Ministry still awaiting Bair funeral invoices
Published:Tuesday | November 19, 2019 | 12:43 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
The Gleaner understands that officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information met with the family of seven-year-old Benjamin Bair yesterday at the Clan Carthy Primary School in Kingston to discuss funeral arrangements.
Bair was killed late last month when a garbage truck that was collecting waste from a skip on the school compound mysteriously set in motion, crashing into a parked taxi, injuring a female parent, before overturning on the youngster as he waited to be taken home.
A ministry source told The Gleaner last night that the family has still not received invoices from the funeral home.
“We basically are at the same position, where we are awaiting invoices to be able to go through the process. The meeting was chaired by [acting] Permanent Secretary Grace McLean and there were other ministry representatives, including a legal officer, and it was to assure the mother of the Government’s commitment to cover the cost of the funeral,” The Gleaner was told.
Once the ministry receives the necessary paperwork, the source explained that the ministry would assist with processing the invoices and pass them on to the relevant agency to facilitate payment.
When contacted last night, Bair's mother, Japhene Campbell, was unable to speak to our news team as she still is finding it hard to cope with her son's untimely demise.
A family member with whom The Gleaner spoke declined to comment on how preparations for the funeral were progressing.