PLP Blog | Bermuda Progressive Labour Party

Premier Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown met with leaders of six other Overseas Territories today in a summit to prepare for the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) meeting in London later this year.

The nearly ten-hour one-day pre-OTCC meeting was held in Turks and Caicos and hosted by the country’s Premier Michael Misick.

The leaders discussed a wide array of issues high on the agendas of individual counties as well as issues of mutual importance.

Premier Brown said: “These meetings are enormously valuable because it gives all of us a better understanding of the struggles and successes of our neighbours. By shaping an agenda in this way we can go to London more organized, with more clearly defined objectives. That’s tremendously important because our time in London is short. It’s essential that we articulate our collective position concisely because there is precious little time.”

One of the most significant agreements from today’s summit calls for a review of the White Paper titled “Partnership for Progress”. That paper, written in 1999, laid out the specifics of the working relationship between the overseas territories and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the United Kingdom.

The Premier said: “Reviewing the details of ‘Partnerships for Progress’ will allow us to determine whether promises made were promises delivered. And perhaps more importantly, it can help us determine whether mutual benefit has been derived since the White Paper was released. We want to find out where we progressed and where we prospered.”

As a Cabinet Minister in 1999, the Premier Brown traveled to London to accept “Partnership for Progress” on Bermuda’s behalf.

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The Overseas Territories plan to have the review complete before the October OTCC meeting in London so that the review’s findings can be discussed with FCO officials.

Some of the other issues discussed in Turks and Caicos today:

Civil Service College – the continued development of a Masters level leadership program for civil servants in all Overseas Territories. The program would be tied to an accredited University program but physically located in as many as three Overseas Territories.

Forensics Facility – the continued planning of a laboratory dedicated to the forensic analysis and investigation of crimes in Overseas Territories. Such a laboratory should speed up the time it takes to acquire critical investigative information in major crimes.

Witness Protection Program – an initiative to assist Overseas Territories protect witnesses critical to the successful prosecution of criminal cases.

The countries represented today were: Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat and St. Helena.

Saltus Grammar Commencement Address

Good evening Principal Kermode, parents, students and educators – distinguished guests all.

And of course a special good evening to the graduates of the Saltus Grammar Class of 2008. You are a handsome bunch.

Is there any sight more beautiful than a young person in cap and gown? To me it signifies a bright future, a new beginning, a quest for knowledge.

Congratulations to you all! This is an important day and I am so pleased I could share it with you.

It occurred to me today that I love graduations in the same way my wife loves weddings. First of all the music – my wife loves “Here Comes the Bride”; while I love “Pomp and Circumstance”. We heard it just a few moments ago. She likes Father of the Bride speeches; I like Valedictory speeches.

But there’s one thing we agree upon when it comes to our affection for these two very different events… both of them symbolize commencement. Both of them are about getting started with the rest of your life.

In your cases this is the moment you tiptoe between childhood and adulthood. This is the moment you transition between who you are and who you are about to become.

That’s what I want to talk about with you today. Let’s talk about who you are going to become.

I’m sure there are diverse ambitions among your talented group. I’m sure there are soon to be barristers and insurance underwriters and entrepreneurs. Some of you will pursue those careers in Bermuda, others will seek residency in other places.

Whatever your choices I hope they bring you great reward.

But I would not be doing my duty on behalf of the country if I didn’t ask you to consider this: a life of public service.

Your country is looking for a few good minds to help shape its future. Bermuda’s future is as bright as yours… but only if you agree to participate in conquering our challenges.

I don’t represent an international business with a fancy name and the Government doesn’t handout signing bonuses, but I’m here to compete for your brainpower as vigorously as those other guys because the country of your birth needs you.

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” President John F. Kennedy spoke those words at his inauguration in 1961 – almost 50 years ago now.

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

I was around in 1961; I remember JFK. But I never truly understood the measure of his famous quote until I became Premier in 2006. Almost every day, in some way, shape or form I am asked: “what can the government do for me”?

Many times it is a fair question. Governments are supposed to help people. In fact that is one of the chief responsibilities – making people’s lives easier. I grew up on the principles of politics that help the underprivileged and economically empower the forgotten. I am proud of my track record and the track record of my political colleagues in that regard.

