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www.durhamregion.com PAGE 4 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, April 7,2004 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailéy Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 Stjc CanaWmt Statesman « « Phone 905-579-440C Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-440? General Fax 905-579-2236 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com, 865 Farewell St., OshawaON L1H7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 infodurhami'egicm.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durhamrcgion.eom Six-figure list must be re-examined -HB CLICK AND SAY , : ** ' S:ÿS?&î Today's question: Is anyone in the public sector sector not making $100,000? One could be forgiven for asking such a question, given the huge jump over 2002 in the number of civil servants making making six figures in 2003. While it's obviously not to the point that everyone is in the once-ex- clusive club, the time has come to look at this benchmark number number for public disclosure. Hundreds of names are on this year's list, and that's just in Durham. Across the Province there are thousands more. When first introduced back in 1996, the intention of the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Disclosure Act was to give taxpayers a better idea of how their money was being spent. Residents Residents could keep tabs on how much their municipal manager, fire chief, local Crown attorney, attorney, hospital president, etc. was making year over year, and compare it to others in similar jobs across the province. The exercise certainly brought remuneration into the spotlight here in Durham, with Oshawa, for one, re-examining the way it paid senior staff after great public outcry over the amount the City paid its former City manager. What the list never took into account, however, was inflation, inflation, unexpected disasters, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the August August blackout, and other pres sures that have only served to bump up the pay of all civil servants, servants, not just the managers of departments and governments. As a result, now it's just as common to see the names of constables, nurses, and school principals popping up. At Ontario Ontario Power Generation alone, the final list will likely have thousands of names. Basically, this list is increasingly increasingly being populated by people people who've worked long hours of overtime to hit the six-figure mark, and a public airing of their salaries just isn't fain The act was designed to keep tabs on the officials ultimately responsible responsible for making the province go, not the behind- the-scenes workers. What is needed now is a fresh new look at the act to bring it up to today's standards. The Province could establish guidelines for setting a dollar figure each year that is more in line with inflation. Or it could publish a list of senior managers managers making more than $100,000. Or it can head off in another direction. What it can't do is sit back and rest on the standards currently in place. It has different options at its disposal, but it now must act. Eight years ago $100,000 was an acceptable standard for the publishing of salaries. Now, the line in the sand is out of touch with our vastly different world. OPINION e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com World betrayed people of Rwanda Jennifer Pai News ft Ten years ago yesterday, a plane crashed en route to the Rwandan capital of Kigali, killing its passengers, including including Rwandan president .Juvenal .Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian Burundian ' leader Cyprien Ntaryamira. The cause of the crash is still a subject of debate debate (few would claim it was an accident), accident), but the event set in motion the systematic systematic slaughter of more than 800,000 people over the next 100 days. And while the machete-wielding machete-wielding geno- cidaires set up road blocks to trap fleeing Tutsis and their defenders, defenders, and hacked and killed men, women and children in their churches and their homes, the rest of the world did nothing. Instead, world leaders engaged engaged in a semantical debate: It wasn't a genocide going on in Rwanda -- sure, there may have been "acts of genocide," according to U.S. State Department Department spokesman Christine Shelley, but a genocide? Get real. * Three months into the killing, a journalist asked Ms. Shelley how many "acts of genocide" it would take to make a genocide. Ms. Shelley said she was not in a position to answer that question. So, by avoiding the use of the G world to describe the actions of the Hutu Power movement that had seized control immediately after Habyarimana's death, the world's nations successfully ducked their moral and legal responsibility to launch a military military intervention to halt the killings. Was there a public outcry for the world's inaction? Not really. Did the media attack leaders leaders for their apathy? Hardly. The Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan story got more ink. Further, while the geno- iditor TUPRK to MW6 iTi.-WBSW MM TUP mi ALIMS dofighan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to iicwsioom@durhamrcgion.com cidaires used Rwanda's state radio to fuel the tribal hatred and blood lust, even going so far as to broadcast the names and addresses of Tutsis and moderate Hutus, Western nations nations and the U.S. refused to use their power to interrupt the radio signal -- a move that would have required no ground action and little expense. Neither could political political support be found among UN member nations to reinforce the crippled- peacekeeping peacekeeping mission led by retired Lieu- - tenant-General Romeo Dallaire. After all, Rwanda was so far away, and it had ho oil - just people, said one UN envoy in his assessment assessment of the situation. After the nightmare that was the Holocaust, the international international community swore the world would never stand by and allow genocide to occur again. But as the killing in Rwanda, Rwanda, and earlier Cambodia, attests, attests, that was an empty promise. Now, 10 years later, the world is marking the anniversary anniversary and ceremonies are being held to honour the victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Even filmmakers are waking up-to the story, with related projects in the works not only by Hollywood producers, but Canada's Salter Street Films, HBO and the BBC. But the truth is, no amount of documentaries or feature films, solemn tributes to the victims