News

Saba has insufficient financial resources to carry out necessary maintenance of infrastructure, buildings and public facilities. In the budget for 2019, 450,0000 dollars is reserved for this. The port only has already accumulated 350,000 dollars. This is shown in the response from the Financial Supervision Council to the draft budget. …

Members of the business community in Saba benefitted from a client relationship management course, which was facilitat­ed by President of Training Professionals International (TPI) Natasha Gittens and her team on Thursday, Octo­ber 18, in Saba. A similar course will be held for the business community in St. Eustatius in Novem­ber. The …

After forty years of creative work, Heleen has recently published a book depicting a summary of her paintings. It is amazing to see what the variety of her work is and the number of top quality paintings she shared with us. This book not only shows the excellence of Helen’s qualities but also advertises the …

This morning, Friday, October 19th, the airline SXM Airways was carrying out a test flight. During the third landing, the front tire of the aircraft went flat. Three pilots and an inspector from the St. Maarten Civil Aviation were aboard the plane at the time. No injuries or damage to …

In Q3 2018, consumer prices on Saba were up by 4.4 percent year-on-year. This was still 3.2 percent in the previous quarter. Food products and toiletries became more expensive in particular. In addition, the price of electricity also rose on Saba: by over 10 percent year-on-year. Clothing items, on the other …

Setting a so­cial minimum at this point in time might have a disruptive effect, Dutch State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labour Tamara van Ark said on Tuesday. For this and other reasons, no decision has been made yet about the minimum amount people need for an acceptable standard of …

WINAIR recently took delivery of 3 new GPU’s (Ground Power Units) and 4 tugs to operate WINAIR flights and our growing  3RD party customers in St. Maarten, WINAIR daily operates 37 twin engine otter flights and 5 ATR flights from our hub at PJIAE in St. Maarten and provides ramp and …

In regards to promoting a healthy and active lifestyle and stimulating interest in agriculture on Saba, Commissioner Wilson proudly announced that The Ministry of Education would provide funds to the Public Entity Saba to construct a greenhouse at the Sacred Heart School and the Saba Comprehensive School. This endeavor will …

Commissioner of Culture, Commissioner Rolando Wilson announced  yesterday that preparations for the 43rd annual Saba Day Celebration are underway. This year the official ceremony will take place in the Windwardside with the slogan; Saba Day 2018, “ A Celebration of Sabans’ Resilience, Culture, and Heritage.” The committee members for Saba …

Children in the Caribbean Netherlands deserve more attention and better care. In the past many plans have been made to improve their situation, but the funds that have been made available have not been spent entirely. Therefore, Christian Union (CU) filed a motion in the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber to …

Representatives from fifteen Caribbean marine national parks re­cently met on Saba to focus on their role in contribut­ing to sustainable fisheries. Hosted by Saba Conserva­tion Foundation (SCF), this regional gathering included park managers from Saba, St. Eustatius, Bonaire, Brit­ish Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, Honduras and Be­lize. The park managers …

Every human being has the right to a decent existence. Since the Dutch government has become partly responsible for the well-being of the inhabitants of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the poverty on the islands has increased significantly. In order to combat poverty effectively, it is important to set a …

The Ministries of Social Affairs and Employment; Health, Welfare and Sport and Education, Culture and Science together with the Public Entities of St. Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire are hosting a three day follow-up workshop on child and afterschool care in The Caribbean Netherlands. The event, “BES(t) 4 kids” is taking …

After 28 days of rehabilitation of the airport runway and renovation of the airport building, Saba’s airport runway was ceremonially re-opened Monday afternoon with inaugural flights by Windward Islands Airways International Winair and Windward Express. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport officially opens for air traffic and will be fully operational today, …

Commissioner Rolando Wilson officially cut the ribbon of the Mary’s Point rail. He congratulated the Saba Conservation Foundation board and staff for doing a tremendous work on the trail. Also big thanks went to all volunteers that assisted in many ways possible. On the hike to Mary’s Point you pass …

This year, 84 percent of the people on Saba have reported nuisances in their living environment, similar to 2013. Road traffic nuisance is the most prevalent form (72 percent), most often referring to speeding cars. Nearly half of the residents report physical decline and 33 percent report social nuisance. But …

Company BDS-Harlingen in the Netherlands has re­ceived an order from the Rijkswaterstaat department at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to supply high-tech oil control equip­ment to Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. BDS-Harlingen is a com­pany that specializes in the removal of environmental­ly- harmful materials, such as oil, paraffin, dead …

The renovation of the airport runway is on schedule, and a ceremonial opening will take place on October 8th, with an inaugural flight by Winair arriving at the end of the afternoon. The airport officially opens for air traffic on Tuesday, October 9th, at 8:05 am. Last weekend concluded the …

The Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations wants an oral consultation with state secretaries Van Ark and Knops in the short term about the research into a social minimum for the Dutch Caribbean and the government response to this. In all likelihood, this consultation will take place on 16 October. The …

