National review ( August 29, 2009 )

NationalReviewAugust292009 ( .pdf )

* Naiznnat Mev~iw A


The global economy has
experienced unprec-
edented turbulence in
the last few months with the
main industrialized countries
slipping into a deepening re-
cession. Placed in a historical
context, the current downturn
in the global economy has not
been seen since the period of
the end of World War II when
the economies of the major
industrialized countries con-
tracted.
The IMF, in its latest growth
forecast of the global econo-
my, estimates that global out-
put will increase by only 0.5
per cent in 2009 down from


the 3.4 per cent in 2008. The ad-
vanced economies are projected
to contract by 2.0 per cent led by
declining economic activities in
the United States, the Euro area
and Japan.
In the United States, the num-
ber of persons that are unem-
ployed rose to a 25-year high of
8.1 per cent in January 2009 as
651,000 persons loss their jobs
during the month. Analysts pre-
dict that the US recession is likely
to continue well into the later
part of 2009 and should start re-
covering in early 2010.
The recession in the industri-
alized countries has adversely
impacted Saint Lucia's economy,


given that our economy depends
heavily on these countries for
tourism, foreign direct invest-
ment and other capital inflows
and remittances. Already we
have seen the adverse impact on
the tourism industry, our main
foreign exchange earner. Stay-
over tourist arrivals declined
consistently between the months
of September 2008 and Janu-
ary 2009 relative to the previous
year, as the recession deepened
in the US and other major source
markets. During this period the
number of stay-over visitors fell
by 31.0 per cent relative to the
previous year. Reductions in
the number of flights by Ameri-
can Eagle also contributed to the


fall in arrivals. The surge in job
losses in the main source markets
could result in further declines
in visitor arrivals in the coming
months.
The construction sector, which
has been the main driver of eco-
nomic activity in Saint Lucia, ex-
perienced a contraction in 2008
reflecting delays in commence-
ment of new projects in the pub-
lic and private sectors. In the
private sector work on a number
of projects were either halted or
failed to commence largely as a
result of difficulties in sourcing
financing, as inflows from foreign
direct investment fell. The de-
cline in foreign direct investment
reflected the freezing of interna-


tional liquidity as banks have
become cautious in lending.
However, work on a number
of public and private construc-
tion projects are expected to
intensify in 2009 as the con-
struction sector is expected to
be the main driver of growth
in 2009.
In response to the impact of
the external shock on the do-
mestic economy, the Govern-
ment of Saint Lucia has taken
a number of measures to miti-
gate the impact on the local
population and to stimulate
domestic economic activity.
Continued on page 2


Developing Our Human Resources Ministry of Education prepares for the
Page 2 reopening of School Page 9


Eye on the Constituencies pages 4-5


Inside the Ministry page 6


"Take "- A fifteen minute news review of the week.

Every Friday at 6.15 p.m. on NTN, Cablevision Channel 2.


(







Saturday August 29, 2009


Editorial


Developing our Human

Resources


Reciprocity in Diplomatic Aid


ince 2007 the government
and people of Saint Lucia
and the Republic of Chi-
na (Taiwan), have been bound
in diplomatic harmony, rees-
tablishing ties broken in 1997.
Diplomatic aid is rooted in the
concept of reciprocity and Saint
Lucia has quite aptly responded
to the recent disaster in Taiwan
with an official token of our
concern.
Many small island develop-
ing states experience natural
disasters caused by cyclones
(hurricanes or typhoons), earth-
quakes, landslides and volcanic
eruptions. Although natural di-
sasters also occur in other coun-
tries, the impact on an island
economy when a disaster occurs
is relatively greater in terms
of damage per unit of area and
costs per capital, due to the small
size of the country.
The recent typhoon in Tai-
wan has caused major damage
to property and sadly numerous
lives are lost and still unaccount-


ed for. Saint Lucia, as a small vul-
nerable state that has been through
the experience of hurricanes and
adverse weather conditions, can
offer its expertise to the people of
Taiwan in this regard.
As a government and a people
we truly extend our most profound
sympathy to the government and
the people of Taiwan. At this time
of mourning and grief we encour-
age the government and people of
Taiwan to be strong for as sure as
distances tests a horse's strength,
time reveals a people's character.
We take comfort in knowing that
the people of Taiwan are resilient
and formidable and that they will
rise from the ashes and rebuild
their beloved country with pride
and dignity.
The small token of
US$100,000.00 that our Prime
Minister gave to Taiwanese Ambas-
sador His Excellency, Tom Chou is
but a miniscule token that cannot at
all be compared or measured to our
love and gratitude for the people of
Taiwan. The relationship between


our countries has blossom to
provide us with tremendous
diplomatic aid in many areas of
development, which include ag-
riculture, education, improve-
ment in our drivers license pro-
gramme, e-government etc.
On behalf of all Saint Lu-
cians, Prime Minister King
assures the government and
people of Taiwan that in time of
uncertainty and difficulty, Saint
Lucia remains a true friend. "We
firmly believe that friendship
marks a life even more deeply
than love...friendship is never
anything but sharing."
Saint Lucia will always share
its love and friendship with Tai-
wan because the bonds of amity
between our countries are root-
ed deeply in eternal love.
As a people we stand with
Taiwan through our friendship
to hold them up in times of tur-
bulence, and to let them know
that they can lean on us and be
comforted just by knowing that
we are standing by.


The National Skills Devel-
opment Centre (NSDC)
is continuing to develop
Saint Lucia's human resource in
various sectors.
Officially launched on Feb-
ruary 15, 2001, as a quasi non-
profit statutory body that func-
tions with a Board of Directors
providing insights into various
sectors of the economy and
guiding policy decisions, the
Centre emerged as a holistic
solution to the unemployment
situation and a replacement to
the previous Youth Skills Train-
ing Programme. The NSDC fo-
cuses on instilling the necessary
attitudes, skills and knowledge
into individuals for career suc-
cess in this new era of work.
The organisation's services
include a Learning Resource
Section, Computer labs for In-
formation Technology training,
Career Counseling, Soft Skills
and Technical Vocational Skills
training, Job training and Place-
ment. The target group includes
displaced banana farmers,
school dropouts, teenage moth-
ers as well as youth at risk. The
NSDC is mandated to impact
on their lives through reeduca-


tion, socially and through their
personal development, thereby
transforming their lifestyles.
Through its Mission State-
ment, the Centre is mandated
to work with the support of the
private and public sectors to
provide information and train-
ing services towards developing
a skilled, informed and market-
able workforce. The principle
objectives of the Centre are:
* to work closely with private
and public sector agencies
towards creating a skilled
and marketable labour force;
* to offer a range of services
and programmes which will
help unemployed disadvan-
taged clients become self-re-
liant and realize their career
potential
* to provide local, regional and
international labour market
information to better inform
clients' career decisions.
In its efforts to retrain unem-
ployed people to provide a
holistic approach to the devel-
opment of market driven at-
titudes, skills and knowledge,
the NSDC frequently engages
in cooperative endeavours
with other social partners and


---J--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Continued from page 1
The government of the United
Workers Party respects the man-
date given to it by the people of
Saint Lucia to govern in a man-
ner that is consistent with the
strategic objectives of its 2006
manifesto. The conscience of the
ruling party has always been to
"fight the wrong that needs resis-
tance and to help the cause that
needs assistance".
As the Honourable Prime
Minister Stephenson King puts
it "one must not allow oneself
to be derailed by detractors and
loose sight of the important task
of governance which the people
have elected his government to
do".
Prime Minister King is of the
firm belief that "leadership can
be thought of as a capacity to
define oneself to others in a way
that clarifies and expands a vi-
sion of the future", and that "the
only safe ship in a storm is lead-
ership".
The Policy Responses are as
follows:
(1) Over the last few months


Work has started on a housing project in Vieux Fort
involving the construction of about 300 units at a cost of
approximately $70m. This project is expected to provide a
major boost to economic activity in the south of the island


