2007 YEAR IN REVIEW — Nov.
[naviga:h2]A ready-mixed mix-up[/naviga:h2]
CEMENT COMPANY CRISIS
More than 1,500 construction industry jobs in Bermuda hung in the balance with no solid evidence that Government had arranged a back-up plan to fill the gap created by the decision to evict the Bermuda Cement Company from Dockyard at the end of December. Alex DeCouto, president of the Construction Association of Bermuda, said a drying up of bulk cement supply would lead to some job layoffs within a matter of days.
Minister of Works and Engineering Dennis Lister, said: "(Government) is assured that other private entrepreneurs are actively engaged in securing the ability to provide cement to the Island."
Three days later, fed-up cement supply workers staged a walk out and marched to the offices of the West End Development Corporation, demanding to know what was to happen to their jobs in the new year. Soon after that, it was revealed that Government made an offer to buy the Bermuda Cement Company, lock, stock and barrel and in the process avert a construction industry crisis.
But the company claimed that Government had offered to buy the Bermuda Cement Company for below the asking price. Government defended itself by saying it was trying to temporarily nationalise the bulk supply operation and prevent a construction industry crisis. On December 4, the final monthly cement supply ship left Bermuda and no more deliveries were on order. The next day, businessman Clifton Lambert named one of the world's biggest cement companies as the potential new bulk supplier for Bermuda.
Mr. Lambert said he had entered into a ten-year commitment with France's Lafarge cement and building materials company, which has global reach including North and South America and an operation in Martinique in the Caribbean.
TERRENCE SMITH'S –CONVICTION QUASHED
Terrence Smith's conviction for defrauding the Bermuda Housing Corporation of $1.2 million was quashed by the Court of Appeal, and a re-trial ordered. The court ruled that the foreman of the jury which convicted him, businessman Gerald Simons, was potentially biased due to being the half brother of former BHC chairwoman Valerie Dill.
Delivering their ruling on November 29, the three-strong appeal panel criticised both Chief Justice Richard Ground, who heard the trial, and Smith's former defence lawyer Larry Scott for allowing Mr. Simons to participate.
BERMUDA WAR VETS– CONTROVERSY
November 10: It was the war of the veterans this November when two separate charity collections for war veterans took place due to an ongoing dispute between the Bermuda War Veterans Association (BWVA) and the Royal British Legion (RBL). The BWVA broke with decades-old tradition and sold stickers instead of poppies, because the RBL, a global charity for veterans based in London, withdrew support from it in September and banned it from selling RBL poppies and keeping the funds as it had done for decades.
The BWVA has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. H. Francis Stephens, honorary secretary and trustee of the Association, said: "We are terribly angry because they are allegations without any foundation whatsoever." Former Bermuda Regiment captain Larry Burchall defended the BWVA.
The newspaper columnist and retired Defence Administrator explained that Bermuda War Veterans Association (BWVA) was only able to give funds to soldiers who have seen active service and not all Islanders who have served in the forces.
ELECTION FEVER
Speculation over a possible General Election ran rife all summer. On November 1, a half-page advert announcing the ending of the session of parliament had the public flustered with some wrongly thinking it meant an election had been called. The election date, December 18, was finally announced on November 2. The throne speech spoke of boosting education and home-ownership.
Free Bermuda College tuition for Bermudians in accredited programmes and boosts to various scholarships were pledged alongside plans to give interest-free down payment loans to 500 families for mortgages.
Information from several different polls conflicted, with one poll showing the United Bermuda Party ahead, and another showing the PLP with 45.5 percent of support compared to 37.7 percent for the United Bermuda Party. The later poll done by Research Innovations proved to be more accurate on December 18.
As the election countdown began, Dr. Brown sent an e-mail to colleagues urging them to pull together and save any leadership challenges until after the election.
For the first time, politicians tried to woo the younger vote by using Internet websites such as YouTube and My Space. Unfortunately, the attempt was not always successful. In August, Minister of Labour and Immigration Derrick Burgess was available for two hours in the evening to more than 5,000 Bermudian users of Facebook, a social networking site with more than 30 million members world wide.
Progressive Minds, the youth wing of the Progressive Labour Party, organised the online event to allow people to ask questions about the National Training Board (NTB). Seven questions were thrown out to Mr. Burgess. Nevertheless, Dr. Brown wasn't giving up on the Youth Vote, and at one point travelled overseas to court them, while the UBP put out a satirical video on YouTube.
