Year: 2024

The Belize Government Lotteries Limited took over the lottery and Boledo in August 2023, and it’s been a year since they revamped the games. To celebrate this anniversary, they’re raffling off a million dollars just in time for Christmas! Prime Minister John Briceño shared that since the first revamped sale in November 2023, the government has raked in over five million dollars in profits, with total sales surpassing a hundred million dollars. He mentioned that these profits will go towards supporting sports and helping needy families.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“The balance sheet, and we are going to be making it public to everybody.  The balance sheet  is very strong with total assets of six point seven million dollars, made up of several assets, including equipment and software development. Please note that B.G.L. was funded through the Ministry of Investment with monies provided by the government of Belize. So all of us, all taxpayers, made an investment in this company. The Profit and Loss Statement reveals a total net income of five point eight million, which is as follows. The revenues between November and March were thirty-six point nine million. The cost of sales, the winnings were thirty-point-six percent. These are the winnings and commissions. Administrative expenses were five hundred thousand, which generated a net profit of five-point-eight percent. The financial audited statements, or the financial audit reveal a very healthy cash flow position at the end of March of 2024, with cash and cash equivalent balance of five million, five hundred and eighty-nine thousand, one hundred and fifteen dollars. The first audited financials of B.G.L represents a healthy statement of accounts of the government’s institution that now manages the government’s lotteries for and on behalf of all Belizeans. For the first time in history, we can report that for the first four months of sales, we believe Boledo is already benefiting the Belizean people with 5. 8 billion dollars. million dollars. Madam Speaker, the board or the management of B.G.L decided to do an unaudited financial report for twelve months. So, you could see how much we, how much we can make in a full year of operations for, from December 1st of 2023 through November 30th of 2024. And this report was presented to the management to the board of the government lunches limited BGL for the period of November. Well, when we, the first seal was on November 21st, 2023, right up to November 30th, 2024. BGL recorded a series of a hundred and eleven million, one hundred and sixty-four thousand, five hundred and eighty plus eighteen cents, which was for Boledo and lottery sales only.”

 

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Government of Belize has enlisted senior counsels Eamon Courtenay and Godfrey Smith to handle a case filed by the Belize Peace Movement. The case, which is before the High Court, concerns the long overdue redistricting exercise. When we caught up with the Prime Minister outside today’s House meeting, we asked him about these high-profile appointments.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We’re not going after them, we’re just defending ourselves.  We did not go after them, they are coming after us as a government and we have to defend ourselves.  This has been a long-drawn-out process, and we all recognize that something has to be done.  Unfortunately, the report that was given to us and it has been tabled in the house, it’s still in the house committee.  It would seem that they can’t come to an agreement and we can’t force them to do whatever it is that needs to be done, but we are waiting for that, but at the same time we have to defend ourselves.  In many instances we don’t give it attention and by the time we put in the proper attention it’s already too late.  So we want to ensure that we defend ourselves and to show to the Belizean people that we are trying as best as we possibly can to follow the law.  I must also remind you that the redistricting is not in the hands of the government, it’s in the hands of the Elections and Boundaries Commission.”

Later today, San Ignacio will celebrate the inauguration of a brand-new boardwalk and public space. You might remember that the groundbreaking took place just before the March 6th municipal elections. Since then, Area Representative Orlando Habet and the Belize Tourism Board have worked together to complete the project. However, Mayor Earl Trapp has voiced some concerns, noting that Town Hall was left out of the planning and execution process for the boardwalk and the adjoining marketplace.

 

Orlando Habet, Area Representative, Cayo Northeast

“I think it’s very disingenuous coming from the mayor, to say something like that because way back in February, we did inform him and he was against it. Matter of fact he went in the media and said that he was not informed and eventually he went back and said he had a meeting with minister Mahler saying that minister Mahler was supporting him. Something to that effect. Well after that we decided that we wanted to speak to him and he went out there with his architect and we looked at the area, we showed him the design. And he said fine, it looks good. Let’s do it. I think part of the problem that the mayor has is that he wants to be involved in the collection of the monies for the rent of the four little kiosk that we have but the rental of the kiosks will be put into a fund for the maintenance of the kiosks because the boardwalk is made out of lumbar and lumbar needs constant maintenance. Another thing is I think that he was hoping, and many of his followers were hoping that floods would have taken the boardwalk. Well it has now withstood maybe the second of the largest flood events that we have experienced in the last twenty-five or thirty years. And it is still there, it was covered many many feet above the roof. It is still there, it has been washed, it has been prepared, it is ready for inauguration. Again, very disingenuous because yesterday morning at about eight thirty, the mayor called me and told me that he wanted to speak to me about the management if the boardwalk. I said listen, I’m going to a meeting but as soon as I get out of it, in the afternoon or tomorrow, which is today, I will call you to explain to you what we are doing.”

