PRESS RELEASE – On Saturday 16th April 2016, the Ministries of Education, Human Resource Development and Labour; Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport and the Department of Planning and National Development and held a Stakeholders meeting with the Choiseul Community to present the plans and designs for the Construction of two new school Blocks for the Choiseul Secondary School.

The New Choiseul Secondary School Construction project includes the construction of two (2) Three (3) story blocks to accommodate 12 classrooms and a number of specialized instruction rooms and science laboratories, along with washrooms and a sick bay. The new school buildings have also been designed to facilitate access for persons with disabilities.

Speaking at the Stakeholders meeting, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport – Mrs. Allison A. Jean disclosed that in designing the new school buildings, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport adopted the “Build Back Better” approach to this project, as an adoption measure to climate change. She expressed optimism that the procurement of both a Contractor and Supervising Consultant would be completed in May, and the Ministry was hopeful that construction activities would commence in June, thus allowing for maximization of the closure of school for the summer holidays.

The District Education Officer for the Choiseul Region, Ms. Kay Nicholas expressed elation that this project, which the community have been eagerly looking forward to is now at an advanced stage. Ms. Kay Nicholas also thanked the school administration, teachers, students and parents for the patience and understanding exercised over a number of years, as was evidenced by the provision of the best possible service and good results under conditions considered less than ideal.

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The Choiseul community expressed gratitude to the Government of St. Lucia for its efforts to provide modern educational facilities, and pledged to cooperate to ensure that the project is executed smoothly and efficiently.

The Choiseul Secondary School Rehabilitation project is an integral part of the Governments’ National Investment Plan. Funding is provided by the World Bank under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project. Construction activity is expected to be completed within 12 months.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Ministry of Physical Development, Housing and Urban Renewal (through the PROUD) is continuing interventions aimed at regularizing the occupation of Crown Lands in the communities of Cendre De Feu and Chopin.

In this regard, all beneficiaries of PROUD in these communities are invited to a meeting on Thursday, 21 April 2016, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cendre De Feu Seventh Day Adventist Church in Cendre De Feu to discuss future developments in the community.

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Prime Minister Anthony (right) with NIC Director Matthew Mathurin

PRESS RELEASE – A number of basic services will become available to residents of the south of Saint Lucia within the next two years, thanks to a project being undertaken by the Government of Saint Lucia, in partnership with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).

Sod was turned this week for an EC$64 million, 75,000 square foot Administrative Complex in Beanefield, Vieux Fort. The sod turning ceremony was held at the project site on Wednesday, April 20, 2016.

The sod turning ceremony was addressed by Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning and Social Security, and Member of Parliament for Vieux Fort South. In attendance were Hon. Stanley Felix, Minister for Physical Development, Housing and Urban Renewal; Mr. Matthew Mathurin, Director of NIC; members of the Board and Investment Committee of NIC; Rayneau Gajadhar, Team Leader of Construction and Industrial Equipment Limited; and Winall Joshua, Mayor of the town of Vieux Fort.

Conceding that ‘decentralisation’ has often been spoken of, the Prime Minister pointed out that the concept had to be made “meaningful to people’s lives.” One of the ways to make this manifest, he explained, was to ensure that strategic investments – such as the project now being undertaken by the NIC – encompass all of Saint Lucia. This, he explained, was the thinking behind his pursuit of this undertaking, which he first proposed in 2012.

Said Dr. Anthony, “I have repeatedly made the point that there must be equity in our country, equity in investment, equity in the treatment of our people wherever they might be. And it is a message that I have drummed into the National Insurance Corporation, emphasised time and time again that all investments should not be located in the north, in the Castries Basin, that all workers of this country wherever they may be located, contribute to the resources of the National Insurance Corporation and they too must be part of the investment initiatives of the Corporation. In that spirit, I hope that whilst this investment takes place here in Vieux Fort, that in time, NIC will turn its attention to other towns, for example Soufriere and even to the rapidly developing town of Gros Islet for other strategic investments of this type.”

Dr. Anthony went on to explain that delivering on his promise to build this facility for the people of the south will reap benefits for residents not only in Vieux Fort, but surrounding communities as well. Referring to his “deep elation” that this project is now becoming a reality, he pointed out that the island’s southernmost town is a hub, and that the establishment of the Administrative Complex will fill a gaping void for tens of thousands of citizens in the south of the island.

