2024-08-16 - Channel 5 Belize

E-Bus Operation Could Bring about a Legal Battle

Saldivar argues that the e-buses are running the routes that the private operators have been running, and that his clients believe that the e-buses have been taking away the student customers who pay the same prices on the e-buses. This has created a challenge for the private entities to meet their loan payments, he said, and that his clients will have to do what they must, perhaps even taking the matter to court. That’s because the bus operators believe that all avenues to get an audience to discuss the matter have long been exhausted.

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for City Shuttle Ltd., Lopez Runs & Lemoth and Sons

“We are now left with a prospect of a major portion of the market being undermined and undercut by what the council is seeking to do outside of that, there was this commitment that the route the buses were going to be servicing would not have been overlapping those routes of the traditional private sector players that has not been the case. Their routes are being directly utilized and as a result of it, the economic viability in the medium term has become rather dubious because these, as you would appreciate private sector entities have financial commitments to the banks and other financial institutions that has to be serviced and servicing those debts.”

Marion Ali

“There is always an overcrowding of students. In the seats in the aisles, you can hardly get in. Is this really posing a competition, if there is a need for more buses out there to get the students in a safe manner to school and on time, is the electric bus really posing competition when I think there is a need for more bosses because of the overcrowding? I have no doubt that there is a need for more buses?”

Arthur Saldivar

“I have no doubt that there is a need for more buses, Marion, but where the competition is on a level playing field and those buses are being brought in under the same circumstance of what exists, there is no issue. But when your fuel, which in this case is electricity, for those buses are free. Your maintenance of street, the acquisition cost is nonexistent, but your prices are being made to undercut the prices presently established within the industry. That is unfair. Certainly, now the private sector operators will do what they need to do.”

Marion Ali

“What would that be?”

Arthur Saldivar

“Well, of course, they reserve our legal, their legal rights to seek and redress for what has been done.”

Controversy Within the Belize Athletics Association

The Belize Athletics Association is going through an internal dispute. The differences are between the membership of the B.A.A. and Executive Member, Gregory Meyers and President, Cojac Smith. Smith was just elected in April, but already there is a move afoot to trigger a vote of no-confidence against his presidency. He told us today that while the matter is really an internal one, he is not fazed by the plan to oust him. It all stemmed from an incident in which some athletes felt they were disrespected by Meyers and when they tried to have him sanctioned, they didn’t believe they got a favourable outcome. Along with that is the allegation that Smith is attempting to have an athlete who medaled in a recent competition abroad to be stripped of her medals and late this evening, this letter bearing today’s date, was addressed to the B.A.A. executives about the matter. It explains the alleged details and concerns that the author has over the issue, as well as a request for a resolution. It is an allegation that Smith has denied, saying that he is trying to get the exact opposite to happen. The president opined that the person who wrote the letter did so out of emotion for her relative. Whether he is right or not, this is one of the matters that will be dealt with at a Special General Assembly planned for September first. Today Smith told News Five that with respect to the dispute, he was simply following protocol.

Cojac Smith, President, Belize Athletics Association

“There were some allegations brought about In reference to one particular person executive and the matter was being dealt with in occurrence of the constitution and the general populace, I guess, are not happy with how the proceeding and how the matters have been dealt with so far. However, we do have a constitution that is binding and we’re following the constitution and in any matter, I mean, we all know legal terms are legal matters that there is due process for any situation that’s brought about to anyone. Thank you very much. And in that regards, the accusers must present themselves as well, and that is something that we do know of, as well as the matter has to be followed through whatever process it needs to be followed through, and whatever wrongs that were committed would be addressed then, based on that procedure that we’re following they have their opinion. Put it that way. And what their opinion is, is necessarily not the truth or not in occurrence with the facts that are actually there. And if it is that it’s a situation where I must present my case, I have all the facts to justify everything that I’ve done so far, Marion. Um, it’s not a situation whereby I am afraid of any situation or afraid of whatever motion they’re bringing forth. But to be, to simply put it, Marianne, it’s just a matter of change. It’s always difficult implementing change.”

B.A.A. President Says He is Focusing on Positive Changes

Smith said despite the accusations against him, since his election only four months ago, he has been focusing on trying to make positive changes that would improve the standards of sports. One of those efforts is to see how the B.A.A. can get the track at the Marion Jones Stadium replaced or redone. The accusations, he said, are just an attempt to undermine his plans because he is doing things differently.

Cojac Smith, President, Belize Athletics Association

“It’s derailing from what we’re actually trying to do. We’re trying to print a positive picture to the public at large and using the media from a positive perspective. However, we’ve not been able to do that with these constant little battles being fought and getting that done. For instance, Marion, we have in negotiations right now where we have an engineer looking at the track right now to make an assessment of the track, which is in deplorable condition. And we’re trying to see how best we can – the track at the Marion Jones. I don’t know if you went there recently, but the track is in bad shape. So we’re trying to fix those things and getting real work done.”

