N.B. government pays rich severance

FREDERICTON — A published report says the New Brunswick government paid a former chief medical officer of health $720,000 in severance after she was let go in a high-profile dismissal in 2015.

CBC says it obtained documents regarding the firing of Dr. Eilish Cleary after arguing in court that the information was not private and should be released.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Zoel Dionne agreed, and ordered the minister of health to disclose the amount of money it gave Cleary, who had held the position since 2008.

In January 2016, Cleary issued a statement saying she had reached an agreement with the province’s deputy minister of health that was legally consistent with other instances of dismissal without cause but did not reveal the amount of severance. A month earlier, Cleary had said she’d received a termination notice informing her that her skill set didn’t meet the needs of her employer after she was put on leave in early November.