The Minister with responsibility for the St. Kitts Water Services Department, the Honourable Konris Maynard said that he welcomes discussions on water tariffs and that water tariffs would be adjusted to be more financially feasible for the department following recommendations from the newly appointed Water Board.
 
“Indeed, as we attempt to improve our water services here in St. Kitts and Nevis, there is a need for us to have a discussion on the tariffs associated with water,” said Minister Maynard during the Prime Minister’s Press Conference on March 30.
 
“The Water Board is the one responsible for assessing the tariffs and as you know I indicated at the beginning of the year that the Water Board had been instituted, they are having meetings right now to finalize the structure of the Water Board and their terms of reference and how they will operate and as that becomes final you will be briefed accordingly and it will be the central point to which we have the discussion on water tariffs.”
 
Minister Maynard also addressed some policies with respect to the water tariffs. He said, “Once you use less water, your tariffs will remain low, and if you abuse and waste water, the tariffs will have to match that.” 
 
He added that his department will continue to emphasize the importance of conserving water and stated that it will be reflected in the tariff adjustment by supporting homes with low water usage.
 
Last week a family won a competition where they were awarded a 450-gallon water tank for having low water usage and a zero balance on their bill for the last 12 months.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) launched its E-litigation Portal for Magistrates’ Court in St. Kitts and Nevis on Thursday, March 30, 2023, to improve operational efficiency in Courts in the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) region.

The ECSC officially launched the first phase of its E-Litigation Portal in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2019, for the mandatory electronic filing of all new matters filed in the Court of Appeal and the Civil Division of the High Court.  Thursday’s launch ushered in the second phase of the platform which dealt with the delivery of electronic services in the Magistrates’ Courts.

Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), the Honourable Konris Maynard, hailed the move which is in lockstep with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis’ vision.

“This shift to digitization of our Court infrastructure also fits with this government’s push towards a sustainable island state for three reasons,” said Minister Maynard. “Embracing IT [Information Technology] in all elements of our lives will allow us to adapt to this ever-changing modernized world; reducing the use of paper helps us to create a cleaner environment as we move towards our climate goals, and enhancing access to justice and promoting the rule of law are prerequisites for any community of people to become truly independent and sustainable as a democratic nation.”

Minister Maynard said that extending e-litigation to the Magistrates’ Court was well-needed.

“As the implementation of this e-litigation portal in the High Court and Court of Appeal has brought about great news and was well-received by the judiciary, it is no surprise that it is now being exported to the Magistrates’ Court for Civil matters here in St. Kitts and Nevis including family, domestic violence and salvage matters,” said the ICT Minister. “This expansion was well-needed as it is the Magistrates’ Court that deals with the bulk of cases more than any other tier of the court’s hierarchy.”

The ICT Minister said that it is imperative to upgrade the digital offerings at the Magistrates’ Court.

“As the Magistrates’ Court is usually the first Court that litigants appear in, it is in dire need of digital transformation to ensure that matters are dealt with efficiently and effectively. Also, noteworthy, is the resultant reduction of paper usage which supports our government’s push to become an eco-friendly sustainable island nation,” he said.  “The introduction and further expansion of the e-litigation portal will also bolster the rule of law in St. Kitts and Nevis by providing the general public with easier and more seamless access to our Court systems.”

E-Litigation streamlines the components of judicial processes covering areas such as electronic court filings, electronic case management, billing collection, and court scheduling. Users of the secure web-based service can access the e-Litigation Portal anywhere and at any time using a smart device.

Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs et al in the Federal Cabinet of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Rt. Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, today chaired a meeting between Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OECS and the UK Minister of the Americas and the Caribbean, the Honourable David Rutley.

Some important opportunities for collaboration were discussed, including, but not limited to, multidimensional security, climate change, the World Trade Organization, clean energy transition and the upcoming UK-Caribbean Forum slated for May 2023.

Minister Rutley thanked the region for its support shown through the United Nations for the Ukraine resolution. He indicated that the United Kingdom has updated its focus on vulnerability as it relates to Small Island Developing States. This is evident in the UK’s continued close collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank.

OECS Ministers agreed that this is an opportune time to assess the diplomatic relationship between the United Kingdom and the region, identify more areas of cooperation and build on the existing collaboration.

The Meeting ended with all delegations thanking each other for the time, stimulating discussions with the hope for further opportunities to collaborate in the future.

 The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew today (Friday, March 31) held cordial discussions with a high-level delegation from the World Intellectual Property Organization (W.I.P.O.), led by the Director of the Division for Latin-America and the Caribbean, Ms. Beatriz Amorim-Borher.
 
The W.I.P.O. delegation, which also included the Head of the Caribbean Section in the Division of Latin America and the Caribbean, Ms. Carol Simpson, was on a two-day (March 30 & 31) official visit to the Federation.
 
Registrar of the Intellectual Property Office, Ms. Jihan Williams accompanied Prime Minister Dr. Drew in Friday’s meeting.
 
During the discussions, the W.I.P.O. officials updated the honourable Prime Minister on the important work of their organization and looked at how the partnership between W.I.P.O. and the twin-island Federation can be further strengthened.
 
In addition, Prime Minister Dr. Drew and Ms. Williams discussed with the W.I.P.O. representatives St. Kitts and Nevis’ bid to host the 2023 Caribbean Ministerial and Heads of Intellectual Property Offices Conference. These meetings are traditionally held every two years.
 
While in the Federation, Ms. Amorim-Borher and Ms. Simpson also dialogued with senior representatives of various ministries.
 
St. Kitts and Nevis has been a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization since 1995.

Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, publicly commended the many workers employed in the manufacturing sector for their continued sterling contribution to St. Kitts and Nevis’ economy.

