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Market Madness

Marketing in Montego Bay is chaotic and poorly coordinated, with stakeholders pushing conflicting messages, leading to a fragmented city brand and missed economic potential—essentially “mayhem” instead of a clear, unified strategy.

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Brazen Midday Gun Violence Leaves Woman Dead in Water Lane, MoBay!

What started out as a typical 'holy ghost fire' fasting service at the New Testament Church of God at Water Lane in Montego Bay ended abruptly in murder. A vibrant church service in the city proper was shattered by gunfire on Wednesday, leaving a choir member dead at the doorway as worshippers screamed “Jesus! Jesus!” and fled in panic.
Reports indicate that a man drove up to the entrance of the church, exited his vehicle and shot the woman multiple times.She was assisted to Cornwall Regional Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The deceased has been identified as 38-year-old Cora Thompson, a member of the New Testament Church of God on Water Lane in St James, where she worshipped as well as sang on the choir.

Montego Bay High wins hackathon for hurricane‑response app | News - Jamaica Gleaner




Montego Bay
High School for Girls emerged with top honours at an ICT Day hackathon on Thursday, earning praise for an artificial-intelligence ...

source http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20260425/montego-bay-high-wins-hackathon-hurricane-response-app

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Pre-match Mount Pleasant vs Montego Bay United, Jamaica League Round 39

Get all the pre-match stats for Mount Pleasant vs Montego Bay United - Jamaica League Round 39: Injuries, cautions, run of form, last fixtures and ...

source https://www.besoccer.com/match/mount-pleasant-academy-fc/montego-bay-united/2026310991

Damion Thomas - Record against Chapelton Maroons - Transfermarkt

Jamaica. Height: 1,85 m; Position: Centre-Back. deadline-day ... Montego Bay United FC, Montego Bay Utd · 4, 1, -. Lime Hall Academy FC, Lime ...

source https://www.transfermarkt.com/damion-thomas/bilanzdetails/spieler/882764/gegner/89613

'Diaspora ... one of our most important partners' - Johnsonsmith - PressReader

The conference will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in ... of the 11th biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference. The event was held ...

source https://www.pressreader.com/jamaica/jamaica-gleaner/20260421/281646786725398

Friday, April 17, 2026

Diaspora Conference Seeks to Strengthen Involvement of Jamaicans Overseas in Country's ...

... of the 11th biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference. The event was held ... The conference will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in ...

source https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/2026/04/17/diaspora-conference-seeks-to-strengthen-involvement-of-jamaicans-overseas-in-countrys-resilience/

🚧 ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE: Miriam Way 🚧

 

The St. James Municipal Corporation is advising the public of a temporary road closure on Miriam Way to facilitate essential drainage works.

When: Saturday, April 18 (8 PM) – Sunday, April 19 (7 AM)

Closure Points:

Miriam Way & Dudley Cassin Drive (Golden Delight Bakery)

Miriam Way & Barnett to Adelphi Main Road (Westgate)

Reason: Removal and re-installation of drainage gratings.

Please plan your routes accordingly and follow all posted detour signs. Drive safely! 🚗💨

Apartments for Sale in Montego Bay, St. James Parish - realestate.com.au - Page 4

We could not find any more Apartment / Condos matching your search, but we found Apartment / Condos for buy in Jamaica, ...

source https://www.realestate.com.au/international/jm/montego-bay-st-james-parish/p4/apartment///

Jamaica's NIRA Relocates to Savanna-la-Mar by May - ChietiToday

Jamaica's NIRA Relocates to Savanna-la-Mar by May; New ID Rules ... Montego Bay, and all of the other parishes so that people will be able ...

source https://www.chietitoday.it/attualita/cerimonia-consegna-medaglia-oro-chieti-citta-aperta.html?live-news-3516303-2026-04-15-photo-donald-de-la-hayeexecutive-director-of-the-national-identification-and-reg

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Eclipse hotel reopening - Travel And Tour World

Montego Bay's Half Moon Resort reopens Eclipse luxury hotel with beachfront villas and infinity pools, enhancing Jamaica tourism.

source https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/tag/eclipse-hotel-reopening/

Market Mayhem & Marketing Montego Bay

No Roof, No Parking, and Three Sides to Every Story

A healthy respect for markets — and the messy truth about Charles Gordon Market

“A healthy respect for markets — for the tendency for human action to generate an 'order without design' — is key to a well-managed city.”
Alain Bertaud (Urban Planner)
“Not even pigs would survive in this sort a mud and unsanitary condition. Mi deh a market wid mi mother from mi born, and this is the worst I have ever seen the market.”
Vendor Mikey Sawyers

My grandmother had a saying I’ve come to appreciate more with each passing year: “Yannick, remember—there are always two sides to every story. And sometimes, there are three.” These days, as I navigate the daily chaos of downtown Montego Bay, I realise she wasn’t just being philosophical; she was preparing me for Charles Gordon Market.

