Tourism industry insiders are tipping the identity of the new developer of the former Club Med resort at St. George's as a Californian real estate developer called Jack Avedikian.

But confirmation will only come at 1 p.m. today when Deputy Premier Ewart Brown is due to visit the site with the new developer to reveal plans for the hotel overlooking the town.

It was last month that Dr. Brown, also Tourism Minister, announced a new developer was in talks with Government to take on the project of revitalising the former resort, which has lain empty for most of the past two decades.

The saga of the Club Med development took a new twist at the end of 2005 when the St. George's Renaissance Consortium, which for over two years had been the favoured group to bring a Four Seasons Hotel to the East End, reported that its talks with Government had stalled and claimed it had not been told why. A few weeks later Dr. Brown announced that a new developer was in place.

Yesterday the Minister would not be drawn on giving details of the new developer other than to say that at the meeting on the site today it will be possible to "put a face to the name and hear the vision for the property."

He added: "I expect we will hear what the developer has in mind."

However, on the eve of the announcement a warning has been given that a Canadian Hotel-type situation could soon open up for Government because of a group of homeless people who have taken refuge in a dormitory building at the former Club Med resort.

There are reported to be around 20 people living in former staff quarters near the main hotel complex.

Government is currently dealing with the plight of around 60 lodgers staying in low-rent accommodation at the Canadian Hotel in Hamilton, which must close at the end of February because the building is no longer safe enough to be insured.

Alternative living arrangements for the Canadian Hotel residents is being hurriedly prepared at a building in Southside.

Dr. Brown said he was aware that people are staying on the Club Med site, but said that was an issue for the Housing Ministry to deal with. was yesterday unable to reach Housing Minister Sen. David Burch.

One of those who has stayed at the Club Med property for a number of months is Mitchell Watson.

He has since moved on to better accommodation, but said: "There is something like 20 people up there and they are not going to be able to move out because they are pretty well homeless and some have drug problems.

"I don't know how the Government is going to deal with them, it could be another Canadian Hotel situation."

Shadow Housing Minister Senator Kim Swan said: "The Government has been derelict in its duties. With Club Med it is out of site out of mind."

He said he believed the people staying at the hotel resort resorted to living in tents during the summer months and had taken it upon themselves to the make temporary arrangements during the winter.

Sen. Swan said the Government has been "burying its head in the sand" over problems such as Club Med and the Canadian Hotel.

Asked what solutions the United Bermuda Party might offer, he said: "The first ingredient in the equation is some compassion and caring. We would have thought that a taskforce would go there and identify every resident of that facility as well as put a face to those persons that are finding it difficult in Bermuda. It would not be such a difficult task for a caring and compassionate Government."

Praising the involvement of his colleagues Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Jon Brunson and Senator Gina Spence-Farmer in assisting Canadian Hotel residents, he said: "I believe as an Opposition we are taking on that role as best we can with limited resources.

"As I delve more into the housing issue as the Shadow Minister I shall be calling on the resources of a collective team. As Opposition we will only be able to try to prod the situation and come up with some reasonable solutions as we go forward and wait for the day the people give us the resources of Government so we can make our solutions work for more people."

Sen. Swan believes that, with a General Election expected within the next two years, the Government is now going to "flood the market with a great deal of short term answers that are few and far between, when they could have prevented crisis situations."

He added: "The Government is limping from crisis to crisis trying to put smokescreens up and trying to shield Bermuda from the real picture. The real picture has come to the surface in the Canadian Hotel. The Canadian Hotel has been a problem in waiting for quite some time. And the real pictures has come to surface here with Club Med, but the Club Med issue has been there for quite some time.

"If only the Government was in the trenches. But the Government has its head high in the sky, it is not down there with the people.

"The Government has millions of dollars at its resource and it will start piling that resource into trying to hoodwink the people to soften the pill for its failings. But its failings have been over two successive Government terms now and I hope that will serve to show the people ? certainly where it relates to housing ? it has not been able to get it right."