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THE GRAND CASTRIES TRANSPORTATION STUDY ANNIVERSARY

By in Print

This month is the anniversary of the completion of the Grand Castries Transportation Study; it will be 21 years since its completion in December 1993. One would therefore strongly suggest to the Ministries of Infrastructure and Economic Development to revisit the document and to see how the transportation model which projected traffic flow into 2013 performed and  to consider the transportation strategies that were proposed. The Grand Castries Transportation Study was initiated during my stint as Chief Engineer and remains the most comprehensive study done on our transportation system. The Report contained twenty seven (27) transportation options and strategies on the Gros Islet to Castries Corridor, Access to the south west of Castries, City centre traffic and parking, city centre land use proposals and suburban integration of the eastern communities. It is clear to me that there is a...

THE GIBRALTAR OF THE ANTILLES

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When Victor Hugues in 1795 described St Lucia as the Gibraltar of the Antilles, his words were unknowingly describing St. Lucia’s future role in the Caribbean. The historians will convey the role that St Lucia played in the Brigands War of the Eastern Caribbean, and the introduction of a type of warfare that took two superpowers by absolute surprise, despite their military strength. I believe our history guides us in our approach to our future, and we have to look at these events over the last four hundred years to understand how a small nation can survive in the swirling seas of globalization. There are a few important truths that one would wish to extract from that period of history. Firstly, the wars of that era show us that St. Lucia is more than land but also has a marine area of importance. From an economic standpoint we have not looked at our 200 mile exclusive maritime zone as...

ON DESTINY (5)

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If you understand planetary motion, you will get insight into how your life can change. The Earth revolves around its axis and we get day and night, the Earth also revolves around the sun and we get seasons, and our solar system revolves in the galaxy and we get ages. If every day you ensure that your inner core revolves around truth, then your soul will revolve and give you right seasons, and then and only then shall you enter your destiny.

John Peters

THE PRIVATIZATION OF HEWANORRA

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The St Lucia Air and Seaports Authority has signaled an intent to pursue the privatization of Hewanorra International Airport. The International Finance Corporation which is part of the World Bank Group has been engaged in a contract for $ 1,694,276 USD to assist the Government of Saint Lucia (GoSL) in implementing a Public Private Partnership (PPP) transaction in the airport sector with the purpose of increasing capacity and improving operation efficiency. The assistance of IFC covers all project pre-investment activities including diagnostic review, transaction structuring and marketing, development of bid/tender documents and PPP contract, as well as support to SLASPA and Ministry of Finance during the bidding process and signing of the PPP contract. The future of our airports has been discussed extensively at the Cabinet level and within Parliament over the last seven years. It...

REINVENTING GOVERNMENT WITH COMMON SENSE

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‘It appeared to be the way of all succeeding government to pull down what has been conceived by a previous government rightly or wrongly’’ – Sir George F. L. Charles The above words of Sir George F. L. Charles were in response to a decision by a UWP Administration in 1965, almost 50 yrs ago, to cancel the lease prepared by Donald James to the C.A. T. Corporation for the development of lands in Vieux Fort. The C.A.T. Corporation was a locally registered company with provisions for St. Lucians to purchase shares in the investment and was headed by an American businessman called Bill Turner. An Agreement was signed by the then Labour Government ( 1961) for the development of certain areas of Vieux Fort previously occupied by the Americans, within a specified time. Sir George correctly placed the caveat of rightly or wrongly, and in the absence of all the information placed before then...