Alberta’s chief medical officer received almost $228,000 in cash compensation during the 2021 calendar year.
That was in addition to a salary of $363,634 and “non-cash benefits” of about $5,200 for Dr. Deanna Hinshaw last year.
It’s the largest cash payout for a provincial employee since records began in 2016.
The numbers are listed on the Government of Alberta’s salary disclosure page.
A total of 107 provincial wage earners – most in management positions and working in the health sector – received cash payouts in 2021.
Twelve people, including Hinshaw, registered six-figure cash bonuses.
The so-called “Sunshine list” reveals the benefits of nearly 2,000 people.
Health Department spokesman Steve Buick confirmed the payments to CTV News, calling them standard emergency practice.
He says Hinshaw’s bonuses were calculated based on her base hourly rate and the number of overtime hours she worked in 2021 over a 45-hour week.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed 4,665 Albertans and required at-times frequent public health updates from Hinshaw over the past two years.
Mount Royal University political scientist Dwayne Bratt says he understands the pandemic payouts, but he doesn’t think every Albertan will.
“It will only add to the discussions of ‘Has Hinshaw been giving advice to the Kenney government?’ Did she provide advice that she thought they needed? Did she work independently?’
He also says it will raise some questions about a staffing move in April.
“In several respects, you have to compare Hinshaw’s bonus to, say, the firing of Verna Yiu as CEO of Alberta Health Services, or the effort — at least in 2020 — to try to hold the line and restore wages for doctors and medical sisters,” said Brat.
AHS chief Dr. Verna Yiu said 750 health workers are seeking exemptions from the provincial vaccination mandate
Last year, the province set aside a COVID-related contingency fund to help with increased health care costs during the pandemic.
It told CTV News that the total $2.4 million in special services awards for 2021 is about .04 percent of the province’s $10 billion in total pandemic response costs.
A statement also thanked all employees for their added work over the past two years.
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