Government has implemented
measures to reduce the retail
prices of some basic food and
non food items by removing im-
port duties and consumption tax
on these items.
(2) Government also recently
implemented a stimulus pack-
age costing approximately $26m
directed at mainly creating short
term employment in targeted
communities in various projects
including road rehabilitation,
construction of drainage, beau-
tification projects and refurbish-
ment of public facilities.
(3) In response to the down-
turn in the tourism industry and
recognizing the importance of
the tourism industry to Saint Lu-
cia's economy, Government has
increased resources for tourism
marketing.
While it is not possible at this
time to precisely assess the im-


pact of these initiatives, there
has been a positive effect been
produced by the amount of short
term employment created and
income generated particularly
within the communities benefit-
ting from these projects.
As a result of the decline in the
economy, growth in government
revenue is slowing while expen-
diture pressures continue to rise.
Consequently, the fiscal deficit is
increasing, thereby adding to the
public debt. If not managed in a
responsible way this could result
in unsustainable growth in the
public debt. While Government
would be pursuing counter-cycli-
cal fiscal policy in support of the
economy, we also have a respon-
sibility for prudent fiscal manage-
ment to ensure the public debt re-
mains at a sustainable level.
Government recognizes that it
does not have all the answers in


responding to the crisis. We have
therefore sought to build consen-
sus among key stakeholders in
the society in devising the most
appropriate policy responses.
Therefore a series of consulta-
tions on the economy have begun
with key stakeholders including
the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, the Chamber of Ag-
riculture and the trade union
movement. Consultations will
continue as we build consensus
on the most appropriate strategy
for managing the crisis. The pro-
cess of consultation will be for-
malized with the formation of a
Tripartite Committee comprising
representatives of Government,
the private sector and the trade
unions. The Tripartite Commit-
tee will be consulted on a regu-
lar basis as part of the process of
building national consensus on
economic policy making.
What are the prospects for 2009?
The prospects for the economy in
2009 are largely contingent on the
successful implementation of a
number of construction projects.
Work is scheduled to begin soon
on a number of projects including
the National Hospital, by April
2009, at a total cost of approxi-
mately $140m. Major road works
are slated for implementation in
2009 including the rehabilitation


of the Praslin to Canelles section
of the East Coast highway, the
Allan Bousquet Highway, the
section of the West Coast road
between Roseau and Soufriere,
and a number of urban roads and
agriculture feeder roads. Ad-
ditionally, work is expected to
begin soon on the Jeremie Street
redevelopment project involving
the redevelopment of a section of
the waterfront on Jeremie Street.
Work has started on a hous-
ing project in Vieux Fort involv-
ing the construction of about 300
units at a cost of approximately
$70m. This project is expected
to provide a major boost to eco-
nomic activity in the south of the
island.
The successful implementation
of these projects will provide a
fillip to economic activity, not-
withstanding the adverse effects
of the external shocks on the do-
mestic economy.
While 2009 will be a challeng-
ing year for the economy, the
Government of Saint Lucia is
confident that with the appropri-
ate macroeconomic policies and
strategies for sustaining econom-
ic activity, Saint Lucia's economy
will weather the storm as we
seek to mitigate the impact of the
global economic recession.


Page 2


Prime Minister Hon. Stephenson King focuses on
building resilience, stability and good governance
amidst the global financial crisis


Na.141ent Rev.4"tw







Saturday August 29, 2009

funding agencies. In order to
ensure that its services are de-
centralized, the NSDC operates
through six (6) satellite centres
island-wide. Through annual
assessments of the labour mar-
ket needs in St. Lucia to better
guide the development of train-


Na t4onat Review


ing programmes and modules,
as a strategic approach to skills
training and development, the
NSDC has implemented over
two hundred different techni-
cal vocational areas under the
training projects indicated be-
low:


Skills Training Projects Implementation No. of People
Period Trained
Technical Vocational Training 2001 2002 250
(local TVET funds)
Basic N,-eds Trust Fund(BNTF) 2)2 2003 213
funded by C)B
Special Framework of Assistance 2002 2003 550
(SFA) 1999 IlnJded bh\ E
Sptecil ramework of Aissisance 2XH)3 2004 512
(SFA.) 2(M Iunded bh EUI
Hospitality and Coinsruciion 2(X)6 2007 498
Skills Training (HC.P) funded by
Government
Youth Apprenticeship 2-14 2006 167
Programme (YAP) funded by
Govemment
Construction Skills Training for 2(K7 -2009 112
Women (West Coasl) St. Lucia
funded by IIN I ':CDI
Special Framework of Assistance 2(07 2009 329
(SFA' 2002 funded h\ EU


Special Framcwork of Asislancc
(SFA) 2)0-1 funded b\ EL:


s008 Prewnr


70 and ongoing


*Training of Trainers for Training Providers is currently ongoing.


Women training in tiling and carpentary


Guided by its vision to be-
come a progressively viable
institution, dedicated to the
advancement of knowledge,
skills and attitudes necessary
for survival in the changing
global work environment, the
NSDC has refurbished and
revitalized the Choiseul Arts
and Craft Centre (CACC) to fa-
cilitate increased sales. Whilst
the Craft component of the
CACC's services has been re-
vamped to improve product
quality, variety and quantity,
a refurbished restaurant will
now cater to the needs of the
community as well as visi-
tors. Continuing progress in
the construction of a Hospital-
ity Training Institution in the
southern zone, according to


facility standards, will become
NSDC's major thrust towards
commercial activities. With
limited allocations from Gov-
ernment, these strategic goals
will enable the NSDC to meet
current demands for paid eve-
ning programmes. Additional-
ly, the NSDC is recognized by
CISCO and is therefore the sole
Centre in St. Lucia for provid-
ing certification in IT Essentials
and CCNA training, which
is recognized both regionally
and internationally. All these
influence the organization's
capability to meet its milestone
of sustainability.
Impact assessments con-
ducted have revealed that the
Job Attachment Programme
increased by 13% from 2006.


These also indicate that some
participants of projects imple-
mented during 1999 to 2004 are
still employed under their area
of training.
Currently, the NSDC is work-
ing with the TVET Accredita-
tion Unit of the Ministry of
Education to gain accredita-
tion, which would facilitate the
awarding of Caribbean Voca-
tional Qualifications (CVQ).
As a result, the organization is
in the process of incorporating
training standards into future
training interventions. This will
further improve on the Centre's
service quality and its capacity
for sustainability, thereby en-
suring that the organisation's
activities deliver the vision for
the future.


* Page 3


New and Improv


Aerial photo of Anse La Raye's beach front


The Government of Japan
has provided grant aid
for the improvement of
the fishery infrastructure at the
Anse La Raye Fish Landing Sta-
tion located on the west coast of
Saint Lucia.
The purpose of this project is
to promote and improve fish-
ing activities of the fishers in
Anse La Raye and neighbour-
ing districts such as Canaries.
This is expected to be achieved
by improving and developing


facilities that would ensure se-
cure, safe and efficient activi-
ties at the Fish Landing Station.
Moreover, this development is
expected to increase and im-
prove the social, economic and
overall livelihood opportunities
within the community.
The site is found along the
Anse La Raye beach, just south
of Pointe D' Orange. There are
currently 119 fishers operating
out of the Anse La Raye Fish
Landing Station, with 24 reg-


istered fishing
approximately
of fish were lan
communities o
and Canaries.
Over the pas
tion of the fish
Anse la Raye h
riorated due to
disasters. The je
and could no
fishing boats;
other fishing f
cient and inade
fishery develop
The improver
be carried out i
bishment of the
which would in
al of vending bo
ing, electrical f
jetty will also b
new concrete d
The area will b
fishing gear an
as an ice making
ally, the area v
ever cooperative
The new Fis
expected to b
March 2010


-_---_--_--------_-------_-----_----



red PI


boats. In 2008,
106,119.1 tonnes
ded between the JJJ
If Anse La Raye

t years, the func-
eries facilities in
as severely dete-
age and natural
tty was damaged
it accommodate
vith some of the
facilities, insuffi-
quate for current
ment.
ment activities to
include the refur-
vendor's arcade
evolve the renew-
)oths and plumb-
acilities, etc. The
e replaced with a
decked structure.
e fitted with new
d lockers, as well
plant. Addition-
vill have its first I
e retail shop.
heries facility is I
e completed by


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2~~I~Zj` VJJWJ: (st4







Page 4


NaNlt gFev.iew


According to MP for Gros
Islet the Honourable
Lenard "Spider" Mon-
toute he and his team are busy
trying to transform the physical
landscape of Gros Islet, with the
hope to improving the aesthet-
ics, public facilities and other
amenities. One of the aspects
that have been undertaken is
the beautification of the constit-
uency which is on going.
Other plans and initiatives
include the establishment of
the government-owned Gros
Islet Development Company
(GIDC) to address road and so-
cial infrastructure maintenance
in conjunction with the Town
Council. Funds will come from
property taxes from the area,
60% of which will be allocated
to the GIDC. It will also have
the ability to generate funds
and seek grants.
A considerable effort has
been made to improve the in-
frastructural out look of the
constituency in terms of drains,
roads etc. other undertakings to
be done include a park to be es-
tablished near the community
centre in Massade.
A new human resource de-
velopment centre will be built
for Gros Islet which will house
the Post office, Town Council
Office, Registrars Office and the
Court House. The current build-
ing which houses the Town
Council will be used as a as a
facility for the playing field.
A new vending market is
slated for Gros Islet town along
with two public beach parks in
the southern and northern ends
of Pigeon Point. Additional
parks will be built in Central
Monchy, Gros Islet and Grand
Riviere for vendors and for the
general recreation of the con-
stituents.
The improved sports infra-
structure in Grand Riviere has
been completed with changing
rooms. However, upgrading
the playing surface with addi-
tional seating will commence
soon with funding by the Euro-
pean Union.
As the development of the
Gros Islet and surround com-
munities continue multi pur-
pose courts will be established


Saturday August 29, 2009


Upgraded Gros Islet Town Square


-. "- .



