A small group of heads of organizations working in the areas of environment, nature conservation and animal welfare receive compensation equal to, and in some cases much higher than, that of all provincial premiers.
A comprehensive analysis by The Canadian Press between June 2022 and December 2023 of approximately 1,477 T3010 returns filed with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for 2022 and 2023 shows that directors of 17 of the organizations audited received compensation in of this magnitude received from $200,000 to $250,000 and sometimes much more (1).
These organizations represent a tiny percentage of 1.15% of the total.
This range was chosen as a reference point because it is the one in which we find the compensation of Canada's two highest-paid provincial prime ministers (Doug Ford: $208,974, François Legault: $208,200). (2)
The Canadian Press analysis, conducted from June 2022 to November 2023, targeted organizations recognized by the CRA as “registered charities” (RBE), classified under the “environmental” and “animal welfare” categories. The category includes several conservation organizations. (3)
A mass of volunteers and small staff
However, the vast majority of these organizations rely on volunteers or a workforce with modest incomes to operate. In fact, 864 (58.5%) of the total are volunteers only. Just over 200 of these OBEs (13.7%) have no employees earning more than $40,000, and nearly 220 (14.8%) have no employees earning more than $80,000. More than 87% of these companies pay their employees less than $80,000 or nothing at all.
The T3010, public documents available for review on the CRA website, show each organization's top 10 salaries, ranked by range. The areas that caught our attention are the three brackets from $200,000 to $350,000 and the fourth which simply says “$350,000 and above.”
Pay ducks
At the top of this count is Ducks Unlimited Canada, based in Manitoba. The 2023 statement shows that two people earn “more than $350,000,” three others pocket $250,000 to $300,000, and four receive compensation of $200,000 to $250,000. The organization employs 565 full- and part-time employees. Governments donated just over $27 million to Ducks Unlimited in 2022-23, and a quarter of the $140 million in revenue came from donations.
Their spokesperson, Janine Massey, explains: “Ducks Unlimited Canada is the largest conservation organization in Canada […] “It is difficult to compare environmental nonprofits because of the wide variety of their missions, scope and complexity of their operations,” she continues. “We regularly conduct competitive compensation reviews and adjust our compensation accordingly to ensure we attract and retain high quality employees. »
Targeted comparisons
This competitive pay argument is raised repeatedly by the small group of organizations that responded to our request for clarification. However, he comes across the fact that almost 99% of others don't even come close to these salary levels.
“It emerged as a small industry for everything related to sustainable development and the green movement,” notes Sylvie St-Onge, professor of management at HEC and expert in compensation management, governance and boards of directors. “When they compare themselves, they compare themselves to others in the industry who are like a core group of well-heeled people. »
“The Most Expensive Cities in Canada”
At the David Suzuki Foundation in Vancouver, where one executive receives compensation of $250,000 to $300,000 and three others receive between $200,000 and $250,000, spokesman Charles Bonhomme tells us that the organization's offices are “among the most expensive Cities in Canada”. : Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal”. According to 2021 Statistics Canada data, the average salary in these three cities was $55,300, $56,700 and $53,300, respectively. The foundation continued to “enlist the expertise of an HR consulting firm to help us conduct a salary review across the company” and that this ranking “no longer reflects our current team.” The foundation employs almost a hundred people.
The World Wildlife Fund Canada employs around 110 people. Almost 80% of income comes from donations. One of its executives receives compensation between $250,000 and $300,000 and two others receive compensation between $200,000 and $250,000.
In its response, the organization again cites the comparison argument: “The total compensation of the directors of the World Wide Fund for Nature Canada.” […] is comparable to that of similar national charities, including in the environmental sector […] We believe that to achieve the greatest reach, you have to recruit the best people. »
Nature United employed 36 people, according to the 2022 statement. For leading the organization, one manager receives compensation of $250,000 to $300,000, another between $200,000 and $250,000. Its communications director, Jacqueline Nunes, reiterates that salaries are based on “a robust review process” that ensures they are “within the 50th percentile of comparable organizations,” i.e. the median. She adds that as a nonprofit organization, “we would not compensate our leaders more than necessary to provide the strong leadership that is so critical to working toward a Canada where people and nature are united and ecosystems, communities and economies are united.” thrive.” “
The Atlantic Salmon Federation, based in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, also has someone earning compensation in the range of $200,000 to $250,000. Its spokesman, Neville Crabbe, argues: “A recent external review found that our salary structure is competitive with other large and medium-sized Canadian non-governmental organizations working in the environment and conservation sector,” regardless of whether people in the private sector or work in non-governmental organizations, they should be compensated fairly and appropriately for the quality of their work. » The association, which employs 32 people, derived 22% of its 2022 revenue from $6 million from government sources and 16% from miscellaneous donations.
