And even if BEL decides to invest in solar, finding the funding for that project will be a challenge since the company is financially underwater. Chebat says he has every faith in the national utility, despite last year's losses of 23 million dollars.
Reporter:
"What about the fact that BEL did not declare any dividends this year, which means that the government that has invested in BEL-in a sense it is a loss because you expected a return annually and you are not getting any?"
Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities
"Well it is not a loss, it is never a loss when you invest in BEL. Remember that BEL has to keep the lights on. Listen, I don't know about you all, but when the light goes off at my house I get mad, I get mad. We need to keep the lights on and BEL is one of our fundamental institutions that require our support. And yes, they are going through some challenge right now, but I have no doubt that in a few years the returns we have not gotten now we are going to be getting down the road and perhaps double, so I have every faith in BEL."
Reporter:
"What about the fact that as a utility they are facing this claim and demand from former employee that they should be paid severance and that is another pressure on their low income?"
Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities
"You know it is good we have a High Court in Belize to determine these issues and whether they are justifiable or not, that is why the court is there. I don't want to pass any judgment on it. I think the former workers have an interest and they have a claim, and so what needs to happen is that needs to be determined judicially."
Post Office Rolls Out New Definitive Stamps Featuring National Events
Every five years, the post office rolls out its new definitive stamps, and this year, the images portrayed on the stamps are Belizean events. This includes the Queen of the Bay Pageant, Carnival, Easter's sawdust tapestries, and more. At the launch, the postmaster general explained that they have been working on these designs for over a year.
Dr. Marsha Price, Postmaster General, Belize Postal Service
"Basically we have a committee to come together with different ideas to see what it will feature this year so that took some time, everybody had their idea of what we would want to see featured this time and we just came up with different events in Belize and I think it was something new, something different, I like things that are different and we wanted to do it differently than previous years, we wanted something grand for this 2026 definitive feature."
"The image tells a whole story and we wanted that when these stamps reach internationally, we wanted people to know the history of Belize and that's something we wanted to touch when we selected these images for the 2026 definitive collection."
Jose Sanchez, Photographer
"I was hoping to at least get 50 cents so I could say try to get rich or die trying but I didn't expect the highest paying one, I kept looking which one it was going to be so I was extremely surprised."
"They know I'm almost out taking pictures at the carnival and they went through what they wanted and I believe they chose this one because it's the king for the specific group but it was something natural as well."
Samantha Ramirez, 80th Queen of the Bay
"No amount of words can truly express how I'm feeling right now, I'm truly honored and as mentioned in the ceremony these stamps are more than a piece of paper, these represent our culture, our national identity and I really want to urge the young ladies, look what the pageant did for me, it opened brand new doors, this stamp is going to be all around the world."
Sustainable Development Ministry and UNICEF Launch Climate Analysis for Children
Today the Ministry of Sustainable Development, along with UNICEF, launched the Climate Landscape Analysis for Children report. This comes after a lengthy consultation process where teams went into vulnerable communities and spoke with target groups, including children. The report also highlights the vulnerabilities faced by lactating mothers and pregnant women. This report is now expected to guide policies and legislation so that those vulnerable groups can be put at the forefront of the discussion. We learned more about it today.
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"For Belize it is absolutely important because we need this information so you can look at what policies we have in place that are already addressing these issues and if there are amendments to those pieces of legislation that we can do to fix it and if there's none then to start building legislation so that then we can look at how we can address the issues of climate change and as mentioned it's not only the effect of climate change, it is looking at the vulnerabilities, looking at the geography where you actually are located, looking at those groups which this project has addressed which are the youth, children, lactating mothers, and pregnant women and also indigenous communities."
"When you look at what government should be doing is to look at how we can incorporate everything, all the sectors, all the ministries so that that information can really be put into a framework that addresses all of these issues holistically."
Elizabeth Emmanuel, International Consultant
"So climate interacts with what we call vulnerabilities, it doesn't create those vulnerabilities but it meets them where they are and exacerbates the vulnerability. So as I mentioned earlier, think of a child in an urban school versus a child in a rural school. What we see is that the impact of rain on both children are different and where, for example, so we mentioned a lot Toledo, Cayo, Stann Creek, versus let's say Belize District, you find that children in communities that are vulnerable will have greater impact, so the idea is to work out where are children impacted most and why."
Sajid Ali, UNICEF Rep., Belize
"It's very important when you're having the climate discussion you need to bring children in the center of it and we know the number of children and young people in Belize, it's a large part of the population so we have to make sure that they're best interest is always taken into account in any decision that is taken at all levels."
"They don't really have a voice and people speak on their behalf, you actually need to speak to young people and children, even school-going children can give you more information about what are their challenges with climate and how they are facing it. It's very real now, it's in the face of everyone."
San Ignacio Backpack Initiative Brings Hope to Hundreds of Students
In many Belizean homes, the countdown to a new school year brings more worry than excitement. For parents already struggling to make ends meet, the cost of a backpack and school supplies can mean choosing between education and everyday necessities. But in San Ignacio this morning, hundreds of children walked away carrying more than new school bags; they carried a reminder that someone they had never met believed in their future. Jaleeza Roberts was there and files this report:
Shoppers Brave Grueling Lines for Mirab's Massive Clearance Sale
And finally tonight, it was an experience best described as surreal. We're talking about the Mirab 'Massive Clearance Event' held at the department store's former flagship branch on North Front Street.
Eager shoppers waited for hours outside, being let into the building just ten at a time to grab deep discounts. But the waiting didn't end at the entrance. After hunting down bargains on everything from linens and curtains to large furniture items, shoppers then faced another grueling two-hour wait just to check out at the final two operating registers.
While the long lines proved to be quite an ordeal, for dedicated bargain hunters it was an absolute bonanza - and crowds are expected to line up early once again tomorrow for the final day of the sale.
