St Lucia News Online

Two industrial agreements were signed at the Department of Labour today.

The management of Sentinel Security Services Ltd and Goddard Catering Group affixed their signatures to industrial agreements negotiated with the National Workers Union (NWU).

Both agreements which will run for a period of three years, make provisions for a new pay structure, a regime of fringe benefits and regulations that would drive general working conditions.

Both companies and the NWU in a brief ceremony gave a commitment to police the industrial accords and to cooperate in the fight to get rid of absenteeism and waste.

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The Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport wishes to inform residents and business owners of Fond St. Jacques, Esperance, Bois Den, Belle Plain and Belle Fond and the motoring public of the immediate closure of the La Dig (Mocha) Bridge to vehicular traffic with immediate effect.

As a result, persons wishing to get to the communities of Belle Plain, Belle Fond, Esperance and Bois Den are advised to use the Myers Bridge access.

Persons wishing to travel to Fond St. Jacques and Mocha can use the Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques road.

This action is necessary as the bridge is no longer able to accommodate vehicular traffic.

The ministry regrets any inconvenience that this abrupt closure may cause.

Signed
Allison A. Jean (Mrs)
Permanent Secretary

Minister Pierre

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport, Philip J. Pierre, will represent Saint Lucia at the meeting with Vice President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony is away on an official visit to Cuba and so is unable to attend the meeting.

Vice President Biden will visit Trinidad and Tobago as part of a tour to Latin American countries, aimed at consolidating a stronger relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean region. The potential use of mobile phones for banking, health and education services, as well as the energy potential within the region will feature as subjects of discussion between the United States and the region.

During Minister Pierre’s absence, Minister for Education, Human Resource Development and Labour, Dr. Robert Lewis, will serve as acting prime minister until the return of Pierre.

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony will lead a delegation of four on a state visit to Cuba.

The delegation, which includes Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Production and Rural Development, Moses Jn. Baptiste; Administrative Attache to the Prime Minister, Calixte George Jr; and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Jadia Jn. Pierre-Emmanuel, is expected to leave Saint Lucia on Sunday, May 26, 2013.

During their stay in Cuba, the delegation is expected to meet President Raoul Castro and other officials of the government of Cuba to discuss initiatives aimed at improving bilateral relations and exploring new areas of cooperation in culture, health and agriculture.

The delegation is expected to leave Cuba on Saturday, June, 1, 2013. While the other members of the delegation return to Saint Lucia, Prime Minister Anthony is expected to travel directly to Mexico to deliver the feature address at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Insurance Association of the Caribbean to be held in Cancun, Mexico.

The conference will be held at the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Resort from June 2-4, 2013 under the theme “Towards New Frontiers” and is expected to attract over 500 delegates from around the world.

Director, Financial Services Supervision Union of the Ministry of Finance, Calixte Leon, will accompany the prime minister to Mexico.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport, Philip J. Pierre, has been appointed to act as prime minister during Dr. Anthony’s absence.

“It has not been an easy task to manage the profitability of the George FL Charles Airport.

“ That’s according to Manager of the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority, SLASPA, Sean Matthew. He was at the time addressing the Business Community on the Revised Approach to Redeveloping the Hewanorra International Airport and commensurate commercial opportunities.

In a comprehensive presentation on both airports the SLASPA head says over the past ten years there has been a steady reduction in the amount of traffic at the George FL Charles airport.

“What this shows is our passenger movement from 2002 to 2012 – a ten year horizon that has shown a steady decline in the utilization of the airport and the utilization of passengers. Obviously in 2006/ 07 we lost Caribbean Star.

LIAT attempted to put additional flights, that didn’t work. We had the loss of American Eagle on August 21st, 2012 and we continue to manage a LIAT operation which has moved from six flights a day to ten, whereas we previously had in excess of 55 flights a day.”

Inspite of reduced profitability, Matthew says the airport has to meet internationally acceptable standards.

