Editor:
In your recent editorial you take umbrage to the salary and decision making of Cathy Ulrich, CEO of Northern Health. Lakes District News' 350 word letter policy limits my response to one issue.
As a parent and a previous employee in a post secondary institution, I have encouraged my children and many others to pursue post secondary education so that they can attain a profession and a career with a corresponding salary.
It must be a little intimidating when you realize that should you attain that goal, editors may delight in poking sticks in your eyes.
Ms. Ulrich, for her salary, is responsible for the delivery of health care services in how many communities?
Responsible for the supervision of how many employees?
Responsible for the operation of how many hospitals, etc.
So if salary is the issue, why don't you put it in some context with other public servants? There's a simple formula you can use: salary divided by number of employees equals a rate per employee; or how about salary divided by the number of tax payers that you are responsible to equals rate per constituent?
Then take a look around at people paid by taxation: school district administrators; regional district CAO's, local government CAO's, forest district managers, college presidents, economic development officers and the beat goes on.
You may be surprised by some of your findings. Maybe they are all over paid. Maybe the public service is out of line.
Or maybe we expect people that invest four to eight years of post secondary education to be compensated for it.
And maybe if we feel that we are underpaid we should belly up to the bar and get some schooling and move onward and upward.
And by the way, local governments have been disclosing earnings of $75,000 or more in their annual reports every year since 1980.
I'm fairly certain you've been to some of those meetings Ms. Billard.
Susan Schienbein