Since the National Assembly Building was constructed in 1971, it has been the venue of the country’s parliamentary proceedings. But as the country grew over those years, so did the constituencies, which means that there are spacing issues. Aside from that, the building was in dire need of repairs. And the Government of Taiwan came through and provided the funding for the upgrade of the historic building. So, for the next twelve months, all House Meetings will be held at the George Price Center, while the necessary works are being carried out. Today, Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods called the media to the center to show us seating arrangements and how the temporary venue has been outfitted to carry out the proceedings. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
It was fifty-three years ago that this historic landmark, the National Assembly Building, was opened to conduct the people’s business. Now it has grown out of space and needs an urgent upgrade that will allow for the country’s most important business to be carried out there for at least a few more years.
Valerie Woods
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
“The National Assembly on Independence Hill was built and constructed and inaugurated in 1970. So we’re looking at 50 plus years without any major renovations. In addition to that, we’re looking at a national assembly legislature that has grown from when it was first inaugurated.”
Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods, says that the upgrade must include retrofitting that takes everyone’s needs into account.
Valerie Woods
“Not too long ago, there was a passage of the disabilities bill, which was made into law. And that was a very clear and glaring example that our legislature, even though it speaks to the House of Representatives, and it is the People’s House of Representatives, is simply not accessible. It’s not accessible by members of the public who have mobility issues, and quite frankly by members of Parliament, as well as staff who may have mobility issues, and media as well. So, that was also an urgent need to do that. It fosters inclusion as well.”
Over the next twelve months, the National Assembly Building will undergo major transformation to make it contemporary and necessary repairs to a leaky roof that deteriorated over time. But to get the work done, a temporary venue had to be identified where House Meetings can be held. Woods says the George Price Center for Peace and Development is that building. Even that venue had to be prepared to specificity for the business at hand.
Valerie Woods
“We worked with the board of the George Price. um, Center for Peace and Development and, uh, thanks to their accommodation and to the really the excellent work of the engineers, architects over at the, uh, Ministry of Infrastructure and Development and Housing, we are now able to hold a house meeting that will, a house, and of course, Senate meetings afterwards, that will be in a chamber that replicates that of the legislature, is functional, As for our Standing Orders.”
The only drawback to the current venue is that the space does not allow for a public gallery inside the building. So come Friday, when the first House Meeting will be held at the George Price Center, there will be no audience in attendance.
Valerie Woods
“The only option, quite frankly, to have persons present for the public gallery would be housing them under a tent outside with a big screen, but we’re, we’re taking this on a case-by-case basis. The House meeting tomorrow is our first real test run. We think we’ve done everything in the planning. We started as early as May. And with the, with the teamwork of the staff here, got it ready. And we think we’ve managed our anticipated glitches. But tomorrow will be our first test.”
The media has been assigned to a small seating area with chairs to carry the meetings live. When the renovated National Assembly Building is complete within the next year, it should have a more modern look, with improved acoustics and an overall improved working environment and accessibility for all. Marion Ali for News Five.
On September fifth, the Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow wrote to the Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods, asking her to remove two elected representatives from the U.D.P.’s side of the floor. The ongoing dispute between Barrow and the faction that calls itself Alliance for Democracy has been festering for quite some time and has reached new levels. It has gone before the House Speaker, where Barrow sought her intervention to remove his party colleagues from the house. But the speaker told reporters today that she cannot grant his request because it is not permitted under the Constitution.
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
“I responded and I laid it out based on the sections that the leader of opposition cited why the threshold was not met and therefore no such declaration will be made at the house meeting. One members of the House of Representatives. I have received no resignation that has been tendered to any of the party leaders regarding any of their members having resigned. A careful look at the Constitution, particularly at the sections cited, will demonstrate that the threshold has not been met, the criteria has not been met, and therefore I can’t – the Speaker is not in a position to make any such declaration.”
Reporter
“This idea of “constructively resigned” based on your knowledge of the Constitution, does this actually exist? Is this a legitimate term?”
Valerie Woods
“The terminology used, “constructively resigned” does not appear anywhere in the Constitution, but more importantly, what appears in the Constitution under the sections cited – that would be the [Section] 59, what appears there is a very clear indication of how a member makes an announcement or pronouncement or notification of his or her resignation and that has not occurred.”
It’s been almost a month since the third C.E.O. in the Ministry of Transport has demitted office. The last C.E.O., Doctor Gilroy Middleton, joined the ministry in January, but only remained there for seven months before resigning. Today, the Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson, assured us that there is no problem between him and his CEOs. To date, he has changed three chief executive officers. He explained that in the last case, it was simply a matter of Middleton getting a better job offer from the University of Belize.