“Clearly this is something that we, meaning SLASPA, have to mange because once you operate an aerodrome all the safety factors must be in place. There is no way you can allow one plane to land without having the prerequisites required to at least safely land that plane.”

SLASPA, he says has employed various measures to deal with the viability issues of the Vigie located aerodrome such as a reduction in the airport’s operating hours and a downsizing in personnel.

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President of CDB Dr. Warren Smith *http://www.uwichsb.org/

President of the Caribbean Development Bank Dr. Warren Smith has emphasized the need for the adoption of economic principles of its first president and fiscal maturity and responsibility of regional entities.

The 43rd Board of Governors Meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) centred on ameliorating the region’s present fiscal challenges.

President of the Caribbean Development Bank Dr. Warren Smith in his presentation “Imperatives for securing our Caribbean future,” emphasized the relevance of the economic principles of the CDB’s first President Sir William Arthur Lewis as necessary for the advancement of the Caribbean region.

“Those of us in the CDB family and the region, as a whole, will be forever grateful for that outstanding son of Saint Lucia and one of your two Nobel Laureates, Sir Arthur Lewis.

In his “Theory of Growth”, which he penned in 1955, he reminded us that: “The advantage of economic growth is not that wealth increases happiness, but that it increases the range of human choice.

The case for economic growth is that it gives man greater control over his environment, and thereby increases his freedom.” Human beings and their happiness were always the primary focus of this outstanding Economist. At CDB, we continue to be inspired by his emphasis on people-centered development.”

Dr. Smith added that moving forward it was pertinent that countries display fiscal maturity.

“What of the Region which we are mandated to serve? Are our countries positioning themselves to emerge stronger from the current economic crisis? It can be argued that some BMCs mis-diagnosed the severity and duration of the international recession, and consequently, moved too slowly to begin their fiscal and structural adjustment. What is much more important?

However, is the recognition that a number of these countries have begun to adopt appropriate reforms to reverse macro-economic imbalances and improve international competitiveness.”

Dr. Smith in his summary of the Bank’s performance in 2012 stated despite challenges, progress was made in strengthening the Bank to remain a relevant and reliable partner for its shareholders.

David Satcher, Director of The Satcher Health Leadership Institute *http://www.cdrewu.edu/

Tapion Hospital is pleased to be partnering with Invest Saint Lucia and The Satcher Health Leadership Institute alongside The Morehouse School of Medicine to complement and work with all other health care providers, stakeholders, public and private to spotlight public health knowledge, technology and public health approaches.

A medical lecture focussing on issues, advancements and successes within Public Health is planned for Tuesday 28 May from 7 pm at Gaiety. The keynote speaker is Dr. David Satcher who will be speaking on the title: “The Role of Public Health in the Quest for Global Health Equity”.

David Satcher, MD, PhD is Director of The Satcher Health Leadership Institute which was established in 2006 at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

The mission of the Institute is to develop a diverse group of public health leaders, foster and support leadership strategies, and influence policies toward the reduction and ultimate elimination of disparities in health.

The Institute’s programs reflect Dr. Satcher’s experience in improving public health policy and his commitment to eliminating health disparities for underserved groups, such as minorities and the poor and shedding light on neglected issues, such as mental and sexual health.

Dr. David Satcher will provide an educationally enriching presentation, which centers on a focused discussion of (1) ethical leadership, (2) public health issues that impact diverse communities, (3) social determinants of global health, and (4) strategies to promote health equity.

He is a dynamic world renowned thought leader and scholar regarding health disparities; and he will bolster attention to relevant topics that impact the health and well-being of diverse individuals, families, and communities.

Public health is “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.” Health is generally considered to be a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being”

The health industry is ever evolving and we at Tapion Hospital recognize the need to move towards public-private partnerships in order to ensure the necessary synergy between the public and private arm of our Health Sector in Saint Lucia.

This would aid in creatively bridging the gaps in resources, both financial and human, while ensuring sustainability in technological innovation.