But I wonder sometimes how much more could be accomplished if more of the people who said: “what have you done for me lately,” would actually say, “what can I do to make things better.”

Understand that a life of public service does not necessarily mean a life as a politician. I know politics is not appealing to everyone… I’ve been in the game 20 years, and for the last 19 I’ve been on my way out. That’s the nature of the business, especially in our hyper-focused political community. Politics can be frustrating and brutally unfair and thankless all at the same time.

However, public service is so much more than politics. Actually let me say that again, because I think sometimes I even neglect to remember this point: public service is so much more than politics.

All of you know Minister Paula Cox of course. She’s a brilliant woman from a family that has dedicated many years to the country in public service. Her father was a Minister of Finance and her brother is serving the country equally as well at the Bermuda Monetary Authority – not an elected official but a public servant nonetheless.

The Cox family is Bermuda’s loyal servant – consistently and without fail because that family understands that public service is more than politics. I think my family understood the same; I am the sixth branch of my family tree to sway toward public service.

As a result, one of the things I learned at the dinner table very early was public service is not about money. If your career is public service, chances are you’re not on a fast track to financial wealth. Trust me, there are easier ways.

But the reward you find in public service is far superior than the reward you find inside a paycheck envelope.

Let me be clear, it’s not my intention to steer you away from acquiring wealth. It is the ambition of many. But I do want to urge you to acquire more than just wealth. You should acquire a social consciousness, a desire to improve not only your life, but the lives of those around you.

The wealthy sometimes confuse writing a check with social consciousness – “if I just write this check I’ve done my part to improve my community”. Not so. Sure that money helps, but it rarely heals… or solves… or eradicates a problem. Typically that takes more than money.

“As soon as public service ceases to be the chief business of the citizens, and they would rather serve with their money that with their persons, the State is not far from fall.” Those words were first spoken in 1762. They are as true now as they were then.

I would rather have a small team of socially conscious activists than an army of check-writing philanthropists. Money doesn’t move people; people move people.

Graduates, your country needs you to move.

About a month ago I had the pleasure of handing over a set of new house keys to a woman named Wendy Harvey. She represented the first collection of homeowners moving into Loughlands – a project on the south shore for hardworking Bermudians who have earned a right to own a piece of the rock.

As you know, the housing market in our country is sometimes unfairly out of reach. So Loughlands was created on the premise that Government should offer a hand up instead of a handout – make housing affordable and give people the chance to realize a dream.

Many worked tirelessly to get people like Wendy Harvey into a new home. I’m thinking of one person in particular at the Bermuda Housing Corporation. His name is Blake Lambert.

Blake has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and is living in a country where there’s a construction boom. But somehow he hasn’t been lured away to work at Shy Architecture or on one of those lucrative John Swan projects. Instead Blake is working for his Government. He is using his skills to give his neighbor a hand up.

To Blake public service is a chief business; he has made it so in his life. Are you prepared to make it so in yours?

You see, the Government needs architects and engineers as much as it needs ferry operators and court clerks. We need doctors and lawyers, we need scientists and accountants, we need horticulturalists and actuaries.

Graduates, your country needs you.

To some what Blake is doing might seem counterproductive to his own gains, but I see it differently. I know Blake does too. For example, when I handed Wendy Harvey those keys to Loughlands she said, “Thanks for taking care of us”. She said, “Thanks for not forgetting us.”

The reward of a moment like that goes ten times farther than a paycheck ever could. Those are the moments that erase the frustrations of the job I talked about earlier. Few things are as rewarding as public service.

I wonder sometimes if our present day leaders – me included – can do more to convince our young people of what’s possible in public service. Of course, if you know anything about me you know that I’m a lot more than just talk. In the past 12 months it’s been a full court press for us to ensure educated young Bermudians get more than a fair shake.

You’ll note the Jumpstart Program recently underway at the Cabinet Office. If you’re a recent college graduate we want you at the Cabinet Office learning the ropes in the public sector. If you like it and you perform well perhaps public service will become your life’s work. We want to be competitive so the job pays more than 50 thousand dollars right off the bat. Now that’s a jumpstart!

The country will need those young people in the same way it needs you.

