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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2014-08-13, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, August 13, 2014 Seaforth Huron Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 P.O. Box 69, 8 Main Street Seaforth Ontario NOK IWO phone: 519-527-0240 fax: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca MAXWELL BICKFORD Advertising Rep. max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DIANNE MCGRATH Front Office seaforth.classifieds@sunmedia.ca WHITNEY SOUTH Multimedia Journalist seaforth.news@sunmedia.ca MARIE DAVID Sun Media Group Publisher Grey Bruce Huron Division 519-364-2001 or 519-372-4301 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.0. Box 69 Seaforth ON NOK For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-527-0240 Advertising is accepted on 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 the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical 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 Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time.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 Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Cana11*1 c editorial Public zapped by hydro pension plans It's frightening that every time anyone who knows how to add looks at public pension plans in Ontario's electric- ity sector, they freak out. So should taxpayers and hydro consumers, because they're contributing $5 for every $1 provincial employees at Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation contribute to their pension plans. These plans, covering tens of thousands of workers, are so expensive there have now been repeated warnings from independent financial experts they will make our electricity bills higher than they otherwise would be. The latest bad news comes in a report prepared for Pre- mier Kathleen Wynne's government that the Liberals did their best to bury. Finished in March, they held it until after the June elec- tion, then released it last Friday on the finance ministry's web site, heading into the long weekend. This is standard operating procedure when a govern- ment wants to bury bad news. The report, prepared by consultant Jim Leech, former CEO of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, found Hydro One and OPG pensions are "far from sustainable" because they are overly "generous, expensive and inflexi- ble',' even when compared to other pension plans in the public sector. "The employers bear all risks, such as investment per- formance, interest rate changes and increased longevity," Leech wrote. "These risks increase both the amount and the volatility of pension costs, which is ultimately borne by ratepayers, customers and shareholders." Leech recommended the government lower the pub- lic's contribution rate to 50/50 with employees over five years. But this isn't the first time an independent financial expert has warned about out -of -control pension costs in the electricity sector. In December, 2013, Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk reported overly generous pensions at OPG would directly impact on hydro rates, along with excessive salaries, bonuses, moving allowances, rampant over- time, a surplus of senior managers and nepotism. She also found the public was contributing $5 to the OPG pension plan for every $1 contributed by OPG staff, five times higher than for other civil servants. Sadly, it falls to Wynne's government to reduce these costs, which will have to be negotiated through collective bargaining. Given the Liberals' close relationships with the prov- ince's public sector unions, that's like sending in a rabbit to guard the lettuce patch. www.seaforthhuronexpositorcom Sorry, not sorry Sympathy, pity and even regret. The words I'm sorry can mean a lot of things. More often than not, we use it as an apology; a senti- ment of remorse for something we may have done by accident, or even in malice. Other times, it can be thrown out sarcastically or even passive aggressively. Not to mention spurting the words out as an occasional reflex reaction. So the question is, how often are the apologies truly sincere? I for one, just can't bring myself to say it if I don't mean it. Trust me when I say this fact has proven to be quite the obstacle in most of my past romantic relationships. Logic being if I'm not sorry, why say it? Maybe there's more to it than meets the eye. According to a 2013 study from Harvard University, peo- ple who offer apologies when they aren't needed are more likely to be perceived as likea- ble and trustworthy. To conduct the study, partici- pants approached people enter- ing a large train station while it was raining outside. Strangers were asked to lend their mobile phones to one of the study's participants asking one of two questions: "Can I borrow your cellphone?" or "I'm sorry about the rain. Can I borrow your cellphone?" Turns out strangers were more likely to hand over their phone if they heard an apology first. But let's be honest, most people aren't prone to apol- ogy just to save their own wireless minutes. Col umn Whitne Huron E y South xpositor Far from a devious plot device, it's possi- ble the phenom- enon has more to do with causing the offended party to become more compla- cent. After all, it's what they want to hear, right? This isn't a good thing. Growing up, kids are often told to apologize, but are they really grasping the concept of what their apology means? In a 2010 study of when Canadians say "sorry," young people aged 18 to 25 were "more interested in impressing others and in advancing through making personal con- nections in their career and everyday life and therefore are more open to saying 'sorry' to keep the relationship positive?' All in all, it seems the Cana- dian stereotype of being overly apologetic may actually hold some weight. But wait, this isn't a column filled with negativity. Despite my neighbour's com- ment this sounds like nothing more than a huge rant, I do have a point. I promise. What I'm trying to get at is, with so many apologies being thrown around, it's important to make sure it really counts. That is to say, we take a lot for granted these days. Real relation- ships are something to cherish and respect. To be insincere is to lose a piece of something you can never get back. It takes a lot of grace to for- give, but it takes a lot of bravery to genuinely ask for forgiveness. So make sure when you say those two little works - I'm sorry - you mean it with all your heart. www.seaforthhuronexpositorcom SEAFORTH HURON EXPOSITOR — HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-527-0240 • FAX: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositorcom