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Exclusive: TransLink’s six-figure salary club adds new members

The number of TransLink employees who were paid $100,000 or more rose again...
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Former TransLink CEO and current board member Ian Jarvis was paid $483,625 in January | TransLink

The number of TransLink employees who were paid $100,000 or more rose again in 2014.

Its statement of financial information for the year ended December 31, 2014, listed 524 employees being paid six-figures. That’s 90 more than in 2013 and 131 more than in 2012.

TransLink, like all B.C. public corporations, is required under the province’s Financial Information Act to file its annual list of salaries ($75,000 and up) and suppliers ($25,000 and up) to the Ministry of Finance within six months of fiscal year-end and make the lists available to the public. As of September 14, TransLink had still not published the report. Business in Vancouver was provided a copy after making requests to board chairman Barry Forbes and general counsel Gigi Chen-Kuo.

TransLink’s four main divisions combined for $451 million in salaries, of which $328 million was through Coast Mountain Bus Company. TransLink reported spending $527 million on suppliers.

Ian Jarvis, who was replaced as CEO in February, but remains as a board adviser, was paid $483,625 in 2014. He billed for $11,066 in expenses. Vice-president of strategic planning and stakeholder relations Bob Paddon spent nearly twice as much. He racked up $21,250 in expenses.

The names of the 169 constables who are members of TransLink’s transit police were not published, but 57 of them were paid six-figure salaries. The highest earners and spenders were Constable 44 ($187,647 plus $18,360 in expenses) and Constable 88 ($161,829 plus $16,626 in expenses).

Cubic Transportation Systems, the company behind the overdue and over budget Compass card and fare gates system, was paid $9,047,765, bringing its total since 2009 to $75.63 million.

Cubic hardware and software fare collection equipment was part of the Canada Line launch in 2009. The San Diego-based company was awarded the Compass project in late 2010, a year after the federal and B.C. governments announced the fare evasion eradication program would cost $100 million. The budget has since ballooned to $194 million, and system-wide public rollout is expected this fall.

IBM Canada was removed as the principal subcontractor for Compass. Since 2011, TransLink paid it $9.5 million.

The first company name on the list of suppliers is 1034 Resources Inc. The firm was paid $31,884 in 2014 and is owned by Doug Allen, who was TransLink’s $35,000-a-month interim CEO from February to August. CFO Cathy McLay has since taken over as acting CEO.

@bobmackin