The beleaguered Suarez Brothers Circus was moved from the Belle, St Michael, after it began operating without all required approvals at the site, a government minister said.
But the withdrawal of approval raised questions as to how permission was granted for the circus to locate within the island’s most protected water zone.
The site was located less than 600 metres from the Belle Pumping Station, which supplies 25 per cent of the country’s drinking water from the aquifer beneath it.
The circus has found itself caught in a vice between multiple regulators, as the Ministry of Environment granted the initial permission but the Barbados Water Authority polices the island’s underground water catchments, while the Ministry of Health licences food service.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the circus’ location and relocation at a press briefing on Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office for Economic Affairs and Planning, Marsha Caddle, said the Ministry of Environment initially granted permission for the circus to locate at the Belle but that permission to locate at a site does not automatically constitute all the permissions required to operate there.
After holding its first show at the Belle on August 7, the circus was shut down two days later amid concerns about the approvals required for its operation at the Belle.
Caddle told reporters: “The first thing to make clear here is that a permission for location at a site does not assume all the other permissions that are related to operation…. The Ministry of the Environment, we are advised, in late July gave permission for this entity to operate a circus at this location, the International Botanical Gardens.”
She explained why the site was a major concern because of water protection policies.
“The reason that location would not be advisable has to do with it being in the Zone A water protection area. Now, I know there was a lot of conversation about the availability of water, and it is not quite as simple as that. Barbados has a series of water protection zones that are administered by the Barbados Water Authority.
“It means that there’s certain kinds of activities that should and should not take place in that zone. The most protected zone is Zone A, the International Botanical Gardens where the service was located is in Zone A.”
She added: “I am advised that it’s about 568 metres away from your Belle station; that is very close from a water protection standpoint. The Belle pumping station supplies 25 per cent of the country’s drinking water.”
The minister elaborated on the potential consequences of the circus’ proximity to the pumping station.
“The fact that the former location of the circus was so close to the Belle Pumping Station. The fact that zone A means that if there’s any bacteria, any contaminants, anything that gets into the water supply through the groundwater, that there’s a less than 90-day transmission period. It means that the speed with which you would have to mobilise to try to offset the harmful impact would elevate it to being a national disaster.”
Caddle said this was one reason only water production activities should take place in Zone A.
She further explained that, even where activities are permitted in a Zone A area, measures must be put in place to reduce risks to the water supply, including special arrangements for storing or removing fuel and managing wastewater to ensure it does not enter the groundwater.
Caddle said accommodation at the site was another issue that was not authorised and would require a separate application and approval.
She noted that circus workers often live where circuses operate, and having people living at the site could result in shower wastewater and other sewage entering the ground, potentially affecting the country’s water supply.
Beyond water protection measures, Caddle said the company did not secure all the necessary approvals to operate at the first location.
“It seems to me that some of those permissions were belatedly sought. We saw the circus being erected. We saw every intent at operation. Before, for example, there was a water connection, or before, for example, there was a response in the Barbados water. And so, if you look at the timeline for how those events took place, we see that there were certain things that, frankly, were just not covered by the principals of the company.”
The minister added that a restaurant licence was not in place when operations began and said the lack of potable water also created environmental health and food safety concerns.
The Ministry of Health issues restaurant licences.
“Things like having to secure a restaurant license, we discovered that that was not in place, at the time of operation, having to get a water connection and further to not to refusing the water connection, which is what the Barbados Water Authority did, which prompted the shutdown on the Saturday that the service was setting up.”
She said that, after refusing the water connection, the Barbados Water Authority advised that no activity should take place at the site because it is responsible for protecting the water supply.
That, Caddle said, meant no potable water was available for hygiene purposes and prompted concerns from the Environmental Health Department.
“There are certain things from a food safety and food hygiene perspective that you need. Potable water is one of them. And if you’re further being advised not to operate because of certain harmful activities, then we’re going to have to advise that you not go forward.”
Caddle said Environmental Health subsequently allowed the circus to continue for one night only, provided it sold packaged goods and did not prepare food.
In an effort to “ameliorate the situation”, rather than simply shutting the circus down, the government met with the operators to determine what could be done to allow the company to obtain the necessary approvals and continue operating in Barbados, given the high level of public interest in the circus.
Caddle continued: “The reason that we did that was that we realised that Barbadians were very interested in the activity, as I said, we always want to be able to facilitate business and entertainment activities, but we have to do that in a way that does not endanger the public health, does not run any risks to the country, things like being able to make sure that, the company is duly registered so that if there are any issues that come up, that we have a relevant party, a legitimate party with whom to discuss these things.
“There were certain things that we had to meet with them; we’ve put the full, regulatory machine of the government at their disposal to be able to work through some of these things.”
Caddle also faced journalists’ questions about why the agencies were not communicating to ensure a smoother process, acknowledging snags in the regulatory process and the ease of doing business in Barbados.
She said businesses coming here are normally advised to have an agent or representative who can guide them through the requirements for operating here.
“Usually, people come with an agent, with a representative, with someone who can advise them in the right way. Most people have someone who represents them, who is able to do that legwork, as I mentioned, people come here to do business all the time.
“Most people, and we would normally advise that people have someone who is able to have a sense of what is required in order to do business in a particular place. Barbadians leave here and go to do business, and they also have to have a sense of what is the law that applies in order for me to operate.”
The minister said the government was considering legislating a proposed “one-stop shop” concept contained in the 2019 Planning and Development Act.
“One of the other things that we are working on is how do we tighten this regulatory process, yes, by statute, each agency has responsibility for their legislation and their practice. However, it is in our interest to pull these things together and forgive me if I make reference to the 2019 Planning and Development Act, which at the time had included something called a one-stop shop.
“That meant that because there were so many approvals that will be required for certain kinds of developments all at once, the idea was that there would be one place in which all of these would be considered and given, that wasn’t proclaimed at the time, but what I will say is that we are now in the process of further amendments to that legislation.”
She said Invest Barbados already does some of that work but acknowledged that a central place to “triage” requests would improve the ease of doing business.
Caddle rejected suggestions that the episode demonstrated a broader failure of Barbados’ system of rules and approvals.
“Barbados has traditionally had a very strong governance and regulatory system. In fact, we have public officers who take pride in being able to say, listen, this is the law, this is the policy, this is the practice, or mandate is to protect this particular area or sector.”
She added that, while a step can be missed in an individual operation, that does not necessarily mean there has been a systemic failure.
Caddle said the authorities were continuing to work with the Suarez Brothers Circus as it works towards reopening on Friday, once all permissions have been approved and inspections completed.
(LG)
The post Suarez Bros circus relocation linked to water protection – minister appeared first on Barbados Today.
