View topic - Toronto Region Conservation Authority spending.

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PostPosted: August 27th, 2019, 8:10 am 
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Following up on an earlier thread on Ontario's Ford administration suggesting that conservation authorities should wind down non-core programs to cut down on excessive spending... after a few minutes of searching, big surprise, it turns out that the TRCA isn't exactly starving for funds, not by any measure. Most of the CA's funds come from non-provincial sources which includes municipalities.

The TRCA is building an innovative new four-story office building, to provide more space for 400 employees... the total cost of the new building wasn't available, but Toronto and surrounding municipalities are contributing $60 million to the total, and Natural Resources Canada, $2 million. The best modern and innovative technology will be included in the design.

https://trca.ca/news/natural-resources- ... ad-office/

https://trca.ca/about/trca-administrati ... e-project/

Just take a look at provincial Natural Resources and Environment offices and the conditions their employees have to work in for some comparison.

TRCA employees have been said to be some of the most highly-paid public servants in Canada, often making the Sunshine List, which shows annual salaries exceeding $100,000.

Recent news reports have shown that the Federal government is adding money to ongoing TRCA programs... Toronto will be receiving $30 million in flood control money, some of which will be transferred to the TRCA, since flood control is a priority.

And more which I won't get into... at a time when schools and education, medical services, law enforcement, social workers, and many other services are suffering due to lack of funds, it appears that the TRCA is getting along very well.

There may be something to Ford's suggestion to cut back on the spending and show some restraint. This just a quick look but the bigger picture looks very bright for the TRCA. Not so much for others.

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PostPosted: August 28th, 2019, 7:42 am 
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Thanks for some digging FZ - sounds like there is definitely room for some trimming in that area.


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PostPosted: August 28th, 2019, 1:36 pm 
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The "sunshine" list was first used as a shaming tactic in 1996. It was a meaningless grandstanding ploy by the PC government of the day. It was shamelessly perpetuated by provincial governments since then. The list threshold of $100,000 has not been indexed or adjusted to inflation since being introduced in 1996 making it even more meaningless today. The inflation adjusted threshold today would be almost $154,000. Going the other direction, the inflation adjusted equivalent of $100,000 today would have been a $65,000 income in 1996.

Conservation authorities provide a wide range of services including Education programs. These programs are often among the first to be cut when cuts are made to education.

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PostPosted: August 28th, 2019, 1:39 pm 
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Yes I have no disagreement on the sunshine list especially that it has never been adjusted for inflation.


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PostPosted: August 28th, 2019, 8:55 pm 
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Whoever said environmentalists are forced into lives of poverty because they won't back big business interests never spent any time in a TRCA office. Drop into other government offices for a dose of reality.

Maybe the thing that Ford was going on about was the fact that while he too, is on the Sunshine List, there are TRCA employees that make much more money than the Premier of Ontario. Bizarro world... that's some kind of inequality... that's got to hurt, where it hurts most. (hint... double, triple and quadruple dipping)

Maybe the same situation for Mike Harris in 1996...

Quote:
The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, 1996 makes Ontario’s public sector more open and accountable to taxpayers. The act requires organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to make public, by March 31 each year, the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in the previous calendar year.

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PostPosted: August 29th, 2019, 8:15 am 
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Well I can tell you that the folks working for the GRCA, at least in the Nature centers are a whole lot closer to minimum wage.

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PostPosted: August 29th, 2019, 3:32 pm 
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Splake wrote:
Well I can tell you that the folks working for the GRCA, at least in the Nature centers are a whole lot closer to minimum wage.


28 GRCA staff on the sunshine list, CEO is tops at 200k.

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PostPosted: August 29th, 2019, 4:57 pm 
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Ok, so the Nature Center staff are even more underpaid than I thought.

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