BVI News

O’Neal rehashes promise of rescue helicopter for D9, proposes partnership

National Democratic Party (NDP) candidate for the Ninth Electoral District, Dr Hubert O’Neal, said he intends to make good on his 2015 election promise and provide emergency helicopter services for his district if re-elected into office for a second consecutive term.

O’Neal who was speaking at the Valley, Virgin Gorda on Saturday described his tenure as district representative as a ‘most turbulent time’.

He said among other catastrophes that befell his district were hundreds of job losses firstly because of the closure of a few high-end resorts and secondly because of the September 2017 hurricanes.

“As I promised you when I first ran for elected office, I intend to provide a modern, rapid, medevac ambulance/helicopter,” he said.

Dr O’Neal said the chopper will provide rescue services to the sister and outer islands, as well as to conduct at-sea rescues.

“Something like this can be a joint venture, it doesn’t have to be done by the government. It can be done in a public-private partnership with some interested local entrepreneur.”

“So, I’m asking you, my people, to re-elect me and the new NDP team and this will become a reality,” Dr O’Neal added.

Other plans

He said a second term in office would also see separate ferry and cargo traffic areas created on Virgin Gorda. Dr O’Neal said he would also push to end landfilling and open burning on the island.

He said Virgin Gorda would move towards a modernised waste management programme that would use waste to generate electricity. The first-term legislator plans to kick off his environment conscious campaign by establishing an eco-park in the Valley.

In the area of sports, Dr O’Neal said negotiations are already underway with international football body, FIFA, to convert the recreational ground on Virgin Gorda into a soccer field with a rubberised track similar to the recently opened stadium on Tortola.

Additionally, O’Neal said he would advocate for the low-income housing programme for first-time homeowners to commence on Virgin Gorda. The first leg of that project briefly started at Joe’s Hill in 2017.

On Anegada, Dr O’Neal promised to turn the Setting Point Jetty into an official port of entry equipped with Customs and Immigration offices.

He reasoned that, in so doing, persons would not have to travel to Tortola or Virgin Gorda to legally enter Anegada.

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23 Comments

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  1. Lordie says:

    Please helicopter your. beind go sid dung.

    Total waste of time

    Like 23
    Dislike 8
    • Albion says:

      The Cayman Islands used to have a Medivac helicopter, but they had to shelve it because it was far too expensive to maintain. And the Cayman Islands has a budget of around three times that of the entire BVI. I am not sure that Bertie O’Neal has carefully costed out the proposal of having a Medivac helicopter just for D-9.

      Like 11
  2. sam the man says:

    He failed to deliver on this promise 4 years ago, so whats changed? do we reward incompetence and excuses? Time for a change….we need representatives that don’t just talk, do expensive self promotion – but deliver…I only wish there was an alternative for District 2

    Like 21
    Dislike 5
    • Deliver says:

      How an he deliver when things were beyond his control with the hurricanes you all make me sick. In my eyes he didnt get a fair chance to get his promise done! Put in VIP see how much gonna get done, the rich will get richer for sure!!!
      Everyone has their differences so I just hope when vg is set back you all font complain….

      Like 4
      Dislike 11
  3. SMH says:

    CHUPES!!!

    Like 2
    Dislike 3
  4. ndp heckler says:

    Another pie-in-the-sky dream

    Like 9
    Dislike 2
  5. LOL says:

    ANOTHER 7.2 MILLION DOLLARS??

    Like 12
    Dislike 4
  6. VI gyal says:

    Can everything promised be done in the first 4 years? NO! plus everything has a cost. And how you people talk is as if you can just get up and do things. Bertie may not be all pushy and photogenic like the others but his does things humbly. VIP neglected you guys for years and sell out your birth rights and no hospital and you guys still pushing VIP. How?

    Like 19
    Dislike 11
    • BLACK says:

      “Bertie may not be all pushy and photogenic like the others but his does things humbly” are you crazy? Bertie has the darn best photographic look n smile than all the rest of the crowd !!!!!!!!!!!! just see the pic above. He is just a natural photogenic guy hands down so I think we should give him a chance to flash that trillion dollar smile for the next 4 years!!!

      Like 11
      Dislike 14
    • Yes says:

      Yes yes yes yes yes yes
      I have to agree….. atleast the medical facility is just about finished, that was promised how many 40 years ago and you got nothing!! Ungrateful set of ppl man

      Like 6
      Dislike 6
      • Wait! says:

        That building may be “just about” finished, but it won’t have any medical equipment, furniture, etc. in it as that wasn’t included. That’s why they are asking for donations – it’ll be a shell of a building when “done”!

  7. Voter says:

    Mr.o’neal are you really serious,you really have us to be fools,on election day you have a surprise to get,you had so much trouble to win the election,we give you a chance to prove yourself and now you have us in misery.