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“Before the CEO left, we had a very good relationship. He came and said Minister, I think my passion is in teaching. I want to go back into the classroom. I said go back in the classroom.”
Reporter
“And do you know who will replace him?”
Rodwell Ferguson
“At the moment I have one person working temporary until the prime minister decides to give me a CEO.”
Belize’s Special Envoy for Women and Children, Rosanna Briceño, is participating in the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Ukraine to address child safety in families. The conference is hosted by the First Lady of Ukraine to bring together global leaders to discuss critical issues affecting families and children worldwide. The Special Envoy will be a key participant in a discussion that focuses on topics such as parenting challenges, government support for families, and mental health care for children. This dialogue aims to foster collaborative solutions and share best practices to enhance child safety and well-being across diverse contexts. While in attendance, the special envoy will participate in a UNICEF podcast session, visit a National Children’s Hospital that was severely impacted by recent missile attacks; and tour the newly established Child Rights Protection Center. The delegation will also be featured in a special cover photoshoot for ELLE Ukraine, dedicated to the Fourth Summit and soft power initiatives.
In the last decade, the name Shaun Gill has become one that is well-known to Belizeans for his accomplishments in track and field. For nearly twenty years, the thirty-one-year-old athlete worked his way up to becoming one of Belize’s biggest names in running, going on to represent the country twice at the Olympics. Since his early days, Gill has been an advocate for Belizean youths pursuing their dreams. Recently, Gill spoke out about the challenges athletes face in Belize, specifically when it comes to funding for facilities, equipment and transportation. Upon returning home from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gill announced his retirement, choosing instead to pursue a career in his other passion; engineering. In tonight’s edition of Belize on Reel, News Five’s Britney Gordon highlights some of the pivotal moments of Gill’s career and spoke with some of the coaches that aided Gill along the journey.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Imagine having the weight of the country on your back. Thousands of Belizeans depending on you to make your country shine. For Shaun Gill, he didn’t have to imagine. That was his reality. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gill gained international recognition for the pride, passion and patriotism he displayed while waving the Belizean standard as the country’s lone Olympian. But Shaun Gill has been a respected name in track and field for the country for about twenty years, wracking up medals in the Commonwealth Games and the Central American Games. He made his Olympic debut in 2022 in Tokyo.
Shaun Gill
Shaun Gill, Belizean Olympic Athlete (File: July 6th, 2021)
“It is heart-warming, because it is a dream. As athletes this is what we dream about. The Olympics is the biggest stage when it comes to all the sports, all the disciplines in the world. You know, swimming, track, canoeing, any sport you can think about right. And, this is really the highest stage you can be. And, as a kid growing up this was always the dream. Sometimes it felt like it never would have happened, but I just sticked to the sport. I’ve been in the sports ten fifteen years now and I guess the hard work the pay off now.”
Belize is one of many countries highly underrepresented at the Olympics. To increase diversity, the International Olympic Committee allows countries to send delegates who did not initially qualify to compete in select events. These are known as universality places. In 2021, Gill was selected as one of the athletes to receive a universality place. Gill’s Olympic career did not end there. In 2023, he received an Olympic scholarship which allowed him to finance his training and improve his skills in the hopes of competing at the 2024 Olympic Games. Coach Ryan Dall, who trained with him at Texas A & M University in Kingsville, says that Gill is a natural role model and leader to younger athletes.
Ryan Dall
Ryan Dall, Coach, Texas A & M University
“It was great working with Shaun. Very hard worker, a very coachable athlete. He always tried to listen to the coaches and do the things that we asked him to do. He was a very good leader for our team, especially as he got older. A lot of the younger athletes really looked up to him and went to him for advice and guidance and things not just about track, but just about life in general. When you have someone who’s been at the Olympics and thing and large international meets. The other athletes really respect that and want to learn from him and learn of his experiences as well. So it was great having him here. We’re definitely going to miss him.”
Being able to represent Belize at the Olympics was an exciting moment in Gill’s career but according to Dall, he celebrated his wins no matter how big or small.
Ryan Dall
“Him competing at two Olympics was certainly memorable. We got to see him on TV and everything like that. So it was very exciting to be able to do that. And then Shaun, there were several races. I remember one here at home that he ran. He had been, I think, stagnant in his progression for a little while. And then he ran. We had a home game, I think it was, and he ran a new personal best, and he was real excited about that. And obviously we were all excited for him.”
Shaun Gill
One of the challenges Gill faced in his career was the lack of resources in Belize. Sports continue to be severely underfunded, and the facilities remain in disrepair.
