Fifty-two people made it to what would in Ontario be called the sunshine list.
That is, the list of people employed by the local government earning more than $75,000, a list that is required to be released under provincial legislation.
The District of Kitimat is delayed in releasing their statement of financial information, which includes more than just the list of salaries, due to backlog from the municipal strike earlier in the year.
The salaries reflect those paid in 2014, and Kitimat’s ex-Chief Administrative Officer Ron Poole not-surprisingly tops the list, with $188,579.39 in pay, plus another $25,569.61 in expenses, totalling $214,149 in total payment.
Kitimat’s current CAO Warren Waycheshen, the year he was the Deputy CAO received a total pay of $158,830.
The District’s long-time director of engineering was third on the list at $157,914 paid.
The list is primarily composed of high level District of Kitimat managers and Kitimat firefighters.
One odd stand out is the inclusion of Walter McLellan, who was Kitimat’s Municipal Clerk. However McLellan retired in 2013 — taking with him, too, that job title itself which was rebranded as Deputy CAO, which Warren Waycheshen took over.
He was listed at receiving for $128,793 according to the file.
Waycheshen explains that McLellan was running out his deferred vacation, which employees are eligible to do towards their retirement bank. Last year was the last time he received payments, said Waycheshen.
The District of Kitimat, as a whole, has 105 full-time employees, he said, and 11 as regular part-time, and 25 part-time and casual, but that number, he said, does fluctuate.