BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN aviation operators yesterday warned travellers to brace for an up to 10 percent hike in air fares due to surging fuel costs with these increases set to be introduced “uniformly” by all carriers to prevent “making a mess of the marketplace”.
Anthony Hamilton, president of the Bahamas Association of Air Transport Operators, told Tribune Business that the sector is forecasting an initial 55-60 percent jump in aviation fuel costs with local privately-owned carriers waiting for Bahamasair to increase its ticket prices before they follow suit with similar rises.
He explained that the industry’s “conventional practice” has been for all carriers to adjust air fares at the same time, and by similar magnitudes, so as to prevent price “gouging” by rogue operators seeking to exploit the situation and avoid “creating a stir” for an industry that works
Bahamian carriers in ‘uniform’ response to 55-60% fuel jump
Airline
Set to follow Bahamasair lead to avoid ‘marketplace mess’
Mulling whether to lobby Gov’t over VAT ‘waiver’ for fuel
on slim margins of just 2-3 percent.
And Mr Hamilton told this newspaper that Bahamian aviation is also mulling whether to “lobby” the Government for the temporary “waiver”, or elimination, of VAT on aviation fuel to relieve some of the increased cost burden for both carriers and the travelling publicmany of whom will have to “bite the bullet” and pay higher ticket prices for essential travel to and from the Family Islands. Aviation and jet fuel are among the oil-related ofshoots most impacted by hikes in global crude prices once they work
‘Dire straits’: Lucayan’s electricity cut-o again
BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Grand Lucayan’s electricity supply has been turned of for a second time, Tribune Business can reveal, with the resort now lacking both power and water due to unpaid billing arrears amid the wait for its sale to close.
their way fully through the supply chain. Oil prices, as measured by the Brent crude index, had yesterday increased by 38 percent since the Middle East confict broke out at end-February to around $100 barrel, and aviation industry insiders previously told Tribune Business that - if these costs double - aviation fuel typically troubles.
Mr Hamilton said that while Bahamasair has yet to increase its ticket prices, such a move is inevitable and only a matter of time, with the whole sector “looking at between a 55 percent to 60 percent” increase in fuel costs
as foreshadowed by the national fag carrier.
He added that all Bahamian airlines are set to follow its lead in not just increasing air fares but breaking fuel costs, charges and surcharges out as a separate line item on the ticket so passengers have transparency over how much extra the Middle East confict is costing them.
“It’s not the overall ticket; it’s the fuel portion of the ticket that is predicted to increase in the range of 55-60 percent,” Mr Hamilton told this newspaper. “We are going to wait for Bahamasair.
Gov’t pledges GB Power rates cut in half as FNM says no ‘rubber stamp’
BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A CABINET minister yesterday pledged that Grand Bahama’s electricity rates will be “transitioned” to tarifs that are almost half of what the island’s businesses and families currently pay despite Opposition assertions that Parliament is being asked to “rubber stamp” a $280m borrowing in the dark.
Jobeth Coleby-Davis, minister of transport and energy, told the House of Assembly that - should the Government successfully complete its proposed acquisition of Grand Bahama Power Company - the latter’s base rates will be reduced to the “uniform” tarif that Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) customers currently pay across The Bahamas. She spoke out as Prime Minister Philip Davis KC, and members of his administration, cited the prospect of lower electricity bills and costs for Grand Bahama residents and com- mercial enterprises as the main justifcation for seeking Parliament’s approval for the Government to guarantee $280 worth of borrowings that will both fnance its purchase of GB Power from Emera, the Canadian energy giant, and provide the utility with sufcient working capital post-acquisition for necessary improvements. However, Michael Pintard, the Opposition leader, accused the Government of efectively asking the House of Assembly to “sign a blank cheque without laying out the case” for acquiring GB Power, how the utility will
Well-placed sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, yesterday disclosed that Grand Bahama Power Company has disconnected electricity supply to the entire resort campus last Thursday. This has plunged it into darkness - especially at night - and exposed it to break-ins and theft.
Concord Wilshire, the Miami-based developer, has also missed its previous self-declared deadline to give a public update on the construction/demolition schedule and post-acquisition plans for the resort. This was supposed to have been revealed around one to two weeks ago, and little has been heard since, although sources familiar with the transaction with the Government yesterday suggested the deal had reached the point of completion.
Taxi drivers to push for temporary fare increase
BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business
Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN taxi drivers yesterday said they are seeking a meeting with government ofcials to press the case for a temporary fare increase to ofset the impact of anticipated fuel price increases due to the Middle East confict.
Tyrone Butler, the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union (BTCU) president, said it wants to meet with the Road Trafc Department’s controller, and even Jobeth Coleby-Davis, minister of energy and transport, early next week. He said while advocating for fare rises, he will also request the Government put a cap on gasoline prices.
“We've been talking to some of the members. They've expressed concern about it. So [we're] hoping to speak to the controller of Road Trafc so that we have an understanding that the fares that are being charged now, we can have some sort of understanding that taxi drivers should be able to adjust their fares, and
CLOSE - See Page B4 DRIVE - See Page B7
JOBETH COLEBYDAVIS
ANTHONY HAMILTON
Caribbean Boards too ‘slow’ to act on risks
A BAHAMIAN accountant yesterday warned that corporate Boards in this nation and across the Caribbean are too slow to act despite recognising “emerging risks” and challenges posed by developments such as artifcial intelligence (AI).
Kevin Cambridge, advisory and sustainability partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Bahamas, responding to the fndings of the frm’s third corporate governance survey, said: “Now in its third iteration,
our corporate governance survey highlights a widening gap between awareness and action across the region.
“While Boards recognise emerging risks and the growing importance of ESG (environmental, social and governance), progress remains slow in the areas that matter most. Inaction reinforces outdated norms and leaves organisations increasingly vulnerable to future challenges.”
PwC, which surveyed 154 public and private sector directors from The
Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago during late 2025 and early 2026, said the results showed that Board capacity “is under strain” with more directors - 47 percent as opposed to 43 percent in 2024 - spending less than 100 hours per year on company oversight.
“Boards are struggling to keep pace with the mounting complexity of strategic, operational and risk issues,” the accounting frm said. It added that two-thirds of directors have embedded ESG into corporate strategy, yet “overall ESG reporting has stalled despite mounting pressure from regulators, investors and customers”.
PwC said the survey had also identifed continuing concerns over Board under-performance, with 49 percent of directors believing at least one fellow Board member should be replaced. However, entrenched Board tenures, collegiality and lack of independent evaluation block progress.
The survey found that 80 percent of directors believe AI should be taken into account when developing company strategy, but less than half believe their Board has received enough education on AI or has suffcient skills to oversee it.
Other fndings include that only 6 percent of directors believe their Board spends enough time understanding the impact of AI, and just 9 percent believe they receive sufcient information to address associated risks, highlighting a signifcant oversight gap.
Directors also cited geopolitical instability as a major concern, with 42 percent reporting they are “very concerned” even before the start of the Middle East confict.
PwC described the fndings as “a wake-up call”, and added: “Boards must reinforce foundational governance to navigate relentless tech-
nological disruption, geopolitical instability, climate-driven threats and the sharp rise in stakeholder expectations.”
Ronaele DathorneBayrd, governance and sustainability leader at PwC East Caribbean, said: “In a rapidly-evolving landscape marked by AI, ESG imperatives and rising stakeholder expectations, Caribbean boards must urgently strengthen their governance foundations - embracing diversity, accountability and technological profciency - to build resilience and long-term value.
“This requires not only bold leadership but also a commitment to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge the status quo to ensure Boards remain ft for the future.”
