GRAND RIVER CONSERVATION (CONSTRUCTION) AUTHORITY ie. GRCA

It's been a while since I poked fun at the GRCA by calling them the Grand River Construction Authority. They have made some impressively boneheaded decisions over the years although one of my favourites was their approving the construction of a solvent tank farm for Varnicolor Chemical, on the floodplain of the Canagagigue Creek (Lot 91), AFTER Varnicolor was a national pollution story courtesy of yours truly. Anyhow in today's Waterloo Region Record we have this story titled "GRCA slices $15K from honorarium paid to chair".

Apparently Jane Mitchell's pay as Chair was $15,000 higher than other conservation authoritys around the province. This stems from a report done by the Record last spring which indicated that local municipal councillors made at least $160,000 in 2012 serving on utility, police and conservation authority boards. Not bad for part time, part time work now is it? Further increments at the GRCA include $82 per committee meetings and $136 for every committee of the whole or general meetings. This is on top of their Honourariums. Oh and also 48 cents per kilometre mileage payments. All of this is bad enough for the taxpayers but the truly scary aspect is that these "volunteer" positions (HA!) are filled by either Councillors, past Councillors or their friends. So called "citizen appointments" are rarely if ever based upon merit. They are based upon who you know and how supportive of the status quo politically you have been. In other words real activists need not apply.