Author: ehinksonadmin

Edmund "Eddie" Hinkson is an attorney-at-law residing in Waterhall Terrace, St. James. The husband of Beverly and father of Erica and Gregory, he has an outstanding record as a community leader. He has been a member of the Lions Club of Bridgetown for the past 24 years and has the honours of being named the Best President of the Lions Clubs in the Caribbean District 60B and of serving as the Lions Clubs Leader of Barbados. Eddie has been a member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the Salvation Army for the past 5 years. He has also served as a member of the Council of St. Johns Ambulance Association, the Association of the Blind and Deaf and of the Council for the Disabled. Eddie has been a sub-committee chairman of the Small Business Association and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A member of the Lawn Tennis Association and the Paragon Tennis Club, he has sponsored cricket, football and netball tournaments, provided prizes at school speech days, assisted churches with outreach and mentorship programmes, provided food vouchers to needy persons and helped in finding solutions to constituency issues relating to land. In government, he served as Chairman of the National Conservation Commission and the Severance Payments Tribunal, Deputy Chairman of the National Housing Corporation, the National Advisory Committee on Disabilities and the Building Advisory Committee as well as a Director of the National Cultural Foundation, a Member of Consumer Claims Tribunal, Income Tax Appeal Board and the Harrison College Board of Management. Internationally, Edmund is an officer of the International Bar Association, a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and a member of International Who’s Who of Professionals.

2014-06-29-BarbadosToday-PortAuthorityRetrenchment

Source: http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2014/06/29/port-authority-retrenchment/

Port Authority Retrenchment 2014-06-29 Barbados Today

2014-06-29-BarbadosToday-PortAuthorityRetrenchment

Opposition MP Edmund Hinkson is claiming that an estimated 100 workers at the Port Authority will be laid off.

The St James North representative said the management of the port had already notified the Barbados Workers Union of its intention and the two parties were due to begin negotiations.

“One issue that I have not seen highlighted in the Press yet. On the 16th of April, the chief executive officer of the Port Authority wrote to [BWU General Secretary] Sir Roy Trotman, giving him notice that the Port Authority plans to lay off 100. . . out of the 392 workers, 25 per cent of the port are proposed to lose their jobs,” Hinkson said at a press briefing yesterday.

“Under the Employment Rights Act, notice was given to the main union of the workers of the port and they were to enter negotiations on how best this [retrenchment] could be done.”

Hinkson, who co-hosted the briefing with Senator Wilfred Abrahams in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, said despite news that workers would be sent home, many of those already on the breadline were yet to be compensated.

“We have the situation where after months now the 47 per cent of the National Housing Corporation [workers] that have gone home – that is the amount by which National Housing Corporation staff were cut – they haven’t received their severance pay or employment rights benefits as yet . . . the Transport Board workers, the 250-odd or so, they haven’t received theirs yet either,” he said.

2014-06-28 Barbados Today

Source: http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2014/06/28/hinkson-accused-government-of-broken-education-promises/

Hinkson accuses Government of broken promises

Opposition Senator Wilfred Abrahams (L) an MP, Edmund Hinkson at the press briefing todayOpposition Senator Wilfred Abrahams (L) an MP, Edmund Hinkson at the press briefing today
Opposition Senator Wilfred Abrahams (L) an MP, Edmund Hinkson at the press briefing today

An opposition parliamentarian is today accusing the Freundel Stuart administration of reneging on its promise to act as a guarantor for certain student loan applicants and failing to follow through on the promised National Registration Education Plan.

The accusations were made at a press briefing at the office of the Leader of the Opposition by Member of Parliament for St James North, Edmund Hinkson.

He recalled that Minister of Education, Ronald Jones, had promised during debate on the last budget that Government would stand as a guarantor for applicants to the Student Revolving Loan Fund  for those who could not afford to pay.

“Yet, he has recently announced a policy for these loans that does not in any way remove the previous requirements of two sureties or collateral security, such as cash, land, property, shares, government paper, shares or mutual funds,” the St James, North representative said.

He noted that only loans of $12,000 or less attract no surety, which is contrary to the Government undertaking.

“They promised that there will be no threshold whatsoever,” he contended.

Hinkson also questioned Government’s silence on a plan, announced in the 2013 budget by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler, that would allow persons who utilise a National Registration Education Savings Plan to save towards tertiary education.

“This whole episode marks another in a string of breach of promises made by the DLP [government] to the people who elected them in order to improve the quality of their lives,” added Hinkson, the opposition shadow Minister of Education.