Attorney Says Kendall Morgan Has Been Wronged

She’s been accused of less than desirable behavior, cyber-bullying and bullying, and today, attorney Arthur Saldivar says that Kendall Morgan has been wronged. The twenty-year-old Morgan was stripped of the title of Queen of the Bay, based on these allegations. But she has maintained that they are baseless. In fact, she has lawyered up and her attorney says while Morgan was wronged, and that will be proven, he doesn’t think taking the matter to court is necessary.

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Kendall Morgan

“Once a queen, always a queen and every woman in this country are queens. Let me start by saying Miss Morgan is the Queen of the Bay. That’s it. I don’t need to say anything more.”

Marion Ali

“Will you take up the matter legally on her behalf?”

Arthur Saldivar

“I don’t think that will be necessary. I think that certain things have been done regrettably, prematurely. And I do believe that at the end of it all, as they say, the truth sets us free. I think one of our newspapers has that as its motto and mantra. I think that Ms. Morgan will be set free. In every way, shape or form. She will continue to carry herself and comport in that manner.”

Marion Ali

“But she’s no longer the queen, according to the association – the press release that both organizations released.”

Arthur Saldivar

“As I have said, once a queen, always a queen. Miss Morgan has maintained and continue to maintain her comportment as the titular Queen of the Bay and has not in any way acquiesced to any position outside of that.”

Marion Ali

“Okay. So on September 10th, when the new Queen is crowned, where will she be?”

Arthur Saldivar

“She will be where all Queens of the Bay are on the 10th of September.”

Queen of the Bay Committee Answers Questions About Kendall Morgan

Late this evening the Queen of the Bay Committee issued a list of the prizes that were offered for last year’s pageant that Morgan won. On that list are the prizes that she has collected and the ones that the list states can be claimed at any time. It also addresses why Morgan’s name has not been added to the list of Queens of the Bay on the Memorial Park wall. The release explains that the plaque on the wall is new and was installed last year and that the committee has agreed that the names of the queens will be placed on the plaque when they have completed their year of reign. The committee also clarifies why Morgan’s photo does not appear on the September Celebrations calendar. It says that it was communicated to Morgan that the Queen of the Bay does not produce the calendar and has no influence over its contents. When the committee reached out to the National Celebrations Committee about the matter, the calendar had already gone to print. The committee also gives specific details at the bottom that Morgan was given due process and fair warning before the decision was taken to strip her of the title. It explains that Morgan was given a formal warning letter in January and subsequently invited to a meeting to discuss the contents of that warning letter with the National Committee. She had also reportedly met with former Queens and was given an opportunity to discuss her concerns when the issue of prizes was resolved as well. Finally, the committee adds that Morgan had written a letter of apology to the committee, and that she signed and acknowledged the decision to limit her interactions with the delegates this year because of her social media posts.

Life Does Not End With A Broken Shell

Highways are places for drivers, but they are also extremely life threatening to animals attempting to cross the roads. Earlier this week, a turtle was hit by car in Belize City and abandoned on the road but was later picked up and taken to the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic in Unitedville, Cayo where it is making a slow recovery. News Five’s Britney Gordon spoke with a family that went out of its way to help the animal and the team at the clinic who are hard at work trying to save its life. Here’s that story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

To many people, accidentally injuring an animal on the road is just a minor inconvenience in their day. But to that animal, the actions of a human can mean life or death. Earlier this week, a turtle was left to die on the side of the Northern Highway but was eventually taken to the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic. Director of the clinic, Doctor Isabelle Paquet-Durand gave us an update about the animal’s condition.

Dr. Isabelle Paquet-Durand, Dir., Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic

“The turtle was brought in four days ago. Kindly by the rescuer herself, and she had several breaks in her carapace, so her back was broken in multiple places. She had lost a little bit of blood, and we could see a little bit into her body cavity, so not good signs, rather a critical condition for a turtle. We then examined her, take x-rays, and started with what is done in medical stabilization, rehydration, keeping her nice and warm or incubated at a good temperature. And we also are giving her antibiotics and pain meds and anti-inflammatory. And I did go in and I reduced the fractures, meaning I put the things back in place. And for now that is holding stable after four days.”

The turtle is making a slow recovery, which is the norm for reptiles because they take longer to heal. Marianna Rack and her family were the good Samaritans who took it upon themselves to save the animal. But according to Rack, when she first saw the state of the shell, she thought that was the end of its life.

Marianna Rack, Turtle Rescuer

“We went to the airport to drop my sister off and saw a turtle on the side of the road coming back from the airport. The same turtle was on the same road. So we stopped and it was raining. We stopped to just take the turtle on the other side of the road and realize that it is actually broken. It is, we thought it was dead. It was in a pool of blood with some parts out. So it didn’t look good. And it didn’t look that it had a chance, but we still picked it up and took it home because my husband was like, let’s see, maybe we can do something with that. So we brought her home, sterilized, put some Sterile goes and we realized that it was very much alive, very, very lively and moving a lot and at and did all the things that it was supposed to do. So I happened to call the wildlife clinic and they were very welcoming and they were very nice and they told us just bring her in. And that’s what we did.”