    Like 13
    Dislike 9
  8. Anonymous says:

    Why keep in bertie and we have to other candidate,on election day every one vote for who they want to vote for,bertie supporter vote for him,vincent supporter vote for him,jose supporter vote for him,if the voters pushing VIP them damn well right. May the best man win .

    Like 10
  9. Claboski says:

    If you no live iner the district you nar know a wa going on. Vote for Jose he young energetic, professional, educated and experienced in government.

    Like 1
    Dislike 12
  10. Anonymous says:

    History is our greatest teacher.

    Begin form 1960 and come to 2019. How many of those years was the VIP at the helm?

    WHich party sold out Vg and its land to the highest European bidder? The VIP!

    Which party has insured that today we still work for slave wages, have no affordable housing or land of our own and no medial facility to talk about? The VIP bares 90% of those responsibilities.

    Granted, there are new minds now surfacing, but the damage has been done. What can they now do to correct years of neglect of the people and selling out of their their land? Nothing!

    Look at history and the current state of the union and vote wisely!

    Like 7
    Dislike 6
  11. E. Leonard says:

    Endorsed the Hon Hubert O’Neal (D-9) call for establishing helicopter medivac services for VG and the other sister islands. In a medical emergency, seconds matter; the quicker a patient can get medical attention the better their survival, recovery……..etc chances. Though Public Private Venture (PPV) is an option, this service is a cost of government providing effective services to the territory and its residents. This is a service that the government of the VI should provide. One’s chances of surviving a medical emergency should not be a function of where one lives.

    People in the Settlement, Anegada; Frenchman Cay, West End; Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke; Spanish Town, VG, Brewers Bay, Tortola or Sound, East End ……etc should have the same quick access to emergency medical services. The chopper can be stationed in Road Town, Valley……etc or it can stationed at TBLIA with helipads at diffrent locations. Again it will cost money but it is a cost of doing business. This is not an endorsement of any D-9 candidates; the voters in the D-9 will cast their votes for their choices on 2/25. Encouraged all registered voters to vote.

    Like 9
    Dislike 3
  12. I wonder why says:

    VIP was in soooo many years. Empty promises.
    As soon as Bertie got in You expected miracles. The facts are as soon as Bertie got in, Three major hotels closed in Virgin Gorda. Next you had the floods in August. September you had made two major hurricanes, following that,. All hotels were wiped out. Following that, all the banks closed and you all expect miracles?
    All the negative bashing. What have you done to ensure that Virgin Gorda survived. You call for change, but why are you so willing to assure a potential candidate of your support. Why did you not offer Bertie this type of support.

    Like 9
    Dislike 9
    • Not2Sure says:

      The *reason* people are negative on Bertie is because he always says stupid stuff. He says how he wants to turn Anegada into a deepwater port and make it a trading hub – it is like the man has never been to Anegada and seen how shallow it is. Fraser comes to his district and he says he wants to punch the man in the mouth. Now he says he wants to buy a helicopter for his district which would would cost millions and millions to run.

      Nobody makes the man look foolish – his own mouth does that for him.

      Like 10
      Dislike 3
  13. 9th DISTRICT says:

    VIP SUPPORTERS NEED TO READ THE COMMENTS THAT SOME VOTERS IN DISTRICT 1 WROTE ABOUT THEIR LEADER INSTEAD OF BASHING BERTIE EVERY CHANCE THEY GET.(SICKENING)

    Like 6
    Dislike 4
  14. Qiestionable says:

    VIP CONTROLLED THAT DISTRICT FROM SINCE NOAH BUILT THE ARK. NDP GOVERNMENT IMPROVED SCHOOLS, BUILT AN INDOOR BADKETBALL STADIUM BEFORE IRMA MATCH IT UP, PAVED ROADS IN NORTH SOUND, DEVELOP GUN GREEK I NTO A VISTORS CENTRE, IMPROVE ST. THOMAS BAY DOCK FERRY TERMINAL AND MOST GREATEST ACHEIVEMENT THE CLINIC. YOU ALL MUST STOP IT. WHAT DID VIP GIVE YOU. SOME YOU ALL COULD NOT GET WHAT ROCKEFELLA LEFT THE EMPLOYEES BENEFIT THAT THE VIP GOVERNMENT WITH HELD UNDER RALPH LEADERSHIP. WHAT ABOUT CROWN LAND AT LEAST THIS GOVERNMENT MADE AN EFFORT TO
    DISTRIBUTE LAND TO FIRST TIME OWNERS.

    WHAT HAVE VIP GIVEN YOU A FEW MONEY IN YOUR POCKETS NOW AND AGAIN TO KEEP YOU ALL BEGGING

    Like 7
    Dislike 5
  15. VIPNDP says:

    Mr.Ralph is out of the politics,the voters are dealing with who is in now,we can’t keep dwelling on what MR.Ralph did or did not do,it is not Mr.Ralph and Bertie running now.Well since they say Mr.Ralph did nothing well I guess it is contagious because Bertie ain’t do anything either.

    Like 7
    Dislike 4

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