Finance
December 13, 2016

Providing Transparency and Accountability

Newfoundland and Labrador Joins Other Provinces in Introducing Compensation Disclosure Legislation

In keeping with its commitment made in June 2016, the Provincial Government will join with other provinces in Canada in introducing a new act respecting compensation disclosure. The Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, in combination with regulations which will be passed under the act when it becomes law, will require an annual listing of all employees in departments and a number of agencies, boards, commissions, health care bodies, educational bodies and Crown corporations who receive total compensation of more than $100,000 in a year. The act will receive second reading in the House of Assembly this week.

"It is important for the people of the province to have access to information about government spending in an open and transparent way. It costs the Provincial Government $3.8 billion annually on employee salaries and benefits, or approximately 45 per cent of total expenses of $8.5 billion, so it stands to reason that this information should be made available. In bringing forward this legislation, we are keeping our commitment made in June and we join the other provinces in Canada who already make this information available."
- The Honourable Cathy Bennett, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board

The published lists under the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act and Regulations will include, for employees with total compensation in excess of $100,000, the name of the employee, official job title, name of the department or public body in which they are employed. The lists will also provide total compensation as well as a breakdown of base salary, overtime, shift premiums, retroactive pay, and bonuses, as well as severance where applicable. For a list of all public bodies to be governed by the act, see the Backgrounder below.

In instances where disclosure of compensation information could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or mental or physical health of an employee, that individual can apply to their deputy minister or head of the public body for exclusion from the list.

Newfoundland and Labrador will join with British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia in enacting legislation requiring proactive disclosure of compensation information. The list will report on calendar-year earnings and will be published annually by June 30 on the Human Resource Secretariat webpage at www.exec.gov.nl.ca/exec/hrs/.

QUICK FACTS

  • The Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act will undergo second reading in the House of Assembly this week.
  • The act will require an annual listing of all employees in departments and public bodies identified in the regulations who receive total compensation of more than a threshold of $100,000 in a year.
  • The regulations, to be published upon the act coming into force, will:
    • Establish the threshold to be $100,000;
    • Require the breakdown of total compensation into base salary, overtime, shift premiums, retroactive pay, and bonuses, as well as severance where applicable;
    • Establish the list of public bodies set out below in the Background to be covered;
    • Establish the timeframe for the exception and appeal process created under the act, and the requirement to identify if and how many employees may be exempted under the process.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador will join with British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia in enacting legislation requiring proactive disclosure of compensation information.
  • The Provincial Government respects the right of citizens to access information on how public funds are used and are committed to practice strong fiscal management on behalf of the people of this province.

- 30 -

Media contact:

Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Finance
709-729-6830, 693-1865
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
Public Bodies - Public Sector Compensation Transparency Regulations

In addition to all government departments, the regulations will specify that the public bodies to be governed by the act will include the following:

  • Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities
  • C.A. Pippy Park Commission
  • Central Regional Health Authority
  • College of the North Atlantic
  • Conseil scolaire francophone provincial de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
  • Eastern Regional Health Authority
  • Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission
  • Government Purchasing Agency
  • Human Rights Commission
  • Independent Appointments Commission
  • Labour Relations Board
  • Labrador-Grenfell Regional Health Authority
  • Marble Mountain Development Corporation
  • Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • Mental Health Review Board
  • Multi-Materials Stewardship Board
  • Municipal Assessment Agency
  • Nalcor Energy
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Care Plan
  • NL 911 Bureau Inc.
  • NL English School District
  • Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women
  • Provincial Information and Library Resources Board
  • Public Service Commission
  • Research & Development Corporation
  • Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
  • Student Loan Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador
  • The Rooms Corporation
  • Western Regional Health Authority
  • Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Review Division
  • Workplace NL

2016 12 13             1:20 p.m.