To the editor:
The ICBC list of their top 50 employee salary ranges shows CEO Jon Schubert receives $449,201. The 50th person on the ICBC payroll is M. Hancock, he/she receives $207,277. Plus expenses and benefits.
Not one of these employees are as highly skilled as are the medical doctors and health care specialists (nurses etc.) the public relies on for surgeries and hospital care.
These ICBC highly overpaid paper shufflers should have their salaries reduced by two thirds.
The same treatment should apply to every government department.
B.C. is $60 billion in debt. A billion is $1,000 million.
When premier W.A.C Bennett was voted out of office in 1972, B.C.’s accumulated debt since joining Confederation had risen to $12 billion.
B.C.’s only three premiers that understood debt management were W.A.C. Bennett, his son Bill Bennett and Bill Vander Zalm.
The crisis the province is facing will not be fixed by either Shifty Christie or the Dix Mix.
The Lieutenant Governor should call an emergency meeting with the caucuses of the three political parties then make the serious decisions to properly manage the economy.
The Conservative leader was a Reform MP from 1993 to the end of the last Parliament; he understands debt management. Reform really put the pressure on Chretien and Martin to lower the federal debt in 1995.
If the Lt. Gov. fails to recognize the seriousness of the situation, he should be reminded that his presence means more than to warm an extra seat in the Legislature. In other words, there is no free lunch; even for the Lt. Gov.
Every government employee should expect to have their salaries reduced.Without those cuts B.C., similar to Ontario, is facing bankruptcy. Ontario’s debt is $249 billion. Ontario is facing a credit reduction rating. Being a have not province; Ontario is really finished; especially if Alberta and Saskatchewan cut off the transfer payments.
Ernie Slump,
Penticton
