Dr. Deena Hinshaw's record $227K cash bonus raises eyebrows among Alberta's healthcare workers

Dr. Deena Hinshaw's sizable salary was amplified in 2021 by $227,911 in "cash benefits," CBC News reported. As chief medical officer of Alberta, Dr. Hinshaw’s salary that year was $363,634, according to a government disclosure database, with the major bonus adding her to the 107 public servants who saw extra pay from their efforts during the pandemic, so far. The bonus was the largest cash benefit payout for any Albertan civil service since 2016—when the province started disclosing such records publicly. "The scale of the response to this unprecedented public health emergency required an extraordinary amount of additional work from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, the Vaccine Task force, the Pandemic Response Team and others, which is reflected in the recent disclosure," Ministry of Health spokesperson Mark Feldbusch said in an email to CBC News. The substantial bonus, however, drew some ire from the province's healthcare community, especially since “It’s a tragedy is what it truly is, and it’s a slap in the face to every person working in the front-lines of healthcare,” Mike Parker, president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, told CityNews. Indeed, during 2021 negotiations, Alberta Health Services proposed wage cuts for many types of HSAA members, in some cases close to 11%. “What we need is someone to take care of [healthcare workers], make sure they’re compensated properly, and listen, getting a 1% [wage increase] in the same year Hinshaw got a 63% wage increase? That tells you right there where the priorities are, and they’re messed up.” Dr. Padraic McCombe, an FP based in Fort McMurray, drew attention to the fact that negotiations on a fresh contract between Alberta's doctors and its government are still ongoing. “In 2021, nurses were working massive amounts of overtime, putting their health at risk every day that they were going to work,” said David Harrigan, director of Labour Relations with United Nurses Alberta, in an interview with CityNews. “Throughout that year, the government, Minister Travis Toews in particular, was frequently going public saying, ‘yes, we respect the work nurses do, but they have to take a pay cut, their salary has to be in line with the rest of the provinces.’ Then we find out, the same time he was doing that, they gave the chief medical officer of health an increase of 60%.” Notably, amid threats of job action and intense bargaining over the course of more than a year, Alberta's nurses overwhelmingly voted to ratify a contract that includes 4.25% wage increase over four years. While the pandemic has doubtlessly put the nation's chief medical officers of health through their paces, CBC News compiled a comparison of their compensation. B.C.'s Dr. Bonnie Henry had a 2020-21 fiscal year salary of $342,292—with a spokesperson for the province confirming that she recieved no bonus pay. Nova Scotia's Dr. Robert Strang didn't either, receiving a salary of $305,645 for the same period. Dr. Kieran Moore of Ontario started his position as chief medical officer for the province in June 2021 and was compensated $235,314 for that calendar year. Saskatchewan's government has legislation the prevents it from releasing too many details about public servants' compensation, but did confim that Dr. Saqib Shahab made $411,416 in 2020-21, a raise of around $78,000 compared to the year before.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw's record $227K cash bonus raises eyebrows among Alberta's healthcare workers

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