act, the CEO has the power to appoint any staff the CEO needs to assist with the carrying out of the agency’s operational plan. This includes someone to act as the CEO’s deputy.

When there are inconsistencies like this, specifically where a provision of an Act relevant to an agency is inconsistent with the Public Authorities Act, the Public Authorities Act will prevail with respect to the inconsistency.

If any board of directors of a government agency is unaware of this principle, it may be that the relevant board thinks that it is carry out its functions properly, but is actually falling foul of the Public Authorities Act.

To avoid what could otherwise become a murky, convoluted legal quagmire for a board of directors of a government agency, the Acts that established government owned companies or agencies should be reviewed and corrected immediately for inconsistencies with the Public Authorities Act.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

With the lack of adequate garbage collection being a recurring source of contention for many residents across the island, Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Desmond McKenzie, has pleaded for the affected persons to exercise some patience.

In fact, McKenzie said a number of garbage trucks are on the way to the island to help to rectify the solid waste collection challenges that are now being experienced.

“We have seen footage sent to me where the garbage truck came and five minutes after, persons are disposing of the garbage outside…,” the minister told reporters after the handing over of two houses in Central Kingston last week.

“I just want to appeal to everybody again, just have some patience. The trucks are on (their) way and we will be seeing an improvement in terms of the efforts of solid waste over the next two weeks leading up into the Christmas holidays,” McKenzie assured.

The Government had indicated that 50 new garbage trucks were purchased and would arrive in the country shortly, to help alleviate the problem.

Over recent months, citizens have been complaining about inadequate garbage collection across the country, and have laid the blame squarely at inefficiencies within the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

Last Sunday, McKenzie, while accepting that there was no denying that there has been a breakdown in garbage collection, contended that if past People’s National Party (PNP) Administrations had invested in solid waste, then the country would not be in the position it is relative to the issues of solid waste disposal.

“When I became minister in 2016, the National Solid Waste Management Authority never had 10 garbage trucks,” McKenzie told a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Area Council One meeting at Jacques Road Community Centre in South East St Andrew.

“Between 2016 and 2018, this Administration put in 63 new trucks into the National Solid Waste Management Authority,” he added.

In noting that much resources hade to be channelled into the health sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McKenzie said the Government had to “postpone” the purchase of the trucks.

He told the meeting that he saw videos of the 50 new garbage trucks being driven on a ship to be brought to the island.

The JLP deputy leader, however, stressed that even if 1,000 garbage trucks are imported, Jamaicans will have to change their attitude towards littering and solid waste disposal.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Government House provides venue for Street Pastors Fundraiser

The Street Pastors (Antigua and Barbuda Branch) recently held a fundraising brunch on the North Lawn of Government House.

The event was attended by the Governor General His Excellency Sir  Rodney Williams and Her Excellency Lady Williams.

Speakers at the event included Sir Rodney and the organisation’s Chairman, Pastor Holder.

Also in attendance were Mistress of Ceremonies Tracey Samuel, Co-ordinator of Street Pastors Barry Sebastian, Mr. Lestroy Samuel and others of the executive arm of the Antigua and Barbuda Branch — as well as friends and supporters of the non-profit body.

The effort was assisted by the staff of the Office of the Governor General.

The purpose of the occasion was to generate funds through ticket sales, targeted at the creation of a central space in St. John’s where the homeless and destitute can ultimately find some respite.

The Halo foundation, of which Their Excellencies Sir Rodney and Lady Williams are Patron and President respectively, highlighted the work of Street Pastors at Wings of Charity held in London last June.

The Halo Foundation is also assisting Street Pastors to meet a portion of their financial objectives.

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NIEUW-NICKERIE — Bij het uitreiken van grondpapieren aan 158 burgers in district Nickerie heeft president Chandrikapersad Santokhi aangegeven dat de

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CMC: Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell says his administration is prepared to lease an aircraft if Caribbean governments are unable to sort out the regional transportation sector by year-end.

Caribbean travel has been thrown into chaos following the collapse of the Antigua-based regional airline, LIAT (1974) limited with the region travelling population disgruntled at the inability to move around as freely as they used to during LIAT’s operations.

In an exclusive interview aired on WPG10 on Friday night, Mitchell, who led his National Democratic Congress (NDC) to power in June, said the regional airline sector needs urgent fixing and that there needs to be more decisive movement on the issue before year-end.

“If by October, November, we don’t have an arrangement …then it means if Grenada has to go and lease the planes so that we can fly between Grenada and Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago we will have to do so.

“The truth is we can’t get to Trinidad,” Mitchell said, noting however that with several new leaders in the Caribbean he is optimistic that the situation will be dealt with.

“Let’s put it this way, I am optimistic it will not get to that,” he said, adding that regional governments must be prepared to spend more money on regional transport.

“I have made it quite clear we have to put money, if not into LIAT 2020, if not Inter Caribbean then some other vehicle that is prepared to fly, it is as simple as that,” Mitchell added.

In August, regional leaders met to discuss the situation regarding air transportation in the Caribbean amidst concerns that both regional and international travellers are finding it very expensive and difficult to commute.

Mitchell said then it was agreed that a consultant would be retained to provide advice to the heads of the region as to how we can address the critical need to have, particularly air transportation resumed at a level that existed prior to COVID-19.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their summit in Suriname in July had agreed on a new modern Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA) that will allow for a new framework within which air transportation will operate in the region.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, who had served as LIAT chairman, said that countries, particularly those in the Eastern Caribbean were being severely affected by the loss of thousands of seats “because LIAT, as it was, is no longer before us.

LIAT is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said previously that a decision had been taken that would allow Barbados and SVG to turn over their shares in LIAT to St. John’s for one EC dollar (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Browne appealed to Caribbean trade unions to re-think their positions regarding the latest offer made to laid-off workers of the airline.

The Grenada Prime Minister told reporters that LIAT (1974) Limited “is bankrupt and that has been made clear and it is in receivership”.

LIAT (1974) limited in June 2020, entered into court-appointed administration after a high court judge in Antigua and Barbuda granted a petition for the cash-strapped pan-Caribbean carrier’s reorganisation.

The Guyana-born Cleveland Seaforth has been appointed LIAT’s administrator for the duration of proceedings.

The airline owes former employees including pilots millions of dollars in severance and other payments.

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