Although AI will redefne strategy and competitiveness, many directors said Boards lack the time, skills and training needed for efective oversight. As boards face a wider range of increasingly complex issues, PwC said there is a growing need for proactive approaches that link strategy, data and collaboration to boost efective oversight. It added that Board diversity is also a major concern. Directors agree that greater diversity improves efciency, enhances risk management and brings more varied perspectives to decision-making. However, these positive views on diversity rarely lead to tangible changes, as few Boards have updated their composition or altered their selection criteria.
PwC said the number of Boards taking no action at all on diversity has increased since the previous survey, which risks leaving companies vulnerable to challenges.
“This year’s results make one thing clear: Recognition alone isn’t enough; Caribbean Boards must now convert awareness into action,” said Mr Cambridge.
KEVIN CAMBRIDGE RONAELE DATHORNE-BAYRD
Govt’s $34m Harbourside deal to reduce pressures for PMH
BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
A CABINET minister yesterday said the Davis administration plans to acquire Doctor’s Harbourside facility for $34m as part of a broader strategy to relieve overcrowding at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and expand public healthcare capacity.
Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, told the House of Assembly that the Davis administration is seeking parliamentary approval to guarantee the $34m expansion of an existing loan facility to fnance the purchase and move away from a lease-to-own arrangement.
“This amendment builds on the resolution previously approved by this House, which facilitated a $75m loan to support funding for the Freeport Health Campus, upgrades at PMH and the expansion of clinical services,” said Dr Darville.
“This additional commitment will allow the Public Hospitals Authority to expand hospital service space with a direct purchase from Doctors Hospital — Harbourside Medical Hospital.”
Dr Darville said the acquisition comes as PMH, The Bahamas’ main public hospital, continues to face severe capacity constraints driven by growing demand and long-standing structural issues.
“The truth of the matter is we have simply outgrown the Princess Margaret Hospital years ago,” said Dr Darville. “PMH continues to experience signifcant pressure from high patient volumes, sometimes three times its capacity, in an aging infrastructure.”
He added that the strain is being compounded by a rise in chronic non-communicable diseases and repeated emergency visits by patients who are not consistently managing their conditions.
Dr Darville said acquiring Harbourside will provide critical additional space to allow long-delayed renovations at PMH to proceed without disrupting care.
“This strategic move is part of the solution to expand public hospital
Minister hails housing and land regularisation moves
BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
A CABINET minister yesterday said the Government is moving to regularise unplanned communities and expand access to afordable land through House of Assembly resolutions targeting Pitt Road and housing opportunities in Exuma.
Keith Bell, minister of housing and urban renewal, described Pitt Road as a long-established community shaped by generations of Bahamians but one that developed without formal planning.
He said the resolution will bring the area under the control of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Renewal, allowing for
formalisation of land ownership and improvements to infrastructure.
“What we see at Pitt Road is not failure. What we see is resilience,” he said. “But resilience alone is not enough. It must now be supported by structure, planning and the protection of the law,” said Mr Bell.
“This is a deliberate step to regularise occupation, improve planning and ensure compliance with building standards,”
Mr Bell said issues such as access, drainage and fre safety will also be addressed. He described the initiative as a pilot programme that could be expanded to other communities facing similar challenges, where residents occupy land without formal title and infrastructure has lagged behind development.
Turning to Exuma, Mr Bell said the Government is seeking to address growing concerns about access to land amid rapid development on the island. “Exuma is on the move… everything is booming — new roads, new utilities, new opportunities,” said Mr Bell. “This government is ensuring that we do not leave any Bahamian behind.”
He added that a significant portion of land in Exuma is commonage land, which cannot be sold or mortgaged, limiting opportunities for ownership and fnancing. At the same time, rising demand and increasing land values are putting Exuma property out of reach for many Bahamians. “Families who live and work on that island are fnding it harder and harder
space and accommodate crucial renovations, including upgrades to the kitchen, children’s ward, eye wards and operating theatres, as well as the addition of a new dialysis unit,” he said.
Dr Darville acknowledged that attempting to renovate PMH while operating at full capacity has proven difcult. “Trying to simultaneously renovate and operate a facility is challenging and can result in long wait times, congestion and staf frustration,” he said.
Under the plan, Harbourside will function as an extension of PMH, particularly for urgent care services. The facility is expected to provide approximately 46 in-patient beds, including six dialysis chairs, along with
to access land that they can aford,” said Mr Bell. He said the resolutions will transfer two parcels of land in George Town, Exuma, to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Renewal for structured development.
Mr Bell said the goal is to create properly titled land that can be fnanced and developed by Bahamians. “Land that allows Bahamians to build, to own and to secure their future,” said Mr Bell.
He added that the initiative is part of a broader efort to ensure Bahamians beneft from economic growth on their islands. “It is about ensuring that, as Exuma grows, Bahamians grow with it,” said Mr Bell.
He said the resolutions refect the Davis administration’s wider approach to land reform, aimed at bringing clarity to ownership, improving planning and expanding access to opportunity across the country.
laboratory, pharmacy and diagnostic services.
Patients assessed at PMH as requiring urgent but non-critical care will be transferred to Harbourside, freeing up space and resources at the main hospital for emergency cases.
“This approach ensures patients receive timely and appropriate care while allowing PMH to focus its resources on critical cases,” said Dr Darville.
He added that patients will also be able to access Harbourside directly, improving overall access to healthcare services in New Providence and reducing congestion at PMH.
The acquisition is also expected to support the establishment of a Public Hospitals Authority training academy at the site,
aimed at strengthening the country’s healthcare workforce.
“Training remains an essential pillar of our healthcare transformation agenda,” said Dr Darville, noting that the facility will support education and partnerships with local and international institutions.
He said the move forms part of a broader plan to modernise the country’s healthcare system, including the construction of two new hospitals, while ensuring patient safety and continuity of care during the transition.
DR MICHAEL DARVILLE
KEITH BELL
Resort has no water supply in two months
Sceptics have increasingly begun to suggest that the Government is simply stringing it out, and keeping the Concord Wilshire deal alive, for election purposes and will then switch to alternatives if the Davis administration is re-elected to ofce. Both Phylicia Hanna-Woods, the Government’s investments director, and Latrae Rahming, the Prime Minister’s communications director, did not reply to Tribune Business messages seeking comment on the Grand Lucayan situation before press time last night.
However, this newspaper was told that Concord
Wilshire executives have been absent from the Grand Lucayan property for “almost two weeks”. It is understood that, up until then, they had been a fairly regular presence as the developer sought to determine whether, for instance, the long-closed Breaker’s Cay property should be torn down or if parts could be saved, and whether furniture, fxtures and equipment at the old Memories property should be auctioned of or given away.
“The only development is that the electricity is of,” one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business. “It was turned of last Thursday from the golf course
all the way over to Lighthouse Point. There’s no power at all at the property. The Government has made a commitment to pay a monthly amount, and did not meet this commitment, so the power has all been turned of.”
This means the 20-strong “skeleton” staf remaining at the Grand Lucayan, following the recent termination and severance payouts made to most of its 279 staf, are having to work in conditions where there is no running water, light or power after both utility providers - the Grand Bahama Utility Company for water - efectively pulled the plug. Water supply has not been restored after being cut-of
some two months ago for unpaid arrears.
“The staf are frightened, especially during the night hours,” one source familiar with the situation said. “No light, no water. The administrative people are working from home. During the night, which is the most critical time to secure the property, the security guards, 90 percent of whom are women, are frightened. Water has been of for two months now.