---
;I


Beautification of Gros Islet


in Grand Riviere along with
improvement of Corinth play-
ing field with new vending and
other facilities.
The HOPE project will bring
about numerous community
and public infra structural proj-
ect that will benefit the resi-
dents in most of the communi-
ties of Gros Islet.
Currently we are seeking
land space to build a multi-pur-
pose court in Corinth while at
the same time we have broken


Changing room sports facility in Grand Riviere


ground in August for a Hu-
man Resource Centre in Mon-
chy which will include a Day-
care Centre, changing areas for
youth, sports men and women,
an IT Centre and an open hall
for social activities. Improve-
ment of the Gros Islet Playing
Field has been completed with
toilet facilities for spectators
and additional lighting to ex-
tend the time within which it
can be utilized.
I have made a concerted ef-


fort to address the water prob-
lems in many areas with the
constituency. There is major
work towards bringing Pipe
borne water has for the first
time been brought to La Bourne
area at the same time I am also
working on addressing water
problems in Vieux Sequix, De-
gazon and upper Monier
In the area of health efforts
have been made to extend the
hours of the polyclinic with the
service of the Medical School


on Gros Islet. Students and
lecturers will utilize the poly-
clinic for training while serving
as staff after hours. Additional
equipment will be provided by
the medical school for use at the
poly-cinic which will benefit
the residents and the general
public at large.
At the moment plans are well
advanced to formulate a pro-
gramme of activities for 2010
to celebrate Gros islet's eleva-
tion to a township. "We want


i:


4>Q







Saturday August 29, 2009


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Redevelopment of the Gros Islet Jetty and look out Tower and improved beach area


Construction of new bridge in southern end of pigeon point


Improved road works in the constituency


IT Centre in the Gros Islet Public Library


to mark the occasion in a big
way because we see it as a mile-
stone." Activities begin in Janu-
ary with the grand celebration
in August".
Plans to mark this grand oc-
casion include a beautification
drive with assistance from the
Taiwanese Agricultural Techni-
cal Mission to help transform
the community, homecoming
for Gros islet residents over-
seas, nurturing and develop-
ing our culture and talent with


a grand pageant, sporting and
cultural events.
There will be a major gala
hosted by the Parliamentary
Representative to honour and
recognize residents who have
made an outstanding contribu-
tion to the development of the
town in the last 25 years. A walk
of Fame will see bricks being
laid along Maria Street towards
the church with the names of
outstanding residents.
In addition to physical infra-


structure, the district represen-
tative has sought to implement
programmes to engage the peo-
ple, particularly the youth with
laptops to outstanding Com-
mon entrance students, public
IT labs in various quarters with
the provision of internet access
at the Gros Islet Library.
Similar IT centres will be set
up in Riviere Mitant, Monchy
and Grand Riviere, the recently
completion of a summer pro-
gramme for approximately 50


children. This is expected to be
followed with the establishment
of a lifesaving, windsurfing and
sailing club to be established.
An after school academic pro-
grammes will be established for
young people. To inspire confi-
dence and to sustain this pro-
gramme with human resource
capacity we will be calling on
successful and outstanding
residents to give back through
volunteerism and serve as men-
tors, coaches.


The Honourable Member of
Parliament for Gros Islet con-
cluded by pointing out that
"There is much I expect to
achieve in the coming year. I am
certain by the end of my tenure
2011; I would have made a sig-
nificant difference in the social,
infrastructural, educational and
health life of the people of Gros
Islet, who elected me to serve
them. It is with all humility, re-
spect and joy I say thank you to
them for their advice, support
and encouragement".


Page 5


Nat-tnal H evl w







Saturday August 29, 2009


Inside the ministry


Minister Lenard Montoute and PS Philip Dalsou meets with Public Sector Unions


The Ministry is charged
with a number of re-
sponsibilities which in-
clude negotiations with Labour
Unions, maintaining good in-
dustrial climate and ensuring
proper working conditions for
staff.
Other responsibilities include
addressing human resource
matters through Personnel De-
partment and utilizing new me-
dia to make government more
accessible and expanding its
reach thorough the E-Govern-
ment Unit. It is expected that
much emphasis will be placed
on this vital unit which will
take government into the future
with new innovations in IT for
the public services. The Units
current work includes (a) estab-
lishment of a national IT centre
in Castries with the assistance
of the government of Taiwan,
(b) assisting the Ministry of
Communications and works
with new vehicle license and
registration programme, (c) de-
veloping a new crime data and
record system for the police, (d)
improving data systems to as-
sist the Ministry of Agriculture
to collect data, (e) assisting the
Registry in overcoming the pe-
rennial problems with the issu-
ance of certificates and (f) orga-
nizing scholarships for citizens
and in-house training for public
servants through the Training
Department.


In this regard The Vice Presi-
dent of Finance at the New
England Institute of Technol-
ogy (NEIT) extended an invi-
tation to Honourable Minister
Lenard Montoute in July 2009,
to tour the facilities of the New
England Institute of Technol-
ogy and meet with various De-
partment Chairs and managers
to become more familiar with
NEIT educational resources.
The delegation included Mrs.
Elizabeth Bailey and Ms. Ansel-
ma Calderon Training Officer.
A memorandum of Under-
standing (MOU) between the
Government of St. Lucia and
NEIT was signed marking the
beginning of a long and mutual
beneficial relationship.
The objective of this visit
was to explore training oppor-
tunities for St. Lucian students
wishing to pursuing studies in
the Technical Vocational Areas
offered at the institution and to
explore an offer to partial schol-
arships in the specified areas of
training
The New England Institute
of Technology (NEIT) will pro-
vide 4 14 awards per year in
the following technical areas:
Mechanical Engineer, Marine
Technology, Electrical Technol-
ogy, Plumbing, Construction,
Construction Architecture, In-
formation Technology, Cabinet
making and TV & Radio Pro-
duction.


Both the Bachelor's Degree
and the Associate Degree can
be completed in 18 months.
The cost of the programmes are
worked out in such a way that
includes a contribution from
the Government of Saint Lu-
cia in the amount of US$ 2,500
.00 with an additional injection
of US$2,500.00 by NEIT. This
amounts to US$5000.00 with
the balance of cost to be met by
the students.
The Ministry of the Public
Service is attempting to trans-
form the public service. Minister
Montoute was frank in admit-
ting that "the general public is
not happy with the way things
are done and pointed out that
the Ministry is criticized heavi-
ly. To this end there is an urgent
need to review approaches and
methods to become more effi-
cient, ensure internal systems
employed for staff recognition
and reward including ensuring
that the performance appraisal
assessment is measurable in
an effective way, reviewing the
staff classification system and
instituted a re-training pro-
gramme for staff in the areas of
communication, report writing,
management etc.

Establishment and
Legal Division
The main responsibilities of
the Department of Establish-
ment include establishment of
government offices, making


recommendations to Cabinet
relating to structures of minis-
tries and departments, process-
ing all lease as to rental agree-
ments on behalf of government
and designing of government
offices. The Legal Division of
the Ministry exists to advise
ministries and departments on
government policies, regula-
tions and staff orders as well as
to process all maters relating to
discipline of public servants to
the Public Service Commission.

Department of Social Trans-
formation Youth And Sports
The Ministry has been hard
hit by the financial belt tight-
ening which has restricted its
budget and the amount of work
that can be done. The Minis-
try is seeking volunteers to as-
sist with their programmes,
which focus heavily on youth.
In the area of poverty allevia-
tion, the Community Service
Unit is working with the Saint
Lucia Social Development
Fund (SSDF) to ameliorate the
problems of poor or indigent
citizens. These Programmes
include housing assistance
programmes, educational as-
sistance programmes, employ-
ment opportunity, the HOPE
Programme has been launched
to extend greater opportunities
for training, employment, and
health assistance and the Youth
Entrepreneurship programme
design to encourage develop-


ment of self-employment and
entrepreneurial activities.
In the area of sports the Min-
istry is concentrating on main-
taining and upgrading of the
sporting infrastructure. A total
of approximately EC$7M was
spent to overhaul the George
Odlum Stadium, which made
it possible to host the interna-
tional track events, the first of
which was the massively suc-
cessful CARIFTA Games.
We are currently preparing
to host the 20/20 World Cricket
Championship and as a conse-
quence the 7-year-old Beause-
jour Cricket Stadium will be
rehabilitated. There is dearly
the need to ensure that our
sporting facilities are properly
maintained and this we will
do with EU funding. In order
to achieve efficiency in sports
development certain vital core
programmes must established.
Programmes such as the Elite
Athlete Programme that iden-
tifies outstanding sportspeople
and provides enhanced support
and the expansion of Sports for
all programme already estab-
lished in Choiseul, Dennery,
Gros Islet and Castries, must
spread throughout the entire is-
land. It is only when we achieve
this that every son and daugh-
ter of Saint Lucia will truly be
afforded to opportunity to de-
velop this sporting prowess,
passion and enthusiasm.


