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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-01-08, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, January 8, 2014 opinion Clinton News Record VOL. 153 - ISSUE 00 PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company ril NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca GERARD CRECES Editorial clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca MAX BICKFORD Advertising Manager max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative clinton.ads@sunmedia.ca CHRISTY MAIR Front Office clinton.classifieds@sunmedia.ca Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographic error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Govemment of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada /Ocna Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association editorial Stagnant wages shrinking the middle class The disparity between rich and poor continues unabated in Canada, as the top and bottom earners face a greater divide and the middle class shrinks considerably. Major news outlets were reporting this past week that by lunchtime on Jan. 2, the top 100 executives in this countrywill have earned an average Canadian's annual pay. That's a lot of scratch. It raises a couple questions. First, is there anyway of redistributing that wealth to give workers more to live on and second - is that even right or necessary? In the never-ending battle between quantity and quality, the success of the corporation eclipses the success of its workers to the point where money saved - be it in overhead or jobs cut - is better for the com- pany than happy, healthyworkers. If you are talking pure capitalism, that makes sense. But, we have a society to look after, and this standard of measurement is sorely lacking. Call it a side effect of globalization, wherein the price of labour is undermined by the taking advan- tage of far poorer people in far less developed coun- tries. While executive pay has risen hundreds of per- centages in some countries, pay for the middle class has stagnated for decades. Along with a never-ending push to increase mini- mum wage, there is also a movement that asks for a living wage - something that would allow a person to live securely off what they make. The line we seem to have accepted is this would kill jobs and force large-scale employers out of the prov- ince or country. But, that's already happening even with the current incentives being offered. The government theory to increasing jobs is to lower corporate taxes. It is not specific to our govem- ment, though we are seeing the fallout or rather the ineffectiveness this practice is having. It's an incentive that has not paid off for the middle class. Money banked is not the same as money shared. However, there is some truth to it. We can no longer compete with developing countries in the manufacturing business because they can do the same amount of work for less pay. However, our workforce is skilled, dedicated and increasingly hungry. In Huron County, we've felt this pinch time and again. Because of our low population, we have an especially acute sense of how this plays out. One plant closure can affect an entire village. One can find studies on either end of the debate of lower corporate taxes leading to more jobs, but when you look at the reality - cutting from the bottom is always the first and most destructive step taken to increase or stabilize profits. And again, profit is not the same as prosperity in our globalized world. And so, as the top eamers continue their upward trend, those stuck in the middle find themselves struggling to stay ahead of a poverty line that keeps inching higher. One can only hope that sound policy be put in place not to punish the wealthy, but to pass around a little prosperity and rebuild the economy from the ground up. GC www.clintonnewsrecord.com Who selects the selection process? To date, I haven't covered any Central Huron Steering Committee meetings. I'm rel- atively new in town so I still have some ins and outs to fig- ure out, but a December 23 special meeting of council piqued my interest. Specifically, I'm interested in the committee's ability and selectivity over discretionary spending. Let me set the stage. Council received a Trillium grant for $53,000 to undertake a feasibility study for Central Huron. Community Improvement Coordinator Genny Smith was awarded a $40,000 contract to create a feasibility study looking at young entrepreneurs, active living and volunteerism in the municipality - all good things, and I hope some good policy comes of it. The addi- tional $13,000 is to be put to use for commu- nity input and engagement events. Hopefully the community takes advantage of this oppor- tunity to help shape their own future. However, the way the selection process was done raised at least one of my jaded eye- brows. The contract was awarded without tendering or requests for proposals. The Column Gerard Creces Steering Committee was able to hire Smith for the job, in addition to the job she cur- rently has in Central Huron, with no input from council. Central Huron received a grant early last year to do the work and did not act on it until it was nearly 2014. They didn't even approve the study (despite having received the money to do so in March) until December 23. Now, they are hedging their bets on the CIC to get a year's worth of work done in four months. To make matters more interesting, Central Huron is going to RFP for a $12,500 Rural Eco- nomic Development grant for a REACH busi- ness plan. A far more formal process for a far smaller amount. I suppose that is where I'm left scratching my head. One grant is handled purely at the discretion of the steering committee while another, far smaller grant, is being sent to the RFP process. But, the nature of my job is to answer these riddles, and I look forward to increasing my municipal coverage - perplexing as it is. letters to the editor YMCA adds more to community than money To the editor, RE: Dan Colquhoun's remarks about the YMCA revenue being 'up for grabs: To say the least I would be very dubious about someone else taking over the gym. As a member of the gym and former member of other YMCA wellness centres, I have always been impressed with the way the Y operates these centres. As a member of other gyms I can tell you Shuffleboard Results December 5, 2013 Ladies High: Janet Harris, Ethel Walker, Nancy Turner Mens High: Bill Bakelaar, Murray Forbes, Otto Dannenberg December 12, 2013 Ladies High: Nancy Turner, Janet Harris Mens High: Bill Bakelaar, Alan Lavis, - if it's not run properly it won't take long to go from 420 members back to zero. Along with a new arena, complete with walking track, this well-run gym featuring modern equipment, a knowledgeable and friendly staff, is a credit to our community - well worth the membership fee. Up for grabs is not an option. Russ Reynolds Otto Dannenberg, Burt Greidanus December 19, 2013 Ladies High: Janet Harris, Ethel Walker, Nancy Turner Mens High: Burt Greidanus, Alan Lavis, Bill Bakelaar NOTE: Shuffleboard will be closed December 26 & January 2 but will resume January 9. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Letters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.news@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL 1LO. 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