Premier: $21.8 Million In Additional Funding
The Supplementary Estimate of $21.8 million provides support for multiple areas including social support, security, infrastructure, education, community development, technology and more, including $11 million to support the recently negotiated salary agreement for hospital staff, Premier David Burt said.
Speaking in the House of Assembly on Friday [Dec 5] the Premier – who is also the Minister of Finance — said, “Earlier this morning I tabled Supplementary Estimate No. 1 for fiscal year 2025/26 [PDF] in this Honourable House.
“The package tabled earlier today totals $21.8 million and spans social support, safety and security, infrastructure, youth and education, community development, and the modernisation of public services.
“This package provides $11 million to the Ministry of Health to support the recently negotiated salary agreement for Bermuda Hospitals Board staff. This is the single largest investment in the supplementary estimate and it reflects the critical importance of ensuring that the nurses, clinicians, technicians, support teams and medical professionals who care for Bermuda’s residents every day are supported and appropriately compensated.
“Because of the successful execution of Bermuda’s economic recovery plan, and the choices this Government made to ensure our tax system was more fair, we delivered a budget surplus before a single dime of corporate income tax was collected.
“That is the very reason we can now make the additional investments set out in this Supplementary Estimate. This package strengthens healthcare, enhances safety, supports seniors and vulnerable families, expands education, improves community infrastructure, advances digital government and builds for the future.”
The Premier’s full statement follows below:
Mr Speaker, earlier this morning I tabled Supplementary Estimate No. 1 for fiscal year 2025/26 in this Honourable House.
Mr Speaker, this Government has remained steadfast in its approach. When we have the fiscal space to support Bermudians, we use it to improve lives, strengthen services, and build for the future. We have consistently reduced the tax burden for workers, while increasing investments in social services, community infrastructure, public safety, education, and digital transformation.
Because this Government has successfully executed Bermuda’s economic recovery plan while managing the public purse with care, and because our fiscal results continue to be better than projected, we are able, once again, to bring forward additional investments that will make a difference in the lives of Bermudians.
Next week in this Honourable House, I will present to Honourable members and the country our mid-year fiscal update, which will form part of next week’s debate. However, today I rise to outline the purpose of these additional investments and how they strengthen our ability to deliver on the commitments made to the people of Bermuda.
Mr Speaker, the package tabled earlier today totals $21.8 million and spans social support, safety and security, infrastructure, youth and education, community development, and the modernisation of public services.
Mr Speaker, I will begin with the largest item in this supplementary estimate. This package provides $11 million to the Ministry of Health to support the recently negotiated salary agreement for Bermuda Hospitals Board staff. This is the single largest investment in the supplementary estimate and it reflects the critical importance of ensuring that the nurses, clinicians, technicians, support teams and medical professionals who care for Bermuda’s residents every day are supported and appropriately compensated.
Mr Speaker, this supplementary estimate also continues our commitment to supporting seniors, children and vulnerable families. It includes additional funding for nursing homes and residential facilities, support for seniors and persons with disabilities, therapeutic services at the K. Margaret Carter Centre, expanded youth programmes, strengthened residential treatment services, and security upgrades within Child and Family Services. It also provides one million dollars to commence mental-health treatment support for public officers on GEHI. Capital investments include security enhancements at residential facilities, modernisation of the Brangman Home, and upgrades to the Eastern Zone Community Centre.
Mr Speaker, recent events underscore the importance of ensuring that Bermuda’s safety and security agencies have the resources they require. This supplementary estimate provides one million dollars to increase the number of police officers, strengthening frontline policing capacity. It also supports the acquisition of new police vehicles, maritime radar upgrades, and enhanced border-control scanners. Additional support for the Department of Corrections includes funding for psychologists to improve rehabilitation services.
Mr Speaker, as we look to the future, this Government continues to make strategic investments in technology, digital government and innovation. This supplementary estimate provides resources for digital transformation, cloud and mobile-security enhancements, device replacement, and upgrades that strengthen the security and resilience of Government systems. It provides funding for Bermuda’s digital finance initiatives as well as support for digital finance pilot projects. In addition, we are investing in youth online-safety education and advancing AI education initiatives to ensure that our children are prepared for a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
This package also expands educational opportunity. It provides additional scholarships and awards for Bermudian students and includes additional funding for IT equipment to support modern learning environments ensuring all students have access to devices to assist in their learning.
Mr Speaker, we are also investing in the quality of our public roads and community infrastructure. The supplementary estimate includes funding for an additional roadside landscaping crew to enhance maintenance of public parks and roadways, $500 thousand in additional community-club capital development grants to strengthen neighbourhood institutions, a Community Solar Pilot that advances our sustainability goals, and $2.4 million of additional affordable-housing investments through the Bermuda Housing Corporation. This $2.4 million is in addition to the record amount of funding invested in affordable housing over the past 3 years – which demonstrates the priority that this Government ascribes to increasing the supply of affordable housing in Bermuda.
Mr Speaker, this package also supports our cultural and tourism sectors. It includes funding to enhance Bermuda’s event portfolio and marketing efforts, helping sustain year-round activity and supporting our broader tourism strategy in advance of next year’s re-opening of the Fairmont Southampton.
Mr Speaker, this supplementary estimate reflects what this Government stands for. When the economy performs better than expected, when prudent management creates fiscal space, we do not hoard those gains. We invest them back into our people, our communities, our safety, our health system, and our future.
Because of the successful execution of Bermuda’s economic recovery plan, and the choices this Government made to ensure our tax system was more fair, we delivered a budget surplus before a single dime of corporate income tax was collected.
Mr Speaker, that is the very reason we can now make the additional investments set out in this Supplementary Estimate. This package strengthens healthcare, enhances safety, supports seniors and vulnerable families, expands education, improves community infrastructure, advances digital government and builds for the future. It continues a consistent record of delivery — a record that shows that this Government does not short-change Bermudians and remains focused on improving lives and expanding opportunity.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Guessing that the balanced budget that Burt was crowing about went out the window long ago. Oh well, maybe mext year. There is always next year. Meanwhile the debt grows and grows by the day.
“This package provides $11 million to the Ministry of Health to support the recently negotiated salary agreement for Bermuda Hospitals Board staff.”
Get real. Please do not insult our collective intelligence by presenting this as an “investment”, this is a COST (and a recurring one at that).
“…this supplementary estimate reflects what this Government stands for. When the economy performs better than expected, when prudent management creates fiscal space, we do not hoard those gains. We invest them back into our people, our communities, our safety, our health system, and our future.”
If that’s true, then the police would have received additional funding ages ago and all the potholes on our roads would have already been patched up.
Imagine having the gall to stand in the house of assembly and say these things with a straight face LOL. Burt’s single greatest strength is to selectively suspend visible reality and let a stream slip through his teeth to make it seem like doing the bare minimum is some gargantuan achievement.
“Because of the successful execution of Bermuda’s economic recovery plan …”
Is there any actual evidence that Bermuda’s economy is recovering?