Hon. Sean Astwood
Hon. Sean Rickard Astwood is a known and successful businessman who has always had a genuine concern for improving the Turks and Caicos Islands and the lives its residents. He is the minister with responsibility of Border Control as well as oversight of the Five Cays electoral district.
Hon. Edwin Astwood
Hon. Edwin A. Astwood is an independent-minded person, who is known for being unafraid to speak and hear truth when necessary, and is also known for delivering some strong and passionate performances on the floor of parliament, on issues of concern of the community. His values are strongly shaped by his expertise as a Health Professional and Human Resources Manager, and by his strong moral upbringings. He is the minister with responsibility for health as well as the Grand Turk South & Salt Cay electoral district.
Hon. Vaden Williams
Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams, was first elected to the Turks & Caicos Legislative Council in April 2003, after contesting the general elections that year as the People’s Democratic Movement Candidate for the eleventh (11th) Electoral District of Blue Hills, Providenciales and won his seat. He was made the Minister of Home Affairs, Local Government, Social Services and National Insurance; becoming the youngest member serving in the Council at that time. He is minister with responsibility for Home Affairs and the Wheeland electoral district.
BREAKING NEWS: Top 5 All Island Winners
Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson
Hon. Josephine Connolly
Hon. Derek Taylor
Hon. Washington Missick
Karen Malcolm
Election Results
Electoral Districts
| 01 GRAND TURK NORTH | |
| (PDA) Kwame Odinga Smith | [21] |
| (PDM) Derek Rolle | [273] |
| (PNP) George Lightbourne | [305] |
| 02 GRAND TURK SOUTH AND SALTCAY | |
| (PDA) Noel Terrence Skippings | [66] |
| (PDM) Edwin Astwood | [399] |
| (PNP) Arthur Lightbourne | [276] |
| (IND) Valerie Jennings | [12] |
| 03 SOUTH CAICOS | |
| (PDA) Christopher Emanuel Hall | [6] |
| (PDM) Keno Shamado Forbes | [69) |
| (PNP) Ruth Blackman | [146] |
| (IND) Mc Allister Eusene Hanchell | [97] |
| 04 MIDDLE AND NORTH CAICOS | |
| (PDM) Ralph Higgs | [262] |
| (PNP) Mark Fulford | [201] |
| 05 LEEWARD, PROVIDENCIALES | |
| (PDA) Calsada Carolie Johnson | [17] |
| (PDM) Ezra Ringo Tyrone Taylor | [286] |
| (PNP) Akierra Mary Deanne Missick | [374] |
| 06 THE BIGHT, PROVIDENCIALES | |
| (PDA) Dozzlie McLom Delancy | [votes] |
| (PDM) George C.D. Pratt | [votes] |
| (PNP) Porsha Stubbs-Smith | [votes] |
| 07 CHESHIRE HALL AND RICHMOND HILL, PROVIDENCIALES | |
| (PDA) Charles Delancy | [43] |
| (PDM) Douglas Parnell | [451] |
| (PNP) Amanda Misick | [347] |
| 08 BLUE HILLS, PROVIDENCIALES | |
| (PDA) Ciclyn Been | [37] |
| (PDM) Mixmillian Goldray Ewing | [366] |
| (PNP) Claudine Ewing-Pratt | [267] |
| 09 FIVE CAYS, PROVIDENCIALES | |
| (PDA) Bobbie D. Chambers | [15] |
| (PDM) Sean Rickard Astwood | [465] |
| (PNP) Rachel Marshall Taylor | [264] |
| 10 WHEELAND, PROVIDENCIALES | |
| (PDM) Vaden Delroy Williams | [305] |
| (PNP) Dameko Canez Dean | [173] |
| (IND) Hudson James Parker | [23] |
All Island District (At Large Candidates)
| (PDA) Oswald Skippings | [549] |
| (PDA) Herbert Andrew Swann jr. | [135] |
| (PDA) Shirley Louise Clarke-Calcano | [178] |
| (PDA) Samuel Iotis Harvey | [255] |
| (PDM) Sharlene Cartwright Robinson | [3024] |
| (PDM) Josephine Olivia Connolly | [3019] |
| (PDM) Hugh Derek Taylor | [2740] |
| (PDM) Robert A. Been | [2314] |
| (PDM) Karen Evadne Malcolm | [2725] |
| (PNP) Rufus Washington Ewing | [2234] |
| (PNP) Charles Washington Misick | [2335] |
| (PNP) Sheba Latrice Wilson | [1861] |
| (PNP) John Malcolm | [2011] |
| (PNP) Ricardo Don-Hue Gardiner | [1901] |
| (IND) Michael Misick | [1629] |
| (IND) Damian Wilson | [206] |
| (IND) Clarence Wesley Selver | [301] |
| (IND) Sabrina Elizebeth Green | [675] |
| (IND) Oscar O’Brien Forbes | [67] |
| (IND) Jasmin Walkin | [834] |
| (IND) Courtney Missick | [240] |
Which Polling Station to Cast Your Vote
The Supervisor of Elections, Lister Dudley Lewis, has announced the allocation of voters to polling stations for General Election of the Turks and Caicos Islands schedule for 15th December 2016.