“It’s completely of. They was some semblance of water at the golf course and parking lot where the taxi stand used to be, and which was shared by the Grand Lucayan and Pelican Bay - there was a bathroom outside for the taxis. But in terms of the property itself, there’s absolutely no electricity, no water on the property at all from the golf course to Lighthouse Point. It’s a dire situation.”
Tribune Business previously reported that the Grand Lucayan owed some $17m in total payables and bills due to both Bahamian and international vendors and suppliers. Part of the reason the deal has taken so long to negotiate and close is that Concord Wilshire has been locked in talks with both Disney Cruise Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) cruise arm about both companies using parts of the Grand Lucayan property for water-based adventure parks for their passengers.
Concord Wilshire has always signalled that it will function as a master developer, entering into contracts with diferent operating partners to manage and run separate parts of its project. A Hilton-branded hotel will act as the revived Grand Lucayan’s anchor, while Tribune Business has previously reported that renowned Australian golfer, Greg Norman’s, company was being tapped to manage the upgraded golf courses. Other brand and operating partners will be
hired to oversee assets such as the diferent hotels, the casino and marina.
Tribune Business previously reported that the conveyances, transferring title and ownership of the Grand Lucayan from the Government’s special purpose vehicle (SPV), Lucayan Renewal Holdings, to Concord Wilshire’s own Bahamian-domiciled entity, were completed prior to the much-touted Heads of Agreement signing in May 2025.
It is also thought that the resort’s acquisition has been structured as a so-called “take-down purchase”, meaning the $120m sales price will be paid in installments by Concord Wilshire. As the developer demolishes each new part of the existing Grand Lucayan, a new portion of the purchase price will be paid to the Government. The $120m has not been paid yet, while the transition and hand-over to the developer has been a protracted afair.
This newspaper understands that there has been some reluctance by the Government to grant all the tax breaks and other investment incentives that the buyer is seeking. Concord Wilshire is thought to be arguing that it needs significant concessions given that it is trying to revive a stopover tourism market that sources say is “100 percent dead”, but the Government’s concern is understood to be that it would have to give the same tax breaks to other major investors such as Atlantis and Baha Mar, which have “most favoured nation” clauses in their own Heads of Agreement that state they are to be treated no less favourably than other resort investors. This newspaper was also told that Concord Wilshire had initially wanted to close the Grand Lucayan on September 19, 2025, to pave the way for demolition and construction activity to take place.
Executives from the prospective new owner communicated this to the resort’s management team one week earlier on September 12, and asked to meet with the rest of the workforce. However, although a staf meeting was arranged, this was aborted at the last minute after it became clear that - in the absence of the necessary government representatives - Concord Wilshire executives would be unable to answer numerous questions such as the issues relating to termination and severance pay.
And, while the Government was aware of the October 20th reservations halt, Tribune Business was told it moved too slowly in organising a human resources and fnancial team to start assessing what was due to Grand Lucayan workers in terms of severance pay, benefts and other outstanding sums ahead of the planned transition to Concord Wilshire.
The Government is thought to have been subsidising the Grand Lucayan’s operations by between $1.2m to $1.5m per month ever since it acquired the resort from CK Property Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa’s real estate arm, six-and-a-half years ago.
Some $17.882m was used for this purpose during the 2022-2023 Budget year and, during the frst nine months of the following fscal period, $16.632m out of the $17m allocated was spent on subsidising the Grand Lucayan.
A further $17m was estimated for the 20242025 fscal year, with some $15.888m already spent during the nine months to end-March 2025. This pace placed the resort on track to require a $21m-plus subsidy for the full 2024-2025 fscal year, meaning it would overshoot its Budget allocation by $4m.
DIR accounting for long established liquor stores
BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net
THE Department of Inland Revenue (DIR) has “taken into consideration” whether long-standing liquor merchants have been in place so long that they are now “part of the community”, ofcials said yesterday.
Retailers, bars and other vendors of alcoholic beverages have voiced concern over the industry’s new certifcation and licensing regime, which requires their establishments to be 700 feet or more away from schools and places of worship. They fear they will be forced to move or close their operations.
However, Department of Inland Revenue staf said they will not have to move if the community they serve raises no objections. Beaumont Todd, the agencys training and communications manager, said the new registration process requires a public consultation for businesses that are new or in close proximity to schools and churches.
The outcome, he added, will be considered when the tax agency determines
whether a liquor business will be allowed to continue to operate in its current location. Mr Todd said that, for some, they have become part of their community.
“So regarding the liquor licence, as you saw this morning, Mr Maycock was actually speaking about it, one of the processes is also making sure that persons are gazetted and put in the paper,” Mr Todd said.
“But a lot of the businesses that have already been in some of these neighbourhoods for a lot of time have already become a part of the community, so as long as the community themselves and persons don't have any objection to it, there's no reason for those businesses to stop operating unless it goes outside of the procedures that have been put in place.
“But that has been taken into consideration because lot of these businesses have become a part of their community for the number of years that they've actually been in place.”
While the industry is not opposed to the new liquor regulatory register, operators have not been pleased with the new procedures that have been put in place. They must now register with
the DIR through an online portal at a fee of $100 as well as co-operate with government agencies including the Department of Physical Planning, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Bahamas Agricultural Health and food Safety Authority (BAHFSA).
One liquor merchant, George Robinson Jr, proprietor of Base Road Wholesale Bar, recently told Tribune Business that BAHFSA’s inspection came as a surprise and cost him $50. Dr Patricia Johnson, the director for food safety and quality at BAHFSA, confrmed yesterday the agency must inspect liquor establishments. She clarifed that the inspection itself is free but the e-inspection online platform has a registration fee.
“In the Food Safety and Quality Act, it states in there that for any business, any food business that wants to operate in The Bahamas, they have to register with BAHFSA before applying for a Business Licence,” Dr Johnson said.
“…A liquor store is considered in the defnition for food, where it speaks to drinks also being a part of that defnition, including water. But drinks can
PM asserts GB Power deal driven by fairness
BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
THE Prime Minister yesterday said the Government’s plan to acquire Grand Bahama Power Company for $200m is aimed at correcting what he branded a long-standing inequity that has left the island’s residents paying signifcantly higher electricity costs than the rest of the country.
Philip Davis KC framed the move as a matter of fairness, saying MPs must decide “whether Grand Bahama remains trapped in a costly arrangement” or moves toward a more equitable national energy system.
“Every month, Grand Bahama residents and businesses open their power bills and feel the weight of a system that has left them paying more than people in
the rest of the country,” said Mr Davis. He pointed to data showing that residential customers in New Providence served by Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) pay a base rate of 11.95 cents per kilowatt hour for mid-range usage, compared to 22.87 cents in Grand Bahamanearly double. For higher usage, he said BPL charges 14.95 cents per kilowatt hour, while Grand Bahama customers pay 27.31 cents.
“A family in Grand Bahama can end up paying $50 to $60 more per month than a similar family in New Providence before fuel and other charges are even fully counted,” said Mr Davis. He argued that the disparity extends beyond base rates to additional fees, including reconnection and meter testing costs, which are also higher on Grand Bahama.
be any myriad of types of drinks. And so all these businesses, liquor stores, bars, wholesale places that sell drinks, water establishments, they all have to register with BAHFSA before they can apply for their for their licence.
“I wouldn't say the inspection has a fee. The registration process, the e-inspection online platform, has a registration component. That is the part that costs the fee; that has the fee attached to it. The inspection just comes subsequently to make sure that the businesses are in compliance with the basic food safety principles that we expect for them to have.”
Mr Robinson has accused some Government agencies of delaying the registration process and preventing some liquor stores from obtaining their Business Licence before the March 31 deadline. While Mr Robinson questioned whether liquor businesses would be granted an extension given the delay is no fault of theirs, Mr Todd said he could not give a defnite answer.
