After more than twenty years without effective maintenance or infrastructural improvements, change is coming for the users of the Browns Town Market in St. Ann. Following a tour of the facility yesterday, Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie announced the allocation of J$15 million for works to be done.

“This is very popular Market. Over 700 vendors operate here, and that gives a clear idea of the customer volume that passes through in order to create a profitable and sustainable living for them. The conditions are unacceptable and so works are going to be quickly done to create a properly functional Market. The Technical Team will finalize the design and related aspects for the improvement works, and $7 million will be made available immediately for the most urgent repairs. The remaining funds will facilitate other infrastructure needs once the normal approval procedures are completed.”

Mayor of St. Ann’s Bay, Sydney Stewart, who also participated in the tour, said a preliminary estimate for works was done by the St. Ann Municipal Corporation. “We visited the Market last week and our technical team developed a costing on that basis. We are elated at the speed of the Minister’s response. He has charged us to ensure that all procedures are adhered to and we will ensure that everything that is done will not only serve the people of Brown’s Town and its environs, but will also stand up to scrutiny.”

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie has called an emergency meeting of stakeholders in the entertainment sector for tomorrow, Wednesday August 5 at the Ministry, to discuss glaring and sustained breaches of the agreed conditions and protocols governing events and other gatherings.

“This disregard for the rules is happening at and through numerous events being held all over the country. Our surveys show that over 700 events have been staged without any permission being sought. In other instances where approvals for events were given, the agreed conditions were blatantly breached. The Jamaica Constabulary Force is being stretched in responding to these breaches, and it is completely unfair to our policemen and women who are simultaneously dealing with everything from traffic violations to violent crime.

“I am also very concerned about the continued misuse of our beaches and rivers. The surveys have revealed that they are being overcrowded, in clear breach of the social distancing protocols. Little Dunn’s River, Spanish River and Little Ochi are just a few of the venues at which the overcrowding is occurring. Additionally, parties and other events are being held at various beaches and rivers, in clear violation of the stipulations that govern their reopening. Parties and tournaments are banned at beaches and rivers.

“The Government is very concerned about the public health implications and effects of the unconscionable behaviour that is being seen island-wide. I wish to make it clear that this Administration will not allow the gains made in the management of COVID-19 to be destroyed by people who have absolutely no regard for anyone’s interest but theirs.

“Accordingly, the Agenda for tomorrow’s meeting will involve a review of this completely unacceptable situation, and a decision about the way forward. The Government has been steadily working to restore economic and social life, but not at any price. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the relaxations granted to this point will remain. Actions have consequences, and I want to make it clear that we are determined to use the policy and legal tools available to ensure behaviour change in this time of public health emergency.”

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, has announced the closure of all public markets for this Emancipation weekend.
All markets operated by Municipal Corporations will be closed to the public from midnight Saturday, August 1, 2020 and reopen for business at 6:00am on Monday, August 3, 2020.
“This measure is in keeping with the Government’s Covid 19 protocols as well as the Parochial Market Laws which speaks to public markets and their closure on public holidays. I am therefore imploring our vendors and shoppers to adhere to the guidelines for their own safety and the welfare of others.”
Jamaica observes August 1 each year as Emancipation Day, which is a public holiday.
The Ministry has developed several protocols, which have been brought into force through the Disaster Risk Management Order, to ensure maximum public safety as Jamaica continues to battle the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Under the Order, markets and vending in public arcades and public transportation centres are permitted to operate between the hours of 6:00am to 7:00pm from Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays, all markets must remain closed and no vending is permitted in public arcades and public transportation centres.
“I also want to use this opportunity to remind us that the daily curfew, which begins at 11:00pm until 5:00am the following day, will remain in place until September 30. Remember to observe social distancing, wear your masks and sanitize.”

FALMOUTH, Trelawny: The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development expanded its Municipal Social Assistance Programme (MSAP) with the opening of a Drop-In Centre to serve the homeless population in Falmouth, Trelawny.

The J$19m facility was built on lands at Victoria Street and is a stone’s throw away from the Trelawny Police Headquarters and the Falmouth Public General Hospital.

“The expansion of national facilities that will provide care and comfort to our homeless citizens is an important aspect of the work of this Government,” said Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie.

“It is one of the features of the human face of this Administration, and a symbol of our commitment to assisting the vulnerable in our society.”