We’ve also recently launched a Government-run job matching website, designed to bring together Bermudian employers with Bermudian students studying overseas. There are a lot of private sector employers on the site, but we’ve got a presence there too – hoping to capture a few good minds for the country’s benefit.

And perhaps you heard about my hopscotch through three countries to visit Bermudian college students studying overseas. That was last year. I was there making the case to them just like I’m making it to you – your country needs you.

Parents I believe you are my ally in this mission to recruit and to teach the lessons of what is possible in public service.

Listen to these words spoken by a wise man beyond his years. He said: “In today’s society it is a concern that as young people we lack precious values and moral foundations. In most cases,” he says, “they were given to us. Values like the importance of family and dinner at the family table.”

He then strikes a particularly relevant chord when he says this: “It’s values like helping out a neighbor with their groceries or something around the house; values such as giving back to society and putting others first. Its seeds like these that truly attribute to success.”

I believe that young man had it exactly right. I am proud to know him. And you should be too.

That budding orator was Richard Tucker. He sits among you today part of the Class of 2008 – cap on his head, gown on his shoulders and the promise of a bright future bouncing off his face. That same light shines on all of you. Today I’m asking: how will you bask in that light?

I imagine those words from Richard will not be the last we hear from him.

He is but one example of the kind of talent that exists here within this room at this time, at this moment – talent that can have a truly positive impact on our community.

So graduates as you leave this place today there are a series of critical questions that need to be answered: Am I up to the challenge? Am I willing to make pubic service the “chief business of the citizens”… am I prepared to potentially sacrifice personal gain for the greater good… am I ready to serve?

I hope for some of you the answer is yes on all counts because your country needs you… and soon I will be an old man.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today and congratulations once more to the Saltus Class of 2008!

God speed.

Premier Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, J.P., M.P.
June 5, 2008

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for joining me again this afternoon for the launch of - Hope for Life - a home grown anti-gang initiative partnership between the Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing and Island Soccer League Commissioner David Bascome, MBE –.

The growing problem of drugs and violence has escalated to a level that has never been witnessed before. We hear cries from members of the public that something needs to be done – and needs to be done now.

The Government is committed to offering proactive, positive and preventative measures that are aimed at young males specifically and the wider community generally.

We have been listening to you. We have a homegrown solution to a home grown problem - Hope for Life.

Hope for Life was first mentioned in the 2007 Throne Speech, then the 2008 Throne Speech and most recently in the 2008 Budget Statement and today we unveil it.

Today we have come to end the speculation on what is Hope for Life.
Hope for Life is the brainchild of Bermuda’s very own Mr. David Bascome, MBE - professional footballer, motivational speaker and Commissioner of the Island Soccer League.

Hope for Life has been through many permutations since first being presented to the Ministry late last year. Following several deliberations – we decided that this is too important a programme to just contract out to someone and let them get on with it. So we began discussions with Mr. Bascome about a partnership that would involve the Ministry assuming all the coordinating, logistical and administrative functions and Mr. Bascome providing the on site leadership. Additionally, we recognized that no one programme would solve our drug problems but that a coordinated approach using all the resources of this Ministry in concert with the programme would stand a greater chance of success. Specifically, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, the Bermuda Police Service, the National Training Board, the Department of Labour and Training and of course the Hustle Truck programme all working together under the Ministry banner would provide greater likelihood of success.

Mr. Bascome has spent the past 17 years in the United States playing professional soccer. His football career started with the Harrisburg Heat, a team he remained with for 12 years. He is currently playing for the Baltimore Blast and has assisted them to 3 consecutive championships during his 5 years there.

During the off season, every summer, Mr. Bascome returned home to hold soccer clinics and share his passion for the game with our youth. In 1999 he founded Bascome’s Pro Soccer School (BPSS) and last year he launched the ISL to raise the level of not just football but personal discipline and self esteem in our youth. This league provides an opportunity for Bermuda’s best players to showcase their talents in a family friendly atmosphere.

The Mission Statement for the Island Soccer League is ‘to establish Bermuda’s players as role models for the island’s youth’.

Hope for Life is the expansion of this ideal in the ISL’s Mission and through partnership with the ISL will target males between the ages of 8 – 18 by giving them the support that they need to move forward in reaching their academic, career and athletic goals.

