A new Board for the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will be announced early next week. Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, made the announcement at a disaster preparedness town hall meeting, held at the Errol Flynn Marina, Port Antonio, Portland, on May 9. The ODPEM is the national disaster organisation responsible for...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says the road rehabilitation to be carried out under the $40-billion SPARK programme will not be a substitute for existing road initiatives. The Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) programme aims to address and improve roads islandwide. Of the budgeted sum, $20 billion will be spent...

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will be providing more than $50 million to be shared among Municipal Corporations across the island to support Labour Day activities. Emphasis this year will be placed on persons with disabilities, the elderly and the vulnerable. Labour Day will be observed on Thursday, May 23, under the slogan: ‘Ramp up di access…...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) continues to tackle illegal dumping across Jamaica, having undertaken a cleanup operation at a site along Baptist Road in St. Elizabeth, on May 7. The initiative, spearheaded through the SPM Waste Management Limited, is part of a comprehensive strategy to tackle illegal dumping and promote environmental stewardship. On site was Executive Director of...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, is calling on all members of society to protect children and build communities of hope and inspiration around them that promote respect for life. He made the appeal while addressing the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation’s (KSAMC) Child Month ceremony at the Secret Gardens downtown Kingston on May 5....

Consultations with community members have started for the Government’s $40-billion road improvement project, under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) programme. The first in the series of SPARK programme town hall meetings was held at the Edith Dalton James High School in Duhaney Park, St. Andrew, on May 2. The meeting provided an opportunity for...

A town hall meeting will be held in Portland next week, following Wednesday’s (May 1) 4.2 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake’s epicentre was located approximately five kilometres south of Hope Bay in the parish. The disclosure was made by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, during his opening remarks at the second Working Session of the National...