The Lucknow Sentinel, 1985-05-29, Page 3Luc row Sentinel; Wednesday, May 29, 1985—Page 3
Bruce. report 4n farming...
from page •1
rather than growing corn and raising cat-
tle in feed lots.
The last recommendation of the report
says a third party on debt review board or
tribunal should be established to deal with
farming operations which have excessive
debt loads. The tribunal would be formed
at the request of a major creditor.
The assets ofthe farming operation
would be appraised and the productive
value of thefarm and the assets would be
calculated. Debt in excess of the produc-
tive value would be set aside; and would
collect no interest for three years. The
business would continue to operate paying
interest on the adjusted debt. After three
years the business would be reviewed and
consideration would be given to how much
of the set aside debt could be paid back.
After six years, consideration would be
given to writing off any remaining debts.
After the presentation to county council,
several councillors andfarmers expressed
the opinion that the report did not go far
enough in its recommendations.
Ken Kelly, . vice-president of the Bruce
County Federation of Agriculture, said he
believes the estimates on the number of
farmers in financial trouble in the county
were at least five per .cent too low. Kelly
suggested that, rather than writing down ,
debt or setting it aside, it should be written
off.
Although many farmers agreed with the
principle of a debt review tribunal, they all
believed the tribunal should have the
"legislative clout" to enforce its decisions.
Teeswater area farmer Brian Ireland
said without legislative authority backing
up. the decision of a tribunal, the issues
"just drag on and on." He said when
tribunals were set up in Saskatchewan the
banks were more willing to nelgotiate.'
Rosevear said giving a debt review
tribunal legislative authority to enforce its
decisions is "the pendulum swinging .too
far." He said bankers would become reluc-
tant to lend to farmers if the tribunals had
the authority to enforce their decisions.
Ireland countered that statement saying
in Saskatchewan 65 per cent of farm loans
are still approved compared to 75 per cent
before the debt review system was set. up.
Ron Oswald, president of the Canadian
Cattlemen's Association, said, "I don't
think there's any startling new informa-
tion in the report. The important thing is '
what happens next." He suggested the
report was "a little soft in places."
Oswald who recently sold the tathung
business which had been in his family for
over 100 years, said it is the middle group
of farmers who are not in severe financial
difficulty who have to be saved., Unless
something is done to help those farmers,
they ,will slip deeper into debt and gradual-
ly go out of business. He pointed out that
would eventually result in lower produc-
tion and more importation of food in the
province.
Teachers to hold strike vote...
from page 1
Sixty-five per cent of teachers are at the
maximum.
The two sides also are, on average,
about $100 apart on the allowances paid for
positions of responsibility and extra de-
grees. These range from under $1,000 for a
bachelor's degree to more than $4,000 for a
coordinator.
The board is offering to add 9.5 teachers
to the staffing formula this year at a cost of
$120,000, while the OSSTF is asking for
17.4 teachers, costing $309,600.
In terms of class size`„ the board is
offering an average ranging between 15
and 30 students depending on the level of
subject, while the teachers want this to be
made the maximum.
The teachers also want the board to add
more money to the staff improvement plan,
while the board is standing pat, at $65,000,
noting it already spends more money in
this area than any other board in the
province. The staff 'improvement plan is
used to pay for teachers to attend
conferences.
The board estimates the overall increase
in costs under its rifler would be 6.3 per
cent, while the teachers' requests would
increase costs by a total of 12.1 per cent.
The board explains the rationale for its
offer by pointing .qct it would give high
school teachers .hi Huron the highest
maximum salaries of any of the adjacent
school boards which have settled their
contracts, with the exception of Middlesex.
It also notes that the increase in the
Consumer Price Index, a measure of
inflation, currently stands at 3.7 per' cent,
while the average increase in weekly
earnings across the country is just 2.5 per
cent.
In addition, the offer would increase
staff for the 1985-86 school year, even
Correction
In the Sentinel story, School coping with
strike, the secretaries maximum wages
were published as $16,107 or $8.85 per hour.
These figures are what the board has of-
,„„ fered to date. The correct salary as it now
stands is a maximum after five years
employment of $8.18 per hour or $14,887
per year for full time employees. The Sen-
tinel sincerely regrets this error.
though the number/of pupils is decreasing.
As a result the pupil -teacher ratio would
drop to 15.9 from 16.4.
The board memo also points out that the
offer implements the recommendations of
the factfinder's report.
In his report released last October, fact
finder Gene Deszca, commented that
despite some ambiguity on dollar issues,
"it is clear the board is much closer to the
likely end point than the teachers (four per
cent vs 7.5 per cent)."
He noted that although negotiators for
theeachers "believe the county'is doing
fairlSS'well economically and that the nature
of farm property taxation shields farmers
from much of theimpact of educational
taxes, information put forward by the
board argued otherwise. .
The board pointed out that average
income in Huron is 15th lowest out of 51
counties surveyed and that average income
here is below/ the provincial average.
In relation to surrounding boards, Huron
has the lowest housing costs and the third
lowest average income and per capita
income.
Despite all this, the board noted, it
already paid the highest maximum salary
and the fourth highest principal and vice
principal salaries, in terms of neighbouring
boards.
The fact finder concluded that income
statistics for the county suggest it is not a
rich area and, in light of this, "I can see no
compelling reasons for exceeding the (four
per cent) guide lines.
"Therefore, I would recommend a total
compensation increase in the range of
approximately five per cent including
increment and grid adjustment costs."
The board offer, , including increment
and grid adjustment, amounts to. 5.1 per
cent.
John Gnay, president of District 45 of the
OSSTF, was contacted but declined to
make any statement regarding the negotia-
tions or the board offer.
"At the moment, no comment," he said.
"Not at this time."
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