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Wednesday August 14, 2024

August 14, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

CBC’s decision to award executive bonuses amid layoffs undermines public trust, fueling support for defunding the broadcaster and highlighting the need for transparency and accountability from its leadership.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday August 14, 2024

CBC’s Executive Bonuses Erode Public Trust and Bolster Calls for Defunding

April 15, 2023

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has long been a cherished institution in Canada, a bastion of national identity and public service broadcasting. However, recent actions by its leadership, particularly President and CEO Catherine Tait, threaten to undermine the public trust that the CBC has built over decades. The decision to award $18.4 million in bonuses to 1,194 employees, including substantial payouts to top executives, at a time when the broadcaster is cutting hundreds of jobs, has rightly drawn widespread criticism.

From the horses mouth: CBC paid out $18.4 million in bonuses in 2024 after it eliminated hundreds of jobs

September 29, 2017

Catherine Tait’s defence of the bonuses as “performance pay” and her assertion that the CBC is “one of the worst-funded public broadcasters in the world” may ring hollow to many Canadians. While she argues that these bonuses are part of standard compensation to retain talent and meet company goals, the optics of this decision are undeniably poor. This is especially true when some of these bonuses exceed the median family income in Canada. It’s a stark contrast that feeds into the narrative that the CBC is out of touch with the financial realities facing many Canadians.

The timing of these bonuses has also played into the hands of critics like Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who has been a vocal proponent of defunding the CBC. Poilievre’s rhetoric about turning the CBC’s downtown Toronto headquarters into housing and his pledge to sell off federal buildings tap into a growing sentiment that public funds could be better allocated. His message is gaining traction not only among his base but also among those who have traditionally supported the CBC but are now disillusioned by its leadership’s decisions.

News: ‘I can’t wait to defund the CBC’: Pierre Poilievre doubles down on plan to axe CBC after board approves bonuses

November 30, 2016

A reader’s comment aptly captures this frustration: “Another use for that $18.4M in bonuses could have been to pay those 141 people that were laid off $130k each in total compensation and keep them employed.” This sentiment reflects a broader frustration with the perceived mismanagement of public funds, which is pushing even CBC supporters toward Poilievre’s camp.

The lack of transparency surrounding the decision-making process for these bonuses further exacerbates the situation. As Richard Leblanc, a professor of governance, law, and ethics, points out, the CBC should have been “completely transparent about why it was paying the bonuses.” Without clear communication, the public is left to make adverse inferences, and opposition parties are quick to capitalize on the perceived opacity.

Moreover, the board’s refusal to disclose the exact amounts paid out to the 1,194 employees, despite repeated requests from members of Parliament, only fuels suspicion. The CBC, as a Crown corporation funded by taxpayers, has a heightened responsibility to be transparent and accountable in its operations.

News: CBC paid out more than $18 million in bonuses this year after slashing hundreds of jobs

April 11, 2014

The CBC’s situation is a teachable moment not just for itself but for all Crown corporations. The public’s reaction to the bonuses highlights a growing impatience with corporate behaviour that seems to prioritize executive enrichment over the well-being of employees and the public interest.

As Canada faces an election in the coming year, the fate of the CBC hangs in the balance. The increasing support for defunding the CBC reflects a broader dissatisfaction with how public institutions are being managed. If the CBC and its leadership do not take immediate steps to restore public trust, they risk alienating the very audience they are meant to serve.

It’s long past time for Catherine Tait and the CBC’s leadership to reevaluate their priorities and practices. The path they are on not only undermines the CBC’s mandate but also threatens its very existence. For the CBC to continue to be a relevant and respected institution, it must demonstrate a commitment to transparency, accountability, and a genuine regard for the public good. Otherwise, pulling the plug on the CBC might become an increasingly accepted reality among Canadians. (AI)

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2024-14, Canada, Catherine Tait, CBC, Defund the CBC, elite, executive, National broadcaster, Pierre Poilievre, public broadcasting, salaries

Saturday April 14, 2018

April 13, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 14, 2018

Doug Ford vows to fire CEO and board of Hydro One if elected premier

January 15, 2016

Doug Ford says that if he is elected premier this spring, he will fire the CEO of Hydro One and the company’s board of directors.

The Progressive Conservative leader says he would dump CEO Mayo Schmidt because the head of the partially privatized utility presided over a dramatic increase in rates and earned a $6.2 million salary last year.

Tory energy critic Todd Smith says in order to fire Schmidt the government would have to first fire and replace the Hydro One board, which would then have to fire the CEO.

Smith says it’s also not clear how much it would cost to fire the CEO since his contract is not public.

Smith says the party will have further details on how it plans to address hydro costs at a later date. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 


Published in the Niagara Falls Review

 

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Posted in: Ontario Tagged: Donald Trump, Doug Ford, execuative, Ford Nation, Hydro One, Ontario, salaries, tearsheet, the Apprentice

Saturday March 28, 2015

March 27, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Saturday March 28, 2015Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday March 28, 2015

Ontario’s ‘sunshine list’ tops 100,000 members for first time

Ontario’s taxpayer-funded $100,000 club includes more than 100,000 members for first time ever.