 

2014-06-18 Barbados Today

Source: http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2014/06/18/inniss-denies-foreign-exchange-restriction/

Inniss denies foreign exchange restriction

Minister of of Trade Donville Inniss has rubbished Opposition claims of a restriction by the Central Bank of Barbados on the amount of foreign exchange allowed to leave the country. The allegation was made by Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley during debate in the House of Assembly today on a bill to raise Government’s loan limit.

In his contribution, Inniss accused Mottley of making reckless and unpatriotic statements, which he warned could further jeopardize the Barbados economy.

“ . . . These statements can cause a lot of damage to this society, particularly when it is proven that they are comments that are not entirely true, comments to the extent that businesspeople in this society are experiencing immense difficulty at accessing funds from the Central Bank of Barbados,” Inniss told the House this evening.

He suggested that the Opposition Barbados Labour Party was merely trying to score cheap political points and putting politics above country.

“When a statement like that is made, particularly if it went unchallenged, one will get the impression that this economy is collapsing and there is a need for a serious run on the foreign exchange in this country,” he added.

But Opposition Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson, an attorney, was adamant that such a measure was currently in place and had affected some of his overseas clients.

“I know that from a professional point of view that clients of mine who live outside of Barbados who have recently sold their land in Barbados have not been allowed to take more than the equivalent of BDS$100,000 of the sale price out of the country. The sale price might have been BDS$500,000 and the Central Bank had only given them permission to repatriate $100,000 out of the country . . . ,” Hinkson contended.

UWI Students Again Let Down By DLP

Edmund Hinkson

UWI STUDENTS AGAIN LET DOWN BY DLP

The Democratic Labour Party Government has reneged on its promise made to Barbadians attending the University of the West Indies that it will from this coming school year guarantee loans granted by the Student Revolving Loan Fund when the imposition of payment of tuition fees comes into effect.

Education Minister Ronald Jones in his contribution to the debate of last year’s Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals on 15th August told Parliament, Barbadians and indeed the whole world that the Government would guarantee student revolving loan funds taken out by students who could not afford to pay the twenty per cent cost of their University of the West Indies education out of their own pockets. Yet, he has recently announced a policy for these loans that does not in any way remove the previous requirements of two sureties or collateral security, such as cash, land, property, government paper, shares or mutual funds for a loan of $50,000.00 or less or of two securities to secure to secure the first $50,000.00 and collateral security to secure the remainder if the loan amount is greater than $50,000.00.

Only loans of less than $12,000.00 can be secured without any sureties and no government guarantee is involved in this case either.

The BLP however supports Minister Jones’ call for borrowers to pay the agreed contractual instalments on these loans in a timely manner and for defaulters to clear all arrears which they owe as a matter of priority.

Secondly, we have heard nothing further of the proposal announced during his 2013 budgetary presentation by Minister Sinckler of the establishment, together with local finance houses, of a National Registration Education Savings Plan with appropriate tax allowance provisions for savers which would have assisted in the future tertiary education of our citizens.

This whole episode marks yet another in a string of breach of promises made by the DLP to the people who elected them in order to improve the quality of their lives and that of their families. The severity of the Government’s breach of trust on this issue is magnified by the fact that it directly undermines the educational and human capital advancement of our young people, which has previously been one of the major planks of social engineering for our national development during the first sixty odd years of cabinet responsibility.

This political administration has clearly lost touch with the reality of every day survival of the majority of our citizens, as is tangibly demonstrated by Minister Jones’ recent statement that if he had his way all those present Barbadian UWI students who drop out of the institution would have to repay to Government the tuition fees which have been already spent on their university education.

We can only wonder when and where this “political recklessness” will end, what with the imposition recently of the onerous Consolidation Tax on gross earnings and salaries and the draconian Municipal Solid Waste Tax being levied on all home and real property owners as well as the hint by various cabinet ministers of the legislation of more taxes during the course of this year.

28th June, 2014

EDMUND G. HINKSON
Saint James North Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Education

N.B. I as usual declare that I am one of the external counsel of the Student Revolving Loan Fund.

BLP Distressed Over Significant Decline In UWI Applicants

BLP DISTRESSED OVER SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN UWI APPLICANTS

The Barbados Labour Party is extremely concerned and disturbed to have received confirmation from the Principal of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus that he “anticipates a sixty per cent decline in students attending the campus in the next academic year” when, for the first time in its 50 plus year history, Barbadians will be forced by their Government to pay their own tuition fees at this institution.

This revelation by Sir Hilary Beckles gives absolute credence to our Party’s consistent public criticism of the retrogressive DLP’s new educational policy announced during the August 2013 budget presentation of the Finance Minister.