“Invest Saint Lucia is proud to be a partner of this initiative undertaken by The Satcher Group. At Invest Saint Lucia, we have devoted our resources and efforts towards harnessing investment opportunities for the country, inter alia, through medical tourism. We believe the Satcher Group’s initiative, in conjunction with Tapion Hospital, is commendable and presents many opportunities for medical professionals in Saint Lucia.

ISL welcomes the Satcher Group’s wealth of expertise, knowledge and experience in this field and looks forward to building strategic relationships with the Group that benefit and enhance the medical and business environment and ultimately lives of the people of Saint Lucia.” Invest Saint Lucia.

Tapion Hospital is a 17-year Saint Lucian owned and managed health institution. Its shareholders saw the need to create an alternative to the public health system that could rapidly adapt to current medical trends. Tapion Hospital is the only Canadian accredited hospital in the English speaking Caribbean, making them a beacon for providing industry standard service.

Prime Minister engages the two mothers of the Cuban prisoners.

Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony commenced his official visit to Cuba, when along with his delegation; he visited the Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, where he held talks with Ms. Kenya Serrano, President of the Institute and mothers of the five Cubans imprisoned in the United States of America.

During the visit, Dr. Anthony reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Institute to promote the relationship that is currently being enjoyed between Cuba, Saint Lucia and the rest of the region. Dr. Anthony told those present,

“Cuba has been an extraordinary friend, whose contribution to Saint Lucia is immeasurable. Over the years, we have benefited from scholarships in education and healthcare.

Additionally, Cuba has willingly provided technical support to Saint Lucia in several fields. The beauty of this relationship is that Cuba gives with no strings and asks for nothing in return. I treasure this friendship and assure you that the relationship between Cuba and Saint Lucia will be maintained and strengthened. This relationship is not for sale and non-negotiable.”

During the exchange with the family of the imprisoned Cubans, Prime Minister Anthony told the two mothers present that he admired their courage and strength throughout their continuing ordeal.

Bay Gardens Resorts today announced that it has, yet again, received four TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence awards.

The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide.

Only the top-performing 10 percent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award, and this is Bay Gardens Resorts third year in a row as a multi-winner.

To qualify for a Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor, and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

“The management and staff of the Bay Gardens Inn, Bay Gardens Hotel and the Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa – along with its Trios Caribbean Fusion Restaurant on property – are proud to have helped each location receive a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Mr. Sanovnik Destang, Executive Director of Bay Gardens Resorts.

“We strive to offer our customers a memorable experience, and these awards are evidence that our hard work continues to translate into positive reviews.”

“TripAdvisor is delighted to celebrate the success of businesses around the globe, from Sydney to Chicago, Sao Paulo to Rome, which are consistently offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience,” said Alison Copus, Vice President of Marketing for TripAdvisor for Business.

“The Certificate of Excellence award provides top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers.”

Last year, along with the various 2012 Certificates of Excellence that Bay Gardens Resorts was awarded, the Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa also won a 2012 Fodor’s 100 Hotel Award and was recognized as the only Saint Lucian hotel ranked on the Expedia® 2012 Insiders’ Select List.

The TOXIK Nation Carnival Band has created history by becoming the first carnival organisation to support the philanthropic work of the National Community Foundation with a donation of EC$1000 to the organisation.

The cheque presentation was made during the NCF`S 10th National Telethon on Sunday May 26,2013.

TOXIK Nation’s Press & Marketing Manager Mr Shannon Lebourne in presenting the cheque explained that the carnival band is very pleased to pledge funds to the National Community Foundation as part of its social responsibility.

“TOXIK Nation carnival band is more than just panty and bra,we see ourselves as key partners in national develop. Infact every year we help stimulate millions in economic benefit to the country during the carnival celebrations but we also guard jealously our responsibility and mandate to help support initiatives that keep the social fabric of Saint Lucia intact,initiatives that keep students in school,keep families together and ensure that the poor and less fortunate access healthcare.

This is why as a young organisation we thought it necessary to come to the telethon to pledge our support to the NCF and to wish the organisation continued success”.

