After hours of public debate followed by similarly lengthy closed-door deliberations, the House of Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday that would legalise the production and use of medical marijuana …
July 3, 2020
July 3, 2020
Food security, sustainability bill in works
Sustainable food production in the Virgin Islands has been a hot topic since long before the emergence of Covid-19, and legislators are crafting a new bill to comprehensively address it. …
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July 1, 2020
JVD ferry terminal nears completion
Visitors to and from Jost Van Dyke should soon be able to travel in greater comfort with the anticipated opening of the Dog Hole ferry terminal by July 31. “The …
July 1, 2020
Community centres to be rebuilt in Brewers, Cane
Plans are in the works to rebuild the community centres in Brewers Bay and Cane Garden Bay that sustained damage in the 2017 hurricanes, according to Deputy Premier Carvin Malone. …
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June 26, 2020
House of Assembly bumps liquor licensing law again
Business owners hoping to sell liquor currently must contend with a process that allows them an extremely limited number of days to seek a licence in the Magistrates’ Court, according …
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June 26, 2020
Free shuttle service to start Monday in Road Town
In a continued effort to alleviate traffic congestion in Road Town, a free park-and-ride shuttle service will be launched next week to offer rides between the Port Purcell and Prospect …
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June 26, 2020
Repairs to Jost Van Dyke buildings hit delays
Preliminary efforts to repair the hurricane-damaged Public Works Department building and Water and Sewerage Department building on Jost Van Dyke are making progress, but the process is taking longer than …
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June 26, 2020
Government mulls bill to legalise marijuana
Companion bills designed to legalise medicinal marijuana and expunge criminal records of those charged with carrying small amounts of the drug were introduced for a first reading on June 19 …
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June 26, 2020
House okays gambling
Despite concerns raised by some community leaders and members of the House of Assembly, legislators unanimously voted to legalise gambling in the territory, paving the way for lotteries, casinos, horse-race …
June 26, 2020
HOA passes 9 laws in 12 days, 2 sittings
Liquor, gambling and marijuana were some of the topics legislators debated over the past two weeks as they worked at an unusually fast past to consider 13 pieces of legislation …
June 25, 2020
Willock firm gets government security contract
The House of Assembly on Monday granted permission for a firm linked to Speaker of the House Julian Willock to provide security services at an hourly rate of $18 in …
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June 24, 2020
Teams turn to Virgin Gorda for hazard review
Virgin Gorda is the latest target of vulnerability assessments that research teams are conducting in the territory to better understand the challenges facing each community. Teams will assess both natural …
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June 24, 2020
Virtual exhibits open window to VI history
Though the pandemic threw a wrench into the Department of Culture’s plans to produce an exhibition at the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Building and several satellite locations, the agency got …
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June 24, 2020
Market Square facelift pending
Last week marked a switch to the new flow of traffic in Road Town, but that’s not the only change to the capital on the horizon. The Market Square redevelopment …
June 24, 2020
House passes border control measures
New border control measures aimed at giving the Virgin Islands more information about who is coming to the territory before they arrive passed the House of Assembly on June 16. …
June 18, 2020
Government forges ahead to review Constitution
After about three years of delays caused in part by the 2017 hurricanes, the government is soon to launch a constitutional review, Premier Andrew Fahie announced last Thursday in the …
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June 12, 2020
House nixes motion to censure governor
Last week in the House of Assembly, elected leaders delayed the Consumer Protection Bill and other government business and spent at least 10 hours debating a motion to “reprimand” Governor …
June 12, 2020
HOA passes Consumer Protection Act
“This is a game-changer,” Premier Andrew Fahie said of a pair of trade-based bills that passed the House of Assembly this week. The Consumer Protection Act, 2020 — a law …
May 16, 2020
Deadline missed for BVI Airways report
The auditor general’s special report on the government’s failed deal with BVI Airways was required by law to be tabled in the House of Assembly no later than last Thursday. …
May 1, 2020
Bill would help guide border opening
Though government leaders have predicted that the full reopening of the Virgin Islands’ borders is months away, legislation is in the works that would require inbound passengers to provide detailed …
April 29, 2020
Water delivery continues with third lockdown
Since the Covid-19 lockdown started, teams from the Water and Sewerage Department installed new water system infrastructure and worked to provide water services to more residents in the territory. “Notwithstanding …
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April 24, 2020
Survey collects info on 300-plus layoffs
A recent survey of businesses in the territory provided information about more than 300 of the workers who have lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing …
April 24, 2020
$2 million fishing, farming stimulus moves ahead
Government recently sent out a call for farmers and fishers in the territory, and they answered, according to Education, Culture Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. …
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April 24, 2020
Code of conduct in works for ministers
Premier Andrew Fahie called for greater transparency in government as he reported April 16 on planned measures that would establish a legally binding ministerial code of conduct. “The ministerial code …
April 24, 2020
HOA votes to levy 7% tax on sending money via money services
The Financing and Money Services Act 2020, which passed unanimously Friday in the House of Assembly, imposes a seven percent tax on funds sent outside the territory via money services …
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