Although insignificant to the average person, turtles, like many other animals frequently injured on the road, are important and deserve a chance at life. Rack stressed that although her family went out of its way to help the animal, they are not the heroes in the situation.

Dr. Isabelle Paquet-Durand

“Every one of these species has a role in the environment, and they often balance our environment. And our environment ultimately is what sustains us. And therefore, even though it’s just a turtle it feels pain and it fulfills an important role. And most times we find these animals injured because of something that we humans did because we are very wide, widespread and our roads are a big danger.”

Doctor Paquet-Durant pleads for members of the public to assist turtles in crossing the road by taking them in the direction they are facing, but advises everyone to exercise caution when doing so, for their own safety and the animals. Britney Gordon for News Five.

A Beef Fest and Rodeo for the Family on Saturday

The National Agriculture Show Grounds will be the venue on Saturday for the third Beef Fest and Rodeo. It’s a family-oriented event that will give ranchers, cowboys, and chefs a chance to showcase their talents in their respective fields of work. It will run from eight in the morning to five in the evening and according to Operations Manager of the Belize Livestock Producers Association, Mindy Garcia, there will be competitions as well as displays of different breeds of cattle.

Via phone: Mindy Garcia, Operations Manager, Belize Livestock Producers Assn.

“We are having four major things happening tomorrow at our event. First is the grilling competition. We have three categories where we have beef, pork and lamb. We have already some grillers who have already signed. We still have a space for them. If there’s anybody who would like to join and this is showcasing quality meat that our processors have sponsored and we have mixed from Running W, Country Meats, Sandra’s Meat Shop that will be showcased in this grilling competition. We have four chefs that will be judging the event and then we will also have for those three categories. We will be having three winners. The first prize, one thousand dollars, second prize, three hundred and the third prize, two hundred dollars. For each category, on the other events side, we will also be having a rodeo, which is all day rodeo as well. In the morning, we will have the kids and the juniors and in the afternoon. We will have run Friday bull riding. So, it’s a day of events there at the show grounds. We have another section where we will have the barn where we’re bringing all our breeders from Belize that deal with improving genetics in our livestock industry. So we will have a display of top quality sheep, top quality goat, different kind of breeds that breeders have in the country.”

San Carlos Road Upgrade Kicks Off with $1.19 Million Program

A ceremony to sign the Resilient Rural Belize Program took place this morning in San Carlos Village, Orange Walk District. The event was attended by Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise, and other officials from the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government, A&N Construction.

The program, managed by the Ministry of Economic Development, focusses on upgrading San Carlos Road, which spans 3.07 miles. The initiative aims to enhance farmers’ access, enabling them to produce and transport food and vegetables more efficiently, and to support the tourism industry by supplying produce to this sector.

The project is valued at 1.19 million Belize dollars. Minister Abelardo Mai stated, “We’ve reached the point where we cannot continue to produce more and more and more, and have losses. so we are looking now at another step, industrialising the sector.” He added, “this road, essentially, will help the farmers tremendously,” making their products “healthier, wholesome, it will reduce your cost of transportation to Belize City.”

Belize Green Dream: Belize Gears Up for $150M Regional Development Surge

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, led by Minister Orlando Habet, hosted a session focused on “Promoting Sustainable Development through Regional Cooperation” in partnership with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD). The event was held at the Ministry’s Green Complex Building in Belmopan and centred on enhancing regional collaboration and tracking the impact of sustainable development initiatives.

According to an official statement issued by the Ministry, CCAD has invested approximately $11 million USD in sustainable development efforts in the region, including five key areas such as environmental quality and forest restoration. The initiatives are benefiting 20 protected areas and communities through capacity building and data management enhancements. This effort is expected to lead to an additional $150 million USD in future projects.

The statement also indicated that Belize is hosting the Regional Climate Action Transparency Hub, one of only three such hubs worldwide.

Belize Meets with MPA Co-Managers to Strengthen Marine Conservation Efforts

The Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management (MBEDRM) convened an important meeting with the co-managers of Belize’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to discuss the future of marine conservation. The meeting was led by Minister Andre Perez and CEO Kennedy Carrillo. The session aimed to evaluate the current state of MPAs, address ongoing and upcoming projects, and tackle advancements and challenges related to marine management.

In a press release, the Ministry emphasised its commitment to marine conservation, stating, “The protection of marine resources and ecosystems remains a top priority for MBEDRM and its NGO partners.”

The discussions focused on five primary components of co-management agreements: enforcement, research and development education, tourism, community development, and sustainable financing. The meeting also highlighted new initiatives, including advanced technologies like high-resolution cameras and drones for better enforcement and infrastructure projects aimed at promoting sustainable tourism.

Burgos, alongside the co-managers, will seek funding opportunities for these projects and work on long-term financial sustainability.