The cheque from the carnival band was received by the Chairman of the NCF Mr Martin Weeks who thanked TOXIK Nation for its support.

Mr Weeks said quote” It is great to see a carnival band coming on-board to support the work of NCF,we are extremely grateful for your donation as every dollar counts and goes a long way.TOXIK Nation is the first carnival band to support NCF and we thank you and wish you all the best for the upcoming carnival”unquote.

The EC$1000 pledge to the National Community Foundation will be supplemented at the end of carnival 2013 when the carnival band makes a big donation of food and educational supplies to the Boys Training Centre at Massade in Gros Islet.

This donation will be made in collaboration with the band’s corporate partners including telecommunications provider LIME,Axcel Finance,WLBL,Brydens and Partners Limited,the Landings Resort,Patty Shack and many others.

TOXIK Nation is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year.

The Pitons

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board has been invited by VirtualTourist.com a travel research website and community to submit a nomination for the 8th Wonder of the World Award.

The nomination must include an ancient, natural or manmade landmark from the country making the submission and will be voted on by the general public.

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board has officially entered the iconic twin peaks mountains of Saint Lucia – The Pitons.

Please note that public voting opens on June 3rd and will be available at http://www.virtualtourist.com/8thwonder .

A voting widget will be placed on the homepage of both the www.stlucianow.com and www.stlucia.org websites to create awareness.

We are urging you to vote and by extension encourage the Saint Lucian public to vote for The Pitons and also make sure you share with your social media friends. The entry with the most votes will be deemed the winner.

Let’s spread the word and ensure that we get as many persons as possible to vote.

A Castries man will stand trial for stealing a minimum $10,800 over a period of time from a credit union he worked for.

According to court records, Yandel Gaston was employed by the credit union, located in Castries, in 2010, and at the time of the incidents, he was well acquainted with the procedures governing withdrawals and accountability at the institution.

The incidents spanned a period from November 2011 when the first discrepancies were noted by the operations manager, and September 2012 when Gaston was arrested and charged for the offence.

Gaston admitted to the theft in initial inquiries by the manager, who subsequently called the police and had him arrested.

A search of his home in September 2012 revealed a number of member ledger cards on which financial data was stored, and several withdrawal slips for the credit union. It is alleged that the amount of money withdrawn illegally from the credit union during that time is over $100,000, based on further investigation of the cards found at his home.

According to court records, Gaston went undetected because the institution was at the time recovering from a fire which had destroyed all of its electronic equipment, and as such, records of transactions were being done by hand, pending restoration of these systems.

In court last week, Gaston was told that the court has determined that there is sufficient evidence to send his case to trial.

Gaston is currently out on bail and will return to court at a date yet to be determined.

Sheldon Lionel aka Jelly has been committed to stand trial for stealing after he was reportedly caught red-handed by a police officer breaking into the vehicle of one Joel Brown of Ti Rocher, Castries on July 10, 2012 at about 10:30 pm.

Court records indicate that Brown parked his vehicle alongside First Baptiste Church in Sans Souci, Castries at about 9:30 pm and proceeded to the National Cultural Centre where he attended an event.

At about 10:30 pm he responded to an announcement by the event’s emcee and proceeded to where he had parked his vehicle, a Suzuki Terrios, registration number 695.

On arrival at his vehicle, he found a police officer standing there alongside a man whom he knew to be Jelly.

It is reported that the constable was conducting his mobile patrol when he noticed a young man standing between two vehicles with a spare tire on the ground and an object in his hand. When he noticed the police officer, he placed the item on the back seat of the car, and walked away from the area.

The officer approached him and informed him of a suspicion that he had been engaging in illegal activity. He identified himself to the officer and stated that the car was his. The officer asked to conduct a search of the car, which he permitted. He produced a key and the officer proceeded to search the vehicle.

A tire cover was recovered from the back seat of the car.

