Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-12-13, Page 9live up to pollution control orders often ignored in the past. The report recommends giving out more than $100 million in public money over five years to the industry, which is said is unable to compete with U.S. companies except when the Canadian dollar is at a low level, as it is now. The Treasurer this week told the Legislature that unemployment in the Province rose marginally MADEIRA BEACH Jan. 1 week reg: $359 $329 save $30 7-21 2 weeks reg. $519 $479 save $40.. ORLANDO Jan. I week reg. $259 $229 save $30 4-19 2 weeks reg. $369 $339 save $30 complimentary car, for one or two weeks. CLEARWATER Jan. 1 week reg. $319 $269 save $50 7-21 2 weeks reg. $439 $369 save $70 abroad. He indicated that Hydro has been forced to borrow in foreign markets because available provincial pension funds have been used up to pay for years of provincial deficits. Dr. Smith cited figures contained in Hydro's November 15 pro- spectus, which show that the corporation owes $617 mil- lion to the end of June on its foreign bonds and notes be- cause of the lower value of the Canadian dollar, Trans- lated at the September 30th exchange rate (84.43 cents U.S die liability would have been increased by $315 mil- ion, for a total ,of $932 million. At June 30th, Hydro had. $9.7 billion in out- standing bonds and notes. , Asked by Dr. Smith. whether the foreign .7e change loss will be mad' `flit in elecricity rates to eO,O, sumers, the Premier replied- that the principle has always been that Hydro customers pay for whatever it costs to produce electrical energy and the price of borrowing is part of those costs. FLORIDA 1 ON SALE Travel Suntlight SUBJECT TO SPACE AVAILABILITY BOOK NOW HOLIDAY WALD) 357-2701 'Whighato' Report from Queen's Park THE BRUSSELS POST, DECEMBER 13, 1978 Tax breaks for paper mills? BY MURRAY GAUNT Ontario Treasurer Frank Miller said this week that he strongly favours a report calling for massive grants and tax breaks to entice pulp and paper companies to modernize their mills and Catch up wage increases given Huron County supervisory staff at Thursday's county council session resulted in pay increases for the 10 county department heads ranging from 1.5 percent to 15.2 percent. In a report to county council from the special committee given the task of negotiating wage packages for the county administrators council was given a salary schedule to be followed for the next three years that is designed to give senior administration wages comparable to neigh- boring counties. Warden Gerry Ginn; chairman of the special committee, told council that the committee "believed" the county must "keep up to date if it was interested in good young people" and to keep up to date it must "pay decentlyk". He said Huron County supervisory staff had been victimized by Anti Inflation Board guidelines and had fallen behind in wages during the three year tenure of AIB. Ginn said the committee had checked into wages paid comparable staff in neighboring counties and had attempted to bring Huron County staff up to parity with those counties. He explained, that in some cases the increases needed to bring some staff to parity were too great to be given at once and the committee had drawn up salary schedules designed to spread the increase over one, two or three years. - The average increase was about seven percent but some staff were,given more than twice the average and some nowhere near the average. The county development officer; Spence Cummings, was awarded a 1.5 percent increase while C.A.Archibald, administrator of Huronview, was given a 15.2 percent hike. Ginn explained that Archibald's increase was given because the administrator is one year away from retirement and would not be working for the county long enough to have his increase spread over a number of years. He added that the committee decided not to award the development officer an increase because it was not certain the county needed the position and wanted to review the work of the development officer before deciding on a future wage. Ginn said he understood that the development officer had worked hard on .the International Plowing Match held in Huron County this summer but pointed out that such an event will not happen again here for another ten years. He said the committee wanted the development office looked at to "justify its existence". The warden told council that Huron County is one of three counties in the province with a development office pointing out that it was very difficult to find a comparison wage. He said the committee just wanted to find out if the county really wanted the office kept operating. Morris township reeve Bill Elston did not buy the committee's reasoning and told Ginn that there may not be another International , in Huron for ten years but there would be other things going on: Elston said he had worked With Cummings on the plowing match and felt that the development officer did a "trettendous amount" for Huron County. He said Ctinunitigs had "brought a lot of dollars' to Huron and that he felt the job was necessary, He added that what the county paid Cumniings was another thing altogether. Bill Morley, reeve of Llsborne Township, did not like the reasoning used by the committee. He said that despite the need to review the job done by the development officer the committee had "jeopardized" the :40 by giving Cummings only a one percent increase. He said the man still worked for Huron County and deserved the same as other employees. He said the committee can't justify giving one employee 15 percent and another one percent suggesting that the increase could have