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PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1995.
Klopp calls ORG's accusations 'political dirt
"Huron NDP MPP Paul Klopp is
getting set to jump into a gold-plat-
ed pension trough worth
$658,000."
This allegation was issued
through a press release from the
Ontarians for Responsible Govern-
ment (ORG).
ORG claims that MPPs with as
little as five years' service can qual-
ify for super-rich pensions that few
in the private sector could ever
hope to afford, and to make its
point ORG is releasing a list detail-
ing pension payouts coming to 30
MPPs.
President Colin Brown says that
if a provincial election is delayed
until September Klopp, who is par-
liamentary assistant to the agricul-
tural minister, would qualify for a
pension worth $13,000 a year after
only five years as a provincial
politician.
"It's outrageous, but true," says
Brown.
In response Klopp states that if
the election is called in the spring
and he is not re-elected the only
thing he would be entitled to is a
refund of his pension contributions
plus interest at a rate of six per
cent. There would be no pension
entitlement.
If he should lose in a fall election
(and Klopp stresses that both sce-
narios are ifs) he will have put in
By Janice Becker
In response to a letter sent by a
Seaforth District High School stu-
dent to the Huron County Board of
Education, Director of Education
Paul Carroll and Superintendent of
Schools Ralph Wareham defended
the enriched programs in the school
system, at the April 3 meeting.
The letter, written by Darren
Hemingway of RR3 Brussels, an
OAC student at SDHS, outlined the
value of the programs offered to
gifted students at both the sec-
A $69,944 project in the Village
of Blyth has been approved under
the Canada/Ontario Infrastructure
Works program, Huron Bruce MP
Paul Steckle, Huron MPP Paul
Klopp and Reeve Mason Bailey
announced April 5.
Funding will be used to upgrade
the existing watermain on a portion
of McConnell Street to permit
installation of a fire hydrant. Work
will also include sidewalk repair
and improving drainage.
Work on the project, which is
expected to create 94 person-weeks
Staffing adjustments and ap-
provals were the topics for discus-
sion at the March 27 meeting of
the Huron-Perth County Roman
Catholic Separate School Board.
Support was given for maintain-
ing the Program Support Team,
which consists of two program
five years of service. "However, in
order to be eligible, years of service
and age must total 55. Since I am
not 50 years old (I am 38) I would
be in the position of 'members not
meeting eligibility formula'," Klopp
says.
This would leave the MPP with
two choices, he says. "I could wait
until I'm 50 and begin collecting a
pension equal to 25 per cent of my
salary at Queen's Park or I could
begin to collect a smaller allowance
immediately."
Klopp defends his party saying
the NDP first chose to to freeze,
then cut the wages of MPPs when
they first took power. "We took the
lead for others to bite the bullet."
In response to a claim by ORG
that when Klopp reaches the age of
75 he will have had a total payout
of $658,000, the MPP says that
"the math doesn't work."
"If I were to begin collecting a
pension at age 50 and continue to
collect it until I am 75, my calcula-
tions come to less than one-half of
ORG's. There would have to be an
incredible increase in the pension
to come close to ORG's figures."
Klopp maintains that there are no
automatic cost of living increases
in MPP pensions. "Any increase
must be agreed to by the Board of
Internal Economy," he says.
Also, Klopp says, he is not one of
the 30 MPPs that ORG mentions
ondary and elementary level and
the exceptional work being done by
coordinator Jill Johnston.
"I understand the pressure that
your board is under to cut spend-
ing, but I would like to show you
that the enrichment program is a
tremendous economic value," said
Hemingway in his plea to maintain
the program.
"The 'Beyond' programs (elemen-
tary) are not cancelled and the gift-
ed programs for secondary students
need a change of ownership from
the board office and the Learning
of employment is underway and
should be completed by September
1995.
"We are pleased to receive
Infrastructure assistance which will
benefit residents of McConnell
Street by providing better fire
protection," said Mr. Bailey.
This project is in addition to the
two projects worth $75,743
announced November 18, 1994,
which are expected to create 43
person-weeks of employment in
Blyth.
