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Question of the Week... Scugog Councillors have okayed a 3 per cent payhike for themselves in 2002. Do you agree with this? Ivan McLaughlin Yes, everybody needs a raise. Gord Watt Yes, if they have not had a raise in a number of years, then it is needed. Marine Rosettis | agree with it as long as it is keep- raise. ing in line with com- parable positions. Charles Wilson | guess they need a Joe Kingston No, | don't think that is right. LETTERS Nuke plants need changes To the Editor: In a recent full page advertisement responding to the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S.A, Premier Harris said that protecting Ontario from possible terrorist attacks was his top priority. Premier Harris didn't mention Ontario's most obvious terrorist targets -- the nucle- ar reactors at Pickering, Darlington, Bruce and the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. Terrorists don't need nuclear bombs if they can cause a meltdown at a nuclear plant. No nuclear site in Ontario is cur- rently able to withstand an airborne sui- cide attack by jumbo-jet. Reactor and auxiliary buildings must be "hardened" and anti-aircraft defence is needed: Ontario must also reform its nuclear emer- gency plan: expand evacuation zones, install sirens, improve public education, and pre-distribute potassium iodide pills (if taken before exposure, these pills block absorption of radioactive iodine, which caused a thyroid cancer epidemic among Chernobyl down-winders). We need real action from Premier Harris, not just words. All nuclear power plants should be shut down during the current fall period of low electricity demand, while changes are made. David H. Martin Nuclear Policy Advisor, Sierra Club of Canada Uxbridge rap s little white church, and ent Town Hall. A very passionate history buff, fg sitor. When we visited the Willowtree Farm Market (did you know friend that school groups come from as far as Lindsay to visit Willowtree?) the poor store clerk, upon "hearing that my guest was an East Coaster, innocently com- mented that she'd always wanted to visit the Bay of Fundy. And by the time I finished digging up my kale, Mrs. F..-was well along in the story of the Jonathan Eddy Rebellion of 1776, an uprising which nearly succeeded in turning Maritimers into Americans. The unsuspecting store clerk looked frozen like a deer in the headlights. Co Then there was that business at the walk-in clinic where she'd gone to get a few arthritis pills. As she prepared to Ioave, she at first couldn't find her coat, left on the back of a chair. Ne I "Some man had sat right on it, crushed it, can you imagine! ildren smoking!" she grimaced in revulsion. upid. Phew. Smell the smoke. What a dirty non-smoker. hg -Tea'was a much more pleasant topic. le As we strolled Queen St. one sunny day I led her into the "cozy Brown Couch Coffee Shop to chat a little with owner "Heather Gibson and demonstrate what a friendly place Port e Perry Is. 350 2 % Cain Ae SL Le 7 aE ? "You should have a sign out tea" M ~F instructed Heather. "The ritual of tea is regaining its popu- gn out front that you serve tea," Mrs. larity." Later I mentioned that it took me years to get to know most of my neighbours. "Well that's what tea is for, dear. When | was first married, ladies held teas for new neighbours. It was the social thing to do." Seems to me, however, that offering hot liquid in delicate china to a nervous newcomer while all eyes study one's dress and deportment could be more sadistic than social. 2 Well, we're all products of our times and upbringings. One evening while prepping a meal | went to throw out a small container half-full of beef-stock crystals which had hardened into a solid mass like old brown sugar. Mrs. F was shocked. Instead, we had to rummage around for a hammer and whack the head of a screwdriver to save the stuff. A child of the Depression, our visitor. So different from me. Yet in many ways so similar. She is, after all, my mum. jump from $20,706 annually to $21, 327. the union agreement, council members will get a 3 The Council Table By Chris Hall A closer look Who doesn't like a pay raise? That question was brought tives last week and, to no one's surprise, Scugog's councillors endorsed a raise for themselves. It has been a few years now since our mayor, regional councillor and five ward reps had seen an increase in their annual salaries, and one could argue that their time for a raise in pay had come. Basically what it works out to be is a small increase of 3 per cent, beginning in 2002. In simpler terms, that means that your regional councillor and ward council- lors will see his or her wage bumped up from $13,716 by $411 to $14,127. The mayor, Doug Moffatt, will see his annual stipend before our township representa- However, the question of their timing is one to be considered. Those opposing council's pay hike will no doubt bring up the point that no municipal rep should get a raise during these times of cost-cutting. Scugog resi- dents were forced to deal with an increase on their tax bills this year, but still our local politicians voted themselves a raise, they'll say. Downloading costs from the province, an increasing demand for recreational facilities (second ice pad, anyone?), and among the worst roads in the region, will probably be included in any argument as to why our reps shouldn't get a raise. Sure, those are all good and valid points. But, however, if you look more closely at the situation, you'll see that our municipal leaders only voted them- selves a raise because it was based on the recent con- tract ratified by the township's union employees. Our politicians aren't getting a huge pay raise by any means; in fact, they're getting the same hike as those who work for the municipality, and they're taking it a year later. Councillors did endorse a pay raise for themselves, but they certainly didn't make up the figures. Using per cent raise in 2002, four per cent in 2003, and another 2 per cent in 2004. However, in a gesture of fairness, they only agreed to the 2002 raise. So, you can argue that the timing is just not right for a pay hike, and you probably wouldn't be wrong. As well, you can make the point that councillors made the most of a situation, which gave them a fair and pre-determined raise. Most of our municipal reps have full-time jobs or run their own businesses. Sometimes people forget that when their councillor or mayor is running out to take a look at a problem or spending an hour on the phone listening to a complaint, they're doing so on their own time. If you take a look at the time they dedicate to their community -- which includes dealing with constituents, sitting through numerous council and committee meetings and reading through mountains of documents -- maybe such a small raise isn't such a bad idea. A small hike in pay might just make this job seem worthwhile to them during the times when they're swamped with phone calls, problems and hard deci- sions.