Seniors Putting Back Groceries To Buy Medication — Turnbull Slams Consumer Bill

Opposition Member and Second District Representative Hon. Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull has delivered a scathing attack on the Virgin Islands Party administration, arguing that residents are being crushed by the rising cost of living while government offers what he described as weak, administrative fixes instead of real economic relief.

Speaking during the debate on the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the House of Assembly, Turnbull painted a grim picture of everyday life for struggling Virgin Islanders, particularly seniors forced to make painful sacrifices simply to survive.

“Seniors choosing between medications and groceries,” Turnbull declared in the House of Assembly yesterday May 12. “This bill should be speaking directly to the people of the Virgin Islands who are stressed, tired and struggling in silence while the cost of living continues to rise around them.”

The Opposition legislator said the hardships being faced across the territory are no longer isolated cases but a growing reality for working families, pensioners and single parents.

“I will stand for the single mother working two jobs and still wondering how she will afford groceries before month-end,” he stated. “I will stand for the father waking up before sunrise to work construction, driving a taxi at night, and still lying awake wondering how he will pay rent, electricity, insurance, school expenses and gas.”

Turnbull said the struggles of the elderly were particularly heartbreaking, noting that many pensioners who spent decades building the territory are now quietly forced to return items at supermarket counters because they simply cannot afford them.

“These are the very people who built this territory with their sweat and sacrifice,” he said. “Now they are counting dollars and cents in grocery stores and putting items back on shelves because they cannot afford them.”

He also pointed to the pressures facing younger families trying to survive in what he described as an economy where prices continue climbing while wages remain stagnant.

Turnbull argued that after six years of work on the legislation, government still failed to produce reforms capable of meaningfully addressing the economic pain residents are enduring.

“This amendment feels rushed, incomplete and disconnected from the realities facing our people,” he charged. “If Cabinet truly understood the pulse of the people, they would have brought comprehensive reform instead of selective amendments meant to temporarily patch the situation.”

According to the Second District Representative, the legislation spends too much time restructuring government procedures and too little time delivering direct relief to struggling consumers.

“This bill is largely an administrative exercise,” Turnbull argued. “It shifts powers, restructures responsibilities and establishes tribunal procedures, but it does not go nearly far enough to address the economic suffering people experience every single day.”

He insisted that consumer protection in the modern BVI should no longer be viewed merely as legal protections against faulty products or poor services, but as a matter tied directly to survival and dignity.

“Consumer protection is whether people can realistically afford to live in the country they call home,” Turnbull stated.

Price Limits

Despite the criticism, Junior Minister for Financial Services and Economic Development Lorna Smith defended the proposed amendments, pointing to new provisions allowing government to regulate and control prices on essential goods.

Smith told the House that the legislation creates powers for the establishment of price limits, periodic reviews, monitoring systems and enforcement measures aimed at protecting consumers from excessive pricing.

“This [price limits] is a first for the BVI,” Smith explained. “But we are approaching this measure cautiously.”

She stressed that regulations would still need to be drafted and implemented before any formal price controls can take effect.

The Junior Minister also outlined broader structural changes under the bill, including transferring several responsibilities to a Director of Business and creating a Consumer Affairs Tribunal to resolve disputes without forcing residents into costly legal battles.

According to Smith, the tribunal would assist consumers with complaints, market monitoring, public education and enforcement measures under the legislation.

Debate on the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is expected to continue clause by clause when the House of Assembly resumes on Tuesday, May 19.