Minister tells Pinder’s Point, Lewis Yard residents to consider civil litigation

Residents attend town meeting hosted by the Minister of the Environment Romauld Ferreira on Thursday evening at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Lewis Yard/Pinder's Point.

As of Friday, May 25, 2018

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

In his first town meeting in Grand Bahama, Minister of the Environment Romauld Ferreira advised residents of Pinder’s Point and Lewis Yard to consider civil litigation as an avenue to have their matters heard.

He stated that they could achieve environmental justice through the Environmental Health Services Act 1987, or seek damages for personal injury through the common law.

“The crux of any assignment of liability lies in causation,” said Minister Ferreira, who is an attorney by profession. “The common law can assist, I know because I had litigated many times before I became a politician.

“These avenues you can take to have your matters heard; to do that you need evidence. This is why the experts are here; so this is an opportunity to gather the necessary evidence you need to bolster whatever it is you intend to do,” he said.

His advice, however, did not go down well with many residents that turned out at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Thursday evening. The residents living in settlements near the industrial plants want the government to assist with their relocation.

Rev Michael Pinder, 72, told the minister that the meeting was a waste of time and that they were tired of successive governments telling them the same thing over and over.

He claims that there has been more than enough evidence presented to successive governments which have done nothing over the past 30 years to help residents.

“I came here reluctantly,” he said. “What more evidence; what more do you need?” he asked Minister Ferreira. “I have lived here for 72 years, and we are still here, still suffering,”

Industrial pollution has been an ongoing issue for more than 30 years in the Pinder’s Point/Lewis Yard area, and other surrounding communities such as Hawksbill, Seaco Town, Hunters and Mack Town.

Minister Romauld Ferreira speaks with the family of Salathiel, 11, who lives near the industrial plant. Salathiel went blind in one eye and is losing sight in the other eye after reportedly playing with foam from a nearby industrial plant.

Over the past three decades, three schools have been relocated, and there have been numerous complaints about the high incidents of cancer and cancer-related deaths among residents as well as asthma and eye and skin irritations.

Rev Pinder stated that residents are being fed “false hope and empty promises” by the minister.

“We are looked at as fools listening to the same rhetoric over and over again,” he said. “I am tired; I had enough. I am going to be content with my God and the rest of the life He gives me . . . with no expectation from this government or any other government.”

Former Ambassador Maurice Moore, 78, of Pinder’s Point, said that the only solution to the problem facing residents is relocation.

“We have been at this for a very long time when I was a minister. We have a serious problem – a life and death problem; I went through it,” said the former cabinet minister who had announced that he too was battling prostate cancer.

“What we need to focus on is a programme to relocate the people who live near the industrial plants,” he said.

Mr Moore said the government has to take the lead, sit down with the industrial plants and the Grand Bahama Port Authority “and figure out the best way they can move the people out of the affected settlements.”

He recalled that discussions were held a long time ago with all the parties about possibly moving residents at the cost of about $400 million, but claims that the plan fell through after the sale of BORCO.

Minister Ferreira stated that the relocation of residents was not something he could approve on his own and that such a decision would need Cabinet approval.

“A decision to move the residents is not one I can make in and of myself. I do not have the authority to do that. It is a Cabinet decision," he explained.

He added: “We have a situation where people have experienced things that have caused them to experience great anxiety and sufferation they have attributed to the proximity they live to these operations, but none of it has been tested in the court of law. None of you have litigated any of this. You have no judgments, no writs, no court orders.”

He said that the Minnis administration would make all the reports and studies available to facilitate them.

The minister also noted that the primary environment legislation, the Environmental Health Services Act, is available online that speaks to discharges.

He said the ministry is working towards the implementation of an Environmental Protection Act. “This is the signature legislation for the environment we want to have,” he said.

Berthram Pinder, president of the Grand Bahama Environmental Association, told Minister Fereirra that the association and residents would look at commencing legal action against the government, and continue with their demonstrations and protests.