“This symposium is one of those ways that we are trying to make provision for persons if they do need
assistance by bringing a lot of the diferent agencies in one place and the diferent regulators that they actually need to be here,” he added.
“Because, over the course of the next two days, we're going to have a number of the regulators that a lot of those business persons need, so they will be able to come here if they need assistance in that regard, once it's somebody that's outside of the Department of Inland Revenue.”
Mr Todd said: “We can only operate based on the regulators. I know a lot of times persons believe it's us that actually set the rules when it comes to giving out the licences, but we just work alongside a lot of the diferent regulators at the end of the day. So if the regulators don't allow them... there's nothing that the Department can actually do. Now, we do work with the regulators to make sure that any of the clients that come in, we try to make the process as easy as possible for them, but we still can only operate by law. So if the regulators prevent them for whatever reason, then it's nothing that we can do until they got those approvals from the other regulators.”
The DIR, according to Mr Todd, has seen better compliance this year when it comes to Business Licence renewals and approvals. He said that, despite a few “hiccups” and delays, the agency have noticed more persons becoming comfortable with the system and they have “had persons working overtime to try to get these licences out for persons”.
“I always remind persons there are like 60,000-plus businesses that we basically, on a regular basis, go through at the end of the day,” he added. “So we're working as best as we can, as quickly as we can, to make sure we get these persons’ licensces to them because we know the deadline is right there.”
Speaking to real property tax, Mr Todd added: “I think we've seen a very good uptick in terms of the amount of persons when it comes to compliance. Because if you look at basically the budget of what was turned in last year to this year, there's been an increase in terms of the revenue that's been generated through the department. So I know that's a part of what comes from real property, as well as all of our collective eforts put together.”
Mr Davis said the Government’s proposed acquisition of GB Power Company from Emera is intended to create “one coherent national energy direction” and give Grand Bahama a pathway to more afordable electricity.
“Energy is the foundation of growth,” said Mr Davis. “Jobs sit on energy. Housing sits on energy. Investment sits on energy. Tourism sits on energy. When the cost of energy is too high, the cost of growth becomes too high.”
Mr Davis also highlighted infrastructure challenges in Grand Bahama, including reliance on diesel generation, aging equipment and the need for grid upgrades to support renewable
energy integration. “These are real issues. They require planning, fnancing and leadership,” he added. However, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has raised concerns about the proposed transaction, particularly its structure and fnancial risks. Mr Davis criticised Mr Pintard’s stance, accusing him of defending the status quo and failing to support meaningful change for Grand Bahama.
“If he opposes this resolution, then he should look the people of Grand Bahama in the eye and say plainly that he is prepared to leave them in that position,” said Mr Davis.
He argued that the debate ultimately comes down to whether Parliament is prepared to remove a long-standing burden on Grand Bahama residents or allow it to continue. “This administration chooses progress for Grand Bahama,” said Mr Davis.
PHILIP DAVIS KC
Bahamian creatives invited to the annual ‘Masterclass’
BAHAMIAN creatives have been invited to attend the Creative Edge Masterclass 2026 and connect with industry professionals across multiple disciplines.
The event, which will take place on Thursday, April 2, at the University of The Bahamas will bring together
dance, music, theatre, fashion, mixology, visual arts and interior design disciplines. It is due to start at 6.30pm. International dance facilitator, Natalie La Rose, a Dutch multi-platinum recording artist, dancer and global performer, will headline the event. Her
participation gives Bahamian creatives a chance to learn from a recognised talent with experience at a global level.
Bahamian industry professionals will also be present. They include Kedar Clarke from fashion; Lowree Tynes in interior
Cost Right launches new membership plan
COST Right has announced the launch of its new Platinum Membership to deliver greater value, convenience and rewards to its members.
design; Marv Cunningham from mixology; Preston Hanna in visual arts; Julien Believe and Shine 242 from music; and Dynamite Daisy in acting and theatre.
The Creative Edge Masterclass is an initiative supported by the Tourism Development Corporation
of The Bahamas (TDC) and the Creative Industry Tourism Council. Through the latter, the TDC works to strengthen and promote the integration of the creative industries within the tourism sector.
“This masterclass event is about creating access and opportunity,” Georgio Walkes, the TDC linkages manager, said. “We want creatives to feel empowered, inspired and equipped to take their passion to the next level.”
“This is our second year facilitating the Creative
Edge Masterclass, and it continues to be an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Petra Haven, executive member of the Creative Industry Tourism Council.
“It is truly wonderful to create opportunities for both aspiring and established creatives to have a platform where they can not only learn, but also engage, ask questions and gain real insight from experts who are actively working in their felds. That level of access is invaluable.”
“Our members are at the heart of everything we do,” said Renea Bastian, AML Foods’ vice-president
The wholesale chain, in a statement, said the initiative ofers enhanced feature for those who frequently shop wholesale and club packs for their home or business, allowing them to earn a rebate on all purchases.
of marketing and communications. “The platinum membership is perfect for anyone who buys in bulk for their home or business and want to get the most value out of every shop.”
Our company has been around gaming for over 30 years and pride ourselves on quality service and customer relationships. We are moving forward in the market and such are looking for quali ed, dedicated, people friendly customer services representatives.
Jarol Investments Limited is seeking to ll the following position: Accounts Clerk (Freeport)
Key Responsibilities:
· Maintain accurate accounting records by organizing and ling nancial documents.
· Count cash and reconcile daily totals with reports.
· Enter nancial data into the general ledger system.
· Prepare and verify daily bank deposits.
· Support inventory tracking and control e orts.
· Compile and review nancial and theoretical reports as needed.
· Prepare the daily cash collection report.
· Ensure con dentiality of nancial information and company data.
· Participate in relevant training or professional development opportunities.
· Contribute to departmental goals and organizational mission through timely and accurate work.
· Perform additional duties as assigned by the CFO.
Education & Experience Requirements:
· Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related eld. Equivalent relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of formal education.
· Pro ciency in QuickBooks and Microso# O$ce Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) is essential.
· Must be a dependable and collaborative team player.
Interested persons should email their resume to careers@chancesgames.com.
Subject: Accounts Clerk – Your Name or visit our Head O$ce on #13 Ruthaven Plaza, Logwood Road (across from e $2 Dollar Store) between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jarol Investments, Ltd. T/A Chances Games
Our company has been around gaming for over 30 years and pride ourselves on quality service and customer relationships. We are moving forward in the market and such are looking for quali ed, dedicated, people friendly customer services representatives.
Jarol Investments Limited is seeking to ll the following position: Island Manager (Abaco)
Duties include, but not limited to:
· Overseeing adherence to company policies and procedures by employees.
· Auditing cashiers work to ensure e ciency.
· Maintain a safe and secure working environment for customers and sta#
· Maintaining con dentiality of sensitive data.
· Evaluating, assessing and managing the performance of each employee.
· Ensuring that the opening and closing of shops in a timely manner.
· Ensure safe keeping of company funds.
· Overseeing the selection and recruitment of new employees
Education & Experience Requirements:
· Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, or a related eld. Equivalent relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of formal education.
· Pro ciency and Microso$ O ce Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) is essential.
Interested persons should email their resume to careers@chancesgames. com. Subject: Island Manager (Abaco) – Your Name or visit our Head O ce on #13 Ruthaven Plaza, Logwood Road (across from e $2 Dollar Store) between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
BOARDS - from page B2
To improve governance, PwC recommended empowering individual directors and Board chairs through continuous learning, mentoring and strong leadership that fosters inclusivity and accountability.
