Eight hundred and fifty-three City of Burnaby employees made more than $75,000 in 2019, according to a provincially mandated report.
That figure marks a 5% increase over 2018, when 811 employees made over $75,000 – the benchmark set by the provincial government for disclosure in the annual statement of financial information (SOFI).
Each year, public institutions must publish a SOFI, which details, among other things, the highest-paid employees.
In Burnaby, the 853 employees on the so-called “sunshine list” made up 21.1% of the overall staffing at the city – but 49.7% of the total remunerations paid out by the city. That’s a slight increase over 2018, when the list accounted for 20.5% of overall staffing and 48.8% of total remunerations.
At the very top of the list of earners sit city manager Lambert Chu, at $278,717 (figure includes salary and benefits), followed by senior management.
Lou Pelletier and Ed Kozak – the previous and current directors of planning, respectively – made a combined $272,880 last year. Of that, the now-retired Pelletier made just over $69,000, while Kozak made $203,552. Meanwhile, Leon Gous, director of engineering, pulled in $216,018. Noreen Kassam, director of finance, made $212,906, followed by Dave Critchley, director of public safety ($209,696); Dipak Dattani, director of corporate services ($209,199); Dave Ellenwood, director of parks,recreation and cultural services ($206,296); and Pat Tennant, director of HR ($169,392).
Several assistant and deputy directors typically pulled in around $170,000, according to the report.
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