PHILIPSBURG:--- VROMI is moving toward a standing arrangement for car-wreck removal, with Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. saying the scale of the problem requires a more organized response.

The bid deadline is Friday, October 23, 2026.

At Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, Gumbs said the tender does not mark the beginning of wreck removal. He said vehicles have already been collected, but the volume and associated expenditure now require a formal procurement process.

The intention is to have a contractor available whenever the ministry identifies a wreck requiring removal.

That would reduce reliance on individual collection arrangements, separate invoices and repeated administrative processing.

“The intervention is going to be far bigger than what we can do on an operational day-to-day basis,” Gumbs said.

Residents can assist by submitting photographs and locations through the ministry’s existing reporting channels, including its QR-code system and Inspection Department.

Gumbs said the ministry would also share contact information for the operational teams responsible for tagging vehicles during the week.

He urged residents to file formal reports so complaints can be recorded and followed up on.

He cautioned that informally passing a message through someone with a personal connection to the ministry does not necessarily put the complaint before the responsible department.

Gumbs also reminded prospective bidders that the deadline for cemetery works is Monday, October 26.

Because the government website is experiencing difficulties, he said tender information is available on the ministry’s and government’s Facebook pages, as well as his ministerial and personal pages.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor has acknowledged errors and inconsistencies in ministerial decrees published in the National Gazette on October 9, 2026, saying further verification is needed to establish where the discrepancies occurred and what corrective action is required.

Addressing the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, October 21, Connor said the problems include missing dates and reference numbers, incomplete information, and technical references appearing in the published documents.

“The ministry recognizes the importance of ensuring that official government decisions are accurately documented and published, and takes these concerns extremely seriously,” Connor said.

However, the minister did not identify the affected decrees, explain the consequences for the persons or institutions involved, or set a deadline for completing the review.

Connor said preparing, approving, administratively handling, and publishing ministerial decrees involve several stages across different ministries and departments.

Some of those processes remain manual, which he said can increase the possibility of administrative and technical errors.

That explanation did not establish where the problems originated. Connor said further checks would be necessary before the department could determine responsibility for the discrepancies and the appropriate response.

The minister explained that the Department of Public Health began an exercise in 2025 to ensure that decrees within its responsibility were published as required. The October 2026 publication formed part of that effort to improve administrative compliance and transparency.

“The ministry will coordinate with the relevant departments to review the discrepancies and determine what corrections, if any, are necessary,” he said.

The ministry will seek legal advice where clarification is required.

Connor also pointed to efforts to develop a digital permit-processing system and strengthen document verification, describing these as part of broader administrative improvements.

The immediate questions remain which documents require correction, when accurate versions will be published, and whether the errors affect the implementation of any decisions. The briefing did not resolve those questions.

PHILIPSBURG:--- VSA Minister Claret Connor says he wants greater emphasis on preventing illness, encouraging residents to make better use of family doctors while promoting healthier habits through schools, senior groups and community organizations.

However, no structured screening programme, implementation timetable or funding allocation was announced during Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing.

Connor was asked whether the ministry is working with family doctors to strengthen early detection and preventive care as preparations continue for the new general hospital.

In response, he said prevention requires more than medical consultations alone.

Diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle habits must also be addressed, he said.

Connor said he had internal discussions with his team about encouraging people, including seniors, to become more active.

Pressed on whether residents should be encouraged to consult their family doctors before feeling ill, Connor agreed that people need to develop habits of checking their health and monitoring issues such as blood pressure and weight.

He said preventive conversations should also take place in schools, sporting clubs and social settings for senior citizens.

“That’s the area that I would want to focus on, more prevention than trying to find a cure,” Connor said.

His remarks outlined a policy direction but did not confirm whether the ministry has agreed with general practitioners on a coordinated approach.

The briefing also did not identify how the ministry would promote preventive services, measure participation, or reach residents facing barriers to care.

Those details will determine how the minister’s stated preference for prevention translates into services and opportunities that residents can use.

PHILIPSBURG:--- VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. says private developers are financing several public infrastructure projects in full, as government turns to partnerships to address financial shortfalls.

Speaking at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, Gumbs distinguished between projects receiving government money and those fully funded by developers.

He said the government contributed funding to the Billy Folly Road partnership. However, he identified the rehabilitation of the Simpson Bay dock, repairs to the Rolandus Canal and bridge works in the Sucker Garden area as developer-funded projects.

According to Gumbs, the government’s role in those arrangements includes approving designs, providing support and exercising oversight where needed.

The minister acknowledged that some works can directly benefit a developer’s own project. However, he said the partnerships should also deliver improvements beyond the immediate development site.

“These partnerships are a company’s way of contributing to the country they operate in and benefit from,” he said.

Gumbs pointed to the Sucker Garden initiative as an effort to extend benefits to communities outside areas traditionally associated with major private investment, such as Simpson Bay and Cupecoy.

The approach reflects the ministry’s limited financial resources, he said, while efforts continue to improve revenue generation.

The briefing did not include project-by-project costs, completion schedules or the terms of the partnership agreements.

Those details would allow the public to assess the value of the contributions, the standards governing the works and the government’s responsibilities after completion.