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PAGE 4THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, MARCH 10,2004 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 www.durhamregion.com " Ujc Cmmtiimt Statesman ■ « imons Phone 905-579-440C Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-440/ General Fax 905-579-2235 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 March 10,2004 Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurhamregion.com e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com Province should manage severance Oh, wouldn't it be nice if Durham Region could trade places with Halton Region. The two share an area code, but when it comes to the severance packages approved by their respective regional and local councils, they have almost nothing in common. The four municipalities in Halton -- Oakville, Burlington, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills -- have no severance packages packages for municipal politicians. Nor does the region of Halton Halton itself. That means once you decide decide to quit politics or are defeated, defeated, no payout for services rendered is delivered in Halton. Halton. On the other hand, Durham Region's politicians are richly rewarded for their time in office office once they leave -- unless they serve in Scugog Township. Township. Scugog is the lone municipality municipality among Durham's eight where councillors don't get a fat cheque within months of quitting or losing. Scugog politicians do qualify for a regional regional severance payout, however. however. A voter has a right to ask: Why is there such a vast discrepancy discrepancy between one region and another within the Greater Toronto Area? Why is there no consistency? consistency? Why do citizens in Halton get a huge financial break, whereas citizens in Durham (other than Scugog) don't? That's where the provincial government, through the Ministry Ministry of Municipal Affairs, should step in to level the playing field. Severance, after all, adds up to millions of dollars over a long period of time. That's tax money that could be spent on any number of projects throughout a region. region. The purpose of involving the Province isn't even to necessarily necessarily remove severance packages. The idea would be to make the system fair and would take the responsibility for setting setting severance rates and, for that matter, pay increases, out . of the hands of local councillors councillors who are in an obvious conflict-of-interest situation in the matter. The ministry could set up a committee that would decide on fair rates of pay, severance and pension packages across Ontario, and then come up with a formula -- perhaps one that's tied to the rate of inflation inflation -- which would cover increases. increases. The Province already sets salaries for school board trustees, who face election at the same time as local and regional regional councillors. Why could it not do the same thing for councillors and mayors? ' The process would avoid the prospect of citizens looking looking on helplessly, as we all did recently in Durham, while our councillors jack up salaries and severance. ; And it would avoid putting councillors in the position of voting for or against severance severance and then picking up the . cash anyway. A single system that promises a fair deal for all is what we need. OPINION e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamrcgion.com Stephen Shaw e misse J® News Editor When I reported for my first shift at Metroland back in December, I was given the requisite newbie tour. At each desk in the newsroom, introductions introductions and handshakes were exchanged. Stephen Shaw, however, wasn't at his desk; he was in court covering a hearing. "That's Shawsie's desk. Watch out for him. He's a troublemaker," troublemaker," I was told with a wink. I was soon to discover that "Shawsie," as he was better known among the guys in the editorial department, regularly regularly received good-natured ribbing for his propensity to file stories that were a little on the long side, the kind that can be hard for a layout editor to cram into a small space on a newspaper page. But Stephen was seldom guilty of overwriting. He was a natural storyteller, storyteller, arriving each day to hold court in the newsroom and, while relating the details of a court case or a criminal investigation, his enthusiasm was barely concealed behind a thin veil of affected nonchalance. nonchalance. When he filed a story, it was unfailingly balanced, tightly written and -- to add insult to injury -- nearly impossible impossible to cut for length. As if that didn't pose enough of an editing challenge, challenge, Stephen was never far CLICK AND SAY ; Today's question: Should the Regional Chairman's Chairman's position be elected by ' the public or remain an appointment appointment of regional council members as it stands now? □ Elected □ Appointed Cast your vote online at infodurhaimeg^on.com Last week's question: Do you support the Durham . Regional Police Association's job action to use discretion in issuing tickets, to claim over- 1 time and not complete some duties? □ Yes 83.8% □ No 16.2% , . Votes cast: 544 HAVE YOUR SAY Question Should mayors^ and city councillors receive^ severance packages? ^ dofighan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lack of fraud charges against former crown upsetting away when 1 was reading his copy -- in fact, he was usually usually looming over my shoulder waiting to grill me if I changed so much as a comma. In the scant three months I knew him, we argued frequently frequently over the finer points of grammar and sentence structure. With a smirk on his face, he plied his contagious contagious sense of humour humour to disarm me and, more often than not, gleefully managed