We have constantly warned the Government that its decision will result in thousands of our citizens either withdrawing from the University of the West Indies or opting not to enter the institution, simply because they cannot possibly afford to pay tuition fees ranging from between $6,000.00 and $17,000.00 each year for full-time students in order to obtain a tertiary degree. Indeed it is now questionable whether any Barbadian from a working class background will be able to pursue medical studies at the University of the West Indies without the benefit of a scholarship since this degree will cost $180,000.00, according to Sir Hilary, for the first three years of the course.

In one fell swoop, the Stuart/Sinckler/Jones administration has destroyed the worthy aspirations and ambitions of many poor Barbadians. These persons comprise 80 per cent of our citizens attending the University of the West Indies campuses throughout the region. Their only sin has been to dream that their full potential can be realized by a university education which will lead them, their families and extended communities out of poverty and into better economic circumstances. The DLP has even unconscionably dismissed our Party’s suggestion that those already undertaking studies at our universities be allowed a reasonable period within which to complete their degrees without having to pay their own tuition fees, since they would have entered these institutions with a reasonable expectation that the status quo would have continued. Furthermore, they have failed to even consider our proposal to waive those tuition fees of eligible persons with disabilities, who are generally among the most vulnerable individuals in our country.

Minister Sinckler on 13th August last year announced that “the Ministry of Education will provide further details on a Means Testing Mechanism to ensure that no deserving person is denied access to university education because of the means of their parents”. He went on to further state that “adequate access to loans with attractive repayment terms is available while the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs will in the coming week work with local finance houses to establish a National Registration Education Savings Plan with appropriate tax allowance provisions for savers” (see page 64 of the 2013 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals).

We have however heard not one single word from any policy maker in Government from the Prime Minister down on any of these issues since the Minister of Education in his contribution two days afterwards, in what we strongly believe was a knee jerk, thoughtless reaction to our criticism of the new policy during that debate, stated that Government would guarantee these student revolving fund loans. This statement, from the official with cabinet responsibility for ensuring the education of our population, makes absolutely no political sense. If that is indeed the intention, the Government could as well continue to pay our citizen’s tuition costs, as we in the BLP have urged it to do. Instead it appears that the fundamental viability of our University of the West Indies in the immediate future is in jeopardy.

The only initiative which has been so far announced to assist in the funding of these fees by persons who cannot afford to pay has been that taken last month by the banks, credit unions and other financial agencies. The Government needs, with urgency and without any further delay, to announce to the public the details of a loan scheme for university students with low attractive interest rates, with other favourable terms and conditions and without burdensome penalties for contractual breach. These loans must be equally accessible to all Barbadians regardless of class, colour, creed or political persuasion.

In the meantime, all of us BLP Members of Parliament and constituency caretakers know of many constituents who have decided to drop out of university after this academic year ends next month due to their inability and that of their families to raise the necessary finances to continue their respective education. We all know of other constituents who, having previously considered attending university, have now not even bothered to apply for admission before the stated closing date due to the same reason. Furthermore, their employment prospects are slim, at a time when Government has fired thousands of public sector employees and has sent thousands more back to their substantive posts. Additionally, consideration has to be given to the 5,000 odd young people who will be completing their secondary education in the next two months, a significant amount of whom are already contemplating a dim future in all of these circumstances.

In the meantime, we hear Minister Jones recently hint at an impending social amenities tax, if he gets his way with his cabinet colleagues. Furthermore, only this week Minister Senator Darcy Boyce proposed a new tax to facilitate lower income housing. These new tax initiatives, following on closely from the recently introduced Consolidation tax and the Municipal Solid Waste tax, are being proposed at a time when Barbadians are already taxed beyond capacity while receiving less social, educational and health services from the State.

EDMUND G. HINKSON
Saint James North M.P and Shadow Minister of Education

2014-02-25 Letter to Barbados Water Authority

Tuesday February 25, 2014 Your Ref. is: W.34 / 1986/13

The General Manager
Barbados Water Authority
Manor Lodge Complex
Green Hill
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir

RE: Excessive Water Pressure Bearing down on Plumbing Systems of Households in Lower Carlton, Saint James

I refer to our previous correspondence on the above-captioned matter ending with your response dated 25th October last year to me.

Four months have passed since that time. I therefore now write kindly requesting you to inform me as to the findings of the investigations conducted by your Authority’s Engineering Department.

I look forward to receiving your written response in the very near future.

