Was money on ORPP well spent?

Re Pension money well-spent, Editorial Aug. 1 The Star wants me to believe that the six workers who should benefit most from the scrapped Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) are executives and that they should pocket an average of $336,666 in severance/damages for a few months’ work.

And that these severance fees are a necessary part of doing business because these executives worked hard and on tight deadlines, right?

I was looking for it, but I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere that some of these executives (being so instrumental and valuable) no doubt also demanded a pretty hefty salary for all that hard work and tight-deadline meeting as well, no?

The line about living with dignity was also well placed. Certainly we know of at least six people who will have no problem with that.

Thankfully, we now get to pay for this skilfully and astutely negotiated CPP enhancement and at the same time contribute to the actual commitments that the federal government is on the hook for. Now that is living with dignity.

Wait, what? Just because you cited numbers that suggest people support the new plan does not mean they support how we got there. You have conflated issue and approach. Iain McQueen, Carlisle

Your editorial gives new meaning to the term “severance fees.” Severance pay is money paid to employees who have tenure and who are dismissed because of lack of work or other reasons be- yond the employee’s control. It usually runs between two and four weeks per year of service, but there are exceptions.

Severance pay was never intended nor should it be used to compensate employees for working long hours under tight deadlines. Big salaries and big bonuses attract top talent and I would be cautious of any organization that was trying to attract top talent by offering a big severance package.

I understand the reasons for the collapse of the ORPP and our government seems to be generous with our money in this regard, but $3.7 million seems to be a bit excessive for ORPP’s executive and staff. Frank Feeley, Fonthill, Ont.

I disagree. The original budget for starting up the ORPP to this point was $15 million, yet the Liberals spent $70 million. Why don’t you start asking the Liberals the tough questions about why this cost ballooned to $70 million? Bill Roest, Georgetown