Bascome-Emery On Gilbert Institute Closure

January 29, 2025 | 0 Comments

“The recent news that Gilbert Institute would be refurbished into a senior’s centre is a conflicting one,” Rayki Bascome-Emery — an Independent Candidate for Constituency 22 Paget East — said.

Late last year it was announced that Gilbert Institute is scheduled for closure, and the “government has decided to convert this site into a seniors’ care facility” and the Premier expanded on this topic during a recent press conference.

Mr. Bascome-Emery said, “The recent news that Gilbert Institute would be refurbished into a senior’s centre is a conflicting one. Whereas it is a good thing for the seniors, it spells the end of a school which has a legacy of over 75 years. Questions must be asked about this development.

“How can we continue to trust this government with renovation projects with the state of the grand Atlantic bleeding away taxpayers dollars by the day. Why is it being announced during this election cycle? Surely the Honourable Premier had planned this project long ago. This looks and feels very much like a sloppy vote grab, similar to keeping West End School open where the families, students and teachers were not consulted or considered in this decision.

“Going further it shows the weakness of our economy where a senior’s centre which would normally be the function of the private sector is now being managed by the Bermuda Government. Again, the Bermuda Government has decided to compete with current local businesses and potential local businesses. Making Bermuda a less attractive place to do business. What should have been done is a comprehensive review into the current market conditions to create a comparison between what we have currently and what we need for businesses like this to succeed.

“After boasting about tax breaks recently, I would assume the premier would extend those tax breaks to businesses that look to take care of our seniors. Subsiding cost on a per senior bases would have been much more cost effective and would have led to seniors getting the respect and care they deserve along with the growth of the economy that we do desperately need.

“I’d like to further suggest that this response coming from an independent candidate and the silence from the incumbent MP to be a damning indictment of the lack of representation for the people of constituency 22 Paget East. The incumbents lack of interest in the seat he chose to represent shows that the One Bermuda Alliance sees constituency 22 as a safe seat that cannot be touched and the idea that safe seats exist due to party alliance is dead. The people want and deserve more from their elected officials.

“In closing, I hope that the seniors of this country can see through this hollow attempt at vote grabbing and that the people of C22 use their voice on the 18th of February to find proper representation.”

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