According to a release from the company, the anniversary was marked worldwide on the same day.

In the organisation’s two branches in Trinidad at Port of Spain and Chaguanas, staff were treated to a special lunch, and both employees and customers received tokens of appreciation as well as management’s thanks.

The bank has operated in the Caribbean since 1920. The first CIBC branches in the West Indies were established in Bridgetown, Barbados and in Kingston, Jamaica. Branches were also opened in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Havana, Cuba, the same year. In 2011, a re-branding of the company to include the CIBC name strengthened the emphasis on the connection between CIBC FirstCaribbean and the parent company.

Anthony Seeraj, Managing Director of CIBC FirstCaribbean’s local operation, detailed the significance of the event. “Assisting families, businesses and communities by enabling them to grow and prosper is an extraordinary milestone,” he stated. “It is indeed a special day as we pay tribute to our strong foundation and look forward to advancing our organisation and our communities even further.” “It is quite fitting that on this anniversary we spend the day celebrating the two biggest contributors to our business – our clients, who are the reason we come into work every day, and our employees who serve them,” he added. “We pledge our commitment to continued client service excellence and to providing world-class products and services that enhance the lifestyle of our clients.”

The players will be aiming to earn selection for the forthcoming 2017 West Indies Cricket Board tournament, which is expected to be staged in Trinidad and Tobago.

The players will get an opportunity to address the national selectors when a North versus South Under- 17 clash is held.

As expected, the North squad is dominated by players from the East Zone, and which also includes the talented Joshua James from Tobago and promising North Zone youngsters.

North Zone manager Kazim Mohammed said he was not surprised by the makeup of the team, and he expressed confidence that, following the North/South clash, the national line-up for the regional tournament will reflect a similar combination.

“Although South Zone won the Shell Inter Zone Under-17 Championship this year, we are confident to turn the tables and position North and East players for picks on the national team.

“We see this as a chance to get some satisfaction in beating South,” said Mohammed, a top East Zone official.

Heading the North selection are two Leonardos – Julien and Francis, and two Sameers – Ali and Mohammed, Ronaldo Forester, along with all-rounder Rivaldo Ramlogan. North/ East Zone is represented on the team by Darrien Dodds.

The South line-up will depend heavily on the players who took them to victory in the Shell Inter Zone Under-17 tournament.

Among those expected to stake strong claims for national selection are Tariq Mohammed, Jaydon Seales, Antonio Gomez, Brandon Singh, Kyle Roopchan and Matthew Patrick.

Manager of the South squad is Krishna Sookdeo while assistant TT Red Force coach David Williams, a former West Indies and TT wicket- keeper, has been named coach.

Teams – NORTH: Leonardo Julien, Leonardo Francis, Sameer Ali, Sameer Mohammed, Joshua James, Michael Ambard, Giovani Letren, Darrien Doods, Sachin Soodeen, Adam Reyes, Andre Seetaram, Leon Bassano, Rivaldo Ramlochan, Ronaldo Forester; Kazim Mohammed (manager), Arnold Ruiz (coach).

SOUTH: Jayden Seales, Matthew Patrick, Tariq Mohammed, Mbeki Joseph, Antonio Gomez, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Jevon George, Brandon Singh, Nicholas Ali, Faizal Mangera, Vanir Maharaj, Kyle Roopchan, Denzil Antoine; Krishna Sookdeo (manager), David Williams (coach).

According to ACP (Tobago) Garfield Moore, police received a report about a robbery in Richmond Belle Garden where three masked men, two armed with guns, stole a vehicle and sped off .

The stolen car was seen later parked at the Mason Hall Link Road with Providence and the other man inside, both shot multiple times. Providence was pronounced dead at the scene while the other man who was unidentified up to press time, was rushed to Scarborough General Hospital where he died last night. Both were shot in the head .

A resident of Richmond Belle Garden, in recounting the robbery, told Newsday he saw a car reverse into a dark corner of the female robbery victim’s house .

“I was relaxing in the porch when I saw this car come into my neighbour’s yard. My first thought was it was a friend of my neighbour .

But then I asked myself, ‘why is he parking the car in a dark area’,” the resident said .

“There were three men inside .

One of them who was wearing a hoodie, placed a bandana across his face and when I saw this, I rushed inside my house and locked up the place. I tried peeping through the curtains to see what was going on but I was unable to see anything further.” The man said he tried to contact his neighbour (the robbery victim) but with no success .

