BVI News

Census should be complete this year with new punitive legislation

A section of the main island of Tortola.

Director of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Raymond Phillips hopes to complete the census by this year following the implementation of legislation forcing individuals to provide information to enumerators.

“I would say we are about 40 per cent complete, give or take. We are hoping to have the census completed in six months with this new legislation,” Phillips stated in an interview with BVI News.

The director, though unsure why the public refuses to cooperate, said the legislation is the final option and persons will be held accountable for withholding information.

The law in question poses penalties for those who withhold census information. It was approved by the Governor on April 9th and gazetted by Cabinet on April 16, 2024.  This means that the authorities are allowed to ticket residents who choose to withhold their data from enumerators.

Persons who do not comply with the enumerators will be given a seven-day notice and can choose to give the census information during this time. If they still refuse to share their information after seven days, they will be ticketed and may be fined $5,000.

Phillips stated that the last complete census was done in 2010 and the BVI is long overdue for a new census.

The CSO Director stressed the census is necessary to provide vital information to the island’s development. The data collected will help the government to make informed decisions that will benefit the entire community.

Additionally, he said businesses, researchers and students also rely on the information that will be made from census data.

 

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11 Comments

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  1. Salty Fish says:

    “The data collected will help the government to make informed decisions that will benefit the entire community.”

    I am not entirely sure when Government has achieved such actions in the last decade plus!

    I do honestly understand the importance, but the issue is we as a people simply just do not trust these Government employees with our personal information. Never mind the fact that none of us believe elected Government does anything for the greater community right now, let alone follow through on future planning!

    Can anyone even say what the Government did based on the last census’ information?

    Like 20
    • @Salty fish says:

      Nothing evident was done with information from the previous survey or the one before that (which took 7 years for report). People don’t want to participate because they don’t trust the government (as you point out) and or because they may not legally here. A punitive system is unlikely to encourage further participation, so the census will probably never be completed

  2. Ayo stop joking says:

    Government need to get tough on those who are not cooperating

    Like 3
    Dislike 13
  3. Citizen says:

    The enumerators were asking how much money we make, when we get paid and when were we at home.
    I am not surprised that many people felt uncomfortable giving out this information and I do not see how this information would help anyone except all the robbers that we now have visiting our homes.

    Like 17
    • @ Citizen says:

      If Government wants to know how much money someone makes let them check Inland Revenue Dept or Social Security Board!

      ABSOLUTELY NO-ONE SHOULD BE FORCED THROUGH PUNITIVE MEASURES TO TELL ENUMERATORS HOW MUCH THEY MAKE ESPECIALLY THESE VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE NOT EVEN WORKING IN THE DEPARTMENT!!!!!

      Next thing they jump on WhatsApp or a phone call to spread your business including asking about health issues!!

      PUNITIVE MEASURES THEY SAY – SLAVERY ALL OVER AGAIN SO FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS PEOPLE!!!!!

  4. Anonymous says:

    My only question is once the data is received how will they use such data. Do they have a data analysis working for the government? Who’s actually gonna see the data use it in a way that makes sense or make changes cause such data implies that the overall population is in trouble. How long will this take as well 2 more years.

  5. Busy Bee says:

    “The director, though unsure why the public refuses to cooperate, said the legislation is the final option and persons will be held accountable for withholding information.”

    Refuses to cooperate with whom? I’ve yet to see an enumerator.

    Like 12
  6. Lodger says:

    Still waiting for a visit.

    Like 12
  7. Side Effects says:

    Feel free to give me a thumbs down, but here’s the reality. Thousands of undocumented individuals and overstayers are living in the BVI. The immigration and labor departments are doing a poor job of protecting our borders, and this failure could result from various issues, including corruption.

    There’s a lot of money in human trafficking, and this scheme runs from top to bottom. The census questions are intrusive and breach the constitution. A census should count people and homes, not delve into personal details—that’s a survey and data collection.

    Data is big business, and your information is sold to the highest bidder. Look up this information; it will be the driving force of this 4th industrial revolution and digitization. Your data plays a key role in driving economies and targeting individuals for various reasons.

    The CCP model is in full effect. That’s why it’s even more crucial to understand this information before the next outbreak. Under the pandemic treaty that some countries agreed upon, external entities can manage all pandemic-related matters. This information is crucial. The digital revolution requires each person to be tagged with a unique identifier. This will allow smooth travel without the use of passports. This unique identifier will also be used in banking, online transactions, shopping, accessing the internet, work, school, and hospitals.

    These rapid changes aim to force everyone to be numbered and tagged. There are pros, but mostly cons, because certain groups can opt out. Call it the mark of the beast or whatever, but this won’t be good considering how people are already victimized in the BVI and around the globe. This is a mandate by the United Nations for digital inclusion. If you don’t care about these things, then kudos to you. Every house, every person, and everything biological will be given a digital tag or ID that is verifiable. This is now possible through gene editing techniques. The inventory of mankind, from birth to death, will be digitally tracked like expiring bread on a shelf in the store.

    Sources:

    UN Digital ID
    ID2020
    World Population Prospects
    UN Reports ‘Leap Forward’ in Regulating DNA-Altering Technology to Benefit All
    World Population Surpasses 8 Billion
    https://unsceb.org/topics/un-digital-id, https://www.id2020.org/, https://population.un.org/wpp/, UN reports ‘leap forward’ in regulating DNA-altering technology to benefit all https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095682, https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/world-population-surpasses-8-billion-what-are-implications-planetary-health-and

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  8. Smack Dabb says:

    Let’s see if Government ready to be judicially reviewed and damages sought. We have really stupid people running this country.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  9. No sense says:

    The department will claim to have done a complete island wide survey who’s to argue , with no residential addresses who can or who would want to claim any different, just government salaries for F&F along with so many other politically correct departments gender , consumer, disaster management , health & safety a whole load of good pensions in departments where no one is ever there because they’ve just stepped out!

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