Premier flags national lottery and cannabis reform before 2029 election
Policy signals from Parliament dominated, alongside a work permit approval rate above 87% and a legal clash over judicial hiring records.
Premier André Ebanks told the Cayman Compass that cannabis reform and a proposed national lottery could be in place before the next general election in 2029, the clearest indication yet of the government's legislative ambitions this term.
Labour market figures drew attention in Parliament. The Cayman Compass reported that more than 87% of work permit applications were approved over roughly the past year, while MPs were separately told that Caymanian jobseekers report being rejected for being overqualified. On governance, the Compass reported that Attorney General Samuel Bulgin plans to fight an Ombudsman ruling ordering the release of records on the appointment of Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale. The Cayman Independent reported the deputy governor's update on a new risk management framework, with most entities trained and two-thirds holding a risk register.
Public spending items multiplied. Cayman Marl Road reported government approval of an additional $1.8 million for the Mosquito Research and Control Unit to buy a second replacement aircraft, as the Cayman Compass reported that MRCU's mosquito-control drones are out of action pending strengthened payload and loading procedures. The Cayman Independent reported the planning minister expects the CI$1.5m housing repair budget to be exhausted by December, with more money to be sought, and that CINICO's private healthcare pilot now covers about 100 staff and dependents, with dental clinics and pharmacies next.
In financial and professional services, the Cayman Independent reported Maples Group's role in a US$415.5m Sculptor aircraft securitisation covering 23 aircraft, and that Moore Cayman has secured approval to operate in the British Virgin Islands. A chamber event on Panama real estate drew more than 200 attendees.
Elsewhere, Cayman Marl Road reported that Val Kegel is under criminal investigation over the alleged operation of an unauthorised advertising business, with businesses urged to come forward, and that government has temporarily halted the shooting of trapped feral cats in the Sister Islands.