Find out who made what: the Star’s searchable databases

The annual “sunshine list” of six-figures-and-up earners on the provincial public payroll released Friday included 111,440 people in 2014 — 13,644 more than the 97,796 the year before or a 13.9 per cent increase.

That means the equivalent of the population of cities the size of Burlington or Thunder Bay made this year’s tally, which was curated in six volumes spanning 2,491 pages.

As usual, Ontario Power Generation chief executive Tom Mitchell, who runs the nuclear operation, was the province’s highest paid civil servant, taking in $1.555 million last year.

The silver medallist was also from OPG with former chief financial officer Donn Hanbidge, fired after a scathing 2013 auditor general’s report on the electricity utility, receiving $1.208 million, including severance.

Bronze went to University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation’s president and CEO William Moriarty at $937,500.

“The people of Ontario have a right to know how their dollars are being spent. Ontario has the leanest government in Canada while still providing high-quality public services that people can rely on,” Treasury Board President Deb Matthews said in a statement at Queen’s Park.

“Today, we are releasing the 2014 public sector salary disclosure list as part of our government’s commitment to be the most open and transparent government in the country,” said Matthews, who made $165,851.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, whose salary, like all MPPs, has been frozen for seven years, earned $208,974. Interim Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Wilson made $159,266 while NDP Leader Andrea Horwath took home $158,157. (Source: Toronto Star)

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: bureaucracy, civil, incomes, list, Ontario, salaries, service, Sunshine

Friday, December 13, 2013

December 13, 2013 by Graeme MacKay

Friday, December 13, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, December 13, 2013

It pays to be an Executive working for the Ontario Government

Ontarians have for too long been the victims of a culture of entitlement at Ontario Power Generation, says Premier Kathleen Wynne.

She was reacting Wednesday to a scathing report from the provincial auditor general that slammed the utility for its overly generous salaries, bonuses and pensions.

“I am deeply concerned about what seems to be the culture in that organization, which is why changes are being made. We are going to bring in legislation to actually allow us to have more ability to control those compensation packages,” Wynne told reporters at Queen’s Park.

Ironically, she had just spoken to members of CARP, a senior advocacy group, about enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan.

Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk said the “very generous” compensation for senior staff at OPG, which was created after Ontario Hydro was broken up, is being passed on to ratepayers, who face a 42-per-cent rise in their electricity bills over the next five year.

Within hours of the damning report being delivered, Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli announced that three highly paid senior OPG executives were canned.

The compensation controversy is just the latest to hit the minority Liberal government bedevilled by a litany of spending problems, including the gas plants debacle that could cost taxpayers up to $1.1 billion. (Source: Toronto Star)

The governing Liberals confirmed Wednesday that ousted Ornge CEO Chris Mazza collected $9.3-million over six years at the province’s publicly funded air ambulance service.

The figure, which was recently reported, “is accurate,” Health Minister Deb Matthews said Wednesday after testifying at a legislative committee.

That includes salary, bonuses, expenses and other fees, she said. A summary sheet outlining what Mazza collected will be provided to the committee to “make it all clear.”

A legislative committee looking into the Ornge spending scandal had previously heard that Mazza made $1.4-million in a single year, on top of hefty loans totalling $1.2-million. (Source: Toronto Star)

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: Buffet, Deb Matthews, Editorial Cartoon, entitlements, executives, gluttony, Kathleen Wynne, Ontario, OPG, Ornge, salaries, sunshine list

Tuesday August 14, 2012

August 14, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday August 14, 2012

eHealth CEO Greg Reed takes $81,250 bonus

The man brought in to lead eHealth Ontario following a scandal that rocked the Liberal government will get a bonus of about 25 per cent on top of his $329,000 salary this year, while staff at the agency have turned to the courts to get back the bonuses they were promised but denied.

EHealth president and CEO Greg Reed will be paid a bonus of $81,250 this year, agency spokesman Robert Mitchell confirmed Sunday.

The government wants all public sector workers, including doctors, nurses and teachers, to take a two-year wage freeze to help eliminate a $15 billion deficit, and told managers and executives at its agencies to lead by example.

The bonus was “part of a standard employment contract” negotiated between Reed and the eHealth board of directors, Mitchell said.

“Comparatively, his salary is significantly lower than peers at other agencies,” he said.

Reed was not available to comment Sunday, nor was the chair of the eHealth board, Raymond Hession.

The opposition parties called on Health Minister Deb Matthews to cancel Reed’s bonus as she did the bonuses for more than 600 eHealth staff.

“This latest eHealth fiasco is a slap in the face to Ontarians who are being asked to tighten their belts,” NDP health critic France Gelinas said in a release. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: bonus, civil, eHealth, Greg Reed, incomes, public, salaries, service

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