To drive performance and accountability, it urged companies to focus on targeted recruitment, honest Board assessments and ongoing education, while encouraging directors to become familiar with technology and its impact using AI insights to ensure they understand technology risks and opportunities.
PwC also urged Boards to “broaden recruitment beyond traditional pools to enhance Board diversity and attract fresh perspectives”, and increase transparency and reporting on ESG to meet growing stakeholder and workforce expectations and support regional resilience.
Our company has been around gaming for over 30 years and pride ourselves on quality service and customer relationships. We are moving forward in the market and such are looking for quali ed, dedicated, people friendly customer services representatives.
Jarol Investments Limited is seeking to ll the following position: Island Manager (Exuma)
Duties include, but not limited to:
· Overseeing adherence to company policies and procedures by employees.
Auditing cashiers work to ensure e ciency.
Maintain a safe and secure working environment for customers and sta#
· Maintaining con dentiality of sensitive data.
Evaluating, assessing and managing the performance of each employee.
Ensuring that the opening and closing of shops in a timely manner.
Ensure safe keeping of company funds.
Overseeing the selection and recruitment of new employees
Education & Experience Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree Business Administration, or a related eld. Equivalent relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of formal education.
· Pro ciency and Microso$ O ce Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) is essential.
Interested persons should email their resume to careers@chancesgames. com. Subject: Island Manager (Exuma) – Your Name or visit our Head O ce on #13 Ruthaven Plaza, Logwood Road (across from e $2 Dollar Store) between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jarol Investments, Ltd. T/A Chances Games
Private aviation visitors also set to feel fuel cost impacts
Once Bahamasair implements, we’ll implement that simultaneously. We have a balanced response from the sector, otherwise it creates a stir, and to avoid gouging.
“Normally, fuel jumps in cents, but this is dollars: It’s about $2 per gallon. What that translates into.. it translates to about an 8-10 percent increase in the overall ticket price because of the fuel component increasing 55-60 percent. Overall, it’s an 8-10 percent increase in the cost of tickets.”
Mr Hamilton said the Bahamian aviation industry’s “conventional practice” has been to respond collectively to fuel-related cost and infationary pressures, with carriers increasing prices by similar amounts at the same time, “otherwise it makes a mess of the marketplace”.
Voicing hope that the disruption and oil price volatility from Iran’s confict with the US and Israel will be temporary, he added: “The best we can do is respond rather than reacting, and that’s what we’re setting out to do. The other thing for consideration is potentially lobbying the Government to hold VAT with regard to fuel.”
Mr Hamilton disclosed that the Bahamian aviation industry may initially seek VAT’s temporary elimination on aviation fuel as opposed to simply capping it at existing levels. “If we can get relief in that regard it will be welcome,” he said. “Drop the VAT. The frst option is waiving the VAT on the fuel portion of the ticket. The ideal situation is to waive it.
“When you consider domestic travel, in particular, and the burden on citizens, we’d rather not have it. The state should carry it by eliminating the
Union chief also wants gasoline price cap talk
DRIVE - from page B1
we can perhaps agree on a fxed amount,” he said.
“But, more importantly, I would like to ask the Government to perhaps put a cap - as it was suggested, I think, by a member of parliament [Senator Darren Henfeld] prior - maybe put a cap on the price [of fuel] because the Government controls a lot of the taxes on the fuel. So government should be able to maybe cap the gas prices at a certain amount. But it is a big concern right now. As early as next week, we’re going to make a push to speak with the controller of Road Trafc and possibly the minister.”
Mr Butler argued that, as entrepreneurs and businessmen, taxi drivers have the right to pass additional costs on to their customers to maintain their proft margins and livelihoods if these costs cannot be easily absorbed.
“We’re going to have some discussions and see if it’s a possibility because fares are generated by the Government”, he added.
“So we are looking to see if there’s any way they could put in some temporary measures... I mean, at the end of the day, the drivers wouldn’t be out of character if they would have just add on, because they are business persons.
“And any time your business incurs additional cost, usually that’s passed on to the customer. So it would be expected that a driver can adjust his price. We don’t expect them to be crazy about it, but it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for them to just temporarily add some additional cost.
“The fares for the frst one or two persons to Paradise Island can cost the average passenger somewhere in the neighbourhood of $48 to $50, $52. When you add in the bridge toll, and this is just the fat
rate without any additional charges like luggage and stuf. So it could be even higher. But, we have to look at how that would impact that price, whether we could continue to operate at that rate, when the price of gas is almost gone up $1 [per gallon] right now since the war started. So it’s something to be concerned about.”
Bernard ‘Porky’ Dorsett, operator of Porky’s Rubis Service Station, in a recent interview with Tribune Business explained that gas prices are usually increased before or just as current stocks get low so operators can aford to purchase the next supply of incoming fuel. Both retail and wholesale margins, though, are price-controlled by the Government, with gasoline and diesel prices based on the landed cost of fuel.
“They put up the price of the fuel so they could buy the next load of fuel because if they sell what they get in the tank at that, ain’t no way they could buy the next load. So that’s why you see the prices going up. It ain’t that they got new fuel. They didn’t get new fuel. That’s the same old fuel. They got to raise the price, so when time to buy the new fuel, they have money to pay for it,” Mr Dorsett said.
“If fuel prices going up to $1, ain’t no use to still continue to sell the fuel at the price they have because they wouldn’t be able to aford to buy new fuel. So that’s basically what happens. So a lot of people are concerned about prices
VAT portion. We have to face this and, rather than sitting, we need to take action. We’re seeking to be responsive and proactive, and seek any solution appropriately with regard to it.”
Aviation operators yesterday told Tribune Business they had been informed that fuel prices are set to increase later this week. One added that fuel prices at Odyssey Aviation, the fxed base operator (FBO), had increased by almost 34 percent between pre-war January 2026 and the present, rising by $1.84 per gallon from $5.43 to $7.27 per gallon.
“Obviously rates will go up, and margins will get smaller, but every other country seems to be adjusting fuel taxes to mitigate it, yet I don’t ours will do anything,” one source said. “Our prices have gone up but we have not seen a reduction in demand yet.” They suggested that the impact from escalating
going up. But if they don’t put up the price now with what they have, ain’t no way they’re going to be able to buy new fuel.
“Fuel over $100 a barrel.
I don’t know when that’s going to afect us, when that will hit us, but the fact is we are seeing increases now for the fact that these oil companies are getting ready to be able to aford to buy new fuel. That’s why you see the
travel costs, and rising fuel prices, will likely be felt after the upcoming Easter holidays as many persons will have already booked tickets prior to the outbreak of Middle East hostilities.
Mr Hamilton, meanwhile, said Bahamian carriers have agreed to split out fuel costs as a separate ticket line item so that passengers can better understand what is occurring. “We’ve agreed to treat it as a separate line item so that it can be properly recognised for what it is; the impact is as a result of the fuel,” he added. “The changes will be refected in the price in terms of what’s happening in the marketplace. We’ll maintain consistency in the marketplace and not have too much variation that doesn’t disadvantage the public. We’ll be guided by that in terms of this uniform approach in light of the domestic market in particular. The thing is we are an archipelagic nation, so most
prices starting to moving already.”
Gas retailers have a proft margin of 76 cents per gallon of fuel, Mr Dorsett added. He added that VAT is another factor, and the higher the price of fuel, the higher the amount of VAT earned by the Government.
“Our fuel prices are based on what we buy from the suppliers,” Mr Dorsett said. “Whatever it is, they
people will have to bite the bullet. That’s why we have to be uniform in our approach so that there is no gouging in our marketplace response.”