Canada/Ontario Infrastructure
coordinators and two program con-
sultants, effective Aug. 1.
Principals Michael Boniface and
Rita Lauwaert were approved for
hiring as of Sept. 1.
The resignations from teachers
Ferne Wickenheiser and Marjorie
Gameau were accepted, effective
will be receiving pension payments
because of the eligibility require-
ments.
"These pensions were put in
place before the NDP took power.
It affects those members far more
than us."
In the press release Brown makes
reference to a program on CKCO
television called Provincewide,
which, he said, used an actuarial
Paul Klopp
study to calculate that someone in
the private sector would have to
earn $100,000 a year for 30 years
to receive the $55,000 pension Rae
will receive after only 13 years as a
provincial politician.
"Rae has been praising pension
reform since 1993, but he has
Resources Centre to become school
based," says Carroll.
"The initiative for the activities
must come from the family of
schools and not from this office.
The teachers, librarians and other
resource people in the school must
ensure all gifted students benefit
from the programs."
The program cannot be run, for
10,000 students, by one half time
person, from a centralized office,
he says.
Carroll and Wareham both
expressed their commitment to per-
Works is a $2.1 billion shared-cost
program designed to create jobs
through local priority projects
which will improve the province's
infrastructure and therefore its
competitive position. Canada,
Ontario and local partners are each
contributing one-third of the
program funding.
The program, which is expected
to create up to 37,000 direct and
indirect jobs, is a positive example
of the federal, provincial and local
levels of government working co-
operatively to foster economic
development and growth.
June 30.
The Anti-Racism and Ethnocul-
tural Equity Policy Plan, approved
by the board, went into effect
March 28.
The next meeting of the board is
Monday, March 24 at St. James
School, Seaforth.
refused to show courage and lead-
ership by bringing MPPs' pensions
in line with those in the private sec-
tor," says Brown.
"Of course, when you consider
the pension Rae himself will
receive after his defeat, it's no won-
der he has refused to make changes
to his and other MPPs' lifetime
indexed pension," a pension that
Brown says will have Rae collect-
ing $3.4 million by the time he
reaches 75.
"In this term of government,"
Klopp says, "we have tried to make
changes to the pension plan." He
added that when a committee of the
leaders was formed to "hammer out
a deal, Mike (Harris) said he could-
n't agree to anything."
"Without all party consent no
changes are possible."
ORG also slammed the NDP for
what it calls its "vote buying spend-
ing spree to bolster their re-election
chances in order to pad their
already scandalous pension."
"Klopp has been on a whirlwind
tour of his Huron riding, cheque
book in hand, to ensure his con-
stituents don't forget the NDP dur-
ing the upcoming election," says
Brown.
Klopp counters that the NDP
budgets have seen a reduction in
operating costs so that capital cost
could target such things as jobsOn-
tario and infrastructure. "Clearly
sonally monitor the programs in the
schools.
The position may be changed,
looked after by a full-time student
services person who will coordinate
and oversee the program. It will get
a higher profile than if it is just
another item on a supervisory offi-
cer's plate, says Carroll.
"I am glad the misunderstandings
—could be cleared up and whole-
heartedly support changes to the
program if there will be expansion
and increased support," says Hem-
ingway.
"I believe the program is an
important part of the education of
students and don't want the changes
to affect the next generation of stu-
dents."
projects that the community
wants," says Klopp.
Adding that the government has
been doing this since taking over he
said, "It's just business as usual,
though it's interesting that all of a
sudden ORG's noticed I'm doing
my job. I should appreciate that."
Klopp does agree with one com-
ment made by ORG, that of the
sensibility of the constituents.
Brown says the voters will not be
fooled. "With the NDP doubling
the provincial debt to over $90 bil-
lion and with the government bor-
rowing $1 billion a month just to
pay their bills, Ontarians just want
an election."
"I don't think the people of Huron
are that cynical or that foolish that
they won't see this as an opportuni-
ty to throw some political dirt. It's
cheap talk [at election] and I think
people will see I've been trying to
use my judgement and do the job,"
Klopp says.
Blyth gets project approval
HPRCSSB hires principals
Youth defends enrichment progs. to HCBE