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THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2007 THE NEW TANNER 7 GRAPEVINE with Mike OLeary The Way I See It Black sheep of our country Although I am a dedicated capi- talist I usually do not defend the mega-salaries paid to some of the corporate executives today. Dont get me started on the compensa- tion packages awarded out of the public purse. For instance, the asleep-at- the-switch CEO of the lottery corporation just received a sever- ance package of over $700,000. The money paid to top ex- ecutives today is, in most cases, obscene and impossible to justify. What possible tasks could these people be performing to make them worth these amounts? I have heard that these mega-millionaires are paid so much because they increase shareholders equity. That may be fact, but all too often they do so by slashing staff, salaries and benefits. They climb to dizzying salary scales by sac- rificing the careers of the very people who grew the company in the first place. In the case of public servants, just look at the last few Ontario Hydro chieftans. As a shareholder, I certainly didnt see my equity increase when we changed management. Im also getting tired of hearing both the private and public sectors saying we have to pay exorbitant amounts to get the best people. The number of senior executives dismissed, under indictment or in jail proves how well that strategy has worked. Imagine my surprise when I found myself in the position of wanting to defend Conrad Black of all people. I shed not a tear when Conrad and his missus departed our fair shores to buy a peerage in jolly old. Not being impressed with star- power, I could care less about their extravagant lifestyles or so- cial scene. Lets put these things in perspective. The starving masses in Calcutta probably think you and I live extravagant lifestyles. Luxury is in the eye of the beholder. I am angry that the media is playing, or trying to play, such a large part in the trial now going on in Chicago. In case youve been off the planet the last few weeks, Black is on trial for defrauding the shareholders of his former company Hollinger Int. Instead of sticking to the facts of the case (which are admittedly only exciting to forensic accountants) the media insists on dwelling on the cost of Blacks wifes purse, their extravagant life- style and other minutia not the least connected with the case. Even before the jury was selected, snide remarks were being made. Mention was made that, in order to find a jury of his peers, the court would have to scour the House of Lords in England. How can Black expect a fair trail with all this going on? Americans typically despise the English class system except for royalty which they adore. You figure it out. One of the U.S. attorneys main pieces of evidence is the non- competition clause from which Black made around $35 million. The Americans know darn well that such clauses, while unusual, are not uncommon in business, especially in the case of entrepreneurs with a unique saleable skill. For all his arrogance, Black is such a person. He had the unique ability to see a good deal in the newspaper business and act on that judgement. You may remember that he started the National Post against all odds. He staffed that paper with the top newspeople and many of the most popular columnists in Canada. He put much of his own money into the venture. In the end he sold first half, then complete control of the Post to the Asper Family of Global T.V. Today most knowl- edgeable people in the newspaper business admit that the Post sub- stantially improved the level of news reporting in Canada. I always enjoyed reading Blacks editorials. I admit I usu- ally did so with a dictionary at hand. Black was never shy about goring anyones particular ox. Politicians and/or political par- ties were a favourite target. Nor was Black shy about criticizing the state of news reporting, or the shabby treatment of reporters, in other news organizations. The lat- ter didnt make him many friends but then neither did the former. I dont know whether Black is guilty or not. The convoluted structure of corporations today makes this case very difficult to figure out. When added to the insatiable need of the Attorney Generals office stateside to pros- ecute corporate CEOs in the wake of the Enron, Worldcom, Martha Stewart scandals, and others, its hard to imagine him getting a fair trial. Am I the only one who notices that our government has had little to say about this case. Of course, hes not a Canadian citizen these days although he has applied to have his citizenship re-instated. Convicted murderers who live in Texas deserve our official at- tention. Black only rates gleeful silence. Go figure. My hope is that Mr. Black is ex- onerated, acquitted, emancipated, vindicted, exculpated and so on. And then, I hope we boot his bony ass back to England. Be- cause, you see, Ive never forgiven him for disparaging our citizen- ship in favour of personal glory on foreign