managed to convince me I was wrong. In truth, our exchanges exchanges were always vastly entertaining, and usually ranked as one of the high points of my day. It was clear to me that Stephen took intense pride in his work, and his integrity won him the respect of his colleagues, law-enforcement officers and court officials, as well as members of the public at large. When he sat at his desk, plopping his ever-present bulk bag of sour chews gum or hot tamales down beside him, he worked diligently to deliver stories that were fair and informative. informative. His work made a difference in his community, and it was a tremendous privilege to work alongside so talented a journalist. journalist. You arc deeply missed, Stephen. News editor Jennifer Paine's column appears every other Wednesday. To the editor: Re: 'Theft for hire scheme,' March 3. Stephen Shaw's article concerning the massive fraud perpetrated on the auto insurance insurance industry in our area, because because of the "chop shop," and therefore paid for by all of us in bigger auto premiums, leaves me shaking my head. This, after a six-month investigation investigation which cost all of us taxpayers, in police costs, plus overtime, plus pulling officers officers away from other duties. What do we get in return? Of the 153 fraudulently reported reported stolen cars either intact, intact, or in pieces on that property, property, not one person was ■ .charged with fraud, not even after four of them admitted to police they committed fraud! The insurance industry will make up for the loss by going after all of us, innocent or not, with higher premiums, and the real criminals are let go! I only hope they at least had their insurance policies cancelled? What are we supposed to learn from all this: Crime does pay? Russ Horner Oshawa Salary increases merit a closer look at the job To the editor: Maybe it is time to re-examine re-examine the structure of Durham Region in light of the increases councillors have given themselves and their un-elected chairman. Now that they arc collect- e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion ing salaries in line with fulltime fulltime duties, should we not also look at their roles and the government they are supposed supposed to manage? After all, they are building themselves a new headquarters headquarters to house themselves while our roads are deteriorating, deteriorating, improvements in regional regional services are hardly visible, the Stevenson Road interchange continues to drag on and water/sewage service becomes more expensive. Perhaps it is time to determine determine whether Oshawa and the other municipalities are well-served by this form of government as it is presently structured or whether we should be making changes to accommodate the reality of the expanded communities of today, not those of 30 years ago (and ensure all members of Regional council are duly elected by residents]) .corn And now that regional councillors are getting fulltime fulltime pay for full-time work, should they not relinquish their local salaries in favour of local councillors who must be handling the increased workload of their wards now that the regionals are justifying justifying their increase. Brian Robertson Oshawa Councillors enjoy perks that public doesn't To the editor: Who among us is not surprised surprised to read that, yet again, former politicians who voluntarily voluntarily decide to vacate then- positions are entitled to severance? severance? What possible reason, or reasons, could there be for extending extending this practice in these particular situations? Where an employer terminates terminates the employment of. an individual through a layoff, severance is most certainly warranted. When will our governments governments start acting responsibly with our tax dollars in this area? . Why am I, and most other private citizens, not entitled to severance when we voluntarily voluntarily move on from our places of employment to accept a position position elsewhere, while elected officials collect? Brad Hubley Pickering Taxpayers should tell politicians: ^ut back, we're broke' To the editor: When the mantra of politicians politicians is "cut back, cut back, we're broke," they vote themselves themselves a 45-per cent pay increase. increase. Well, the taxpayers should be saying to them, "cut back we're broke." The regional chairman isn't even elected by the people, yet he receives a pay raise. His pay increase is more than what some seniors are living on. I sincerely hope that during the next municipal election, all local newspapers print the names of the councillors who voted themselves an enormous enormous pay raise. I would love to see regional regional government scrapped and let those taxes go straight to the municipalities for services. services. Also I think it's about time to do away with the Senate, Senate, the Governor General's office and crooked politicians. ■We could have the best system system in the world if our taxes were directed where they were meant to go -- into services for the people who pay taxes. Margaret Phillips Ajax William Panzerv "It depends^ on howl many year^J in office and] if they dcr good work.'* Michael; Head; "If they have* served thb> county fori, 25 years,], absolutely."]; Kent Pearcey; "No.-! They maker! enough] money] as it is."] :. J, Dave Webber "No. I don't j think] (the mayor) ! does,! becausej he makes] enough payi for what he does " i : i TRUE GRIT O' WWfHOll VII Mil) fjPtt&IU . WTO «!! Œljc Cmwtwm Statesman is one, j of the Metroland Printing, Pub r j lishing and Distributing group. | j of newspapers. The Statesman j is a member of the Bow- ] j manville Clarington Board of ■ ] Trade, the Greater Oshawa ! | Chamber of Commerce, On- ! j tario Community Newspaper..! ! 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