The Elections Ordinance requires the Supervisor to allocate each elector to the appropriate designated polling station within their electoral district, in any case where there is more than one polling station in that district.
This is done by the Supervisor providing a list to the Returning Officers that details the persons who are to vote at that polling station by reference to the order of their family names.
The official list of voters to be provided to each polling station is specified in the Election Ordinance and it contains only the details of those persons who are allocated to vote at that polling station.
To be able to vote at the polling station, your details must appear on the official list for that polling station. This means that you have to vote at the polling station to which you have been allocated within your electoral district.
If you try to vote at another polling station in the electoral district to which you have not been allocated and where your details do not appear on the official list, you will not be allowed to vote and will be referred to the polling station to which you have been allocated.
Electors with family names A-L and M-Z. Will vote of the following location.
ED 01 Grand Turk North - Ona Glinton Primary School.
A-N - Polling area 1 Auditorium
O-Z - Polling area 2 Class Room
ED 02 Grand Turk South - HJ Robinson High School
A-N - Polling area 1 Auditorium
O-Z - Polling area 2 Class Room
ED 03 South Caicos - Iris Stubbs Primary School
A-N - Polling area 1 Class Room
O-Z - Polling area 2 Class Room
ED 04 Middle and North Caicos
A-Z
Conch Bar - Conch Bar Community Centre
Bambarra - Bambarra Community Centre
Lorimers - Lorimers Community Centre
Sandy Point - Sandy Point Community Centre
Kew - Kew Community Centre
Whitby - Whitby Community Centre
Bottle Creek - Bottle Creek Library and High School
ED 05 Leeward, Providenciales - Wesley Methodist High School
A-N - Polling area 1 Class Room
O-Z - Polling area 2 Class Room
ED 06 The Bight, Providenciales - Tropicana
A-N - Polling area 1
O-Z - Polling area 2
ED 07 Richmond Hill and Cheshire Hall, Providenciales
A-N - Gustarvous Lightbourne Sporting Centre
O-Z - Community College
ED 08 Blue Hills, Providenciales
A-N - Oseta Jolly Primary School
O-Z - Clement Howell High School
ED 09 Five Cays, Providenciales
A-N - Felix Morley Community Centre
O-Z - Enid Capron Primary School
ED 10 Wheeland, Providenciales
A-Z - Bethany Baptist Church, Best Institute (School)
If you wish to check the 2016 Register or which polling station you should attend, you can do so by contacting the Elections Office Grand Turk or Elections Office in Providenciales or by checking the Registers which has been deposited for inspection at various Constituencies.
Note
It is an offence under section 40 of the Elections Ordinance to vote at more than one polling in the same electoral district or more than once in the same district on polling day.
PRESS RELEASE: World AIDS Day Message
World AIDS Day is here again and the Turks and Caicos will join the rest of the world to remember persons who have lost the fight and persons living with HIV as a country. We also pause to consider the advances made in HIV treatment, management and research. The need to break the back of HIV infection within the TCI is paramount. Prevention is still the master key to ending AIDS in our beautiful by nature islands. The theme for World AIDS Day this year is “Getting to Zero New Infections and Deaths Fighting Stigma and Empowering People”.
We have come a long way and much has been done and the number of reported newly diagnosed HIV infections have decreased but, is this a true picture? Are people testing to ensure that they know their HIV status? To date for 2016 there have been 17 newly diagnosed cases of HIV. While that may appear small in number, think about our small population. Currently, there are 229 positive persons of which 103 are males and 126 are females in the national programme. This does not include persons who are treated in the private sector or overseas.
The Turks and Caicos has committed to ensuring that 90 percent of the country’s population is tested for HIV, 90 percent of persons found to be positive are linked to care and start treatment and 90% of persons are virally surpassed meaning that persons have a viral load that is undetectable by the year 2020. This is achievable with everyone making it their business to get tested. Turks and Caicos, we need you to end AIDS by 2030.
HIV treatment and care is now being integrated into the Primary Health Care setting, both public and private. Doctors in both the public and private sector have been trained to manage HIV in their settings. Therefore, someone with an HIV diagnosis has choices. Persons who are HIV positive are urged to seek regular medical attention, just as persons who have hypertension or diabetes check their doctors regularly, so should someone with HIV.
However, problems and challenges remain with HIV for various reasons. Key populations that are of a challenge are sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM). That is because these groups of persons are not readily identifiable. You may know that someone behaves like they are an MSM or a sex worker but did they tell you that? There is the challenge of stigma and discrimination, while less than previous years, still exists. We must tackle these challenges and we must do it together to achieve an AIDS free society. As a part of the way forward, the TCI government has strengthened legislations and programmes to ensure goals and targets are achieved. Let us stop any further stigma and discrimination of HIV and empower persons living with HIV to have meaningful, productive and fulfilling lives
I call on ALL citizens, Faith Base Organizations, local and international businesses and every Ministry and Department of Government to do their part to develop and encourage a culture for health screening of which HIV is apart. HANDS UP for HIV PREVENTION.
