Two of Brampton's highest paid employees don't even work there

Two of Brampton City Hall's highest paid employees don't even work there.

Ontario's recently released Sunshine List of public sector employees who make over $100,000 reveals that two former Brampton employees — one fired in 2018 and the other fired in 2022 — took home over $1.5 million combined last year.

Per the list, David Barrick, who was fired two years ago from his role as chief administrative officer (CAO), made over $267,000 in severance and over $18,000 in benefits last year and $280,000 and $18,000 in benefits the year prior.

Meanwhile, Harry Schlange, who was CAO before Barrick and fired in 2018, took home nearly $300,000 every year from 2018 until 2021.

Neither Barrick nor Schlange responded to CBC Toronto's requests for comment.

Those figures, combined with the longevity of Schlange's severance pay, raises eyebrows for one employment lawyer, though he did say that CAO positions often come with a "healthy severance package.

"They are highly politicized positions," said Athanasios Makrinos, a partner with Whitten and Lublin.

The position is "precarious," Makrinos said, because it's at the whim of council and whoever gets elected next.

Employment lawyer Athanasios Makrinos says it is common for CAO positions to come with a 'healthy severance package.' (Submitted by Athanasios Makrinos)

Brampton has had four CAOs since 2014. A CBC Toronto analysis shows that among nearby municipalities Toronto, Mississauga, Caledon and Oakville, Brampton's former CAOs are the only ones who appear on the Sunshine List for more than one year after being fired.

However, some could also receive or continue to receive severance below $100,000 — which is the threshold the Sunshine List captures.

"There are ways to make sure severance is spread over several years and doesn't appear on the Sunshine List," said Zachary Spicer, associate professor of public policy and administration at York University.

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"Payments can be buried if they are just at $99,999," Spicer said.

Brampton spent $38M on severance over 11 years

Barrick was fired in 2022, and Schlange was fired in 2018.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown told CBC Toronto that Schlange's severance was guaranteed in a contract signed by the previous mayor, but he did not comment on Barrick's severance package. He directed further questions to the city — a spokesperson said the city won't comment on "individual personnel issues."

However, Brown said Schlange's severance was "too generous."

"All subsequent severance packages have been far more modest and in line with the private sector," he said.

A city report shows $9.5 million of Brampton's $38 million severance spending between 2010 and 2021 was due to the exit of a "greater proportion of senior leaders" since Mayor Patrick Brown, pictured earlier this year, came to office in 2018. (Saloni Bhugra/CBC)

A city report shows $9.5 million out of the city's $38 million severance spending between 2010 and 2021 was due to the exit of a "greater proportion of senior leaders" since Brown came to office in 2018.

That same report says the city spent over $24 million on severance from 2014 to 2018, which it attributes to the mass exit of employees after the city restructured administrative positions in 2016.

Coun. Martin Medeiros, who has been in council since 2015, attributes the costs to "previously divisive" councils. He apologized for his role in the decision-making.

Medeiros says City Hall is currently undergoing cost cutting for its "generous" severance packages, at the same time as its working on training and promoting from within so that it can retain employees.

"We want to ensure that we're competitive but not break the bank," he said. "We want to make sure that we will have people who we think will be here long term."