Comments on: Column: Wayne Scott On Airport Development

By: Build a Better Bermuda

Build a Better Bermuda — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 01:56:57 +0000

With the deficiencies that have to addressed, they can only really be sorted in the format of the final contract, so until it is finalized and reviewed by the independent reviewer and Foreign Office, there is little that can be said about them being addressed other than that they are being addressed.

By: Build a Better Bermuda

Build a Better Bermuda — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 01:53:29 +0000

There are so many assumed, misleading or false statements in your response, there simply isn’t the space to respond other than to say, research what is actually known, all of what is known and not just someone’s agenda fed snippets, and your statement falls flat.

By: Onion Juice

Onion Juice — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 22:19:59 +0000

A real House …….!!!!

By: Glowstick Tracker

Glowstick Tracker — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 17:20:12 +0000

If the Government took your advice we would have a hefty tax increase ( revenue) in all areas . Of course this one sided approach does not work as there has to be balance if not the side providing the tax disappears so the effect is no revenue.
Balance allows some revenue to be used to get bigger value for money.
$600M is nothing over thirty years – it would not pay the interest on the interest we owe. Just so you know we pay ten+ million a month ( A MONTH) on debt service.
So what do we get for $20M a year ?
We get a new airport maintained and run for 30 years.
We get jobs for Bermudians in construction and operations.
We get external funds entering the BDA economy via the construction of the project.
We get this with no additional debt burden.
There is no free lunch so yes the people risking THEIR money will get a reasonable return but their guarantor ( Canadian Government) will hold them accountable both in financial and reputational matters.

If you take the politics out of this it is the best deal we are going to get in decades. It is better controls then any project in the last 20 years in this country.

You get a glowstick award

By: Reality Check

Reality Check — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 16:48:45 +0000

It’simply amazing how politicians can go to extremes in order to justify the damnedest ideas. Listen to the Donald and you’ll hear that.

Here, this MP has seized on the single issue of avoiding cost over-runs as the justification for doing a project that is financially unaffordable, of doubtful necessity, and appears to be a scheme put together by a Canadian mega-corporation and sold to a small country bumpkin.

There was a 2006 ‘study’ on the airport. That ‘study’ never ever considered the question: “Is a new airport necessary?” Instead, that “study” led off with the ‘fact’ that “Bermuda needs a new airport.” No one ever explored the substantial issue of “what exactly does Bermuda need now, and in the reasonable future, from its airport.” No one, no one at all, asked or answered that question.

So here we are, some Bermuda politicians working their political butts off in order to make and justify a stupid, really stupid, big financial mistake. As if we haven’t made enough of those over the past ten years.

The singular flaw in this AECON deal, as proposed, is that the Government of Bermuda is working damned hard to give away thirty years of desperately needed Revenue. Revenue – not new builds – is this Government, and the next Government’s most pressing need.

Revenue! Revenue! Revenue!

For Heaven’s sake, somebody wake up and see that giving away over $600 million in future revenue is the wrongest thing to do.

Even as I write this, this Government is trying to borrow, yes borrow, another couple of hundred million just so it can get through to March next year. How do we know that? That’s what Parliament was told would be happening. Parliament and all the rest of us have were told, by the Minister himself, that Bermuda would be borrowing at least another $150 million in this financial year! And that’s after borrowing $800 million in 2013, and another $200 million in 2015, and now we’re lining up to borrow another $150 million in 2016.

And we’re fighting hard to give away revenue!!!!????****####

By: Les bermudes

Les bermudes — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 15:01:48 +0000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cKYK2q-c4M this is how it all went down.

By: clearasmud

clearasmud — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:01:51 +0000

Thank you Minister. Now can you provide for the people an update on the governments efforts to address all of the issues raised in the Deloitte report.