Mr. Bascome comes to us in the form of a home grown solution finder who has survived against the odds. He has a vision for Bermuda’s youth that they can’t conceptualize at this stage of their lives. But as an average Bermudian without the financial means he was able to beat the odds, survive and succeed.

His humble beginnings did not stop him from achieving his dream of playing professional football. As Langston Hughes said in his poem Mother to Son ‘life for him ain't been no crystal stair’. But he has survived against the odds and wants to do the same for our young people and give them Hope for Life.

The Hope for Life programme will focus on four major areas:

• Provide accurate information about the dangers of drugs, and the downfalls of violence
• Teach young people good decision-making skills
• Show young people how to recognize and resist negative peer pressure; and
• Give young people and their families positive alternatives to drug use and violence

Prevention will be the focus of Hope for Life.

The programme will also assist young people to develop skills on and off the soccer pitch, provide educational support and career awareness.

Mr. Bascome has already presented in Bermuda's schools (both public and private) sharing his positive message with our young people, so in partnership with the Ministry it will assist in getting the positive message out to a wider audience.

Hope for Life will be coming to a neighbourhood near you. Through the kind generosity of the Minister of Tourism and Transport, the Honourable Premier Dr. Brown and the Department of Public Transport they are providing a bus that will become the Hope for Life Bus that will transport the Hope for Life team into our neighbourhoods, clubs and schools.

Our youth are our most precious asset… Hope for Life guarantees life.

Hope For Life saves lives.

By providing our young people with positive choices, providing them with information and the skills to live a drug and violence free life.

Teaching them how to recognize the subtle and overt pressures of those trying to get them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs.

When I read in the daily ‘The cocaine was for my daddy’, young people are not only getting pressure from outside the home.

When our young people are given the necessary tools to effectively deal with the negative pressures that they are bombarded with on a daily basis, we will see young people who will be ready to play a positive role in our society. We will have equipped a segment of our young people who will use positive peer pressure to save other young people.

Saving our young people today, saves our Bermuda of tomorrow.

The message for our young people will also be delivered to parents, guardians and the wider community. With the community collectively providing our young people with Hope for Life we can and will save our young people and save our country.

The Hope for Life programme presenters will undergo special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills. Mr. Bascome, his team or the Ministry can not fix Bermuda’s problems overnight or by themselves. When he knocks on your door to address the young people in your organization I trust that you will be receptive to his call. Bermuda it is going to take everybody pulling in the same direction to turn back this tide of drug usage and violence.

We are committed to saving our young people and believe that the Hope for Life partnership is a major step forward in that quest.

Thank you.

Senator, the Honourable Lieutenant Colonel David A. Burch, OBE, ED, JP
Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing
Hope for Life – Saving Young Lives in Bermuda
Thursday, 29 May 2008

Good afternoon and thank you for joining us here at the Harmony Club in Paget where I am delighted to announce that the Bermuda Housing Corporation has entered into a purchase and sales agreement with the owners Bermuda Resort Hotels Ltd.

The Harmony Club is a small hotel formerly operated by Bermuda Resort Hotels and I acknowledge the presence here today of one of the principals, CEO Mr. Naval Mehra. Also present is Mr. Wendell Hollis, Director and Mr. William Griffith, President of Bermuda Resort Hotels. The Harmony Club closed early in 2006 amid plans for redevelopment.

In the intervening two years, the owners of the property have flirted with tourism redevelopment, outright sale, a branded partnership style tourism development and other means of realising the potential of the site. Those efforts did not succeed primarily as a result of the current difficult credit market environment in the United States. They have therefore determined that this sale provides a great opportunity to proceed with plans of redeveloping their other properties, particularly Surf Side Beach Hotel.

When looking for suitable housing options the Ministry approached the principals of Harmony in late 2007 about the possible sale of the property and preliminary discussions were held. Over the intervening months those conversations continued until early April when the owners indicated a willingness to entertain an offer from Government. As part of our due diligence a chartered valuation surveyor, on behalf of the Bermuda Housing Corporation, conducted an appraisal of the property.