For more information on HIV and HIV Prevention contact the Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit on 3382772. World AIDS Day activities will follow.
MEMBERS OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ATTEND RIBBON CUTTING
On November 21, 2016 the Minister for Sports Hon. Akierra Missick and members from the Department of Sports cut the ribbon to officially open phase 1 of the South Caicos Sports and recreational center.
Phase 1’s main feature is the green fitness park that includes the first outdoor gym area in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The facility consists of a wide variety of cardio and resistance equipment to help engage and inspire exercisers to push themselves further. The equipment is geared to all fitness levels. It will meet the needs of those who may be improving their level of fitness, wanting to lose weight, recovering from illness or injury or those maximizing their sporting performance. The new addition also consist of canteen and office block.
Also in place are newly resurfaced courts with multi-sport markings. This means that basketball, tennis, netball, and volleyball players, can now play their sports on a smooth new surface bounded by a heavy duty grid mesh fence.
Commenting at the opening, Hon. Missick noted with excitement that; “This park will result in healthier families as many activities young people are engaged in take place indoors and are sedentary. This green fitness park will enhance family and community relationships and result in stronger and healthier families and young people.”
Mr. Camiko Lewis, the island Sports Officer will offer a range of fitness classes and exercise sessions to the community of South Caicos in the New Year. He also added that; “The facility with the upgrades offers many opportunities not only for physical activate, but also cohesion and engagement. I also see this as a peaceful refuge and an ideal location for picnics in the summer."
The Ministry extends thanks to everyone involved in bringing this project to fruition. Special thanks, to the Ministry responsible for infrastructure and Mr. Leshem Fulford, the project manager, the contractor L&L contractors for bringing in the project on time, members of the South Caicos community who were supportive of the project and everyone who contributed to the successful completion of this project.
World Antibiotic Awareness Week
Week, November 14th- 20th 2016, was designated as World Antibiotics Awareness week with the aim of raising awareness of Antibiotic resistance and to encourage the responsible use of antibiotics among the general public and health care providers. It was first observed in 2015 following the endorsement of a global action plan to tackle antibiotic resistance at the 68th World Health Assembly. One of the key objectives of the plan is to improve awareness and understanding of antibiotic resistance through effective communication and education.
The theme of the campaign, “Antibiotics: Handle with Care” reflects the fact that antibiotics are a precious resource and should be preserved. That is, they should be prescribed only when necessary, taken only when prescribed by a certified human or animal health professional and should never be shared or saved for the future.
Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change in such a way that antibiotics can no longer destroy them. Since the 1940s, antibiotics have greatly reduced a variety of illnesses from simple skin and ear infections to life-threatening blood stream infections. However, these drugs have been used so widely and for so long that the bacteria that the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted to them, making the drugs less effective.
According to WHO, Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. They warn that if something is not done the world will head towards “a post-antibiotic era in which common infections will once again kill.”
Everyone has a role to play to reduce the risks of antibiotic resistance. For the general public, the best method of prevention is to avoid infection by taking hygiene measures such as washing hands often and by also staying at home when sick. Patients should also:
- Ask if tests will be done to make sure the right antibiotic is prescribed: An informed patient is a safe patient.
- Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed by your doctor. That is, do not skip doses and ensure that you complete all your medication, even when you start feeling better.
- Only take antibiotics prescribed for you; do not share or use leftover antibiotics.
- Do not save antibiotics for the next illness, discard any leftover medication
- Do not ask for antibiotics when your doctor thinks you do not need them.
This Antibiotic Awareness Week, take some time to learn what you can do to reduce the risks of antibiotic resistance, not just for this generation but the next.
75 Killed, 6 Survive Crash of Charter Plane Carrying Brazilian Soccer Team in Colombia
An official investigation has begun into a plane crash that killed 75 people, including members of a Brazilian club soccer team, near Jose Maria Cordova International Airport in Medellin, Colombia, just before 10 p.m. Monday.
Colombian authorities confirmed six survivors: three soccer players, two crew members and one journalist.
The plane, charter flight CP2933 operated by LaMia airline, was due to arrive in Medellin from Bolivia, the airport's official Twitter account confirmed, adding the plane suffered an electrical failure before the crash.
The team, Chapecoense, was due to play against Medellin’s Atletico Nacional in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday, local media reported.
Aerocivil, Colombia’s civil aviation authority, confirmed the accident and said that the first steps of an official investigation have begun.
The crash took place near the town of La Unión, in the mountainous department of Antioquia.
Aerocivil published a list of the names of the surviving passengers and crew to its Twitter account.
The South American Football Confederation said in a statement it "greatly regrets" the crash and added all of its activities will be suspended until further notice.
Airport officials say the crash site can only be accessed by ground transportation because of the weather conditions.
ABC News' Joshua Hoyos, Matt Stone and Rachel Katz contributed to this report.