$11.3M paid in severance to former B.C. Liberal government staffers

Details about the severance payments made to government appointees fired after the NDP assumed power in early July have been revealed.

Following a freedom of information request by Postmedia, details are now available on many of the lump sums paid out to 133 people this summer.

In all, $11.3 million was paid out. On average $85,000 has been paid out per person.

The top five payments are led by Christy Clark’s former deputy minister, Kim Henderson, who received $540,955. Athana Mentzelopoulos ($474,552.52), Neil E. Sweeney ($413,631.51), Dave Byng ($409,346.51) and John Paul Fraser ($396,205) round out the rest of the top five.

The dismissed appointees include ministerial assistants, public relations staffers and a few deputy ministers.

The details of 45 payments were not finalized at the time the FOI request was made in late July and thus those numbers aren’t included in Wednesday’s release by the government.

B.C. Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald was also dismissed this summer, but her severance will go on Hydro’s books, not the government’s.

In 2001, when the B.C. Liberals transitioned to power after defeating the NDP, a total of $9 million was paid out to fired appointees. Adjusted for inflation, that figure is slightly higher than the amount spent by the NDP this year.

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