Minister of Works Alfred Sears advised Parliament yesterday that the Cabinet has reconvened the "shantytown task force" following the February 10 decision by Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson, who lifted an injunction she had in place for five years after determining that the shantytown eradication policy the Minnis administration had in place was legal.
The Minnis administration established the Shantytowns Action Task Force (SATF) in 2018 to execute its shantytown eradication policy.
The task force was headed by then-Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes, but its work was stopped when a group of 177 shantytown residents and the non-profit organization Respect Our Homes Limited took legal action and secured the injunction.
Foulkes, Dr. Hubert Minnis, in his capacity as prime minister (at the time); Desmond Bannister, who was minister of works; and Carl Bethel, who was attorney general were respondents in the matter.
Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Sears said, "The issue of irregular unpermitted structures in The Bahamas now that the court has dismissed the action, the ruling of the judge is being studied, the Cabinet has reconvened the shantytown task force and we see the group has met.
"I've met with the group. They've started their work. Surveillance and surveys are being done throughout the country. Also, I want to take this opportunity to say that we are grateful for the support and the cooperation of stakeholders.
"For example, the Commonage Committee in Spanish Wells (Eleuthera) has been working very closely with me, and also with our team in addressing the issue ... and also I must say the previous government as well in 2018, the role of civil society, the importance of consultation, the importance of utilizing the collective wisdom of the Bahamian society in solving a very, very complex issue."
Prime Minister Philip Davis in a national address on Sunday night had tough talk on shantytowns, advising residents to leave those communities.
On Friday, at the wrap up of the CARICOM heads of government meeting at Baha Mar, his tone was softer as he spoke about the possibility of creating a homeless crisis if the government moved too quickly to eradicate shantytowns.
It is also a position Davis expressed in opposition.
In May 2021, he said the matter must be addressed in a humane manner.
"If there are no alternative places for those persons, then you are creating a further crisis which may be worse than the one that you are attempting to cure. So, if you destroy all the homes of the illegals, then where are they going to go?" asked Davis.
"Then, you have another crisis on your hands. You have thousands of persons, maybe hundreds of persons, maybe tens of persons, maybe, who then become homeless. Where would they go?"
The applicants in the recently dismissed matter had contended that the SATF was acting unlawfully, including by issuing "invalid" notices for residents to get off the land in question — all claims the judge rejected.
The SATF was an advisory committee which oversaw the implementation of the shantytown project.
It comprised representatives of government ministries and departments, private and public utility providers, and non-governmental organizations.
Subcommittees were formed within the SATF to ensure that there was the requisite expertise to consider and address aspects of the project.
For example, there was a special needs group, largely drawn from the Ministry of Social Service and the Ministry of Health, which focused on the needs of children, the disabled, the elderly and other groups; and an alternative housing group, which focused on finding affordable alternative housing for residents of shantytowns.
The Minnis administration also conducted a shantytown survey in an effort to determine how many people live in shantytowns and who these individuals are.
Yesterday, Sears told Parliament the Davis administration is working on its plan to deal with shantytowns.
He said, "In a very short period of time, we will be outlining to the Bahamian public a roadmap to address the irregular, unpermitted structures, not only in the shantytowns, but also downtown Nassau."
Sears added, "This will not be against any socie-economic group, but we are committed, Madam Speaker, to ensuring that the rule of law, whether that is the Building Control Regulations Act ... all aspect of the law to protect the environment, to protect communities, to protect the health of communities, to protect the forest and the coppice of our country which are so necessary for sustainable living and life, we will have a very comprehensive plan, and I am asking all of our citizens to join in with us because this is really what nation building is all about; how do we ensure the rule of law and the equal treatment of all of our people so that we have a much more sustainable, resilient future for the entire Commonwealth of The Bahamas."
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