Short or forceful answers
The response from the Canadian Wildlife Federation, whose 2023 revenue of just over 90% of $34 million comes from governments and donations, was very succinct: “The CWF is one of the largest non-governmental organizations within the Conservation Authority of Canada.” “The Salaries for all employees are determined based on independent market assessments,” writes Pam Logan, communications director, about the compensation found there at $200,000 to $250,000 for one person.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is offering compensation of $200,000 to $250,000. Board Chairman John Grandy vigorously defends this compensation: “This idea that nonprofits are underfunded – and that they limit access to talent through low salaries or a lack of infrastructure – has been proven wrong over a decade now. ” ,” he writes. “We believe our salaries fairly reflect the current salaries of similar organizations as well as the earning potential earned by experienced managers.” SNAP Canada, whose revenues are a quarter from government and a little less than half from various donations comes from, employs around a hundred people.
Generous SPCAs
In Canada, there are just over 120 Animal Cruelty Prevention Societies (SPCA) among the organizations registered under the animal protection umbrella. Only four of them (3.3%) offer their executives compensation of more than $200,000. Only one of them responded to us, the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society, which has more than 225 employees and one person earns between $200,000 and $250,000. Its vice-president, Alison Cross, writes: “The Ontario SPCA believes in compensating its employees for their work and dedication in accordance with the standards of the provincial charitable industry.” Salary ranges have been established […] using benchmark salary data from a national survey of similarly sized nonprofits.”
Inner discomfort?
This investigation by The Canadian Press raised eyebrows among the few organizations that pay salaries at these levels. We have received some anonymous offers of insider information from people who are concerned about the compensation we report on here. We have not relied on this information as public data speaks for itself.
However, the pay disparities discussed here should in no way overshadow the work of these organizations, which, as all OBEs operate in the same areas, do enormous work to repair the damage suffered by the natural environment and its inhabitants.
The aim of this analysis was simply to shed light on the very small number of exceptions to compensation in this sector, which generally has difficulty recruiting and retaining employees.
Vocation comes before ambition
But Sylvie St-Onge remembers: “When we talk about sustainable development, it is also about social responsibility.” It is like sending a contradictory message with the values that should exist. Somewhere there is a board that either didn’t do their job or found a reason for it,” she says as she reads these numbers.
In her opinion, it would be preferable to look for people motivated by a calling rather than ambition for such organizations: “In these organizations it is not so much the best in expertise that is needed, but the best.” in terms of mobilization, Faith, belief in keeping the mission. Someone who doesn't come so much for the money. »
Here are the organizations that have not responded to The Canadian Press, with the number of employees and the number of people paid over $200,000.
- The Nature Conservancy of Canada, 514 employees, one person paid between $300,000 and $350,000, three between $200,000 and $250,000. Received $86 million in public money and $138 million in donations in 2022.
- The Alberta Conservation Association employs 93 people, with one paid between $300,000 and $350,000 and two between $200,000 and $250,000. 82% of the funding came from governments for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.
- Oceans North Conservation Society, 30 employees, five people paid $200,000 to $250,000.
- Oceana Canada, 20 employees, one person earns between $200,000 and $250,000.
- The Pacific Salmon Foundation, 52 employees, two people paid between $200,000 and $250,000. Almost half of the income comes from the public sector and a little over 40% from various donations.
- The Natural Step (Canada) Inc. 19 employees, compensation between $200,000 and $250,000.
- At the British Columbia SPCA, which has 600 employees, there is one person in the $250,000 to $300,000 range and two in the $200,000 to $250,000 range.
- The Niagara SPCA and Humane Society, with 43 employees, and the Toronto Humane Society, with 187 employees, each report compensation between $200,000 and $250,000 in their 2022 T3010s.
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(1) Compensation within the meaning of the CRA includes salaries paid, commissions, allowances, bonuses and fees and the value of the benefits provided to them.
(2) The remuneration of Prime Minister Legault and his ministers includes the salary of the deputy and the additional remuneration of the Prime Minister and the ministers. The 30% increase passed last June increased the prime minister's pay to $270,120 and his ministers' pay to $230,591, but the audited organizations' T3010 pay does not extend beyond March 2023.
(3) The number of OBEs in these two categories was 1477 (480 in Environment and 997 in Animal Welfare) at the start of the review in June 2022 and was 1474 (478 and 996) at the end of 2023. We excluded all private and public foundations from the analysis. The David Suzuki Foundation and the Pacific Salmon Foundation are not foundations within the meaning of the tax law, but are “registered charities” that use the term “foundation” in their corporate name.