Events from the year 2017 in the British Virgin Islands.

Incumbents

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

: ** until 8 August:

John Duncan John Duncan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Duncan (painter) (1866–1945), Scottish painter * John Duncan (artist) (born 1953), American artist and musician * Big John Duncan (born 1958), Scottish punk musician * John Duncan (harpist) ...

** 8 August - 12 August: Robert Mathavious (acting) ** 12 August - 22 August:

Rosalie Adams Rosalie Louise Adams, OBE served as Acting Governor of the British Virgin Islands under a dormant commission that was invoked in 2017. She had previously served as Deputy Governor of the British Virgin Islands. She also served as Permanent Secret ...

(acting) ** starting 22 August:

Augustus Jaspert Augustus James Ulysses "Gus" Jaspert (born 1979) is a British diplomat who was previously the Governor of the Virgin Islands, Governor of the British Virgin Islands. He was sworn into office on 22 August 2017. He left office on 23 January 2021 ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Orlando Smith Daniel Orlando Smith, OBE (born 28 August 1944) is a British Virgin Islands politician and the former Premier of the British Virgin Islands from 2011 to 2019 and from 2003 to 2007. He also formerly served as Chief Minister of the British Vir ...

Events

January

* 9 January 2017 - Bishop John Cline resigns from the BVI Health Services Authority after criticising the Government. * 11 January 2017 - Social Security Board signs a contract to build 43 homes as part of a social housing project, the Territory's first. * 23 January 2017 ** Former US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

visits the British Virgin Islands. ** BVI Finance appoints a new board of director from the private sector, transitioning from a publicly run body.

February

* 6 February 2017 -

Andrew Fahie Andrew Alturo Fahie (, born 7 August 1970) is a British Virgin Islands politician who served as Premier of the British Virgin Islands from 2019 to 2022. He was also the chairman of the Virgin Islands Party in the British Virgin Islands from 201 ...

replaces

Julian Fraser Julian Fraser (born 5 July 1950) is a British Virgin Islander politician who formerly belonged to the opposition Virgin Islands Party in the British Virgin Islands, and in August 2018 formed a new party, Progressives United. He is the current L ...

as leader of the opposition

Virgin Islands Party The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. It is presently led by Acting Premier Natalio Wheatley. It is the oldest active political party in the British Virgin Islands, and it has won more general elect ...

. * 8 February 2017 - Earl ‘Bob’ Hodge and Robert ‘Tico’ Harrigan are remanded into custody in relation to a long-standing extradition request from the United States.

March

* 3 March 2017 - Minister of Health, Ronnie Skelton, calls for the decriminalisation of marijuana.

April

* 1 April 2017 - retirement age is increased from 60 to 65. * 25 April 2017 -

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

publishes a controversial report on the state of the British Virgin Islands.

May

* 3 May 2017 - new British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation power plant comes online. * 8 May 2017 - the Territory records its fifth

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

, the highest total since 2008 and second highest ever.

July

* 1 July 2017 - registers of beneficial ownership are introduced for British Virgin Islands companies. * 18 July 2017 - BVI Airways announced it was laying off all staff as it had exhausted its funds, despite having received a $7 million Government subsidy. This followed tit-for-tat accusations between the Government and the airline.

August

* 8 August 2017 - Emancipation Festival celebrations are cancelled after flooding damage caused by torrential rains, the first cancellation due to weather in decades. * 17 August 2017 - contrary to expectations, the Financial Services Commission announces an increase in incorporation rates since the introduction of beneficial ownership registration. * 22 August 2017 - Augustus "Gus" Jaspert is sworn in as the new

Governor of the Virgin Islands The Governor of the Virgin Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of the British Virgin Islands. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The ...

September

* 6 September 2017 -

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...

strikes the British Virgin Islands directly causing widespread damage and 4 deaths. * 7 September 2017 - Governor declares state of emergency under the

Constitution of the British Virgin Islands The Constitution of the British Virgin Islands is a predominantly codified constitution documented primarily within the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 a statutory instrument of the United Kingdom. The 2007 Constitution was the fourth w ...

, the first time this has ever happened. * 20 September 2017 -

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

strikes the British Virgin Islands obliquely, causing modest damage. Damage caused by the Hurricane to nearby

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

affects recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma. * 27 September 2017 - A number of high-risk inmates are transferred from Tortola to Bordelais Correctional Facility in

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...

because of the damaged state of the Balsam Ghut prison.

November

* 14 November 2017 - At the third attempt the US government secures a ruling to extradite Earl 'Bob' Hodge and Roberto 'Tico' Harrigan to the US to face drugs charges. The initial extradition request was made in 2012. * 22 November 2017 - a double homicide brings the country's tally of murders for the year to 10, the highest total ever in a single calendar year.

December

* 19 December 2017 - The Social Security board acquires a 33% shareholding in National Bank of the Virgin Islands. The bank was formerly wholly owned by the Government of the Virgin Islands.

Deaths

* 20 December -

Omar Hodge Omar Wallace Hodge (2 February 1942 – 20 December 2017) was a politician in the British Virgin Islands. Hodge was the third longest serving member of the House of Assembly (including its former incarnation as the Legislative Council) after Lav ...

, politician.

Footnotes

{{Caribbean topic, 2017 in 2010s in the British Virgin Islands

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