Dr. Anthony continued,“The fact is the town of Vieux Fort is like the mini metropole for the surrounding constituencies. People of Micoud South, Micoud North, Vieux Fort North, Laborie, way back to Choiseul, come here to do their business on a regular basis, and they turn to Vieux Fort for the facilities and services that Government offers.

“We also have to make some giant strides in the administration of this country. We are managing a country that it too centralised. Our citizens have to travel to Castries to secure basic services. It cannot be right that someone requires a civil status record and they must pay a bus to travel to Castries, pay a bus to come back down, pay a bus to see whether the record has been prepared, reach up there, it’s not prepared, pay a bus, come back down, and it’s a never ending story. Other countries, huge countries, large countries, have been able to decentralise basic services. For some strange reason, here in Saint Lucia, despite our size, we have not been able to accomplish this.”

The Vieux Fort Administrative Complex is set for completion in 2018.

Prime Minister Anthony shakes hands with NIC Director Matthew Mathurin

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PRESS RELEASE – The European Union continues to assist St. Lucia following the heavy rains in December 2013 that caused tremendous infrastructure damage.

On 26 April EU Ambassador Mikael Barfod signed a EC$19 million (Euro 6.2 million) financing agreement with St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony that will go towards the construction of a new bridge critical to river crossing on the west coast, as well as reconstruction of a road along the west coast corridor.

The work will be undertaken through indirect management by the World Bank and will be aligned to the US$68 million, Disaster Vulnerability Project, which the government of St. Lucia has been implementing.

Ambassador Mikael Barfod commented: “This support demonstrates the EU’s commitment to the reconstruction of St. Lucia at a time with economic challenges for the country. It also further underscores the EU’s solidarity with the Caribbean, which we recognise as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world.”

The trough system which affected the country on24 and 25 December produced extraordinary heavy rains, with more than 224 mm of rain recorded in a two to three hour period.

The damage and loss assessment conducted by the Word Bank afterwards estimated the destruction as a result of the floods at EC$266 million (US$99.3 million), equivalent to 9.9 per cent of the country’s GDP.

This present support is being provided in addition to earlier assistance of EC$1.4 million (400,000 Euro) of emergency humanitarian aid by the EU to St. Lucia immediately after the storm.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport (MIPST) with the assistance of the World Bank under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP) has procured approximately 300 meters of Bailey Bridges, which translate to almost fifteen (15) bridges.

They arrived in St Lucia on the 12th April 2016, and are presently being kept at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport, Vieux Fort Compound.

The bridges were supplied by 3S Bridges LCC, a company based in Barbados at a cost to the Government of Saint Lucia US$1 422 860.00.  

One can recall that the December 2013 trough left the West Coast disconnected from the rest of the island due to the loss of two main bridges namely the Canaries and Piaye Bridges. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport (MIPST) was able, in less than two weeks, to reconnect the island to full vehicular access bringing the country to a state of normalcy.

This was possible because the Government of Saint Lucia and by extension MIPST had procured bailey bridges prior to the December 2013 Trough which allowed for quick response in erecting the two bridges in record time. Government was also able to assist sister island St. Vincent and the Grenadines in their hour of need with approximately 100 meters of bailey bridges.

This strategic approach has been taken by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport  in its effort to help reduce the disaster response time in cases of natural disasters more specifically to bridges that have been compromised or affected.

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Prime Minister Kenny Anthony with Ambassador Ray Mou at the cheque presentation.

PRESS RELEASE – The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has once again demonstrated that nation’s support for the Government and people of Saint Lucia, with a generous donation for the advancement of various national improvement initiatives.

Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Saint Lucia, His Excellency Mr. Ray Mou, presented two cheques to Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony. The cheques totalled $3,888,113.57.

An amount of $2,902,583.35 was presented for works towards completion of the Gros Islet Human Resource Development Centre. The proposed Gros Islet HRDC is a two-level structure, which will incorporate an auditorium, conference facilities, a concession area, office space, and a restaurant facility with on-street access.