Shaun Gill (File: August 15th, 2024)
“It takes a lot. It’s going to take heavy investment from the sporting bodies here in Belize. Obviously, heavy investment from the government. We do need the fan support from our Belizeans. And aside from that, especially with track and field, we don’t necessarily have the facilities. So most people, not even just the Caribbean countries, but most people leave their country to find better environments for training. I mean, even some of the great world class athletes, they leave their country and go to Jamaica because they know that Jamaica is the Mecca for sprinting. So we kind of have to look at it and start doing the same.”
Still, Gill pushed on due to his love for the sport. The reality of the of the matter is that being a full-time athlete is difficult to accomplish in Belize, many resort to participating in sports as a hobby. Frederick Evans, a Belizean coach, has been training athletes since the 1960’s. He says that the terrible condition of the facilities is a contributing factor as to why track and field athletes do not thrive in Belize.
Frederick Evans
Frederick Evans, Belizean Coach
“Towards the end, Shaun came to Belize. He tried to train here, but this track is just about done. As soon as he did a little bit of running here, he started to have pain because the track is unresponsive. It’s like hard instead of give and take. So he had to limit whatever little bit he could do here. And he was supposed to go back to Houston, to Texas, to train with his coach. But there was, and I really don’t know what all this was about, but there was some kind of financial problem, which made him unable to go ahead and do that. And so, over a period of years, he had been one of our top athletes, and he really put in his time and effort. Unfortunately, circumstances over the last couple of years were a little bit against his attaining his real potential.”
Evans has trained with hundreds of athletes over his sixty-year career, and he remembers Gill as a zealous athlete.
Frederick Evans
“Shaun was dedicated and committed. Sprinters need to be aggressive to be successful, and he had that aggressive nature about him which in some cases led some people to not like him too much, but you’re not in this to make friends nor to make enemies as the case may be. He was very talented and I personally believe that he did not get to reach his true potential.”
While his professional career in track and field might be over, the love he embodies for his country continues to thrive. No matter what his next pursuit may be, Shaun will have the support of his country right there with him.
Shaun Gill
“Just want to say thank you for all the support around the globe, especially Belizeans at home and abroad. Everybody doesn’t know, but this was my last race. I’m retiring. This is the official announcement. Thank you all. It’s been about eighteen years, this was the last one and it’s a sad moment for me. I didn’t compete. I didn’t get, I didn’t get the performance I expected, but this was the last one. So thanks to everyone. This is my farewell tour. Most of my highlights came at the central American championships where we compete in the region. Back home at our nationals, I went to Texas A & M university, Kingsville for about four years at the college of engineering, those are the highlights of my career, and I’m very grateful.”
As we reported on Wednesday, three new e-buses have arrived in Belize. Those buses will be assigned to a company that is currently running a public transportation operation. Today the Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson told News Five that the company that qualifies for the routes will come right from among the existing pool of bus operators. This, he said, will ensure that there will be no additional competition.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“The first start was two E-buses in Belize City and then now three that will service the Western and the Northern Highway. If you notice we put out the bid, put out the tender and those who have interest will bid and then a committee will sit down and decide who is the best person to bid to get all the rounds because one company will manage the three buses at least for one year pilot project. We are getting the same operators to apply. And so it will be one of them that will be successful. And so they are already in the system. So we are not bringing anybody new to compete along with them.”
For yet another time, there’s a shortage of license stickers and license plates. Today the Minister of Transport said that they had received a press release in August informing them that they were in stock, but in just a month the stock was depleted. He did not shy away from taking blame and assured us that the problem should be fixed shortly.
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“As the minister responsible, I guess the buck stops at me. But ever since I tellmy staff, we must get the act together. So, you know, put a database in place. I’m asking them for the last year, let us have a minimum reorder level and a maximum reorder level so we reach two hundred, it’s time to reorder. Right now, I believe we are getting to that, to that milestone, and hopefully after September, there should be no more issue with license plates. As those four sets came in, they’re gone. I want to applaud the Belizean people, they want to do things the legal way, and they come and demand a license plate, and come and demand their stickers. But we are now almost over the hump, and we should be able to come back and sweep.”
Reporter
“Why has it taken this long?”
Rodwell Ferguson
“I’ll say it’s internal, and I hope that I got it fixed now.”