Western Air previously told Tribune Business that air fares will “inevitably” increase after the carrier was told its fuel costs will quickly spike by more than 40 percent due to the Middle East confict’s impact on global oil prices. Domestic travel to and from the Family Islands, as well as tourism and air freight, all stand to be afected by this.
A veteran pilot and Bahamas fying ambassador yesterday warned that this nation’s lucrative private pilot and aviation market will not be immune from the fuel cost impact. Rick Gardner, director of CST Flight Services, which provides fight co-ordination and trip support services to the private aviation industry, told Tribune Business:
add the 10 percent VAT plus the cost of the margin. Our margin right now is 76 cents on every gallon of fuel.
“See, our only diference is the higher fuel go up, the higher the VAT go. So the higher fuel go up, the less money we make, because we only make 76 cents on a gallon of fuel based on whether its sold at $10 a gallon or sold at $2 a gallon
“The consensus is that it will trickle its way through.
“I think it will have an impact, but we don’t know how long this thing will last and how high the price of crude oil will go. How big an impact, I can’t tell you. People are going to start looking at the numbers. Jet fuel and aviation gas are already more expensive in The Bahamas than the US. The higher you raise the bar, the fewer that are willing to jump over it, but how many will be less willing, I don’t know.
“It will work its way through the system. A lot depends on how long the spike stays. People may be willing to absorb it if they have a trip planned to The Bahamas, but if it stays high they may not plan another trip. It’s a trickle down efect. When you are burning 150-200 gallons of fuel an hour it adds up fast.”
because we work on a fxed margin...
“If fuel prices drop, then our percentage is better. But as fuel starts to move our margins just continue to drop because we buying fuel at a higher cost. We have to sell it at the same 76 cents on a gallon. The only diference is the Government makes more money because the VAT goes up whatever the cost is.”
The Public Worker’s Co-operative Credit Union Limited announces that its 46th Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday, May 29th, 2026, at the National Training Agency beginning at 5 pm.
Applications are invited from members in good standing who may wish to run for the following vacant positions: Board of Directors (2 vacancies); Supervisory Committee (1 vacancy) and Credit Committee (1 vacancy).
Nominations forms are available at our Nassau and Freeport offces or by emailing sthompson@pwccul.com & edavis@pwccul.com
Completed Nomination forms, along with a cover letter and resume must be submitted by 5 pm on Friday, May 1st, 2026, either by delivering to any of our offces or via the emails listed. No nominations will be allowed from the foor.
Professional Engineers Board
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
REGISTER OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
AS OF February 1, 2026
The Professional Engineers Board hereby advises that the following persons are duly registered to practice professional engineering in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas with effect from 01 January 2026 with expiration on 31 December 2026. In accordance with section 11 (14) (b) of the Act. A current list of all registered engineers can be found at www. pebahamas.org
As stipulated in Section 22 subsections (1) and (2) of the Professional Engineers Act, no person shall undertake the practice of professional engineering without being registered, and no person not being a registered engineer shall present himself as being a Professional Engineer. Any person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) of this section is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fne of one thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term of six months or to both such fne and imprisonment.
be operated and managed, and how it will be commercially viable and not become another BPL that burdens taxpayers and the Public Treasury.
He argued that the Bahamian people “ought to know exactly what the Government is buying”, and questioned whether any deal with Emera involved just acquiring GB Power’s assets, such as power plants, sub-stations and the transmission and distribution network, or whether it involved the Davis administration also assuming any liabilities such as existing debt and environmental clean-up.
Mrs Coleby-Davis swiftly intervened to cite the electricity cost savings that the Government has repeatedly touted as the main beneft of the deal for Grand Bahama households and businesses.
She compared the 17.5 cents per kilowatt hour (KWh) base rate that GB Power customers pay for the frst 200 KWh they consume to the zero that BPL subscribers pay in Nassau and the Family Islands.
The Prime Minister had previously asserted that GB Power customers pay
“almost double” the base rate tarifs faced by BPL customers. “Every month, Grand Bahama residents and businesses open their power bills and feel the weight of a system that has left them paying more than people in the rest of the country,” he argued. “The fgures are plain. For a residential customer using between 351 and 800 KWh, BPL charges a base rate of 11.95 cents per KWh. In Grand Bahama, the comparable base rate is 22.87 cents per KWh. Almost double. For usage above 800 KWh, BPL charges 14.95 cents. Grand Bahama Power charges 27.31 cents. Again, almost double.”
These were repeated by Mrs Coleby-Davis, although
the comparison between BPL and GB Power is not ‘apples to apples’ or ‘oranges to oranges’. While BPL is a state-owned utility, which can draw on Public Treasury and taxpayer support if requested, and tarifs are infuenced by social and political considerations as well as economic, GB Power lacks similar backing - other than from its owner - and, as a private entity, has to stand on its own feet and generate a proft to survive.
Nevertheless, Mrs Coleby-Davis argued: “The entire Bahamas except Grand Bahama is paying the base rate verifed and approved by URCA (Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority) and refected in the tarif implemented by BPL.” She was then corrected by Keith Bell, minister of housing and urban renewal, when she said “if” the Government completes the deal with Emera that the Canadian utility giant says has yet to close.
Changing this to “when”, Mrs Coleby-Davis said: “When the Government concludes this agreement to acquire GB Power, and that’s why we’re debating the resolution.. when the Government concludes, the
entire GB Power tarif rate will be transitioned to the uniform tarif rate being used throughout the rest of The Bahamas. This is what the industry terms the levelised cost of energy… We have a levelised cost of electricity throughout the rest of The Bahamas apart from Grand Bahama.”
The Government, though, did not explain whether reducing GB Power’s base tarif rates in line with those levied by BPL will enable it to remain proftable and generate sufcient revenues to cover its costs - labour, operations and maintenance - as well as infrastructure upgrades and investments. Ralph Hepburn, the Grand Bahama Chamber Commerce president, has already voiced concerns that consumers and businesses may end up having to subsidise this on “the back end” via higher taxes.
Mr Pintard yesterday asserted that the Government has “no plan” for GB Power given the relatively few details ofered about the acquisition and how the utility will operate should a deal be concluded. “The Government recognises its credibility is shot in Grand Bahama,” he argued. “These actions are a political exercise and theatrics to give the impression they are fghting for you.”
The Marco City MP, speaking to Tribune Business subsequently, also voiced suspicions that the Government is “acting as an agent for someone they already have a deal with” in seeking to acquire GB Power through its special purpose vehicle, Grand Bahama Energy Company Ltd. While he called no names, he is likely to have been referring to the FOCOL Holdings (Bahamas Utility Company) and Bahamas Grid Company/Island Grid/Pike combination that is spearheading energy reform in New Providence. “I would only say I would not be surprised if
the Government is acting as an agent for someone it already has a deal with,” the Opposition leader said.
And Mr Pintard also demanded that the Government “clarify” who has regulatory responsibility for overseeing its GB Power acquisition if it proceeds.
Two Supreme Court cases are already underway, the latter of which involves both GB Power and the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) challenging the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority’s (URCA) ability to regulate the power provider under the Electricity Act 2024.
GB Power and the GBPA are arguing that Freeport’s founding treaty, the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, gives the latter authority to regulate all utilities in Freeport - not URCA - by virtue of being superior to, and overriding, legislation passed by Parliament. However, that position may have been weakened by the recent GBPA arbitration ruling, which found that the Government (and, by extension URCA) does have regulatory authority in Freeport by virtue of the Electricity Act.