The principal mandate of the Bermuda Housing Corporation is to provide affordable housing for Bermudians. In fulfilling that mandate more creative means are required in light of market conditions, lessening developable space and the costs of construction. The purchase of this property provides a number of opportunities to address our housing challenges in key areas.

The Management Team of the BHC, represented today by the General Manager, Major Glenn Brangman have been in discussions with various ministries but particularly Departments within this Ministry regarding their housing needs as they seek to recruit both locally and overseas. The Bermuda Police Service, the Department of Corrections, the Bermuda Regiment and the Ministry of Health were departments identified with the greatest and most pressing needs.

In the majority of these cases, those recruited will be single professionals whose preference will be the rental of a studio or one-bedroom apartment. Market conditions dictate that left in direct competition with Bermudians in this critical sector of the rental market, these professionals’ ability to guarantee payment make them preferable to landlords. The effect of this unchecked and inequitable competition is to drive the cost of single-person rental units further out of the affordable range of the average Bermudian. As such an alternative solution needed to be found.

It was therefore proposed that following Cabinet approval and necessary remedial works the property be made available to the Bermuda Police Service in the first instance and to those other departments listed above to house those professionals presently being recruited. This absolves us from funding market rates in the private sector, paying per night rates at local hotels for extended periods, or purchasing houses to accommodate much needed staff. Concurrently, the rental market is eased in favour of those Bermudians seeking units in this category.

Everyone knows that we are recruiting police officers from overseas – and no we have not been dragging our feet – oftentimes in governing you must remain silent for a time and work – so that when one does speak – you have something significant to say. One of the major potential obstacles to the recruitment process was housing and we set about devising a solution that would meet the deadlines set by the Bermuda Police Service. This solution solves that potential problem and recruitment is proceeding as planned. More on that at another occasion.

An assessment of the property indicates that, several of the units can be made ready in a short space of time with the remainder being brought into use in phases. The initial plan is to renovate the forty units, in three buildings at the rear of the property and bring them online in short order.

I draw your attention that the proposed use of the property, as set out above is the immediate proposal. The footprint of the site, along with its potential for further development, makes its acquisition a critical means by which the Housing Ministry can continue to meet its mandate in the future.

I must acknowledge the support of my Cabinet colleagues in general and that of the Honourable Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport in particular – whose support was vital in transferring this property from the tourism inventory. And of course the Minister of the Environment and Sports for agreeing to the rezoning.

May I conclude by thanking the Board of Directors, management and staff of the Bermuda Housing Corporation for always ‘stepping up to the plate’ to deliver on our mandate of providing affordable housing to the people of Bermuda. And likewise to Bermuda Resort Hotels for their willingness to partner with Government.

Thank you.

PRESS STATEMENT
by
Senator, the Honourable Lieutenant Colonel David A. Burch, OBE, ED, JP,
Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing
Purchase of the Harmony Club
Thursday, 29th May 2008

Good afternoon:

It’s my pleasure to inform the country that Marc Bean has been appointed to the Senate. He will replace former Senator Wayne Caines who resigned earlier this week to assume a position in the private sector.

Senator Bean will also take over responsibilities as Junior Minister of Tourism and Transport as well as Junior Minister of the Environment and Sport. I have no doubts Senator Bean is properly equipped to excel in this robust role.

Marc Bean is currently part of the Cabinet Office team where he is responsible for Bermuda’s relationship with CARICOM. Marc has also served the country on the Bermuda Independence Commission, the Telecommunications Commission, the Public Transportation Board, The Public Vehicle Service Licensing Board, the Air Transport Licensing Board, and the West End Development Company.

He has also worked for the Department of Airport Operations and was instrumental in the successful launch of the MIRRORS program. At just 32-year-old his resume makes him uniquely qualified to join our team in the Upper House.

Marc’s training as an air traffic control specialist and commercial pilot will serve us very well in the Ministry of Tourism and Transport. Similarly, his lifelong love of fishing, football and cricket will make him an asset in the Ministry of Environment and Sport. I am fortunate to be leader of a political party with a deep bench. Recent history tells us this is a luxury not all political parties have earned. It did not take long for our side to build a list of potential replacements for Senator Caines because there are so many qualified candidates to choose from.

