The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, which houses the Environment and Climate Change Portfolios, will, next week,  host a “Town Hall” consultation on two critical policies.  They are the update of the Climate Change Policy Framework for Jamaica and the Emissions Policy Framework for Jamaica.

The upcoming “Town Hall” consultation, is one in a series of engagements being held by the Ministry, to gain input on the policies from the public.

To date,  consultations have been held with environmental practitioners, youth groups, and transport, health, housing and energy experts in the public sector and civil society.

Addressing members of the private sector at another in the series of consultations on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, noted that the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was a key driver for the update of the Climate Change Policy Framework.

He also explained the difference between the two Policy Frameworks.

“The updated Climate Change Policy Framework signals Jamaica’s commitment to global climate action and to undertaking concrete actions at the national and local levels, whereas the Emissions Policy Framework.…puts forward several objectives, strategies and actions to improve the mechanisms that govern air quality management”, the Minister said.

Minister Samuda told members of the private sector, whose representatives were drawn from the tourism and energy sectors, the automotive industry as well as environmental professionals and engineers, among others, that a number of industries are affected by poor air quality.

“Those with businesses and livelihoods which involve indoor, labour-intensive work, know well how poor air quality severely impacts the productivity of your workers.  Those in agriculture know how poor air quality affects plant and animal health….These are issues to be addressed by the Emissions Policy Framework for Jamaica.”

The Minister urged the private sector representatives at the consultation, to assist in identifying the gaps in the policies, whether they are legislative, research, public awareness raising or technology transfer-related, and to help identify additional opportunities for building collaborative and sustainable approaches.

“We also wish for you to consider all these matters within the context of equitable transitions towards a green economy with green jobs and clean energy for our citizenry”, he said.

The upcoming  “Town Hall’ consultation on the Emissions Policy Framework for Jamaica and the updated Climate Change Policy Framework for Jamaica,  will be streamed virtually via Zoom, the Ministry’s social media platforms and the Jamaica Information Service’s online platforms, on Tuesday February 22, 2022, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Members of the public are invited to attend. 

Both policies may be viewed on the Ministry’s website at https://megjc.gov.jm/policies/ and the written comments on the policies can be sent to policycomments@megjc.gov.jm  no later than March 31, 2022.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the former Olympic Gardens Police Station is to be completely refurbished and upgraded to create a housing complex to be made available to beneficiaries in the constituency of West Central St. Andrew.

Noting that the complex will have 7 units, the Prime Minister says it will be completely overhauled with major work done to install new plumbing and electrical systems among other things. The Prime Minister also noted that two of the units are to be reserved; one for police officers who are attached to the constituency, and the other to be used as a type of community centre for the housing scheme.

In relation to police officers, the Prime Minister says, “There are police officers who reside out of town, and who may find it difficult to locate rentals in proximity to the Olympic Gardens Police Station; some may be working overtime hours and will need a place to stay.”

Prime Minister Holness says the upgrading and rehabilitation of existing facilities, represents another type of housing solution to add to Jamaica’s housing stock.

He also noted that the upgraded housing complex will allow for the smooth transition and resettlement of West Central St. Andrew residents who may have settled irregularly in other areas. The Prime Minister says the availability of a place to facilitate their relocation, will allow them to have peace of mind and certainty and enable the efficient development of informal communities.

Financing for the massive upgrading of the building which is located at the Bay Farm Villa Housing Scheme will be provided through the West Central St. Andrew Trust.

The Prime Minister says the Ministry of Housing and the National Land Agency, NLA, have been asked to facilitate the upgrading of the facility and to make it available to beneficiaries.

The Prime Minister says the upgrading will be costly, but that funds are being raised and support is being requested, with interest already being shown by persons who support this type of meaningful development.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to providing housing solutions to all Jamaicans; he said the Government is moving steadily towards the goal of providing 70,000 new housing solutions.

Prime Minister Holness says some of these solutions will be provided through a market mechanism, some through subsidies, some through public means, some through private and charitable means and some through the social housing mechanism to those who meet the criteria to obtain them.