The Government will likely instruct GB Power to drop, and withdraw, from the URCA challenge if its acquisition is completed, thus leaving the GBPA to fght alone. Thus the GB Power purchase may set up another confrontation between the Government and GBPA, with Mr Pintard yesterday asserting that the Davis administration is efectively acting as “regulator, buyer and operator” in the deal. “There is no operational plan,” Mr Pintard argued yesterday of the Government’s GB Power ambitions. “If they are going to make any adjustments up or down in price, I don’t believe they have calculated the numbers. They are not in a position to say they will be able to absorb the rates they have in mind…. We are not convinced the rates they
claim are the rates people will ultimately pay.” While agreeing that GB Power needs to ofer reduced electricity rates and “better leadership”, Mr Pintard said the Opposition does not “see it getting progressively better under them” and asserted that “we cannot trust the Government’s projections”. He instead argued that a private sector group, preferably one that was Bahamian-led, should acquire GB Power after a competitive bidding process and the Government “fnd a diferent formula to manage the afairs of GB Power for the beneft of the Bahamian people”.
Speaking earlier in Parliament, Mr Pintard added: “I want to state clearly what this debate is and what it is not. This debate is not about whether Grand Bahamians deserve better electricity. They do. This debate is not about whether the energy situation on that island has been a burden on families and businesses for too long. It has.
“And this debate is not about whether the FNM supports meaningful reform of the energy sector in Grand Bahama. We do, without hesitation and without qualifcation.What this debate is about - the only question that matters today - is whether the deal before us is the right deal.
“Whether the numbers add up. Whether the risks have been disclosed. Whether the plan is sound. And whether this government has done the basic work that a transaction of this magnitude demands before asking Parliament to put the full faith and credit of the Bahamian Treasury behind it.” Should the deal go wrong, he warned that the Bahamian people, in their capacity as taxpayers, will likely be “on the hook” from increased debt and taxes that have to be paid.
MICHAEL PINTARD
TSA boss warns of airport shutdowns, but no deal yet on day 40 of Homeland Security funding ght
By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
THE Transportation Security Administration may have to shut down operations at some airports if the budget impasse drags on, the agency’s acting head said Wednesday, even as record wait time for travelers did little to end the standof over the funding fght in Congress.
The TSA’s Ha Nguyen McNeill described the mounting hardships facing unpaid airport workers — piling up bills and eviction notices, even plasma donations to make ends meet — and warned that lawmakers must ensure “this never happens again.”
“This is a dire situation,” she testifed at a House hearing, warning of potential airport closures. “At this point, we have to look at all options on the table. And that does require us to, at some point, make very difcult choices as to which airports we might try to keep open and which ones we might have to shut down as our callout rates increase.”
Yet on the 40th day of the standof involving the Department of Homeland Security, there was no easy way out in sight. Neither Republican senators, who made the latest ofer, nor Democrats, who countered by reiterating their demands for changes to President Donald Trump ‘s immigration enforcement operations, appeared closer to a compromise.
Trump, who initially appeared to have given his nod to the deal, has declined to lend it his full support or put his political weight behind making sure it is approved.
Top ofcials at agencies under the DHS umbrella spoke for more than threehours before the House Homeland Security Committee about the potential risks of security lapses unless the partial government shutdown comes to an end.
A deal teeters on collapse
DHS has gone without routine funding since mid-February. Democrats are insisting on changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations after the killings of
two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal ofcers during protests.
The latest GOP proposal would fund most of DHS except for the enforcement and removal operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have been central to the debate. The plan would provide money for other aspects of ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection.
While the ofer added some new restraints on immigration ofcers, including the use of body cameras, it excluded other policies that Democrats have demanded, such as requirements that federal agents wear identifcation and refrain from conducting raids around schools,
churches or other sensitive places.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said they needed to see real changes. “We’ve been talking about ICE reforms from day one,” he said.
Republican leaders said Democrats are putting the country at risk.
“They know this is crazy,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
But conservative Republicans also panned the proposal, demanding full funding for immigration operations
and skeptical of the promise from GOP leaders that they would address Trump’s proof-of-citizenship voting bill in a subsequent legislative package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said late Wednesday that if Democrats put a “more realistic ofer on the table, we’ll be back in business.”
Airport lines growas TSA workers endure hardships McNeill, the acting TSA administrator, told lawmakers that multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates and more than 480 transportation security ofcers have now quit during the shutdown.
She cited the growing fnancial strain on the TSA workforce.
“Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet, all while being expected to perform at the highest level when in uniform to protect the traveling public,” she said.
McNeil also said TSA ofcers working at the nation’s airports have experienced a more than 500% increase in the frequency of assaults since the shutdown began.
“This is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated,” McNeill said.
The top executive overseeing Houston’s airport said security lines that have travelers waiting four hours or more could get longer if the political impasse was not soon settled.
Lines that twist and turn across multiple foors at George Bush Intercontinental Airport have been the result of TSA only being able to staf one-third to one-half the usual number of checkpoint lines, said Jim Szczesniak, aviation director for Houston’s airport system.
Trump’s decision to send ICE agents to the airports risks infaming the situation, lawmakers have said. Video footage of federal ofcers detaining a crying woman at San Francisco International Airport drew outrage Monday from local ofcials, although it was unrelated to Trump’s order to deploy immigration ofcers.
FEMA also at risk
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund is “rapidly depleting,” Victoria Barton, a FEMA external afairs ofcial, told lawmakers.
ston.
Photo:David J. Phillip/AP
Parents see hope in back-to-back rulings that social media providers failed to protect young users
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWSORTH and PATRICK
AFTOORA-ORSAGOS
Associated Press
WALKER Montgomery was just 16 when someone pretending to be a teenage girl messaged him through Instagram and seduced him into cybersex.
Within hours he was dead. Caught up in a sextortion scheme, the Mississippi teen killed himself.
His father, Brian Montgomery, will never get over losing his son but he was among many parents celebrating this week as social media giant Meta lost two court cases where juries in diferent states ruled the platforms hook young users without concern for their well being.
Montgomery sees it as a reckoning.
"We're talking about the most fnancially sound business that the planet has
ever known. This will set an expectation," said Montgomery on Wednesday after juries in New Mexico and Los Angeles found social media providers failed to protect young users. And he isn't alone.
Other parents agree: There have been too few safeguards, and kids are sufering.
The frst blow came Tuesday when jurors in New Mexico sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — prioritized profts over safety and imposed a $375 million penalty.
Then on Wednesday, jurors in a separate case in Los Angeles found that Meta and Google-owned YouTube designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. The companies issued statements
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I EDITH LAFLEUR of Flamingo, Gardens, Nassau, The Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I MARIE JOSE CHARLES of Wood Street, Nassau, The Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I, ELZHANA NIKOLAEVA IVANOVA of Dun Reach Arawak Drive, Triana Shores, Harbour Island, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that ADRIAN ASHER LAWRENCE of #91 Sugar Apple Street, Pinewood Gardens, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE is hereby given that I, IVANETTE LAURISTON of 57 Bay Berry Lane, Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
vowing to explore their legal options, which includes appeals. The verdicts illustrate a growing shift in the public's perception of social media companies and their responsibilities in keeping young people safe on their platforms.
For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children's mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. This year, several state and federal court cases are heading to trial, and while the details may vary, they all seek to hold companies responsible for what happens on their platforms.
Montgomery, not a plaintif in either case, said the next step is legislation. "They've proven," he said of the social media
industry," that they can't regulate themselves."
He said his son — an athlete who loved the outdoors — went to bed happy before encountering a scammer from Nigeria.
"We didn't get to see him the next morning," the farmer and crop insurance salesman said, a picture of his son, taken during a duck hunting trip just months before his Dec. 1, 2022, death, displayed on his desk.
He is struck now by a mix of joy and sadness, knowing the change he sees coming is too late for his family. "Walker's not coming back," he said.