Yours faithfully,

_______________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

cc. The Residents of Lower Carlton, Saint James

2013-10-15 Letter to Barbados Water Authority

Tuesday October 15, 2013

The General Manager
Barbados Water Authority
Manor Lodge Complex
Green Hill
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir

RE: Excessive Water Pressure Bearing down on Plumbing Systems of Households in Lower Carlton, Saint James

I write this letter on behalf of some of my constituents resident in Lower Carlton, Saint James.

These constituents, who include Messrs. Adolf Mayers, Corey McClean, Michael Joseph, Ellerton Collymore and Glenroy Bacchus as well as Misses Carmen McClean, Arlene McClean, Ria Harris and Ione Drakes, have briefed me on the issue of an extremely serious water pressure problem which is impacting negatively on their water bills and on the integrity of respective plumbing systems and homes.

My constituents inform that their district is plagued by severe water pressure on the plumbing systems in their homes. The problem has been particularly accentuated within the last year. This problem has continued in spite of your organization placing water pressure valves on some of the water meters in the area and in spite of constant repairs by respective homeowners to their plumbing systems.

My constituents have been advised by their respective plumbers that the fault lies squarely and comprehensively with your Authority. It may be related to some defect concerning the pumping station which serves the district.

I myself have noticed water flowing, presumably from some burst pipes down the main road along the stretch commencing from just above the Anglican Church Rectory, on many occasions when I travel through the district.

This situation has resulted in an astronomical increase in the monthly water bills of these customers. Furthermore, they have had to pay huge plumbing repair costs in addition to repair or replacement costs of fridges and washing machines. Furthermore, there invariably exists water damage to and cracks in their houses.

My immediate request is for the BWA to thoroughly and concertedly investigate this issue with the objective of having this dire situation solved in the very near future. My second comment is that I have advised my constituents that they have a prima facie case against your organization to recover monetary compensation for their respective losses and for reimbursement of the excessive payment which they have made to it over and above what they used to be charged before this problem magnified itself.

I look forward to hearing from you within twenty-one days of the date of this letter outlining a strategy leading towards a solution of this serious circumstance.

Yours faithfully,

_______________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

cc. The Residents of Lower Carlton, Saint James

2014-01-09 Letter to Ministry of Transport and Works

Thursday January 9, 2014
The Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Transport and Works
Pine East-West Boulevard
SAINT MICHAEL, BB11000

Dear Sir

Re: Dangerous Rock Along Road in Gibbs Hill Saint James / Saint Peter

I refer to my letter dated October 23rd last year written to you relative to the above-captioned matter. I have not even received an acknowledgement of receipt thereof, far less any concrete response as of today’s date although over 2 ½ months have passed since that date.

I enclose herein the below photos of this very dangerous rock protrusion:

2014-01-09LettertoMinistryofTransportandWorksAttachedPhoto1

2014-01-09LettertoMinistryofTransportandWorksAttachedPhoto2

I therefore now write kindly request receipt of a written response by the end of this calendar month.

Yours faithfully,

_________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for Saint James North

cc. The Residents of Gibbs, Saint Peter

The Residents of Rock Dundo, Saint James

The Honourable Michael Lashley, M. P., Minister of Transport and Works

2013-10-23 Letter to Ministry of Transport and Works

October 23, 2013

The Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Transport and Works
Pine East-West Boulevard
SAINT MICHAEL, BB11000

Dear Sir

Re: Dangerous Rock Along Road in Gibbs Hill Saint James / Saint Peter

I write this letter bringing notice to your Ministry of a protruding rock formation at the side of the public road along Gibbs Hill, Saint James / Saint Peter below Rock Dundo Main Road.

The presence of this protruding rock is very dangerous to both motorists and pedestrians who respectively drive and walk along this section of the road. It indeed makes it quite difficult to see vehicles which are approaching in the opposite direction. I am aware that there have been many serious accidents at this location due to the presence of this rock.

Many of my constituents who reside in the vicinity have expressed grave concern on this issue. It will not cost much money to remove this danger. I can email you two pictures of this area in the event that you believe that such may be helpful in identifying the exact location.

I kindly request that your Ministry investigate this matter in the very near future.

Yours faithfully,

_________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for Saint James North

CC. The Residents of Gibbs, Saint Peter

The Residents of Rock Dundo, Saint James

2013-09-25 Letter to Ministry of the Environment and Drainage

Wednesday September 25, 2013

The Permanent Secretary
Ministry of the Environment and Drainage
Pine North – South Road
Pine
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir

RE: Petition from Residents of Sion Hill, Saint James Requesting Authorities to Urgently Remedy Problems Created by Severe Flooding

I refer to my earlier letters dated 23rd October and 6th November, 2012 as well as 11th September, 2013 written to the Director, Drainage Division of your Ministry and copied to your office relative to the above-captioned issue.