“After sometime, I saw them leaving with her car, a black Elantra, as well as the vehicle they came with. A few minutes later the victim’s sister came running outside screaming for help,” the neighbour said .

“I came out and she explained to me that three men stormed her house, placed guns to their heads and demanded cash, jewelry and the keys to the vehicle.” Roxborough police are continuing investigations .

A position has been voiced which appears to suggest that the Finance Minister’s proposed prioritisation of currency allocations has angered local business groups, many of which are struggling to secure currency for needed goods, or so they say.

Additionally, it has also been stated that we have a liberalised market and that we should be allowing the market to determine the exchange rate.

Indeed, one must wonder about these comments, especially from those that include persons responsible for establishing the present system of a managed float. According to the IMF, the TT dollar’s effective exchange rate was 19.6% above its 10-year average in February.

The proponents (both internal and external) of massive depreciation suggest that the potential benefits of a devaluation on its external accounts would encourage a more balanced import adjustment, provide tailwinds to non-commodity exports, and support the country’s competitiveness as an investment destination. On its fiscal accounts, devaluation would help narrow the country’s wide deficit by increasing the local currency value of revenues derived from energy exports.

The Minister of Finance seems resistant to any move to allow a massive depreciation of the local currency. Is he abandoning the “liberalised” environment as some have claimed? Or is this really consistent with a managed float based on the unique characteristics of our environment? Has the Minister of Finance made a major mistake? Is he ignoring his adviser? Perhaps we can start by pointing out that historically the Central Bank over the last decade has only provided the market with 20 to 35 percent of injections over a year.

The banks historically have provided the bulk of foreign exchange of the market with the Central Bank providing injections randomly.

This leaves the issue of allowing the currency to freely float and let the market determine the price.

Certainly no one who understands the nature of this market could make the statement that the market should determine the price of the currency.

We have lumpy foreign currency flows since the bulk of the foreign currency comes in at the end of every quarter. The Central Bank attempts to smooth the inflows into the market.

This managed float prevents sharp movements in the value of our dollar.

If the currency was allowed to freely move as currency came in or became scarce, imagine what wide swings there would be in the currency. This would make the pricing of imported items a nightmare for retailers. It would make the cost of items balloon and out of the reach for pensioners and fixed low-income earners.

It appears that the Minister has taken the decision that he would manage the float of the currency very tightly allowing for some depreciation of the currency but treating this as a long-run game and not a short term one. This means he knows that the Juniper fields are going to come on stream. Policy measures to increase oil production has borne fruit. If he gets further increases in oil and gas production and the 100 percent tax deduction from investment in the first year for energy companies is not renewed, then not only will there be increased energy output but also increased forex inflows. This will ease the shortages presently experienced.

The use of prioritisation of currency allocations seem to be just a short term measure that forms part of the managed float. The approach appears a well thought out one by the Finance Minister

The teams meet on Saturday in the 30-overs-per-side final at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre from 6 pm, with a $30,000 bounty at stake for the winners. Beaten finalists will get $15,000.

Centrl Renegades and Tarouba Sports will meet earlier in the playoff for third and fourth, with prizes of $7,000 to the winners and $4,000 to the other team.

In semi-final action, Gandhi Village with in-form batsman Shammi Rampersad scoring 59 and Manoj Sirju 28 totalled 171 for seven wickets in the match which was reduced to 20 overs because of rain.

And, when Central Renegades replied, they found Navin Singh, who took four for 28 and Nishal Guyadeen (2/15) difficult to negotiate and were routed for 99.

In another encounter, Visham Ramroop snatched four wickets for seven runs, Andre Brown three for 14 and Varun Samaroo two for 22 to rout Tarouba Sports for a paltry 94.

Brown completed a fine all-round performance scoring an unbeaten 40 while Keegan Jagessar had 20 as Extreme Customs raced to 97 for two in just 10 overs.

Summarised scores: GANDHI VILLAGE UNITED SPORTS 171/7 – Shammi Rampersad 59, Manoj Sirju 28, Kapil Harry 22; Jonathan Bisnath 2/22, Joel Poliah 2/36 vs CENTRAL RENEGADES 99/8 – Joel Poliah 19, Clifton Rajkumar 19, Matthew Alexander 19; Navin Singh 4/28, Nishal Guyadeen 2/15.

Gandhi Village won by 72 runs.