In Dedham, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston, Deb Schmill, understands all too well the messy mix of emotions the rulings bring. Her daughter, Becca Schmill, was 18 in September 2020 when she died of fentanyl poisoning
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I EDSIEM DANIEL of Darsham Place #4 Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I JENNIVA LEAH MASSILLON of Cowpen Road, Nassau, The Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I, VALERI BOYANOV TRITAKOV of Dun Reach Arawak Drive, Triana Shores, Harbour Island, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that EVENS MERTILIEN of Blue Hill Road, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I, NOUNE-MICHMA OLIBRICE of Pinewood Gardens, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
from drugs she purchased through a social media platform.
"That's the painful part of all of this," said Schmill, also not a plaintif in the lawsuits. "If this could have been done fve years ago, 10 years ago. Things would be so diferent."
Her daughter's overdose happened after the teen was sexually assaulted by someone she met online and then became a victim of revenge porn.
"She was a wonderful child, but she was just tortured," said her mother.
Like Montgomery, she has advocated for a bill aimed at protecting kids from the harms of social media, gaming sites and other online platforms. Called the Kids Online Safety Act, it has passed the U.S. Senate two years ago, but not the House.
With appeals and any settlement discussions, the
cases against social media companies could take years to resolve. And unlike in Europe and Australia, tech regulation in the United States is moving at a glacial pace.
"We know, the parents know better than anyone that when we are unable to hold the social media companies accountable, children die," she said. "And it's just absurd that this is happening in our country."
Parents less hard-hit by tragedy are also growing wary. As Charles Halley dropped his son of at an Alameda, California, school, he explained that the ffth-grader doesn't have a phone because of concerns that social media is harmful for kids.
"The divisiveness, the beauty standard, consumerism, just everything that's wrong with society kind of packaged up and marketed to kids," he said. He said parents are fed up and organizing in an efort to curtail the harms, although he isn't certain they can be stopped altogether.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that CARMELA JEAN WOODSIDE of P.O. Box GT2299 of #10 Hibiscus Street, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I JOSIACE EUGENE of Guana Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I, GHISLAINE VILBRUN of 233 Jansel Court, Freeport, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I JOHN WEEDENS OLIVER SR. of Johnson Road, New Providence, The Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I, CHARMAINE ANN BARRETT KING of P.O. Box FH-14322, Reeves Street, Fox Hill Road, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of March, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez push bill to impose AI data center moratorium
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
TWO high-profle progressive lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment.
The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is unlikely to advance in either the House or Senate, but it shows the deep concerns many progressives share about the growing impact of data centers and artifcial intelligence.
Communities across the country have seen a backlash against data centers over fears about rising electricity prices and concerns about pollution and water consumption. Opposition to rising power prices was also a key factor in Democratic wins last year in elections in states including Georgia, Virginia and New Jersey.
Although advances in artifcial intelligence are seen by President Donald Trump and other leaders as critical to the nation’s economic and national security, their growing energy needs
are threatening to overwhelm the power grid. Trump has sought to defect public concerns about AI, inviting major technology companies to the White House earlier this month to commit to developing their own power generation.
“They need some PR help because people think that if a data center goes in there, electricity prices are going to go up,” Trump said. Voters need far more than voluntary assurances
from “Big Tech oligarchs’’ as they confront “the most profound technological revolution in world history,” Sanders said Wednesday. Changes from AI and robotics will impact the U.S. economy and American democracy as well as “our privacy rights, our emotional well-being, our environment and even our very survival as human beings on this planet,” he said at a news conference at the Capitol, adding,
Canadian prime minister says Air Canada CEO’s English-only condolences lacked compassion
By ROB GILLIES Associated Press
CANADIAN Prime
Minister Mark Carney
said Wednesday that the Air Canada CEO’s English-only message of condolence after Sunday’s deadly crash in New York showed a lack of compassion and judgment and Quebec’s premier called on the airline executive to resign.
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is being summoned to testify at Parliament’s ofcial languages committee after he shared a four-minute condolence video online that only included two French words — “bonjour” and “merci.” Antoine Forest, one of the two pilots killed in the crash at LaGuardia Airport, was a French-speaking Quebecer. Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died when the Air Canada Jazz fight they were landing at LaGuardia collided with
a fre truck on the runway Sunday evening.
Canada’s largest airline is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, where French is the primary language. Rousseau has been criticized for not speaking French previously. He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles.
“We proudly live in a bilingual country. There are two ofcial languages here and Air Canada has a special responsibility whatever the situation to communicate whatever the situation in both ofcial languages,” Carney said.
“I am extremely disappointed by the message released by the CEO of Air Canada. It shows a lack of compassion, and we will be closely following his comments before the ofcial languages committee as well as the comments coming from the board of Air Canada.”
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Quebec’s identity has been contentious since the 1760s when the British completed their takeover of what was then called New France. Quebec is about 80% French-speaking.
Quebec Premier François Legault noted that when Rousseau was appointed
“Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts.”
A moratorium will give lawmakers, business leaders and others time to understand the risks of AI and data centers, protect working families and democracy and ensure the technology works for all Americans, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez said. U.S. electricity consumption hit a record high in 2024 and is expected to
president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to learn French.
“If he still doesn’t speak French today, it’s disrespectful to his employees and to his francophone customers, so yes, I think that if he doesn’t speak French, he should resign,” Legault said.
Federal Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said the Air Canada board should force him out.
“He should leave. He should acknowledge the fact that he doesn’t have the requisite respect for
keep rising as data centers continue to expand at a rapid pace. A typical AI-focused data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households.
Ocasio-Cortez said big tech companies are seeking “endless energy” and “are now so desperate to proft of the AI boom that they are racing to construct thousands of giant AI data centers and jacking up the utility costs of everyday Americans to pay for it.”
“Congress has a moral obligation to stand with the American people and stop Big Tech from ruining their communities,’’ she said.
Most lawmakers of both parties have rejected the idea of a moratorium.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said he agreed with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s warning that a moratorium on data centers amounts to waving a “surrender fag” to China. “I refuse to help hand the lead in AI to China,” Fetterman wrote on X.
The Data Center Coalition, an industry group, said data centers “power
Quebec society,” he said.
“There is a limit to the number of insults that one is supposed to stand.”
A spokesperson for Air Canada didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The Ofce of the Commissioner of Ofcial Languages has received hundreds of complaints about Rousseau’s video.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said many of the victims and their families are francophones and said Rousseau’s video lacked
modern life — from telehealth and digital classrooms to banking, air travel, fnancial transactions and online shopping.”
A moratorium “would limit internet capacity, slow critical services, eliminate hundreds of thousands of high-wage jobs, drain billions in local tax revenue and raise costs for American families and small businesses,” said Cy McNeill, the coalition’s senior director of federal afairs.
The White House said last week that Congress should “preempt state AI laws” that it views as too burdensome, laying out a broad framework for how it wants Congress to address concerns about AI without curbing growth or innovation in the sector.
The legislative blueprint outlines a half-dozen guiding principles for lawmakers, focusing on protecting children, preventing electricity costs from surging, respecting intellectual property rights, preventing censorship and educating Americans on using the technology.
empathy. “It is a question of moral leadership,” Joly said. Jason Kenney, a former Conservative Cabinet minister, said he would rather the CEO of Canada’s fagship carrier focus his scarce time on safety and reliability than language training. Carney said Canadian ofcials continue to work in close collaboration with their American counterparts to determine how this crash happened.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS I-Vt., left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., hold a news conference on the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Photo:J. Scott Applewhite/AP
PRIME Minister Mark Carney arrives to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Photo:Sean Kilpatrick/AP
