Leaders of Western, Calgary, Alberta and Waterloo top $500k

Students are often amazed at how much university presidents are paid and express indignation at high salaries in student newspapers. Last week, such a piece was printed in the University of Alberta’s Gateway. “With budget cuts choking the university’s finances, it’s frustrating to see public servants paid like CEOs,” wrote Cole Forster.

The obvious arguments in favour of high presidents’ salaries are that they earn them and would otherwise be lured away by competitors. It’s also worth noting theses salaries are taxed at rates as high as 50 per cent (in Nova Scotia).

For comparison’s sake, here is a list of what 60 Canadian university presidents received in pre-tax salaries and benefits in 2011, sourced from the 2013-14 Canadian Association of University Teachers Almanac of Post-secondary Education.

Western University, Amit Chakma: $591,490

University of Calgary, Elizabeth Cannon: $545,000

University of Alberta, Indira Samarasekera: $512,000

University of Waterloo, Feridun Hamdullahpur: $506,083

York University, Mamdouh Shoukri: $494,431

University of British Columbia, Stephen J. Toope: $486,408

University of Guelph, Alastair Summerlee: $463,470

Memorial University of Newfoundland, Gary Kachanoski: $460,000

Simon Fraser University, Andrew Petter: $444,513

University of Victoria, David H. Turpin: $444,202

University of Toronto, C. David Naylor: $436,033

University of Manitoba, David Barnard: $424,755

OCAD University, Sara Diamond: $411,226

McMaster University, Patrick Deane: $405,762

Athabasca University, Frits Pannekoek: $404,000

University of Regina, Vianne Timmons: $403,804

McGill University, Heather Munroe-Blum: $400,499

University of Saskatchewan, R. Peter MacKinnon: $400,000

Carleton University, Roseann Runte: $399,300

University of Lethbridge, Michael Mahon: $399,000

Dalhousie University, Thomas Traves: $396,826

University of Ottawa, Allan Rock: $396,292

Wilfrid Laurier University, Max Blouw: $394,486

Queen’s University, Daniel R. Woolf: $383,681

Ryerson University, Sheldon Levy: $381,860

Lakehead University, Brian Stevenson: $361,112

Mount Royal University, David Docherty: $358,000

University of New Brunswick, Eddy Campbell: up to $349,999*

Brock University, Jack Lightstone: $349,890

Concordia University, Alan Shepard: $357,000**

University of Windsor, Alan Wildeman: $341,876

Université Laval, Denis Brière: $331,955

Trent University, Steven Franklin: $330,062

Mount Allison University, Robert Campbell: up to $329,999*

Université de Sherbrooke, Luce Samoisette: $320,399

Laurentian University, Dominic Giroux: $317,062

University of Winnipeg, Lloyd Axworthy: $297,508

Grant MacEwan University, David Atkinson: $292,000

Nipissing University, Lesley Lovett-Doust: $290,794

Royal Roads University, Allan Cahoon: $289,748

St. Francis Xavier University, Sean E. Riley: $281,862

Bishop’s University, Michael Goldbloom: $281,399

Acadia University, Ray Ivany: $274,000

Brandon University, Deborah C. Poff: $269,879

University of Northern British Columbia, George Iwama: $268,442

Cape Breton University, H. John Harker: $261,588

Saint Mary’s University, J. Colin Dodds: $254,314

University of Moncton, Raymond Theberge: $250,000*

King’s University College, David Sylvester: $234,899

NSCAD University, David B. Smith: $234,530

Mount Saint Vincent University, Ramona Lumpkin: $231,449

Brescia University, College Colleen Hanycz: $225,123

St. Thomas University, Dawn Russell: up to $225,000*

Algoma University, Richard Myers: $214,920

Vancouver Island University, Ralph Nilson: $206,854

University of the Fraser Valley, Mark Evered: $206,152

Emily Carr University of Art& Design, Ron Burnett: $204,560

Thompson Rivers University, Alan Shaver: $200,000

* New Brunswick figures are for 2012 and do not include benefits. Source: CBC.ca
** Concordia figure is for 2012 and does not include benefits. Source: The Concordian