On behalf of the Public Entity of Saba Commis­sioner of Gender and Culture Rolando Wilson acknowl­edged and thanked all of Saba’s senior citizens on the oc­casion of World Senior Citizen’s Day, which was observed on Monday, October 1. “As senior citizens you have sacrificed your entire life in nurturing and …

As expected, a majority of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday voted down the motion of Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party(SP) and Nevin Özütok of the green left party GroenLinks, to set a social minimum for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba without delay. The three …

Good news for the internet clients of our local provider SATEL. As of October 1st, SATEL has reduced their pricing for 3 of the 4 bundled packages.  You get the same speed for less money. Drops in prices are as follows: Bundled Pro is now monthly $89 instead of $99 Bundled …

The students, faculty, and staff at Sacred Heart School showed their support, understanding, and awareness by decorating the Big Down syndrome ribbon at school. Teacher Helen, the Remedial/Special Ed teacher, read some stories and gave a brief explanation about Down Syndrome to all students. “Educating the students about Down Syndrome will make …

Pensioen­fonds Caribisch Nederland (PCN) has organised a con­gress on Bonaire on No­vember 15 Chemed “Man­datory Pension.” PCN is responsible for the pension of government employees as well as those working in healthcare and education. However, this only concerns a relatively small percentage of the to­tal population on the BES islands …

Saba’s Executive Council is very disappointed in the stance of the Dutch gov­ernment not to set a social minimum for the Caribbean Netherlands at this time, and has informed The Hague of its discontent. The Executive Council sent a letter to State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labour Tamara van …

The Caribbean Nether­lands (CN) tax office has devised a new system to prevent taxpayers who re­fuse to meet their fiscal payment obligations from using their vehicles. This new instrument, which is called a barnacle, will be­come an alternative to the wheel clamp. It consists of a shield which will be attached …

Hope on the islands to have a social minimum set for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in the short term to help alle­viate poverty was squashed during a plenary debate in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Wednesday. The current coalition par­ties Christian Democratic Party CDA, the Democratic …

For the time being, no minimum social minimum is set for the Caribbean Netherlands. CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie went through the knees for coalition partner VVD who feels nothing for pulling a poverty line on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba where almost half of the population has insufficient income to …

On September 20th, 2018 the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality mrs. Carola Schouten and the Government Commissioner of St. Eustatius, mr. Mike Franco signed the declaration that St. Eustatius joins the Yarari marine mammal and shark sanctuary. The waters of Sint Eustatius are now part of the eleventh …

TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN NO. 1 INFORMATION MESSAGE NO. 1 Date: Wednesday September 26, 2018 Time: 05:25 local time Key Messages / Watches and warnings: – NHC has re-initiated advisories on Tropical Storm Kirk. – Tropical Storm Kirk is moving west and is expected to pass about 280 km (170 miles) …

Additional funds for health care and the transfer of the respon­sibility for the after-school activities of Child Focus to the public entity Saba were two of the pledges that Dutch State Secretary of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports Paul Blokhuis made during his visit to Saba late June. In a …

How much money does a person on Bonaire, Saba, and Statia need to survive? The opposition parties SP, and Groenlinks want to force the Government of the Netherlands to determine the social minimum. The Government of the Netherlands refuses to say what the amount is while both the Senate, and …

On September 20th, 2018, the commissioners of Education, the deputy Kingdom commissioner, school boards, representatives representation of the staff and the Trade Union on Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius signed the new terms of employment agreement for 2018 – 2020. The deal includes: There will be a salary increase of …

The Public Entity Saba reminded the public that it is forbidden to fly drones on Saba due to the risks for flight operations and construction work The island government was informed last week about drones flying above and around the construction site at Juancho Yrausquin Airport. which is currently under …

From the end of September until the end of November of this year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) will conduct the Labour force survey (LFS) on Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba. Interviewers of CBS will go to the randomly selected households to administer the questionnaire. The Labour force survey is a sample …

“Construction for a new parking lot for the Primary and Secondary Schools commenced early this week,” announced Commissioner of Infrastructure Bruce Zagers. This new parking lot will hold approximately 25 cars and is scheduled to be completed before school starts in January. Traffic congestion and a shortage of parking has …

In 2016, the volume of gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 2.2 percent on Bonaire; on St Eustatius and Saba, it fell by 1.0 and 0.5 percent, respectively. The total GDP volume in the Caribbean Netherlands increased by 1.4 percent. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on newly released figures. …

The Dutch gov­ernment confirmed on Tuesday its intentions to give content to the paragraph in the governing accord which says the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Re­lations BZK will get a bigger role in the area of Kingdom relations, in particular with the Caribbean Netherlands. State Secretary of Home …

The major dam­age to the Windward Islands caused by last year’s hurricanes was mentioned in the Speech from the Throne read by King Willem Alexander on Tuesday, but the attention was limited to two lines. “The reconstruction of St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba has a high priority after the …

Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) wore a pin with Saba’s flag during Budget Day in The Hague on Tuesday. Van Raak’s main reason for wearing the pin was to seek attention for the need to establish a social …