Lionel was further cautioned on the scene and stated, “Officer tings hard by me, I just trying to make a money to buy pampers for me baby.”

Brown identified the Terrios and tire cover as belonging to him. Lionel was then handed over to another police officer for transportation to the police station.

Lionel is currently on bail and will return to court at a date yet to be determined.

Kurty Wilson of Babonneau is set to stand trial for burglary.

The incident took place at Chassin, Babonneau at the home of one Charmaine Anthony.

Anthony is reported to have left her home on the morning of July 10, 2012 at about 7:30. She returned home with her husband at about 7:10 pm; at that time the evening news had already begun so they stayed downstairs to watch the news program.

After the news, Anthony proceeded to her bedroom, located on the top floor, and begun a nightly ritual of removing the jewellery that she had worn that day. It was at that point she noticed that her jewellery boxes and pouches, in which she stored her jewellery, were scattered. She then conducted an inventory and noticed several pieces of jewellery were missing.

The police were summoned and the lawmen conducted a search of the premises. At that point the officers noticed that a window had been used as an entry point. A further search of the bedroom and the house proved that a number of items, including electronic items, cell phones and other jewellery, were also missing. The total value of the missing items is EC$17,700.

A few days later, Anthony was called into the CID and asked to look at some items.

The items included two cell phones, which were identified as hers, as the serial numbers matched the numbers on the boxes which were still in her possession.

According to court documents, Wilson is on record as having offered restitution to Anthony for the items, however in court, when given the opportunity to make a statement, Wilson said, “Not me alone that do the crime, The officer had arrest me and *** but I doh see ***.”

Wilson will stand trial for the offence and will return to court on July 19, 2013 for report.

Brothers Brad and Lance Willie have been committed to stand trial for the late night robbery of one Donovan Sloughie of Castries who operates a food truck on the Gros Islet Highway in front of the Daher Building.

On July 31, 2012, Sloughie drove home and after he parked his vehicle, stayed inside as he was on the phone. After concluding his phone call, Sloughie exited and locked his vehicle and made his way to his house which was a few meters away.

While walking, he heard someone say “Pass it.” He turned and saw a young man with a rag over the bottom half of his face wielding a cutlass. He ran and the young man pursued him. While running he felt a sharp pain to his back, he tripped and fell to the ground. While on the ground he felt himself being searched. He turned and saw the young man standing over him, he noticed two other men in the vicinity.

Sloughie got up and ran, and again he felt a sharp pain in his back. He then turned and pretended to have a firearm in his possession; the perpetrators sought cover behind a lamp post. The light was functioning and he saw two of the men remove their masks as they observed him from a distance.

After they fled, he called an ambulance, but after waiting a few minutes, drove to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

Police were summoned and Sloughie was able to describe the two men he saw clearly and gave their names to police as he recognised them from previous associations. He was not able to give a clear description of the third perp.

The two men were arrested and picked out of a line-up by Sloughie on August 24, 2012. They were identified as the brothers Brad and Lance Willie.

The two young men both denied involvement in the crime, and one brother is expected to enter an alibi statement, claiming to have been hospitalised at the time of the incident.

The two men were on bail, however Justice Francis Cumberbatch was not satisfied with the bail conditions for Lance, and ordered him held pending compliance with new conditions, which includes a cash or land secured bail amount, and surrender of all travel documents to the registrar.

Prime Minister proudly wears his Jose Marti medal of honour.

On Tuesday, May 28, 2013, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, a recipient of the Jose Marti medal of honour, laid a wreath at the base of the monument of the National Hero at Revolution Square, Havana, before proceeding to hold official talks with President Raoul Castro.

During the wreath-laying ceremony, Prime Minister Anthony was greeted by military salute and the national anthem of the Republic of Cuba and Saint Lucia.

Dr. Anthony is one of the few distinguished recipients of the honour of Jose Marti, the highest honour bestowed upon a foreign dignitary by the government of the Republic of Cuba.