be(en awarded ,comparable to other staff and then the job reviewed. "He's still a working man in this county and this treatment is very unfair as long as he is an employee of this county," said Morley. John Flannery, reeve of Seaforth, 'told council he felt ,the increases given super- visory staff were hypocritical. He said last May council began negotiating with unions and were telling peo.ple the idea was to stay around four to six percent increases. He said that this wage package given supervisory staff was "not telling people the price of beef was going down". Ginn explained to council that the AIB guidelines had been imposed between the time the county settled with union staff and supervisory staff. He said three years ago, just prior to MB, union staff was given a healthy increase (about 35 percent) and before negotiations with administration could be handled the Ala took over. Similar increases for administration was impossible and for three years those increases had been withheld. He said it was now time to catch up. The ten department heads with their salary reviewed were put on a five level salary grid designed to put them at the top of their level some time in the next three years. Increases varied widely according to what the committee felt it would cost the county to replace the person doing that job if that person left. Clerk treasurer and admistrator Bill Hanly is now making $27,222 and on January 1' will receive an 8.6 percent raise taking him to $29,588. Deputy clerk treasurer Bill Alcock now makes $23,712 and with his 5.3 percent hike will be paid $24,986. Bob Dempsey, the county engineer, will be given a 7.1 percent increase taking him for $26,500 to $28, 392. Dr. Brian Lynch, medical officer of health, will get a 3.3 percent hike taking him from $36,000 to $37,222. Bill Partridge, the county librarian, received a 9.4 percent increase and will be making $20,150 as compared to the $18,408 he makes now. Planning director Gary Davidson now makes $24,414 and will be awarded an eight percent increase bringing his wage to $26,390. Social services administrator John MacKinnon will be making $19,578 with his 9.7 percent increase. The administrator of Huronview eot a 15.2 percent hike taking his wage from $20,644 to $23, 790. Development officer Spence Cummings is now paid $17,238 and with a 1.5 percent increase will be making $17,498. Museum curator Ray Scotchmer get a 13.2 percent increase and will now be making $16,848. Along with the raises given supervisory staff county council increased its own wage by two dollars a session, For a full day of county work councillors will now be paid $50 and for half a day they will get $32. The warden's honorarium was also increased. The Warden was being paid $2,750 a year and is now getting $3,000 annually. Mileage allowances for coUnCillora was not increased : Ginn told council the committee felt the present allowance was acceptable addinig that it was one place the committee felt it Could "hold the line". from 6.1% to 6.6% -of .the labour force between October and November, Latest unemployment figures show an overall increase, bringing the total un- employed to 312,000. This is despite the fact that Ontario was the only province to increase its work force during the period in question. The Treasurer des- cribed the rise in the number of unemployed as "regret- table", but entirely due to the increase in work force. Some 154,000 new jobs were created in Ontario between Novmber 1977 and last month, but due to the large number of people entering the work force, the seasonal- ly adjusted unemployed rate is now at 7.3%, up .3% over the previous month. The Treasurer said he expected to sign an agreement with Ottawa in the near future, which would cover heavily hit areas of Eastern Ontario, and he promised a "complete package" of job creation measurers to combat un- employment. Beginning in January, single elderly people in this Province who receive guaranteed income supple- ments will get $20 more a month. The Minister of Re- venue also told the Legislature that elderly mar- ried couples who receive the supplement will receive $10 extra a month. The increase in the guaranteed income level en- sures that Ontario residents who are 65 or older will benefit fully from recently announced federal pay- ments. With effect January 1st, the guaranteed income level will be $343 a month for single people, and $666 a month for married couples, if both spouses qualify for the guaranteed income supple- ment. These increases will affect about 244,000 elderly residents of Ontario. Some 2,500 additional senior citizens who do not qualify for the federal pension and supplement will receive a monthly increase equivalent to the federal increase. The Minister said this will cost Ontario about $600,000 a year. Liberal Leader Stuart Smith has stated that the fluctuating foreign exchange. rate could cost Ontario Hydro customers an unexpected $1 billion for money borrowed Walton Correspondent MRS. ALLAN MCCALL Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Blake entertained Mr. and Mrs. Roger Haines of Clinton. and Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Bromley and family of Grey Township to an early Christmas on Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Don McDonald attended the school board Christmas party at the White Carnation at Holmesville on Saturday evening. There were ten people from Walton and area boarded the Nicholson bus on Monday morning for Simcoe to see the Christmas Panorama of lights, Enroute they stopped to shop at Stratford and a visit to the Coyle's factory outlet at ,Tillsonburg. County staff gets wage increase for 79