Let me paint the scene. Hurricane Melissa tore through our city like a vexed spirit, and at the Charles Gordon Market, “the entire roof is gone, and much of the market infrastructure has been destroyed.” The resulting state of filth and disorder has escalated from “bad” to “lawd have mercy.” Meanwhile, the National Water Commission is digging up Railway Lane and River Bay Road to replace sewer mains, compounding our traffic nightmare. Add to that a roofless market and vendors who’ve spilled onto every available inch of asphalt, and you have a recipe for gridlock that would make a Kingston taxi driver weep.

It was against this backdrop that the St. James Municipal Corporation began the unenviable task of moving vendors off the road and back into the market proper. There’s just one small problem: the market has no roof. But in a moment of what I’ll charitably call “creative problem-solving,” the council suggested that the same tents and umbrellas vendors use on the roadside could simply be set up inside. So we’re moving them from the road into a building with no roof, where they’ll use the same tarpaulins they used outside. That is not a solution, my friends. That is a weather forecast with extra steps.

The Battle of Barnett Street

The conflict lines are drawn. On one side, legitimate business owners who pay taxes and can’t get proper access to their storefronts. Their customers have nowhere to park because vendors have effectively colonised the sidewalks. I’ve watched delivery trucks try to navigate streets that resemble an obstacle course designed by a sadist. These business owners have a point—they deserve their storefronts and their parking spaces.

On the other side, the vendors have their own legitimate grievances. They contend that business owners don’t care about their plight. After all, many of these vendors lost everything in the hurricane too. They argue the mayor is insensitive and only responds to the cries of businesses while ignoring their daily struggle for survival. And you know what? They’re not entirely wrong.

But here’s where the third side of the story comes in—the side my grandmother would call “reality.” Traffic is already a nightmare in Montego Bay. The ongoing sewage works on Railway Lane and River Bay Road have turned those arteries into one-lane nightmares. A chaotic, disorganised market exacerbates that problem. When vendors spill into the streets, when handcarts clog every available space, when pedestrians are forced to walk in the road because the pavement is occupied by yam stalls, we are all paying a price—in frustration, in lost productivity, and in the simple indignity of navigating our own city like an obstacle course.

A Tale of Two Markets

As a child, I thought all markets were this dirty. I assumed the smell of rotting produce, the sight of questionable drains, and the general air of organised chaos were just features of the market experience worldwide. Then I visited markets in Miami, New York, and even Trinidad in real. Then I did virtual walk throughs La Boqueria in Barcelona and the Mercado Central in Santiago. I saw the famous markets of Bangkok and the night markets of Taipei.

And I realised something that hit me like a bucket of cold water: our market is, by almost every objective measure, the worst I have ever seen.

Let’s be clear—I’m not talking about the people. The vendors at Charles Gordon Market are some of the hardest-working individuals in Montego Bay. Many rise before dawn, travel from as far as St Elizabeth and Trelawny, and work twelve-hour days just to put food on their tables. The problem isn’t the people; it’s the system. Or rather, the lack thereof.

“Market rules and regulations should be impartially, fairly, but effectively enforced. Failure to do so can lead to congestion or confusion in the market as well as to poor hygiene and costly operations.” — FAO

In properly managed markets—from Seattle’s Pike Place to Cape Town’s Old Biscuit Mill—you find designated vending zones, regular waste collection, functioning sanitation facilities, and clear rules enforced consistently. You don’t find vendors urinating against structural columns until the concrete rots. And yet, that’s exactly what happened here, with a combination of urine and cleaning fluids eating away at nearly 35 columns that held up the roof. Let that sink in. The market was literally being dissolved by human waste.

The Marketing of Montego Bay

Now let me play with that word a bit: “market.” We use it to describe the physical space where produce changes hands, but we also use it to describe how we present ourselves to the world. Montego Bay is marketed as a world-class destination—a place of pristine beaches, luxury resorts, and warm hospitality. But what happens when the first thing a tourist sees after leaving the Sangster International Airport is a chaotic, unsanitary market district? What image are we projecting?

We cannot market Montego Bay as a modern, world-class city while operating our primary market like it’s still 1985. The two are fundamentally incompatible. As the city grows, as we welcome millions of visitors annually, we must operate by modern standards and best practices. That means enforcing vending regulations. That means providing proper infrastructure. That means holding everyone—vendors and business owners alike—to the same standards of cleanliness and order.

To their credit, the authorities are trying. Mayor Richard Vernon has announced a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Improvement Unit to bring order to street vending. The government has committed over $100 million to renovate the market. But money alone won’t solve this. We need a cultural shift.

A Path Forward

Here’s what I propose. First, complete the roof. Asking vendors to operate under tarpaulins inside a building is treating a symptom, not the disease. Second, establish clear, enforceable rules for hygiene and vending locations—and enforce them equally for everyone. Third, create designated loading zones and parking for business customers so legitimate enterprises can operate without having to fight through a maze of handcarts. Fourth, involve vendors in the decision-making process. As Minister Desmond McKenzie rightly noted, “nothing will be done without the input of vendors”. But input must be matched with accountability.

And finally, let’s be honest with ourselves. We can make excuses, or we can make progress. We can blame the hurricane, or we can use it as an opportunity to rebuild better. We can accept the status quo, or we can demand more for our city.

My grandmother used to say that the truth usually sits somewhere in the middle. The business owners deserve their storefronts. The vendors deserve a decent place to work. And Montego Bay deserves a market that doesn’t make us cringe every time a visitor asks, “So, where do locals shop?”

It’s time to stop marketing a dream and start building one. I close with the words of Alain Bertaud, Urban Planner and Author of Order Without Design: “Markets provide the indispensable mechanism for cities’ development.”


Yannick Pessoa is a weekly columnist for The Western Mirror, an activist, and a longtime observer of Montego Bay’s market district. His grandmother was right about most things.

Frazsiers Whip beat Los Perfectos to stay perfect - Jamaica Observer

... Jamaica Women's Premier League game played at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay, St James, on Saturday, March 8. Paul A. Reid. Sports · BY PAUL A REID ...

source https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2026/04/12/frazsiers-whip-beat-los-perfectos-stay-perfect/

Thursday, April 09, 2026

Live statistics Molynes United vs Montego Bay United - Jamaica League 2025/26 - BeSoccer EN

Molynes United vs Montego Bay United Live stats - Jamaica League 2026: Match stats h2h, video summary, goals, assists, shots cards, substitutions, ...

source https://www.besoccer.com/match/molynes-united/montego-bay-united/2026293219/events

Canada Joins United Kingdom, South Africa, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Australia, New ...

Top Airports in Jamaica ... Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay is Jamaica's busiest gateway, offering seamless international access to ...

source https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/canada-joins-united-kingdom-south-africa-germany-japan-brazil-australia-new-zealand-and-more-among-eighty-six-visa-free-travel-countries-boosting-jamaican-tourism-sector-new-report-you-need-to/

st, catherine, Address available on request Property for Sale - realtor.com

... JamaicaSaint Catherine Parish310100065940. Offline. Image not available ... 53 SPRING FARM ESTATE, Montego Bay, St. James. bedrooms 6. bathroom 8.

source https://www.realtor.com/international/jm/lot-282-st-mark-close-green-acres-st-catherine-310100065940//

Alineaciones Chapelton Maroons vs Montego Bay United, Liga Jamaica Jornada 29

Todos los jugadores convocados y las alineaciones probables y confirmadas del partido Chapelton Maroons vs Montego Bay United - Liga Jamaica ...

source https://es.besoccer.com/partido/chapelton-maroons-fc/montego-bay-united/2026293211/alineaciones

TERN Gallery at Expo Chicago 2026 - Artsy

... of the Arts Institute in Chicago. Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and raised in Sheffield, a small town on the outskirts of Negril, Johnson uses his ...

source https://www.artsy.net/viewing-room/tern-gallery-tern-gallery-at-expo-chicago-2026

Monday, April 06, 2026

Pre-match Treasure Beach vs Arnett Gardens, Jamaica League Round 30 - BeSoccer EN

0 - 0. Molynes United. D. Montego Bay United. 1 - 1. Arnett Gardens. Consecutive scoring. 0/16. (Record 8). 2/28. (Record 34). Consecutive wins. 0/16.

source https://www.besoccer.com/match/treasure-beach-fc/arnett-gardens/2026293223/preview/

Jamaica Joins Mexico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Spain, and More in Air Canada's ...

