7 responses to “What is the role of our regulatory agencies?”

1. 

   John A

   September 18, 2025 at 12:23 pm

   
   

   @ David

   As I mentioned a good while back this situation is an extremely difficult one to get a true read on.

   Emera here is an associated company to Emera international. The transactions between here and head office probably holds many of the numbers. So to get to the grit of it you would have to break down the transactions between these 2 entities. So you looking for items like ” professional fees” which is a a heading that covers anything. From a conversation between two managers to any other form of advise done by the parent company on behalf of the company here. Then you have items like “financial expenses,” again a broad heading that one can charge interest on loans under and all other such charges. Don’t let’s even get to the popular one, ” activities between associated companies.” Lord that heading big like the ocean! Financials here therefore CAN NOT represent the full picture. Emera is not like the old BLP in terms of only local financial activity, ĥence the ROI is not necessarily as easy to arrive at by the FTC as in the old days.

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2. 

   Hants

   September 18, 2025 at 12:33 pm

   
   

   https://www.emera.com/

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3. 

   Hants

   September 18, 2025 at 12:37 pm

   
   

   https://www.emeracaribbean.com/our-affiliates

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4. 

   David

   October 2, 2025 at 5:21 am

   
   

   Good!

   FTC: Not a cent claimed

   Regulator urges BWA to inform eligible customers of process

   by SHAWN CUMBERBATCH

   shawncumberbatch@nationnews. com

   THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in compensation due to Barbados Water Authority (BWA) customers for below standard service have gone down the drain again after no one filed a claim.

   This information comes from the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), which is urging the BWA to do a better job of informing Barbadians about the claims submission process.

   In its Analysis of BWA Annual Standards of Service Report for the January 1 to December 31, 2024 period, the public utility regulator said that while last year 1 383 BWA customers were eligible for compensation of $35 120, not a cent was paid because no customer claims were received.

   The FTC previously reported that in 2021 there were 1 956 BWA customers eligible for $45 085 in compensation, and the following year 2 125 customers were due for $42 760. In each of those years, however, no compensation was paid by the BWA because no customer made a claim.

   This means that between 2021 and 2024, 5 464 customers did not receive any of the $122 965 they were due via a credit on their monthly bill. Information on compensation for 2023 was not included.

   “The BWA is required to issue compensatory payments to individual customers affected by breaches of the guaranteed standards unless specific circumstances of force majeure can be proven by the BWA,” the FTC reported.

   “However, the customer is required to submit a manual claim to receive compensation.”

   The guaranteed service standards for residential and commercial customers are installation of service, issuance of first bill, response to complaints, wrongful disconnections, meter installations or meter repositioning (existing service), repair/replacement of faulty meter, reconnection after payment of overdue amount and reconnection fee, application for reconnection of service previously disconnected from the main, scheduling of field appointments, and reliability of supply.

   Service standard

   The FTC noted, for example, that the reliability of supply service standard requires the BWA to supply customers with at least eight cubic metres of running water over a 30-day period.

   The regulator said in the report, dated September 11, 2025, that the BWA “advised that no individual complaints were received from customers that were supplied with less than eight cubic metres of running water over a 30-day period”.

   “The BWA informed that it relies on customers to advise when they are experiencing low or no water service. While the reliability of the pipe borne water service may be unacceptable in some districts across the island, no formal complaints were submitted to the BWA,” said the FTC.

   The regulator advised: “Customers not receiving a regular water supply should submit a formal complaint to the BWA. The submission of a formal complaint entitles them to make a claim for compensation if the BWA fails to supply the eight cubic meters of water over the 30-day period.

   “Section 8.2 of the Standards of Service 2022 Decision requires the BWA to place the claims form and official complaint forms on the website and place physical copies at its main office and other outlets.”

   “The BWA has partially discharged its responsibility by displaying the contact information, the time customers may contact the customer service hotline and the type of information that can be received or dispensed,” the FTC said.

   “Additionally, the Standards of Service Tables and the Standards of Service Complaints Form are currently displayed on its website. However, the BWA has not displayed the claims form enabling customers to submit claims . . .”

   The commission added the absence of the form did not prohibit the customer from submitting a claim the BWA must display forms as a matter of urgency and if a compensatory payment claim is made within the stipulated time, the BWA must honour it.

   “The BWA must utilise the tools at its disposal in educating its customers on the complaints process. This may include additional information on its social media platforms, reminders on its Water Wednesdays, etc. Additionally, the Commission recommends that the BWA prepare information pamphlets or other literature to be disseminated.”