Many young voters told The Royal Gazette they would cast their ballots based on the issues rather than party affiliation.
Nomination day registration on November 22, saw few surprises with 74 candidates registering and just two independent candidates including 'Son of the Soil' Harold Darrell running in Pembroke Central and Roger Russell to competing in Pembroke West Central. Meanwhile, The Parliamentary Registrar rejected claims that registration details for more than one in ten voters could be incorrect.
Randy Scott said claims by Voters' Rights Association President, Geoff Parker, that up to 13 percent of voters could be breaking the law in the forthcoming general election were "way off". He said the Parliamentary Registrar's Office constantly updated the details of individual voters as they moved or passed on.
Statistics
The Department of Tourism spent $75,000 sponsoring the World Tourism Summit in China. The three-day event was held in Beijing and was attended by hundreds of travel and tourism industry leaders from 24 nations around the world.
Tourism arrivals rose by almost a quarter last year, adding another $60 million to the economy. The 2006 Economic Impact Report for the Department of Tourism attributed the rise in visitors to cheaper air fares, in particular the arrival of carrier jetBlue.
From a total of $97.5 million spent locally and overseas on goods and services, the amount spent off-Island jumped half-a-million dollars to $5.9 million compared with the same month a year ago. That was a 9.6 percent rise on declared overseas purchases year-on-year.
Combined local and overseas retail sales were $700,000 higher than last September, with 6.1 percent of the total representing overseas spending, a slightly larger proportion of the total than the 5.6 percent recorded in 2006.
November 2007 Voices
"It seems, apparently, if the Commissioner of Police wants to do something he has the law behind him. Maybe he has the Army too, I don't know. He has everything I have. I've told him the truth from the very beginning. Obviously the facts are not what he wants to hear."
– Auditor General Larry Dennis, slamming a Police raid on his office as an "over-display of power".
"Tonight we join together like we have never joined together before. We move forward lock-step toward a victory for the people of Bermuda — We move forward solid, solid as the rock!"
– Premier Dr. Ewart Brown speaking during a PLP Banquet in which the date of the election was announced.
"Bermuda has got an awful lot going for it and it would be a shame to see them screw it up. It is a great place and it is so civilized and even within a two-hour flight, so access is easy. Whereas, the Cayman Islands is much further away and not as well developed and the people have a Caribbean mentality and Bermuda is an educated and well-paid society and a highly sustainable economy — it has got the lot really."
– Mark Surrette, president of Nova Scotia-based recruitment agency Roberston Surrette warning that Bermuda's authorities should not make life difficult for the country's financial lifeblood of international businesses.
"I think each individual needs to work with their physician and come up with a plan which is individual to them. This could be done both safely and enjoyably. Now with all the information on the Internet and working with a physician, people can educate themselves. All doctors want to have informed consumers."
– Bermudian Dr. Malcolm Brock, Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
"Being voted into Opposition was a good thing. It was good for the United Bermuda Party and it was a good for the country. In fact I would say it was one of the best things that ever happened to us. It caused us to reassess who we were and what we meant to the country."
– The then Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley.
"The real issue is will Bermuda survive the next 50 years in a world wide economy as the Bermuda we know. We are sending out a message that we are not really sure if we want to be in business or not. I see places like New York, London, Ireland, Singapore and Cayman and they want to take the businesses from us."
– Former Premier Sir John Swan.
DEATHS
Toby Colombe, a Canadian teacher described as a "wonderful mentor" to his students was killed on November 18 when his motorcycle collided with a wall and landed on top of him. The physical education teacher at Mount St. Agnes Academy (MSA) was described by the school as. "was quick witted, a real team player, free-spirited, loved life and had a passion for students and teaching". Friend Michael MacPhee said the bachelor, originally from Newfoundland, was "the most positive, upbeat person lots of people would ever encounter"."
Mourners, friends and family packed the Heritage Worship Centre to pay their final respects at the funeral of Bishop Goodwin Smith leader. Dr. Smith, 79, was described as an obedient servant of God and died on November 20 after a yearlong battle with an illness.
He often took controversial positions on matters of morality, most notably his unbreakable opposition to amending the Human Rights Act to make homosexuals a protected class. Administrative Bishop for New Testament Church of God churches in Bermuda, Dr. Smith pastored at the Heritage Worship Centre in Hamilton for 27 years.