Page 6.


Nationa Reviwew







Saturday August 29, 2009


Nato$nart Review


The Saint Lucia Bureau of
Standards (SLBS) is co-
ordinating the staging
of a sensitization seminar for
stakeholders in the agricultural
sector on a new regime of stan-
dards and certification for agri-
cultural products.
Under the European Union's
Framework of Assistance for
2002 (SFA 2002), a project enti-
tled "Development and Imple-
mentation of Standards and a
Certification System for Select-
ed Agricultural Products and
Training" is being implemented
in Saint Lucia.
Under this project, existing
national standards for selected
crops, livestock, poultry and
fish products will be revised,
draft new standards developed,
a certification system estab-
lished and training imparted
to producers/suppliers, inspec-
tors, regulatory personnel and
other stakeholders.
The project is also expected


The Government of Saint
Lucia through the Saint
Lucia Bureau of Stan-
dards is inviting comments
from key sedors of the public
on a Draft Guidelines for Rec-
reational Water Quality Stan-
dards for Saint Lucia. The doc-
ument drafted by the Caribbean
Environmental Health Institute
CEHI was presented to govern-
ment as part of a projed funded
by the European Union.
The SLBS has invited a num-
ber of agencies and sectors
whose adivities impad water
quality to the first of two con-
sultations, the first to be held
on Wednesday, August 26th,
at the National Insurance Cor-
poration Conference Centre.
A similar consultation will be
held in the South of the island
in September.
Saint Lucia's waters, both
riverine and coastal, and as-
sociated habitats, have always
been important to communi-
ties as a source of food and for
recreation. However, these wa-
ters are under increasing threat


to play an important role in, im-
proving the quality, safety and
competitiveness of locally pro-
duced crops, poultry, livestock
and fish products.
A perennial problem of ag-
ricultural production here is
the issue of sale of agricultural
products once they are avail-
able. The project will address
that issue with the expected re-
sult of achieving greater market
penetration of locally produced
crops, poultry, livestock and
fish products
A half day sensitization
seminar was held on Wednes-
day 24th June 2008 from 9:00
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the NIC
Conference Room, 5th Floor
NIC building, Castries Water-
front.
The purpose of the seminar
was to informing all stakehold-
ers of the relevant details of the
project and how it could impact
on their businesses or activities;
obtaining valuable stakeholder


from a number of land-based
pollutants in the form of sew


The document reflects an in-
tense consultative process with


Planet Earth


age, sediments, nutrients, pesti-
cides, litter and marine debris.
The draft guidelines respond
to these increasing threats to
the island's recreational waters,
with a view to regulating the
quality of the water entering
recreational waters.


a number of stakeholders, in-
cluding relevant government
agencies. The Saint Lucia Bu-
reau of Standards, which is the
national agency responsible for
the establishment and adoption
of standards, is finalizing the
draft standard which will again


Agriculture still a pivital sector for the Caribbean


input into the implementation
plans of the project; and general
public sensitization.


The project is being imple-
mented by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Land, Fisheries



go through a process of consul-
tations with stakeholders, such
as hoteliers, manufacturers,
marinas and garages, for their
review and comment.
The development of a Recre-
ational Water Quality Standard
for Saint Lucia is a first step in
the implementation of the Land
Based Sources of Marine Pol-
lution Protocol ratified by the
Government of Saint Lucia in
January, 2008. More important-
ly, the Standard once approved,
can be used as an important tool
to facilitate the maintenance of
a high recreational water qual-
ity in Saint Lucia, so that the
health of its people and visitors
are not compromised.
As we all know, Liquid Wa-
ter is Essential for Life. Water
Sources are renewable...but
finite! 70% of earth's surface
is water, Only 2.5% to 3% is
fresh water, Less than 1% is
accessible, Pollution and other
factors further, reduce access
by 2/3, billion people (1/6th of
the world's population) have
no access to quality drinking
water.
Liquid water is responsible
for life as we know it! Viewed
from space the earth appears to
be mostly water, but only 2.5%
of that water is fresh, and most
of that lies frozen and inacces-


and Forestry and coordinated
by the Saint Lucia Bureau of
Standards.


sible. As a result, less than 1%
of fresh water is accessible in
lakes, river channels and un-
der ground.Geography, envi-
ronment and pollution from
human activities reduce this
amount by a further two thirds,
and what remains is unequally
distributed around the world.
It should be noted that access
to safe water, provision of suf-
ficient supplies of water, and
access to sanitation are three
factors that together can con-
tribute to the health and safety
of the world's population. A
lack of adequate supplies of
good-quality water, together
with poor sanitation, exacts a
high health toll, particularly
in rural areas, hindering both
social and economic develop-
ment. This makes the promo-
tion of hygienic behaviour a
high priority.
The draft Recreational Water
Quality Standard is also avail-
able on the Saint Lucia Bureau
of Standards website, www.
slbs.org.lc or the GIS website at
www.stlucia.gov.lc
For further information
please contad Mr. Julius James
at the Saint Lucia Bureau of
Standards at telephone 456
0102 or Ms. LaVerne Walker at
the Sustainable Development
and Environment Sedion at
468 5808.


* Page 7


Stakeholders to be consulted on

Draft Guidelines for Recreational

Water Quality Standards







Saturday August 29, 2009


Prime Minister Stephenson King and H.E. Ambassador
Tom Chou in deep discussion on the Typhoon that hit Taiwan


His Excellency Taiwanese Ambassador Tom Chou accepts the donation from
Prime Minister Hon. Stephenson King


Prime Minister Stephen-
son King made it very
dear that the numerous
contributions Taiwan has made
to Saint Lucia in the areas of
infrastructural development,
agriculture, education and so-
cial development generally, ce-
ments a bond that will forever
echo in the hearts and minds
of all Saint Lucian's. The leader
of our nation went further to
state that we have expressed
our gratitude through our par-
liamentarians (especially in
parliament) and through the
people of Saint Lucia for the
support that we continue to re-


ceive from the Government and
People of Taiwan.
On occasions when our coun-
tries are devastated, we call
upon friends to provide moral
and financial support where
possible, to help rebuild and
gain strength in national devel-
opment. Following the impact
of hurricane Dean Saint Lucia
received early support from the
government and people of Tai-
wan.
Recently, typhoon Maricot
caused major damage to Tai-
wan's infrastructure which re-
sulted in loss of life on a large


scale. Consequently, the gov-
ernment and people of Saint
Lucia have responded with ges-
tures of sympathy to the people
of Taiwan especially those who
lost their lives and suffered lost
of property.
Prime Minister King point-
ed out that the gesture of
US$100,000.00 seems small but
must be seen as a profound
symbolic demonstration of am-
ity aimed at giving moral sup-
port to Taiwan to show how
much we value their friendship.
The intent of the contribution is
to go to the indigenous people
who have suffered the most.


The Government of Saint Lu-
cia is in the process of imple-
menting a comprehensive
Private Sector Development
Programme (PSDP) with sup-
port from its international de-
velopment partners.
The overall objective of the
PSDP is to accelerate the pace
of economic diversification
and growth by improving
the business environment,
enhancing the quality of tech-
nical and managerial skills of
the labour market, provid-
ing support to entrepreneurs
and industry associations in
product and or services de-
velopment, marketing and
modernization of Informa-
tion Communications Tech-
nology (ICT).
Under the Special Frame-
work of Assistance (SFA)
2002, the EU is providing fi-
nancial assistance for the es-
tablishment of a Rural Credit
Facility, which among other
interventions is expected to
stimulate the inflow of credit


to and increase investment by
rural businesses, particularly
Small and Micro Enterprises.
The Cooperative Move-
ment which has traditionally
been in the forefront of rural
development has been se-
lected to spearhead the drive
towards improved efficiency,
productivity and competi-
tiveness.
To this end, a series of train-
ing programmes organized
by the Cooperative League
and sponsored by the Office
of Private Sector Relations,
under the RESTORE Pro-
gramme have been planned
for September.
The Training targets Board
and Committee Members as
well as Credit Union Branch
Managers and other senior
officials.
Training will be conducted
in Castries, Mon Repos and
Vieux Fort, beginning Sep-
tember 5, until September 26,
2009


Page 8 ,


F in T of Turbulence


Nationa Revi'ew







* Page 9


Saturday August 29, 2009


Ministry of Education prepares


for the reopening of School


National Review met with
the Chief Education Officer in
preparation for the reopening
of school.
As the Ministry of education
prepare for the re-opening of
school, Chief Education Office
Mrs. Augusta Ifill emphasizes
that the health and safety of
the students are of Paramount
importance. "We are looking
first at keeping our children
safe. This includes preventa-
tive measures to reduce the
spread of the H1N1 pandemic,
known as the Swine Flu. Since
the closing of school there
have been several confirmed
cases"
School opening will see
the assembly of people in
large numbers, many will be
students coming back from
traveling or who are close to
someone who traveled so pre-
ventative measures must be
put in place as this can spread
rapidly.


