Fix wage arbitration

It was good to hear Ontario’s three party leaders promise this week to fix the broken arbitration system that is threatening the financial well-being of towns and cities across the province. This problem has festered for far too long and we hope Premier Kathleen Wynne and the two opposition leaders are serious about their commitment. Municipal leaders, who gathered this week in Ottawa for their annual meeting, should hold them to their promises. When the legislature resumes in the fall, the parties should try to put their ideological and tactical differences aside long enough to make a concerted effort to finally come up with a solution.

It is not particularly surprising that the three leaders offered vastly different ideas on how to solve the problem. Wynne said Labour Minister Yasir Naqvi will soon begin discussions on the issue, and it is critical that opposition members’ ideas and suggestions are given a full hearing so that at the end of the day, everyone can buy into the solution.

Our police, firefighters and other emergency workers put their lives on the line every day to protect us and deserve to be properly compensated. And because they are essential workers who cannot go on strike, third party arbitration is used to resolve issues when the police or firefighters and their city employers cannot agree on a contract. The arrangement certainly makes eminent sense. But there is no question that arbitration awards, often based on settlements other forces have reached — not what each city can reasonably pay — are wreaking havoc on municipal finances. For instance, if a Toronto firefighter is paid $90,000, does it mean everybody else in the province should be paid as much? But municipal leaders across the province say that’s exactly what happens.

“They are going to bankrupt us,” Barbara Marlow of the small township of Ryerson, near Huntsville, warned Monday.

We don’t want to shortchange our essential workers, but we also don’t want to bankrupt our towns and cities. It goes without saying that the province needs a better arbitration system, and any reform should not ignore the ability to pay.