I now enclose herewith a Petition from the residents of Sion Hill, Saint James on this matter. The residents hereby respectfully request the Drainage Division and any of the other government agencies responsible to urgently address and remedy what has become a nightmare in their lives whenever there is a heavy downpour of rain in their district.

My constituents in Sion Hill as well as in the other affected areas of Saint James North have reached a point of desperation. They are now living in the fear of their future livelihood and of the future integrity of their properties.

I sincerely hope that the relevant agencies of Government will treat this matter with the seriousness which it deserves. I am of course available to assist in any way possible and look forward to receiving your Ministry’s cooperation.

Yours faithfully,


_______________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

cc. The Honourable Dr. Denis Lowe, M.P.
Minister of the Environment and Drainage

The Director, Drainage Division
Ministry of the Environment and Drainage

The Residents of Sion Hill, Saint James

DLP Government’s Neglect of Persons With Disabilities

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Edmund Hinkson

DLP GOVERNMENT’S NEGLECT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Yet another Month of The Disabled has come to pass without any legislative framework in place in Barbados addressing all forms of discrimination on the basis of physical and mental disabilities and providing for equal opportunities to be granted as of right to persons with disabilities so that they may have a more realistic chance to realize their full potential.

While the Government of Barbados did indeed finally ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the end of February, 2013, it has woefully failed to do anything substantial over the last year to advance the cause of persons with disabilities. The Government has had ample time since then in which it ought to have constituted the Committee which it is mandated to establish under the Convention to monitor the implementation of its provisions in our Country. The political administration’s failure to so establish this Committee is compounded by the fact that Barbados is required by February, 2015 to submit to the United Nations’ Secretary General a comprehensive report on measures taken to give effect to its treaty obligations and on the progress made thereunder.

Furthermore, the Government has cut the subvention granted to the Council for the Disabled by 54 per cent since October last year, thereby placing the quality of life of persons who are the most vulnerable in our society in severe jeopardy. A continuation of this political decision will undoubtedly result in a significant curtailment of programmes and projects which attempt to improve the lives of differently-abled persons in our Nation, many of whom are already counted among the one in five persons whom the 2010 Barbados Country Assessment of Living Conditions Study indicates are living below the poverty line.

The Government next week in the Estimates Parliamentary Debate needs to see it as its duty to restore its subvention for the Disabled to its pre-2013 Elections level and to actually transfer those sums to the Council.

EDMUND G. HINKSON
St. James North Member of Parliament
and Director of The Council for the Disabled
14th March, 2014

Enforce Anti-Corruption Laws

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ENFORCE ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS

The ruling Democratic Labour Party has yet again failed to deliver on one of its major 2008 General Elections commitments to the people of Barbados.

St. James North Barbados Labour Party Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson has chided the Government for its failure so far to establish the Prevention of Corruption Commission, which would receive all declarations and documents from persons in the public life who fall within the legislation’s ambit.

Addressing the BLP St. Philip West branch meeting last Sunday at the Princess Margaret Memorial School, he accused Prime Minister Freundel Stuart of not revealing all of the facts in his recent comments to the media on the status of integrity and freedom of information legislation in the country.

“Having passed the Prevention of Corruption Act as one of its last parliamentary manoeuvres just before this year’s General Elections, the Government has not established any Commission, as is required by the statute, so that the Act can be proclaimed. This eight-member Commission, to be headed by a former judge or a long-standing attorney-at-law, will also be empowered to carry out its own enquiries and investigations into any allegations of corruption by persons in public life and into complaints in respect of failure to comply with the Act’s provisions,” Hinkson stated.

“The real issue is not whether Parliament ought to now enact a separate Integrity in Public Life Act, as the Prime Minister declared, but whether there are indeed certain elements within the DLP which are seeking to delay the implementation of this legislation. The DLP was given a mandate in 2008 to enact this law, which should enhance transparency and accountability in our Country’s political and administrative governance. The Act, having been passed, now needs to be enforced,” he commented.

The attorney-at-law however opined that the legislation goes too far in including top trade unionists as well as ordinary members of statutory boards and government-controlled companies within its ambit while at the same time excluding officers in high levels of the public service below the rank of Permanent Secretary and Heads of Department. Revealing that he had written to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament on this issue before he became a Parliamentarian, he stated his belief that it will become more difficult to encourage citizens to perform national duty by serving on statutory boards and companies just because an Act, which otherwise needs to be in effect, has however gone too far in the categories of persons, their spouses and minor children who will fall within its compass.

