 Welcome to Nation Beat, I am General Norvel bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Glutia. More than 900 households now have access to an improved water supply. Caricum Heads agree to an expansion of categories of skilled workers and retrofitting works begin at Wellness Centre. The quality of life for residents of Canaries has improved significantly with the commissioning of the Water Treatment Plant. The Water and Sewage Company, WASCO, completed the project with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank for the St. Lucia Social Development Fund, SSDF, and the basic needs trust fund, BNTF. More from Anisia Antoine. The Water and Sewage Company, WASCO has officially completed the enhancements to the Canaries Treatment Plant. The project aimed to improve the water security, quality, and supply for approximately 900 households and businesses in the village of Canaries. Edmund Rages as a general manager of the Water and Sewage Company, WASCO stated that WASCO is fully committed to extending and expanding the outreach program by bringing safe and reliable water to every community. The original Water Treatment Plant in Canaries was constructed in 1962 to be precise. Therefore, after 56 years in existence, logically, renovation works would be required, especially if no scheduled maintenance upkeep was enforced. Consequently, we reminded that effective maintenance of this newly renovated facility must be high on our maintenance agenda. In July this year, when WASCO was opening the Barbano Water Project, we indicated that one of the projects that were on our shortlist was the reopening of the Canaries Treatment Plant. This is now a reality and we are very happy and proud to see that Canaries received the water for the Christmas season. The Treatment Plant will also serve the community of Belvedere and the surrounding areas. The Minister for Tourism, Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Representative for Ancillary Canaries, Honourable Dominic Fede. It is important to us to make sure that the people of Canaries receive healthy, safe, reliable and consistent water supply every time that we can. And so I want to say today that I'm extremely proud as Member of Parliament for the area to see that my government is taking the time and making sure that they find the money to inject the much needed funds into the development of this constituency. The project was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank through the St. Lucia Social Development Fund, SSDF and the Basic Needs Trust Fund, BNTF. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Two local companies recently benefited from a productivity measuring exercise organised by the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council. The companies got to find out how productive their enterprise has been over the past five years and the necessary steps to increase their productivity. Productivity measures how efficiently production inputs such as labour and capital are used to produce a given level of output. Thus, productivity is considered a key source of economic growth and competitiveness and serves as statistical information for many international comparisons and country performance assessments. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, NCPC, was established to identify key issues related to competitiveness and productivity in St. Lucia while providing timely recommendations to policymakers, the private sector and other stakeholders. During the recent testing of its innovative productivity measuring tool with two service providers, Fiona Henson, Director of the NCPC said one of the mandates of the NCPC is to measure productivity. We realised that firms within the private sector are having difficulty in measuring productivity, so the NCPC designed a productivity tool named ProTool to assist firms in measuring productivity. Today, we actually had a testing exercise. We did a testing last year with manufacturing firms. This time around, we were doing testing with services firms in order to test the tool using their data and first to see how we can improve that tool. Henson touted that the ProTool can be a vital measuring instrument for all areas within the business sector concerned with productivity. She said the near future for the ProTool is greater accessibility as an online application on the NCPC's website. This tool is not only a quantitative tool, it is also a qualitative tool where firms will be able to answer questions like leadership capability and management. They will be able to answer questions on the business processes as well as the sales and marketing. Look at what is happening within the firms in terms of innovation and they will be able to get the results from that tool as well as the tool we provide them with recommendations on how they can improve on the business processes as well as how they can improve in enhancing productivity within the firm. The two businesses which participated in the testing program were Cox and Company Limited and Phonebay Inc. They had high praise for the quality of the ProTool's processes and final report. Chris Dahoma, managing director of Phonebay and Peter Lord from Cox and Company shared their views on the ProTool. I think it's a great idea. It's a step in the right direction. It encourages businesses to go evidence-based in terms of determining ready art. I also think it adds to the whole adage that if you can measure, you can manage and it encourages management by the numbers. The tool goes more in depth. It makes you aware that there's more that you can do in the company to get the figures that you want instead of going the normal orthodox way. So it would pinpoint things that you might have been aware of or it might bring up things that you never knew existed and you can implement them in your business and you work on them and you'll get better results. The participants also seized the opportunity to make recommendations to enhance certain aspects of the ProTool. For the National Competitiveness and Productivity Unit, Glenn Simon reporting. The 18th special meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community on the Caricum Single Market and Economy, CSME, has ended with the Heads of Government committing to act on several decisions. It was agreed that the regional, private sector and labour organisations be awarded the status of associate institutions of Caricum to better facilitate dialogue. Barbados' Prime Minister Honourable Mia Mortley is the lead Prime Minister on the CSME. We've also agreed that we have detailed discussions with the private sector and labour on key aspects of our productive sectors that need immediate action and energy. And those areas that we concentrate on initially will be renewable energy, agriculture and food security, transport, be it maritime or air transport and ICT. And we believe that the opportunities for immediate action as well as investment for our citizens and our businesses within the region are there. And we will work together with the private sector and labour to make that a reality. Similarly, we are cognizant that there is about 47 billion US dollars in savings within the community. And that we need to find a way of unlocking those savings such that our businesses and our governments can have access to affordable capital to borrow at affordable rates. While at the same time, given our citizens and companies, better options for greater returns on their money than they're currently getting from keeping that money in savings accounts where it is only attracting 0.1 and 0.5 percent across the region. The expansion of categories of skilled community nationals was also discussed with agriculture workers included for freedom of movement. Countries like Suriname are badly in need of agricultural workers and therefore this is welcome news for them. We've agreed that security guards, Jamaica's been a strong case for security guards to be included in the category of workers. We've now agreed that that should happen so that the difficulties that security guards have been having moving through the region will be a thing of the past. And of course, we reaffirm, because sometimes you have to spell it out, that when we said artists, we also really meant beauticians and barbers. But we've spelled it out to make it absolutely clear that especially in our region where people like how to do here, that they should have the freedom of movement in that respect. I may not be the best person to make these comments and say like my hair natural as it is. But these are the real changes that we're making for the lives of ordinary people who can plan out 2019 in a different way than they've had to live for the past few years. The special meeting on the CSME was held December 3 to 6, 2018 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. This is nation beat to coming up retrofitting works at wellness centers begin. Frankie, you know I'm traveling to Antigua this afternoon and I forgot my passport at home. Boy, it's a good thing I have my driver's license. I'll still be able to travel. Oh, how can you travel to Antigua without your passport? Under the OECS freedom of movement regime, OECS citizens can travel to any of the seven protocol member states without a passport. Once they have an official and valid identification card with their picture and nationality on it. Really? Since when? Since the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean OECS Economic Union under the revised Treaty of Basté, it entered into force in 2011. So you mean to tell me that I can leave solution and go to another OECS country with just my driver's license or national ID and customs and immigration won't stop me? Yes, you can even use your photos registration card or social security card. As a matter of fact, as a citizen of an OECS protocol member state, you are entitled to indefinite stay when you travel to another OECS protocol member state. So you can live and work without a work permit or skilled national certificate. As a construction worker here, I could take my trade to Grenada or any other OECS country? Yes, Frankie. You're straight. And what about my wife and children's schooling? Frankie, OECS citizens and their children will be granted equal rights and privileges under the freedom of movement. That includes access to social services, labor market schemes, health and education for your children and your wife. This free movement thing sounds nice. Has it been traveled to any OECS country, live and work for as long as you like? The OECS Economic Union is the real deal. For more information, visit www.oecs.org. Welcome back. As of December 10, 2018, the Viewfort Saltibas, Alaphag, Moghuj and Bexar Wellness Centers will be closed for retrofitting works under the Smart Health Facilities Project, as the Department of Health and Wellness aims towards safer, greener and more sustainable health facilities. Tecla Jabatis is the Assistant Principal Nursing Officer. The Viewfort Wellness Center will be relocated to a building on Clack Street opposite the Idle Bakery, which is at the corner of Clack Street and Luffa King Street. Residents from La Fag and Moghuj can access services either at Itan's Wellness Center or Souffray Hospital. Residents from Saltibas can access services at the Labry Wellness Center or Viewfort Wellness Center. Residents from Bexar can access services at Cicero, Vana or Castries Wellness Center. Clients can also access services at any of the other wellness centers during this time. Outreach clinics and home visits will continue in the various communities. Viewfort Wellness Center will undergo full retrofit and will be closed for approximately six months. Saltibas, La Fag, Moghuj and Bexar will be undergoing small smart interventions and therefore will be closed for approximately three months. The Department of Health and Wellness is seeking support from the general public, especially those from the communities that are affected during this time. Assistant Principal Nursing Officer Tecla Jabatis. That's Nation Beat. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30pm with our repeat at 7.30am and on this station as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Genel Novel.