Between April 2023 and December 2024, the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) successfully published 68 new standards, bringing the total national quality standards up to 760. Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, made the disclosure at the 14th BSJ National Quality Awards Ceremony & Banquet, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, on Thursday...

Construction for a micro business park, to add to the Morant Bay Urban Centre, is expected to begin in April this year. “The land is here, the drawings are being prepared [and] we are now going to be looking for financing,” said Chairman of the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ), Lyttleton Shirley, in an interview with JIS News. “Those lands...

Two significant proposals intended to reshape Montego Bay’s managerial and governmental framework will be discussed during a St. James Municipal Corporation city hall meeting on Thursday, February 6. The event, slated for the Montego Bay Cultural Centre in Sam Sharpe Square beginning 5:00 p.m., aims to address matters regarding the official city limits as well as the implementation of new...

Omar Frith has been appointed Executive Director of the Social Development Commission (SDC). His appointment, effective January 28, follows the departure of Dr. Dwayne Vernon, who demitted office on January 27 after serving the SDC for more than two decades, including 13 years at the helm. Mr. Frith previously served as the SDC’s Deputy Executive Director for eight years, during...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is urging motorists to exercise greater caution on the nation’s roadways. This follows a revelation of a slight increase in the number of motor-vehicle crashes the JFB responded to last year, when compared to 2023. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on January 23, Commissioner of the JFB, Stewart Beckford, said the entity responded to...

The Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB) is reporting that milk production remains steady for small dairy farmers in St. Thomas, following the provision of resources after the passage of Hurricane Beryl. Data from the JDDB reveal milk production for 2024 of more than 352,000 litres from small farmers in the parish. Technical Assistant with the JDDB, based in St. Thomas,...

A noticeable decrease in commercial building fires has highlighted the success of intensified fire-safety and prevention initiatives undertaken by the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) throughout 2024. Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, JFB Commissioner, Stewart Beckford, informed that there was a 16 per cent reduction in the number of commercial building fires when compared to 2023. “The reduction can...