I will not divulge the other names on the list, but I will say that I’m confident in the choice that is being announced this afternoon. Marc Bean will serve his country well and make the people in his childhood Somerset neighborhood immensely proud.

So before his family and friends assembled here today it’s my distinct privilege to announce Marc Bean’s appointment to the Senate.

Congratulations.

REMARKS BY THE PREMIER DR. THE HON. EWART BROWN JP, MP

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE APPOINTMENT OF SENATOR MARC BEAN, JP

JUNE 5, 2008

Premier, Minister James, members of Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation and members of the media - good afternoon:

Ladies and gentlemen - today we are celebrating people empowerment and building on the success of Min Butler's grassroots Rubber Tree initiative.

Today I am pleased to be here to officially unveil the Warwick Rubber Tree Vendor Market.

 The seeds of the Rubber Tree initiative were planted several years ago by my colleague the Hon. Dale Butler, with the introduction of the Annual April Rubber Tree Festival.

Minister Butler launched the grassroots effort to transform this area into a productive and prosperous environment; an area aimed at providing entrepreneurs with a setting in which to sell their wares in their own space.

It was a simple but empowering concept - an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.

The seeds of that initiative have grown into the thriving project that we have today.

With this initiative this venue becomes a hub of activity, with residents from St. George’s to Somerset descending on the area to support their fellow Bermudians.

This concept is in sync with the economic empowerment initiative. As we are serious about encouraging a business friendly environment and the growth of local entrepreneurship we start with what people know and build on what they have.

We are pleased with the level of buzz, the enthusiasm and the entrepreneurial spirit that has been demonstrated.

For its part, this Government will continue to make economic empowerment an imperative. We will continue to point our residents towards the right path to success. Thank you.

 

The Hon. Paula A Cox, JP, MP ~ Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance
Remarks:
The Rubber Tree Vendor Market
 
May 7, 2008

Good afternoon to the Deputy Premier, Cabinet Colleagues and invited guests.

This is a great day for a humble MP from Warwick.

As all of you know this rubber tree is a landmark for the parish of Warwick. You mention the rubber tree and people know exactly what you’re talking about.

For me this big beautiful tree represents the strength of this community.

So it’s fitting that this site would also be the foundation for new economic opportunity. A day is near when this site will bustle with vendors and shoppers doing business with one another. I understand that new day is at least partly underway with a few vendors having set up shop, particularly on the weekends. They have already taken advantage of this Government’s commitment to economic empowerment island wide.

Last year Minister Cox brought EEZ legislation to the House of Assembly and this Government made it a reality. There is new entrepreneurial energy and excitement in North Hamilton and that is a direct result of the Economic Empowerment Zone. Others said they would economically empower North Hamilton community – but talk is cheap – it was Minister Cox who got it done.

We promised to spread economic empowerment principles to other parts of the country. And you are witnessing proof of that commitment today.

The Rubber Tree Market will be a legal place for entrepreneurs who don’t require a brick and mortar structure to sell their wares. The Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation will attract and manage the vendors that sell here to ensure the environment remains professional – and hopefully prosperous.

And should one of the Rubber Tree Vendors want to branch out into Hamilton or into the EEZ, the Small Business Development Corporation is there to provide the necessary support.

This Government’s goal is to diversify Bermuda’s economy and to create opportunities in places that before were overlooked. If you want to know how serious we are about it, consider the title ‘Economic Development’ added to the Ministry of Finance following the last election. We mean business.

Minister Cox and I, and indeed the rest of the Cabinet, are committed to creating a more economically empowered people. Today is another step in that journey, but rest assured it is not the last step. We are not done yet.

Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown JP, MP

Premier Dr. Ewart F. Brown and a Bermuda delegation are satisfied they picked up a wealth of valuable information this week at the 10th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The delegation includes the Premier, who is also Minister of Tourism & Transport, Environment & Sport Minister Elvin James, Sustainable Development Roundtable Chairman Arthur Hodgson and Tourism Board Chairman E. Michael Jones.

Mr. Jones said: “The range and diversity of the conference is rewarding. I had 15 pages of notes at the halfway point.