shores. To me, he isnt worthy of being a Canadian citizen again. Let him pay for his own Medicare. He can afford it. SLATE RETURNED: The board of management of the Acton BIA (Business Improvement Area) was re-elected to another term at their annual general meeting recently at the Legion. The merchant man- agers include, front from left: Monica Galway, Norm Paulsen, Chair John McNabb, Yvette Simpson and Mike Papillon. Back: Council rep. Councillor Mike OLeary, BIA co-ordinator Josey Bonnette, Susan Seads, Heather Wedlake, Bob MacKinnon and Nancy Wilkes. Frances Niblock photo Synchro Bronze Congrats to Actons Ashlea Masters, a member of Team Canada I, Nexxice, that captured a Bronze medal at the World Syn- chronized Skating championship on the weekend in London, ON. Masters, an Acton Figure Skat- ing Club member for 13 years, has been a synchronized skater for eight years. Nexxice, that trains out of the Burlington Skating Centre & the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club, skated a great performance the teams best-ever at 64.85 points to jump to third place from fifth. The medal-winning skate will be aired on CBC on April 14 and 21, at approximately 2 p.m. Resilient kids Well-respected motivational speaker Dick OBrien is the guest speaker at a parenting seminar on April 23 being hosted by McKen- zie-Smith Bennett School. Titled Raising Resilient Chil- dren, discussions at the free session include teaching kids to make choices and not to rely on chance, developing personal re- siliency as a survival strategy and teaching kids to deal with lifes inevitable challenges. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to contact MSB at 519- 853-3801. Babysitting and free snacks will be provided, beginning at 6 p.m. Sweet spring Maple syrup is the centrepiece of the annual Sweet Taste of Spring at Limehouse Memorial Hall on Saturday. The Limehouse Womens In- stitute will host the annual event that includes pancakes with maple syrup, maple baked beans and maple sweets. Baked goods and maple syrup will be available for sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Proceeds go to the Hall fund. IODE aims for 90 Actons Lakeside Chapter of the IODE (formerly the Indepen- dent Order of the Daughters of the Empire) hopes it can continue operating to see its 90th anniver- sary this fall. With dwindling numbers and aging members (there are nine members in the Lakeside Chap- ter), president Ernestine Foster said it is becoming difficult to operate. The IODE provides bursaries to local students, has adopted a school in Labrador and has made donations in the past year to the Rotary Club of Acton, the Agricultural Society/indoor soc- cer facility and the playground project at McKenzie-Smith Ben- nett School. Foster said they dont want to disband theyre planning a re- ception for the 90th anniversary in October but realize they may have to make that decision. IODE is a Canadian womens charitable organization founded in 1900, with a mission to im- prove the quality of life for children, youth and those in need through educational, social ser- vice and citizenship programs. Hometown Heroes Earth Day Canada officials are looking for Hometown Heroes people, non-profit groups, schools and municipalities that have raised awareness or money for environmental issues, grass- roots level leaders focused on the future. Earth Day Canada must receive nominations before April 20. Visit www.earthday.ca/home- town or call 1-888-283-2784 for eligibility requirements and application details. The winner will be named from 10 finalists at an Earth Day gala in Toronto on June 1. Last year, Ken Crozier, a teach- er at Robert Little School, was one of the national Hometown Hero finalists. He was nominated for his environmental leader- ship. Murr tourney Theres still time to participate in the annual Paul Murr Memo- rial Golf tournament either as a golfer or sponsor, or both. Organizers, Murrs friends and golfing buddies, anticipate more than 250 golfers will play on May 14 at the Blue Springs Golf Course. The tourney is a major fund- raiser for the Acton Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society in 22 years it has raised almost $600,000 in the name of Actons Paul Murr, who succumbed to the disease. Most of the revenue comes from sponsorships and In Me- moriams and organizers want to raise more or at least as much as last year which was $53,000, the best year ever. For details call John McNabb at 519-853-5615. Food drive Acton residents are again ex- pected to be generous and donate thousands of pounds of food in the annual Scout/Guide/Cadet food drive on April 14. The drive is a major source of donations for Actons FoodShare foodbank. Non-perishable items like canned meat, vegetables and peanut butter can be placed in a plastic bag at your door by 8:30 a.m., and will be picked up by supervised youth. In advance, FoodShare offi- cials said thanks for all donations and said if your donation is not picked up, call FoodShare at 519- 853-0457 and leave a message.