Audits for major government infrastructure projects should be in place and there needs to be more accountability in public spending, the Shadow Minister of Public Works and Environment has said.

Linda Smith spoke to The Royal Gazette ahead of the conclusion of 56 hours of debate on the 2026-27 Budget in the House of Assembly during which, she said, she saw nothing outstanding for the portfolio she oversees for the Opposition.

Ms Smith said improving the safety of the island’s roads should be prioritised by the Government and said the $5 million for public road resurfacing and $1 million towards private road infrastructure were “a drop in the ocean”, while safety hazards such as ill-constructed walls built in a different era needed to be addressed with meaningful funding.

“We have crumbling infrastructure. If you are not keeping up the infrastructure yet you are balancing your budget, it’s not necessarily a sign of great management,” she said.

“I asked during the debate how much paving $5 million buys and apparently it is between 10km and 11km of paving.

“Back in 2023, when Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch was the Minister of Public Works, he predicted it would cost $100 million and take over ten years for half of Bermuda’s roads to be repaved. It is disturbing to see we are only allocating $5 million for this.”

The $5 million capital cost was in addition to an operating budget of $7,286,000 under the highways programme.

Opinion: Government failing on infrastructure

Ms Smith added: “Roads and infrastructure affect everyone every day. We hear from the police that every day there are about three accidents and we have about one fatality a month.

“Most are the result of driving while impaired or driving dangerously or not paying attention, but also you have to question what impact the roads are having on the situation — whether the roads are slick, whether they are uneven or have potholes, it all contributes to making the roads less safe.

“I would have like to have seen greater investment in our infrastructure and roads.”

She also said the Government could do a better job of communicating the roadworks it carries out, adding: “There seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to where they are paving. It is sporadic.

“If we can understand why areas are being paved and not being paved, then the public can get behind it and get a better idea of whether we are making progress.”

She also voiced concern about old walls that pose a danger to the public such as the large section of wall that collapsed into the sidewalk and road near Whitney Institute Middle School in 2023.

“This is a problem we have throughout the island. A lot of the walls are old and weren’t built for the weight or the volume of vehicles we have today.

“There should be an audit of those. It’s a problem but we don’t know the extent of the problem. There is a ton of investigation that needs to be done in terms of how we manage our infrastructure.”

She said there needed to be more accountability in government spending and referred to the $8.4 million spent on overseas consultants Innovation Unit, later named Third Story.

The firm was charged with helping to redesign the public education system but after five years of work, system-wide reform plans have been put on hold.

“If you have $8.4 million and nothing to show for it, it is a question of accountability,” Ms Smith said.

“There has to be accountability for money spent on all government programmes.

“People who are in ministerial positions and in the political realm, when they are appointed as ministers, if they have some experience in the areas they are working on, that would be very helpful as well.”

Ms Smith said improvements needed to be made in the area of animal control in Bermuda.

She said: “Seventy-five per cent of dogs are not registered, meaning there are about 7,800 dogs that are not registered in Bermuda.

“I asked the minister [Jaché Adams] how to move forward with that and he indicated there would be some attention given to this.

“There was supposed to be forthcoming a national dog advisory board, they were supposed to be working on a plan to decide what breeds are restricted, prohibited and how that would be managed. We were expecting them to have come forward with something by now.”

Ms Smith said she was pleased to see that the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo was receiving some funding. The facility is in line to receive $3.47 million and an additional $1.73 million in capital funding for its 2025-38 master plan.

“It’s good to see money going into the aquarium because it’s a revenue source and is also iconic for us. It speaks to our reputation in tourism and other places.”

Ms Smith said she had been enjoying her role as shadow minister for the portfolio, saying it matched her skills and professional experience.

Ms Smith is a former journalist and communications expert who spent years working in utilities. She also has insurance and business consultancy experience.

She added: “I would like to see some cross-ministry initiatives and I would like to be involved in those.

“With the environment, for example, you are talking about things like planning, you are talking about parks, how they are managed and the roles they play in the ecosystem.”