Letter to the Editor
I just read the article on bonuses for senior federal employees and like most I feel upset, angry and powerless. A while back I read that the IWMC chief receives more than $150,000 per year and I disagreed with that amount but felt powerless then too. By the way Cleve is a talented, intelligent and professional person but I can name many others who too are talented and would do that job well for half the wages.
Back to the federal bonuses—the $39 million in bonuses is again way out of line. Those employees would do their jobs without the windfall or else many others would jump at the chance to do that work bonus free.
But I feel powerless. And very frustrated. I will send this letter to both the PEI Premier and the Prime Minister but they will not reduce exorbitant salaries or eliminate bonuses but they damn well should. I am fed up with all the out-of-line overspending as all government levels. I am asking all readers who agree to call their MLA and their MP plus the PM and Premier to voice their disapproval. By the way, that $39 million would go a long way to help worthwhile projects all over this country. The politicians should get real!
Let’s not be powerless—let’s try harder.
Bruce Garrity
July 8, 2003
Comments
Peter Rukavina - July 14, 2003 12:18 am
Cleve Myers deserves every penny of the $150,000 paid to him. The rollout of IWMC hasn't been without its gaffes, and the system we now have in place isn't perfect. But for acting as the "point man" in the media for everything IWMC does, and for seemingly never running away from media scrutiny, Myers deserves a lot of credit, and appropriate compensation.
Hans Connor - July 14, 2003 9:41 am
There is nothing wrong with Cleve and I believe he is sincerely trying to do a good job with an important and complicated new program. But, I agree with the point that governments of late have developed a tendency to spend money on things without public input or accountability on one hand and then claim that there isn't enough money in their budgets for programs or projects that the public is demanding on the other hand.
Alan - July 14, 2003 9:49 am
Rather than include whether or not Cleve is a great guy or not, would it not be more useful to compare his salary and responsibilities with other Solid Waste Managers of communities of 140,000? I know Ontario makes public all salaries over $100,000. You would then want to compare other senior managers in both jurisdictions to come up with a multiplier for PEI. By doing that comparison you would know whether the wage is appropriate. I will see if I can find that list on the web.
Alan - July 18, 2003 3:30 pm
Here is the 2003 chart of senior municipal Ontario salaries, which would be the level where senior solid waste officials would work.