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Six Liberals appointed to WCB tribunal Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 | 12:08 PM AT CBC News P.E.I.'s Liberal government has appointed six new people to the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal, each of them with ties to the Liberal party. Some of the appointments were apparently made without going through the Participate in P.E.I. program, which was set up by the new Liberal government to give all Islanders an opportunity to compete for such positions. The program was part of Premier Robert Ghiz's plan to take patronage out of the appointment process for the Island's 75 boards and commissions. "We thought it was a good idea to go out and advertise, so that if they happened to be interested in one they could submit their resume for consideration," Ghiz said last summer. But Summerside lawyer John Ramsay never had to apply for the executive appointment to the WCB tribunal. He was called Monday and told he had the job without ever having asked for it. "I usually vote for the person more than the party," said Ramsay when asked by CBC News about his party affiliation, but when pressed he admitted he had worked for the Liberal party in the past. Positions pay more than $20,000 a year Three of the WCB tribunal appointments are to the executive. According to the outgoing chair, each executive member could earn about $2,000 for every case they hear, and they hear more than a dozen a year. Charlottetown lawyer Wendy Reid was appointed to chair the tribunal. Reid said she had worked for the Liberals in the past, and like Ramsay did not apply for the position. Jordan Brown, also a Charlottetown lawyer, is on the executive of District 7 for the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island. The other three members on the tribunal represent either workers or employers. Worker representative Ralph MacLean sought a Liberal nomination in Summerside in 2003. Jean Tingley, an employer rep, was a candidate for the Liberals in District 18 in 2003. Stu Lavers is out of province and couldn't be reached, but sources tell CBC News he is a Liberal party fundraiser. They would hear about five cases a year, but work less than the executive on each case. In total, each of those appointments would be worth about $2,000 a year. Leaving Islanders to judge The Progressive Conservatives got a lot of grief from the Liberals over patronage during their 10 years in power, which ended in May. Tory MLA Mike Currie wonders what Islanders will think of these latest appointments. "I guess all we can do is take the premier at his word. He said there was going to be no patronage," said Currie. "I think Islanders will be the judge of the premier's comments." It's not clear how many other people actually applied for the positions on the WCB Appeal Tribunal. The Ghiz government did not provide anyone to comment on this story. |
