Media reports indicate montrope will be moved to the ministry of tourism effective Monday. He will fill the post left vacant by former tourism PS – Louis Lewis – who is now the acting executive director of the Saint Lucia tourist board. Montrope has been at loggerheads with health minister Dr Keith Mondesir for some time. In fact, their contentious relationship had resulted in a staged sick out of staff at the ministry – they wanted Mondesir out and their PS left in peace to do his job.

That original dispute had been resolved by the prime minister and the public service minister. The situation may have come to a head again when in a recent interview Montrope denied knowledge of the health minister’s proposal to combine the new mental and general hospitals. Montrope is a seasoned civil servant having worked under three health ministers including Prime Minister King. He also held a post in the prime ministers office during the tenure of Dr Kenny Anthony.

Guy Mayers is joining his colleagues from the Windward Islands by approving the decision by the three Prime Ministers to resolve the ongoing banana dispute. The Trade Minister says he has been monitoring the situation with growing concern. Mayers says a bigger issue is at stake – Heads of Government need to re-examine the operations of WIBDECO and banana corporations in the Windward Islands. The Government has received harsh criticism from the Opposition for failing to address the matter sooner. The St. Lucia Labour Party’s Farmer’s Relations Officer – Moses Jn Baptiste - says the

Stephenson King Administration allowed the situation to deteriorate before taking a decisive step towards a resolution. But Mayers does not agree. He says Prime Minister Stephenson King decided to step in at the ideal time. Mayers says if King had intervened earlier, it would have been premature. The Trade Minister says the Prime Ministers involved need to establish a committee of ministers that will give policy direction to WIBDECO. Mayers says this will ensure the goals pursued by WIBDECO will be in line with the policy direction of the Governments. He says WIBDECO is a private company, but must obtain direction from the Heads of Government.

Elijah Henville alias “toc toe or “commando” age 39 of Bocage, Castries, was taken to court and bailed in the sum of $5000 EC on each of the following charges: robbery, kidnapping, possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a stolen vehicle. Police arrested Henville when a search of his property revealed a 37 year old man from the Rodney Bay area, bound with chains and placed in a cell in the basement of his home. An automatic firearm and 11 rounds of 5.56 ammunition were also recovered and a stolen vehicle was also parked in front of the house.

The tissue culture lab will be located at Union, alongside an aquaculture facility. Agriculture Minister Ezechiel Joseph says it will contribute significantly to the development of the Agriculture Industry. A Plant Tissue Culture Unit was formed in 1991 to complement an existing tissue culture facility, but the Agriculture Minister says this was a tissue facility in name only. He says St. Lucians are now getting the real deal. Tissue culture mass produces crops like bananas and pineapples thousands of times faster than traditional production methods. Taiwanese Ambassador Tom Chou says this will result in a decrease in the Industry’s seedling importation bill.

Mark Darby says his airline remains committed to providing airlift into Saint Lucia. The LIAT Chief Executive was speaking on the possibility of more flights into Vigie especially during the Jazz festival. He says LIAT will do what it must if it is paid to do so. Despite assurances and talk of meetings – the Tourism Minister is not as optimistic. Allen Chastanet says LIAT is ill-equipped to provide any more airlift into Saint Lucia beyond what currently obtains.

Stay-over arrivals declined by 7.9 percent in 2007 mainly due to fewer visitors from the United States and Caribbean. Darby says LIAT can do more but only if the government is willing to fund it. The Senator remains steadfast the solution to enabling more regional arrivals is more airlift from airlines other than LIAT. He says the carrier with its 16 planes does not have the capacity to do more.

LIAT is the largest regional airline owing to its merger with Caribbean Star in 2007. That merger gave the new entity more than 20 planes – this number has since been cut to 16. 

Former Trade and Investment Minister Phillip J Pierre says the drop in the World Bank Best Place to do Business index is not a good sign for the island’s economy. St. Lucia dropped seven spots to thirty four, just ahead of South Africa. And although he does not expect any drastic changes to the business community over the ranking - he says Saint Lucians will be the one affected by the change. The Trade and Investment Minister is also concerned about the drop on the index ranking. However, Guy Mayers says the issue must be put into perspective because the drop does not mean the island faltered. Nonetheless, he says measures must be implemented to ensure the island places higher on the index ranking.

Phillip Pierre says the ranking is used by foreign investors to judge the business climate of a country in which they want to open shop. St. Lucia` s economy depends largely on foreign direct investment. The Labour Politician says the drop will not directly affect foreign investment but it will have those investors monitoring the business climate more closely.

A Trade Facilitation workshop was convened this week to discuss ways of improving the trade environment in St. Lucia. Only two Caribbean countries are ranked in the top forty countries on the business index. Those countries are Puerto Rico and St. Lucia.

to Instil a love of theatre in the island’s youth. The event also forms part of fund raising efforts to renovate the school grounds and purchase school supplies.

A couple from the Czech Republic is bringing a popular feature of European and American culture to St. Lucia. The Plantation Brewing House and Restaurant offers home made beer and food in a casual setting.
The idea of the Restaurant and Mini Brewery was formed two years ago and the doors of the Establishment were open to the public on Thursday.

General Manager Olivier Marange says The Plantation Brewing House provides a new experience for the public.

Sidoin Ephraim is the Plantation House’s Brew Master. This is his first time in that position He says four main ingredients go into the Establishment’s special brew. Prime Minister Stephenson King says this unique venture will enhance the Island’s tourism product. Construction on the Plantation Brewing House began three months ago. The owners hope it will contribute to the Rodney Bay experience for tourists and locals.

Do you want to be the 2008 Saint Lucia carnival queen? If the answer is yes, you need to audition at the cultural development foundation and begin the process. The annual carnival queen pageant is one of the highlights of the carnival calendar. Director of the cultural development foundation Teddy Francis, says the auditions are designed to reach a wide section of society. Francis says the pageant maintains the pure tradition of the island’s carnival. The carnival queen pageant is scheduled for July. The reigning queen is Soriah John - Ms Busta.