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`Pay adjustment' fair, says Chudleigh cent pay cut that was never re-instituted. Continued from pg. 1 A cost of living adjustment MPs received in Preferring to call it a "pay adjustment" 2001 was "almost unnoticeable" on their pay rather than a pay hike Chudleigh, cheques, said Chudleigh. who supported the bill, said it will be "I think the pay has deteriorated pegged to the federal level and would since I was elected (originally) in still result in MPPs being paid 25 per 1995," said Chudleigh. cent less than their federal counterOn Wednesday, Chudleigh said he parts, despite the fact they serve the had received a couple of e-mails from same number of people in the same constituents in opposition to the bill. size ridings. He said he didn't think those who "It's going to tie it to a formula. I know what an MPP does are "too think that's fair for the future and I upset about this." think it will keep the Ontario legislaArnott said he had received five eture with the federal House of mails from constituents. TED Commons and help us attract the "The ones I've seen are not supARNOTT best and brightest for the future. portive," said Arnott. "There's no good time to do it," added Chudleigh. (Lisa Tallyn can be reached at Chudleigh said in 1995 MPs took a 10 per ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) ...but many constiuents don't agree A local man likens Ontario MPPs to "criminals" for voting in favour of a 25 per cent hike on their pay cheques. "Al Capone was Santa Claus compared to these people," said Noah Rowsell of Acton. "If the working people wanted a 5 per cent increase the government would say they are asking too much." Rowsell was one of five people polled Wednesday on the bill that calls for a $22,000 hike in MPPs salaries-- increasing them from $88,771 to $110,775. The bill passed first reading and the Legislature, which had planned to rise for winter break yesterday (Thursday), will be extended into next week to pass the pay raise. Only one local resident polled supported the increase. Gwyn Ramsay said, compared to MPs, she doesn't think MPPs are paid enough. "I think it's fair. Usually for a position like that you get a reasonable salary," Ramsay said. Margaret Walker of Georgetown had the opposite opinion. "I don't like it all. They're making enough money as it is now," said Walker. "They just want more and more. If they have got that much extra money they should put it somewhere useful, like programs, libraries, shelters, food banks-- back into the community. They haven't done anything to warrant that type of raise." "I don't think for the amount of work they're expected to do it's really called for, especially when lots of other people are getting cut back," said Tos Voel of Acton. "I wouldn't mind getting a 10 per cent raise," said Acton resident Reta Rowsell. "I think it's rather audacious of them to just go ahead and give themselves more of a raise percentage-wise then I got when I was working," said Arnold Joyner, of Berkeley, Ontario.