Reaction to premier’s office salaries decidedly negative

By GILLIAN SLADE on May 19, 2020.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says paying staff in the premier’s office more than the premier himself is not acceptable.

“There should be no one in the premier’s office who is making more than the premier himself,” said Franco Terrazzano, Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director. “Clearly there need to be some salary cuts there.”

Salaries for 19 political staff in this office include two people making more than $224,000, four with salaries close to $200,000 and the balance receive more than $114,000 each for a total of more than $2.4 million.

Last summer Kenney took a 10 per cent pay cut reducing his annual pay to about $186,000.

MLA’s took a five per cent cut reducing their regular salaries to $121,000 while cabinet ministers get $181,000.

At the time Kenney was quoted in the media as saying: “We were elected with a mandate to be fiscally responsible and that has to start at the top.”

Albertans are demanding to know why nobody in a team of 19 highly paid staff were prepared to do an interview with the News on Friday.

“I find it amazing that there are three officials in this group that are involved with communications and one with digital strategy and that no one could do a phone interview,” said Medicine Hat’s Gary Soucey. “Also there are two officials involved with stakeholder relations and they should be able to say something.”

Soucey wants to know who the government considers the stakeholders and if they are not Albertans are there other select political groups.

Another resident questioned on social media whether taxpayers should be paying the salaries of people who look as though they are political appointments furthering the UCP party and should therefore be paid by the UCP party itself.

Several local residents have called the salaries “off the wall,” “totally appalling” and one person who used to work for government in the past, says a government office with three staff can generally function with one.

John Hubert of Bow Island looks at the salaries in light of Premier Jason Kenney’s concern about what doctors are paid. He suggests some of this money could be more effectively used to fund operations such as HALO’s helicopter medevac service in this region and/or go towards improving the safety of Highway 3 by making it two lanes in each direction.

Terrazzano called the salaries of the 19 staff “eye-popping” particularly considering the economic devastation facing Albertans and the number of people who are out of work and businesses struggling to survive the pandemic lock down.

Drew Barnes, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat is concerned about whether Albertans are getting value for their money.

The News requested a telephone interview with the premier on Friday morning. Staff said he was not available and there was nobody else who could do the interview. A statement from the premier’s office noted that the remuneration for the office staff is 21 per cent less than the NDP’s.

17
-16