MARIGOT--The Territorial Council voted on Thursday to follow the national directive and have smoke alarms installed in all private houses in St. Martin as of June 30, 2016.
The ruling was passed into law in France and became applicable as of March 8, 2015. However, State Services indicated that as part of new competences transferred to the Collectivité on April I, 2012, including housing, construction, urbanism and energy, it was up to the Collectivité to decide whether to follow the national regulation.
The main purpose of installing a detecteur avertisseur autonome de fumée (DAAF) is to reduce the number of fatalities due to fires.
The motion was passed by the majority, but with the abstentions of group President René-Jean Duret and Councillor Rollande Questel.
“Why limit this to a single sub-decree on smoke detectors while there are so many other laws or decrees that have been taken in our areas of expertise by the Government since April 1, 2012?” Duret questioned. “I’m thinking, for example, the ALUR law, enacted in March 2014, which radically reformed the right to housing and which introduced significant changes for tenants and owners, and in the functioning of condominiums which is not applicable to our Collectivité.
“Madame President. I have nothing against the implementation of smoke detectors in houses, which are a plus for the safety of persons and property. This provision is already provided for in the law of March 9, 2010, and its implementing decree of January 10, 2011, and the law on the smoke detectors in dwellings already applies to St. Martin.
“But, I ask the question to all of you here. How many of you have already installed smoke detectors in your dwelling places or in apartments that you rent, even though it is compulsory from January 2011?”
Thursday’s Council Meeting was the first since the Paris terror attacks and a minute’s silence was observed for the victims of the atrocities before the session started.
President Aline Hanson touched on a number of subjects in her opening remarks. On the latest Goldfinger robbery, she said Gendarme and Police patrols had been increased, which already had been previewed in the signed convention between Gendarmerie and Police, and a dozen more police officers would be recruited from the Collectivité’s budget.
Hanson condemned the senseless act of the young man who recently attempted to force his way through a control on his scooter, breaking the leg of a Gendarme.
She once again insisted on parents taking greater responsibility for educating their children to become “non-violent responsible adults and honourable members of society.”
Other subjects included the recent victory for the Collectivité regarding the State Council giving the green light to tax Revenue Solidarité Active (RSA) “socle” which will bring 4.4 million euros per annum into the Collectivité’s coffers; the climate change conference in Paris which a delegation from the Collectivité attended as well as five students in Paris who represented St. Martin; and the Contrat de Ville signing.
Construction has practically finished on the new Robert Weinum Cité Scolaire in La Savane, which will welcome some 778 pupils as of January 4, 2016. The planning for what pupils will be distributed to the new facility and transportation for them has already been organised.
There was no mention of the sun-lounger ban for Grand Case Beach and by all accounts the regulation has been adhered to as businesses had no option but to comply with the ban. The beach is now empty.
However, Opposition Leader Daniel Gibbs took the majority party to task on the issue.
“Union for Democracy (UD) group still doesn’t understand why it was necessary to engage in a vote in the Executive Council to ban the beach chairs. Our beaches are public domain, so it is up to the Collectivité to make and manage the occupancy rules and to enforce the existing ones,” he said. “It is based on this simple legal aspect that we abstained from voting for this, purely and simply meaningless deliberation through the voice of our representative in the Executive Council.
“I was criticised on some ‘concerned’ radio station for taking sides with Grand Case professionals. This is ridiculous. I simply regretted that it was an administratively unnecessary decision, in my opinion. I would have preferred a more conciliatory approach with these professionals.
“There are no ‘sides’ to take in this case and it would be dangerous to do so. The discontent of the inhabitants of Grand Case has to be taken very seriously, but also the concerns of the professionals. I just wish for a solution to be found in a collective effort and not to take the risk of putting people against each other.”
Gibbs said he was tired and sometimes outraged “by certain hate speeches, which only pit different communities against each other.
“We deserve to live in peace in St. Martin. To those dangerous reactionaries who still haven’t – or who pretend not to understand – the development and the harmonious living together of our Collectivité can only be done by building on the richness and contributions of all communities living on this island.
“I invite everyone to make sure brain is engaged before putting mouth into gear and making sweeping statements. One can create a buzz without having to do evil, but I will end my point by calling, once again, for extreme vigilance and respect for one another.”