school break preparing for the
reopening of the 105 schools
under its wing:
There has been a heavy fo-
cus on strengthening monitor-
ing and supervision systems
by training all principals
and secondary school vice-
principals. Additionally there
has been a process of phasing
in the Caribbean Vocational
Qualification certified by CXC
to provide additional areas of
assessment for graduants.
The ministry has also
undertaken greater monitor-
ing of newly instituted forms
of certification through the
Elevation of Standard Skills
for Inclusive Growth run by
NSDC.
Further we have examined
the curriculum to incorporate
areas such as theatre arts,
music and visual arts. This has
been included on the prior-
ity list to provide training for
teachers in those areas.
"This school year the
challenge is im-
proving on the
quality."
The


Physical Education (PE) pro-
gramme has been enhanced,
with a new PE curriculum
generated at the CARICOM
level to begin in September
2009. This included training
of PE teachers to deliver new
structured PE curriculum from
Kindergarten to CXC level.
mThe Ministry is currently
assessing the newly released
O Level and A Level CXC ex-
amination results. There has
been an increase in the over-
all percentage passes and an
improvement in the quality of
passes is also anticipated.
We continue to deal with the
expected challenges of Univer-
sal Secondary Education. The
focus has now shifted from
ensuring a secondary school
place for every child, to ensur-
ing that every child deserves a
place. This includes strength-
ening the primary school
system to deliver the neces-
sary results and putting
systems in place for
special needs chil-
dren currently
in secondary
school.


Checklist and Fees for the Submission
of Planning Applications
1. The developer or his agent presents application to the front
desk counter for submission.
2. The application is checked by the front desk clerks or build-
ing officers to ensure that the developer/agent has submit-
ted all the requirements for the particular type of applica-
tion being submitted.
3. Assuming all the requirements have been submitted, a pay-
ment slip is written up and given to the developer or his
agent for payment of fees.
4. An application is not registered until fees have been paid for
the application. Upon payment of the fees, the developer
submits the application with the receipts showing proof that
the fees have been paid.
5. The application is then registered by the front desk clerks
or building officers by registering all the information appli-
cable to the application being submitted in the register of
applications. The application is given a reference number,
which will be the next consecutive number available in the
register.
The information (applicable to the application) written in the
register of applications is as follows:
(a) Reference Number
(b) Date of submission
(c) Number of plans submitted
(d) Applicant's name
(e) Block and Parcel Number
(f) Location of development
(g) District
(h) Approval type (full approval or approval in principle)
(i) Application type e.g. commercial, residential, subdivision,
etc.
(j) Other types of applications not specified under application
type, e.g tent, fence.
(k) Area of development (building area or area of lots for sub-
divisions)
(1) Number of bedrooms
(m) Number of lots
(n) Fees
(o) Department Circulation dispatched and returned, i.e. re-
ceipt numbers
(p) Decision
(q) Recipient (person who receives application on presentation
of registration slip)
(r) Subdivision Number
(s) Designer
(t) Remarks ( signature of officer registering application)
6. Once all the information relevant to the application (as indi-
cated above) is entered in the registration book, a registra-
tion slip is prepared and given to the developer/agent. This
slip must be presented when collecting the application. The
registration slip also provides information relevant to the
application, such as:
(a) Applicant's name
(b) Address
(c) Application Reference Number
(d) Development type
(e) Date submitted
The officer registering the application must sign this slip on
behalf of the Executive Secretary, Development Control Author-
ity. The slip is also stamped with the Authority's date stamp
indicating the date the application was submitted.
The officer registering the application then writes the refer-
ence number and stamps the date stamp on the top right hand
comer of all the documents and drawings (individual sheets) of
the application. The application is then referred to the Develop-
ment Control Officer or to the Executive Secretary who assigns
it to an officer for processing.
For further information contact the Development Control Author-
ity, Physical Planning Section a tel. no. 468-4457 or 468-4455.











Let's Talk About Tax...






he acronym "VAT" stands for "Value Added Tax". It is simplest to think of VAT as a broad-
basedsales tax that may apply to each stage of production, processing, and distribution. In
other words, VAT is a multi-stage general sales tax.
VAT differs from a Sales Tax because it utilizes a credit mechanism for businesses. Each VAT-
registered business pays tax on the purchase of inputs and charges VAT on the sales of outputs. The
business remits the amount of VAT collected from customers less the amount paid on purchase of
inputs. This mechanism effectively provides relief for VAT paid on the purchase of inputs.
The Government of Saint Lucia has announced its policy intention to embark on the implementa-
tion of a modern and broad based Value Added Tax. Empirical studies have revealed weaknesses in
the current indirect tax regime and have proposed a tax reform initiative aimed at a more effi cient,
appropriate, simplified and modernized indirect tax system.
Many developed and developing countries have introduced a Value Added Tax system, which has
continued to spread throughout the world since its introduction in France more than 50 years ago. To
date over 130 countries worldwide are operating a VAT, including Caribbean countries such as Haiti,
Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. In the last three years, Dominica, Belize, Anti-
gua and Barbuda, and St. Vincent have also introduced VAT. Grenada is on schedule to re-introduce
VAT, whilst St. Kitts and Nevis are considering its introduction. In some of these countries, the VAT
is a major source of their tax revenue
The Government of Saint Lucia has decided to introduce a VAT but not before April 2010. VAT
should not be seen as an additional tax, but rather a replacement tax for some of the indirect taxes,
currently being administered by the Inland Revenue Department and the Customs and Excise De-
partment. This recommendation was made in 2003 by OECS Tax Reform Commission, established by
the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).
Currently, the tax system comprises of direct and indirect taxes. Direct taxes include Income, Cor-
porate and Withholding tax. Some of the indirect taxes presently being levied include Consumption
tax, Hotel and Accommodation Tax, Environment Service Charge, Mobile Cellular Tax, Customs Ser-
vice Charge, and Motor Vehicle Rental fee.
Only indirect taxes are considered for reform under a VAT, not direct taxes. The final list of taxes to
be replaced or reduced by the VAT has not been determined. These taxes will cease upon the intro-
duction of VAT, and will not be levied together with the VAT for any period, whatsoever.
Major decisions to determine the rate, threshold for registration, treatment of goods and services,
taxes to be replaced and transitional issues are being considered by the policy makers.


IOPE
HOLISTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT

The Holistic Opportunities for Personal Empowerment
(HOPE) programme has been formulated to address the imme-
diate needs of the vulnerable population of St. Lucia, while si-
multaneously equipping them with the resources needed to as-
sist in securing a more sustainable livelihood This programme
is administered by the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund
(SSDF) in collaboration with various agencies. It is expected
that approximately two thousand (2000) persons will benefit
from this programme on an annual basis.
HOPE is designed around four pillars: (1) Employment, (2)
Training, (3) Personal Development and (4) Health.
Objectives of Hope Programme
* Employment creation / Reduce unemployment
* Generate economic activity
* Improve size and quality of labour force


It is paramount that the nec-
essary preparatory work be
done prior to the implementa-
tion of a VAT. These activities
include but are not limited to:
stakeholder consultations, pub-
lic education, taxpayer train-
ing, and development of a VAT
Legislation, registration of tax-
payers, development of an IT
System, and establishment of
the organizational structure to
administer the VAT.
The VAT Implementation
Project Team was established
by Cabinet in October 2008,
with the Project Offi ce located
on No. 4 Bridge Street, Castries.
The team is mandated to pre-
pare Saint Lucia for the Imple-
mentation of VAT by April 1st
2010
To date, the Implementation
project team has had initial con-
sultations or have made presen-
tations to some organizations
such as the SLHTA, SLISBA,
Chamber of Agriculture and
the Executive Director of the
Chamber of Commerce. We are
also in the process of schedul-
ing consultations with the other


* Increase and improve community/public assets and
infrastructure
Target Group
Unemployed Persons: Unskilled, Semi-Skilled and Skilled. Must
be 16 years and older Must be a St Lucian
Persons will be selected by the SSDF from an unemploy-
ment database which will be web-based for easy access to all
users.
Hope Employment Initiatives
* Community/Public Infrastructural Projects
* Community/Public Beautification Projects
* Public Sector Efficiency Assignments
* Private Sector Job Placement Partnerships
* Youth and Sports Services
* Self Employment Services
All persons employed under HOPE initiatives must par-
ticipate in the following components of HOPE.
The Training Component (which includes but not limited to):
* On-the-job, and classroom training
* Efficiency training
* Retooling training
* Project & business management training
Certificates will be issued to participants where possible.


National Review is published fortnightly by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Department of Information Services.
Contact us at: The Office the Prime Minister and the Department of Information Services, Greaham Louisy Administrative
Building, The Waterfront, Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies
Tel: (758) 468 2127/2116; E-mail: rhalexander@gosl.gov.lc or gis@candw.lc; website: http://stlucia.gov.lc


Page 10.


