(Excerpts of Ms Louise Mitchell’s Presentation at a recently held Public Meeting in North Leeward)
I am here to speak to you about the plans that the NDP has for the blue economy that is going to create new jobs and transform lives right here in North Leeward. It is my duty to speak in particular to the fishers of Petit Bordel, of Chateaubelair, of Fitz Hughes, and other surrounding villages.
I want you to know that under an NDP government, we are creating a special Ministry for fisheries called the Blue Economy. And we are going to put fishers first. This is because we value so much the work of the fishers. It is the work that you do that keeps us healthy and fishery is so important for our tourism economy as well. That is why the NDP commits to you, the fishers of North Leeward, that within the very first year of our government, we will be refurbishing and restoring the fisheries building in Chateaubelair and Fitz Hughes.
We all know the distance between Fitz Hughes and Kingstown, and it is a shame to know that if fishers come ashore with fish, they have to travel all the way to Kingstown for cold storage. We will ensure that there’s proper cold storage for fishers and there’s actual ice making facilities as well. We will also ensure that there is a retail facility for the sale of fish because we expect that North Leeward is going to become one of the top tourist destinations.
When the yachties come in, they’re going to want to buy fish.
We are also going to give specific focus to the tri-tri fishers who fish north of Richmond in the Wallibou River. You have over 100 tri-tri fishers and we are going to give a lot of support to this sector. We’re going to make sure that the fishers have whatever equipment that they need be it, ice boxes or nets, etcetera.
We will make sure that the tri-tri fishers are supported. We will also make sure that there’s water testing so that we know the quality of the water in which the tri-tri run.
And what is also important is that we will market the actual tri-tri harvest; when the tri-tri are running. The tri-tri harvesters are there at four and five in the morning and they have all the beautiful flambeaus out of their nets.
It is one of the most beautiful scenes under the foothills of La Soufriere volcano. It is one of the most magical things you can experience. This is in fact what you call culture and heritage tourism. The New Democratic Party values this type of tourism. So, the tri-tri fishers, are going to get a lot of support under the NDP government.
Under the Blue Economy Ministry, we are going to be developing marinas and restoring the Otley Hall Shipyard and Marina. But we’re also going to build the yachting sector. We want to make sure that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is able to rival the British Virgin Islands. We have the most beautiful islands and the most beautiful waters.
There is no reason why we can’t take the number one place in yachting.
You all would know that Chateaubelair is actually a port of entry. However, this is not promoted anywhere. So the yachts, when they leave St. Lucia to go down to cruise in the Grenadines, they actually, most of them just pass Chateaubelair straight. So we are going to encourage the yachties to stay and clear customs in Chateaubelair.
We’re going to create incentives for them to stay because we are going to have standardized regulated mooring facilities in the north of Chateaubelair Bay and we will also build a new dinghy dock in the north of Chateaubelair Bay.
North Leeward over the years got a bad reputation for yachties, but for many years it’s been a very peaceful place and a wonderful anchorage, but the stories from the past still linger. We in the New Democratic Party, we are going to promote this as one of the most beautiful and safest anchorages in the country.
So we will encourage the yachties to come back to Chateaubelair with the moorings there and with increased security. We’ll also be developing mooring facilities in Cumberland Bay. So what is going to happen when more yachties come, is that they’re going to come ashore. And when they come ashore, they’re going to want to buy fresh fish. So they’re going to support the fisheries sector.
When they come ashore, they’re going to want to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and provisions. So there’s going to be more demand for the goods that are produced right here in North Leeward by the growth of the yachting sector under an NDP government. We will also be promoting the entire North Leeward as a wellness destination because you have some of the most rich nature in the entire country. You have the Parrot Reserve.
You have the best coral reefs in the whole country. So wellness tourism is going to be incredibly important and Chateaubelair is going to be placed on the map as one of the places that people must go. North Leeward, there’s a lot in store for you under the blue economy. And that is just one sector that the New Democratic Party is going to prioritize
. I’m sure Dr. Shallow will speak to you about the other sectors such as the new economy.
I want to go back to speaking about your candidate, Dr. Shallow, as I wrap up. And I will end with some of the comments that I started in the beginning about this man. Dr. Kishore Shallow is in fact a great success story. He is such a good success story that he is literally upsetting the other side.