The Public Works Department spent $180,743 on roadwork alongside the Queen Elizabeth II Park before workers discovered shallow utility lines and a high water table that have stalled the project, …
HOA votes to up penalties for withholding stats
As part of efforts to help government collect information as the census continues, lawmakers have passed a bill designed to impose harsher penalties on people who withhold statistics they are …
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Property tax, buildings bills passed in HOA
The property tax and buildings bills were among legislation passed in House of Assembly this week. The Property Tax (Amendment) Bill 2023, which passed with amendments on March 5, is …
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Long-delayed rights watchdog in the works
For more than 15 years, successive governments have been promising to establish the Human Rights Commission provided for in the 2007 Constitution. But the initiative has been delayed again and …
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Fahie, others not saying if they’ll take ‘Greedy Bill’ payout
Former premier Andrew Fahie is currently imprisoned in Miami while lawyers wrangle over his fate after a jury found him guilty of a drug-trafficking conspiracy on Feb. 8. But he …
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For foreign travel, $3.5m in five years
Over the past five years, the government spent nearly $3.5 million on foreign travel expenses including accommodation, transportation, subsistence and warm clothing allowances, according to Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. …
Sex-crime law promised this year
A new law slated to pass this year will help protect children from sexual predators by implementing measures including a sex-offender register, according to Health and Social Development Minister Vincent …
House of Assembly re-forms Commission of Inquiry committee
Following harsh criticism from United Kingdom officials over delayed Commission of Inquiry reforms, the House of Assembly has renewed a committee tasked with overseeing legislative initiatives recommended by the COI. …
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57 big ideas for the new Constitution
Adding two at-large seats to the House of Assembly. Amending the Constitution to grant the public an explicit right to access government information. Holding a referendum on whether to adopt …
HOA forms the Public Accounts Committee
The House of Assembly recently appointed all six opposition members to the Public Accounts Committee — in their absence. Originally, the House had been slated to approve the same appointments …
Opposition defends House of Assembly walkout
Cowardice. That is the label given to the actions of Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley by the opposition following last week’s House of Assembly meeting. In a press conference last …
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HOA suspends Trade Commission Act
Government legislators reversed course this week on their previous plan to establish a Trade Commission as a statutory body in place of the existing Trade Department. The commission, which was …
Long-delayed tourism plan stalled for now
In March 2022, Cabinet decided to award a $1.9 million contract to a New York-based firm to create the national tourism plan that successive governments had been promising for more …
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Gov’t takes aim at harbour hazards
Rotting boats clogging harbours are one of the most common visual reminders of the 2017 hurricanes, and a new effort to get them removed is now under way, Premier Dr. …
Sewage plant to come online soon
The hurricane-damaged Burt Point wastewater treatment plant is still out of commission, but Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer said last week that it should be coming online next month. …
Progress promised at Prospect
Ever since government purchased the Prospect Reef Resort in 2005 with plans to convert it into a hospitality-training centre, the property has been mired in controversy and false starts as …
House of Assembly hosts post-election seminar
Good governance, parliamentary procedure, and financial oversight are among the topics on the agenda this week as House of Assembly members undergo a post-election seminar conducted by the United Kingdom …
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SAP to support school repairs
School rehabilitation works will get a boost from $630,000 allocated via a Schedule of Additional Provisions that the House of Assembly passed July 13, according to Education, Youth Affairs and …
Auditor blasts grant programmes
At elected leaders’ discretion, the government awarded nearly $23 million in assistance grants between January 2019 and May 2022 without adequate accountability or transparency, including more than $200,000 to one …
16 bills rushed ahead of international review
Eleven days before international assessors are scheduled to arrive as part of a key anti-money-laundering evaluation, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley introduced amendments to 16 financial services laws last Thursday …
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Cabinet commits to paying increments
In recent weeks, public officers including members of the BVI Teachers Union have complained vocally about pay increments that government has owed them for years. But Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” …
Premier: UN, VI relations ‘stronger than ever’
As part of its legal obligation to support the world’s non-self-governing territories, the 77th United Nations General Assembly recently adopted its annual resolution to support the Virgin Islands. In that …
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Minister promises progress on teacher increments
Amid upset concerning outstanding increments due to teachers, Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sharie de Castro met with the BVI Teachers Union last month and promised progress, according to …
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Minister reps Virgin Islands in climate change meeting
Natural Resources and Labour Minister Mitch Turnbull attended and moderated a virtual regional forum on climate change last month, and before it got under way he stood in the Feb. …
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Premier lays national plan in House
Looking far beyond the few remaining months the current House of Assembly will be in place, HOA members have made official a roadmap for the territory’s development until 2036. Premier …