Top-paid Sask. Crown CEO for 23-24 retired

Among the CEOs of Saskatchewan’s Crown Corporations, the one who ended up being paid the most in the 2023-24 fiscal year, only worked there for a few months of the year.

In February 2023, Doug Burnett announced he would be retiring as CEO of SaskTel to take effect in May/June of the same year.

The Crown Payee Disclosure Report for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which records from April 1 2023 to March 31 2024, was released Thursday.

The report lists Doug Burnett as having gotten $598,776 in remuneration for the year — that’s higher than any other Crown CEO for the year. It’s also more than the $555,093 he made in 2022-23.

According to SaskTel, the number for last year includes his earned salary as well as unused vacation days he was owed when he retired.

Charlene Gavel took over SaskTel’s CEO position on Aug. 1, 2023. The report puts her in third place among the CEOs for remuneration in the year — $494,310 with $3,328 in out-of-province travel expenses.

Penny McCune, SGI president and CEO, took the second place spot for the CEOs with $506,135 in remuneration, plus $24,407 for out of province travel.

Rounding out the other big Crowns: SaskPower CEO Rupen Pandya is listed as making $483,489 in 2023-24 with $10,797 in out-of-province travel.

SaskEnergy’s CEO, Mark Guillet, started in the job in May 2023 and is listed as having made $429,658 with $10,769 in out-of-province travel.

According to a news release from Crown Investments Corporation, which oversees the Crowns, remuneration for Crown executives went up three per cent from the year before, “reflecting a three per cent economic increase.”