The news about the landmark ruling in the court case against Windward Islands Bank shows that not everything that is considered common practice here in St. Maarten, especially after we achieved Country Status on 10-10-10, has a legal basis for it. Windward Islands Bank (WIB) charges clients a 1% foreign exchange fee. This 1% license fee is what the bank has to pay the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) in order for it to operate as a currency exchange bank. The bank passes this fee on to the clients. The court ruled there is no legal basis for…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – The Council of Ministers agreed on Tuesday to make money available to cover the salaries of the post office employees for November and December, Minister of General Affairs Rafael Boasman said on Wednesday. The post office is unable to pay this month’s salaries. On Monday disgruntled postal services employees marched to the government administration building demanding a solution. Boasman received a delegation, consisting of manager Antonia Wilson, chairman of the board Stuart Johnson and the president of the St. Maarten Communication Union, Ludson Evers. “The Council of Minister approved on Tuesday the injection of money into the company…
PHILIPSBURG — World Interact Week is celebrated every year during the week of 5th November to commemorate the founding of the first Interact club in 1962. To mark this occasion with Interactors and Rotarians around the world, Interact clubs, in partnership with their sponsor Rotary clubs, are encouraged to participate in joint projects during World Interact Week. This year the Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle invited the Interact Club of St. Dominic’s High School to chair part of their weekly meeting. Accepting the invitation were President Naisha along with her board Secretary Lavisha, Treasurer Mahima, VP Vanesca and their Sargent…
~ Charlotte Brookson Academy Receives Scholarships from CSMA ~ PHILIPSBURG — At the end of day 2 of the first annual St. Maarten Customer Service Week organized by the Customer Service Mobile Academy (CSMA) and hosted and sponsored by Holland House Beach Hotel (HHBH), CSMA announced that the Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA) of the Performance Arts school had been provided with four (4) scholarships for their 4th and 5th form students. The scholarships were granted to the students to support their Business Week Program pre-hurricane Irma. One of the Charlotte Brookson Academy students attending the Customer Service Week as a part…
PHILIPSBURG — The seven public schools, namely Marie Genevieve de Weever School, Oranje School, Prins Willem Alexander School, Martin Luther King Jr. School, Leonald Conner School, Ruby Labega School and St. Maarten Vocational Training School, which fall directly under the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, through the Division Public Education (DPE), have been received their school supplies, which are a part of the emergency aid sent from the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) in the Netherlands. The schools, after much assessments, provided, like other subsidized schools, a list of emergency school items, for both the classroom…
GREAT BAY — Member of Parliament, Rodolphe Samuel, in a press release issued on Tuesday, November 28th, called on the Minister of VSA (Health, Social Welfare and Labor), Minister Emile Lee, to publish in the papers and elsewhere the criteria for people to obtain help from the Government. “Nearly three months after the passing of hurricane Irma, the people of St Maarten are still grappling to get their lives back in order.” Samuel writes in his press release. “One of the main things that has to happen without further delay is the repairing of the roofs and especially those of…
Philipsburg — Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Mellissa Arrindell Doncher on Tuesday announced that an exemption has been made to the official public holiday regulations to allow businesses to open on Christmas Day. With two cruise ships in Port, with a compliment of 5,000 people, the Minister said extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. She said government, the Port of St. Maarten, merchants, tour operators and other partners has worked diligently to ensure that the island is ready in December to welcome cruise visitors. “In a sense we are playing catch up in the season…
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – On Saturday, November 18th the Inspectorate of TEATT (Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications) conducted a country wide control on bars and restaurants for business licenses and the playing of music. Controllers were divided in to four teams totaling 12 Controllers and dispatched throughout the country. The controls started at 7.00PM and ended at 11:30PM. A total of 17 businesses were controlled in the Philipsburg, Suckergarden Road, A.T. Illidge Road, Cul de Sac, Cole Bay and Simpson Bay areas. One establishment in Philipsburg was closed for not being in possession of a…
PORT ST. MAARTEN – Port St. Maarten would like to present the December month cruise ships call schedule as information for the community and for business establishments planning purposes. There will be two ships in port on Christmas day December 25. ~ Cruise Ship Call Schedule for December available ~ Cruise ships will be in port on the following days: December 4, 5, 8, 17, 19, 25, 26, 27, 29, and 31. This is the latest cruise ship call information that the port has at this point in time as cruise lines continue to update their itineraries. Royal Caribbean International…
PHILIPSBURG— “Jollification is a Caribbean tradition where neighbors and friends would come together to assist in a community effort in exchange for support, a hot meal and drinks would be provided. Within several neighborhoods across St. Martin, people have been observed coming together to eat, drink and enjoy good music. This jollification could perhaps be viewed as a local coping strategy and a source of healing and rebuilding,” according to the St. Maarten Foundation For Psychologists & “Orthopedagogen” (SFPO). Rebuilding a nation post-IRMA SFPO officials cited the former founder and president of the St. Martin Nation Building Foundation, drs Leopold…