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Fcr the complete progrranini- gUlde
log r ic .n o Ihur .ebsiie 31 myo NTNuci
oqo.. ii 3n Men chek o n Mce NTN crin


Saturday August 29, 2009


groups and other business or-
ganizations on the island.
The Implementation Project
Team is cognizant of the need
for an effective Public Educa-
tion drive and a comprehensive
campaign will be undertaken in
every Saint Lucian community,
geared towards educating per-
sons on the broad concepts of a
VAT and to highlight the rights
and responsibilities of final con-
sumers under the system.
A VAT will impact the lives of
all Saint Lucians and residents.
As a result, presentations and
consultations must incorporate
everyone. It must be conducted
in a planned and organized
manner, in order to ensure that
every stakeholder is involved,
regardless of his/her opinion on
the VAT. The publicity aspect
must be timely and provide
accurate information relevant
to the needs of the respective
stakeholder group.
The project team will endeav-
our to reach all Saint Lucians to
share the VAT message in both
English and Creole before the
implementation of the Value
Added Tax system.

PAGE 1

“Take ” Every Friday at 6.15 p.m. on NTN, “Take ” 2 Government NotebookA fresh news package daily on all local radio stations SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2009 T he global economy has experienced unprecedented turbulence in the last few months with the main industrialized countries slipping into a deepening recession. Placed in a historical context, the current downturn in the global economy has not been seen since the period of the end of World War II when the economies of the major industrialized countries contracted. forecast of the global economy, estimates that global output will increase by only 0.5 per cent in 2009 down from Developing Our Human Resources Page 2 Ministry of Education prepares for the reopening of School Page 9 Eye on the Constituencies pages 4-5 Inside the Ministry page 6 www.stlucia.gov.lc the 3.4 per cent in 2008. The advanced economies are projected to contract by 2.0 per cent led by declining economic activities in the United States, the Euro area and Japan. ted States, the number of persons that are unemployed rose to a 25-year high of 8.1 per cent in January 2009 as 651,000 persons loss their jobs during the month. Analysts predict that the US recession is likely to continue well into the later part of 2009 and should start recovering in early 2010. alized countries has adversely impacted Saint Lucia’s economy, given that our economy depends heavily on these countries for tourism, foreign direct investhave seen the adverse impact on the tourism industry, our main foreign exchange earner. Stayover tourist arrivals declined consistently between the months of September 2008 and January 2009 relative to the previous year, as the recession deepened in the US and other major source markets. During this period the number of stay-over visitors fell by 31.0 per cent relative to the previous year. Reductions in can Eagle also contributed to the fall in arrivals. The surge in job losses in the main source markets could result in further declines in visitor arrivals in the coming months. truction sector, which has been the main driver of economic activity in Saint Lucia, experienced a contraction in 2008 ment of new projects in the public and private sectors. In the private sector work on a number of projects were either halted or failed to commence largely as a direct investment fell. The decline in foreign direct investment e freezing of international liquidity as banks have become cautious in lending. wever, work on a number of public and private construction projects are expected to intensify in 2009 as the construction sector is expected to be the main driver of growth in 2009. ponse to the impact of the external shock on the domestic economy, the Government of Saint Lucia has taken a number of measures to mitigate the impact on the local population and to stimulate domestic economic activity. Continued on page 2

PAGE 2

Prime Minister Hon. Stephenson King focuses on building resilience, stability and good governance Page 2 News Brief Saturday August 29, 2009 Continued from page 1 Workers Party respects the mandate given to it by the people of Saint Lucia to govern in a manner that is consistent with the strategic objectives of its 2006 manifesto. The conscience of the ruling party has always been to tance and to help the cause that needs assistance”. it “one must not allow oneself to be derailed by detractors and loose sight of the important task of governance which the people have elected his government to do”. be thought of as a capacity to sion of the future”, and that “the only safe ship in a storm is leadership”. follows: Government has implemented measures to reduce the retail prices of some basic food and non food items by removing import duties and consumption tax on these items. implemented a stimulus package costing approximately $26m directed at mainly creating short term employment in targeted communities in various projects including road rehabilitation, construction of drainage, beaument of public facilities. turn in the tourism industry and recognizing the importance of the tourism industry to Saint Lucia’s economy, Government has increased resources for tourism marketing. time to precisely assess the impact of these initiatives, there produced by the amount of short term employment created and income generated particularly ting from these projects. As a result of the decline in the economy, growth in government revenue is slowing while expenditure pressures continue to rise. increasing, thereby adding to the public debt. If not managed in a responsible way this could result in unsustainable growth in the public debt. While Government would be pursuing counter-cyclieconomy, we also have a responment to ensure the public debt remains at a sustainable level. does not have all the answers in responding to the crisis. We have therefore sought to build consensus among key stakeholders in the society in devising the most appropriate policy responses. Therefore a series of consultations on the economy have begun with key stakeholders including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Agriculture and the trade union movement. Consultations will continue as we build consensus on the most appropriate strategy for managing the crisis. The process of consultation will be formalized with the formation of a representatives of Government, the private sector and the trade unions. The Tripartite Committee will be consulted on a regular basis as part of the process of building national consensus on economic policy making. The prospects for the economy in 2009 are largely contingent on the successful implementation of a number of construction projects. Work is scheduled to begin soon on a number of projects including 2009, at a total cost of approxiare slated for implementation in 2009 including the rehabilitation of the Praslin to Canelles section of the East Coast highway, the section of the West Coast road between Roseau and Soufriere, and a number of urban roads and agriculture feeder roads. Additionally, work is expected to begin soon on the Jeremie Street redevelopment project involving the redevelopment of a section of the waterfront on Jeremie Street. Wor k has started on a housing the construction of about 300 units at a cost of approximately $70m. This project is expected to provide a major boost to economic activity in the south of the island. of these projects will provide a of the external shocks on the domestic economy. ing year for the economy, the Government of Saint Lucia is ate macroeconomic policies and strategies for sustaining economic activity, Saint Lucia’s economy will weather the storm as we seek to mitigate the impact of the global economic recession. T he National Skills Develis continuing to develop Saint Lucia’s human resource in various sectors. ruary 15, 2001, as a quasi nontions with a Board of Directors providing insights into various sectors of the economy and guiding policy decisions, the Centre emerged as a holistic solution to the unemployment situation and a replacement to the previous Youth Skills Training Programme. The NSDC focuses on instilling the necessary into individuals for career success in this new era of work. The organisation’s services include a Learning Resource Section, Computer labs for Information Technology training, and Technical Vocational Skills training, Job training and Placement. The target group includes displaced banana farmers, school dropouts, teenage mothers as well as youth at risk. The NSDC is mandated to impact on their lives through reeducaS ince 2007 the government and people of Saint Lucia and the Republic of China (Taiwan), have been bound in diplomatic harmony, reestablishing ties broken in 1997. Diplomatic aid is rooted in the concept of reciprocity and Saint Lucia has quite aptly responded to the recent disaster in Taiwan concern. Many small island developing states experience natural disasters caused by cyclones (hurricanes or typhoons), earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions. Although natural disasters also occur in other countries, the impact on an island economy when a disaster occurs is relatively greater in terms of damage per unit of area and costs per capita, due to the small size of the country. The recent typhoon in Taiwan has caused major damage to property and sadly numerous lives are lost and still unaccounted for. Saint Lucia, as a small vulnerable state that has been through the experience of hurricanes and adverse weather conditions, can offer its expertise to the people of Taiwan in this regard. As a government and a people we truly extend our most profound sympathy to the government and the people of Taiwan. At this time of mourning and grief we encourage the government and people of Taiwan to be strong for as sure as distances tests a horse’s strength, time reveals a people’s character. We take comfort in knowing that the people of Taiwan are resilient and formidable and that they will rise from the ashes and rebuild their beloved country with pride and dignity. The small token of US$100,000.00 that our Prime Minister gave to Taiwanese Ambassador His Excellency, Tom Chou is but a miniscule token that cannot at all be compared or measured to our love and gratitude for the people of Taiwan. The relationship between our countries has blossom to provide us with tremendous diplomatic aid in many areas of development, which include agriculture, education, improvement in our drivers license programme, e-government etc. On behalf of all Saint Lucians, Prime Minister King assures the government and people of Taiwan that in time of Lucia remains a true friend. “We marks a life even more deeply than lovefriendship is never anything but sharing.” Saint Lucia will always share its love and friendship with Taiwan because the bonds of amity between our countries are rooted deeply in eternal love. As a people we stand with Taiwan through our friendship to hold them up in times of turbulence, and to let them know that they can lean on us and be comforted just by knowing that we are standing by. Editorial Reciprocity in Diplomatic Aid Reciprocity in Diplomatic Aid Developing our Human Resources tion, socially and through their personal development. thereby transforming their lifestyles. ment, the Centre is mandated to work with the support of the private and public sectors to provide information and training services towards developing a skilled, informed and marketable workforce. The principle objectives of the Centre are: and public sector agencies towards creating a skilled and marketable labour force; and programmes which will help unemployed disadvantaged clients become self-reliant and realize their career potential international labour market clients’ career decisions. ployed people to provide a holistic approach to the development of market driven attitudes, skills and knowledge, the NSDC frequently engages in cooperative endeavours with other social partners and Work has started on a housing project in Vieux Fort involving the construction of about 300 units at a cost of approximately $70m. This project is expected to provide a major boost to economic activity in the south of the island