   The FTC’s assessment of the BWA’s compliance with the ten categories of guaranteed service standards in 2024 found that there was “a decline in the performance from the previous year – 2023”, but it was able to attain compliance rates of 75 per cent or greater, for four of the guaranteed standards for “residential and commercial customers – installation of service, response to complaints (acknowledgement), wrongful disconnections, and reconnection after payment of overdue amount and reconnection fee,” the commission reported.

   The BWA was also able to attain a compliance rate of over “75 per cent for . . . repair/replacement of faulty meters for commercial customers”.

   The FTC said, “the BWA’s performance was unacceptable in – installation of a service (residential and commercial), issuance of first bill (residential and commercial), meter installation or meter repositioning (residential) and repair/replacement of faulty meter (residential and commercial)”.

   Source: NAtion

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5. 

   David

   October 2, 2025 at 5:23 am

   
   

   Should it be a call or should the BWA be ordered.

   Call for BWA to probe water quality

   THE FAIR TRADING Commission (FTC) is urging the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) to ensure that water quality complaints “are investigated and resolved with alacrity”.

   The regulator found that the BWA had improved its investigation of such reports from customers, but noted that last year’s compliance rate was still below standard.

   It shared this information in the Analysis of BWA Annual Standards of Service Report for the January 1 to December 31, 2024 period.

   Investigation of water quality is one of the overall standards of service requirements of the BWA, which assess the BWA’s countrywide service delivery performance.

   These standards do not require compensation to be paid to individual consumers if targets were not met, but the FTC explained that “where a breach persists, the Commission may, at its discretion, invoke Section 43 of the Fair Trading Commission Act and Sections 31 and 38 of the Utilities Regulation Act, which allow for the imposition of fines”.

   The BWA is required in 95 per cent of instances, to investigate and submit a preliminary report to the commission within 72 hours after it receives a water quality-related customer complaint.

   The FTC said the BWA reported that of the 61 reports received, 55 were investigated in the stipulated time, thus, achieving a compliance rate of 90.16 per cent.

   This result “represents a failure to reach the compliance rate but an improvement in the performance over the previous year’s 74.76 per cent”.

   “The BWA informed that many of the water quality complaints related to sediments in water, odour and chlorine taste. Given the small number of these complaints, even a small number of missed investigations reflect a significant drop in compliance,” said the FTC.

   “Much of the sediment in water is associated with limescale or lime precipitate. These are the products of the natural hardness of Barbados’ water.”

   The regulator reported that “some of the complaints on discoloured water are related to the problems being experienced in St Lucy and St John”.

   “A comprehensive mains replacement programme is presently being carried out in St Lucy and a request for proposal has been put out for treatment at the Alleynedale well. At Bowmanston, remedial work has been done at one entrance by Stantec, an engineering consultancy company. The success of the operation is being reviewed. Real-time turbidity monitoring has been installed at the station.

   “On a few occasions, the chlorine level was above the taste threshold but within World Health Organisation compliance,” it added.

   FTC’s analysis noted that while the BWA “has generally been on an upward trajectory under this standard, there was a dip in the performance for 2023, but an improvement for 2024, the year under review”.

   “Despite a failure to attain the target, there was evidence of an improvement. Ever mindful of the deleterious impact on health, the BWA must continually improve its performance under this Standard, ensuring that water quality related issues are investigated and resolved with alacrity.” (SC)

   Source: Nation

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6. 

   David

   October 2, 2025 at 5:28 am

   
   

   https://barbadosunderground.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/icbl.png

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7. 

   Bush Tea

   October 2, 2025 at 7:15 am

   
   

   LOL
   So WHAT indeed is the role of the FTC?
   …apart from keeping secrets for the electric company?

   What a RIDICULOUS position to require Ms Lou to submit a manual claim for reimbursement from BWA ‘when less than 8 cubic meters of water is delivered in a 30 day period…’

   What kind of idiotic agency comes up with such a ruling?

   Shiite!!
   Poor Ms Lou can’t even get a RESPONSE to calls about the damn water being always off…
   Can’t get a coherent explanation of the ARBITRARY bills that they send…
   Don’t know heads or tails bout the shiite meters that always blinking random numbers

   ..all she want is the damn service, and and any compensation that is LEGALLY DUE for being inconvenienced by the BWA.

   Clearly the BWA has all the information required (as does the FTC it appears)…
   So…
   Pay the damn people their FAIR compensations due, and stop with the BB jobby do!!!

   What a place nuh!!

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