EDMUND G. HINKSON
Member of Parliament for Saint James North

2013-05-22 National Petroleum Corporation

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Wednesday May 22, 2013

The General Manager
National Petroleum Corporation
Wildey
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir,

Re: Request for Meeting to Discuss Installation of Natural Gas in Districts of Saint James North Constituency

I write this letter in my capacity as the Parliamentary Representative for Saint James North.

I herein kindly request a meeting with you and your appropriate senior officer(s) to discuss the probability of natural gas being installed in certain areas of Saint James North constituency in the near future.

I am aware, for example, that residents of Bakers, Lower Carlton and in the Mount Standfast area have made requests to your organization for this facility.

I look forward to soon hearing from your office on this issue.

Yours faithfully, _________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

CC. The Residents of Saint James North

2013-09-11 Drainage Division

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Wednesday September 11th, 2013

The Director
Drainage Division
Ministry of the Environment and Drainage
Pine North – South Road
Pine
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir

Re: Severe Drainage and Flooding Problems at Sion Hill, Lower Carlton, Doughlin Road, Weston and Rock Dundo in Saint James during Rainy Weather Conditions

I refer to my earlier letters dated 23rd October, 2012 and 6th November, 2012 written to you relative to the above captioned matter. I can trace no written response from your department to the latter letter even though we have indeed communicated subsequently by the way of telephone on these issues.

Two of your officers did indeed visit with me these affected areas, and other districts in Saint James North such as Trents Tenantry, Westmoreland, Doughlin Road and Rock Dundo, on Wednesday 17th April this year. Certain actions were agreed to be taken in each case to attempt to alleviate the extremely severe effects of flooding and drainage issues after heavy rainfalls.

I am, however, aware that all of these mentioned areas continue to be significantly affected under the circumstances, with the quality of lives and the livelihood of many of the residents being threatened.

I now write kindly requesting you to inform me in writing as to the status of your Division’s efforts to alleviate this problem in each of the above-mentioned districts since five months is long enough time, in my submission, for strategies to be devised and implemented to deal with the matter.

.

…../2

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

cc. The Honourable Dr. Denis Lowe, M.P.
Minister of the Environment and Drainage

The Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of the Environment and Drainage

The Residents of Sion Hill, Lower Carlton, Doughlin Road, Westmoreland, Trents Tenantry and Rock Dundo, Saint James.

2013-09-10 Drainage Division

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YOUR REF: D.D.11

Tuesday 10th September, 2013

The Director
Drainage Division
Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Drainage
Pine North – South Road
Pine
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir

Re: Severe Drainage and Flooding Problems at Trents, Trents Tenantry and Church Point Saint James during Rainy Weather Conditions

I refer to our earlier correspondence relative to the above captioned matter, ending with your letter dated 27th April, 2012.

During the course thereof, you indicated that your Ministry was “in the process of finalizing grant funding to implement the recommendations of the 1996 Drainage Study which remain viable, as well as to devise and implement new strategies, taking into account climate change. This programme is scheduled to commence within the current financial year.”

I, therefore, now write kindly requesting you to inform me as to the status of this “grant funding” as well as the implementation of these “new strategies,” since we are now well into the financial year following your letter.

You are no doubt aware that the very severe flooding and drainage issues continue to be an extremely serious problem in these districts.

I look forward to receiving your written response in the very near future.

.

…../2

YOUR REF: D.D.11

Tuesday 10th September, 2013

Re: Severe Drainage and Flooding Problems at Trents, Trents Tenantry and Church Point Saint James during Rainy Weather Conditions

Yours faithfully,

________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

cc. The Honourable Denis Lowe, M.P.
Minister of the Environment, Water Resources and Drainage

The Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Drainage

The Residents of Trents, Trents Tenantry and Church Point

2013-04-03 Environmental Protection Department

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Wednesday April 3, 2013

The Director of Environmental Protection
Environmental Protection Department
Ministry of Environment and Drainage
NUPW Headquarters Complex
Dalkeith, ST. MICHAEL

Dear Sir / Madam

I write this letter on behalf of my constituents of Upper Mount Standfast, Saint James.

I attach hereto a copy of the letter dated 27th February this year which many of them have written to me drawing my attention, inter alia, to a health hazard existing in their neighbourhood.

