Top labour consultant paid $650,000

VICTORIA — The B.C. government has paid a top labour relations consultant more than $650,000 over the past two years to help negotiate new contracts with unions, including the landmark deal with the teacher’s federation.

Lee Doney, a longtime former deputy minister under previous NDP and Liberal governments, has billed $662,881 since 2012 for labour negotiation advice, including a stint as acting head of the government’s bargaining agent, the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat.

His total taxpayer compensation totalled $759,125, including a $72,840 consulting contract from the Ministry of Justice and $23,404 in pay and expenses for chairing the government’s Columbia Power Corporation.

Doney was one of the top 10 highest-paid public servants in B.C. for the past two years, though officially he was considered a consultant. He earned more than double the salary of Premier Christy Clark’s top official, deputy minister John Dyble.

B.C.’s Finance Ministry said in a statement that Doney, who was hired through a competitive bid process, has been instrumental in negotiating contracts with almost 75 per cent of the province’s 310,000 unionized employees.

He was also centre stage in the negotiations with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, which resulted in a full-scale strike from June to mid-September. A six-year deal was eventually signed after the intervention of mediator Vince Ready.

“Given the importance of stable and continuous delivery of such important public services, we believe it was essential to have one of the most experienced and credible people leading publicsector bargaining at this time,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Labour negotiations rely on credibility, trust and strong relationships across the bargaining table. Few people possess as much experience with B.C.’s unique public-sector bargaining environment as Mr. Doney.”

NDP education critic Rob Fleming said he’s amazed Doney was able to bill government for so many hours, for so many jobs, on top of his private-sector work as chairman of the Western Forest Products board.

“One wonders where he found the time to be so handsomely compensated by major privatesector organizations and government,” Fleming said.

Doney could not be reached for comment.