“I want to take this opportunity to commend the workers, many of whom are ladies – close to 400 if not more – who are still employed in the manufacturing sector. I want to emphasize that their work is dignified work,” said Senior Minister Douglas during the Prime Minister’s Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Conference Room. “I want them to know that their role is critically important to the overall economic development of our country and that the government will stand beside them.”

Senior Minister Douglas touched briefly on increasing the minimum wage, noting that it is time to further the conversation and for serious action.

“The government will stand with the commitments that we have made, that there needs to be an improvement in the minimum wage that they earn. This is a matter that is on the front burner of this administration,” he said.

Dr. Douglas said that although the manufacturing sector continues to be a challenge, the government will continue to show support and be interested in the workers’ welfare, progress and development.

Last week, Senior Minister Dr. Douglas and his Team from the Consumer Affairs Department (CAD) commenced an official working visit to manufacturing plants in St. Kitts. The team’s presence gave added support to the significant role the factory workers play in national development and the empowerment of citizens. It provided Senior Minister Dr. Douglas and his team the opportunity to interact with management and workers.

The deaf community in St. Kitts and Nevis was able to keenly follow the Prime Minister’s Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, as it featured for the first time a hand signing professional during the live broadcast.

The decision to introduce this disability-friendly feature is in keeping with the government’s commitment to enhance services for the differently-abled so that they can be kept abreast of what is happening in the country with respect to government and current affairs. 

At Thursday’s press conference, Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew noted the new feature was in keeping with a promise he made on March 16, 2023, following a meeting with several members of the differently-abled community.

“In my recent meeting with them, they indicated that they feel left out, and rightfully so, that the government is informing the people and they are not given the opportunity to be duly informed,” said Dr. Drew. “And so, I want to say that this is, of course, a pleasant and progressive step in making sure that all of our citizens, irrespective of their varying abilities, that they too can share with us, their government, in the advancement of our nation.”

Mrs. Michelle Jacobs hand signed during the press conference. Many persons became familiar with Mrs. Jacobs as she performed a similar service during the national COVID-19 briefings throughout the pandemic for two years (2020-2021)

It is expected that next week’s Sitting of the Federal Parliament will also be hand-signed.

 In an effort to further strengthen the agriculture sector and ensure that farmers receive the necessary training needed to improve their business skills and capacities and boost productivity, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is looking to establish an agricultural training school.

This was according to the Minister of Agriculture, Cooperatives, Fisheries and Marine Resources, the Honourable Samal Duggins, during the Prime Minister’s Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Conference Room.

“I am in discussion for the development of an Agricultural Training School that will be on island with the support as well of the University of the West Indies.  They will be assisting with training our farmers, processors and interested persons in agriculture in both crop management, post-harvest management and the wide range of agricultural input,” said Minister Duggins.

Minister Duggins said that the school will be beneficial to St. Kitts and Nevis especially as the Federation works towards reducing the Region’s large food import bill by 25 percent by the year 2025.

“I believe that the training school will go a long way and once we put all efforts together, we can see our country, maybe even exceeding that 25 by 25 Agenda because easily we have seen 80 plus percent and identifying how we can curb that somewhat. That does not include improving output from improving the input,” said the agriculture minister. “So, if we improve agricultural input by planting more food, our greenhouse project that we want to improve, that is additional to managing that 80 percent loss. And so, I believe that the prospects for the 25 by 25 Agenda are real, and we are working assiduously towards that.”

According to www.caricom.org, the implementation of the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Strategy in its Member States is expected to help achieve the 25 by 25 target by giving special attention to priority crops and products such as poultry, corn, soya, meat (goat, sheep, beef), rice and niche vegetables which are highly imported products in the region.

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, since taking office in August 2022, has had to make several tough and prudent decisions to stabilize the country and protect the people of the Federation, particularly the most vulnerable in society.

Speaking at his press conference earlier today (Thursday, March 30), Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew said, “We have taken the tough decisions, the prudent decisions to make sure that this country will once again become Number One. That is what we are striving for.” 

With respect to electricity in the country, Prime Minister Dr. Drew said the Government will absorb a huge financial burden to ensure that citizens and residents can enjoy a reliable electricity supply.

“The generators were old and dilapidated. We had to rush to buy new generators, send parts to France that took months to repair. We have a bill in front of us of $109 million to get two updated generators, plus we might have to go into renting at the cost of $300,000 plus per month [in addition to fuel], and none of that cost we are passing on to our people because post-COVID we are saying that we cannot leave our people without electricity. I’m sure it will cost us more than $100 million this year just to keep electricity prices at a cost our people can afford. Of course, that takes away from the social programmes you want to have but water is essential, electricity is essential and so we had to make tough decisions,” Dr. Drew stated.

The Prime Minister said the Government also had to make tough decisions in relation to the social programmes in the country.

He said, “I have met with international financial organizations … that are saying to us that our social programmes are so big that they can buckle the country. But I took the decision that you can’t just pull away the social programmes; you can’t just take away PAP [Poverty Alleviation Programme] like that and we have decided that we will not take it away. This year, we are spending $30 million on PAP alone. [The international financial organizations] say well Mr. Minister of Finance how can you sustain that? But if you forego all these people at the same time, it’s going to hurt people badly. So, we had to make a decision and say we’ll take care of the most vulnerable and others.”

Dr. Drew added that “Social Security is paying more out than it is taking in. That is not sustainable. Therefore, while they are calling for stricter measures, I am saying that we have to be compassionate with our people. And so, we have taken certain decisions to protect our people even though sometimes you might say it comes with a little bit of pain or a little bit of bitterness.”

Prime Minister Dr. Drew said the people of St. Kitts and Nevis chose an administration that can make the tough decisions “to keep our country on solid footing.”