Tag Archives: HDC

“[…] As we navigate 2026, we find ourselves facing a rather curious paradox: the very mechanism designed to illuminate public spending is operating with the lights dimmed. “[…] Monitoring without regular reporting is like installing a state-of-the-art security camera but refusing to plug in the monitor. The conspicuous infrequency of …

Carnival Sunday 2025 is upon us. It falls within a period so violent that it compels me to begin this column with a prayer that, in keeping with the Carnival season so far, our two days of artistry and celebration in the streets will take place without violent disruption attributable …

In my mailbox last Wednesday was yet another bill from bmobile, the brand name of the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd—the company we know as TSTT and further back as Telco. The sight of the bill aroused the same kind of disgust I felt when I’d read about …

Just over a week ago, the chair of the Housing Development Corporation, Noel Garcia, was reported to have said that now that the figure for tenants’ arrears is approaching $157 million, its management is considering evictions and other severe actions. This followed the disclosure by Housing and Urban Development Minister …

Trinidad and Tobago’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has vowed to expand its supply of homes attainable to the working poor, starting with the reconstruction of rental units at 23rd and 24th Streets in Beetham Gardens. The Beetham project, according to a HDC release, will be “the template for the reconstruction …

Government policies toward public housing are linked to their position on delivering economic growth. To interpret the strategies, we need to appreciate that governments respond to the pressures arising from social and demographic change and adherence to particular ideologies.  These decisions are complicated by the public discourse which advocates that …

“[…] It is alleged that a new type of squatting has emerged in Trinidad and Tobago that is really geared towards land grabbing.  “They are now known as the land-grabbing ‘kingpins,’ who end up owning prime land all over this country in key spots, for financial gain and not because …

“[…] Tobagonians are free to apply for HDC housing in Trinidad. However, no Trinidadian can ever apply for housing in Tobago under the THA as constituted, not even if you are of Tobagonian parentage. As a consequence, several Tobagonians are the proud owners of houses in Tobago as well as …

‘Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.’ These words of Nelson Mandela should resonate as we approach our upcoming budget debate. A national budget is more than an economic forecast; it is a declaration about …

We are probably not paying much attention to the decision of the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday last when the British Prime Minister’s decision to advise the Queen to suspend the British parliament was declared to be unlawful, null and void and of no effect. The decision represents a complete …

Monday last was a grim day for the pursuit of transparency and accountability. Both the prime minister and the chief justice took the usual futile refuge of chastising the media and metaphorically shooting all other messengers, oblivious of the message from responsible quarters that they should give an account of …

It is fundamental that citizens are entitled to understand and, if appropriate, criticise decisions made by the Government or public authorities; and also to be fully informed about the involvement and role played by the key decision-makers, whether Ministers or Cabinet appointees to Boards. This fundamental right is confirmed in …