Prime Minister Anthony welcomed the gesture of support from the Republic of China (Taiwan), noting that the arrival of this performance, conference and meeting space can be transformative for the people of Gros Islet town, suggesting that correct use of the complex can have a profound effect on the culture of the community.

Said Dr. Anthony,

“I expect that it will also add value to the tourism product of the town as it would mean that the town can now infuse the arts more into its vibrant nightlife. It will now have a theatrical space for performances and shows. And so, I urge you to collaborate with agencies like the Cultural Development Foundation to make this a reality.

“Furthermore, it also means that there will be space available in Gros Islet for training of the arts: a place where our young people can practice and rehearse for performances of song, dance and theatre.”

Additionally, an amount of $985,530.22 was presented towards the ongoing completion works for the Vigie Beach Vending Facility. Managed by the National Conservation Authority, the new home for vendors along Vigie beach is expected to be ready for occupancy within the next two to three months. The project was started in July 2014.

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Sugar Beach Resort with Pitons view *vegatravel.net

CARIBBEAN JOURNAL – St Lucia is embarking on a series of high-profile infrastructure projects on the island.

The projects include the Kuwaiti-funded Choc/Gros Islet Highway, the east coast highway and the reconstruction of the Millennium Highway to Cul de Sac.

“Plans for the north-south link road are in the consultancy stage, with a final report due by June 30,” said St Lucia Deputy Prime Minister Philip Pierre. “The link road project will be financed with a grant from the UK government.”

The island’s Sulphur Springs road has already been completely rehabilitated, with construction on bridges in Canaries and Tomazo slated for launch soon.

According to Pierre, an agreement was just signed for a new bridge at Piaye, along with a deal for a new road in Anse La Raye.

And then there is the island’s major airport project, with a contract set to be signed on the redevelopment of Hewanorra International Airport by February 2017.

St Lucia says it has seen interest from three international bidders, all of whom are investors with “years of experience in airport building,” the government said in a statement.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Minister for Physical Development, Housing, and Urban Renewal, Hon. Stanley Felix, along with ministry staff will convene a community meeting with Morne du Don residents on Thursday.

The intended purpose of the meeting is to provide information concerning the status of the Gaboo Lands Rationalization Project.

The Gaboo Lands Rationalization Project was initiated and funded by the Government of Saint Lucia through the Ministry of Physical Development, Housing, and Urban Renewal.

The project involves the rationalization of the unplanned development which has been established on block and parcel number 1048C 180 located at Morne du Don and commonly referred to as “Gaboo Lands.”

This land has been subdivided into 34 residential lots in accordance with the approved rationalization plan for the area. Each household occupying the land will be offered a lot in an effort to improve its socio-economic status.

The community meeting will be held at the Morne du Don Combined School on Thursday, May 12. at 5 p.m. At the meeting, offer letters will be distributed to existing residents (for land ownership) and payment options will be presented for the purchase of the aforementioned lots.

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PRESS RELEASE – Dennery residents are being encouraged to attend a town hall meeting to discuss a proposed wind farm to be located near the Bordelais Correctional Facility. 

The meeting is planned for Wednesday, May 18, from 6:30pm at the Clendon Mason Secondary School.

Residents will hear from representatives of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC), Wind Tex Energy, and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology who are collaborating on the project. The team, which will include representatives from the Development Control Authority, will also answer questions residents have about the project.

The proposed 12 megawatt (MW) wind farm is an important component of the national thrust to use more renewable energy, to improve energy security.

In April 2015 a wind measurement tower (part of Phase 1 of the project) was erected at the proposed site to collect wind speeds and other data. LUCELEC invested in the equipment to facilitate this initial exploration. Wind Tex Energy secured the lease on the land and is contributing the technology and expertise in wind farm development.

This meeting with the residents of Dennery is to provide information on the project, and very importantly to ensure that residents’ inputs are factored into the decisions to be made in moving forward with this project.

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Gaboo Lands residents

GIS – Residents of Gaboo Lands at Morne du Don are now certain about the future of the unplanned development.

Min­ister for Physical Development, Housing, and Urban Renewal, Hon. Stanley Felix, convened a com­munity meeting with Morne du Don residents last Thursday to provide in­formation concerning the status of the Gaboo Lands Rationaliza­tion Project.