Five of Belize’s most popular tourist destinations today received compactor garbage trucks from the Belize Tourism Board to help them better manage their garbage collection efforts. The Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler handed over one of the units to Belmopan, Placencia, San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Hopkins. The ceremony took place in Belmopan, a city which itself has encountered problems with the only compactor truck they were using prior to today. News Five’s Marion Ali was present and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Tourism and clean destinations logically go together. If a city is dirty, it won’t be appealing to visitors. Today, the Belize Tourism Board endorsed that concept when it handed over new compactor garbage trucks to five of Belize’s top tourist destinations. Belmopan, being one of the recipients, is now able to better manage its garbage collection to meet a rapidly growing population. Mayor Pablo Cawich explained.
Pablo Cawich
Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan “As Belize continues to grow, maintaining clean, sustainable environments becomes increasingly important, not only for the health of our citizens but also to sustain the beauty of our country for residents and visitors alike. We understand that the critical role of tourism in our nation’s economy and keeping our cities clean is essential to making a positive impression on everyone who visits our beautiful country.”
San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia, three of Belize’s most favored tourist destinations, also received one of the compactor trucks and the representatives who were on hand to receive them spoke about their usefulness in helping to keep their part of the Jewel appealing to visitors.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South
“As everywhere in the country, you know, we do have a garbage problem, so it’s no secret about that. But the work that we’re doing, and working along with the Town Council and the Village Council, we’ve always had meetings and discussions about the problems of the garbage, which is always a problem and we have several meetings. Certainly these trucks, one for Caye Caulker, one for San Pedro, will be assisting a lot.”
Warren Garbutt
Warren Garbutt, Chairman, Placencia Village “The garbage truck that we have had been causing so much breaking down every minute. We were in desperate need of assistance with keeping our community clean for the fact that the collection rates were low in Placencia, operating costs were very high, the trucks breaking down all the time, we could not continue using them, and because of this, the poor sanitary conditions that our workers had to endure, we had no other choice but to seek help to get a proper garbage disposal system and truck.”
Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler believes that along with marketing Belize is the important issue of managing garbage. He lamented on the lack of civic pride by some Belizeans.
Anthony Mahler
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism “When we go out and sell Belize to the world it’s easy for us to talk about what we have. So I say you don’t have to go to Australia to experience great diving and reefs. You don’t have to go to Egypt to see temples. You don’t have to go anywhere. You don’t have to go to New York and any big metropolitan city to feel the different cultures. We have all of that and we have more caves, rivers, rainforest, etc., and the wealth of that is our people. But for some reason, we don’t have the civic pride that we should have as a nation. We just throw a piece of paper and we laugh and we tell the joke and I say this over and over that we go to Chetumal and hold the paper and then as you get back across to Corozal they throw it on the street and that must not continue.”
Police have formally charged 57-year-old Simeon Herrera, a businessman from the Cayo District, in connection with the collision that claimed the life of 19-year-old Tamisha Jeal and left her brother, Keenan Wragg, hospitalised.
The accident occurred on Sunday, September 8, at the intersection of the George Price Highway and Carillo Puerto Avenue.
Herrera was charged with multiple offences, including manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, failing to give way when changing direction, driving without due care and attention, operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license, and driving a vehicle not covered by third-party risk insurance.
Tamisha, who had just celebrated her 19th birthday, was an aspiring wildlife veterinarian who graduated at the top of her class from Galen University earlier this year. She and her brother were travelling on a motorcycle when the crash occurred. Despite Keenan’s attempts to shield his sister, both were thrown from the bike, and Tamisha succumbed to her injuries shortly after.
A sudden roof collapse at the Belize City Bus Terminal has sent Ana Moralez to the emergency room. Her husband, Filito Chanim, told News Five that a piece of falling cement struck her without warning.
Chanim explained that he, his wife, and his son-in-law were preparing to catch a bus back to Belmopan when a section of the terminal’s cement roof collapsed unexpectedly. The piece of cement struck Moralez on the shoulder and injured another woman.
Chanim said he did not initially realise the extent of Moralez’s injuries due to the shock. “I was terrorised; I was frightened,” Chanim stated. “I didn’t even realise it had fallen on her at first,” Chanim said, still shaken by the incident. He added, “I didn’t even know that the thing fell on her. Because I think the impact that she got at the moment, she didn’t react. She reacted a couple minutes after she realised that she got hurt. and that’s when she jumped and hugged me. And when she hugged me, she was falling.”
Following the collapse, people inside the terminal feared further pieces would fall.
When asked if any assistance was rendered by employees at the terminal, Chanim said, “No, there was none. There was a couple of employees sitting at the top, laughing. I don’t know what was funny.”
A taxi driver provided transportation to the hospital, where Moralez and the other injured woman are now being treated. Chanim, who is currently unemployed, is calling for those responsible for the terminal’s maintenance to address the situation and assist with the medical expenses.
