Members� Compensation Review Committee Appointed

The Honourable Roger Fitzgerald, Speaker of the House of Assembly, announced today that the Members� Compensation Review Committee was appointed by resolution of the House of Assembly on May 28, 2009 with an effective date of July 6, 2009. The committee is chaired by Mr. Joe O�Neill. The other committee members are Mr. Brian Barry and Ms. Cathy Bennett.

The appointment of the committee is in accordance with subsection 16(1) of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, the legislation which resulted from the Green report on Rebuilding Confidence � Report of the Review Commission on Constituency Allowance and Related Matters. The legislation requires that such a committee be appointed once during each General Assembly.

The committee�s mandate is to inquire into and prepare a report respecting the salaries, allowances, severance payments and pensions to be paid to Members of the House of Assembly. The report must be delivered to the Speaker of the House of Assembly no later than October 31, 2009.

The recommendations of the report will be brought to the House of Assembly Management Commission for review. The commission will have the power to modify the recommendations but only in a manner that does not exceed the maximum amounts recommended by the committee.

The committee expects to begin their consultations in the next few weeks.

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Media contact:
Marie Keefe
Policy and Communications Officer
House of Assembly
709-729-6943
mariekeefe@gov.nl.ca

Biographies

Mr. Joe O�Neill
Prior to his retirement as CEO of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission in 2007 to pursue a career in private business, Mr. O�Neill spent in excess of 35 years in the provincial public service where he held a number of senior executive positions including Deputy Minister of Labour and CEO of the Labour Relations Agency. He also served on numerous boards and commissions including the Premier�s Task Force on Collective Bargaining in the Fishing Industry in 1997. Mr. O�Neill currently chairs the Provincial Standing Fish Price Setting Panel. Mr O�Neill has represented the Government of Canada on many occasions at the International Labour Organization in Geneva Switzerland, a position for which he received a merit award for exceptional and distinguished service.

Brian Barry
Mr. Barry is currently VP - Central NL Region for Steers Insurance Ltd with whom he has been employed since 1987. He is Past President of the Exploits Regional Chamber of Commerce and currently sits on the Executive as Secretary. Mr. Barry is also Past President of the Exploits Valley YMCA and is a volunteer with CNIB and with the South & Central Health Foundation.

He was born and raised in Grand Falls - Windsor where he now resides with his wife Nancy and daughter Emily.

Cathy Bennett
Ms. Bennett is the Owner/Operator of nine McDonald�s Restaurants in the St. John�s area. Her portfolio includes Director, Atlantic Provinces Economic Council; Director, Business Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador; Vice Chair, Ronald McDonald House NL; and Committee Member of the Labour Market Sub-Committee of the Strategic Partnership Council, Newfoundland and Labrador. Ms. Bennett also sits on the Board of Directors at Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro as well as NALCOR and the Bull Arm Corporation.

2009 07 17                         10:50 a.m.