TORONTO -- Ontario's opposition parties expressed outrage Friday after learning of a $7-million bonus package for executives with the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games committee, including a $780,000 pay out for CEO Ian Troop.
"I think it's just absurd and an insult to the taxpayer to have a 200 per cent completion bonus," said Progressive Conservative Pan Am critic Rod Jackson.
Troop, who was paid a base salary of $390,000 last year plus an $87,000 bonus, will be eligible for a $780,000 bonus if the 2015 games come in on budget and on time.
"We have a CEO who can sleepwalk his way through the Pan Am Games and gain $780,000 just for completing his job, and that's just scratching the surface," said Jackson.
There are 63 other Pan Am executives earning between $190,000 and $250,000 who will be eligible for bonuses of up to 50 per cent of their annual pay when the games are over -- half for staying on the job and the other half conditional on performance.
"I come from a human resources background," added Jackson,"and I can tell you I've never seen a completion incentive bonus, especially one that is 200 per cent of your salary."
The New Democrats said it was ridiculous to pay people just to complete the job they were hired to do, and at a very generous salary.
"We think that $390,000 is a lot of money to head up a project like that, and we think that $780,000 in a bonus just for doing your job is exorbitant," said NDP critic Catherine Fife. "This lends itself to a broader conversation around capping CEO salaries, about limiting and reining in bonuses just for doing your job."
The cash-strapped Liberal government is far too quick to give away taxpayers' money, added Fife.
"These are public dollars, and we have an $11.7-billion deficit, and in that context every dollar counts," she said. This government should have learned from past mistakes at Ornge, at eHealth."
The government defended the retention bonuses, saying it's standard procedure to avoid losing key personnel close to the actual games.
"The executive team has delivered a capital campaign that is on time and on, or under budget, and we fully expect this to continue with the operational planning," said Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Michael Chan. "In order to receive the incentive, executives must achieve capital and operational targets."
The bonus structure adopted by TO2015 is similar to other multi-sport event organizations like the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, added Chan.
The Pan Am Games will be even bigger than the Vancouver Olympics, with more than 10,000 athletes and officials from 41 nations, who will compete in 51 sports, he said.
The Ontario government ordered TO2015 to tighten its expense rules earlier this week after it was learned some of the well-paid executives, including Troop, had billed taxpayers for things like a 91-cent parking fee and $1.89 cup of tea.
The Opposition also complained the $1.4-billion budget for the Pan Am games doesn't include $700 million to build the athletes' village or $10 million for the provincial Pan Am secretariat, and said they fear the event will come in way over budget.