or buck-passing by world leaders can ever make up for how utterly and inexcusably inexcusably the world failed the people of Rwanda, and the paltry attention that's being paid to the tragedy now is far too little, far too late. News editor Jennifer Paine's . column appears every other Wednesday. Seeking a lower salary would have shown more character To the editor: Re: Perspective needed on school board salaries, News April 2 Avis Glaze, the public school board's director of education, might have shown some character character had she asked for a salary no higher than her predecessor's, on the understanding she would receive a substantial bonus if local school results on future provincial tests merited it. Something tells me we have heard the last about the board's character-building program. George A. James Port Hope Dr. Glaze has had 'significant impact' on our school board To the editor: Re: Perspective needed on school board salaries, the News April 2 We should be inured to it by - now, I suppose, but nevertheless, it does become annoying at times to read editorials (and letters) letters) whose authors' knowledge of the subject is obviçusly only superficial at best. A case in point is the above- mentioned editorial about the Kawartha Pine Ridge Director of Education Dr. Avis Glaze's salary. The editor admits that Dr. Glaze has been on the job only two years but then criticizes her for having achieved only marginal marginal improvement in test scores and, according to the writer, doing not much more than introducing introducing the character education initiative. Those who have their finger a bit closer to the pulse of school board activity, however, are well aware that Dr. Glaze has already had a significant impact. Just in terms of openness and transparency, the difference between between Dr. Glaze's administra tion and that of her predecessors is like night and day. Her Director's Director's Annual Report to the board is just one good example. In the final analysis, the success success of any school system is measured by the quality of education education it offers students as reflected reflected in test scores and other indicators. I, would suggest that we give her a chance. In the meantime, if the Northumberland News wants to make a positive contribution, an editorial espousing increased funding would be helpful. Of course, that would almost certainly certainly entail a tax increase, something the newspaper is unlikely unlikely to smile upon. Jack Foote Campbellcroft fits especially when the KPR director's director's benefits are more than double that of the PVNC director's. director's. We expect the KPR board to justify hiring educational consultants consultants when it has an information information officer and eight superintendents superintendents Of-schools To'proyide expertise!'. expertise!'. ' H"'... ;i We also expect the local newspaper and TV reporters to keep readers abreast of developments developments at all board meetings. Bill T\ier RR#6 Cobourg Patient appreciated top-notch care Do you believe the Region's ; claims that it is prepared to ' respond to terrorist threats? □ Yes □ No Cast your vote online at infodurhamreofo53.com * : Last week's question: Do you think Durham has a problem with litter? □ About the same as others 37% □ We're better than most 21.5% □ We're the pits 41.5% Votes cast: 181 HAVE YOUR SAY Question: With the increase in hydro rates, will you be taking taking steps to conserve energy?. Steve Seip "Yes. I just bought a new energy- efficient stove, and I'll be making sure unuséd lights are off." Senior upset at KPR director's salary To the editor: Re: Perspective needed on school board ' salaries, News April 2 The salary revelations must upset seniors who pay 1/5 of their property taxes for education, education, when they haven't had children children in the school system for 20 or more years. And how about that 60 per cent salary increase for the director when it takes a magnifying glass to detect the rare raises in a senior's pension? Anyway, here is what seniors should expect from boards tor their 23 per cent tax contribution: contribution: We expect the boards to publicize, publicize, in advance, the. goals and objectives for its directors and to spell, out the criteria that will be used to measure accomplishments. accomplishments. We expect boards to deny raises to directors when goals arc not achieved, After all, MPPs declined a raise when they were unable to deliver on election promises. We expect the KPR board to quantify its reasons for hiring a director at.a significantly higher rate than the going rate especially especially when enrolment is down and schools arc closing. We expect some public transparency transparency when it comes to bene- To the editor: We hear so much about what's wrong with the health care system in this province, I thought it was important to acknowledge acknowledge what's right about it. I recently found myself suffering suffering from a number of serious symptoms that took me to the Courtice Clinic. A quick assessment assessment and an irregular EKG confirmed confirmed that I might be suffering a heart attack. Moments later, I was on my way to the hospital in an ambulance. The doctors, nurses and paramedics paramedics at the clinic, en route to the hospital, and in the emergency emergency department at Lakeridge Health Oshawa could not have handled me with more tender loving care and medical expertise. expertise. What was so interesting about my experience is that in addition to receiving excellent care, what happened Wednesday night was a great example of how the regional health database works. The irregularities in my EKG had also been detected during a routine EKG several years earlier, indicating that I simply had a slightly unusual, but healthy heartbeat. Durham residents are privileged privileged to have access to excellent care. My thanks to all the members members of Durham's medical team for helping me and my family through a very difficult evening. ' Suzanne Elston Courtice Dave Koyle "Yes. I'll be using tlje barbecue more often and make more use of major appliances in off hours." Andrew Levick "I'll be using fewer electronic devices, including watching less TV arid remembering remembering to turn off lights." Anna Strike "Yes. I'll be cutting down on dishwasher and dryer use and making sure lights that aren't in use are off." By Tim Dolighan wsmw ratomw POT (1$ TOW EiraWuMW' WaEfctSWWi WW,tWï (ç) Copyright 2004 Œljc Cnnnbimt Statesmen is one • of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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