Choiseul On The Move

 PARLIAMENT MEETS TOMORROW: CHOISEUL, HERE IS WHAT I WILL BE LISTENING FOR

Tomorrow, Tuesday September 29, the House of Assembly is scheduled to meet from 2:00 p.m.

Now normally, an Order Paper is not the kind of document that gets everybody excited. Plenty legal language. Plenty numbers. Plenty "Statutory Instrument this" and "Amendment that."

But sometimes buried inside all of that are decisions that can eventually reach right into our communities and our homes.

Tomorrow may be one of those days.

US$20 MILLION FOR HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The big item I will be watching is a motion by the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance seeking Parliament's authorization for Government to guarantee up to US$20 million being borrowed by the Saint Lucia Development Bank from the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The stated purpose is a Low to Medium Income Infrastructural Development and Home Construction Project.

US$20 million is roughly EC$54 million.

That is no small change.

Government announced the financing agreement in August and said the facility is intended to increase access to affordable housing for low- and middle-income households, including people who have traditionally had difficulty accessing conventional mortgage financing.

Fine.

But here on Choiseul on the Move, you know how we operate.

We bring the discussion home.

SO WHERE DOES CHOISEUL FIT IN?

This becomes particularly interesting because Government's own announcement concerning this financing said that Invest Saint Lucia was in discussions on a condominium-style housing development at La Fargue, Choiseul.

Now my ears are up.

Does tomorrow's US$20 million facility have any connection to that proposed La Fargue development?

How far have those discussions reached?

How many homes are being contemplated?

Who would qualify?

And most importantly, what does "low to medium income" actually mean in dollars and cents to an ordinary Choiseul family?

Those are some of the answers I will be listening for.

I am not saying tonight that Choiseul is getting a portion of that US$20 million. The Order Paper does not say that.

But once a national housing programme of this size is being guaranteed by the Government, and another Government announcement has specifically identified La Fargue as a location where a housing development is being discussed, then asking where Choiseul fits is perfectly reasonable.

AND IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT BUILDING HOUSES

There is another interesting part.

Government previously described this financing as being available not only to help low- and middle-income Saint Lucians build or improve homes, but also for housing-related infrastructure including drainage upgrades, water tanks and solar PV systems.

Now that certainly gets my attention.

Because when we speak about housing in communities like ours, we cannot separate a house from the infrastructure surrounding it.

A house still needs water.

It needs proper drainage.

It needs access.

It needs reliable infrastructure.

So tomorrow I want to hear whether this is simply another mortgage facility or whether communities themselves could see meaningful infrastructure improvements associated with housing development.

WHAT WILL PEOPLE ACTUALLY PAY?

The Order Paper also gives us the financing terms between the institutions.

The interest rate is tied to Term SOFR plus 0.2% plus another 1% per annum.

Repayment is to be made in 30 semi-annual instalments, with the first instalment falling due after a 66-month period from the initial advance.

But that still doesn't tell me something much more important to the man or woman trying to build a house:

What interest rate will the borrower walking into the Saint Lucia Development Bank actually pay?

That is the number ordinary people need to hear.

VAT, EXCISE TAX AND PRICE CONTROL ARE ALSO ON THE TABLE

There are other things on tomorrow's Order Paper that I will be keeping an eye on.

There are instruments concerning amendments to VAT and Excise Tax.

There are also two Price Control Amendment Orders.

But I am not going to jump ahead and tell you tonight that prices are going up or prices are coming down.

The Order Paper does not give us enough information to make that conclusion.

Let us see exactly what those amendments contain and what is said in Parliament.

If they affect the things ordinary Choiseulians buy, build with, drive with or put on their tables, then we will talk about it.

INVEST SAINT LUCIA'S REPORT IS COMING TOO

The Invest Saint Lucia Annual Report for 2025-2026 is also scheduled to be laid before Parliament.

That interests me too.

Particularly because Invest Saint Lucia is the agency Government identified as being involved in discussions surrounding that proposed housing development at La Fargue.

So I will be looking to see whether that report gives us anything more concrete about Choiseul.

TOMORROW, WE LISTEN

So tonight I am not writing the story.

I am telling you what I believe we should be listening for.

Who qualifies for this housing programme?

What will the interest rate be to the ordinary borrower?

How much can someone borrow?

Can existing homeowners qualify for improvements?

What infrastructure will be financed?

What is happening with the proposed La Fargue housing development?

And finally:

Where does Choiseul/Saltibus fit into this EC$54 million national housing initiative?

Tomorrow Parliament meets.

Tomorrow we listen.

And when the talking is finished, we will come back here, put what was said alongside what was promised and what is written in the documents, and determine exactly what it means for the people of Choiseul/Saltibus.

That is what Choiseul on the Move is here to do.

Not just report what happened in Castries.

Bring the discussion home.