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Opposition Leader Roger Grimes says that it appears from
information attained through the Freedom of Information Act that the
termination costs paid to the former Deputy Minister of Health and the
former Information and Privacy Commissioner cost the taxpayers of the
province almost $450,000. Both individuals were unceremoniously dismissed by
the Premier last fall without cause. In a recent
Freedom of Information request submitted by the Official Opposition, it was
discovered that the termination costs of public sector employees has already
cost the taxpayers of the province close to $8 million and that number is
guaranteed to rise as court challenges have been filed, health board
restructuring moves forward and program renewal approaches.
"In the figures that were provided to us, it certainly
appears that the former Deputy Minister of Health was paid $241,000 in
severance, while the former Information and Privacy Commissioner was paid
$206,000," said Mr. Grimes. "While the information sent to us was incomplete
and did not provide an exact breakdown of these payments, our analysis of
the information shows that these dismissals cost approximately $450,000.
"Both people were highly respected and qualified
individuals, however, they were both dismissed by the Premier last fall. For
a government that continuously states that they do not have funding for key
social programs, and will lead by example, it seems very contradictory that
they can waste $450,000 of taxpayers money on termination expenses as a
result of a temper tantrum thrown by the Premier. Government has been trying
to hide these cost for months, but the Premier should now provide
justification as to why he feels these firings were a good investment for
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador."
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