The Stel Salaried Pensioners Organization wishes to thank The Hamilton Spectator for permission to post the following article by Reporter Gillian Livingston (The Canadian Press) published in the March 11, 2004 edition

Mar. 11, 2004. 12:58 AM

Premier likes 2.7% pay hike

New salary of $87,540 reasonable, responsible, says McGuinty, but some legislators question the increase

By Gillian Livingston
The Canadian Press

Premier Dalton McGuinty said a possible 2.7 per cent pay increase for Ontario's legislators is within reason.

McGuinty was reacting yesterday to a report earlier this week by Integrity Commissioner Coulter Osborne, who recommended the increase for elected officials so their salaries keep up with the cost of living.

"I think it's much more reasonable and much more responsible because it's inflationary as opposed to the 25 per cent pay hike that was originally on the table that we rejected," McGuinty said before a cabinet meeting.

Some legislators, however, question a raise at this time since the province is forecasting a $5.6- billion deficit.

In addition, they say, a raise shouldn't be in the cards unless the province's civil servants get a similar wage increase.

The government has already asked civil servants and other government-paid workers to temper their demands for higher salaries amid the budget crunch.

Legislators can only get a raise if the civil service gets one too, said NDP member Marilyn Churley.

"I think it's impossible for MPPs to give themselves a raise, even though it's small," she said.

"Let's face it. We all want a raise. But so do the civil servants, the frontline workers," she said.

Although the government wants to hold the line on pay increases elsewhere, that's proving to be a tough task.

Already, Ontario's community college teachers have set the bar high with a deal last week that included pay increases of 7.3 per cent over two years.

However, McGuinty called that a one-of-a-kind deal.

"What I'm asking our public-sector partners to keep in mind is that it is a rather unique settlement," he said.

"That bargaining began before our government came into power."

"That is not to be seen as any kind of precedent going forward."

Ontario's integrity commissioner is now dealing with the issue of legislature members' compensation after an independent report in 2000 recommended a catch-up raise of nearly 33 per cent, which raised the public's wrath.

Since then, another double-digit recommendation -- this one for a 25 per cent pay raise -- has been put on hold. Meanwhile, the base rate has climbed three per cent a year in each of the last three years.

Legislative members currently earn a base salary of $85,240 a year, up from $78,007 four years ago.

A 2.7 per cent increase would lift the base rate by about $2,300 to $87,540 effective April 1.