CAPRI Meets with Government Officials from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation

CAPRI’s Director of Research, Dr. Diana Thorburn and Communications Manager, Ms. Tracy Mamoun met with officials from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) on February 26, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to obtain status reports on the three initiatives discussed with Minister Vaz at a meeting at Jamaica House on February 13, where the Minister stated his intention to give the directive to follow through on those three policy areas.

Mr. Yaneke Watson, Chief Technical Director - MEGJC reported that the current status of the NEPA Act is that a process had been undertaken to replace the NEPA Act with an Environmental Regulatory Authority (ERA) and a Town Planning Authority (TPA). The CAPRI report had referred to this plan, which dates back to 2011, and to the proposed ERA, which was considered to be deeply flawed. However, the CAPRI report did not cover a TPA.

The participants in the meeting did not know if there was any written document related to the TPA. However Ms. Nicole Oreggio - Director in the Environment and Risk Management Branch informed the meeting that Ms. Gillian Guthrie, Senior Director, Environment and Risk Management Division, might be in possession of a relevant position paper drafted in 2017. Mr. Watson agreed to follow up with Ms. Guthrie to verify that such a paper exists, and to ascertain if it can be shared with CAPRI.

The next step, according to the persons present, is for the MEGJC to prepare a cabinet submission seeking a decision regarding which avenue to pursue: whether to promulgate NEPA, or to create two new entities. It was agreed that the position papers thus need to be updated/prepared for the cabinet submission.

Mr. Watson indicated that the “environment section” of the MEGJC, which is one of the areas he has responsibility for, would be putting this on its agenda. They however could not give a timeline as to when this would be done, because of staffing issues, among other considerations. 

While the MEGJC personnel in the meeting agreed that the EIA process is flawed, they did not consider these flaws to render the process ineffective or in need of any substantial reform. In particular they disputed the data in the CAPRI report which was taken from a State of the Environment report. Ms. Oreggio informed that regulations for EIAs had been drafted, but they were not satisfactory, so it was sent back to be redrafted. The CAPRI representatives were told that this is currently underway, but there is no timeline for completion. Ms. Oreggio expressed hope that it would be completed in FY 2019/20, given the new push on the environment.

It was also shared that the revisions to the fines and sanctions under the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) are presently at the Attorney General’s office. There is nothing underway with regard to fines and sanctions under any of the other environmental laws.

The meeting ended with a commitment from Mr. Watson to keep the CAPRI representatives updated, and provide them with any information that he might be able to share.