 

Residents and business owners on Faber’s Road in Belize City are up in arms over the recent redlining of a section of the road. The new no-parking zone, stretching from Central American Boulevard to the Faber’s Road Police substation, has caused quite a stir. Business owners are worried that the inconvenience will drive away customers, while homeowners are left scrambling for parking spots. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Parking on Faber’s Road has become a nightmare for residents and business owners. Since last month, the stretch from Central American Boulevard to the police substation has been redlined, and those who used to park there are now getting ticketed. This change has left everyone scrambling for parking spots and feeling frustrated.

 

Allessia Santiago, Resident

“My daughter bring the vehicle every night when she come from work and she park ova soh and then da mawnin, she left. Police mi come last night and ih put ah ticket and like fifteen minutes afta dat, she mi di look weh fi move the vehicle cause she noh know weh paat fi move di vehicle. So ney come back and start ro halla atta ney and tell ney wa bring the vehicle fi haul it. Fi move it. Well my daughter no want that happened so we di try figure out weh fi do.”

 

Earlier this year, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner announced plans to redline the entire stretch up to Rio Grande Crescent. This move aims to tackle the issue of derelict vehicles cluttering the area.

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City (File: June 25^th, 2024)

“We are looking through our traffic committee and are putting together some sort of recommendation, where we will look at really redlining that entire stretch up to, I think Rio Grande Crescent.  But we will – we have done a study for all the residential homes along the Faber’s Road and in that study, our city planner found that there are spaces for people to park on the area that is owned by the city for most of the homes. So we are looking to pass a required S.I after the consultations with the residents in that area in the Faber’s Road area. But we are looking to redline that entire stretch right from the Boulevard. 

 

Residents point to the wide sidewalk as one of the problems. A few years ago, the road was reconstructed, limiting the amount of road space.

 

Voice of Faber’s Road Resident

“I think the problem started when we spent eight million on a street so thin, when we actually have enough space that we could have made this road much wider. And even the sidewalk to see the sidewalks is so wide that three people who can walk abreast. Having the sidewalks a foot thinner would have alleviate a lot of the problem that we’re having with vehicle passing each other. ”

 

Business owners are feeling the pinch, worried that the lack of parking will scare away their customers. One resident suggested a potential solution: allowing parking during specific time windows.

 

Voice of Faber’s Road Resident

“I da understand wa six to six but weh da si sense ah yo come give people ticet akl ten eleven da night. When people inna ney bed. Got big siren on di blow. Mek lotta npise the come knows pan your door fi give yo ticket.”

 

Faber’s Road was originally designed to ensure smooth movement for cargo trucks coming from the Port of Belize. However, with so many vehicles parked for long periods, it became increasingly hazardous for these trucks to navigate. The congestion also slowed down traffic flow. City Councilor Eluide Miller explained that, based on recommendations from the Traffic and Planning Departments, banning parking on the road was deemed the best solution to address these issues.

 

Eluide Miller, Traffic Management, Belize City Council

“I think we went as far as taking one of the residents to court because he was conducting a business of some sort along the stretch, which was causing issues. And the court delivered a judgment that he was failing to abate a public nuisance, right? And he was required to move those vehicles. He proceeded to move some of the vehicles. Months later, the vehicles came back, right? And so it’s not for a lack of efforts on the council’s end. We’ve tried everything in our power to not have to get to this point, but we have come to the realization that this is the only thing that will have them act in a way that is not inconveniencing the public. Our residents and all those who traverse the area on a daily basis. We have to prioritize your safety. We can’t sacrifice the masses for the sake of a few residents who insist on being inconsiderate and not abide by the law.”

 

The City Planning Unit carried out a study to assess how the redlining would affect residents and business owners. They meticulously analyzed each parcel to evaluate parking availability and impact.

 

Carla Patnett, City Planner

“Each one of the parcels were not a hundred percent, have a hundred percent occupancy, meaning that there is space on the private property for residents to park. Also along Faber’s Road, there is public reserve  in front of each one of the parcels. In different sectors of the stretch of Faber’s Road, there are different widths, but there is also space if the resident has more than one vehicle to park in their property and there’s an overflow, there’s public space where there’s there is that capacity.  And so we took photos from the front, from the side in order to, to evidence that there is sufficient parking and the residents are able to park inside the property.”

 

To address concerns from businesses about losing customers, the council has agreed to permit brief parking periods throughout the day. They also emphasized that any residents with additional concerns are welcome to reach out and discuss ways to improve the parking situation. Britney Gordon for News Five.