The four leaders go to the fund

Archival Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin
Paul smith, the big boss of the regional Authority of metropolitan transport (ARTM), sees his salary jump by nearly 40 %, according to the proposal that must be approved by the board of directors this week. Three other executives will receive between 10 and 59 % increase in one shot.

Alexandre Robillard

Thursday, September 7, 2017 06:30

UPDATE
Thursday, September 7, 2017 06:30

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The four leaders of the public transportation in Montreal are on the verge of receiving wage hikes of up to 59 % to manage an organization that has yet to four times less employees than before.

Documents obtained by our investigation show that the directors of the new regional Authority for metropolitan transport (ARTM) will vote on this subject tomorrow.

The director-general of the ARTM, Paul smith, is the ex-chairman and managing director of the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT).

Mr. Côté, which was up to $ 180,000 in 2015 for the AMT, would now receive $ 250,000 in public funds per year if the directors of the ARTM adopt the draft resolution that we have consulted.

Paul Smith

Archival Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin

Director-general

• Current salary : 180 911 $ then $ 1,100 a day as chairman of the transition committee AMT-ARTM
• Recommendation : 250 000 $
• Increase of 38%

ARTM, which currently has forty employees, could have a workforce of up to 109 persons, indicate internal documents.

It is less than the 450 who worked at the now-defunct AMT before a restructuring that began in 2016. The operation gave birth on the 1st of June to two new entities : the ARTM and the metropolitan transit system (RTM). The RTM has inherited the majority of the employees of the AMT.

According to our sources, some have begun to question the justification of the new remuneration of Mr. smith and three other senior officers, who were with him to the AMT, given that they will have to deal with fewer employees than before to exercise a mandate more limited.

“Fair and justified “

The director-general of the ARTM, Paul smith, defended the proposal for the salary increases of the officers.

“The compensation, it is fair and justified “, he said in an interview yesterday.

Solicited by the board of directors of the ARTM, a consulting firm, Normandin Beaudry, recommended the increases, said Mr. Côté.

According to the director general, the ARTM will have new planning responsibilities that had not the AMT, including the activities of buses and commuter trains have been transferred to the RTM in the context of the restructuring.

Mr. smith cites in particular the establishment of a framework tariff, the preparation of an investment plan and the management of service contracts with the transport companies.

“Nobody has ever done it, he said. It does not train nor bus, I’m not minimizing, but it is a mandate of strategic planning. “

Increases retroactive

According to internal documents of the ARTM, the directors that form the committee of corporate governance, ethics and human resources have recommended that the salary increase of the director of public affairs, Marieke Tremblay, and director of planning, Daniel Bergeron, retroactive to June 1, 2017.

Marieke Tremblay

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Executive director, public affairs, marketing and customer experience

• Current salary : 177 000 $
• Recommendation : 195 000 $
• Increase of 10%

Daniel Bergeron

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Executive director transport planning and mobility

• Current salary : 168 000 $
• Recommendation : 195 000 $
• Increase of 16%

Robert Guertin

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Secretary-general and executive director legal affairs

• Current salary : 110 000 $
• Recommendation : 175 000$
• Increase of 59%

The number of employees of the ARTM must be 85, but yesterday Mr. Côté has not excluded the scenario of an increased membership to 109 people. A plan was presented to administrators last month, indicate internal notes.

Mr. Côté chaired the committee responsible for conducting the transition that led to the split AMT into two new entities. For this work, he receives a fee of $ 1,100 per day, he explained yesterday.

With this restructuring, the government of Quebec wanted to simplify the structures in place.