TAROUBA SPORTS 94 – Nicholas Buchoon 25, Neil Samaroo 13; Visham Ramroop 4/7, Andre Brown 3/14, Varun Samaroo 2/23 vs EXTREME CUSTO MS 97/2 – Andre Browne 40 not out, Keegan Jagessar 20. Extreme Customs won by eight wickets.

Only last week, the wounded man obtained bail and was released from prison in connection with the crime against the Mayo businessman. The suspect had an unlicensed firearm and ammunition in his possession when he was arrested. He is expected to be charged with a number of gun-related charges.

The drama, which began in Mayo, ended just around 11.25 am on Monday at the front gate of the Gasparillo home of retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Cecil Santana, with the bleeding victim stumbling out of his silver Lancer begging for help. Chasing him was the shooter, who was also held, in front of Santana’s gate. PC Castillo of the Gasparillo police is investigating.

For decades, we have sought to change the output of our economy without changing the way in which we create goods and services. Embracing transformation can also lead Trinidad and Tobago to look off the beaten path for new opportunities.

Transformation must be long-term.

At the heart of this transformation is a move towards greater competitiveness and efficiency. The performance of the global economy has demonstrated the need to stay competitive to attract capital and to ensure that development is sustainable in the long run.

We must embrace a new approach to doing business and accept the need for transformation of the labour market to meet the requirements of a newer, more nimble economy.

Labour needs to become more productive. This would mean giving citizens the tools they need to identify and take advantage of opportunities. Such opportunities could come in the form of entrepreneurial activity or as workers contributing to new ideas in an established business. Education is essential to this, along with a willingness to give workers space to contribute in different ways.

Unions need to take ownership of their role. The traditional focus on workers’ rights is important. Businesses must be held to account in terms of providing suitable working conditions. However, this should be accompanied by a drive to preparing workers for changes in the economy. As we focus on competitiveness, increases can no longer be based on tenure.

They must be based on productivity.

Currently, there is no impetus to improve as individuals because many times workers and unions hide behind the Industrial Relations Act (IRA). If organisations are held to account for how they provide for their workers, unions and the workers they represent must be accountable for the way in which they use the IRA.

As business leaders, we must also be willing to transform.

This requires a change in approach to business and how we produce our goods and services. For example, a focus on research and development could carve out new avenues for business, even those we have traditionally overlooked.

Development of the Small and Medium Enterprise sector is crucial to transformation, especially as we seek new opportunities in developing or creating niche markets. We need to continue to address the way in which we look at the SME sector and how we approach entrepreneurship.

Transformation needs to lead to sustainable growth. This will mean an approach that is different to the boom and bust cycle motivated by a hydrocarbon-led economy.

At the same time, there is also a need for short-term prospects (such as tourism) as we recognise the need to keep the economy turning over, while we seek long-term transformation.

True transformation must also be driven by a change in governance by both the public and private sectors. At one level, this means adherence to the laws of Trinidad and Tobago.

At another level, it is about holding ourselves to account as individuals and as organizations. Good governance goes beyond “doing what is right.” Governance ensures long-term survival and success by demanding that we follow rules and regulations and being held accountable for our actions.

Finally, TT cannot truly transform unless we find solutions to the crime problem whether it is white collar or blue collar crime. Crime affects us at all levels, from the loss of life to added cost of business to a poor reputation on a global scale.

She called on people to emulate the Bible’s Good Samaritan and show selflessness and service to those in need of support.

“See beyond the surface.

Be like the Good Samaritan. Dismiss what is different and focus on what makes us one. Draw that person in to respond to the love and kindness that you have to offer.

Remember those who have died from Aids and let them serve as a reminder of how short life can be,” she said.

Executive director of the Family Planning Association Donna Da Costa Martinez echoed Tenia’s call for compassion, urging greater public and private-sector partnerships to reach out to more patients.

She reminded government that it too has an obligation to those in need, urging them not to turn a blind eye to those who need help the most.

Martinez called on parishioners to ensure no one is left behind.

“It’s important that we remove all social, legal, religious and racial barriers which keep people in isolation.

Speak out so others may have an easier life and practise sensitivity and understanding with those among you.” The evening’s service ended with a candlelight procession down Frederick Street in Curepe, to the Eastern Main Road and back to the church.

The meeting discussed school-based management (SBM), promoting discipline in schools and clinical supervision.

Francis opened proceedings by highlighting positive aspects of the education system, including gender equity.

