Top 10 public sector executive salaries released

B.C.'s highest paid public sector executives The province has released its annual list of the highest paid executives in the public sector.

The provincial government released its annual list of the top ten senior managers working in the public sector who made the most money in the 2018-19 fiscal year that ended on March 31st, with the CEO of a subsidiary of BC Hydro topping the list.

Thomas Bechard, the president and CEO of Powerex - a company that is an electricity marketing subsidiary of BC Hydro – was compensated $938,499 in 2018-19, including a $358,800 salary and a holdback/bonus of more than $500,000 dollars.

The University of British Columbia’s president, Santa J Ono’s total compensation came in at $601,772, while Chris O’Riley the president and COO of BC Hydro had a total compensation of $554,900.

Total compensation incudes salary, holdback or bonus, benefits, pension and any other compensation.

One person earned less than the year before, Brenda Leong - the chair of the BC Securities Commission - took home a total compensation package of $502,848 compared to $639,702 in the 2017-18 year.

Two others on the list – Ken Cretney the president of BC Pavilion Corporation and Andrew Szeri, a vice-president at UBC received total increases of more than $100,000.

The Ministry of Finance releases the list of executive compensation each year. In a release it called the salaries "fair and affordable."

Here’s the full list:

Note: Total compensation includes base salary, holdback or bonus, statutory and health benefits and pension contributions, as well as other allowances and/or payments, which may include vacation payout, sick leave payout, vehicle allowance, paid parking, severance/salary continuance, retirement allowance, professional fees and administrative leave.