Winnipeg (YWG) to Montego Bay, Jamaica: Flights on Sundays and Mondays from December 7, 2026, to April 5, 2027. Enhanced Cabin Experience with Airbus ...

source https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/jamaica-joins-mexico-dominican-republic-honduras-spain-and-more-in-air-canadas-expansive-winter-2026-27-non-stop-flight-launches-all-you-need-to-know/

Air Canada Expands Global Network for Winter 2026-2027: Tenerife Debuts as Star Destination

Winnipeg and Edmonton: Routes to Montego Bay (Jamaica) and Punta Cana (Dominican Republic). Quebec City and Halifax: Flights to Pointe-à-Pitre ...

source https://aviacionaldia.com/en/2026/04/air-canada-expands-global-network-for-winter-2026-2027-tenerife-debuts-as-star-destination.html/amp

1080 TAYLOR ROAD 1, Montego Bay, St. James Parish House for Sale - Realtor.com

... JamaicaSt. James ParishMontego Bay1080 TAYLOR ROAD 1. Offline. Image not available. Listing Not Exist. Not available. Property was deleted, sold or ...

source https://www.realtor.com/international/jm/1080-taylor-road-1-montego-bay-st-james-parish-120074360615/?page=2//

Saturday, April 04, 2026

Jamaica U20 - squad, coach, injuries and positions - FotMob

Jamaica U20Jamaica U20. International. Sync to calendar. Follow ... KeepersShirtAge. Carlye Tinglin. Montego Bay United FC. 17. Johnoi Steadman.

source https://www.fotmob.com/teams/608073/squad/jamaica-u20

Jamaica Information Service

... Montego Bay, particularly as... Read more. By: Serena Grant, March 31, 2026. Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond ...

source https://jis.gov.jm/?view=article&catid=100%253Aeducation&id=28949%253Apublic-sector-workers-flock-to-procurement-course&format=pdf&Itemid=157%3Fcategory%3Dagriculture%3Fcategory%3Deducation%3Fcategory%3Dhealth&category=local-government

Jamaica Premier League - Bottom of the table (Detailed view) - Transfermarkt

Diese Statistik listet die Endplatzierung der Vereine der Jamaica Premier League auf, die am 14.Spieltag den letzten Tabellenplatz belegten ... Montego ...

source https://www.transfermarkt.com/jamaica-premier-league/tabellenletzter/wettbewerb/JPL1/spieltag/14/plus/1

Wednesday, April 01, 2026

Busby excited for Girlz homecoming | Sports - Jamaica Star

The Girlz last played in Jamaica in December 2024, where they defeated South Africa 3-2 in an international friendly at the Montego Bay Sports Complex ...

source https://jamaica-star.com/article/sports/20260401/busby-excited-girlz-homecoming

The women who held the west together - PressReader

... Jamaica recognised on Sunday as Jamaican Women of Resilience by the ... Jamaica Brunch held last Sunday at the S Hotel Montego Bay in St James.

source https://www.pressreader.com/jamaica/jamaica-gleaner/20260401/281513642700374

N. Turner's career path - BeSoccer EN

Jamaica League, 24, 0, 0, 3, 0, 24, 18, 6, 1484', 26, 6.1, 54. Montego Bay United, 2024/25. 9, 0, 0, 1, 0, 9, 2, 7, 240, 26, 4.8, 51.

source https://www.besoccer.com/player/career-path/n-turner-807171/

458 VALLEY VIEW CRESCENT B, Montego Bay, St. James Parish House for Rent

... JamaicaSt. James ParishMontego Bay458 VALLEY VIEW CRESCENT B. Offline. Image not available. Listing Not Exist. Not available. Property was deleted ...

source https://www.realtor.com/international/jm/458-valley-view-crescent-b-montego-bay-st-james-parish-120072436358/?page=4///