Garcia urged principals to make a concerted effort to involve all their stakeholders in the management of their schools, and to enhance the systems in place to ensure students were proper supervised.

The three presenters – SBM head Claire Telemaque, Director of School Supervision (Ag) John Thompson and Director of Curriculum Planning John Roopchan said the meeting was in no way a blame game, but a chance to strategically plan the way forward using initiatives already in place at the ministry.

The meeting, at the Government Campus Plaza Auditorium, Port of Spain, was chaired by Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan and was also attended by staff of the ministry’s Student Support Services, School Supervision and Curriculum Divisions.

The very candid and direct meeting explicitly highlighted where it is believed that improvements could be made and options were presented on how to move forward.

Recommendations were put forward for improvements in and out of the classroom.

The conversation was not one-sided as principals subsequently had the opportunity to air questions, concerns and comments they felt needed responses at this time.

Leaving the meeting, Garcia said he felt confident that its objective had been achieved and that partnership among principals and stakeholders would be reinforced to create a safer and more holistic learning environment for pupils

In recent times, productivity has risen to the top of the agenda of groups such as G7 and G20. The Italian President is fiercely pushing for better social equality and growth, in spite of Brussels currently ranking Italy as having the lowest productivity in the EU. Whilst the UK has a somewhat enhanced its position, it still lags significantly behind the rest of other peers in the Group of Seven.

Productivity is a concern in the Caribbean also. In Jamaica alone, the local private sector has been labelled as inefficient as the Government by Therese Turner-Jones, the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) country representative in Jamaica.

The Caribbean is a dynamic region with an array of countries that all vary in their standards of living. As the global economy is off to a good start so far for 2017, countries across the Caribbean will be able to benefit from stronger economic growth. According to the latest quarterly Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS) by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), global business confidence rebounded in the first quarter of 2017 and is now at its highest level since the second quarter of 2015. But for productivity to improve across a nation, there are key areas within the economy that the government can intervene on to create a positive effect: 1. Necessity of international and domestic investment Whether foreign or domestic, inward investment is instrumental in both jumpstarting and building on activity within business communities. The Caribbean receives some of the highest levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the world. By pairing investor priorities with regional business strengths, local administrations can establish investors within communities and improve attractiveness to other potential investors by promoting ‘success stories’. Through the stimulus of inward investment, businesses build their capability to win contracts, scale-up operations and discover opportunities in collaborative business clusters that form around the inflow of funding.

2. Skills progression Education is a key foundation for gaining skills. Over the last 50 years, on average public investment on education has been increasing across the Caribbean. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Education for All 2015 Regional Review, public spending on education as a percentage of GDP, rose from 4.6% in 2000 to 5.2% in 2013. But training must also be offered in the workplace in order to embed the necessary skills for a more proficient workforce.

Students, increasingly, need to prepare for versatile careers, adapting to new trends – for example, digital fluency will become a central element of day-to-day working practices.

Digitisation and greater telecommunications capabilities will also widen the talent pool of remote workers from which recruiters can source talent. This also opens up international borders, whereby workers can take advantage of global opportunities. Accountancy functions are increasingly being performed remotely via digital platforms, removing geographical barriers for business, which previously existed.

3. Changing the way we measure productivity Tracking productivity should look beyond traditional measurements and consider others such as new ways of working and the quality of the outcomes and output, which would provide a more accurate picture.

Creating new jobs further increases productivity in the region. To improve the quality of the data, newly created jobs must also be viewed in terms of output quality and longevity of roles, and net job creation in the wider economy, rather than solely considering onedimensional job creation figures.

For sustained productivity growth across businesses, supply chains and regions, it is important to identify a way to track measures of meaningful impact on the Caribbean’s productivity.

4. Looking beyond the present The Internet alone has revolutionised the way we all work, socialise, create and share information. In the coming years, the Caribbean will need to increase its digital abilities to further promote itself on the world stage to attract international investment, global trade partners and world-class skilled workers.

Thinking ahead and adapting to modern trends, will allow the Caribbean to meet and exceed global productivity performance in boosting the country’s growth.

Tackling these areas is a positive step towards meeting the challenges facing the Caribbean’s economy as a whole. T he business and finance sector account for a large part of GDP and governments must prioritise industries such as this as a key area to improve productivity. The accounting profession is an important part of this sector and the government must wake up to the economic benefits will accrue through it.