The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

i i ; » . J 2 The Canadian Statesman KJceAetUex, Bowmanville, Saturday, December 12,1992 Regional Councillors Consider Pension and Health Benefits From Page One A historical look at the economy have a health benefit package. Cur- proves that "no time is ever the right rently, Mayor Hamre and Regional time" for this type of expenditure, Councillor Ann Dreslinski are the she added. only members of Council to access However, "everyone deserves a the packages, fair shake," Mayor Hamre said. Brock Township Mayor Donald In fact, it has only been this year Hadden told council that his coun- that councillors in the Town of cillors do not have a benefits pack- Newcastle have had the option to age through their township, as elect- Fun at the Knox School Fair , bo, just how many jelly beans were in the jar jammed packed with oodles of red, green, yellow, white, jelly beans? Jelly bean counter Joshua Hiemstra was more than willing to slow down his counting process for our camera. The Knox Christian School Bazaar was held on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 5. ed officials in some of the more populated areas of the region do. But that is due to the fact that "many already have coverage where they work -- we have only part- time councillors in Brock," Mayor Hadden said. Pickering Councillor. Maurice Brenner was empathetic towards councillors not receiving a health benefits package. ■ "In Pickering we have a good plan and one that picks up where others leave off. "There are others that don't have the same benefits as us," Councillor Brenner stated. The benefits package being examined examined by the Finance and Administration Administration Committee would include a health care plan, semi-private hospital hospital coverage, vision care, dental plan and life insurance coverage. The retirement package will be reviewed and the committee will be making recommendations to Regional Regional Council by May 1, 1993. At this time, there is no cost estimate on how much a retirement package would cost taxpayers. In Scugog Township "we have the greatest number of tightwads," said Councillor Y vonne Christie. By giving the regional councillors councillors health and retirement packages the members would move from the dark ages to 1993, she suggested. "It is about time that this chamber moved into the present," Councillor Christie said. Councillor Mike Anderson told fellow councillors that a package would benefit the council in the long run. "This might encourage others to run for council who have wanted to but did not want to lose the benefits at their jobs," Councillor Anderson concluded. The two packages do not go far enough, said Councillor Mike Armstrong. Armstrong. He said he would like to see life insurance added. "We're flying our flags at half- mast today for a young woman (Police (Police Constable Vicki Wilson who died on Tuesday afternoon) -- you just don't know when life insurance will be of benefit," Councillor Armstrong Armstrong said. "It's evident that it (a benefits package) is long overdue," stated Whitby Councillor Marcel Brunelle. "I am in support of this and Mayor Mayor Hamre stressed a lot of good points," said Oshawa Councillor Irv Harrell. "I'm not one of the people who needs the additional coverage, but that doesn't mean I won't support the others," Councillor Harrell said. Another Oshawa Councillor who went to the plate to bat for the two benefit packages was Brian Nicholson. Nicholson. He told councillors they should be treated as if they were regional employees. "It would not be fair to hire an employee without offering health benefits," he said. Health benefits are, in effect, a safety net, Councillor Nicholson said. "It is a safety net we established for our employees -- basic benefits for all our employees," he continued. continued. ■ ■ The Canadian Statesman Published by James Publishing Company Limited A Family Owned Business Serving Local Residents Since 1854 • The 'WtefaUvi is published 52 times per year and delivered free of charge to more than 17,000 homes and businesses in the Town of Newcastle. Please direct all inquiries and suggestions to: The Canadian Statesman 'Wee&md&i P.O. Box 190, 62 King Street West Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 416-623-3303 Our annual Christmas Greetings edition of The on Wednesday, December 23rd. If your company would like to have a Christmas message in this edition, please call 623-3303, or come in to the Display Advertising Department. 62 King St. W. -ii