14 January

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Tobago Chamber not surprised by TPP win

Tobago Business Chamber president Martin George is not surprised by the Tobago People's Party (TPP) victory in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) on January 12. Around 9.45 pm, the TPP had declared a clean sweep in the assembly. The PNM appeared to have lost the Darrel Spring/Whim seat previously held by THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris. In a telephone interview, George was not surprised by the TPP victory. "The PNM has not really done enough to inspire the imagination of the electorate." George doubted statements from the PNM during the THA elections campaign that they were "a new PNM." He said many of the...

15 December

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Retired cop to get outstanding pension benefits

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A retired police officer will receive the balance of his pension and gratuity, along with vindicatory damages, after his injury leave was wrongly classified and the unlawful recovery of his pension benefits. Justice Kevin Ramcharan ordered the Commissioner of Police and Attorney General to pay retired Sgt Wrenwick Theophilus $217,902.13 representing the balance of his pension and gratuity, and $50,000 in vindicatory damages. The judge found the TTPS acted unreasonably when it reclassified decades of approved injury leave as leave without pay, resulting in more than $217,000 being deducted from Theophilus’s retirement benefits. Theophilus, who served for more than 30 years, joined the...

22 November

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Retired nurse to sue CoP over withheld details in daughter’s mystery death

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A retired nurse has been given the green light to sue the Office of the Police Commissioner over a decision to refuse to disclose details of an investigation into her daughter’s “mysterious” death that was ruled a suicide. High Court Judge Avason Quinlan-Williams yesterday granted Rosanna Smith leave to pursue a judicial review case over the handling of her disclosure request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). According to reports, Smith’s 25-year-old daughter, Maria, went missing on October 15, 2021. Two days later, her body was found in an abandoned vehicle in a forested area near Spring Bridge, Blanchisseuse. She was covered...

22 November

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Chaguanas mother seeks answers on daughter’s death

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A Chaguanas mother and retired nurse has been permitted to advance a judicial review claim which seeks access to details of the police investigation into the death of her only daughter, Maria Kathleen Smith, in 2021. Justice Avason Quinlan-Williams granted leave to Rosanna Smith to challenge the decision of the Commissioner of Police to withhold key information about the investigation. Smith is represented by attorneys Martin George and Sarah Lawrence. According to the court filings, Maria died under mysterious circumstances. She went missing on October 15, 2021, and two days later, her body was found in the passenger seat of a vehicle parked...

10 November

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Tobago Chamber urges CAL: Plan properly for 2026 carnival

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The Tobago Business Chamber wants the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Transportation Company and Caribbean Airlines Ltd to ensure that there are extra sailings and flights to shuttle visitors to the island for next year’s October carnival and beyond. In a WhatsApp video on October 27, the chamber’s chairman Martin George said the fourth edition of the festival, titled, Unveiled: Mud, Mas, Music, was a huge success. “From all indications and from the feedback reaching us here at the Tobago Business Chamber, it would appear that the Tobago carnival event is something which is growing by leaps and bounds and it is actually...

10 November

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Tobago chamber: Do not depend only on October carnival for $$$

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THE TOBAGO Business Chamber says the island must seek to develop profitable ventures throughout the year and not just rely on the October carnival for financial gain. The fourth edition of the festival, Unveiled: Mud, Mas and Music, held from October 26-28, attracted thousands of domestic, regional and international visitors. Many stakeholders, within and outside of Tobago, commended the organisers for what they said was the most successful October carnival to date. The event started in 2022. But in a WhatsApp voice note on November 6, the chamber’s chairman Martin George urged organisers to host other events throughout the year to generate revenue. He...

19 October

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Tobago gets biggest ever slice of budget pie

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Tobago has received a whopping $3.72 billion allocation from Government to manage its affairs in fiscal 2026 – the largest allocation in the island’s history. Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo made the announcement during the $59 billion budget presentation in the House of Representatives on October 13. In its budget presentation in June, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) requested a $3.71 billion allocation for fiscal 2026. As has been the tradition, during the near ten years that the PNM was in power, the THA's budgetary requests were never met by the then Rowley administration, as the island got less than it asked...

22 September

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Archie to retire during the 2025/26 law term: President to choose next CJ

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Ivor Archie's announcement on September 16, at the opening of the 2025-2026 law term, that he will retire as Chief Justice has raised questions over who will succeed him as the leader of the third critical limb of governance in TT – the Judiciary. The other two arms are the Executive and the Legislature. Some people who chose to comment about Archie's impending retirement, indicated the importance of choosing the right person who will keep the Judiciary on an even keel, and the need for the process to select the next chief justice being beyond reproach. In a WhatsApp comment on September...

24 August

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Tobago Chamber: Let’s pray and host Independence parade without fear

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The Tobago Business Chamber is urging the government to have faith in God and trust in Him to keep everyone safe for the annual Independence Day parade. The Chamber said government should host the Day of Prayer and Reflection on August 31 and then begin the Independence parade. The Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration has cancelled this year’s parade owing to the ongoing state of emergency and concerns about reported death threats to several ministers and other high-ranking state officials. The Office of the Chief Secretary (OCS), Tobago House of Assembly, has followed suit, saying in a release on August 16 that there will be no...

03 July

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Tobago welcomes CAL’s late domestic flights

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TOBAGONIANS are elated following Caribbean Airlines' (CAL) decision to reintroduce late-night domestic flights. On June 30, CAL said, effective July 1, the daily flight leaves Trinidad at 11.30 pm and arrives in Tobago at 11.55 pm, while the return flight departs Tobago at 12.30 am, arriving in Trinidad at 12.55 am. The Tobago People's Party, headed by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, welcomed the development and congratulated Central Government on "the swift action taken" following a request by the TPP administration on June 27. "This decision brings much-needed relief to Tobagonians, who have long endured unreliable inter-island travel. It also demonstrates the results that...