BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN an effort to promote foreign investment and tourism, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas paid a visit to Victoria and was the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by Todd Axlerod on Sunday, June 27, 2010.
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia (BC), Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from BC’s largest city of Vancouver on the mainland.
According to an article published by Times Colonist, headlined “Caribbean Island leader opens doors for business” dated June 29, 2010, the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis brims with lush scenery and has a rich 500-year history, but has faced challenges from hurricanes to poor harvests.
In promoting the Federation, the online media outlet quoted Dr. Douglas as saying, “We are in the process of transforming our national economy, which for almost four centuries was based on sugar cane. We’re moving into a service economy led by tourism, information technology, banking and light manufacturing.”
It noted that energy self-sufficiency is one of Douglas’ goals for the Federation and that he is tackling HIV/AIDS with free medical care, as well as spearheading a UN effort to combat diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
“With the help of the Bank of Nova Scotia we are developing geothermal power to totally replace fossil fuels. St. Kitts and Nevis will be the first totally green country in the world,” he said.
With specific emphasis on tourism, Dr. Douglas spoke of the major hotels in the Federation, the Mandarin chain seeking to build and the numerous smaller inns created from old sugar plantations, which he described as charming.
He also noted that St. Kitts and Nevis “honours privacy”, which is why many celebrities holiday here, and that “people can walk around unmolested by the paparazzi”.
The online media outlet also noted that, in his quest for high-end tourism and investment, “Douglas travelled to Geneva and Zurich last week”. It also informed that after leaving Victoria he would have travelled to Vancouver before returning home.
It further quoted Douglas as saying, “In the past, it was an enormous financial burden to establish an embassy in a foreign country. We now utilize reliable citizens to pursue business.”
The reliable citizen upon whom the St. Kitts-Nevis government is depending to pursue business and look after the Federation’s interests in that part of the world is Victoria businessman Todd Axelrod.
Douglas further stated that the Federation’s financial sector is highly regulated and modelled on the Canadian system.
“My country has no income tax, no capital gains, no estate tax, corporate tax is relatively low and we offer a multi-faceted incentive package for new companies - tax holidays, omissions of duties, free concessions - but we have intensive due diligence,” he is quoted as saying.
Times Colonist said that among those who attended the Axlerod-hosted dinner were artist Art Vickers, Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Ida Chong, Small Business Victoria CEO Ken Stratford and retired KPMG partner Derrold Norgaard.
Norgaard, who, reportedly was impressed with Douglas, said, “He is a very dignified, well-spoken individual who is putting a lot of effort into moving his country to the next level.”
He also said that the investment climate is favourable, citing “recent changes to tax legislation in Canada [and] a recent agreement that makes it more preferable for Canadians to do business there [St. Kitts-Nevis]”.
An article published by Times Colonist on June 2, 2010 raised questions on the ownership of a waterfront Uplands property, reportedly valued at CAN$ 28 million, being used as an official consulate for St. Kitts and Nevis.
The 15 900-square-foot residence, referred to as Sweet Pea, is said to be located at 3195 Humber Road and sits on about 2.5 acres of land alongside 450 metres of waterfront. The article raised a red flag for many nationals and the issue had spurred much public discussion.
The Canadian property, according to the Times article, has seven bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool and spa, manicured grounds, a desalination plant and an enhanced and hi-tech security system.
However, in an interview with SKNVibes, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Astona Browne explained that the residence referred to in the news articles is owned by Honorary Consul of the Federation Todd Axelrod, who has served in this capacity for over two years. She emphasised that the property is not owned by the government and that it has no interest in that respect.
“The article is referring to the residence of Todd Axelrod, an Honorary Consul of St. Kitts and Nevis. The government does not own that property and the government will never own it. He has been there for more than two years...He resided in St. Kitts for some time and he is not even paid a salary, that’s why it is called an honorary consul. You don’t even have to be a citizen...,” Browne said.
SKNVibes learnt that Axelrod was appointed Honorary Consul of St. Kitts and Nevis in 2008.