The project, initiated and funded by the Government of Saint Lucia, involves the subdivision of the land into 34 residential lots in accor­dance with the approved ratio­nalization plan for the area.

On May 12, offer letters were distributed to existing residents for land ownership and pay­ment options for the purchase of the aforementioned lots. Residents attended in large num­bers and after being presented with the various options, each opted for a solution that best fit their needs.

Following the meeting, residents said they were satisfied that the min­istry had taken their current and future needs into consideration. They now look forward to be­ing able to plan their futures.

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PRESS RELEASE – Close to one hundred (100) people attended the Town Hall Meeting in Dennery to discuss the proposed 12 megawatt (MW) wind farm to be located near the Bordelais Correctional Facility.

The wind farm is a joint project of St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) and Windtex Energy, a wind developer from the US.

The meeting received presentations from the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, LUCELEC and Windtex Energy on the purpose, current status and implementation schedule for the wind farm.

The 12MW wind farm will be the first of its kind in Saint Lucia. It will consist of four (4) turbines erected on the ridge near the Bordelais Correctional Facility.  At full capacity, it will generate enough energy to power approximately 19, 475 homes.  Its output will be equivalent to the production power of one of LUCELEC’s ten diesel engines. The wind farm is projected to reduce the amount of fuel purchased by the company by about ten percent (10%).

The project was officially launched in April 2015 with a test tower and equipment used to record wind speeds and direction to assist in the design of the wind farm. To date, a number of studies (including geotechnical and environmental impact) have been completed, paving the way for construction on the project to begin in December of this year, once the appropriate approvals have been secured.

Dennery residents were also briefed on job opportunities the project would provide for which an employment job fair will be held to fill a number of positions including truckers, laborers, security, accountants, engineers and surveyors. A number of services like housing, catering and rental cars will also be sourced from the surrounding area. Beyond the construction period job opportunities for maintenance of the wind farm would be available, for which training would be provided.

A healthy discussion followed the presentations with residents expressing interest in training and jobs as well as the impact the wind farm will have on the price they currently pay for electricity.

The wind farm project is expected to be completed in September 2017.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) after a thorough review of the Shipping Amendment Act is pleased to announce that Saint Lucia has taken the decision to implement an Open Ship Registry.

An open ship registry allows companies or persons from another country to register their vessels under that nation’s flag. Registering a ship gives nationality to the ship and similar to nationality allows the ship to travel internationally wherever that country’s citizens are authorized to travel and thus are bound by the country’s laws. Every vessel that wants to travel internationally and cross international borders must be registered.

The Director of Maritime Affairs, Mr. Christopher Alexander explained that “The process has not been an easy one and though the decision has been made to implement the open ship registry, changes have to be made to our current legislation to ensure that the full benefits of the open ship registry are realized.”

The island is expected to gain several benefits from the implementation of an open ship registry. These are and not limited to employment of seafarers, increased revenue from taxes and fees, provision of legal services and expansion and growth of maritime services. Additionally, apart from the obvious economic benefits an increase in the quantum of ships registered will result in Saint Lucia having greater prominence and representation internationally particularly at meetings of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

There are other regulations which are currently being reviewed and exciting changes are expected in the near future which will benefit the maritime sector and Saint Lucians alike.

For more information, contact Mr. Christopher Alexander, Director of Maritime Affairs at the Division of Maritime Affairs at 457-6151, email us at communications@slaspa.com or go our website at www.slaspa.com and visit the Media Room under Press Releases.

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PRESS RELEASE – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport Hon. Philip J. Pierre and Parliamentary Representative for Gros Islet Hon. Emma Hippolyte will on Monday 30th May 2016 officially open the newly constructed Assou Canal Bridge.

The Assou Canal Bridge is a single span reinforced concrete bridge, with a span measuring 10.6 metres long by 4.2 metres wide. Also included in this project is a 1.2 metre sidewalk and river training works. The bridge cost approximately $718,000.00 while the river training works cost approximately $168,000.00 and was funded jointly by the Government of Saint Lucia and the Government of Turkey.   

