Black Immigrant Daily News

Leanni Tibbetts, who was crowned Miss World Cayman Islands 2022 on Saturday, September 24 is now a pilot with Cayman Airways’ Twin Otter fleet.

Tibbetts and another young Caymanian pilot — Nathan Myers — successfully completed Cayman Airways’ rigorous recruitment and training programme to become the newest First Officers on the airline’s Twin Otter fleet, which is operated by Cayman Airways Express, which is a subsidiary of Cayman Airways Limited (CAL).

“We are thrilled to welcome these two very talented and qualified Caymanian pilots to the Cayman Airways family and we look forward to watching them advance up the ranks to Captain of the B737-8 jet fleet,” said Captain Dave Scott, executive vice president of Operations, and chief operations officer.

Leanni Tibbetts and Nathan Myers in the cockpit.

Cayman Airways offers a special training programme for entry-level Caymanian pilots.

The two new pilots joined Cayman Airways Express on May 23, 2022, with First Officer Myers passing his training flight on September 2 and flying his first commercial flight with Express on September 13. First Officer Tibbetts passed hers on Friday, September 23. She will fly her firstcommercial flight with Express on October 3.

Their Ground School and Flight Training was conducted in-house by Captain Johan Bjuroe, who is the manager of Flight Training for Cayman Airways Express.

“It has been a pleasure working with Nathan and Leanni,” said Captain Bjuroe. “I’ve trained a lot of Caymanian pilots over the years and I’m very proud to see another group of young Caymanians come through successfully.”

Eight Caymanian pilots, including Nathan and Leanni, were recently offered the position of First Officer on the Twin Otter fleet, and the remaining six are awaiting the required Ground School Training in the coming months.

Captain Gary Hydes, Acting Chief Pilot for Cayman Airways, noted that the airline’s objective is for all new pilot hires to eventually become B737-8 captains. He explained that a pilot’s career progression at CAL starts with the entry-level pilot position of First Officer on the Twin Otter fleet, followed by the First Officer position on the Saab 340B+ fleet.

They then progress to Captain of the Twin Otter fleet, followed by movement to the B737-8 fleet as First Officer, then Captain on the Saab 340B+, and finally to Captain on the B737-8 jets, which is considered the pinnacle of each CAL pilot’s career.

“I would like to congratulate both Leanni and Nathan and welcome them to the Cayman Airways pilots fraternity,” said Captain Hydes. “I look forward to working with them as they navigate through their careers at Cayman Airways.”

When asked how she feels about achieving this milestone, First Officer Tibbetts said: “It’s exciting because it’s been a long time coming. I graduated in 2019 but Cayman Airways wasn’t hiring at the time so I left the aviation field for a while until I heard that Cayman Airways was hiring pilots again, and clearly the love and passion is still there for flying.”

First Officer Myers shared similar sentiments, stating: “Ever since I was a young boy, it was a goal to fly for Cayman Airways, so now that I’m finally here it feels surreal, and I can’t believe it’s actually happening!”

Both new pilots praised the extensive time and attention they received from CAL’s pilots throughout their training process, and thanked them for their encouragement and support.

In addition to their pilot licenses and Cayman Airways’ pilot training, both new Express pilots have Bachelor of Science degrees.

First Officer Myers has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics from Liberty University in Virginia and an Associate Degree in Science from the University College of the Cayman Islands with a concentration in Physics and Environmental Science. He has a Commercial Multi-Engine License with Instrument Rating.

First Officer Tibbetts has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation Management, with a Flight Minor in Aviation Environmental Science from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT).

She has a Commercial Multi-Engine license with Instrument Rating. She was also President of Women in Aviation at FIT and currently serves as a volunteer Sub-Lieutenant with the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and is a volunteer Call-Taker with the National Emergency Operations Centre.

First Officer Tibbetts is now the fourth active female pilot at Cayman Airways overall, which is 10% of the 44 pilots currently employed by the airline. The female pilots are: First Officer Giselah Ebanks, B737-8 fleet; Captain Crystal Godet, Twin Otter fleet; First Officer Amber Hydes, Twin Otter fleet; andFirst Officer Leanni Tibbetts, Twin Otter Fleet.

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When schools reopened for face-to-face classes in March, the administration at the Seaview Gardens Primary School faced a problem – extreme learning loss across all age groups, particularly in literacy.

Having assessed the situation and crafted an action plan, School principal Sangieanna Reid-Prince reached out to the Desnoes and Geddes (D&G) Foundation for help to get the students back on track.

After consultations and planning, stakeholders gathered on the school grounds on September 29 to celebrate the official launch of the Seaview Gardens Primary Literacy Programme – a three-year, $8 million initiative funded by the D&G Foundation to close the literacy gap and set students on a path to excellence.

Acting Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr Kasan Troupe described the launch as a watershed moment.

“Today is a turning point and a sign that this institution is committed. It also signals that the D&G Foundation is invested in developing this community. The greatest gift you can give anyone is the gift of education, starting with the basic principles of reading and writing. Today is a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration. This investment shows a strong belief in these students, who will eventually become the leaders of this community and our country.”

Troupe concluded, “I am an example of someone teachers believed in. I started out in Greenwich Town and did not grow up privileged, but just like these children, my teachers and principal had hope in me, which is what took me to where I am today. Let us never give up on the students of Seaview Primary. Let’s continue to partner with teachers, parents, community, and stakeholders to make the dreams of these boys and girls a reality.”

The Seaview Gardens programme is designed to support literacy development across all subject areas. In addition to literacy levels, students will be assessed based on their skills, interests, learning styles, and sensory awareness abilities. The methods to be deployed will enable teachers and specialists to design individual learning tools for each student. For lower grades, the programme will focus on literacy development, fluency in reading and comprehension-skill building. Students in upper school, grades four through six, will also include critical thinking as a core component.

