Commission of Inquiry: Any Additional Material Should be Filed Electronically if Possible by June 8th, 2020

mandate of the House of Assembly as expressed in its Resolution of July 4th, 2014.

The Chair of the Commission is Justice Norma Wade-Miller OBE, JP. Its members are Mr Wayne Perinchief, Mrs Maxine Binns, Mrs Frederica Forth, Mrs Lynda Milligan-Whyte, Mr Jonathan Starling and Mr Quinton Stovell.

As part of its mandate, and based on the evidence it will hear, the Commission will make recommendations to the Government of Bermuda that may compensate for historic land losses, refer cases to the Director of Public Prosecutions where appropriate, and/or may make recommendations that might forestall future land losses by any unlawful or irregular means.

On March 8th, 2020 the Commission issued a Notice that a Planning Hearing would be held on March19, 2020.

On March 13th, 2020 the Premier of Bermuda stated: “To ensure public safety, I can confirm that all Government public events will be cancelled for the next four weeks.

Given the current uncertainty when the public aspect of the work of the Commission may resume, but wishing to advance its work, the Commission has decided to deal with all the applications for standing based on the written materials already submitted to it.

To that end, and since there will now be no oral submissions (at the Planning Hearing) that may provide additional context for the

written material already submitted, the Commission has decided to invite persons who may wish to make oral submissions in support of their application for standing to file any additional written evidence they wish to rely on, together with a brief statement in lieu of their oral submission.

Any additional material should be filed electronically if possible by June 8th, 2020. If electronic filing is not available, then paper copies may be filed by June 8th, 2020.

Taking advantage of this delay and to avoid any further delays, the Commission also invites those persons who wish to have party status, but have not yet filed an application, tofile electronically if possible by June 8th, 2020.

If electronic filing is not available, then paper copies may be filed by June 8th, 2020.

Persons should do so in writing, setting out the nature of their interest in the work of the Commission, together with any written documents they wish to rely on.

All such material should be filed (1) in writing, addressed to:

Persons who do not wish to have party status, but who have evidence (facts) or information relevant to the Commission’s Terms of Reference can also file by June 8th, 2020 a short summary of the evidence (facts) or information they wish to present at the substantive hearings (fact hearings).

Once the Commission has had an opportunity to consider all of the materials and submissions filed, it will provide further directions to the applicants in writing.

The Commission has now established a website where information regarding the Commission may be viewed, including the mandate of the Commission, the Members of the Commission, the Rules of the Commission and other significant Commission documents.

The address of the website is historiclandlosscoi.bm.

Chair, Commission of Inquiry