This project commenced in February 2015. This new bridge provides a second option for motorists and pedestrians who live in the Assou Canal Community. The other bridge serving this community has a long history of being flooded during heavy rainfall, and as a consequence, the Ministry of Infrastructure improved the hydrologic capacity of the new bridge to be more resilient to natural hazards in an effort to improve vehicular and pedestrian traffic during such events.

The new Assou Canal Bridge will be officially opened on Monday 30th May 2016 at a special ceremony by the Parliamentary Representative Hon. Emma Hippolyte and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport Hon. Philip J. Pierre.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Management of NH International (Caribbean) Ltd (NH) wishes to clarify several erroneous and misleading statements made by a disgruntled sub-contractor in an interview with the media last week.

The comments were made despite the contractor being paid a sum of $ 56,760.00 on that day.

NH has worked in Saint Lucia and the Caribbean for over twenty five years and has always adopted an approach of maximization of local staff and materials in our projects. We have employed over those years several young Saint Lucian engineers, quantity surveyors, construction managers, supervisors, and tradesmen who have joined our team and have also moved on and worked with us on several projects in Trinidad and the wider Caribbean.

On the Royalton project, which is the single largest investment in tourism ever in Saint Lucia, NH has at present over 436 Saint Lucians working directly on the project. We will be pouring over 25,000 cu.m of concrete, which has created many jobs for truckers, drivers, plant operators, quarry workers with the concrete supplier. We purchase all reinforcement steel for the project locally, we purchase from the local hardware stores. We have engaged many pieces of equipment on site which has also contributed to the creation of employment. All these activities have resulted in more than 700 St Lucians being gainfully employed through NH.

The Developer has a very tight schedule to open the Hotel and thus for a project of this size, there will be need to bring in a very limited amount of specialist workers. They have been drawn from member states of the OECS where there is free movement and also from other CARICOM neighbours. All are paid at the same rate as the St Lucian workers.

NH is most pleased to be part of this very important tourism investment in Saint Lucia which when combined with the other construction activities on site being executed by others has generated jobs for over 1200 St Lucians. On completion, this Royalton will generate approximately 1000 new permanent jobs directly and indirectly when opened at the end of this year.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Ministry of  Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs with the assistance of  an independent Consultant David Jordan – a regional  Trade and Economic Policy Specialist and a former Director of International Trade and Investment in Saint Lucia,  concluded the Evaluation of  the Saint Lucia Trade Licensing Regime 1984.

The Commerce Minister, Honourable Emma Hippolyte, who commissioned the study, formally received the copies of the Report from the Consultant on Wednesday 25th May 2016, following the acceptance of the finalized document by the Ministry officials.  The Ministry together with the private sector previously deliberated over the draft document which was submitted in December 2015, by the consultant, David Jordan in accordance with specific terms of reference.

The  Permanent Secretary of the Ministry  and  Chairperson  of the Trade Licence Advisory Board – a Board governed by the Trade Licence Act 13.4 of 1984 –  Dr. Alison Plummer, stated  in accepting  the final report that the  research and the consultation process conclude   “ the need to maintain a strengthened  World  Trade Organisation (WTO) compliant Trade licensing Regime.

She further stated  that,  there is confirmation of the  need to revise the existing  Trade License Act  and develop supporting regulations to allow for greater compliance with international trade law as well as for improved effectiveness of its administration ie monitoring, data collection and dispute settlement mechanism “ unquote

The fifty ( 50) page Report, assessed other complementary and related legislation and regulations including the Fiscal Incentives Act and the Economic Areas  Reserved for Nationals and which came for critical review.  These instruments are considered obsolete  and need to be more relevant.

The  Report calls for a more appropriate Investment Act, in light of recently adopted Investment Policy by the Ministry.   The Director of Investment Coordination in the Ministry of Commerce notes that the report highlights the distinct “ need to include Services as a trading area,  given recent developments that has national significance which must also be considered ”.

