Caribbean Employment

New regulations incoming for St. Kitts & Nevis construction industry

A contractor looks at plans.

Physical Planning Minister Brand says the new legislation is a good thing for Nevisian contractors 

CHARLESTOWN, ST. KITTS & NEVIS — The construction sector on Nevis island could be facing increased regulations if the government proceeds with its Nevis Building Contractors Registration and Regulation Bill, 2021.

However, Minister of Physical Planning Spencer Brand made the case that the regulation would be advantageous for contractors as well as for the industry as a whole.

Nevis Minister of Physical Planning Spencer Brand.

The minister recently held a public meeting with Nevisian contractors for consultation on the bill before it is debated and passed in Parliament.

During that meeting, Brand said, “I have, as I said before, no intention of depriving anyone from earning a living, but I feel that there must be a systematic approach for anyone who wants to apply their trade in this very important industry.

“I believe that it would offer protection for you as a contractor, as an electrician, as a plumber, but it would also offer you the opportunity to expand, to grow and to find yourselves, as it were, taking on larger and much more meaningful projects.”

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    De-Jono Liburd, legal counsel for the government, outlined that the objective of the bill is to provide for the registration and regulation of contractors. Under the new law, if passed, building contractors, electricians, carpenters and plumbers would all be eligible to register as contractors.

    Liburd also noted that the bill aims to establish and appoint a construction commissioner who would be responsible for “implementing, administering and enforcing the provisions of the ordinance”.

    Meanwhile, Brand urged Nevisian contractors and stakeholders to get involved in the consultation process, cautioning them not to get left behind in a rapidly developing world.

    “The new technologies, the new methods of construction, continue to change, continue to be dynamic, continue to be innovative, and I don’t want to see our contractors, our electricians and our plumbers here on the island of Nevis left behind,” Brand told the meeting’s attendees.

    “So, I want you to participate. I want you to take ownership of it. I want you to be open and honest about what we are trying to do so that at the end of the day, we’re going to have a piece of legislation that can work seamlessly with our Planning Department, with our banking sector and with the ministry for your benefit and for the development of the island of Nevis.”

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