“The opportunity to network and share the worldwide collection of relevant data from destinations similar to ours is useful and, more importantly, it is current. It also allows the opportunity to measure competition in real terms and share future development strategy both from the visitor point of origin and final destination.”

Premier Brown said: “I think we had all the right people in place to ensure the sustainability interests of Bermuda are well covered. The Environment Minister is here to cover our environmental strategy, The Sustainable Development Roundtable Chairman is here to take back new strategies to his group and the Tourism Board Chairman and I are here to better understand how we grow our tourism product prudently. This was an important event for us at an important time.”

Combing and balancing the efforts of various Government Ministries and Boards facilitates the delivery of sustainable development.

The Bermuda delegation participated in a wide range of sessions and workshops ranging from protecting coastal tourism to managing marine resources to securing tourism investment.

Participation among Caribbean nations was particularly high this year – at least a 50% increase over the previous year.

Minister James said: “Every country is trying to get more tourists, but each of us has to learn how to minimize the impact on the environment. This week we made a lot of progress on balancing the ecology and the economy of our respective countries.”

The 10th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development is organised by the CTO in collaboration with the Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board and the Caribbean Hotel Association. Its audience included members of the media, travel agents and key members of the Caribbean tourism sector.

The conference was held April 28th to May 1st.

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding hosted Premier Ewart F. Brown this morning for a breakfast meeting at Vale Royal, the Jamaican leader’s official residence.

The two leaders discussed a variety of topics including tourism expansion, greater regional cooperation and talent recruitment – particularly in the areas of nursing and law enforcement.

“I find a face-to-face meeting like this is always fruitful because it generates fresh ideas that don’t result from talking on the phone or sending an e-mail,” the Premier said following the meeting.

During the 45-minute meeting the Premier and Prime Minister spent time discussing sports. They agreed both Bermuda and Jamaica could benefit from competing against each other more often as both countries work to advance the development of athletes in a wide variety of sports. They also discussed the prospect of Bermudians attending the Jamaican Sports College.

Mr. Golding was sworn in as Prime Minister on September 11, 2007. This is the first time he has met Premier Brown. However today’s breakfast conversation revealed that both men went to high school in the same parish at around the same time – just one year apart. Additionally, the Prime Minister’s brother was completing a medical residency at Howard University Hospital while the Premier was studying at Howard University Medical School.

The Premier said: “I think the Prime Minster and I have had similar influences over the course of our lives and conduct our affairs similarly. I especially appreciate his ‘get on with it’ attitude, to thoughtfully plot a course or an agenda and then act upon it. Neither of us wants to find today’s agenda on the desk tomorrow.”

Premier Brown is in Jamaica to visit Bermuda Regiment troops on a training mission.

Reigning Bermuda Idol Larrita Adderley will sing the U.S. National Anthem on Bermuda Night at Shea Stadium when the New York Mets take on the Washington Nationals.

Premier Dr. Ewart F. Brown, who is also Minister of Tourism & Transport said, “We are doing everything we can to make Bermuda Night at Shea Stadium as Bermudian as possible. I have always felt our people are our greatest tourism marketing tool so we’re trying to involve Bermudians to play key roles on May 12th – to show Mets fans what Bermuda is all about.”

Bermudian reggae music star Collie Buddz is also expected at Shea Stadium on May 12th. He has accepted an invitation from the Premier to be a guest in the “Feel the Love” Luxury Suite along with Bermuda Department of Tourism contest winners.

Bermuda Night at Shea Stadium is part of the Department of Tourism’s marketing partnership with the New York Mets. New York is the number one market for visitors traveling to Bermuda.

May 12th events include the Premier throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to promote tourism, “Feel the Love” branded giveaways for Mets fans and the Premier will also promote tourism during an in-game interview on SportsNet New York – the Mets broadcast partner.

Today it was revealed Bermuda Idol Larrita Adderley will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” live at Shea Stadium to further strengthen the Bermuda presence on May 12th.

Ms Adderley said: “I’m looking forward to the experience. This helps me pursue my dream. My dream is to be a recording artist and make it to the Grammy Awards. This opportunity puts me a step closer; I feel like every step I’m taking right now is getting me closer and closer.”

Last season the New York Mets averaged 47,579 fans for home games at Shea Stadium, according to the Baseball Almanac.