The Report details the work of the presenters at the symposium held last December and embodies several Recommendations from the Consultant. The Director of Investment Coordination, Ms. Nancy Francis Charles and Secretary to the Trade Licence Advisory Board,  also alludes to the importance of the research in the following manner  quote  “  The Consultant provided a matrix highlighting the necessary reforms (pp.48, 49). These Recommendations must be assigned timelines based on the urgency, available resources and a legal framework.  Finally, the Trade Licence Regime requires a dedicated body to take ownership and leadership moving forward” .unquote

The Report sought to clarify the impact of the Trade Licence Regime and its relevance within the context of the modern business environment. Trade licensing models, in several regional and extra regional territories were examined. The consultant, David Jordan states that therein lies the provision of a framework of recommendations on the current Trade Licence Legislation, with guidance on the implementation and transformation of the current regime.

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The program enables those squatting on Government lands to become legitimate land owners, and improves infrastructure in those communities.

PRESS RELEASE – The Ministry of Physical Development, Housing and Urban Renewal (through the PROUD) is continuing interventions aimed at regularizing the occupation of Crown Lands in the community of Piaye.

In this regard, all beneficiaries of PROUD in this community are invited to a meeting on Wednesday, 1 June 2016 at 5:30 p.m. at the Piaye Secondary to discuss matters pertaining to the PROUD.

Please make a special effort to attend and to be on time.

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The post Brazilians and Taiwanese heading to Saint Lucia in November, Mexicans next appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – Latin American investors are bent on boosting business ties in the Caribbean, with companies in two major business capitals looking to forge new and better, stronger and deeper ties with their smaller Hemispheric neighbours to the south.

Hot on the heels of the announcement of a visit to Saint Lucia in November by a Brazilian investment mission interested in doing business in the Eastern Caribbean, Mexico says it too has plans to talk and do business with the wider Caribbean in November – but, in Mexico.

The Brazilian mission, being coordinated by a private Brazilian entity, Nomad Development, is due in Saint Lucia from November 11 to 17. It will bring 15 investors and parliamentarians to the island to discuss a wide range of business opportunities.

The Embassy of Brazil in Saint Lucia is assisting in the preparations for the mission and Ambassador Sergio Couri says “Investments can be direct or joint, private and/or public.”

The Brazilians are interested in projects ranging from tourism and construction to alternative energy and agriculture.

But while the Brazilians are heading to the Caribbean, the Mexicans have arranged the opposite: to invite Caribbean investors to talk and do business in Cancun.

The Embassy of Mexico to the Eastern Caribbean States (based in Saint Lucia) has announced that the 2016 Cancun Forum “Creating Synergies to Strengthen the Competitiveness of the Greater Caribbean” will be held November 16-18 at the Peninsula Convention Center in Cancun, Mexico.

The embassy says, “This event is regarded in Mexico as the most important business forum in the Greater Caribbean and is designed to foster regional economic development and competitiveness by increasing trade and investment flows.”

The Cancun forum, it adds, “also seeks to promote Mexican exports and investment, and explore potential value chains within the Caribbean region.”

According to the Mexican embassy, “The central activity of the Cancun Forum is a business round where Mexican exporters and buyers from the Greater Caribbean countries have the opportunity to make contact and start business relationships.”

The program also includes “business seminars and workshops on the main challenges and opportunities for the region.”

But the Brazilians won’t be the only overseas businesses heading to Saint Luci in November. The Taiwanese are coming too – and yet again.

The Taiwan Embassy to Saint Lucia and the island’s Commerce Ministry have also announced the 9th Annual Saint Lucia-Taiwan Partnership Trade Show, to be held at The Johnson Centre, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet from November 25 to 27.

The embassy says the show “will highlight a wide range of quality goods and services from Saint Lucia and Taiwan” and will also “afford businesses from both countries the opportunity to develop trading and networking alliances.”

The Taiwanese businesses participating in the trade show will also be seeking agents for retail of their products in Saint Lucia.

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The post LUCELEC improves fault finding capabilities on its transmission network appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) can now locate faults on its southern 66 kilovolt (kV) transmission network, faster and more precisely.

That’s because the company has invested in a travelling wave fault locater system thatprovides the location of faults on the 66kV lines to within 50 meters.

The new system would facilitate rapid response to correct faults, minimize cost and improve reliability of the network. The travelling wave fault locator system uses Google Earth and GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to definitively pinpoint faults to within adjacent 66 kV structures.