Following the ceremony, President Castro and Prime Minister Anthony, who was accompanied by Minister Moses Jn. Baptiste, exchanged views on a wide range of subjects of mutual interest in a private meeting.

During the meeting, Dr. Anthony expressed his deepest gratitude for the assistance given to Saint Lucia in the past and highlighted Cuba’s unwavering and unmatched support in the areas of health care and education.

The prime minister and his delegation ended the evening by attending an official dinner held in honour of Dr. Anthony at the Cubanacan Protocol Room.

The government of Saint Lucia, through the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, is the recipient of funding that has been used to procure 300 Light Emitting Diodes (LED) tube lights under the OAS Caribbean Sustainable Energy Program (CSEP).

The lights will be used to retrofit the building which currently houses the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport. This building was chosen as it had earlier benefited from an energy audit under the CSEP.

The official handover of the lamps takes place at 9 a.m. on Wednesday , May 29 2013, at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport. This initiative represents a kick-start in government’s plan to make the public sector more energy efficient and reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020.

Together with government’s recently executed pilot LED street lighting project on Jeremie Street, and the John Compton Highway, this will lay the ground for further expansion of LED lighting throughout the public sector.

LED lights are semi-conductor devices that convert electrical energy to visible light at higher luminous efficiency while consuming less power than both incandescent and fluorescent lights. Typical life expectancy for an LED light is 25,000 to 100,000 hours compared to 2,000 hours, typical for incandescent light bulbs, and 8,000 hours for fluorescent lights. Although LED lights still cost more than the other options, this is balanced by the fact that payback from investment in LED lighting is usually less than two years.

Saint Lucia recently joined the global UNEP and GEF-spearheaded en.lighten initiative, which was established to accelerate global market transformation to environmentally sustainable lighting technologies by developing a coordinated global strategy and providing technical support for the phase-out of inefficient lighting.

Under en.lighten, Saint Lucia hopes to secure assistance in developing an effective policy framework for energy efficient lighting which will include minimum energy performance standards for public buildings. This will also assist with quality and continuity issues in the conversion to efficient lighting.

The Town of Soufriere was one of the worst affected communities following the passage of Hurricane Tomas in October 2010.

The Infrastructure of that town was ravaged, and in particular the road network around Soufriere was seriously affected. Fond St. Jacques and nearby communities were particularly hard hit, with a number of casualties being recorded there.

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport (MIPST) has made significant progress in rehabilitating the damaged Infrastructure around the Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques community, and some normalcy is returning.

However, the MIPST remains very concerned about the quality of Infrastructure which exists in the Soufriere community, and has began the process of repairing such infrastructure. In late 2012, the MIPST commenced work on the construction of a new Bridge in Cresslands costing over $3 Million. Work is progressing smoothly on this project, and we anticipate that this bridge will be officially opened soon.

For some time now, the MIPST has been monitoring the deterioration of the La Dig (Mocha) Bridge. The latest investigation followed the emergence of two (2) potholes on this bridge, which further confirmed that the Bridge had outlived its usefulness, and keeping this bridge open to vehicular traffic was very risky.

Therefore, in the interest of public safety, and to avoid loss of life or serious injury and damage to property, the MIPST decided to close the Mocha Bridge to vehicular traffic from Friday 24th May 2013.

Designs for the construction of a replacement La Dig (Mocha) Bridge have been completed for some time now. The replacement Bridge is part of a consignment of fifteen (15) Bailey bridges which were ordered in July 2012 and are expected to be on island by the end of June 2013. Work is expected to commence on construction of the La Dig Bridge soon after.

The Bailey Bridges were ordered to replace a number of bridges across the country and to have a stock of bridges on island which can be easily erected in the event of a natural disaster.

The MIPST is also aware of deteriorating road conditions, particularly those near Fond St. Jacques, and every effort will be made to address those issues at the soonest.

Consequently, persons wishing to get to the communities of Belle Plain, Belle Fond, Esperance and Bois Den are advised to use the Myers Bridge access road, while persons travelling to Fond St. Jacques and Mocha can use the Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques road.

