Canouan – an explosion of activity

Tue, Feb 12, 2013

The Grenadine island of Canouan is only about 30 miles from mainland St Vincent, but the level of economic activity taking place there makes it seem light years away.

Last Friday, media representatives from the mainland were taken on a tour of three ongoing construction projects on the island, which only 20 years ago, was seen by some as a “hard area”, far off the beaten path.{{more}}

The scene on Canouan today is a far cry from those days. Resort developers CCA are halfway through the construction of a US$45 million marina, which developers say will be able to accommodate super yachts and will be one of the best in the Western Hemisphere.

The developers also have their hands full with the construction of a US$170 million ultra modern boutique hotel, which will cater for the super rich. That hotel, according to developers, should be fully operational by the end of the year.

The third project, a coastguard base, is being constructed by the United States government.

According to officials, over 700 Vincentians are employed in the construction industry in Canouan, with a couple hundred others employed in hospitality and ancillary services.

This injection of capital into the economy of St Vincent and the Grenadines could not have come at a better time, and certainly contributed to the fraction of a percentage growth this country’s economy experienced in 2012. And when these projects are finished, and guests begin to pay VAT for services and products, the effect on the Treasury will be even greater.

In addition to the benefits to our economy and the welfare of individual families, there are several spin-off benefits for our people in the long term. One example of this is the high quality of technical work our tradesmen have been producing at the projects in Canouan. No doubt, when these projects are finished, our tradesmen will move on to other projects, some on the mainland, and hopefully take with them the new skills, standards, and techniques transferred to them on these modern projects. The housing stock and the construction industry on the mainland stand to benefit.

There is, however, a possible downside to the bevy of activity on Canouan, to which some attention should be paid by the authorities. There is said to be a shortage of affordable housing, and there have been reports of workers being charged exorbitant rents for one room in a plyboard house without running water. We were even told of landlords who charge not by the room, but by the head! There are also the social problems and breakdown in family life which arise when families are separated and when young energetic persons are thrown together with few means recreation and relaxation.