The Prime Minister was speaking on Friday (February 4, 2022), during a tour of the former police station building.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government will be scaling up the number of indigent houses made available through the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) and is appealing to the Private Sector to partner with the Government in building more houses for vulnerable Jamaicans.

The Prime Minister said:

“I am going to be appealing to the private sector to come on board and assist. As you can see, we will be able to deploy solutions that are inexpensive for the budget of some private sector companies but would be the greatest thing ever to happen to some families. So, there is an opportunity for the private sector who would want to fulfil their corporate social responsibility, and who may know of a family or two living in a deplorable condition, and would want to help them, to do so through the New Social Housing Programme.”

(See Audio-Appeal to Private Sector- 01:24)

The Prime Minister said there is an estimated 10,000 Jamaicans who are living in conditions that are considered well below standard. He said the Government has already sorted out the administrative, technical, and construction issues, and are now ready to expand to reach even more of the estimated 10,000 families whose homes are uninhabitable.

(See Audio-Scale up Building of Homes- 000:50)

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Holness stated that every Jamaican is entitled to good shelter. He said, when our citizens do not have something as basic as proper housing, it is a blot on our society.  

(See Audio-Providing Proper Housing Solutions- 00:53)

The Prime Minister  who was speaking this afternoon (February 2, 2022) at the handing over of two housing units in the constituency of North East St. Andrew, reminded the beneficiaries, Ms. Shirley Leon, and Mr. Lloyd Edwards, that they are obligated to be model citizens by being a voice for good in their community.

The Government has so far constructed 116 rooms in 46 units under this programme, with 26 more units under construction.

Jamaica is pleased to join countries around the globe in observing World Wetlands Day, which is celebrated on February 2 each year, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of wetlands.  The day also marks the 51st anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitats, commonly referred to as the RAMSAR Convention, which was adopted as an international treaty in 1971. Jamaica became Party to the Convention on October 7, 1997.

This year’s theme, “Wetlands: Action for People and Nature” underscores the connection between the quality of our lives and the preservation of our wetlands.

Wetlands provide many ecosystem services. They catch and store rainwater, refill underground reserves and protect them from saltwater intrusion.  They are also repositories for biodiversity, being extremely rich in plant and animal life, and support various food webs. Wetlands support sustainable livelihoods and are also important in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Here in Jamaica, four of our wetlands have been designated Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

They are the Black River Lower Morass in St. Elizabeth; Palisadoes-Port Royal in Kingston; the Mason River Protected Area and Bird Sanctuary in Clarendon and the Portland Bight Wetlands and Cays in Clarendon and St. Catherine. 

Other important wetlands include the Negril Morass in Westmoreland; Great Salt Pond in St. Catherine; the Canoe Valley and Salt River Swamp in Clarendon and the Cabarita Swamp in Westmoreland.

The Black River Lower Morass which is also a Game Reserve under law, is one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in Jamaica and the wider English-speaking Caribbean.   It is home to several species of plants and animals including the endangered American crocodile, the Hawksbill turtle and the West Indian manatee.

It should be noted that the Black River Lower Morass is included in the area to be declared the Black River Protected Area under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act, 1991. 

The area is a source of income for local communities that use it for cane farming, fisheries, timber harvesting, charcoal production, and pastureland during the dry season.

However, as in the case of climate change, it is once again the man-made impacts that are affecting our wetlands, with urban development, open burning, and drainage of some areas for agricultural purposes being the most common offenders. 

Protecting our wetlands, and their biodiversity will require a comprehensive effort by the Government, the private sector, civil society and citizens. 

We must all adopt an “each one teach one” attitude to protecting our environment, and so this World Wetlands Day, I urge all Jamaicans to value our wetlands, manage them wisely and use them sustainable and do your part in restoring lost and degraded wetlands.

Hon Robert Montague, Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job creation has announced that he will be providing oversight to the Housing, Land and Urban Renewal Portfolios.

During a meeting on Tuesday January 25, with Senior Directors and Heads of Agencies of the Ministry, the Minister also advised that Prime Minister Holness has given him responsibility for oversight for special national projects.  These include; Vernamfield Airport Development, JISCO Industrial Economic Zone and delivering on the government’s commitment to provide 70,000 affordable housing solutions .

