Crockwell: ‘Pleased To Pass Pink Beach Act’
Following the passing of the Pink Beach Concession Act, Transport & Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell said the facility will eventually employ 200 people, an increase of about 173 employees from what they have now.
Pink Beach went into receivership in 2011, and is set to be sold, with the Minister saying they hope the facility will be “re-opened in May 2014 and “at its full compliment in 2015.”
Minister Crockwell said it has been the Government’s focus to assist a developer in getting the “iconic property” redeveloped and “back into our inventory.”
“This is all in line with our promise to create jobs, to assist in the creation of jobs and to get new hotel developments in Bermuda,” said Minister Crockwell.
“We have gone from 5000 beds to 2500 beds, and we need to increase our beds so that we can bring more tourists here and clearly that would have a beneficial impact…”
The Minister also spoke about gaming, saying that Government is “still dealing with the gaming issue, we are trying to come up with the right model and the right approach and we have talked about a referendum.
“Many of the developers that are coming to us right now, are coming to us with that condition of having the capacity to have a casino on their property. People are looking for a guaranteed return on investment…
“I am very confident that once we resolve that issue, and if we resolve that issue where casino gaming is allowed in Bermuda I believe that we are going to see some developments starting next year.”
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- Pink Beach To Close On Aug 31, Reopen In 2014 | Bernews.com | August 21, 2013
Don’t you just love it when politicians conveniently fail to mention all the facts. For instance the fact that out of the 27 employed at pink beach most are foreign workers. When they take on the extra 173 positions it’s plain to see who will be given these jobs. Though I gotta hand it to oba, they are much mor convincing at the smoke & mirrors illusion than the plp were. Even if some of us don’t miss a trick they’re skilled enough to dupe the masses.
ya 173 more foreign workers, the $h*t ppl talk….u dont kno de facts either so shut ya mouth.
Funny I never had to open my mouth to type. If you want to argue about facts you, “kno” than please enlighten us on exact numbers since you must have them. Right?
Or… um… YOU could provide evidence of your claims.
I guess that’s not in the plans
Tommy – thanks for the info, but can you tell us exactly how many foreign workers are working at Pink Beach, and where you got that information.
My information is from observation but I didn’t mark down in a notebook exact numbers but it seems that dept. of immigration who is paid to do so doesn’t either so I don’t feel so bad that I didn’t get numbers for something that’s not my job.
So… you’re going to make claims based on… nothing, really… and then demand other people show you the numbers?
Ridiculous.
Yeah its pretty clear your job is to spread rumour and innuendo…based on well nothing.
I’m curious do you believe you are contributing, or is your purpose here to try and make people dumber?
And who was ‘duping the masses’ when those work permits were granted?
I wonder if they took the safe out before this Minister arrived to view the property. Nothing like practicing for the future when the hotels have casinos right Crockwell.
Chongjin, you have no clue.. Go up Pink Beach and count de foreigners…..
Maybe I will. How long do you think I can stay there counting till they tell me to get off the property & call the police if I don’t?
Excuse me officer, there’s a d!@khead on the property!
Well.. apparently you’ve been up there to count them before, so im sure you can do it again? no?
So an evening has gone by. How did the count go, Tommy? Did they spot you? Were you the guy who was walking around last night with a clipboard, saying “Aha!” whenever you saw a foreign-looking waiter?
Um…Pink Beach has about 35 employees; no more than 10 are foreign. Some of the Bermudian employees have been at Pink Beach for more than 30 years, while others have been there 10 years or more. Get your facts first, than point out the politicians failures.
Is, “about 35 employees; no more than 10” a solid fact? Just wondering because I’ve never known the word, “about” to be synonymous with the word, “exactly”
There are 8 foreigners and about 35 Bermudians (depending if you count the part-timers) is what I meant. They also help those looking for a second ‘hustle’.
Where is your “Exactly”?
A bit different than your statement earlier Tommy, when you said it was a “fact” that “out of the 27 employed most are foreign workers”. Oddly, you appear to have been talking complete rubbish. How unusual.
Do you even know what the meaning of the word “fact” is?
That’s everywhere and guess who let them all in. OBA only been in office 6 months and these people have been here a whole lot longer than that, so before you point fingers make sure you point it in the right direction.
I did point fingers at the plp when they were in government but they are not the government anymore. The reason they are not in is because like me people voted them in because they promised a change. I didn’t expect an immediate change but in six months I expected a slow move towards change. Instead I see movement in the same direction opposed to change & the promised plans of pre-elected oba still not put to practice. All plans that oba have set in motion so far are to assist foreigners even though its the same speech about them doing it for locals there has been no proof it is.
It’s not “the same direction”. The PLP was doing all it could to discourage business, which led to hotel and other business closures, which in turn caused unemployment. What we’re seeing now is the exact opposite.
Doing all it could to discourage business while granting these very businesses all these work permits that everyone is complaining about? Business had to of been good for all these companies to be pushing so hard for so many extra workers. All while also attracting the highest amount of new business to the island during their term as well as the highest domestic product & the lowest unemployment rate in Bermuda history??? The whole economies collapsed worldwide & somehow Bermuda was expected to be immune..
