Press Release
Provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath yesterday reiterated her call for a cap on public sector CEO salaries in light of the release of contracts of hundreds of hospital CEOs and executives across Ontario.
“When patients are coping with closed ERs and growing wait times, there’s no way to justify spending scarce health dollars on private clubs and $700,000 salaries,” said Horwath.
“We need to get our priorities in check and CEO salaries down to levels we see in other provinces,” she stressed.
As of Jan. 1, Ontario’s hospitals are subject to Freedom of Information Act provisions and contracts for hospital CEOs and executives became public for the first time.
In addition to salaries ranging as high $758,000 a year, the contracts show lucrative benefits to senior executives, such as membership in the York Club, health club memberships worth $6,000 a year, generous car allowances, and severance packages worth more than $1 million.
Compensation levels for executives in other provinces are not nearly as high. In British Columbia, for instance, the CEO of Fraser Health is paid $460,000 a year.
In Manitoba, the CEO of Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is paid $450,000 a year.
“The only person who should be waiting in a hospital is the CEO waiting for another raise,” said Horwath.
“In tough times, we just can’t afford these irresponsible pay packages on the public dime,” she argued.
“Every day Ontarians are being told to tighten their belts while hospital CEOs will make more in bonuses than a hard-working family will make in salary in an entire year.”
Horwath has proposed capping public sector CEO salaries at $418,000 a year—twice the salary paid the premier.