 “ As the new Minister with oversight responsibility, my mission will be as it was in my previous post – to better the lives of the citizens of Jamaica .To this end we will embark on Project SHELTER. ” 

SHELTER ,which is an acronym for savings, housing, employment, land titling, training, economic recovery and repairs to home,  will see the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation placing added focus on skills training for more young people, particularly in areas that benefit construction.

“More certified, skilled workers is big on my list of priorities .There is a concern that the construction industry does not  have sufficient certified skilled employees in order to deliver on the government’s ambition for housing , infrastructure growth and urban renewal . We are facing a critical lack of skills in some key areas just as the economy is starting to pick back up and this Ministry in partnership with the HEART Trust/ HOPE Programme will lead the drive for a ‘skills to build strategy’ which is nationally promoted and locally delivered”,the Minister said

“Our Government made a commitment in 2020 to provide 70,000 affordable  housing solutions and issue 20,000 land titles to Jamaicans who have legitimate claims to land that they have occupied, cultivated and used for generations.  Over the next few months, we must identify low cost land to be used in our housing programme to take us one step closer to realizing the right to housing for more families in Jamaica” he added.

Minister Montague noted that the tasks ahead are enormous. “They range all the way from; (i) Passing amendments to the Real Estate Act and Rent Restriction Act, (ii) to tackling the root causes of squatting and displacement,(iii) to identifying low cost lands that can be used to provide more affordable housing solutions. However, am confident that we assembled the right team at the right time to drive this mission” Minister Montague continued.

Senator, the Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, will depart the island today (January 26, 2022), for Costa Rica, where he will represent Jamaica at the Special Session of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The special session will be held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Forum of Ministers of Environment on January 27 and 28, 2022, which in turn, is being held in tandem with the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

It will be held under the Presidency of the Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, Mrs. Andrea Meza, and will seek to increase regional cooperation in the face of worldwide threats posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Minister Samuda stated “issues of environmental protection and climate mitigation require coalition and partnership. As such I’m looking forward to engagement with colleague ministers as we work together for the common good”.

Additionally, it will serve to gain regional perspectives ahead of the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) which will be held from February 28, to March 2,  2022.

The Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean was established in 1982 and is one of the oldest bodies for environmental authorities in the region.

Minister Samuda will be accompanied to the Special Session in Costa Rica by Ms. UnaMay Gordon, Principal Director in the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation has announced the winners in the Low-Cost Housing Design Competition.

The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held on Tuesday, November 23.

The Competition, which was launched on May 7, closed on August 31 with a submission of three hundred and five applications (305).

Local architects, engineers, builders, and students of the built environment were called upon to submit low cost, sustainable, climate resilient architectural designs for the housing solutions which will be used as models for the New Social Housing Programme.

Of the three hundred and five applications received, forty-three (43) submissions met the full competition requirements and advanced to the Judging Panel.

The winners for the four categories are:

One Bedroom
• First Place – Richard Gazader
• Second Place – Anissa Blake
• Third Place – Michael James

Two Bedrooms
• First Place – Zane Finnikin
• Second Place – Ryan Gentles, Kelli-Rae Ashley, Leslie Gordon, Giovanni McEachron, Derron Barnett
• Third Place – Keisha Daley, Atrao Walker, Dave Hylton, Stephan Rampair

Three Bedrooms
• First Place – Fitzroy McIntosh
• Second Place – Glenford Henry
• Third Place – Dennis Douglas

Multi Family Unit
• First Place – Mlela Matandara-Clarke, Deon Clarke, Roni-Kaye McLaren, Suzette Adams–Rickards
• Second Place – Sheldon Duncombe, Wai Leung NG
• Third Place – Janoy Evans

The winning designs in each category were awarded $1Million for first place $500,000 for second place and $250,000 for third place. The Ministry also awarded four honourary mentions at $50,000 per recipient across three categories.

The winning models, from the Competition, will be incorporated in future designs for housing solutions to be built under the New Social Housing Programme.

The New Social Housing Programme seeks to provide shelter for indigent and vulnerable Jamaicans currently living in substandard conditions.