They further inform that around three (3) years ago the Ministry of Health placed a notice on the property on which the mentioned derelict house is situate, calling on its owner to clean up the property and its environs. Nothing has been done to so clear the property or to demolish the house. The notice was removed, allegedly by the person responsible for the property.

I am also informed that the property may be owned by a Ms. Carmen Johnson-Hewitt (Barbados ID# 5705070083), who lives overseas. No one has resided on the property for the last ten (10) years.

I kindly request your Department, or any other relevant Government agency, to investigate this matter and to remedy this nuisance to my constituents in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

_________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament – St. James North

Encs.
CC. Principal Environmental Health Officer
Maurice Byer Polyclinic

Maurice Gaskin
Senior Environmental Health Officer
Vector Control Unit

Residents of Upper Mt. Standfast

2013-04-03 Rural Development Commission

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Wednesday April 3, 2013

The Director
Rural Development Commission
Bridge Street
BRIDGETOWN

Dear Sir

Re: Request for Installation of Electricity Pole in Brathwaites Road, Sion Hill, Saint James

I write this letter on behalf of my constituents in Brathwaites Road, Sion Hill, Saint James.

I hereby kindly request your Commission to use its good offices to request The Barbados Light & Power Co. Ltd. to install a functioning electricity pole in Brathwaites Road, Sion Hill, Saint James (the second-closest electricity pole thereto is numbered JDE396 and is situate to the east of this area). The residents complained that the area is very poorly lit and that at least one female has been attacked on the road in recent times.

You are of course free to contact me in the event that you require any further information or details in this regards.

Yours faithfully,
_______________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament – St. James North

cc. The Campbell Family, Brathwaites Road, Sion Hill, Saint James

The Holloway Family, Brathwaites Road, Sion Hill Tenantry, Saint James

Mrs. Sonia Thompson-Alleyne
Chairperson
St. James North Constituency Council
Weston Resource Centre
Weston, SAINT JAMES

2013-04-10 Request for Installation of Traffic Lights and of Pedestrian Crossings

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Wednesday April 10, 2013

The Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Transports and Works
Pine East-West Boulevard
St. Michael

Dear Sir,

Re: Request for Installation of Traffic Lights and of Pedestrian Crossings by Highway 2A / Westmoreland / Waterhall Junction and Along Sion Hill / Upper Carlton / Bakers Sections of Highway 2A Respectively

I write this letter on behalf of my constituents in Westmoreland, Sion Hill, Water Hall, Upper Carlton in Saint James and Bakers in Saint Peter.

Many of my constituents who reside in these areas have expressed grave concern on the following issues:-

1) The need for traffic lights to be installed and be operated at the Highway 2A / Westmoreland / Waterhall junction;
2) The need for pedestrian crossings further north of that junction along Highway 2A in the Upper Carlton, Sion Hill and Bakers Road.

In the first instance, vehicular traffic emerging from Westmoreland unto Highway 2A or attempting to go straight across the highway to Waterhall / Apes Hill has tremendous difficulty in so doing during peak hour traffic periods. This is also the case where vehicular traffic emerging from Waterhall / Apes Hill attempts to turn onto Highway 2A or travel west across the highway into Westmoreland.

Consequently, more vehicular accidents occur at this junction that ought to be the case.

In the second instance, it is of prime significance that this area is quite heavily populated and comprises a primary school, Gordon Greenidge Primary School, and a nursery, St. Boniface Nursery. Both young children going to school and adults traversing the highway to, for example, go to the bus stops have great difficulty in so doing, particularly during peak-hours.

I, therefore, write kindly requesting your Ministry to address these areas the very near and foreseeable future to the benefits of the affected residents.

I thank you in advance for you co-operation on these matters.

1/…

Wednesday April 10, 2013

Re: Request for Installation of Traffic Lights and of Pedestrian Crossings by Highway 2A / Westmoreland / Waterhall Junction and Along Sion Hill / Upper Carlton / Bakers Sections of Highway 2A Respectively

…./2

Yours faithfully,
_________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament – St. James North

CC. The Hon. Mr. Michael A. Lashley, M.P., Minister of Transport and Works
Ministry of Transport and Works

Mr. Virgil Knight
Chief Technical Officer
Ministry of Transport and Works

Mr. Randolph Outram
Director
Rural Development Commission

Mrs. Sonia Thompson-Alleyne
Chairperson
St. James North Constituency Council

The Residents of Saint James North

2013-04-10 Meeting with Chief Town Planner

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Wednesday April 10, 2013
Chief Town Planning
Town Planning Department
Block C
The Garrison
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Sir

I write in my capacity as Member of Parliament for St. James North, to arrange a formal meeting with you at the soonest available time.