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News Brief Page 3 Saturday August 29, 2009 New and Improved T he Government of Japan has provided grant aid for the improvement of tion located on the west coast of Saint Lucia. The purpose of this project is Anse La Raye and neighbouring districts such as Canaries. This is expected to be achieved by improving and developing facilities that would ensure seexpected to increase and improve the social, economic and overall livelihood opportunities within the community. The site is found along the Anse La Raye beach, just south Landing Station, with 24 regapproximately 106,119.1 tonnes communities of Anse La Raye and Canaries. Anse la Raye has severely deteriorated due to age and natural and could not accommodate cient and inadequate for current The improvement activities to be carried out include the refurbishment of the vendor’s arcade which would involve the renewal of vending booths and plumbing, electrical facilities, etc. The new concrete decked structure. as an ice making plant. Additionever cooperative retail shop. expected to be completed by Aerial photo of Anse La Raye’s beach front P H O T O F O C U S funding agencies. In order to ensure that its services are decentralized, the NSDC operates island-wide. Through annual assessments of the labour marguide the development of training programmes and modules, as a strategic approach to skills training and development, the NSDC has implemented over cal vocational areas under the training projects indicated below: *Training of Trainers for Training Providers is currently ongoing. *Training of Trainers for Training Providers is currently ongoing. Guided by its vision to become a progressively viable institution, dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, for survival in the changing global work environment, the NSDC has refurbished and revitalized the Choiseul Arts cilitate increased sales. Whilst CACC’s services has been revamped to improve product quality, variety and quantity, a refurbished restaurant will now cater to the needs of the community as well as visitors. Continuing progress in ity Training Institution in the southern zone, according to facility standards, will become NSDC’s major thrust towards commercial activities. With limited allocations from Government, these strategic goals will enable the NSDC to meet current demands for paid evening programmes. Additionally, the NSDC is recognized by Centre in St. Lucia for providand CCNA training, which is recognized both regionally and internationally. All these capability to meet its milestone of sustainability. Impact assessments conducted have revealed that the increased by 13% from 2006. These also indicate that some participants of projects implemented during 1999 to 2004 are still employed under their area of training. Currently, the NSDC is working with the TVET AccreditaEducation to gain accreditation, which would facilitate the awarding of Caribbean VocaAs a result, the organization is in the process of incorporating training standards into future training interventions. This will further improve on the Centre’s service quality and its capacity for sustainability, thereby ensuring that the organisation’s activities deliver the vision for the future. Women training in tiling and carpentary

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Page 4 Saturday August 29, 2009 Page 5 Saturday August 29, 2009 A ccording to MP for Gros Islet the Honourable Lenard “Spider” Montoute he and his team are busy trying to transform the physical landscape of Gros Islet, with the hope to improving the aesthetics, public facilities and other amenities. One of the aspects that have been undertaken is uency which is on going. include the establishment of the government-owned Gros Islet Development Company (GIDC) to address road and social infrastructure maintenance in conjunction with the Town Council. Funds will come from property taxes from the area, 60% of which will be allocated to the GIDC. It will also have the ability to generate funds and seek grants. been made to improve the infrastructural out look of the constituency in terms of drains, roads etc. other undertakings to be done include a park to be established near the community centre in Massade. A new human resource development centre will be built for Gros Islet which will house Court House. The current building which houses the Town Council will be used as a as a slated for Gros Islet town along with two public beach parks in the southern and northern ends of Pigeon Point. Additional parks will be built in Central Monchy, Gros Islet and Grand general recreation of the constituents. been completed with changing rooms. However, upgrading the playing surface with additional seating will commence soon with funding by the European Union. As the development of the Gros Islet and surround communities continue multi purpose courts will be established in G improvement of Corinth playother facilities. oject will bring about numerous community and public infra structural projdents in most of the communities of Gros Islet. ly we are seeking land space to build a multi-purpose court in Corinth while at the same time we have broken ground in August for a Huchy which will include a Daycare Centre, changing areas for youth, sports men and women, an IT Centre and an open hall for social activities. Improvement of the Gros Islet Playing Field has been completed with toilet facilities for spectators and additional lighting to extend the time within which it can be utilized. fort to address the water problems in many areas with the constituency. There is major work towards bringing Pipe time been brought to La Bourne area at the same time I am also working on addressing water problems in Vieux Sequix, Degazon and upper Monier have been made to extend the hours of the polyclinic with the service of the Medical School on Gros Islet. Students and lecturers will utilize the polyclinic for training while serving equipment will be provided by the medical school for use at the the residents and the general public at large. moment plans are well advanced to formulate a programme of activities for 2010 to celebrate Gros islet’s elevation to a township. “We want to mark the occasion in a big way because we see it as a milestone.” Activities begin in January with the grand celebration in August”. k this grand ocdrive with assistance from the Taiwanese Agricultural Technical Mission to help transform the community, homecoming for Gros islet residents overseas, nurturing and developing our culture and talent with a grand pageant, sporting and cultural events. jor gala jor gala hosted by the Parliamentary recognize residents who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the town in the last 25 years. A walk of Fame will see bricks being laid along Maria Street towards the church with the names of outstanding residents. structure, the district representative has sought to implement programmes to engage the people, particularly the youth with laptops to outstanding Common entrance students, public IT labs in various quarters with the provision of internet access at the Gros Islet Library. es will be set completion of a summer programme for approximately 50 children. This is expected to be followed with the establishment sailing club to be established. grammes will be established for dence and to sustain this programme with human resource capacity we will be calling on successful and outstanding residents to give back through volunteerism and serve as mentors, coaches. le Member of Parliament for Gros Islet concluded by pointing out that “There is much I expect to achieve in the coming year. I am certain by the end of my tenure 2011; I would have made a siginfrastructural, educational and health life of the people of Gros Islet, who elected me to serve them. It is with all humility, respect and joy I say thank you to them for their advice, support and encouragement”. Upgraded Gros Islet Town Square Gros Islet

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Page 6 Feature Saturday August 29, 2009 Inside the Ministry Ministry T he Ministry is charged with a number of responsibilities which include negotiations with Labour Unions, maintaining good industrial climate and ensuring proper working conditions for esponsibilities include addressing human resource partment and utilizing new media to make government more accessible and expanding its reach thorough the E-Governmuch emphasis will be placed on this vital unit which will take government into the future with new innovations in IT for current work includes (a) establishment of a national IT centre in Castries with the assistance of the government of Taiwan, (b) assisting the Ministry of Communications and works with new vehicle license and registration programme, (c) developing a new crime data and record system for the police, (d) improving data systems to assist the Ministry of Agriculture to collect data, (e) assisting the Registry in overcoming the perennial problems with the issunizing scholarships for citizens and in-house training for public servants through the Training tm FOCUS ON THE MINISTRY OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL TRANSFORMAT ION, Y OUTH AND SPOR TS dent of Finance at the New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) extended an invitation to Honourable Minister Lenard Montoute in July 2009, to tour the facilities of the New England Institute of Technolpartment Chairs and managers to become more familiar with A memorandum of UnderNEIT was signed marking the beginning of a long and mutual was to explore training opporwishing to pursuing studies in training of Technology (NEIT) will provide 4 – 14 awards per year in the following technical areas: Mechanical Engineer, Marine Technology, Electrical TechnolConstruction Architecture, Information Technology, Cabinet The cost of the programmes are worked out in such a way that includes a contribution from the Government of Saint Lucia in the amount of US$ 2,500 the balance of cost to be met by Montoute was frank in admitting that “the general public is not happy with the way things are done and pointed out that the Ministry is criticized heavineed to review approaches and cient, ensure internal systems and reward including ensuring that the performance appraisal assessment is measurable in instituted a re-training procommunication, report writing, manageme Establishment and Legal Division ment include establishment of recommendations to Cabinet relating to structures of ministries and departments, processing all lease as to rental agreements on behalf of government and designing of government the Ministry exists to advise ministries and departments on government policies, regulato process all maters relating to discipline of public servants to Department of Social Transformation Youth And Sports try has been hard ening which has restricted its budget and the amount of work try is seeking volunteers to assist with their programmes, In the area of poverty alleviation, the Community Service Unit is working with the Saint problems of poor or indigent include housing assistance programmes, educational assistance programmes, employto extend greater opportunities for training, employment, and health assistance and the Youth Entrepreneurship programme design to encourage development of self-employment and entrepren In the area of sports the Ministry is concentrating on maintaining and upgrading of the of approximately EC$7M was spent to overhaul the George it possible to host the internawhich was the massively sucently preparing Championship and as a consequence the 7-year-old Beausethe need to ensure that our sporting facilities are properly maintained and this we will development certain vital core and provides enhanced support and the expansion of Sports for all programme already estabGros Islet and Castries, must spread throughout the entire isthis that every son and daughter of Saint Lucia will truly be velop this sporting prowess, passion and ent Minister Lenard Montoute and PS Philip Dalsou meets with Public Sector Unions