Before the introduction of the travelling wave locater system, LUCELEC maintenance crews would patrol the entire 66kV line when investigating the cause of a fault. With the new system, what often took hours and a lot of guesswork will now be immediately pinpointed to a precise location. LUCELEC System Control Engineer Gary Eugene says the latest improvements are designed to work with the redundancies built into the transmission network to ensure customers experience fewer and shorter power interruptions.

“The new system is a quantum leap in finding faults on our southern transmission network. We can now find the faults faster and dispatch repair crews to a specific location thereby reducing the time to resolve such faults. This is another example of LUCELEC deploying cutting edge technology to improve the service we offer to our customers,” says Mr. Eugene.

The new system was installed in each substation making up the southern ring of the network (Cul-de-Sac, Praslin, Vieux-Fort and Soufriere) in April 2016. The southern ring was chosen to pilot the system because it is more susceptible to faults and more difficult to access due to the vegetation and terrain through which the 66 kV infrastructure runs.

LUCELEC intends to install the system on the northern ring of the 66kV transmission system that includes the company’s substations at Castries, Union and Reduit in the near future.

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The post NOTICE: WASCO to carry out repairs to water mains at Vide Boutielle appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – The Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) Inc. wishes to inform the general public of its intention to undertake repairs to mains along aforementioned road.

As a result the road from the Maranatha Seventh Day Adventist Church Junction to Massy Stores at Vide Boutielle, be closed during the execution of all works to facility a safe working environment for the workmen and excavation.

The following detai…ls are in accordance to the work schedule:

Date of commencement of work – Wednesday 12th October, 2016

Time of commencement of work – 5:00 p.m.

Please note that the supply of water to the area and environs will be temporarily interrupted. The supply will be restored upon completion of works.

The Water and Sewerage Company Inc (WASCO) apologizes for any inconvenience this may caused.
WASCO…water is life! Committed to meeting customers’ needs

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The post Gros Piton Nature Trail renovations and refurbishment appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – The Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF) continued its renovation and maintenance campaign with attention being given to the highly acclaimed Gros Piton Nature Trail. The iconic attraction which makes up part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated World Heritage site in Saint Lucia, boasts a unique mountain climbing experience and adventure escapade.

Over the past few years the nature trail has been in a state of disrepair having suffered the effects of consistent weathering through adverse inclement weather conditions, coupled with wear and tear through the continuous trekking of visitors on excursions.

A number of persons from the Fond Gens Libre community and environs were contracted and given the mandate by the SRDF to raise the tourist attraction’s profile to ensure satisfaction to international appeal and the preservation of the product experience.

The construction of approximately 1,200 feet of wooden railings on the trail to the summit of piton peak was undertaken to replace the slew of badly damaged, rotten and washed away railings which had far outlived their purpose. On the ground level the entrance of the site received a major boost with the construction of a new parking lot facility in addition to repairs to the existing car park. New signage was also erected to introduce visitors to the Gros Piton experience with repairs to drains, road edges and an extensive de-bushing and terracing exercise.

“The SRDF is actively in the process of raising the profile of our operational sites, we recognize how important it is to successful manage this tremendous attraction and must ensure we remain competitive and relevant in the tourist industry, additionally plans have been made to upgrade the trail’s interpretation centre with additional office equipment and audio visual aids,” said Mr. Jimmy Haynes, Executive Director of the SRDF.

“We are overjoyed and satisfied with the work done at the nature trail; we strongly believe that the enhancements done will serve as a great incentive for our visitor’s to return, “said Ms. Calixta Charles, Office Administrator (Gros Piton Nature Trail). Ms. Charles also indicated that there had been a marked and significant increase in staff morale amongst her colleagues after the refurbishments.

The rehabilitation work which cost approximately $30,000.00 also included the tiling of washrooms and painting to the site’s interpretation centre and central administrative office.

The Soufriere Foundation is a non-profit company located in Soufriere. Its mandate is to undertake social, cultural, human resource, tourism and infrastructure development in the Soufriere area.  The organization which was established in 1993 generates revenues from its operational sites: the Sulphur Springs Park, Gros Piton Nature Trail, Comfort Center, Soufriere jetties and 88.5 Soufriere FM.

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