As a new Parliamentary representative, I wish to gain a better understanding as to how your department functions, requirements or application procedures to assist constituents and to foster a working relationship with relevant officers. A major topic that I am eager to discuss and understand is that regarding the Zone One Policy, as it largely affects many areas within my constituency.

I look forward to your favourable response regarding a meeting in the near future.

Sincerely

_______________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson
Member of Parliament – St. James North

2013-09-12 Coastal Management in Road View St Peter

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YOUR REF: CZ01/11/1

Thursday September 12, 2013

The Acting Director
Coastal Zone Management Unit
Bay Street
SAINT MICHAEL

Dear Madam

RE: COASTAL MANAGEMENT IN ROAD VIEW, SAINT PETER

I refer to our earlier correspondence relative to the above-captioned matter, ending with your letter dated 29th August, 2012 to me.

In the course thereof, you indicated that “there are some shoreline enhancement works which require review and this process is currently being managed by the Town and Country Development Planning office, with technical advice provided by our department”.

I now write kindly requesting you to informassw q12 me in writing as to the status of the review.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

________________________________
Edmund G. Hinkson, M.P.
Member of Parliament for St. James North

cc. The Honourable Dr. Denis Lowe, M.P.
Minister of the Environment and Drainage

The Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of the Environment and Drainage

2013-01-11 Disabilities Letter

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January 11, 2013

Dear Constituent,

My connection and association with Persons with Disabilities is deep, long-lasting and very personal. In fact, it has been a natural aspect of my life since the day when I was told that my younger sister had been born with a hearing and, consequently, a speech impairment. I was and remain extremely close to my sister. Her disability has shaped my thinking and character significantly.

I therefore vowed from an early age that I would do my best in whatever way possible to help improve the quality of life of Persons with Disabilities in Barbados.

That pledge led me, shortly after returning to Barbados from my legal studies in 1986, to enroll as a member of the Lions Clubs of Barbados. It was this service organisation which primarily established the School for the Deaf, now known as the Irving Wilson School, the School for the Blind and assisted in the foundation of the Challenor Creative Arts and Training Centre.

Over the last fifteen years, I have volunteered as a legal and policy advisor to many of the associations and bodies which seek to advance the cause of Persons with Disabilities in Barbados. I also served for three years between 2005-2008 as the Deputy Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Today, Persons with Disabilities continue to hold a very special place in my heart and I remain as committed as ever to assisting them in any way to live improved lives.

My vision and hope is that Persons with Disabilities in our Country will live in a just society providing them with opportunities for more expansive education and vocational training, greater avenues for meaningful employment, better social security arrangements, adequate housing and public transportation, easier access to the built physical environment and better facilitation for special sporting and recreational activities. I am exceedingly proud to be one of the few persons publicly pushing for the enactment in Barbados of Disabilities legislation.

I will, with God’s help, continue to fight passionately for these rights as long as I have the strength, capacity and ability to do so. This is one of the main motivating factors for my entry into elective politics.
A vote for me and for the Barbados Labour Party would ensure that the agenda for enhancing the quality of life of Persons with Disabilities is achievable. I therefore look forward to receiving your support and vote as well as the support and vote of your care providers, relatives and friends in St. James North so that I can have the opportunity to be your next Parliamentary Representative and to further advance your interests, this time at the level of government policy.

Yours faithfully,

_________________________
EDMUND G. HINKSON
Caring Committed Capable

2013-01-03 First Time Voter Letter

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January 3, 2013

Dear Constituent,

Congratulations on reaching the age of being able to cast your vote for the first time. I know that it will be a very special occasion for you to enter that polling booth during the upcoming General Elections which are due to be held by mid-May, 2013.

My name is Edmund Gregory Hinkson and I have been chosen as the Barbados Labour Party’s candidate for St. James North, your constituency. I am aware of some of the concerns and challenges of the youth, being the father of a daughter and a son, both under the age of twenty one. I hope that you are positively involved in your community’s development through sports, culture, church, a service club or any other worthwhile venture. It is also not too early for you to be associated with a political organization. It is my heartfelt wish that you join my Party and me on this exciting journey to improve the quality of life for you and for our citizens.

I look forward eagerly to meeting and interacting with you in the near future, if we haven’t yet met. We can then share ideas, policies and plans on how best we can together make life better for you and for all of the young people in our constituency as well as in our country.

I wish to share in your interests, encourage your involvement and support and earn your vote to be your next parliamentary representative.

Yours faithfully,

_________________________

EDMUND G. HINKSON

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