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Feature Saturday August 29, 2009 T he Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) is coordinating the staging of a sensitization seminar for stakeholders in the agricultural sector on a new regime of stanFramework of Assistance for mentation of Standards and a Training” is being implemented national standards for selected crops, livestock, poultry and lished and training imparted to producers/suppliers, inspectors, regulatory personnel and Stakeholders Prepared for New R egime of Standards to play an important role in, improving the quality, safety and competitiveness of locally produced crops, poultry, livestock ricultural production here is the issue of sale of agricultural products once they are availthat issue with the expected result of achieving greater market penetration of locally produced crops, poultry, livestock and A half day sensitization day 24th June 2008 from 9:00 Conference Room, 5th Floor was to informing all stakeholders of the relevant details of the on their businesses or activities; obtaining valuable stakeholder input into the implementation mented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Fisheries and Forestry and coordinated by the Saint Lucia Bureau of T he Government of Saint Lucia through the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards is inviting comments from key sectors of the public Environmental Health Institute CEHI was presented to governber of agencies and sectors whose activities impact water at the National Insurance CorA similar consultation will be held in the South of the island riverine and coastal, and associated habitats, have always been important to communities as a source of food and for ters are under increasing threat from a number of land-based pollutants in the form of sew age, sediments, nutrients, pestiguidelines respond to these increasing threats to with a view to regulating the quality of the water entering recreational w tense consultative process with a number of stakeholders, including relevant government reau of Standards, which is the national agency responsible for the establishment and adoption ndard which will again go through a process of consultations with stakeholders, such as hoteliers, manufacturers, marinas and garages, for their pment of a Recrethe implementation of the Land Government of Saint Lucia in ly, the Standard once approved, can be used as an important tool to facilitate the maintenance of a high recreational water quality in Saint Lucia, so that the health of its people and visitors are not com As we al Sources are renewablebut factors further, reduce access no access to quality drinking wa Liquid water is responsible from space the earth appears to of that water is fresh, and most of that lies frozen and inaccesof fresh water is accessible in lakes, river channels and unronment and pollution from human activities reduce this amount by a further two thirds, and what remains is unequally It should be noted that access to safe water, provision of sufaccess to sanitation are three factors that together can contribute to the health and safety lack of adequate supplies of good-quality water, together with poor sanitation, exacts a high health toll, particularly in rural areas, hindering both social and economic develoption of hygienic behaviour a able on the Saint Lucia Bureau at the Saint Lucia Bureau of and Environment Section at Planet Earth Agriculture still a pivital sector for the Caribbean

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Page 8 Feature Saturday August 29, 2009 The Government of Saint Lucia is in the process of implementing a comprehensive port from its international deand growth by improving the business environment, enhancing the quality of technical and managerial skills of the labour market, providing support to entrepreneurs and industry associations in product and or services development, marketing and modernization of Information Communications Techwork of Assistance (SFA) nancial assistance for the establishment of a Rural Credit Facility, which among other interventions is expected to OPSR Targets Training as a Programme Development to and increase investment by rural businesses, particularly operative Movement which has traditionally been in the forefront of rural development has been selected to spearhead the drive productivity and competitive his end, a series of training programmes organized by the Cooperative League gramme have been planned for Se well as Credit Union Branch Managers and other senior in Castries, Mon Repos and 2009 rime Minister Stephenson King made it very clear that the numerous contributions Taiwan has made to Saint Lucia in the areas of infrastructural development, agriculture, education and social development generally, cements a bond that will forever echo in the hearts and minds of our nation went further to state that we have expressed our gratitude through our parliamentarians (especially in parliament) and through the people of Saint Lucia for the support that we continue to receive from the Government and ions when our countries are devastated, we call upon friends to provide moral possible, to help rebuild and gain strength in national develreceived early support from the government and people of Taiwa Recently, typhoon Maricot sulted in loss of life on a large ernment and people of Saint Lucia have responded with gestures of sympathy to the people of Taiwan especially those who ed out that the gesture of must be seen as a profound symbolic demonstration of amity aimed at giving moral support to Taiwan to show how The intent of the contribution is to go to the indigenous people His Excellency Taiwanese Ambassador Tom Chou accepts the donation from Prime Minister Hon. Stephenson King Prime Minister Stephenson King and H.E. Ambassador Tom Chou in deep discussion on the Typhoon that hit Taiwan

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Interview Page 9 Saturday August 29, 2009 Checklist and Fees for the Submission of Planning Applications ted all the requirements for the particular type of applicasubmits the application with the receipts showing proof that which will be the next consecutive number available in the register of applications is as follows: (a) Reference Number (f) Location of development (h) Approval type (full approval or approval in principle) (k) Area of development (building area or area of lots for subdivisions) (l) Number of bedrooms (m) Number of lots (n) Fees ceipt numbers (q) Recipient (person who receives application on presentation of registration slip) (r) Subdivision Number cated above) is entered in the registration book, a registraregistration slip also provides information relevant to the application, such as: (b) Address (c) Application Reference Number ence number and stamps the date stamp on the top right hand corner of all the documents and drawings (individual sheets) of preparation for the reopening prepare for the re-opening of that the health and safety of tive measures to reduce the spread of the H1N1 pandemic, the closing of school there School opening will see the assembly of people in large numbers, many will be students coming back from traveling or who are close to someone who traveled so preventative measures must be put in place as this can spread tion is taking precaution by sanitizing schools and making Surveillance has also been issued prior to the closing of school and lower secondary school teachers during the focus was on literacy, recogThe Ministry has been active during the school break preparing for the reopening of the 105 schools under its wing: cus on strengthening monitoring and supervision systems by training all principals and secondary school vicehas been a process of phasing to provide additional areas of undertaken greater monitoring of newly instituted forms Elevation of Standard Skills for Inclusive Growth run by the curriculum to incorporate areas such as theatre arts, been included on the priority list to provide training for “This school year the challenge is improving on the The gramme has been enhanced, level to begin in September mThe Ministry is currently assessing the newly released been an increase in the overall percentage passes and an improvement in the quality of expected challenges of Univerensuring a secondary school place for every child, to ensuring that every child deserves a ening the primary school system to deliver the necessystems in place for special needs children currently in secondary How to get it done!

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Page 10 Saturday August 29, 2009 T The Government of Saint Lucia has announced its policy intention to embark on the implementashould not be seen as an additional tax, but rather a replacement tax for some of the indirect taxes, tax, Hotel and Accommodation Tax, Environment Service Charge, Mobile Cellular Tax, Customs SerIt is paramount that the necessary preparatory work be done prior to the implementainclude but are not limited to: stakeholder consultations, public education, taxpayer trainLegislation, registration of taxpayers, development of an IT System, and establishment of the organizational structure to The team is mandated to prepare Saint Lucia for the Imple2010 To date, the Implementation sultations or have made presentations to some organizations such as the SLHTA, SLISBA, Chamber of Agriculture and also in the process of scheduling consultations with the other groups and other business orTeam is cognizant of the need tion drive and a comprehensive campaign will be undertaken in every Saint Lucian community, geared towards educating persons on the broad concepts of a As a result, presentations and consultations must incorporate in a planned and organized manner, in order to ensure that every stakeholder is involved, regardless of his/her opinion on must be timely and provide accurate information relevant to the needs of the respective our to reach all Saint Lucians to English and Creole before the multaneously equipping them with the resources needed to asObjectives of Hope Programme Employment creation / Reduce unemployment Generate economic activity Improve size and quality of labour force Increase and improve community/public assets and infrastructure Target Group Persons will be selected by the SSDF from an unemployment database which will be web-based for easy access to all users Hope Employment Initiatives Co mployment Services All persons employed under HOPE initiatives must participate in the following components of HOPE. National Review National Review National Review For the complete programme guide, log on to our website at www.stlucia. gov.lc and then click on the icon. Sat. 29th to Sun. 30th August 2007 NTN – PROVIDING INFORMATION YOU NEED Station ID National Anthem, Pledge Programme Guide 6.00 6:05 Take Two The Week in Review 6:05 – 6:15 Your Right To Know 6: 15 – 6:30 Our Nation Integrate Or Perish #1 1963 1973 Years of Hope: The Dream Begins. 7:00 – 7:30 Government and People Sod Turning Ceremony – Monchy Human Resource Development Centre 7:30 .00 Issues and Answers Ryan O’Brian speaks with the Parliamentary Commissioner On the integral role of his and people Regional Awareness Eastern C’Bean Supreme Court Part 1 A solid series of the court’s history and evolution over the past 4 years