November 2007 TimelineNovember 1: Experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine International said that more than 100 patients taking up hospital beds even though they don't need acute care would have to be moved elsewhere before King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was reconstructed. They highlighted the problem while carrying out a $200,000 review ahead of the pending major rebuilding programme.
November 8: Warwick Academy (WA), which is the oldest continuously operated school in Bermuda and the Western hemisphere, launched its Funding Our Future capital campaign that aimed to raise $5.75 million, $2 million of that for scholarships and bursaries.
November 14: A research ship planning to use controversial methods to combat global warming docked in Bermuda, but its owners insisted there were no plans for it to carry out experiments near the Island.
November 16: Residents planned to petition Government against plans by Belco to build two new power stations in Pembroke. The electricity company released a statement, saying it had applied for Planning permission to construct the first of two new plants at its Serpentine Road site.
November 17: A petition to force the company sacked by Government from the new Berkeley Institute site to go into compulsory liquidation failed in the Supreme Court. Puisne Judge Geoffrey Bell dismissed the application to wind up Pro-Active Management made by lawyer Michael Smith of Smith & Co. law firm.
Jonathan Ratteray, 21, a con artist who swindled one of Bermuda's former top cricketers out of almost $75,000 was sent to prison for a year. Jonathan Ratteray, 21, abused the trust of Ernest (Barry) DeCouto by asking him to donate money to a friend who supposedly needed help with her mother's hospital bills. The tale was a lie — with Ratteray blowing $74,600 that Mr. DeCouto paid into his bank account on a car, a motorbike and overseas shopping trips. Ratteray of Sears Hill Road, Smith's parish, pleaded guilty to four counts of obtaining property by deception on September 26.
November 20: It was announced that Coral Beach Club and Horizons and Cottages was to be redeveloped into a 150-room five star hotel. Horizons Ltd.'s Pitts Bay Road landmark hotel Waterloo House was to close in early 2008 to be turned into office and possibly retail and residential space.
Public Safety Minister David Burch insisted a cockroach and termite-infested St. George's Police Station would be revamped and opened 24 hours a day within months.
November 22: Bermudian Ralph Richardson became the first black Commodore in the 162-year history of The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Mr. Richardson, executive director of the ACE Foundation, was the club's first black flag officer three years ago and was elected as Commodore for 2008 to 2010. He will be installed in January.
A Bermudian drug trafficker who used Cabinet Minister Neletha Butterfield's son as one of his couriers was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison without parole in the US. Anthony Quinton Beach pleaded guilty to a conspiracy involving $1.7 million worth of cocaine, heroin and crack at the US District Court in Atlanta.
November 23: Protesters who claimed a new property law discriminates against Bermudians married to foreigners welcomed a legal opinion that it may breach their human rights. According to Human Rights Commission chairman Venous Memari, a lawyer has deemed that the Immigration and Protection Amendment Act "potentially contravenes the Human Rights Act on the grounds of marital status". Her organisation had previously taken the view that the amendment did not contravene the human rights law.
November 26: Gasoline prices hit what is thought to be an all-time high after the Ministry of Finance announced an increase of more than ten cents per litre. The maximum retail price of gas went up 10.2 cents or 5.8 percent to $1.85 per litre, making it about 24 cents or 14.9 percent more than a year ago. Diesel increased 10.9 cents to $1.65 per litre, and kerosene 11.7 cents to $1.43 per litre.
November 28: The Corporation of Hamilton held a ceremony to honour the carpenters, masons and stone cutters involved in building City Hall. The event was held as part of Imagine Bermuda 2009's second annual roof week, which celebrated Bermuda architecture.
November 29: A new undersea internet and telecommunications cable to end the current duopoly of Cable & Wireless and TeleBermuda International was scheduled to go into operation by 2010. Three rival Bermuda communication companies who clubbed together earlier this year were granted the right to a draft telecommunications license.
Government and scientists from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) teamed up to determine the extent of damage to the environment in Bailey's Bay after an oil spill. Oil was discovered leaking from a valve in a pipeline, owned by Esso, used to supply Belco's Pembroke plant with fuel oil. Additionally, the Minister of Environment, Telecommunications and E-Commerce, Neletha Butterfield, told the media that Esso was to bring in overseas staff to help alleviate the problem, by the end of the day.