Tommy Chong: Please try not to be divisive, disruptive or cause dissension. You have presented rumors and lies as fact.
The article in the Gazette indicated that presently, Pink Beach employees 43 staff, 35 Bermudian and 8 foreigners. Of the 215 anticipated employees, 192 would be Bermudian and 23 foreign.
As a previous employee of that very beautiful facility, I know that there has always been a policy of hiring Bermudians first, and also of keeping as many of the staff as possible employed even during the slow season, doing painting, repairs and general refurbishment. They were a great establishment to work for.
Thank you OBA for making me want to live in my country again. Congradulations, you have accomplished so much in 6 months!!!
they really haven’t…but this one is commendable.
Please list these many accomplishments you speak of…. Many to which they claim has been in play much longer then they have been in power.
I actually applaud OBA for getting this project off the mark, but I do have slight concerns about the tax concessions on this project and the Princess projects. Regardless this shows investment and mobility in our tourism project which will hopefully lead to jobs and increased tourism numbers.
I do hope we can make some headway with the following ideas that have been floating around -
1. Boutique hotel/marina in St. George’s
2. Major hotel on the Club Med site in St. George’s
3. Par-la-ville Hotel
4. Sonesta Beach property
5. Ariel Sands property
6. Coral Beach property
Of your list I would love to see #1 or #2 started soon. The town needs it, especially #1 when the sailboats are in. #3 seems to be on again, off again. We have seen some positives from the group investing in #4. #5 and #6 looks a while away.
As the Pink Beach Club is receiving $6.5 million in tax concessions, will the public be provided with the identities of the investors behind the PBC Holdings company that is benefiting?
I’m happy to see this site redeveloped and the industry benefit, but I think the people should know who these concessions directly benefit, who the people are hiding behind the company name.
Let’s get this straight. Do you want to know the names of everybody that is given a tax concession in order to invest and create jobs for Bermudians, or just these particular ones?
I would have thought it was obvious I was advocating the former?
Any one who benefits from public monies (be it in receiving, contracts or in the form of concessions), I think should be subject to the ‘sunshine of public scrutiny’.
For the concessions relating to the Fairmont Hamilton we know the identities of the beneficiaries. We don’t know them in this case.
What about the names of shareholders other hotel, retail and restaurant businesses that receive tax concessions? Are they included? Do you want the names of all the shareholders of every entity that has received a tax concession? Because it might be a long list.
Going back how far? And for what reason? Purient interest? Is it the tax concessions that you’re trying to discourage, or the investment itself?
I’m trying to discourage corruption and conflicts of interest involving public monies.
How would your suggestion do that? There is already a register of interests for MPs sn’t there?
That covers solely the MPs themselves. It doesn’t cover their relatives, nor party donors (and we don’t have legislation to identify who those are yet either).
All I’m saying is that anyone benefiting from public monies or concessions (monies in kind) should be subject to public scrutiny.
I’m not really sure why this is apparently controversial to some.
Why would you object to a party donor, for example, receiving a tax concession on their retail payroll tax?
You know your interest in all this would have looked a lot more genuine Jonathan if you had ever mentioned it when the PLP were in power.
Um, I did…
Including having full disclosure of party donors, caps on political donations, a more radical and expansive version of PATI, etc.
Just because social media wasn’t as developed as it is now (with comment sections on the news sites too), doesn’t mean I was silent.
But let us see, what could be the potential problem of a party donor receiving preferential contracts/concessions from the government once their party is elected to power?
Hmmm…
I think the answer would be ‘corruption’?…
You know, that thing that the anti-PLPers kept going on about, the ‘friends and family plan’.
Or was that only a problem when/if it happened under the PLP? Under the OBA the same thing if fine and dandy?
I have to go with JS on this. The list may very well be long.. but if you receive money or exemption from paying money, then you should be made public.
We have a previous govt that was accused often of corruption… to disclose names who are receiving these benefits would go a long way to preventing this type of behaviour/appearance of behaviour.
Im not fussed if its retroactive.. but going forward is something that should be thought about.
So past import concessions on building materials, for example, for large well-connected building contractors, can now be forgotten, as long as we get full information about who owns shares in companies willing to build hotels and employ Bermudians?
Stop warbling Starling.
who is suffering the most?
wake up brothers
the referendum on gambling will make or break this venture
my money is on break
Public Access to information legislation, proposed by both last and present government should put all this type of info. in the realm of public scrutiny. T
There will be costs involved, so it may take a while in the current financial climate……..
“This agreement is another indication of the continuing success of the Government and my Ministry’s efforts to drive new investment in the hospitality sector. As we continue to build our economic recovery, we are doubly pleased that the new hotel will open up the prospect of an estimated 600 new jobs in its construction and subsequent management.”
A quote from Wayne Furbert, May 15, 2012, when he announced the building of the St Regis Hotel in Hamilton.
So we’ve seen two hotels announced: the Pink Beach expansion, and the St Regis Hamilton. We will see which one happens, and which one doesn’t.
And then we will know whether either the PLP or the OBA can follow through on their announcements.