Sunshine list shrinks amid salary freezes
Public sector salary freezes have shrunk the list that discloses Alberta’s top earners paid on the public dime.
The sunshine list for public service employees has diminished by almost 35 per cent since 2015, falling to 2,661 employees from 4,054 employees.
It’s somewhat of a trend, with the list comprising 3,361 in 2017 and 3,551 employees in 2016.
Postmedia was not granted an interview with Finance Minister Travis Toews as to why the list keeps getting shorter, but his press secretary Jerrica Goodwin said in an email it’s primarily because of salary restraint for all management and non-union Alberta public sector employees.
While the list’s disclosure threshold has increased based on the Alberta Consumer Price Index (as per legislation), salaries have been restrained since April 1, 2016.
“This means the number of disclosed salaries generally decreases,” Goodwin said. He said the number of pay periods also affected the list, with 27 in 2015 compared to 26 in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“Therefore, the number of employees that exceed the threshold in a given year can fluctuate. This should be taken into consideration when comparing a person’s yearover-year earnings,” Goodwin said.
Former finance minister Joe Ceci announced a wage freeze for non-union government employees back in January 2016.
It was part of a broader set of moves to deal with slumping oil prices, Alberta’s record deficit and a struggling economy.
At the time, Ceci said it was not a decision his government made lightly, but was critical to maintain stability and protect jobs within the public service.
The freeze eventually spread to unionized employees as they reached new collective agreements, including the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, the United Nurses of Alberta, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the Alberta Medical Association and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
A legislative committee is reviewing legislation that governs the sunshine list, with public submissions open until Sept. 9.