Nenshi says Enmax board pay 'a bit out of line'

Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the compensation being given to Enmax board members seems high given the relatively small size of the utility.

CBC News has learned that the chair of the Enmax board of directors, Cliff Fryers, is paid $180,000 a year for the part-time job.

He also receives $1,500 for every board meeting he attends.

"For a company with 1,500 employees, [those numbers] strike me as a bit out of line," Nenshi told CBC News on Monday.

Other board members are paid $65,000 a year, plus the same meeting fees.

Aldermen on the Enmax board don't get any extra pay for the duty.

"It really does feel like Enmax is going victim to some of the worst excesses of corporate governance that we saw before the 2008 recession. And if that's the case, then we've got to rein it in," Nenshi said.

"I don't know if that's the case, but I'm looking forward to getting more information."

Taxpayers Federation calls lack of info 'unacceptable'

The board of directors was paid nearly $1.3 million last year, up about 60 per cent from the previous year.

Canadian Taxpayers Federation spokesman Scott Hennig also said that sum is high for a company the size of Enmax. He added that the lack of information Enmax makes public about the payments and the rate of increases is unacceptable.

"This is public dollars. It's a publicly owned company. That's unacceptable. They need to provide better information and need to give a breakdown and some sort of explanation as to why there's been a 60 per cent hike in the overall compensation levels," Hennig said.

Last month, CBC News first reported that Enmax president and CEO Gary Holden was paid $2.7 million in 2009 and hosted parties featuring rock stars at his house.

After that revelation and news of a subsequent email sent by Holden to Enmax staff members suggesting the company would pursue legal action against an unnamed employee who first leaked the information, the mayor asked Fryers for an accounting of how Enmax pays its senior executives.

Christmas party cancelled after Nenshi warning

In an email cancelling this year's Enmax Christmas party, Holden blamed the decision on budget cuts.

Nenshi said the cancellation of the party is the board's decision, but that it looks like employees are being punished by senior executives after he warned them against holding more parties with rock star entertainment.

"I am curious as to really how much they planned on spending on this party, that cutting it would make a difference to their budget," Nenshi said.

Enmax has said its executive compensation levels are set by the board and are in line with other companies in the industry.