Shuffel Hepburn, a GBEA executive, highlighted various health issues of the residents, including young Salathiel, 11, who is blind in one eye and losing sight in the other eye after reportedly playing with foam from a nearby plant.

Salathiel’s family told Minister Ferreira that his doctors had advised them to leave to their home in Pinder’s Points in a couple of days to prevent further worsening of his condition.

“We have to leave our home and have nowhere to go, we have no money to get a place in Freeport, can the government assist us?” they asked Minister Ferreira.

Mr Hepburn said the meeting was a big disappointment. “I figured that they would come with something of substance tonight. The minister promised he would present something to the Cabinet, and brought nothing of substance to residents."

Mr Hepburn said that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis needs to come and meet with the residents.

“This a huge problem, and if you lined up the people who have died in this community, it would stretch the length of these communities from east to west – that is what hurts us,” he said.

"The industry and the Grand Bahama Port Authority need to be pressured by the government to do justice to these residents.

“The residents are hurting and for the minister to come and say that the residents ought to individually seek legal action - where are they going to get the money from because whatever money they have is spent on medical bills?” he said.

“The Prime Minister needs to come and show residents he cares about their concerns. He met with the industrial plants, but he has not met with the residents. The industrial plants did not vote for him; the residents did,” Mr Hepburn said.

Accompanying Minister Ferreira were Christopher Wright, of the Department of Forestry; Anthony Ryan, of Environmental Monitoring and Risk Assessment Division at the Department of Environmental Health Services; Berth McPhee, head of DEHS in Grand Bahama; and Ms Ferguson, an environmental officer in the Ministry of the Environment.

Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson, Iram Lewis, MP for Central Grand Bahama and parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works; and Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe, MP for West Grand Bahama and Bimini and parliamentary secretary for communications in OPM also attended.

Socrates 5 years, 10 months ago

minister is correct. if citizens have a gripe, you go to court and insist on your rights and/or damages as provided by law. The role of government in these things is to amend laws as needed where deficiencies are identified but not addressed in the law. Thats why you have 3 branches of gov't in a democracy, the Executive, the legislature and the judiciary.. you dont need to beg for everything.

sheeprunner12 5 years, 10 months ago

Indeed ....... but typical Grand Bahamians ...... belly-aching and looking for more handouts from the GBPA......... Why stay there and die??????

Sue via class action lawsuit on behalf of ALL of the residents of these at-risk settlements ....... Sue the Port, pollution causers, Govt etc.based on existing evidence and laws ........... At least it will set a precedent for future.

observer2 5 years, 10 months ago

Dear Socrates and Sheeprunner, please have a little empathy for the people of Pinders and Lewis Yard. For almost 100 years they have been exploited.

First by the GBPA, back in the day they could not stay in Freeport after dark. They were shut out of the good jobs given to foreigners.

Next by the oil companies placed right next to their homes. Polluting the air and water table.

Then by Goombay summer and now Carnival and the corruption of the PLP. Corrupting their moral fiber. Unwed teenage mothers having babies for multiple fathers. 1 in 50 now have aids.

Then by drugs during the drug trafficking 70's and 80's. While the government turned a blind eye.

Then by terrible schools. Average math grade is D-. Even the schools had to be moved from the settlement.

Followed by alcohol and now Bahamian made cigarettes...causing cancer and alcoholism.

Then by web shops on every corner taking what ever money is left.

Through out the years there have been devastating hurricanes. The people of Pinder's Point and Lewis Yard haven't recovered from the last 2 hurricanes. Many of the housed have not been rebuilt.

I encourage each Bahamian to go to Freeport and drive through this devasted area and see the blight for themselves. Then go to West End and see the blight of the water front. Essentially bars and webshops left standing.

Now Minister of the Environment Romauld Ferreira tells the residents to hire a QC at the cost of $1 million to fight the oil cartel???

There are no jobs in this settlement, there is no hope in this settlement, the government and big business have abandoned them.

The webshops, alcahol, cigarettes and oil industry are exploiting them.

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