About 95 vendors left Castries City Hall on Tuesday with cheques, receiving compensation for the months of disruption caused by the ongoing work at the Castries Vendors Arcade.
Vendors were asked to temporarily leave the facility while work continued along the Castries Waterfront as part of the Saint Lucia Cruise Port Redevelopment Project. For some, this meant being away from their usual workplace for several months.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre promised compensation to the affected vendors earlier this year.
At Tuesday’s distribution ceremony, officials disbursed a total of EC$433,143.30.
However, not everyone received the same payment.
Each vendor’s payment was based on how much rent they owed the Castries City Council. Vendors were grouped into three categories: Low Balance, Medium Balance, and High Balance.
Vendors in the low-balance group, who owed little to no outstanding rent, received the full ex-gratia payment of EC$5,263.16. Medium-balance and high-balance vendors had a portion deducted to settle what they owed. In some cases, the outstanding rent exceeded the value of the ex-gratia payment.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre used the opportunity to encourage vendors to manage their money carefully, reminding them that all money coming into a business should not be treated as profit.
“Sales are not profit… When you have a good day, and you see things looking nice, don’t push your hand in it. You have to pay rent, you have to pay for the goods that you sell… You must treat it [vending] as a business,” Pierre said.
Saint Lucia Cruise Port also plans to launch a training programme to help vendors get the most out of their new facilities.
Saint Lucia Cruise Port Director Lancelot Arnold also said plans are underway to establish a partnership with Export Saint Lucia once vendors move into the new facility. The aim is to connect them with local producers and give them access to more locally made products that could appeal to visitors.
Pierre encouraged the vendors to take advantage of opportunities to improve their operations.
“You are never too old to learn,” he said.
Vendors were also reminded to keep up with their rent payments.
Vendors were previously granted a reprieve in 2021 to assist with outstanding amounts owed to the Castries City Council. With the latest ex-gratia payment also used to offset outstanding balances, vendors were urged not to let their accounts fall behind again.
The message from the Government was that assistance should not become an incentive for “bad behaviour”, particularly for those who often do not meet their financial obligations.
