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Let director know where you stand on salaries

Sahtlam - In early January I sent the exact email to all directors in the CVRD. It was regarding a letter that Blaise Salmon had published on salaries in the CVRD, also how was the CVRD going to handle our coming tax rate and what were their views? Most ignored me. Mike Walker replied to me and told me the CVRD has established a committee of the board to take up the salary issue, on a systematic basis, so the committee can address long term solutions to an acknowledged problem. He said he is a member of that committee and will be working to help devise solutions that are respectful of both the taxpayers and the staff, "according to him".

I appreciated his response but there was that glaring omission again. It will all be done in closed session, exactly what only a few directors are against, and contrary to what the public has been demanding for some time. Here we go again.The CVRD has historically only discussed remuneration and compensation issues in closed session. We have now seen the Town of Sidney put in a two-year wage freeze on management staff and the City of Victoria froze the wages of 71 of its nonunion staff.Mike Walker says the committee should have something in place by the March budgetconclusion. I strongly urge all taxpayers in the CVRD to contact their director and make your views known. My director Loren Duncan has been most helpful. I for one will not tolerate another eight-plus percentage increase like the last go-around and consider between a zero to the rate of inflation to be the only option on the table this time around.If that means wage roll backs and wage freezes to the CVRD staff, so be it. The CVRD has now posted, on their web site, the Statement of Financial Information and you can now see the numbers for most of the staff remuneration and expenses.Ken JohnsonSahtlam