Of course, Canada has its fair share of “lockdowns for thee, but not for me” politicians and elitists who are pushing for lockdowns, but feel they are above them. But Canada’s most recent example has an interesting twist.
Dr. Thomas Stewart, the CEO of a hospital in Hamilton Ontario, decided to visit the Dominican Republic over Christmas. We need to remember, Canada has a government-run medical system meaning Stewart’s salary is paid by Ontario taxpayers.
Stewart was also on a government COVID-19 panel advising the province’s premier. The Ontario government, meanwhile, was advising people to stay home.
Stewart has since apologized and resigned from his advisory roles and is no longer CEO of the hospital, but it’s uncertain if he resigned or was fired by the hospital.
But here is the twist. CBC reports:
Stewart’s contract includes a clause that entitles him to 24 months of pay, more than $1 million, if he is terminated without cause.
Stewart received a salary of $604,083.24 and $25,631.76 in taxable benefits in 2019, according to public records.
If Stewart is fired without cause and his compensation starts, he must look for permanent work that can pay what he made as CEO, and only if he finds some can St. Joe’s stop payment, according to his contract, dated Aug. 1, 2018.
READ: CEO who went on Dominican holiday out of role atop Hamilton hospital
Yes, if he is fired without just cause, he is eligible to have his salary paid in full for two years. This leads to the obvious question: Is hypocrisy a valid reason for termination?
RELATED: In November, a senior bureaucrat, Dominique Baker, working at Canada’s Public Health Agency also took an all expense paid trip to Jamaica courtesy of Air Canada. READ: Senior bureaucrat overseeing border and travel health accepted Air Canada junket to Jamaica
The National Post provides a bit more information on Dominique Baker:
[Dominique] Baker is the manager of the office of border and travel health, a Public Health Agency of Canada program whose purpose is to keep communicable diseases out of Canada and reduce public health risks to travellers.
READ: ‘Unacceptable’: Canada public health employee took a trip to Jamaica, paid by Air Canada