Weir: No instructions given to move City vendors for World Cup

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security has taken no decision to move vendors from Cheapside and Fontabelle ahead of the country’s hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the minister responsible for markets made clear on Tuesday.

Indar Weir sought to set the record straight in response to comments made by Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne during debate in the House of Assembly on the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies Bill and the Visiting Police Forces ICC Cricket World Cup Bill.

Thorne had told the Parliament: “We are not happy that the government may have . . . proposals for the removal of the vendors along that Fontabelle/Cheapside corridor during this festival – and I’m going to call it a festival, a festival of cricket . . . . It was ventilated in the media that some vendors would be removed – and I’m using the word removed – . . . and we understood that to be along that corridor where people traverse before, during and after games.”

But Weir responded: “My ministry has given no instructions for the removal of vendors from Cheapside and therefore, once that has not been an official decision by my ministry, a decision that has been taken by the Cabinet . . . he is misleading the entire country. No such decision has been taken.”

Thorne said he was relieved “now that you have stated officially for the first time . . . not to remove them”. 

“The vendors are relieved that you have no intention again to remove them. We are relieved to hear that because if you had continued on that course . . . I would have reminded him of the constitutional provision . . . that speaks to freedom of movement in this country,” the Christ Church South MP said.

But Minister Weir declared: “There has never been a decision by my ministry to move any vendors from Cheapside or along the stretch; therefore, there could not have been any change of mind.”

Leader of Government Business in the Lower House, Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw also sought to bring clarity to the issue. She suggested that if vendors were to be moved, it would be to upgrade facilities.

“There are obviously some discussions in relation to the vendors at Temple Yard – I guess Cheapside is in that surrounding area – and while no decision has been formally taken if, in fact, we are to move the vendors in any area to be able to do any upgrades, obviously, we will update the public at the appropriate time. So the Minister is actually correct that no decision has been taken. But I think I would want it not to go there that we are moving vendors and we are disrupting people and we’re stopping people from having economic activity in the country,” she said.

The deputy prime minister assured that if anybody is to be moved, there would be discussions with them first.

“I understand the fear-mongering of the honourable leader of the opposition. But I wish to assure the vendors, the vendor associations and the general public that anything that this government does in relation to vendors – because our record is sound on vendors and improving the lives and enfranchising people in this sector – it will not be to disrupt but, in fact, to be able to improve the lives of these ordinary Barbadians.”

Bradshaw pointed out that matters relating to upgrades usually fall under the Office of the Prime Minister, adding that Weir, who was speaking in relation to his portfolio which covers markets “is speaking correctly that no decision has been made or even communicated to him in relation to the moving of any vendors.”

“At the point when the decision is made . . . for any relocation of any vendors in this country for the redevelopment of any particular space, that information is communicated to the Ministry of Agriculture as it would be communicated to the vendors,” she added.