“Education is one of a nation’s most valuable assets, and the impact of the phenomenal depletion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is immeasurable,” said Reid-Prince. “As a community school, we recognised that our students were in peril, which is why we reached out for support. The situation was scary, but it also inspired us to act quickly.”

D&G Foundation Accountant Dennis Beckford applauded Prince and her team for the level of detail and speed with which they responded to the problem.

“We were so impressed by the school’s proposal, and we’re eager to see the development that will take place over the next three years. Our goal is for the intervention programme to provide critical literacy development assistance for all students at Seaview Primary. Together we have put measures in place to ensure that these goals are achieved. Due to the intensity and scope of this intervention, we have established a project team that will meet monthly to review the programme. These reviews will allow us to correct deviations to stay on track. All students must emerge from this programme better than they were at the start,” said Beckford.

The programme launch was an exciting affair with students performing original music, dance, and poetry to entertain more than 100 invited guests, which included community residents, school board members, staff of the D&G Foundation and senior members of the Education Ministry.

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Antigua and Barbuda on Monday 3rd October, hosted the 21st Meeting of Fisheries Ministers of countries of the OECS under the theme ‘the Sustainable Use of Living Marine Resources’, held at the Trade Winds Hotel in Antigua and Barbuda.

Under the auspices of the Hon. Samantha Marshall, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, the meeting saw fellow ministers, policy makers and technical experts of the region’s fishing industry gather for two days of deliberations focusing on the sustainable use of marine resources.

Representatives from Grenada, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and host country, Antigua and Barbuda attended the meeting. Both CARICOM and OECS fisheries officials were also present.

His Excellency AKIMOTO Masatoshi Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan addressed the gathering of Ministers during the opening ceremony.

Minister Marshall stated in her official correspondence that “the meeting is expected to deliberate on a number of issues including, post-COVID challenges of sustainable fisheries development as it pertains to sustainable use of living marine resources and livelihoods, Coastal environmental issues affecting fisheries development and management, opportunities for the development of the Blue Economy, International Maritime Organization, the International Whaling Commission and CITES and bilateral assistance for fisheries development.

Presentations were also be made by Honourable Saboto Caesar Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour – St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Mr. Milton Haughton, and Executive Director Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Mr. Horace Walters – IWC Commissioner, St. Lucia and Ambassador Daven Joseph – IWC Commissioner, Antigua and Barbuda

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Finance Minister Colm Imbert

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has been found to have acted unlawfully and irrationally when he decided not to recommend an assistant commissioner of the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) to the position of commissioner in 2021.

In a written decision on Tuesday, Justice Margaret Mohammed granted the declaration sought by Rohonie Ramkissoon, a field auditor and acting commissioner of the BIR, that Imbert’s decision was unlawful, null and void and of no effect.

The judge also quashed the minister’s decision.

However, she did not grant the order compelling the minister to reconsider Ramkissoon since, the judge said, Ramkissoon was on pre-retirement leave from March 23-July 10, 2022, so that relief was no longer applicable.

She also did not agree with the claim for damages based on the difference in salary Ramkissoon would have received had she been elevated to the top post at the BIR.

Ramkissoon contended Imbert arrived at his decision not to recommend her as chairman of the BIR on the basis of a “concern” he had arising out of an investigation.

She said she was bypassed on the basis that she knew of an investigation of which she was not the subject, and the decision was unlawful, arbitrary and made in a procedurally unfair manner, without giving her an opportunity to be heard.

In her ruling, Mohammed said the court could not “condone any action of a public authority who acts in violation of the principle of natural justice.”

She said the minister, as a public body, had the discretion to advise the President under section 80 of the Constitution to appoint the commissioner of the BIR.

“In the absence of any legislative procedure to guide the defendant, it is important that he understands that he has a duty to exercise his discretion lawfully, comply with the principles of natural justice and act reasonably and rationally when making his decision.

“It is very likely that in the future, the defendant will have to exercise his discretion to make recommendations for similar appointments and these declarations ought to serve as a deterrent to avoid the missteps as in this matter.”

The BIR comprises five commissioners, one of whom is appointed chairman by the President, on the advice of the Cabinet.

Ramkissoon’s lawsuit said she was questioned about an investigation into proposed tax refunds to two companies, and she acknowledged she was aware of a previous investigation involving the two entities, but that had been resolved.

It said no specific allegation was raised against her, nor was she told she was the subject of an investigation

Again, in March 2021, she was told another recommendation had been made to the President and that the minister could not recommend her because of concerns arising out of the VAT refund investigation.

In her ruling, Mohammed said Ramkissoon was “ambushed” at the meeting with the minister, who, she said, had a duty to inform her the meeting was for the post of commissioner and she would have to address concerns relating to the alleged VAT refunds claims.

“In my opinion, this was critical as the position the claimant was being interviewed for was the very senior position of CBIR (commissioner BIR) and not a junior clerk position.

“In my opinion, if the defendant had information concerning allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct prior to his meeting with the claimant and that she was a person of interest in the CTIU’s (Criminal Tax Investigation Unit) investigation, he had a duty at the meeting to bring these allegations to her attention and afford her a reasonable opportunity to respond.

“This was important as the defendant relied on the said information to make his decision that the claimant was not fit for the position of CBIR.”

The minister was ordered to pay Ramkissoon’s costs, to be assessed by a registrar.

Ramkissoon was represented by attorneys Dinesh Rambally, Kiel Taklalsingh, Stefan Ramkissoon and Kristy Mohan. The minister was represented by Senior Counsel Martin Daly, SC, Christopher Sieuchand and Sashi Indarsingh.

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