00:00 Part owner of Superior Hotels, John Abood, spoke to the environmental impact and talks
00:07 with central government and the THE.
00:10 So we know some people are concerned about the runoff, some people are concerned about
00:14 the sewer, but all I can tell you is that all of that is not going into the water.
00:20 For example, the sewer is going into the WASA system on the main road.
00:25 The runoff is being dealt with engineering-wise to ensure that there's no additional pressure
00:32 on the ecosystem, the marine ecosystem in particular.
00:36 At the government level, we have met with central government and the THE, explaining
00:42 our plans and aspirations for the site, with emphasis on socio-economic benefits for Tuligonians
00:49 and of course the investors.
00:51 A packed Buku multi-purpose facility on Thursday. Some of those in attendance included Tourism
00:58 Secretary Tasha Boris, Deputy Chief Secretary Dr. Fabie Israel, Minority Leader Kelvin Morris,
01:05 PNM Tobago Council Political Leader Ansel Dennis, and other persons from the tourism
01:10 and environmental sector.
01:13 Mixed views from the public, inclusive of former journalist Jerry Ali.
01:19 Recognizing that this project would significantly influence and benefit young people on the
01:25 island, I am happy that this stage that we are at currently is something that would grow.
01:32 When you sit in my position, you have young people coming to you every day looking for
01:36 employment, looking for ways in which they can better themselves.
01:39 What I want from you, Mr. Abud, is your commitment to ensuring that you would add to the youth
01:45 development as it pertains to agriculture, as it pertains to putting out a list of what
01:49 would be required if your hotel is approved, that we can prepare ourselves as young people
01:55 to be able to supply your hotel.
01:57 I'm speaking on facts, that no hotel in Tobago that were built in the last 20 years, there
02:04 were total objections by the environmentalists. And no environmentalist could stand up here
02:10 today and prove, because I did all the bad stories on Hilton Hotel. I did all the bad
02:17 stories on Grafton. I did all the bad stories on Le Grand Colon. And nobody could stand
02:24 up here and tell me what they had predicted to me 20 years ago with Grafton, come to pass.
02:33 You don't mash down, you don't destroy the green environment to put up buildings.
02:39 You can take a building like Harnesville, beautiful spot, a couple miles away, and develop
02:45 that and leave that beautiful property right there just where it is.
02:48 I ask you, how many 200 room hotels do we already have in Tobago that have not been
02:53 successful and are sitting empty most of the time? Do we need another one? How is this
02:59 going to be handled differently?
03:01 Because the people of Tobago will benefit. The farmers will benefit. Whether it's poultry,
03:07 whether it's egg farmers, whether it's crop fishermen, trademen, heavy equipment
03:14 owners, because there's a construction. Everybody will benefit.
03:19 We have to balance the needs of this island in a particular way. You have to balance it
03:24 with the investor who wants to invest, and he wants to know what is required for a return,
03:29 a reasonable return on his investment. And the investor has to know what is the policy
03:35 position of the THA and the government in doing certain things. The investor also has
03:41 to know that he has serious concerns and deal with the issues of environmental protection
03:47 and so on.
03:48 Consultations are to continue into 2025. Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
03:54 news.
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