He was speaking at the official hand-over ceremony on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Minister McKenzie noted that it is the duty of the Government to protect the vulnerable and the Administration continues to fulfill this responsibility through the rehabilitation of infirmaries and the construction of drop-in centres.

The Trelawny Drop-In Centre is the fifth to be constructed under MSAP’s conceptualization in 2017. Similar facilities have been opened in Ocho Rios, St. Ann; Port Maria, St. Mary; Lucea, Hanover, and Black River in St.  Elizabeth.

Those expected to be commissioned into use next are in Linstead, St. Catherine and St. Thomas.

Drop-In Centres are the first point of contact for homeless persons and offer a range of care including a bath and other hygiene care, food, and medical assessment.

“These facilities were constructed so we ca reach as many people as possible and where we can provide them with food, medicine and in some cases, a place to sleep,” the Minister added.

“If they are tired and want somewhere to sleep, don’t turn them away. Provide a bed and let them sleep.”

He noted that since the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid 19), the Government has been providing meals to more than 2000 homeless persons with two meals daily at the drop-in centres. This number also include some individuals who are not homeless but visit the facilities to access meals.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie says he is saddened by today’s passing of Lionel “Dunstan” Whittingham, President of the Jamaica Higglers, Vendors and Markets Association.

“Dunstan was a passionate and tireless advocate for the interests of vendors for many years. He made his presence felt well before he rose into public view in the 1990s. I had the opportunity to observe and to interact with him, first as a Councillor in the then Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation, and later as Mayor. He was a serious force to be reckoned with, and he commanded the unwavering loyalty and respect of the vendors. While he was quick to challenge what he saw as mistakes by local and central government in dealing with the vendors, he was not defiant of public order. He supported many of the KSAMC’s initiatives to ensure harmony between business activity and good order and was not afraid to chastise conduct that was unruly.

“Dunstan was a man of substance, and he will be missed. I will miss him. I salute him and express condolences to his family, his friends, the members of the Jamaica Higglers, Vendors and Markets Association and to the wider community of vendors across the country.”

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has announced the provisional opening of beaches and rivers across Jamaica for an initial period of two weeks, commencing Sunday June 7, 2020. Beaches and Rivers will be opened to the public between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm daily.

A series of guidelines have been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and brought into force through the Disaster Risk Management Order for the use of the beaches and rivers, to ensure maximum public safety as Jamaica continues to battle COVID-19.

We will be closely monitoring these facilities, to ensure that the stipulated guidelines are being obeyed.

The guidelines are as followed:

• Signage of all protocols governing the use of the facility must be placed prominently throughout the premises, with at least one at the entrance.
• Persons visiting the beach will be permitted to bring their own chairs; Operators are not allowed to provide beach chairs.
• Physical distancing (6ft) must be maintained by persons on the beach or at the river.
• No group of more than 10 people will be allowed to congregate at any section of the beach or river.
• All playgrounds with play equipment must remain closed.
• NO events of any nature are allowed at Beaches or Rivers.
• Activities at these locations are limited to swimming, exercising and sunbathing (with social distancing as required).

#StaySafe #StayCOVIDFree

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has expressed great sadness at the passing today of former Mayor of May Pen, and Councillor for the Mineral Heights Division Milton Brown.

“This is a great loss for the system of Local Government. Milton was a highly effective Mayor. I can personally attest to his vision and hard work, to improve the institutional capacity of local government in Clarendon in the two terms he served as Chairman of the Clarendon Parish Council, from 2003 to 2012. As Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew during that time, I also got to see first-hand, his commitment to local governance and his effective advocacy as President of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGAJ).

“Since becoming Councillor for the Mineral Heights Division in 1998, Milton Brown endeared himself to his Constituents, and provided them with a special brand of leadership. His twenty-two years of dedicated service to the people of Clarendon has come to an end today. He was always a fighter, a driven individual, and he rallied against ill-health in the last few months. Even as I express condolences to his immediately family, friends and the wider family in the Mineral Heights Division and the Jamaica Labour Party, I give thanks for his years of devoted, outstanding service to the party, to local government and to Jamaica.

“This is a time of great loss for all of us, but in everything, I am grateful for the time that the Almighty loaned him to us. We will miss him, and pray that God’s perpetual light will shine on him.”