The MIPST regrets any inconvenience that this development may cause. The MIPST also calls for the cooperation of all as it endeavors to provide the required infrastructure for the social and economic advancement of the affected communities.

Cheryl Skeete Managing Director Habitat Terrace

TripAdvisor is delighted to recognize Habitat Terrace Hotel with a 2013 Certificate of Excellence and wishes Habitat Terrace Hotel much continued success throughout 2013.

This prestigious award, places Habitat Terrace Hotel among the top-performing 10% of all businesses worldwide on TripAdvisor, and is given to businesses that consistently earn high ratings from TripAdvisor travelers.

Owner and Managing Director Cheryl Skeete, is proud to receive this award on behalf of the committed and dedicated staff of Habitat Terrace Hotel, all of whom have kept true to:

Our Promise

To provide a friendly, relaxed, comfortable and secure accommodation, in a superbly cool and tranquil environment with a personalized service to visitors and nationals, looking for a“Home away from Home”.

To maintain our tropical garden surroundings, which is a natural habitat for a variety of birds and butterflies.

To be among the best in the Hospitality Industry in Saint Lucia, while creating employment; where team spirit is the strength behind our achievement.

For this reason our honored guests have rewarded us with great and trusted reviews on www.tripadvisor.com, the world’s largest travel site.

Our 12-room Hotel in Bonne Terre, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, offers our guests the nearness of the Saint Lucia’s nightlife, entertainment, restaurants & beaches, and brings them safely back to tranquility at Habitat Terrace Hotel.

Government, Opposition and independent senators, who make up the Upper Chamber of the House of Assembly, met on Tuesday, May 28 , 2013 to debate the 2013/2014 Appropriations Bill or Budget Address.

Senators articulated their points both in support for and against the social and economic policies contained in the Appropriations Bill which totals $1,327,405,100.00.

Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Victor Phillip La Corbinere, said the budget is designed to help address the country’s fiscal deficit which is of major concern.

“The situation in Saint Lucia at the moment is very much consistent with what is happening in the rest of the international community and it is sufficient to say that Saint Lucia has taken the lead to ensure that we begin to move towards a point where we can see some light in balancing our budget,” he said.

La Corbinere lamented the deliberate decision to cut expenditure by over $100 million as a move to ensure great fiscal discipline. He said the aim is to ensure that Saint Lucia’s economy is placed on a path of sustainable growth.

“For many years countries have gone carrying deficits and Saint Lucia has been one such country where we have carried a deficit in our budget and it is now time for us to give consideration to that situation and ensure that what we have available to spend equals what we actually spend. We are not there yet but I believe that this budget is a clear statement that the country needs to move in that direction, and my government has started this process of trying to ensure a greater level of fiscal discipline,” the senator added.

La Corbinere said it is only when the country’s focal deficit is addressed as is being done now, then Saint Lucia can truly achieve its real potential for sustainable growth.

Sentinel Security Services and Goddard Catering Group sign agreements with NWU

NOTICE: Closure of La Dig (Mocha) Bridge

Deputy prime minister represents Saint Lucia in Trinidad and Tobago

Prime minister and delegation heads to Cuba for state visit

New approach to redeveloping the Hewanorra International Airport

The Caribbean urged to address their fiscal challenges

Dr. David Satcher to speak on public health at upcoming medical lecture

Saint Lucia’s friendship with Cuba is not for sale

Bay Gardens Resorts win four prestigious awards for the third consecutive year

Toxik Nation donates to NCF

The Pitons nominated for the 8th Wonder of the World Award

Castries man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from credit union

‘Jelly’ says he stole to buy pampers for his baby

Babonneau burglar said he did not act alone

Brothers charged for late-night robbery of food vendor

Cuba salutes Saint Lucia

Government continues its programme to retrofit public sector buildings with energy-efficient lighting

UPDATE: Closure of La Dig (Mocha) Bridge

Habitat Terrace receives 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor

Senators debate Budget Address